James Nnaji
Nnaji with FC Barcelona in 2022 | |
| No. 46 – FC Barcelona | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | Liga ACB EuroLeague |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 14 August 2004 Makurdi, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2023: 2nd round, 31st overall pick |
| Drafted by | Detroit Pistons |
| Playing career | 2019–present |
| Career history | |
| 2019–2020 | Rátgéber Akadémia |
| 2020–present | FC Barcelona |
| 2020–2021 | →FC Barcelona B |
| 2024–2025 | →Girona |
| 2025 | →Merkezefendi |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
James Ugochukwu Nnaji[1] (/ˈnɑːdʒi/ NAH-jee; born 14 August 2004) is a Nigerian professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He was selected 31st overall in the 2023 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons, but his rights were traded to the Charlotte Hornets and later the New York Knicks.
Early life and youth career
Nnaji grew up in Makurdi, Nigeria where he started playing basketball. He is from the middle belt (central) region of Nigeria. In 2018, Nnaji moved to Ratgeber Basketball Academy in Hungary.[2]
Professional career
Nnaji started his career with Rátgéber Akadémia, a team in the Hungarian league. He moved from Hungary to Barcelona in 2020, joining FC Barcelona B in 2020. From there, he would move up to the A team of FC Barcelona in 2021, making thirteen appearances in the 2021–22 season.[2]
On 4 August 2024, Nnaji was loaned to Girona of the Spanish Liga ACB.[3] Nnaji's spell at Girona ended in March 2025 after a mutual agreement between the club and the player.[4] On March 28, FC Barcelona announced Nnaji would spend the remainder of the season on loan at Merkezefendi Belediyesi Denizli of the Basketbol Süper Ligi.[5]
NBA rights
Nnaji declared for the 2023 NBA draft, where he was ranked as the 24th-best prospect in the ESPN Top 100.[6] On June 22, 2023, Nnaji was selected 31st overall in the 2023 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons, which then traded him to the Charlotte Hornets.[7] In 2024, his rights were traded to the New York Knicks along with Karl-Anthony Towns as a part of a 3-team trade.[8]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance index rating |
| Bold | Career high |
EuroLeague
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | Barcelona | 13 | 2 | 5.8 | .750 | — | .000 | 1.7 | .2 | — | .4 | 1.8 | 2.5 |
| 2022–23 | 19 | 0 | 6.4 | .762 | — | .462 | 1.3 | .4 | — | .5 | 2.0 | 2.7 | |
| 2023–24 | 19 | 0 | 5.6 | .720 | — | .419 | 1.4 | .2 | .2 | .3 | 2.6 | 3.0 | |
| Career | 51 | 2 | 6.0 | .742 | — | .396 | 1.5 | .2 | .1 | .4 | 2.2 | 2.8 | |
Domestic leagues
| Year | Team | League | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Barcelona B | LEB Plata | 12 | 9.3 | .696 | — | .214 | 2.7 | .4 | .1 | 1.1 | 2.9 |
| 2021–22 | Barcelona | ACB | 12 | 6.8 | .786 | — | .444 | 1.4 | .2 | .1 | .7 | 2.2 |
| 2022–23 | Barcelona | ACB | 35 | 10.5 | .697 | — | .538 | 2.6 | .2 | .2 | .6 | 4.3 |
| 2023–24 | Barcelona | ACB | 26 | 8.3 | .649 | — | .647 | 2.2 | .1 | .1 | .5 | 2.3 |
References
- ^ "James Nnaji". ACB.COM. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Barcelona locks up teenage center Nnaji". euroleaguebasketball.net. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
- ^ Bàsquet Girona [@BasquetGirona] (4 August 2024). "✅ Benvingut a Fontajau, James!👋 🤝 James Nnaji arriba a Fontajau en qualitat de cedit pel @FCBbasket #NnajiGironí" (Tweet) (in Catalan). Retrieved 4 August 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Bàsquet Girona i James Nnaji separen els seus camins". basquetgirona.com (in Catalan). 27 March 2025. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
- ^ Barça Basket [@FCBbasket] (28 March 2025). "James Nnaji acabarà la temporada cedit al Merkezefendi de Turquia" (Tweet) (in Catalan). Retrieved 28 March 2025 – via Twitter.
- ^ Givony, Jonathan (20 April 2023). "EuroLeague prospect James Nnaji, 18, submits paperwork to enter NBA draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
- ^ Yeager, Jon (22 June 2023). "BREAKING: Hornets Draft James Nnaji". SI.com. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ "New York Knicks Acquire Karl-Anthony Towns". NBA.com. October 2, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.