Semi Ojeleye

Jesusemilore Talodabijesu "Semi" Ojeleye (/ˈʃɛmi ˈoʊdʒəleɪ/ SHEM-ee OH-jə-lay;[1] born December 5, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for both Duke University and Southern Methodist University.

Semi Ojeleye
Ojeleye with the Boston Celtics in 2018
No. 37 – Boston Celtics
PositionPower forward / Small forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1994-12-05) December 5, 1994
Overland Park, Kansas
NationalityAmerican / Nigerian
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High schoolOttawa (Ottawa, Kansas)
College
  • Duke (2013–2015)
  • SMU (2016–2017)
NBA draft2017 / Round: 2 / Pick: 37th overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–presentBoston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life and college career

Ojeleye's parents emigrated from Nigeria to Ottawa, Kansas.[2] He starred at Ottawa High School and in 2013 was named the Parade Magazine National Player of the Year.[3] He chose national power Duke for college, but played sparingly for two seasons. Looking for a larger role, he transferred to SMU, and in 2016–17 he led the team to both American Athletic Conference (AAC) regular season and Tournament Championships. Ojeleye averaged 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and was named AAC Player of the Year.[4]

Professional career

Following the close of his redshirt junior season, Ojeleye entered his name for the 2017 NBA draft but did not hire an agent, leaving open the possibility of a return to the Mustangs.[5] Ojeleye was invited to the 2017 NBA Draft Combine, one of 67 participants. After some promising performances he announced that he would commit to the draft, ending his college career. Ojeleye was chosen by the Boston Celtics in the second round.[6]

Ojeleye made his professional debut on October 17, 2017 in a 102–99 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[7] During the regular season, he averaged 2.7 points per game and shot 34.6 percent from the field, but emerged as a defensive presence. He started in Game 5 of the playoff series versus the Milwaukee Bucks and held Giannis Antetokounmpo to 16 points.[8]

Career statistics
Legend
  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  Bold  Career high

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Boston 73015.8.346.320.6102.2.3.3.12.7
2018–19 Boston 56310.6.424.315.6151.5.4.2.13.3
2019–20 Boston 69614.7.408.378.8752.1.5.3.13.4
Career 198913.9.391.340.6882.0.4.3.13.1

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018 Boston 17313.5.303.273.8571.6.1.2.01.9
2019 Boston 605.7.444.6001.000.3.3.0.02.2
2020 Boston 1309.4.350.2171.000.9.1.2.01.6
Career 36310.7.300.280.9091.2.1.2.01.8

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013–14 Duke 1704.7.500.571.909.9.1.2.21.6
2014–15 Duke 6010.5.278.250.5712.3.2.5.03.0
2016–17 SMU 353534.1.487.424.7856.91.5.4.419.0
Career 583523.1.479.415.7854.61.0.4.312.3

References
  1. Katz, Fred (July 7, 2018). "Boston Celtics summer leaguer Semi Ojeleye provides Las Vegas game announcer with tough test". MassLive. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  2. Hamilton, Brian (March 27, 2017). "From Duke to SMU, Semi Ojeleye's long, crooked journey is finally paying off". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  3. McLaughlin, Brian (May 17, 2013). "Semi Ojeleye is Parade's 2012-13 Boys Basketball Player of the Year". Parade Magazine. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  4. Baby, Ben (March 9, 2017). "SMU's Semi Ojeleye named AAC Player of the Year". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  5. "SMU's Tim Jankovich thinks Semi Ojeleye is taking smart approach to NBA draft". Dallas Morning News. March 27, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  6. Forsberg, Chris (June 22, 2017). "Duke's Jayson Tatum selected No. 3 overall by Celtics". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  7. "Celtics vs. Cavaliers - Box Score". ESPN.com. October 17, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  8. Souza, Scott (April 28, 2018). "Celtics notes: Forward Semi Ojeleye uses defensive prowess to make stars look bad". Worcester Telegram. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
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