Oscar Tshiebwe

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Oscar Tshiebwe
Tshiebwe with Kentucky in 2022
No. 44 – Indiana Pacers
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1999-11-27) 27 November 1999 (age 24)
Lubumbashi, DR Congo
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High school
College
undrafted
Playing career2023–present
Career history
2023–presentIndiana Pacers
2023–present→Indiana Mad Ants
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Oscar Tshiebwe (born 27 November 1999) is a Congolese professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Indiana Mad Ants of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Kentucky Wildcats. In 2022, Tshiebwe was the consensus national player of the year.

Early life

Tshiebwe grew up in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He played soccer as a child but was encouraged to start basketball because of his above-average height.[1] Tshiebwe trained by running on hills and on a mountain near his hometown.[2] He later attended a basketball camp led by Congolese NBA player Bismack Biyombo, who helped advance his career.[3] Tshiebwe did not start playing basketball until May 2014.[1]

High school career

Tshiebwe moved to the United States in November 2015,[4] before his freshman year of high school, attending Mountain Mission School in Grundy, Virginia.[2] Entering his junior year, he transferred to Kennedy Catholic High School in Hermitage, Pennsylvania.[5] As a junior, Tshiebwe averaged 21.1 points per game and led his team to a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class 1A title.[6] He earned Class 1A All-State first team honors.[7] In his senior season, Tshiebwe averaged 23.4 points, 18 rebounds, and five blocks per game, leading Kennedy Catholic to a 24–3 record and the PIAA Class 6A championship.[8][9] He was a Class 6A All-State first team pick and was named Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year.[8][10] He averaged 21.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game playing for ITPS Wildcats Select on the Adidas Gauntlet. Tshiebwe played in the McDonald's All-American Game and Nike Hoop Summit.[11][12]

Recruiting

He was considered a five-star recruit by

247Sports and a four-star recruit by ESPN.[13][14][15] On October 20, 2018, he committed to play college basketball for West Virginia.[16]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Oscar Tshiebwe
C 		Lubumbashi, DR Congo Kennedy Catholic (PA) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Oct 20, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 88
Overall recruiting rankings:   
247Sports: 22  ESPN
: 46
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "West Virginia 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  • "2019 West Virginia Mountaineers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 5, 2019.

College career

West Virginia

Tshiebwe with West Virginia in 2020

In his second college game, Tshiebwe had a double-double with 20 points and 17 rebounds at

Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.[17] Tshiebwe had 19 points and 18 rebounds against Wichita State in the Cancun Challenge championship game, leading his team to victory and earning MVP honors. He was again named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on December 2, 2019.[18] At the conclusion of the regular season, Tshiebwe was named to the Second Team All-Big 12 and the All-Newcomer Team.[19] Tshiebwe averaged 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game as a freshman while shooting 55% from the field.[20]

As a sophomore, he averaged 8.5 points and 7.8 rebounds through 10 games before leaving West Virginia for personal reasons.[21]

Kentucky

On January 10, 2021, Tshiebwe transferred to Kentucky, after considering Miami, NC State and Illinois.[22] In his debut for Kentucky, Tshiebwe tallied 17 points and 20 rebounds in a 79–71 loss to Duke.[23] On December 22, he scored 14 points and grabbed a Rupp Arena-record 28 rebounds in a 95–60 win against Western Kentucky.[24]

At the close of the season, Tshiebwe was named the Sporting News National Player of the Year,[25] as well as the unanimous Southeastern Conference Player of the Year.[26][27]

Professional career

Indiana Pacers / Mad Ants (2023–present)

After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, Tshiebwe joined the Indiana Pacers for the 2023 NBA Summer League. On 3 July 2023, he signed a two-way contract with the Pacers, splitting time with their NBA G League affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants.[28] On 9 December, he made his NBA debut in the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament championship game against the Los Angeles Lakers, and recorded his first regular season point on 13 December, against the Milwaukee Bucks.

On 18 February 2024, Tshibwe was selected to the 2024 NBA G League Next Up Game, along with Mad Ants teammates Isaiah Wong and Kyle Mangas, where his team was crowned champions. Tshibwe also participated in the 2024 NBA Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend, where his team lost in the finals to MVP and Pacers teammate Bennedict Mathurin. On 2 April 2024, Tshiebwe was awarded the NBA G League Rookie of the Year Award after leading the league in rebounding and set a new NBA G League single–season rebounding record with 16.2 rebounds per game.[29] In 2023–24, he recorded 27 double-doubles, seven games with 20+ points and 20+ rebounds, broke the record for most rebounds collected in an Indiana Mad Ants season, and broke the Mad Ants record for most rebounds in a game with 28. He was also selected to the All–NBA G League 1st Team, as well as the All–NBA G League Rookie Team.

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
* Led NCAA Division I

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 West Virginia 31 31 23.2 .552 — .708 9.3 .4 .7 1.0 11.2
2020–21 West Virginia 10 10 19.9 .523 — .607 7.8 .7 .4 .4 8.5
2021–22 Kentucky 34 34 31.9 .606 — .691 15.2* 1.1 1.8 1.6 17.4
2022–23 Kentucky 32 30 33.6 .560 .000 .729 13.7* 1.6 1.6 1.0 16.5
Career 107 105 28.8 .573 .000 .705 12.3 1.0 1.3 1.1 14.5

Off the court

Personal life

Tshiebwe is a

Christian.[30] After Tshiebwe began attending Kennedy Catholic High School, Jeff Kollar and his wife, who live near the school, became his legal guardians.[2] Kollar and his wife were previously guardians of brothers Mohamed and Sagaba Konate, who both played basketball for Kennedy Catholic. Sagaba Konate also played college basketball for West Virginia.[5]

Tshiebwe is a Kentucky Colonel.[31]

Business interests

Tshiebwe has become a leading figure in name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, despite being unable to take full advantage of his celebrity due to holding a student visa. While he is allowed to sign sponsorship deals, he cannot make paid personal appearances (including autograph signings and commercial shoots) while in the U.S. with that visa status.[32] Tshiebwe's advisers are currently trying to change his visa status to "extraordinary ability", which would enable him to fully monetize his celebrity.[33] In August 2022, he was temporarily freed from the restrictions of his visa when the Wildcats went on a week-long preseason exhibition tour to the Bahamas.[34] When the team's plane landed in the Bahamas, Tshiebwe's first phone call was reportedly to his agent, asking "Where do you need me?",[33] and he did promotional work for four companies before fully settling into his hotel room.[34] During the Wildcats' down time on that tour, Tshiebwe made numerous photo shoots and advertising reads, and signed large quantities of memorabilia. Kentucky head coach John Calipari was apparently unfazed by Tshiebwe's off-court work in the Bahamas, reportedly telling The Athletic, "He can't do this stuff in the States. Oscar, you weren't there today, but we all get why you're doing what you're doing."[33] By the end of the tour, he had reportedly made $500,000, bringing his total NIL money to $2.75 million in about 6 months. He used his first batch of NIL money to buy his mother a five-bedroom house, and has established a charitable foundation for the benefit of children in his homeland that is funded in large part by his NIL deals.[34]

References

  1. ^ a b Hunter, Greg (24 December 2018). "WVU fans get a taste of Tshiebwe". WV News. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b c White, Mike (1 August 2018). "Oscar Tshiebwe, Kennedy Catholic forward, is turning heads on the recruiting trail". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  3. ^ Squadron, Alex (6 May 2019). "Bigger than basketball: How Bismack Biyombo is creating change in the Congo". Slam. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  4. ^ Everett, Brad (25 April 2018). "Kennedy Catholic junior Oscar Tshiebwe reaching elite status". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  5. ^ a b White, Mike (22 December 2017). "Kennedy Catholic basketball team is talented — and controversial". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  6. ^ "Meet the District 10 Boys Basketball All-Stars". Erie Times-News. 6 April 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  7. ^ Groller, Keith (1 May 2018). "Becahi's Ryan Young, Moravian Academy's Jordan Holmqvist earn first-team honors". The Morning Call. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  8. ^ a b "KC's Tshiebwe named Gatorade Pa. Player of the Year". The Herald. 16 March 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  9. ^ "Meet the District 10 Boys Basketball All-Stars". Erie Times-News. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  10. ^ Groller, Keith (14 May 2019). "All-state boys basketball: Becahi's Justin Paz, Moravian Academy's Jordan Holmqvist earn first-team honors". The Morning Call. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  11. ^ Smith, Brad (26 March 2019). "Oscar Tshiebwe, McDonald's All-American". Mountaineer Sports. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  12. ^ Brown, Tim (13 April 2019). "Top 11 plays from the 2019 Nike Hoop Summit". The Oregonian. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  13. ^ "Oscar Tshiebwe, Kennedy Catholic, Center (BK)". 247Sports. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  14. ^ "Oscar Tshiebwe, 2019 Center". Rivals. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  15. ^ "Oscar Tshiebwe". ESPN. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  16. ^ Wells, Adam (20 October 2018). "5-Star Center Oscar Tshiebwe Commits to West Virginia over Kentucky". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  17. ^ "Doolittle and Tshiebwe Collect Weekly Awards". Big 12 Conference. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  18. ^ "Dotson & Tshiebwe Collect Men's Basketball Awards". Big 12 Conference. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  19. ^ "Men's Basketball All-Big 12 Awards Announced" (PDF). Big 12 Conference. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  20. ^ Campbell, Zach (10 March 2020). "In Freshman Season, Oscar Tshiebwe Dazzles". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  21. ^ Boone, Kyle (2 January 2021). "West Virginia big man Oscar Tshiebwe leaves team for personal reasons, Bob Huggins says he won't return". CBS Sports. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  22. ^ Borzello, Jeff (10 January 2021). "West Virginia men's basketball transfer Oscar Tshiebwe commits to Kentucky". ESPN. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  23. ^ Hale, Jon (10 November 2021). "'Dude might run through a brick wall': How Oscar Tshiebwe makes Kentucky teammates better". Courier Journal. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  24. ^ "Grady, Tshiebwe help No. 20 Kentucky rout W. Kentucky 95-60". CBS Sports. Associated Press. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  25. Sporting News
    . Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  26. ^ Tipton, Jerry (8 March 2022). "SEC coaches name Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe their player of the year". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  27. ^ Zenor, John (8 March 2022). "Kentucky's Tshiebwe earns AP's SEC player of year honors". Associated Press News. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  28. ^ "Pacers Sign Tshiebwe and Wong to Two-Way Contracts". NBA.com. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  29. ^ "Oscar Tshiebwe Named NBA G League Rookie Of The Year For 2023-24". NBA.com. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  30. ^ Doering, Joshua (3 December 2021). "Oscar Tshiebwe, nation's leading rebounder, thankful for God's guidance in journey to Kentucky". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  31. ^ "Famous Colonels". The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  32. ^ Guilbeau, Glenn (20 April 2022). "Thank You, NIL, Kentucky Is Saying After National Player of Year Oscar Tshiebwe Stays". OutKick. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  33. ^ a b c Dorisca, Samantha (12 August 2022). "Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe Couldn't Do NIL 'Work' In The U.S. — Now, In The Bahamas, He's Expected To Earn Six Figures In One Week". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  34. ^ a b c Thompson, Tyler (12 August 2022). "Oscar Tshiebwe making the most of NIL opportunities in Bahamas". Kentucky Sports Radio. Retrieved 27 August 2022.

External links

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