 Owumi warms up for the Scorchers in 2017 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 4, 1984 Lagos, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian / American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 209 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Jeremiah E. Burke (Boston, Massachusetts) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2008: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2008–present |
| Position | Guard |
| Number | 15 |
| Career history | |
| 2009–2010 | AL Roche-la-Molière |
| 2010 | Manchester Millrats |
| 2010 | Lirija |
| 2010–2011 | Al-Nasr |
| 2011 | El-Olympi |
| 2012–2015 | Worcester Wolves |
| 2015–2017 | London Lions |
| 2017–2018 | Surrey Scorchers |
| 2018–2020 | Worthing Thunder |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Alexander Owumi[1] (born May 4, 1984) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player and author. He became the subject of widespread media attention following his time with Al-Nasr, a Libyan team owned by the family of Muammar Gaddafi. Owumi last played for the Worthing Thunder of the National Basketball League Division 1 (NBL 1) in England of which he now owns.
Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, Owumi moved to Boston as a child. He played football and basketball from an early age and at the college level. He focused on basketball at the Community College of Rhode Island and was named a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American. Owumi played his final two seasons at Alcorn State in Lorman, Mississippi, but he failed to attract any attention from National Basketball Association (NBA) teams. As a result, in 2009, he moved to France and played his rookie season with AL Roche-la-Molière where he was named most valuable player of the league.
After a brief spell in the Premier Basketball League (PBL) with the Manchester Millrats in 2010, he signed with KK Lirija in Macedonia. He left the team at the end of the season after facing unpleasant playing conditions and racist abuse, and accepted a lucrative offer with Al-Nasr, joining the Libyan team shortly before the outbreak of the Libyan Civil War in 2011. When conflict erupted, Owumi was trapped in Mutassim Gaddafi's apartment without food or electricity for several days in the midst of the violence, before he was able to escape to Egypt, where he was arrested and detained. After his release, he played for El-Olympi, an Egyptian team, helping them win a league championship. He then moved to England and began playing in the BBL, joining the Worcester Wolves, with whom he won a league title, before moving to the London Lions and then the Surrey Scorchers.
Owumi has written three books, including Qaddafi's Point Guard, an autobiography focusing on his time in Libya.
- ^ Holmes, Bob (April 9, 2012). "Globe Scholar Athletes Represent Boston's Best". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2017.