Chinanu Onuaku

Chinanu Onuaku
No. 33 – Wonju DB Promy
PositionPower forward / Center
LeagueKorean Basketball League
Personal information
Born (1996-11-01) November 1, 1996 (age 28)
Lanham, Maryland, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High schoolRiverdale Baptist
(Upper Marlboro, Maryland)
CollegeLouisville (2014–2016)
NBA draft2016: 2nd round, 37th overall pick
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–2018Houston Rockets
2016–2018→Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2018–2019Greensboro Swarm
2019–2020Wonju DB Promy
2020–2021Zadar
2021–2022Bnei Herzliya
2022Dinamo Sassari
2022–2023Hapoel Tel Aviv
2023Joventut Badalona
2023–2024Goyang Sono Skygunners
2024Santeros de Aguada
2024–presentWonju DB Promy
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA U19 World Championship
Gold medal – first place 2015 Greece Team

Chinanu Michael Onuaku (born November 1, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Wonju DB Promy of the Korean Basketball League (KBL). He played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals. In 2021–22, he led the Israeli Basketball Premier League in rebounds per game.

Onuaku is known for his use of underhand free throws, an unorthodox shooting technique most famously used by Rick Barry, one of the most accurate free throw shooters in NBA history. Underhand free throws are very rarely used in the modern NBA as many NBA players view the technique as embarrassing to use; the technique is often pejoratively referred to as "granny style". Onuaku found success by adopting this shooting method, increasing his free throw percentage from 46.7% his freshman year of college to 72.4% his rookie year.[1]

  1. ^ Reichert, Chris (June 27, 2017). "Chinanu Onuaku is revitalizing the underhand free throw". Retrieved July 13, 2023.