Isaac Nnamdi Okoro (/əˈkɔːroʊ/ ə-KOR-oh; born January 26, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Auburn Tigers. Listed at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and 225 pounds (102 kg), he plays the small forward position.
Okoro played basketball for McEachern High School in Georgia for four years, helping his team win the state championship and achieve national success in his senior season. He was considered a five-star recruit by Rivals and a four-star recruit by 247Sports and ESPN. After his freshman college season at Auburn, he was named to the second team All-SEC.
Early life
Okoro was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Nigerian parents and was raised in metro Atlanta. His father, Godwin, emigrated from Nigeria in the 1980s. His mother, Gloria, is also from Nigeria. Okoro started playing basketball in his local church league. When he was around seven to eight years old, he began training under the guidance of Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) coach Omar Cooper, the father of his future high school teammate, Sharife Cooper. He played for the A.O.T. Running Rebels of the Nike EYBL circuit.
High school career
Okoro played high school basketball for McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia. In his freshman season, he averaged 15 points and eight rebounds per game, helping his team win the regional title and reach the Georgia High School Association Class 7A state quarterfinals.[5][6] As a sophomore, Okoro averaged 22.5 points per game, leading McEachern to the regional championship and the Class 7A state semifinals. He earned Atlanta Journal-Constitution Class 7A All-State second team and MaxPreps Sophomore All-American third team honors.[8][9] In his junior season, Okoro averaged 20.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, helping McEachern reach the Class 7A state quarterfinals. He was named to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Class 7A All-State first team and the USA Today All-USA Georgia first team. In the offseason, Okoro had success on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, a prominent amateur circuit, with Athletes of Tomorrow.
In his senior season, Okoro averaged 19.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.7 steals per game. He led McEachern to titles at the City of Palms Classic and the Tournament of Champions. His team ended the regular season with a 32–0 record, becoming the first undefeated team in the highest Georgia classification since 1995 and receiving a No. 1 national ranking from multiple websites, including MaxPreps. Okoro scored 16 points to help his team win its first Class 7A state championship. He shared Atlanta Journal-Constitution state most valuable player recognition with teammate Sharife Cooper. Okoro was named to the MaxPreps All-American second team and the USA Today All-USA Georgia first team.[14][20] On April 12, 2019, Okoro competed in the Nike Hoop Summit, an international all-star game.[21] On April 26, 2019, Okoro became only the second basketball player in McEachern history to have his jersey retired.
Recruiting
By the end of his high school career, Okoro was considered a five-star recruit by Rivals and a four-star recruit by 247Sports and ESPN.[23][24] On July 25, 2018, he committed to play college basketball for Auburn over offers from Florida, Florida State, Oregon and Texas, among others. Okoro became the second-highest-ranked commit in program history, according to 247Sports composite rankings, behind only Mustapha Heron.
