Serge Ibaka

Serge Jonas Ibaka Ngobila[1] (/ˈsɜːrdʒ iːˈbækə/;[2] born September 18, 1989)[3][4] is a Congolese-Spanish professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ibaka was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder's former incarnation, the Seattle SuperSonics, with the 24th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. Ibaka is a three-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection and has twice led the league in blocks. Although born in the Republic of the Congo, Ibaka plays for the Spain national team. In 2019, he won his first NBA championship as a member of the Toronto Raptors.

Serge Ibaka
Ibaka with the Toronto Raptors in 2018
No. 9 – Los Angeles Clippers
PositionCenter / Power forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1989-09-18) 18 September 1989
Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
NationalityCongolese / Spanish
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24th overall
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
Playing career2007–present
Career history
2007–2008CB L'Hospitalet
2008–2009Ricoh Manresa
2009–2016Oklahoma City Thunder
2016–2017Orlando Magic
2017–2020Toronto Raptors
2020–presentLos Angeles Clippers
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Spain
Olympic Games
2012 LondonTeam
FIBA European Championship
2011 Lithuania National Team

Early life

Ibaka was born in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, and is one of 18 children.[5][6] Both his mother and his father were basketball players. His father played in the Republic of the Congo and with the Congolese national team, and his mother played for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He started playing basketball at a very young age with his first club, Avenir du Rail, using the sport as an escape from his mother's untimely death and his father's imprisonment during the Second Congo War.[7] His father organized for the family to flee the country prior to the war, but ended up as a political prisoner upon their return.[6]

Ibaka moved to France at the age of 17 and joined a second-division basketball team before moving to Spain, where he taught himself Spanish.[6] In Spain, he soon began playing with a second-division basketball club CB L'Hospitalet. He averaged 10.8 points and 8.2 rebounds and shot 55%.[8] In 2008, he entered several international showcases, picking up an MVP award at the Reebok Eurocamp[6] and the attention of NBA scouts. An NBA scout at one of the camps said that "athletically he's off the charts—there's no telling how good he can be".[8]

Professional career

Transition to the NBA
Ibaka in 2011

Ibaka was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 24th pick in the 2008 NBA draft. He became the first player from the Republic of Congo to be selected in the draft, although the Oklahoma City Thunder (the re-branded SuperSonics that relocated to Oklahoma City six days after the draft) agreed to keep him in Europe. He then signed a three-year contract with Ricoh Manresa from the ACB League in Spain, keeping the option to leave for the NBA after each season. In the ACB, he averaged 7.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1 block in 16 minutes per game.

In July 2009, the Thunder paid the buyout, and signed him to a two-year contract with two more optional seasons.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2009–2016)
Ibaka and Ömer Aşık tip off game 6 of the first round of the 2013 playoffs

Although coming to the NBA as a raw talent, Ibaka had managed to become a starter in the Thunder rotation. He was often used for his energy in the paint, whether on defense or rebounding. In his first NBA season, Ibaka played 18.1 minutes per game in 73 games, averaging 6.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. His blocks average led all rookies in the 2009–10 season, and he ranked number 20 overall. In the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers, he played in 6 games, averaging 25.5 minutes, 7.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2 blocks per game. His 7 blocks in game two in Los Angeles was a record (youngest player to have 7 blocks in playoff game).

On 19 February 2011, Ibaka participated in the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.[9] He began the contest with a free-throw line dunk. In the second round, Ibaka grabbed a stuffed animal from the rim with his mouth and dunked in one motion. However, he lost out to Blake Griffin in the competition.

During the 2011 NBA lockout he signed a two-month contract with Real Madrid in Spain alongside Spain national basketball team teammate and friend Rudy Fernández with an option to return to the NBA at the end of the lockout.[10][11] Over 6 games in the Euroleague, he averaged 5.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2 blocks in 15 minutes per game.[12]

After the lockout, Ibaka returned to the NBA from Spain. On 19 February 2012, he recorded his first career triple-double against the Denver Nuggets, scoring 14 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and getting a career-high 11 blocks.[13] He played all 66 games in the shortened season as a starter, averaging the most blocks in the league, 3.6 per game. In voting for the Defensive Player of the Year, he finished second behind Tyson Chandler of the New York Knicks.[14] In Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, Ibaka went 11–11 from the field. Oklahoma City went on to win the series in six games and advance to the 2012 NBA Finals. In the Finals Ibaka averaged 7 points and 5 rebounds, but the Thunder fell to the Miami Heat in five games.

Ibaka in 2014

In August 2012, Ibaka signed a four-year deal worth $48 million with the Thunder.[15]

During the 2012–13 NBA season, Ibaka upped his scoring average from 9.1 to 13.2. He also averaged 7.7 rebounds, and a league-leading 3.0 blocks. For his defensive efforts, Ibaka finished 3rd in Defensive Player of the Year voting, behind LeBron James and the winner, Marc Gasol. In the playoffs, the Thunder beat the Houston Rockets in 6 games, but fell to the Memphis Grizzlies in five games. Ibaka averaged 12.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3 blocks in the postseason but shot only 43.7% from the field, a near 14% drop off from his regular season field goal percentage of 57.3%.

In 2013–14, Ibaka averaged career highs of 15.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, and led the league in total blocks (219) for the fourth straight season. In a series-clinching win over the Los Angeles Clippers in the conference semifinals, Ibaka suffered a left calf injury that was expected to sideline him for the remainder of the 2014 playoffs.[16] However, he made his return in Game 3 against San Antonio Spurs in the Conference Finals. The Thunder eventually fell to the Spurs in six games as Ibaka averaged 12.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks throughout the playoffs. Ibaka was also named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the third consecutive year.

On 19 February 2015, Ibaka recorded 21 points and a career-high 22 rebounds in the 104–89 win over the Dallas Mavericks.[17] On 17 March 2015, he was ruled out for four to six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to address right knee soreness.[18]

On 4 January 2016, Ibaka scored a season-high 25 points in a loss to the Sacramento Kings.[19]

Orlando Magic (2016–2017)

On 23 June 2016, Ibaka was traded to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Victor Oladipo, Ersan İlyasova and the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis, the 11th pick of the 2016 NBA draft.[20] He made his debut for the Magic in their season opener on 26 October, recording 14 points and seven rebounds in a 108–96 loss to the Miami Heat.[21] On 13 November 2016, he scored a career-high 31 points and hit a game-winning baseline jumper to lead the Magic to a 119–117 win over his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.[22]

Toronto Raptors (2017–2020)

On 14 February 2017, Ibaka was traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Terrence Ross and a future first-round draft pick (later used to draft Anžejs Pasečņiks).[23][24] He made his debut for the Raptors ten days later, scoring 15 points in a 107–97 win over the Boston Celtics.[25] On 21 March 2017, against the Chicago Bulls, Ibaka was ejected after an altercation with Bulls' center Robin Lopez. The next day, Ibaka received a one-game suspension.[26]

On 7 July 2017, Ibaka re-signed with the Raptors to a reported three-year, $65 million contract.[27][28] On 4 November 2018, he made his first 14 shots on the way to a career-high 34 points in a 121–107 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. He finished the game 15 of 17 from the field and became the first player to start a game 14 of 14 from the field since Shaquille O'Neal did it in February 2006.[29]

On 3 February 2019, Ibaka had 16 points and 12 rebounds in a 121–103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, marking a career-best sixth straight double-double, Toronto's longest streak since Chris Bosh had eight in November 2009.[30] In June 2019, he helped the Raptors defeat the Golden State Warriors in six games during the NBA Finals to win his first NBA championship.[31]

Los Angeles Clippers (2020–present)

On November 25, 2020, Ibaka signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.[32] In his first game with the Clippers, Ibaka had 15 points and 6 rebounds in a Clippers 116-109 win over the Lakers.

National team career
Ibaka in action for the Spain national basketball team

At youth level, Ibaka represented the Republic of the Congo.[33] At the 2006 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship in Durban, he led all players in scoring and rebounds with an average of 18.6 points and 13.8 rebounds respectively.[34]

Years later, Ibaka expressed a desire to play for the Spain national basketball team. After years of living in the country, he was finally granted Spanish citizenship on 15 July 2011.[35] His team won the gold medal in the Eurobasket 2011, beating France in the final by a score of 98–85. He won a silver medal with Spain at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[36]

Personal life

Ibaka speaks four languages: Lingala, French, English and Spanish.[37] Ibaka is also an avid chef. On his popular YouTube series “How Hungry Are You” Ibaka, who refers to himself as Mafuzzy Chef, has served numerous delicacies to his teammates, including beef penis to Kawhi Leonard[38] and lamb brain to the Raptors bench players.[39]

Ibaka is known for his sophisticated fashion. In 2019 he was named to Vanity Fair's Best Dressed List.[40] Ibaka refers to his sartorial efforts as “Art”.[41]

Ibaka has a daughter, Ranie, who was born when he was still a teenager, shortly after he left the Republic of the Congo.[42] Ranie was raised by her mother and Ibaka's father; the father and daughter did not know of each other until Ranie was five years old, and they met for the first time when she was eleven.[43]

Ibaka's younger brother, Igor, is a former NCAA basketball player for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.[44]

On 3 April 2017, Ibaka was announced as the newest member elected to the board of directors of the NBPA Foundation.[45] The NBPA Foundation is the charitable arm of the National Basketball Players Association, the union for current professional basketball players in the NBA. The Foundation provides strategic funding and support for players' community engagement initiatives worldwide.

Ibaka is related to Romanian actor and TV host Cabral Ibacka.[46]

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
 †  Won an NBA championship *  Led the league

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2009–10 Oklahoma City 73018.1.543.500.6305.4.1.31.36.3
2010–11 Oklahoma City 824427.0.543.000.7507.6.3.42.49.9
2011–12 Oklahoma City 666627.2.535.333.6617.5.4.53.7*9.1
2012–13 Oklahoma City 808031.1.573.351.7497.7.5.43.0*13.2
2013–14 Oklahoma City 818132.9.536.389.7848.81.0.52.715.1
2014–15 Oklahoma City 646433.1.476.376.8367.8.9.52.414.3
2015–16 Oklahoma City 787832.1.479.326.7526.8.8.51.912.6
2016–17 Orlando 565630.5.488.388.8466.81.1.61.615.1
2016–17 Toronto 232331.0.459.398.8826.8.7.31.414.2
2017–18 Toronto 767627.5.483.360.7976.3.8.41.312.6
2018–19† Toronto 745127.2.529.290.7638.11.3.41.415.0
2019–20 Toronto 552727.0.512.385.7188.21.4.5.815.4
Career 80864628.6.514.360.7587.4.8.42.112.6

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010 Oklahoma City 6025.5.571-.7006.5.3.32.07.8
2011 Oklahoma City 171728.8.462.000.8257.3.2.23.19.8
2012 Oklahoma City 202028.4.528.250.7225.8.6.63.09.8
2013 Oklahoma City 111133.3.437.444.7928.4.7.03.012.8
2014 Oklahoma City 151533.7.622.333.7507.3.5.72.412.2
2016 Oklahoma City 181833.4.521.449.7506.3.6.81.312.0
2017 Toronto 101030.7.462.316.8466.51.4.41.714.3
2018 Toronto 10926.0.417.375.8185.91.1.11.38.7
2019† Toronto 24020.8.477.237.7626.0.9.51.09.4
2020 Toronto 11022.8.573.5111.0007.71.2.21.314.8
Career 14410228.3.502.390.7886.6.7.42.011.0

Euroleague
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2011–12 Real Madrid 6014.9.571.000.8184.7.0.52.05.59.2
Career 6014.9.571.000.8184.7.0.52.05.59.2

See also

References
  1. Ibaka, Serge [@sergeibaka9] (29 March 2011). "no! Serge Jonas Ibaka Ngobila is full name RT"@kdurant35: @sergeibaka9 is it real??"Sergeballu LaMu Sayonga Loom Walahas Jonas Hugo Ibaka """ (Tweet). Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Twitter.
  2. 2016-17 NBA Pronunciation Guide (Start of Season) Retrieved June 19, 2019
  3. His story / Su historia (in Spanish)
  4. NBA.com: Serge Ibaka 2008 Draft Profile
  5. "THE STORY". Serge Ibaka. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  6. Whitaker, Lang (23 May 2011). "Power Serge". Slam. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  7. Mayberry, Darnell (26 March 2010). "Coming to America: How Serge Ibaka went from the Congo to the NBA". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  8. Thomsen, Ian. "Intriguing players at Hoop Summit". sportsillustrated.com. Accessed: 13 September 2013
  9. "NBA.com". NBA.com. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  10. REAL MADRID adds size with Ibaka
  11. "Real Madrid officially announces Serge Ibaka". Sportando. 25 October 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  12. "IBAKA, SERGE – Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL". Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  13. "Kevin Durant has career-best 51 as Thunder make history in OT win". ESPN.com. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  14. "Knicks' Chandler wins Kia Defensive Player of Year". NBA.com. 2 May 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  15. "Serge Ibaka agrees to extension". ESPN. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  16. Stein, Marc (16 May 2014). "Thunder lose Serge Ibaka to injury". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014.
  17. "Westbrook leads Thunder past Mavericks, 104-89". NBA.com. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  18. "Ibaka Undergoes Successful Surgery". NBA.com. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  19. "Cousins has 33 points, 19 boards, Kings top Thunder 116-104". NBA.com. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  20. "Magic Acquire Serge Ibaka From Thunder". NBA.com. 23 June 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  21. "Whiteside powers Heat to season-opening win". ESPN.com. 26 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  22. "Ibaka hits game winner vs. former team as Magic top Thunder". ESPN.com. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  23. "Raptors Acquire Serge Ibaka From Magic mountain". NBA.com. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  24. Smith, Doug (14 February 2017). "Raptors trade Terrence Ross to Magic for Serge Ibaka". TheStar.com. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  25. "DeRozan has career-high 43, Raptors beat Celtics 107-97". ESPN.com. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  26. "Chicago Bulls' Robin Lopez, Toronto Raptors' Serge Ibaka each suspended one game". NBA.com. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  27. "Raptors Re-Sign Serge Ibaka". NBA.com. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  28. Nathan, Alec (3 July 2017). "Serge Ibaka, Raptors Reportedly Agree to 3-Year, $65 Million Contract". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  29. "Ibaka's career-high 34 sends Raptors past Lakers, 121-107". ESPN.com. 4 November 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  30. "Leonard scores 18 points, Raptors rout Clippers 121-103". ESPN.com. 3 February 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  31. "Raptors capture first NBA title, beat Warriors in Game 6". ESPN.com. 13 June 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  32. "LA Clippers Sign Forward/Center Serge Ibaka". NBA.com. 25 November 2020.
  33. Which NBA players compete most often for their countries?
  34. Julio Chitunda (25 September 2020). "FIBA U18 African Championships have produced some bright talents over the years". FIBA. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  35. Helin, Kurt (15 July 2011). "Ibaka granted Spanish citizenship, will play in Eurobasket". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  36. "Serge Ibaka Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  37. Serge Ibaka teaches girlfriend Keri Hilson a new language
  38. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2830924-video-watch-serge-ibaka-serve-kawhi-leonard-beef-penis-pizza-on-cooking-show
  39. https://www.sbnation.com/2018/10/2/17927772/serge-ibaka-lamb-brain-raptors-bench-mob-how-hungry-are-you-episode
  40. Bullock, Maggie. “The 2019 Vanity Fair Best-Dressed List“. vanity Fair, September 5, 2019.
  41. "Raptors' Serge Ibaka gives lesson on how to wear scarves, make 'art'". Sportsnet, 22 March 2020
  42. "From the Congo to the Heartland: An NBA Star Raises His Daughter". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  43. https://theundefeated.com/features/nba-serge-ibaka-first-fathers-day/
  44. "Serge Ibaka's little brother headed to Oklahoma State". GiveMeSport. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  45. From Congo Playgrounds to Global Impact: Serge Ibaka Elected to NBPA Foundation Board
  46. https://baschet.ro/articole/monden/vedeta-tv-cabral-este-var-cu-campionul-nba-serge-ibaka
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