This 2004-born 2.06 m (6’9”) and 102 kg (225 lb) center was selected 53rd by the Houston Rockets, but was sent to the New York Knicks before being claimed by the Detroit Pistons, where he will join fellow Nigerian rookie Ebuka Okorie.
Ugonna Kingsley Onyenso grew up in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria, but started playing basketball only as a teenager.
Like many African prospects, Onyenso was a football (soccer) player before he was introduced to basketball by a local coach in Nigeria. He attended the NBA Academy Africa in Thiès, Senegal, from which he is the third graduate to sign with an NBA team.
Onyenso played collegiately at the University of Kentucky (2022–24), Kansas State (2024–25), and the University of Virginia (2025–26), before winning ACC All-Defensive Team honors in his final season.
The 17-year-old Onyenso became the youngest player to appear for Nigeria at the international senior level with the D’Tigers, and was selected to the Nigeria U19 squad at the 2025 FIBA Under-19 World Cup.
Onyenso’s draft-day reaction has gone viral after the draft announcer asked the crowd what the news means to his mother back home in Nigeria, to which the rookie replied with a loud, “Go call your mom and tell her you got drafted to the NBA, Ugonna!!”
Onyenso will report to the Motor City Cruise, the G League affiliate of the Pistons, and is expected to make a splash on the court.
