This 2004-born 2.06 m (6’9”) and 107 kg (235 lb) center was selected 46th by the Orlando Magic, but was quickly traded to the Washington Wizards, where he will join rookie AJ Dybantsa.
Felix Okpara grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, but started playing basketball only in 2018, when he decided to move to the United States, after playing football (soccer) as a boy.
Okpara attended Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Tennessee and Link Academy in Missouri, before playing collegiately at Ohio State University (2022–24) and Tennessee (2024–26), where he was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team in his final season.
The rookie big man was a late bloomer, and his draft stock was fueled mostly by his defensive tools, with him projected to be a rim protector in the NBA.
Okpara, who will report to the Capital City Go-Go, the G League affiliate of the Wizards, is expected to contribute as a backup center to Dybantsa in his rookie season.
The draft success makes him the second Nigerian in the 2026 draft.
