Azuoma Dike
No. 4 – Kano Pillars
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNigerian Premier League
Personal information
Born (1989-12-07) 7 December 1989
Amuzari, Imo State, Nigeria
NationalityNigerian
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Career information
Playing career2006–present
Career history
2006–2009Union Bank
2009Lagos Islanders
2010Union Bank
2011–2012Royal Hoopers
2013Dodan Warriors
2014–2015Mark Mentors
2015Abidjan Ramblers
2017–presentKano Pillars
Career highlights and awards
  • 4× NPL champion (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017)
  • 2× NPL Most Valuable Player (2012, 2013)
  • NPL scoring champion (2013)
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Nigeria
AfroBasket
Silver medal – second place2017 Tunisia/Senegal

Azuoma Dike (born 7 December 1989) is a Nigerian basketball player for Kano Pillars and the Nigerian national team.[1] An established name in the Nigerian Premier League, Dike is a four-time champion and two-time MVP.[2]

Early life

Born in Amuzari, Ehime Mbano in the Imo State, in a sport-loving family and was the fourth of seven kids.[3] His family originates from Ajegunle. Dike first played table tennis and football before switching to basketball.[2]

Club career

Dike began his senior club career in 2006 with Union Bank in the Nigerian Premier League (NPL). He joined the Lagos Islanders in 2009, but returned to Union Bank after just one season. After this, Dike played with the Royal Hoopers and guided them to their 2011 and 2012 NPL championship.[3]

The following season, in 2013, he played for Dodan Warriors and was the league's top scorer. Dike transferred to Mark Mentors and helped them to their first-ever championship in 2015. The same year, he played for Abidjan Ramblers from Ivory Coast in the African Basketball League and the Ivorian Basketball Championship. He won the ABL championship with the Ramblers.[3]

He joined Kano Pillars in 2017,[4] and won the NPL championship in his first year with the team.

National team career

Dike made his debut for Nigeria junior team in the National Sports Festival in 2016, he was later called up for the Nigeria under-18 team.[2]

With the Nigeria senior team, Dike participated at the AfroBasket 2017 and won a silver medal.[5] He also played at FIBA AfroCan 2019.[6] At the African Games, Dike won a gold medal in 2011 and a bronze medal in 2015.

Personal

Dike is married[3] and has a son who was born in Oklahoma.[2]

References

  1. ↑ FIBA profile
  2. 1 2 3 4 Abodunrin, Morakinyo (26 January 2020). "Dike Azuoma: How I switched from football to basketball". The Nation. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 John, Queen (1 March 2019). "Off the court with Queen John… Azuoma Dike". China. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "DIKE AZUOMA TAKES HIS TALENTS TO THE CENTRE OF COMMERCE AS HE JOINS KANO PILLARS". bballnaija.com. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  5. ↑ AfroBasket 2017 profile
  6. ↑ "Azuoma DIKE at the FIBA AfroCan 2019". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.