Joshua Okechukwu Nebo[2] (born July 17, 1997) is an American-born naturalized Slovenian professional basketball player for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega basket serie A and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Saint Francis Red Flash and the Texas A&M Aggies. In 2020-21 he led the Israel Basketball Premier League in rebounds per game.

Josh Nebo
Nebo with Maccabi Tel Aviv in December 2022
No. 32 – Olimpia Milano
PositionCenter
LeagueLega Basket Serie A
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (1997-07-17) July 17, 1997 (age 27)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
NationalityAmerican / Nigerian[1] / Slovenian
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High schoolCypress Lakes
(Katy, Texas)
College
NBA draft2020: undrafted
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–2021Hapoel Eilat
2021–2022Žalgiris Kaunas
2022–2024Maccabi Tel Aviv
2024–presentOlimpia Milano
Career highlights and awards

Early life

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Nebo was born in Houston and later lived in Katy, Texas,[3] and grew up skateboarding and playing defensive end in football. He first began playing basketball in middle school.[4] Nebo attended Cypress Lakes High School, where he was frequently overshadowed by teammate De'Aaron Fox. As a senior, Nebo helped lead Cypress Lakes to the Class 6A state quarterfinals in 2015.[5] Lightly recruited, he signed with Saint Francis (PA).[6]

College career

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Nebo grew three inches and gained 50 pounds during his first two years in college.[5] He averaged 4.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game as a freshman at Saint Francis and finished second in the conference in blocks with 56.[7] On February 2, 2017, he scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 78–61 win over St. Francis Brooklyn.[8] As a sophomore, Nebo averaged 12 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.[9] Nebo was named to the Third Team All-Northeast Conference (NEC) and NEC Defensive Player of the Year during his sophomore season after setting the single-season record with 89 blocks. Following the season, he transferred to Texas A&M.[4]

Nebo cited homesickness and the fact that his parents were not able to attend his games as the reasons for his transfer. He scored a season-high 21 points and had seven rebounds on January 12, 2019, in an 81–80 win against Alabama.[6] Nebo made two starts as a junior and averaged 8.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Coming into his senior season, he missed much of the preseason with a torn hamstring.[10] Nebo scored a season-high 21 points in an 87–75 victory against Mississippi State on February 22, 2020.[11] As a senior, Nebo averaged 12.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.[12]

Professional career

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Josh Nebo

Hapoel Yossi Avrahami Eilat (2020-2021)

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On July 26, 2020, Nebo signed with Hapoel Eilat of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.[13] He averaged 13.9 points per game and led the Israeli Basketball Premier League with 9.9 rebounds per game, was third with a .665 field goal percentage, and was sixth with 1.1 blocks per game.[14] He was named 2021 Eurobasket All-Israeli League Second Team.[15]

B.C. Zalgiris Kaunas (2021-2022)

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On June 21, 2021, Nebo signed with Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League.[16] Playing for them in the Euroleauge Nebo started 17 out of 28 games and averaged 8.8 points (65% from 2-point range) and 6.2 rebounds (6th-best in the league).[17]

Maccabi Playtika Tel-Aviv (2022-2024)

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On July 1, 2022, Nebo signed with Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv.[18] In 39 EuroLeague games (33 starts), he averaged 7.4 points and 6.2 rebounds in 22 minutes per contest. On July 18, 2023, Nebo renewed his contract with Maccabi.[19]

In March 2024, Nebo was named MVP of Round 29 after beating KK Crvena zvezda. He had 18 points and 13 rebounds.[20]

AX Armani Exchange Milano (2024-Present)

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On June 24, 2024, Nebo signed a two-year deal with Olimpia Milano of the LBA and the EuroLeague.[21]

In October 2024, Nebo reported a muscle injury in the left groin region during the Monaco Euroleague game.[22] In November 2024, Nebo was injured again as he reported an injury to his right arm and would be out for two weeks.[23]

National team career

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In June 2024, Nebo received a Slovenian passport and became eligible to play for the Slovenia national team ahead of the 2024 Olympic Qualifiers.[24] On June 23, 2024, he made his debut for Slovenia in a friendly against Lithuania, putting up nine points and eight rebounds.

Career statistics

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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  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

EuroLeague

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* Led the league
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2021–22 Žalgiris 28 17 22.6 .646 .000 .672 6.2 .5 .6 .8 8.8 12.8
2022–23 Maccabi Tel Aviv 39 33 21.6 .648 .613 6.2 .6 .4 .5 7.4 11.7
2023–24 39 39 23.7 .667 .000 .714 7.1* .6 .6 .9 11.2 16.7
Career 106 89 22.7 .655 .000 .672 6.5 .6 .5 .7 9.1 13.8

Domestic leagues

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Year Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21   Hapoel Eilat Ligat HaAl 26 30.0 .665 .000 .629 9.9 .3 .4 1.1 13.6
2020–21   Hapoel Eilat BIBL 4 29.5 .523 .000 .900 8.5 .5 .7 1.2 16.0
2021–22   Žalgiris LKL 41 18.7 .665 .639 4.9 .7 .4 .8 6.8
2022–23   Maccabi Tel Aviv Ligat HaAl 20 17.8 .711 .593 5.1 .4 .3 .6 7.7
2023–24   Maccabi Tel Aviv Ligat HaAl 28 19.9 .723 .724 6.1 .7 .4 .4 10.5

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Saint Francis 30 29 22.8 .487 .522 5.8 .5 .2 1.9 4.9
2016–17 Saint Francis 34 32 29.7 .566 .500 .595 8.2 .7 .3 2.6 12.0
2017–18 Texas A&M   Redshirt
2018–19 Texas A&M 30 2 19.6 .699 .695 5.4 .3 .2 2.3 8.1
2019–20 Texas A&M 29 27 28.8 .665 .000 .613 6.2 .8 .4 1.9 12.5
Career 123 90 25.4 .604 .333 .609 6.3 .6 .3 2.2 9.4

References

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  1. ^ Josh Nebo obtains Nigerian citizenship basketnews.com
  2. ^ "Joshua Okechukwu Nebo - Player Profile". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  3. ^ "Josh Nebo Player Profile, Texas A&M - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com.
  4. ^ a b Underwood, Hannah (January 15, 2019). "Transfer forward Josh Nebo looks to make the most of his 2018-2019 season". The Battalion. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Zwerneman, Brent (January 17, 2020). "How Josh Nebo became Texas A&M's best player". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Zwerneman, Brent (January 15, 2019). "Homesickness leads to Josh Nebo getting a chance to shine at A&M". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  7. ^ Taylor, Zach (April 13, 2017). "Aggies Announce the Addition of Josh Nebo". WTAW. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  8. ^ "Nebo leads St. Francis (Pa) over St. Francis Brooklyn, 78–61". ESPN. Associated Press. February 2, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  9. ^ Clarkin, Joe (June 25, 2018). "Texas A&M basketball: Former St. Francis star Josh Nebo transfers to the Aggies". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  10. ^ Hattersley, Andrew (March 18, 2020). "Season recap time capsule: Josh Nebo". 247 Sports. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  11. ^ "Hot-shooting Texas A&M beats Mississippi State 87-75". ESPN. February 22, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  12. ^ "A&M lands nation's leading rebounder". Beloit Daily News. March 29, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  13. ^ "Hapoel Eilat announces Josh Nebo". Sportando. July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  14. ^ "Israeli Super League - 2020-21 Standings and Stats".
  15. ^ "Josh Nebo Player Profile, Maccabi Playtika Tel-Aviv, News, Stats - Eurobasket". Eurobasket LLC.
  16. ^ "Zalgiris announces 1+1 deal with Josh Nebo". Sportando. June 21, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  17. ^ "Josh Nebo completes move to Maccabi". Eurohoops. July 1, 2022.
  18. ^ "Josh Nebo completes move to Maccabi".
  19. ^ "Josh Nebo staying with Maccabi for another season". Eurohoops. July 18, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  20. ^ "Josh Nebo is named MVP of the Round for the second time this season". Eurohoops. March 16, 2024. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  21. ^ "Josh Nebo: "I'm looking forward to build something special in Milan"". Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano. June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  22. ^ "Josh Nebo will be out for at least two weeks due to a left groin muscle injury". Eurohoops. October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  23. ^ "Josh Nebo out again for at least two weeks". Eurohoops. November 3, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  24. ^ "Josh Nebo eligible to join Slovenia in Olympic Qualifiers". Eurohoops. June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
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