Sacramento Kings Forward Chimezie Metu Named To Nigerian Men’s Olympic Team
Jul 20, 2021, 8:54 AM | Updated: 8:55 am
(connectnigeria.com)
The young big will participate in the upcoming Olympic games in Tokyo, Japan
Chimezie Metu is going to be an Olympian.
The Sacramento Kings forward was named as one of the members of Nigeria’s 12-man roster for the 2020 Olympics on Monday afternoon, per the Nigeria Basketball Federation’s Twitter account.
Metu has enjoyed a strong start in pre-Olympic exhibition games, playing a solid role in Nigeria’s incredible upset win over the United States on July 10th–snapping the USA’s 39-0 streak over their last three Olympic seasons (including pre-Olympic exhibitions).
The 24-year-old Metu enjoyed a strong season for the Kings in 2020-21, averaging 6.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game on 50-percent shooting from the field and 35-percent from three-point range.
Metu was a member of the Nigerian team during the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Over three games, the USC product averaged 11 points and six rebounds per game off the bench. If Metu is selected to the final roster, he will be the lone representative of the Sacramento Kings to be participating in the 2020 Olympic games.
The last member of the Kings to play in the Olympics was DeMarcus Cousins in 2016.