AK Okereke
| No. 31 – Los Angeles Lakers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 2, 2003 Clovis, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Clovis North (Fresno, California) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2026: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2026–present |
| Career history | |
| 2026–present | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2026–present | →Coachella Valley Lakers |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Akachi Onyedika "AK" Okereke (born July 2, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Cornell Big Red and the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Early life and high school
Okereke was born in Clovis, California,[1] and attended Clovis North High School. As a senior, he averaged 22.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game and earned third team all-state honors. Okereke did a prep year at Golden State Prep.[2] He committed to Cornell over UCLA and several Division II programs.[3]
College career
Okereke played sparingly as a freshman at Cornell after walking onto the basketball team as a student manager.[4] He averaged 7.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game as a sophomore.[5] As a junior, Okereke averaged 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, after which he transferred to Vanderbilt.[2] On February 14, 2026, he dropped 23 points, five rebounds, and three assists in a win over Texas A&M.[6] At Vanderbilt, Okereke averaged 9.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 48.1% from the field. He considered applying for an additional year of eligibility but ultimately opted to turn professional.[7]
Professional career
After going unselected in the 2026 NBA draft, Okereke signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 5, 2026.[8]
References
- ↑ "AK Okereke". Basketball Reference. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
- 1 2 "Okereke Signs with Commodores". Vanderbilt Commodores. May 21, 2025. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
- ↑ Dwyer, Joey (January 6, 2026). "AK Okereke is Vanderbilt Basketball's Best Story. He's Also a Reminder That Nobody Should Give Up". Vanderbilt Commodores on SI. SI.com. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
- ↑ Price, Khobi (June 24, 2026). "Lakers agree to two-way contract with former Vanderbilt forward AK Okereke". New York Post. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Outlook: New Coach, New Roles But Men's Hoops Is Still Running Into Opener Monday". Cornell Big Red. November 1, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
- ↑ Skrbina, Paul. "Vanderbilt men's basketball proves in win it's hardly a one-man show". The Tennessean. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- ↑ Dwyer, Joey (June 24, 2026). "Former Vanderbilt Forward AK Okereke Signs Two-Way Deal With NBA Franchise". Vanderbilt Commodores on SI. SI.com. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
- ↑ Campbell, Harrison. "Vanderbilt's AK Okereke signs two-way deal with Lakers, per report". The Tennessean. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
External links
- Career statistics from NBA.com · Basketball Reference
- Cornell Big Red bio
- Vanderbilt Commodores bio