Chima Moneke
Nwachukwu Iheukwumere Chima Moneke is a Nigerian professional basketball player for Crvena zvezda of the Basketball League of Serbia, the ABA League and the EuroLeague. At 6" 6 tall, he plays at the power forward position. He also represents the Nigerian national team in international competition.
Early life
Moneke was born in Abuja, Nigeria, before moving to Canberra, Australia to begin schooling. His parents, Sydney and Eucharia Moneke, were diplomats of the Nigerian embassy. He attended Farrer Primary School and Lake Ginninderra College before traveling again throughout the world.College career
In 2013, Moneke enrolled at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska, where he stayed for two seasons. In his sophomore season he averaged 17 ppg and 12.1 rpg which led the team to a 25–7 record.He then transferred to the University of California at Davis. After his redshirt season, he led the Aggies to an NCAA tournament berth for the first time in school history in the 2016–17 season. He was named Big West Conference tournament MVP. In the tournament they defeated North Carolina Central in the play-in game in which Moneke had 18 points and 12 rebounds. They would go on to lose to the #1 overall seed Kansas, where Moneke finished with 20 points and 9 rebounds. He averaged 14.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game with 14 double-doubles.
In the 2017–18 season, he averaged 18.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per performance in 21 games with the Aggies.
Professional career
Rouen Métropole (2018)
After not being selected in the 2018 NBA draft, Moneke signed his first professional contract with Rouen Métropole of the French LNB Pro B. After the season, he signed with the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the Australian NBL before it was blown off due to problems with his passport.Denain Voltaire (2018–2019)
In November 2018, he would leave Rouen Métropole to sign for Denain Voltaire, also from the French LNB Pro B. He averaged 14.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 27 games.Béliers de Kemper (2019–2020)
In the 2019–20 season, he signed for the Béliers de Kemper of the French LNB Pro B, in which he averaged 15.8 points, 6.75 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. The season was cancelled early due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France.Orléans Loiret (2020–2021)
In the 2020–21 season, he signed for the Orléans Loiret of the LNB Pro A, with averages of 12.5 points, 6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and almost a block per performance in the 21 games played.Manresa (2021–2022)
On 13 July 2021, Moneke signed a one-year deal with the Bàsquet Manresa of the Spanish Liga Endesa and the Basketball Champions League. He helped Manresa to a surprising season in the BCL as they reached the final where they lost to Tenerife in the final. Moneke was named the MVP of the 2021–22 season after averaging 13.1 points per game.In the Spanish ACB, Moneke was named to the ALL-ACB 1st team after leading Manresa to the playoffs. He averaged 14.8 points per game on 53% shooting. He was second in the entire league in rebounding with 8.4 per game. He led the entire league in total steals, steals per game and defensive rebounds.