Oso Ighodaro
Osasere Benjamin "Oso" Ighodaro is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Marquette Golden Eagles.
Born in Mesa, Arizona, Ighodaro grew up in Chandler and attended Desert Vista High School. He averaged 10 points, six rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game as a junior. Ighodaro was rated a four-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for Marquette over offers from Stanford, Texas and Vanderbilt.
College career
Ighodaro played in five games during his true freshman season with the Marquette Golden Eagles before suffering an injury and using a medical redshirt. He played in all 32 of Marquette's games and averaged 5.5 points per game during his redshirt freshman season. Ighodaro spent the following summer practicing to improve his passing and ball handling skills at the recommendation of coach Shaka Smart so that he could be a better fit in the Golden Eagles' starting lineup. As a redshirt sophomore he was named second team All-Big East Conference after averaging 11.4 points, a team-high 5.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.
Professional career
Phoenix / Valley Suns (2024–present)
On June 27, 2024, Ighodaro was selected with the 40th overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2024 NBA draft; however, immediately on draft night, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns. On July 4, he signed with the Suns. Ighodaro would make his NBA debut on October 24, recording two points, six rebounds and a block in over twelve minutes of play in the Suns' 116–113 overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers held in the Clippers' new home arena, Intuit Dome. On January 28, 2025, he was assigned to the Valley Suns of the NBA G League, being recalled the next day, following a double-double performance of 18 points and 18 rebounds in a win over the Salt Lake City Stars.
Personal life
Ighodaro is of Nigerian descent. Despite growing up in the state of Arizona, he was not considered a fan of the Phoenix Suns at the time due to their poor play throughout the 2010s.