John Amaechi
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|
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
26 November 1970 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | British |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 270 lb (122 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
(, England) St. John's (Toledo, Ohio) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1995 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 1995–2003 |
| Position | Power forward / Center |
| Number | 13, 26 |
| Career history | |
| 1995–1996 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1996 | Cholet |
| 1996–1997 | Panathinaikos |
| 1997 | Kinder Bologna |
| 1997–1998 | Sheffield Sharks |
| 1998–1999 | CSP Limoges |
| 1999–2001 | Orlando Magic |
| 2001–2003 | Utah Jazz |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
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John Uzoma Ekwugha Amaechi, OBE (/əˈmeɪtʃi/; born 26 November 1970) is an English retired basketball player who currently works as an educator and broadcaster in Europe and the United States.
In February 2007, after his retirement from the NBA, Amaechi became the first former NBA player to come out publicly after doing so in his memoir Man in the Middle. Since then he has been regarded as "one of the world's most high-profile gay athletes".
The son of a Nigerian, Igbo father, Amaechi was born in Boston in the US. He was raised by his English mother in Heaton Moor, , England, with his two younger sisters, attending Tithe Barn Primary School before moving on to Stockport Grammar School. He first played basketball at the age of 17, coached by Joe Forber, whom he describes as a father figure.
Amaechi moved to the United States to play high school basketball at St. John's Jesuit High School in Toledo, Ohio. He began playing college basketball at Vanderbilt but transferred to Penn State, where he was a two-time First Team Academic All-American selection. While at Penn State, Amaechi became a motivational public speaker and a mentor for area youth.
The 6 ft 10 in, 270 lb (208 cm, 122 kg) center was signed undrafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1995. He became the first undrafted player to start in his first NBA game as the Cavaliers' starting center, Michael Cage, did not play in the season opener due to injury. Amaechi played 28 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 1995–1996 season, then played for two years in Europe (France: Cholet, Limoges; Italy: Kinder Bologna; Greece: Panathinaikos; UK: Sheffield Sharks). In the season 1996–1997 he played for Panathinaikos. In September 1996, he won the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, being the first scorer (alongside Fragiskos Alvertis) of Panathinaikos with 59 points in the 3 games of the tournament (18,23,18 pts). In 1997–1998 he played with Kinder Bologna but left mid-season before the Italians won the Euroleague.
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