Jelil Akindele (Russian: Джелил Айодеджи Акинделе; born April 2, 1983, Nigeria) is a Nigerian professional basketball player, a center, 216 cm (7 ft 1 in) tall and weighing 111 kg (245 lb). In the 2010/11 season he played for the Nizhny Novgorod club "Nizhny Novgorod" in the Russian Championship (PBL) and the EuroLeague.[1][2]
Career
Akindele took up basketball relatively late: before college he was seriously into soccer. He left Chicago State College in Chicago after his sophomore year, intending to try out for the NBA. Having failed to establish himself in the league, he moved to Europe: he played for the French club "Pau-Orthez" and the Italian club "Scavolini," spent a short time in Spain, and then returned to France, to "Roanne," where he injured his knee and underwent surgery, effectively missing a whole season.[1]
In December 2009 he came to Moscow for a tryout with CSKA, but by his own assessment he was not yet ready for that club's level. Even so, Russia made a favorable impression on him, and when an offer came from the Nizhny Novgorod team, he accepted immediately.[1]
In Nizhny Novgorod
In the 2010/11 season Akindele joined the roster of BC "Nizhny Novgorod." The paperwork took about a month and a half, but in the very first game of the Russian Championship the center made a strong impression on the local crowd with his aggressive play under the basket. In the PBL he played 1 game during the season (25 minutes, 16 points, 7 rebounds); in the EuroLeague he played 6 games (averaging about 8 minutes, 3.3 points, and 2.3 rebounds per game).[2] In his own words, the club suited him as a "strong championship and a promising team," a chance to test himself in games against CSKA and "Khimki."[1]
In the 2011/12 season he played for "Spartak-Primorye" (Vladivostok): in the PBL championship he played 7 games, averaging 7.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.[2]
Sources
- Nizhny Novgorod News — Jelil AKINDELE: "I Was Going to Become a Soccer Player!"
- slamdunk.ru — Jelil Akindele