What Position Does Usman Garuba Play?

Destiny Usman Garuba Alari is a basketball player originating from Spain. He is now a free agent after having played for the Houston Rockets and then being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA.

Born in Madrid, Spain on March 9, 2002, Usman Garuba initially played football but switched to basketball as he thought it would be profitable for his height. He won the Liga ACB in 2019 and Supercopa in 2020. Additionally, he was the 2021 EuroLeague Rising Star and ACB Best Young Player in 2021. Usman Garuba has proved himself to be valuable for every team that he plays. Moreover, he is continuously growing in his career as a basketball player.

Usman Garuba has been chosen by team Spain to play for them in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. However, he suffered an ankle injury which made his status undecided. That being said, he has overcome his injuries and has now joined the national team.

Usman Garuba Playing Position

Usman Garuba is notable for being the Forward in a basketball game. He mainly plays as the Power Forward. However, he can also play in the Center position in basketball.

Usman Garuba Jersey Number

Usman Garuba used the jersey number 16 for the Houston Rockets. However, since he is a free agent now, his next jersey number will be updated once he joins his next team in his career.

Usman Garuba Professional Career

Usman Garuba has shown growth and development in his basketball career. He has played in Europe and the NBA. He has managed to impress the fans with his basketball skills. Here is a look at his professional basketball career till now.

Real Madrid Baloncesto

This is where Usman Garuba started his professional basketball career. He initially used to play for the reserve team in the Liga EBA. He impressed everyone with his basketball skills in the team. He debuted for Real Madrid in the Liga ACB on October 18, 2018 as the youngest center on the team.

During the 2019-2020 season, Usman Garuba helped his team defeat Murcia by scoring 13 points and 10 rebounds. He also became the youngest player with double-double or 10 rebounds. During his EuroLeague debut, he scored a PIR (Performance Index Rating) of 20 and helped his team beat Bayern Munich. For this, he was selected into the ACB All-Young Players Team.

Usman Garuba won the ACB Best Young Player Award on April 18, 2021. At the same time, he was selected into the ACB All-Young Players Team for the second time. He impressed everyone with his performance during the EuroLeague playoffs. For this, he was honored with the EuroLeague Rising Stars title. He stayed with the team until he was selected by the Houston Rockets in the NBA.

Houston Rockets

This was Usman Garuba’s second team and his first NBA team in his basketball career. For the Houston Rockets, he managed to play limited time as he was injured and had to undergo surgery for repairing his left fractured wrist. After staying with the team for the rest of the year and till July 2023, he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks as part of a five team trade on July 8, 2023.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Although Usman Garuba found himself with the Atlanta Hawks, they traded him again to the Oklahoma City Thunder on July 12, 2023. He remained with the team on August 21, 2023 when the Oklahoma City Thunder released him, thereby making him a free agent.

Spain National Basketball Team

Usman Garuba is a member of team Spain on a national level. As part of the junior national team, he participated in the 2016 FIBA U16 European Championship in Poland, where he won a gold medal. He also participated in the 2018 FIBA U16 European Championship in Serbia and won a silver medal for his efforts. In the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship in Greece, Usman Garuba won a gold medal for his team.

Being a part of the senior national team, he participated in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, He also participated in the 2022 EuroBasket in Germany and won a gold medal.

Now, he is back on team Spain for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.