Michael Olowokandi Net Worth

What is Michael Olowokandi's Net Worth?

Michael Olowokandi is a retired Nigerian-British professional basketball player who has a net worth of $10 million. Michael Olowokandi is best known for being selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the #1 overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. A 7-foot center with rare size and a late-blooming basketball background, Olowokandi became one of the most unusual top picks in NBA history. He did not grow up as a basketball prodigy and had barely played organized basketball before arriving in the United States for college, yet his physical tools and rapid improvement made him an irresistible prospect by the time he left the University of the Pacific.

Olowokandi played nine NBA seasons with the Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Boston Celtics. His career included flashes of strong rebounding and shot-blocking, including a career-best 2002-03 season in which he averaged 12.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. However, injuries, inconsistency, and the enormous expectations attached to being drafted ahead of future stars such as Mike Bibby, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, and Antawn Jamison caused his career to be widely remembered as a disappointment. Even so, Olowokandi earned roughly $38 million in NBA salary and remains one of the most fascinating draft stories of his era.

Early Life

Michael Olowokandi was born on April 3, 1975, in Lagos, Nigeria. He was raised partly in London and attended Newlands Manor School in East Sussex, England. Unlike many future NBA players, Olowokandi did not grow up immersed in organized basketball. He was tall and athletic, but his route to the NBA was unusually indirect.

On his 20th birthday, Olowokandi reportedly looked through a guide to American colleges and landed on the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. He contacted the basketball office himself, hoping to find a path into college basketball. Pacific did not have a scholarship available at first, so Olowokandi initially agreed to pay his own way while the school worked through eligibility and transfer issues.

When he arrived in the United States, he was raw, inexperienced, and still learning basic basketball terminology. His size, intelligence, and work ethic, however, gave Pacific's coaching staff something to develop.

College Career

Olowokandi's improvement at Pacific was dramatic. After arriving with little organized basketball experience, he grew into one of the best big men in college basketball. As a junior, he averaged 12.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game and helped lead Pacific to the 1997 NCAA Tournament.

His senior season turned him into a legitimate NBA prospect. Olowokandi averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks per game, earned Big West Player of the Year honors, and was named an honorable mention All-American. Pacific later retired his No. 55 jersey, a reflection of how important he became to the program in such a short period of time.

1998 NBA Draft

The Los Angeles Clippers selected Olowokandi with the #1 overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. At the time, his size, shot-blocking potential, and rapid development made him look like a possible franchise center. The Clippers were taking a swing on upside, hoping he could grow into the kind of dominant interior player teams still prized heavily in the late 1990s.

The pick later became one of the most scrutinized in NBA draft history. The 1998 draft produced several major stars, including Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Antawn Jamison, and Mike Bibby. Because Olowokandi never reached All-Star level, he has frequently appeared on lists of NBA draft busts. That label, while harsh, reflects the gap between his draft position and his eventual production.

Los Angeles Clippers

Olowokandi's NBA career was delayed by the 1998-99 NBA lockout. He briefly played for Kinder Bologna in Italy before signing with the Clippers once the lockout ended. As the top pick in the draft, he signed a three-year, $8.44 million rookie contract with a team option for a fourth season.

He made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 1999, but his early years were uneven. The Clippers were a struggling franchise, and Olowokandi was still learning the game at the highest level. His best stretch came in the early 2000s, especially during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. In 2001-02, he averaged 11.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks. The following season, he posted career highs with 12.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game, though injuries limited him to 36 games.

That 2002-03 season showed what had made him so appealing as a prospect, but it also came just before he entered free agency.

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics

In 2003, Olowokandi signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He joined a team led by Kevin Garnett that was trying to contend in the Western Conference. Unfortunately, knee problems and other injuries limited his impact almost immediately. He missed significant time and never became the interior complement Minnesota hoped he would be.

Olowokandi was part of the Timberwolves team that reached the Western Conference Finals in 2004, the deepest playoff run of Garnett's Minnesota years. However, his role was limited. In January 2006, he was traded to the Boston Celtics in a multi-player deal that sent Wally Szczerbiak to Boston and Ricky Davis and Mark Blount to Minnesota.

He finished his NBA career with the Celtics, playing his final season in 2006-07. Across 500 regular season games, Olowokandi averaged 8.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.

Contracts, Salaries & Career Earnings

Michael Olowokandi earned roughly $38 million in NBA salary during his professional basketball career. His first major payday came in January 1999, when he signed a three-year, $8.44 million rookie contract with the Los Angeles Clippers after the lockout-shortened season began. The deal also included a fourth-year team option.

After completing his rookie deal, Olowokandi became a restricted free agent. In 2002, he accepted the Clippers' one-year qualifying offer for the 2002-03 season, which paid him approximately $6.2 million. That season became the best statistical year of his career, but it did not lead to the massive long-term contract that a typical #1 overall pick might have expected.

In 2003, Olowokandi signed a three-year, $16.2 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The deal paid him an average of about $5.4 million per season and represented the largest long-term contract of his career. His peak single-season salary came during his Minnesota years, when he earned roughly $5.9 million.

Between his Clippers rookie contract, his $6.2 million qualifying offer, his Timberwolves contract, and his final NBA salary with the Boston Celtics, Olowokandi earned about $38 million before taxes and agent fees. His career earnings were substantial, but they were much lower than they could have been if he had developed into a franchise center or signed a max-level second contract.

Personal Life

Olowokandi has two children with Suzie Ketcham, who later became known as one of the original cast members of VH1's "Basketball Wives." The two met while Ketcham was attending Pepperdine University and Olowokandi was playing for the Clippers.

Olowokandi has also been involved in charitable efforts. He donated $100,000 to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, reflecting a quieter philanthropic side that received far less attention than his draft status or NBA struggles.

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