By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Moving his talents to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Chimezie Metu joined FC Barcelona.
Metu, 27, inked a one-year contract, the team announced on Tuesday.
Over the last six years, he made his way to 263 NBA games. Splitting the 2023-24 season between the Detroit Pistons and Phoenix Suns, he averaged 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest over 51 appearances in the Regular Season. Previous teams were the Sacramento Kings between 2020 and 2023, and the San Antonio Spurs between 2018 and 2020.
Coming out of the University of Southern California, USC, Metu was drafted by the Spurs with the 49th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. Born in Los Angeles, he moved to Nigeria with his father at six and lived the next six years in the African country. Returning to the United States, he developed his talents through high school in California, before joining the Trojans for college basketball and from there jumping into the NBA.
At the international level, Metu represented Nigeria in the 2020 Olympic Games held in 2021 and the 2019 FIBA World Cup, besides being capped in the Qualifiers of the 2023 FIBA World Cup and in the 2023 Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Lagos.
In earlier moves, Barca hired 55-year-old Joan Penarroya as the new head coach heading to the 2024-25 editions of the EuroLeague and Spain’s Liga Endesa. Justin Anderson, Juan Nunez, and Kevin Punter followed as summer signings, leading to securing the services of Metu as well.