1. Destiny Usman Garuba Alari was born on 9 March 2002 and is a Spanish professional basketball player for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.
27 Facts About Usman Garuba
1. 2.
Usman Garuba earned most valuable player honors at the 2016 FIBA U16 European Championship at age 14.
3.
Usman Garuba grew up playing football, his original passion, but switched to basketball because his exceptional height limited his success in the former sport.
4.
In 2013, Usman Garuba joined the lower categories of Real Madrid.
5.
In 2015, Usman Garuba helped his team win the Minicopa Endesa, an under-14 Spanish club tournament.
6.
Usman Garuba debuted by posting 24 points and 16 rebounds in a win over Valencia.
7.
Usman Garuba averaged 22.8 rebounds per game in the tournament, grabbing 32 against Joventut Badalona in the final.
8.
In February 2018, Usman Garuba gained his first Adidas Next Generation Tournament experience with the Real Madrid under-18 team at the Munich qualifying tournament, after missing the previous edition with a quadriceps injury.
9.
Usman Garuba was selected to the All-Tournament Team, despite being one of the youngest participants.
10.
Usman Garuba helped Real Madrid win the final tournament and joined MVP Mario Nakic on the All-Tournament Team.
11.
On 28 October 2018, at 16 years and seven months of age, Usman Garuba debuted for Real Madrid in the Liga ACB, the first-tier league in Spain, against Miraflores.
12.
Usman Garuba became the youngest center in ACB history, surpassing Jose Angel Antelo, and the third-youngest Real Madrid debutant, behind Luka Doncic and Roberto Nunez.
13.
Usman Garuba was the second-youngest player to post an efficiency rating of 24 in the ACB, behind only Ricky Rubio.
14.
On 30 October 2019, Usman Garuba made his EuroLeague debut, recording 12 points, four rebounds, three steals, and a Performance Index Rating of 20, against Bayern Munich.
15.
Usman Garuba finished the season averaging 4.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 15 minutes per game in the ACB and EuroLeague and was an ACB All-Young Players Team selection.
16.
Usman Garuba won the ACB Best Young Player Award and was named to the ACB All-Young Players Team for his second straight season.
17.
Usman Garuba earned EuroLeague Rising Star honors after averaging 3.9 points and four rebounds per game in the competition.
18.
On 26 January 2022, the Houston Rockets announced that Usman Garuba had undergone successful surgery to repair his fractured left wrist and was expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks.
19.
On 8 July 2023, Usman Garuba was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a five-team trade.
20.
On 25 September 2023, Usman Garuba signed a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors and their NBA G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors and on 14 April 2024, he signed a standard contract with Golden State.
21.
On 20 August 2024, Usman Garuba returned to Real Madrid, signing for three years.
22.
In September 2024, Usman Garuba suffered an injury to his left foot.
23.
Usman Garuba made his junior national team debut for Spain at the 2016 FIBA U16 European Championship in Radom, Poland.
24.
Usman Garuba was named MVP after leading his team to a gold medal and averaging 16.3 points, 12.4 rebounds, and a tournament-leading 2.9 blocks per game.
25.
Usman Garuba helped Spain win a gold medal at the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship in Volos, Greece, joining his teammate and MVP Santi Aldama on the All-Star Five after averaging 15.6 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.
26.
In 2021, Usman Garuba played on Spain men's national basketball team at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan which were delayed by one year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
27.
Usman Garuba's parents are from Benin City, Nigeria but left to escape conflict in their hometown.