Former national team captain Ademola Okulaja has died at the age of 46. German basketball reacted shocked to the news.
Great sadness and dismay in German basketball: At the age of 46, long-standing national team captain Ademola Okulaja died in Berlin. This was announced by the German Basketball Federation (DBB) on Tuesday evening. There is no information on the cause of death so far.
“We are shaken and just can’t believe Ademola’s death. Our thoughts are now with his family, who we wish a lot of strength,” said DBB President Ingo Weiss: “Ademola was just as great a player as he was a person. Personally, I have a great one Lost a basketball friend and will miss him dearly.”
Okulaja, known as “The Warrior” (the fighter), was one of the most influential faces in German basketball and the emotional leader of the national team for years. The Nigerian made his debut in the jersey with the eagle in May 1995 in Weert, the Netherlands. His greatest success was winning the bronze medal at the 2002 World Championships in the USA alongside superstar Dirk Nowitzki.
Okulaja completed 172 international matches
In all, Okulaja, who recovered from cancer diagnosed in 2008, has won 172 caps and captained the team for several years. September marks the 20th anniversary of the Indianapolis bronze coup. Okulaja’s death will then overshadow the fond memories of the coup.
In the Bundesliga, Okulaja played for Alba Berlin, RheinEnergie Köln and Brose Baskets Bamberg (now Brose Bamberg). The power forward, who after four years at US college was also active at numerous top European clubs such as FC Barcelona, won the Korac Cup (1995) and the championship (2000) with the Berliners.
“We are deeply saddened by Ademola’s death. He was an Albatross from the very beginning and one of the first to start a great basketball career from our youth program,” said Alba Managing Director Marco Baldi: “Today the Alba family has a friend and lost a longtime companion.”
Okulaja ended his active career in 2009
After persistent back problems, Okulaja had missed the Olympic qualifying tournament in Athens and Beijing 2008. A little later it turned out that a tumor had caused a fracture of the seventh thoracic vertebra – paralysis threatened. “I was super lucky in my misfortune,” said the winger later, before returning to the pitch.
Bamberg separated from Okulaja in the summer of 2009 despite the current contract. A year later he announced the end of his career and later looked after NBA professional Dennis Schröder as manager, among others. Okulaja, son of a German father and a Nigerian father, played his last international match in September 2007. Okulaja scored 1794 points in the national jersey and played at six European Championships.
“We will always fondly remember Ademola, who fought and never gave up, who always left everything on the field. May he rest in peace,” said Weiss. “Much too early… Take care up there!” Brose Bamberg tweeted in response to the bad news. FC Bayern also mourned: “Rest in peace, warrior!”