James Nnaji: Barcelona releases Nigerian star after 5 years

FC Barcelona have announced parting of ways with Nigerian basketball prodigy James Nnaji.

This marks the end of a five-year tenure with the Catalan club for the 20-year-old center.

Nnaji joined Barcelona in 2020 at the age of 16 where he was developed but his time with the first team was limited.

James Nnaji arrived at Barcelona hailing from Makurdi, Nigeria, he began his basketball journey.

Nnaji came to Barcelona as a long-term investment as he spent his early years honing his skills in the club’s prestigious La Masia academy.

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He was selected 31st overall in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, with his rights later traded to the Charlotte Hornets.

Barcelona expressed gratitude to Nnaji for his dedication and work across both the lower categories and first team, wishing him the best in his future endeavors.

In the summer of 2020, when he was 16 years old, Nnaji joined Barça to play for the junior team.

He was a regular in Barça Atlètic's games during his early days and quickly became part of the first team.

He made his first-team debut in a Euroleague game versus Zalgiris Kaunas in November 2021.

In his first Endesa League game versus BAXI Manresa, he delivered an exceptional debut performance for a player under 18, recording 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 blocks with a rating of 19.

Nnaji has participated in a total of 130 official matches with the first team across various competitions.

The last season, 2024/25 he was loaned out to two clubs. Initially with Bàsquet Girona for 14 matches and Turkish team Yukatel Merkezefendi Belediyesi for eight matches.