Prior to signing a one-year contract worth $3.1 million with the Rockets, the 26-year-old shooting guard was in free agency. He will be reuniting with 15-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant, with whom he played alongside during their time with the Phoenix Suns.
After his sophomore season at Georgia Tech, Okogie was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 20th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. On social media, he wrote, “Houston, we have a problem,” implying that Western Conference team supporters are in for an exciting time.
Okogie played for the Timberwolves for four seasons after being selected in the 2018 NBA Draft before joining the Phoenix Suns in 2022. In January, he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets along with three other future second-round picks; on July 15, the Hornets waived him.
Okogie played in 416 games with 167 starts over his seven seasons in the top level. In 19.1 minutes per game, he averaged 6.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 0.93 steals. He finished fourth in terms of steals per 36 minutes played (2.8) among players who appeared in at least 40 games during the 2024–25 season.
Between the Suns and the Hornets (who signed him in mid-January), he participated in 40 games overall, averaging 1.20 steals in 15.6 minutes per game.
Okogie has played for Nigeria in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China and the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics in Japan. Ime Udoka, the Houston Rockets’ head coach and a Nigerian, will be his mentor.
