Entering their expansion season, the Charlotte Bobcats went big in the draft, selecting Connecticut All-American Emeka Okafor, who had earned Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors while leading the Huskies to a national title.
Okafor got off to a solid start in the NBA, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2004-05 while finishing fourth in the league in rebounding. He was fourth in blocks in 2006-07 and finished fifth in rebounding in 2008-09.
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In five seasons in Charlotte, Okafor averaged 14.0 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 34 minutes per game, shooting .506/0-for-1/.596.
He was third in the NBA in field goal percentage in 2010-11 for New Orleans.
In June 2012, he was traded to the Washington Wizards and in October 2013, he was dealt to the Phoenix Suns.
Okafor missed the entire 2013-14 season with a neck injury and went unsigned in the summer of 2014.
Despite not playing in the last three seasons, Okafor has not retired.
He is 46th in NBA history with an average of 9.9 rebounds per game and 42nd with an average of 1.7 blocks per game.
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