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David Okwera
Wena David Okwera (born 31 July 2002) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). In 2021, he debuted for Melbourne United in the NBL and debuted for the Australian Boomers in international competition. Early life and careerOkwera was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia.[1] He has a South Sudanese background.[1] He was given the nickname 'D-Sav' in high school.[2] He played junior basketball at Morley Sport and Recreation Centre[3] and with the Joondalup Wolves.[4] At age 16,[3][4] Okwera moved to Melbourne, Victoria,[5] where he played for the Kilsyth Cobras under 18 team in 2019.[6] In 2020, Okwera played for the Victorian under 20 state team at the national championships, where he was named to the all-star five after averaging 12.2 points, 10 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.[7] Following the under 20 national championships, Okwera received close to 20 NCAA Division 1 scholarship offers, including from Maryland, Oregon State, Oklahoma State, Wake Forest and Arkansas.[6] In September 2020, Okwera accepted a scholarship to attend the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence and NBA Global Academy[4] at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.[6] He played for the BA Centre of Excellence men's team in the Waratah League in 2021, averaging 5.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 blocks in six games.[8] The team was crowned Waratah League champions for the 2021 season.[9] He also played for the Western Australian under 20 state team at the 2021 national championships, where he averaged 10.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game.[10] Professional careerIn April 2021, Okwera made the decision to forgo the collegiate path and turn professional.[5][10] On 27 July 2021, he signed a two-year contract with Melbourne United of the National Basketball League (NBL), with the first year being as a development player deal and the second year being a full roster spot deal.[5] He started the 2021–22 season by becoming the youngest player since Joe Ingles to score 10 points in an NBL game on debut.[11] In eight games, he averaged 2.1 points and 1.6 rebounds[8] in seven minutes per game.[2] Okwera played for the Sandringham Sabres of the NBL1 South in the 2022 season, averaging 12.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.[8] Having been promoted to a fully contracted player for the 2022–23 season, Okwera was immediately tasked by United to fill the starting power forward role following injuries to Ariel Hukporti and Mason Peatling.[12] He received a variety of roles to start the season and matched-up against a number of the league's best big men.[2] In 28 games, he averaged 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.[8] Okwera began the 2023 NBL1 South season playing two games for the Sabres[8][13] but later returned to Perth and joined the Perth Redbacks of the NBL1 West.[14] In nine games for the Redbacks to finish the 2023 NBL1 West season, he averaged 11.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 blocks per game.[8] On 5 April 2023, Okwera signed a three-year deal with the Perth Wildcats of the NBL.[15][16] He initially declared for the 2023 NBA draft[17] but later withdrew his name.[18] In the 2023–24 NBL season, Okwera found himself stuck behind Keanu Pinder and Alex Sarr in the big man rotation, averaging 5.5 minutes in 17 games,[19] down from 14.3 minutes with United the previous season.[3] With Sarr injured between late December and mid January, Okwera received extra opportunities which resulted in a season-high nine points in eight minutes against the Brisbane Bullets on 19 January 2024. He finished with 1.6 points and 1.5 rebounds per game.[19] Okwera played for the East Perth Eagles in the 2024 NBL1 West season,[3] where he averaged 14.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks in 21 games.[8] He was named to the NBL1 West All-Defensive Team.[20] Okwera became a starter for the Wildcats midway through the 2024–25 NBL season.[21] National team careerOkwera debuted for the Australian Boomers during the FIBA Asia Cup qualifier in February 2021 against New Zealand.[4][22] He later played for the Australian under 19 team at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup.[23] Okwera played for the Boomers during the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers and at the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup.[23] References
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