Josh Akognon
A sharpshooting guard who defied his size to become a scoring champion in China and a key figure in Nigeria's first Olympic basketball medal.
Born 1986 (age 40)·Nigerian-American basketball player·Birthday: February 10·Millennials
Biography
Josh Akognon's basketball journey is a story of relentless scoring and international reinvention. Born in Greenbrae, California to Nigerian parents, he first made waves at Washington State before transferring to Cal State Fullerton, where he led the Big West in scoring and earned conference Player of the Year honors. Despite going undrafted in 2009, his professional path took him across the globe, from the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies to dominant stretches in China and the Philippines. It was in the Chinese Basketball Association where he truly flourished, becoming a scoring machine and a fan favorite. His most profound impact, however, came in the green and white of Nigeria. Akognon was a vital member of the D'Tigers squad that stunned the world by defeating a US-heavy Dominican Republic team to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics, and then helped secure Nigeria's first-ever Olympic basketball medal—a bronze—at the 2015 FIBA Africa Championship.
Millennials
1981–1996
The first digital natives. Grew up with the internet, came of age during 9/11 and the 2008 crash. Highly educated, deeply indebted, slower to marry and buy houses. Redefined work, identity, and what it means to be an adult.
Josh was born in 1986, placing them squarely in the Millennials. The events that shaped this generation — the internet revolution, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Josh Was Born
The biggest hits of 1986
#1 Movie
Top Gun
Best Picture
Platoon
#1 TV Show
The Cosby Show
Josh's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1986Born
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1991Started school
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1999Became a teenager
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2002Could drive
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2004Could vote
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2007Turned 21
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2016Turned 30
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 40
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Named Big West Conference Player of the Year in 2009 after leading the conference in scoring at Cal State Fullerton.
- Won a Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) championship with the Sichuan Blue Whales in 2016.
- Helped the Nigerian national team win its first AfroBasket gold medal and qualify for the Olympics in 2015.
- Averaged over 30 points per game during the 2014-15 season for the CBA's Chongqing Fly Dragon.
Did You Know?
He scored 35 points in a single game for the Dallas Mavericks' NBA D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends.
His father, John, was a professional soccer player in Nigeria.
He played his final professional season in 2019 for Al-Muharraq in Bahrain.
“I'm a scorer; my job is to put the ball in the basket.”
