{"id":3518,"date":"2026-06-25T04:34:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T04:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3518"},"modified":"2026-06-25T04:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T04:34:11","slug":"from-overlooked-to-17th-in-the-nba-draft-ebuka-okorie-is-a-first-for-new-hampshire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3518","title":{"rendered":"From overlooked to 17th in the NBA Draft, Ebuka Okorie is a first for New Hampshire"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<div>\n<p><span>History was made for New Hampshire on Tuesday night.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Thunder selected Nashua native Ebuka Okorie with the No. 17 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft before he was flipped to the Pistons. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3516\">Second-round pick Dillon Mitchell has been on the Celtics\u2019 radar for years<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>The 6-foot-1-inch combo guard is the state\u2019s first first-round pick, and second player drafted to the NBA. The other is Concord native Matt Bonner, who the Bulls picked in the second round in 2003.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s everything I\u2019ve dreamed of,\u201d Okorie told ESPN. \u201cI\u2019ve dreamed of this since I started playing basketball, it\u2019s always been my goal to get here. And to just see it happen in real time with my family, all my loved ones, it means the world to me.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Okorie played at Stanford last season, being part of the standout batch of one-and-done freshmen across the country. He led the ACC in scoring with 23.2 points per game and was named an All-American honorable mention by the Associated Press.<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><span>Get Starting Point<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><label>Enter Email<\/label><\/p>\n<div><button>Sign Up<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>But before his time on the West Coast, he\u2019d made a name for himself at powerhouse Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro for his senior season.<\/span><\/p>\n<div><span>Related<span>: <\/span><\/span>Four things to know about Celtics 2026 first-rounder Chris Cenac Jr.<\/div>\n<p><span>He invited Brewster head coach Jason Smith, and assistant coach Josh Lee, to Barclays Center to watch him reach his dream. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt was phenomenal,\u201d Smith, who has since departed Brewster for Masters Academy International, told the Globe. \u201cVery happy for an amazing kid, very happy for his family, just a very, very proud moment. I was happy I was able to be with him on that occasion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Smith may not have coached Okorie for long, but the player entered Smith\u2019s radar very early. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As the smallest and possibly youngest kid in the camp, Smith said Okorie\u2019s father, Charles, approached him and made his son\u2019s love for basketball and intentions of playing for Brewster clear.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>An opportunity that didn\u2019t come to fruition initially, though.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Okorie spent his first three years of high school at Cushing Academy in Ashburnham. He garnered a few offers \u2014 Bryant, Brown, and Harvard, to name a few \u2014 but it was a humble beginning for the then-unranked recruit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>He\u2019d spent many years cutting his chops in the grassroots scene. Specifically, playing for Leo Papile of the Boston Amateur Basketball Club.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3514\">Red Sox blow another late lead, drop series to majors-worst Rockies<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>Before his senior year, Okorie\u2019s father reached back out to Smith.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A door was open and he was ready. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Smith said despite the lack of national interest, he thought Okorie was an \u201celite talent and great prospect\u201d by the time he came in. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cHe wasn\u2019t dissuaded by not being a national top-100 recruit,\u201d Smith said. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t playing for the clicks and the highlights; he was very focused and driven to be better today than he was yesterday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div><span>Related<span>: <\/span><\/span>Appeasing Jaylen Brown after Giannis trade fell apart should be Celtics&#8217; priority<\/div>\n<p><span>Okorie reaffirmed Smith\u2019s feelings about him, being named the state\u2019s Gatorade Player of the Year and eventually becoming a top-100 recruit by the 247Sports Composite Rankings. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But it wasn\u2019t just his skillset that impressed him. Smith felt Okorie\u2019s character reminded him of Bonner, who\u2019s one of Smith\u2019s close friends as they both grew up in the Granite State. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cNot only are they very driven athletically, but they\u2019re very competitive to be the best in whatever they do, academics or athletics,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI think that drive is going to take Ebuka very, very far.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div><span>Related<span>: <\/span><\/span>Celtics draft Chris Cenac after nearly dealing first-round pick \u2014 and Jaylen Brown \u2014 for Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/div>\n<p><span>Okorie now joins players like Donovan Mitchell, Matas Buzelis, and Will Barton on the long list of Brewster former players to be drafted. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s no small feat, but it pales in comparison to what he has achieved as a native of the state.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Now, when kids Google \u201cbest basketball players from New Hampshire,\u201d Okorie and Bonner will be at the top of the list.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Being in the room with the two-time champion, Bonner, is already noteworthy enough. But furthermore, it also puts him in position to become a role model, something Smith said he\u2019s already embraced.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cA year ago, Ebuka wasn\u2019t considered a top-100 high school player in the class of \u201825, and last night he was the 17th overall pick in the NBA Draft,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt just shows you what hard work, discipline can achieve in terms of your goals.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3512\">With new fiscal year looming, Boston City Council accepts Wu\u2019s amended $4.9 billion budget plan<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Nashua native became the first player from New Hampshire taken in the first round of the NBA Draft when he was selected 17th by the Thunder and immediately flipped to the Pistons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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