0:00
/
0:00
Transcript

E40: Mu Okonkwo on abandoning soccer for basketball

"I watched Lebron James and I knew I had to move."

Hello, I'd really like to grow this email list. If you enjoy this newsletter, it would mean the world to Jola and I if you encouraged one friend/fellow immigrant/colleague to subscribe…Very likely, the the only thing you will get in return is warm fuzzy feelings, and if I can attribute it to you, I’d personally send you a thank you email.

Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant.


In this episode, I’m speaking with Mu Okonkwo, former basketball player now immigrant entrepreneur.

One random sunny day in Owerri, Nigeria, Mu’s friends convinced him to follow them to the basketball court. Their pitch? A scout was coming who would take promising prospects to the Ejike Ugboaja annual bootcamp — the biggest basketball camp in Nigeria.

Now, Mu only had eyes for soccer, or football as we call it back in Nigeria.

But a couple of months after that well-timed visit to the basketball court, Mu was actively scheming to move to the United States on a scholarship to play college basketball.

In this conversation, we chat about:

  • Forging his Dad’s signature so the scout could formally keep working with him to secure his college scholarship

  • Getting to the United States and discovering that his little knowledge of basketball was useless

  • Going pro in 2019

  • Adjusting to the social nuances of the American culture, and more.

Did you find this interesting? Please share with someone else who might find it helpful.

Official Links

👋🏽 Follow Mu on LinkedIn


Did you read it?