Gani Lawal

Gani Lawal Jr.
Born	(1988-11-07) November 7, 1988
Nationality	Nigerian-American
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Known for	Collegiate basketball at Georgia Tech; professional basketball career including NBA and international teams

Gani Oladimeji Lawal Jr. (born November 7, 1988) is a professional basketball athlete holding Nigerian-American nationality. He competed at the collegiate level representing Georgia Tech.

High school career

While attending Norcross High School, Lawal was honored with a spot on the McDonald's All-American Team and earned the title of Georgia's Mr. Basketball in 2007. Rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, he was ranked as the seventh-best power forward and the 29th top player nationwide in 2007.

College career

During his initial collegiate season (2007–08) at Georgia Tech, Lawal broke a streak of six games with single-digit points by scoring 10 points on an efficient 5-of-6 shooting against Duke, along with collecting four rebounds. On January 6, 2008, he added nine rebounds in a victory over Presbyterian.

In his sophomore year (2008–09), Lawal achieved a personal scoring best with 34 points in an 85–83 defeat to Penn State. He also set a rebound record with 16 boards in a win against Tennessee State, later exceeding that mark by grabbing 17 rebounds in a home loss to Duke.

Following his sophomore campaign, Lawal declared for the NBA draft but withdrew on June 14, 2009, opting to return for his junior year. In that third season, he led Georgia Tech in both field-goal percentage and blocked shots.

Professional career

Selected with the 46th pick by the Phoenix Suns in the 2010 NBA draft, Lawal signed a three-year contract on August 1, 2010. He was assigned to the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League in November of that year, recalled by Phoenix in December, and made his NBA debut later that month. Unfortunately, his rookie season ended prematurely in January 2011 due to an ACL tear.

During the 2011 NBA lockout, Lawal competed for Polish team Zastal Zielona Góra. After the lockout concluded, Phoenix released him in December 2011. He briefly signed with the San Antonio Spurs but was waived before the regular season started. Subsequently, he joined China's Xinjiang Flying Tigers, appearing in 17 games before being released prior to playoffs. After a short return to Zastal Zielona Góra, he signed with French club Chorale Roanne to finish that season.

In August 2012, Lawal moved to Italy's Virtus Roma. The following July, he had a brief tenure with Chinese NBL side Guangzhou Liu Sui. On August 9, 2013, he inked a one-year contract with Latvian outfit VEF Rīga, though parted ways before playing any games amid reports of attitude concerns.

Lawal signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on October 5, 2013, but was waived later that month after participating in six preseason contests. In November 2013, he joined Italian powerhouse Emporio Armani Milano for the remainder of that campaign.

In August 2014, Lawal agreed to terms with Turkish club Trabzonspor. He departed in January 2015 to sign with Greek elite team Panathinaikos, leaving that May. Returning to Emporio Armani Milan in July 2015 on a one-year deal, he parted ways by November after limited court time.

December 2015 saw Lawal join the NBA Development League's Delaware 87ers, followed by a trade to the Westchester Knicks later that month. In February 2016, he was traded again to the Reno Bighorns, where he made an immediate impact. By April, he had signed with UAE-based Al-Ahli Dubai.

For the 2016–17 season, Lawal signed with Italian club Pallacanestro Cantù, departing after nine appearances to join fellow Italian side Dinamo Sassari. In July 2017, he committed to Turkish team Karesi Spor before transferring to Iranian club Petrochimi Bandar Imam in January 2018.

In May 2019, Lawal was recruited as an import player by the Philippine Basketball Association's Meralco Bolts for their Commissioner's Cup campaign. On July 8, 2020, he signed with Israeli team Ironi Ramat Gan, but left following just one preseason game.

In December 2020, Lawal joined Qatari club Al Rayyan Sports Club and subsequently transferred to French Pro A team Champagne Châlons-Reims in February 2021. By June 2022, he had signed with Venezuelan SuperLiga outfit Trotamundos.

National team career

Lawal has represented the senior men's Nigerian national basketball team, including participation in the 2013 FIBA Africa Championship.

The Basketball Tournament (TBT)

During the summer of 2017, Lawal took part in The Basketball Tournament broadcast on ESPN, playing for the top-seeded FCM Untouchables. He contributed an average of 6.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per contest while shooting 62% from the field, aiding the team in advancing to the Super 16 Round. Their journey ended with an 85–71 loss to Team FOE, which was led by NBA athletes Markieff and Marcus Morris. In that matchup, Lawal posted 7 points and grabbed 7 rebounds over 15 minutes of play.

Personal life

Lawal is the child of Michelle, an American, and Gani Sr., who is Nigerian. He has two sisters named Khalilah and Chasitie, along with a brother named Khalil.

College

|- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Georgia Tech | 32 || 25 || 17.3 || .570 || .000 || .495 || 3.5 || .3 || .4 || 1.0 || 7.2 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Georgia Tech | 31 || 30 || 29.6 || .556 || .000 || .559 || 9.5 || .6 || 1.0 || 1.5 || 15.1 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Georgia Tech | 36 || 36 || 25.8 || .529 || .000 || .572 || 8.5 || .4 || .4 || 1.4 || 13.1 |- | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 99 || 91 || 24.2 || .548 || .000 || .549 || 7.2 || .5 || .6 || 1.3 || 11.8

NBA

Source

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 1 || 0 || 2.0 || – || – || – || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0