# Otega Oweh
**Otega Oweh** (born 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the [Oklahoma City Thunder](https://www.edgepedia.org/oklahoma-city-thunder) of the NBA, a 6-foot-5, 216-pound guard who played college basketball for Oklahoma and Kentucky before being selected 41st overall in the 2026 NBA Draft by the [Miami Heat](https://www.edgepedia.org/miami-heat), whose rights were traded to [Oklahoma City](https://www.edgepedia.org/oklahoma-city).[1](https://www.nba.com/draft/2026/prospects/otega-oweh) • [2](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/players/28954181/otega-oweh/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2003, in New Jersey; listed 6-5, 216 lbs[1](https://www.nba.com/draft/2026/prospects/otega-oweh) |
| College | Oklahoma 2022-24, Kentucky 2024-26; Second Team All-SEC in both Kentucky seasons[1](https://www.nba.com/draft/2026/prospects/otega-oweh) |
| Senior season (2025-26) | 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.8 steals in 32.8 minutes per game on 46.5/33.3/73.1 shooting splits[1](https://www.nba.com/draft/2026/prospects/otega-oweh) |
| 2026 NBA Draft | 41st overall pick by Miami Heat, acquired by Oklahoma City in a trade; signed a two-way contract[2](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/players/28954181/otega-oweh/) • [3](https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/10611/news/) |
| Injury | Ruptured right Achilles tendon in an October 2026 preseason game; will miss the entire 2026-27 season[4](https://fieldlevelmedia.com/nba/thunder-rookie-otega-oweh-achilles-to-miss-season/) |
| Family | Brother of Odafe Oweh, a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft[1](https://www.nba.com/draft/2026/prospects/otega-oweh) |
## Early life and recruitment
Oweh played high school basketball at [Blair Academy](https://www.edgepedia.org/blair-academy) in Blairstown, New Jersey, and helped lead the Nike EYBL program Team Final to a 17U Peach Jam championship, posting 17 points and five rebounds in the title game. He committed to Oklahoma as a four-star recruit.[1](https://www.nba.com/draft/2026/prospects/otega-oweh) He was born in Union, New Jersey, to Tania and Henry Oweh, and chose the jersey number 00 because it represents his name.[5](https://ukathletics.com/sports/mbball/roster/season/2025-26/player/otega-oweh/) His older brother Odafe Oweh is a professional football linebacker; NBA.com's draft profile identifies him as a [Washington Commanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/washington-commanders) defensive end and a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft,[1](https://www.nba.com/draft/2026/prospects/otega-oweh) while Kentucky's roster bio listed him with the [Baltimore Ravens](https://www.edgepedia.org/baltimore-ravens).[5](https://ukathletics.com/sports/mbball/roster/season/2025-26/player/otega-oweh/)
## College career
**Oklahoma.** Oweh played sparingly as a freshman in 2022-23, averaging 4.8 points per game, then started 28 games as a sophomore in 2023-24 and averaged 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 49.3% from the field and 37.7% from three-point range.[1](https://www.nba.com/draft/2026/prospects/otega-oweh) • [6](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/otega-oweh-1.html) • [7](https://wkusports.com/documents/download/2024/11/25/11-26-24_UKGameNotes_WKU.pdf) He entered the transfer portal after that season and landed at Kentucky.[1](https://www.nba.com/draft/2026/prospects/otega-oweh)
**Kentucky.** Oweh became the team's leading scorer and opened his junior season with 26 consecutive games in double figures; before that year, he had reached double figures only 22 times in his two seasons at Oklahoma.[1](https://www.nba.com/draft/2026/prospects/otega-oweh) • [8](https://iuhoosiers.com/documents/download/2025/12/11/12_13_25_UKGameNotes_Indiana.pdf) As a junior in 2024-25 he set career highs in points per game (16.2), rebounds per game (4.7), assists per game (1.7), steals per game (1.6), blocks per game (0.5), and free-throw percentage (.776).[8](https://iuhoosiers.com/documents/download/2025/12/11/12_13_25_UKGameNotes_Indiana.pdf)
As a senior in 2025-26, Oweh averaged 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.8 steals in 32.8 minutes per game on 46.5/33.3/73.1 shooting splits, and earned Second Team All-SEC honors for the second straight year.[1](https://www.nba.com/draft/2026/prospects/otega-oweh) He scored a career-high 35 points against Santa Clara in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on March 20, a game in which he hit a desperation three-pointer from near halfcourt with less than a second remaining to force overtime; Kentucky won 89-84 in overtime.[1](https://www.nba.com/draft/2026/prospects/otega-oweh) • [9](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPlS3JrS7og) He finished with the most points by a player in his first two seasons at Kentucky, 1,255.[1](https://www.nba.com/draft/2026/prospects/otega-oweh)
## NBA career
The Miami Heat selected Oweh with the 41st overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and traded his rights to the Thunder.[2](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/players/28954181/otega-oweh/) He signed a two-way contract with Oklahoma City on July 3, 2026, alongside [Brooks Barnhizer](https://www.edgepedia.org/brooks-barnhizer) and Josh Dix, and reports during summer league indicated he remained on track to earn a standard contract.[3](https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/10611/news/)
His rookie year was cut short by injuries. On October 14, 2026, he was helped to the locker room after a non-contact injury to his lower right leg in the overtime period of a preseason game against the [Indiana Pacers](https://www.edgepedia.org/indiana-pacers), having finished with eight points and three rebounds in 15 minutes.[2](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/players/28954181/otega-oweh/) The injury was diagnosed as a ruptured right [Achilles tendon](https://www.edgepedia.org/achilles-tendon), he underwent surgery, and he will miss the entirety of the 2026-27 season; depending on his recovery, he could be a candidate to participate in the 2027 Summer League.[4](https://fieldlevelmedia.com/nba/thunder-rookie-otega-oweh-achilles-to-miss-season/) • [2](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/players/28954181/otega-oweh/)
## Playing style
Oweh is a strong, athletic combo guard and undersized wing whose calling cards are defensive versatility and downhill scoring. NBA.com's draft analysis describes him as a disruptive on-ball defender able to guard across three positions with long arms and a solid frame, and an offensive slasher who draws fouls at a high rate and is more effective attacking closeouts and finishing through contact than creating off the bounce.[1](https://www.nba.com/draft/2026/prospects/otega-oweh) Scouting reports have compared his profile to defensive-minded wings such as Bruce Brown and Lu Dort.[10](https://catscoverage.com/2024/10/25/scouting-profile-otega-oweh/)
His main development areas have been shooting consistency and touch. Analysts note that his three-point shot needs a quicker release, though he showed comfort in catch-and-shoot situations,[1](https://www.nba.com/draft/2026/prospects/otega-oweh) and that he struggles to finish over rim anchors and help defenders despite strong vertical pop and horizontal burst; at Kentucky he shot 60.5% at the rim, a percentage built substantially on dunks, with 47 dunks in his senior season.[11](https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-the-many-ways-of) He also tends to overcommit defensively, leading to fouls, and sometimes settles for contested mid-range shots.[12](https://www.babcockhoops.com/post/2025-nba-draft-otega-oweh-scouting-report) In his final college season he carried a 27.1% usage rate with a 55.4% true-shooting mark and +5.9 box plus-minus, and draft models placed him in the second-round, two-way range.[13](https://gametime-iq.com/)
## References
1. [Otega Oweh 2026 NBA Draft Profile, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/draft/2026/prospects/otega-oweh)
2. [Otega Oweh, Oklahoma City Thunder, News, Stats, Bio, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/players/28954181/otega-oweh/)
3. [Otega Oweh News, Rumors & Videos, Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/10611/news/)
4. [Thunder rookie Otega Oweh (Achilles) to miss season, Field Level Media](https://fieldlevelmedia.com/nba/thunder-rookie-otega-oweh-achilles-to-miss-season/)
5. [Otega Oweh, UK Athletics roster bio](https://ukathletics.com/sports/mbball/roster/season/2025-26/player/otega-oweh/)
6. [Otega Oweh College Stats, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/otega-oweh-1.html)
7. [Kentucky MBB game notes vs WKU, November 2024](https://wkusports.com/documents/download/2024/11/25/11-26-24_UKGameNotes_WKU.pdf)
8. [Kentucky game notes vs Indiana, December 2025](https://iuhoosiers.com/documents/download/2025/12/11/12_13_25_UKGameNotes_Indiana.pdf)
9. [Otega Oweh forces OT vs Santa Clara, CBS Sports College Basketball (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPlS3JrS7og)
10. [Scouting Profile: Otega Oweh, Cats Coverage](https://catscoverage.com/2024/10/25/scouting-profile-otega-oweh/)
11. [Magic 8 Ballers: The Many Ways of Otega Oweh, No Ceilings NBA](https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/magic-8-ballers-the-many-ways-of)
12. [2026 NBA Draft: Otega Oweh Scouting Report, Babcock Hoops](https://www.babcockhoops.com/post/2025-nba-draft-otega-oweh-scouting-report)
13. [Otega Oweh draft analytics profile, Gametime IQ](https://gametime-iq.com/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › Current NBA players › Shooting guards › Young and recently drafted guards*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license