Former UConn star and NBA Rookie of the Year Emeka Okafor has been hired by ESPN, the network has announced.
Okafor will work as a college basketball game analyst for ESPN throughout the 2025-26 season. He is set to make his debut on Nov. 18 when Syracuse hosts Monmouth on the ACC Network.
Emeka Okafor led UConn to the 2004 national championship and was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four that year.
He averaged 17.6 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in 2003-04 as a junior, earning NABC Co-Player of the Year honors. Okafor was also named a Consensus All-American and the Big East Player of the Year that season.
He was then drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. As a rookie, he averaged 15.1 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game to earn NBA Rookie of the Year honors.
Okafor went on to spend 10 seasons in the NBA, playing for the Bobcats, Hornets, Wizards and Pelicans.
For his NBA career, he averaged 12.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
In addition to Emeka Okafor, ESPN also announced that former Final Four coach Kevin Keatts, former All-American Dennis Scott, former Final Four Most Outstanding Player Miles Simon and former Texas coach and Sporting News Coach of the Year Rodney Terry have been hired by the network as college hoops analysts.
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