Little is said about one time ex-Nigerian International Obinna Julius Nwosu aka “The Juice”.
Standing at 6ft 10inches tall, the burly ex-international played at the centre position all through his basketball career which spans almost two decades in fourteen different countries.
Julius Nwosu was born in Nkwerre, Imo State Eastern Nigeria where he also attended Imo secondary school.
He proceeded to the U.S for his college degree with Liberty University(He is also a hall of famer as an athlete) before going undrafted in the 1993 NBA draft.
Julius started his basketball career with Cáceres Baloncesto in Spain ACB League playing for a single season before he was snatched by the San Antonio Spurs which had David Robinson,Doc Rivers(Now coach of Sixers), Dennis Rodman as his new teammates.
During this time, Julius also started featuring massively for the Nigerian national team (D’tigers) and earned his nick name “The Juice”.
He was part of the FIBA World Championship Nigerian national team that played at the FIBA World Championship in 1998 and 2006
In 2005 Afrobasket, he also helped D’tigers to a bronze medal finish in Algeria.
Below are some of his teammates at both world cups and afrobasket;
1998– Kinglsey Ogwudire, Yinka Dare, Dominic Okon, Oladipo Ayinla, Tunji Awojobi, Obinna Ekezie, Peter Aluma, Emeka Okenwa, Godwin Owinje, Mohammed Acha, Daniel Okonkwo.
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2006– Tunji Awojobi, Gabe Muoneke, Ikenna Nwankwo, Derrick Obasohan, Ebi Ere, Ime Udoka, Chamberlain Oguchi, Ikenna Ibekwe, Josh Akognon, Jeff Varem, Aloysius Anagonye.
Read about ex- International; Obinna Ekezie’s Legacy
2005– Ime Udoka, Chamberlain Oguchi, Kingsley Ogwudire, Ekene Ibekwe, Tunji Awojobi, Gabe Muoneke, Ibrahim Abe Badmus, Benjamin Eze, Olumide Oyedeji, Abdulrahman Mohammed, Jeff Ngutar Varem.
Fun Fact: Julius Nwosu did not finish the 1998 FIBA tournament with the team for administrative reasons.
While playing overseas, The Juice helped Russian side CSKA Moscow to the 1996 Russian league title, French league title for Pau- Orthez in 2001, PBA title for Red Bull Thunder in 2002 in Philippines.
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The Juice was one-time head coach of the Nigerian senior men’s basketball team to the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers during the first window in November 2021.
Currently He is an EHS manager at Spitzer Industries, Houston Texas(U.S) with over decade of working experience across all fronts.
He speaks Igbo his native dialect and Spanish fluently. Follow him on facebook here
Image Credit: Julius Nwosu (Facebook)
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