Ibaka's surge to the NBA

OKC big man Serge Ibaka/ Photo taken by Keith Allison/ Flickr.com

In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the whole city is wild and pleased with the chances of their basketball team winning their first Larry O'Brien Trophy. The Oklahoma City Thunder unexpectedly swept the defending champions Dallas Mavericks, who people thought would give the team some trouble.

Just last year, the Mavericks beat the Thunder 4-2, but this year the Thunder has gained experience and they came back stronger than ever. Spotlights are shining on the team, mostly the trio of Kevin Durant, Russel Westbrook, and their 6th man James Harden, but their big man Serge Ibaka lacks recognition. Ibaka is an energetic player who brings excitement to the crowd and the team, and he should be highlighted as a reason to the team's success.

Ibaka is known to block shots, and get rebounds. He is actually a significant reason why the Thunder have been doing so well. Inside the league, Ibaka is a humbled athlete, not asking for support or recognition. He is the type of player that gives the team a 100% each game, helping the team win. Some might not know why he is so humbled, but his past actually made him the person that he is today.

Ibaka was born on September 18, 1989, in the Republic of Congo, an impoverished country in northern Africa, to a mother and father who both played basketball. While his father played professionally in Africa and playing for the national team for the Republic of Congo, his mother played for national team for the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ibaka has 17 siblings, but he only lived around 10 of them. That means that he probably didn't receive proper care from his parents. Ibaka was a caring and loving person, "I liked growing up in a family atmosphere,” Ibaka said in a newsok.com article. "Family pride is very important to me, which is also a common thing in Africa. You grow up with a strong sense of family...We took care of each other."

Ibaka started playing basketball at the age of seven, playing on the courts of the Brazaville city with his friends after school and on his free time. He purely loved the game, playing with imperfections such as cracked courts and broken shoes, "It was something that we loved so much we didn’t care about how we did it as long as we could play the game,” Ibaka said in a newsok.com article. Ibaka and other Africans played with cardboard inserted shoes to cover up the holes on the shoes. Ibaka wanted to play professionally, even though NBA wasn't his first destination. At age eight, his mother died due to natural reasons, and a few years later, his father was imprisoned during the beginning years of the Second Congo War. During his (technically) orphaned years, young Ibaka lived with his grandmother, with no electricity or running water. Ibaka's only escape was basketball, so he just kept on playing. "I played every day,” Ibaka said in a newsok.com article. "If there was a day that I couldn’t play, I felt so bad, like something was missing that day."

Already ready with natural athleticism and teachings from his father, Ibaka joined a team called Avenir du Rail and outshined all the other young players. A Spanish agent noticed his talent and work ethic, and decided to make a deal to him and his family to move to Europe. For the next few years, Ibaka went around Europe, first France then Spain and he played on leagues with equal or better competition compared to the NBA D-League. When it was time for the NBA Draft 2008, Ibaka was chosen as the 28th pick overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ibaka became the only person drafted for the NBA draft from the Republic of Congo. Ibaka along with his family was emotional when his name was called during the day of the NBA Draft.

From a horrible past to a fabulous life now, Ibaka's hardworking mindset has significantly transformed his life. "After watching him play, (I noticed) his attitude and personality. He was a fighter, a winner, a leader. And after talking to him, his mind and focus (stood out). He was a hard worker and ready to sacrifice for achieving his dreams,” said Gallego, the Spanish agent that hired him on a newsok.com article. Maybe all his troubled times allowed him to reach his goals, but it doesn't matter, because he is currently living the life. Right now, Ibaka leads the league with 3.7 blocks per game, he had a career high 11 blocks playing against the Denver Nuggets on February 19th, 2012. Even though Ibaka doesn't contribute much offensively, he's the anchor of his team's defense. Ibaka is a big part of his team's success this season and he should be acknowledged for that.