Obiri Yeboah Kyei (born 3 December 1994) is an Australian-British professional basketball player for the Sydney Comets of NBL1 East. He played college basketball for NCAA Division II schools Metro State and Eckerd College.
| Sydney Comets | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | NBL1 East |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 3 December 1994 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian / British |
| Listed height | 206 cm (6 ft 9 in) |
| Listed weight | 90 kg (198 lb) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Sydney Secondary (Sydney, New South Wales) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2017: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2012–present |
| Career history | |
| 2012–2013 | Sydney Comets |
| 2017 | Albury Wodonga Bandits |
| 2017 | Cuxhaven BasCats |
| 2017 | Leeds Force |
| 2018 | Logan Thunder |
| 2018–2019 | Força Lleida CE |
| 2019–2020 | Adelaide 36ers |
| 2021–2022 | Logan Thunder |
| 2024–present | Sydney Comets |
Early life
editKyei was born in Sydney, New South Wales,[1] to a Ghanaian father.[2] He attended Sydney Secondary College[3] and played in the Waratah League in 2012 and 2013 for the Sydney Comets.[4]
College career
editKyei played college basketball for Metro State (2013–2015) and Eckerd College (2015–2017).[5]
Professional career
editIn July 2017, Kyei had a one-game stint for the Albury Wodonga Bandits in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL).[6]
Kyei joined Cuxhaven BasCats of the German ProB for the 2017–18 season. He played 10 games between 23 September and 18 November.[4] He subsequently joined the Leeds Force of the British Basketball League, where he played two games between 26 November and 1 December.[4]
Kyei joined the Logan Thunder of the Queensland Basketball League (QBL) for the 2018 season.[4]
In August 2018, Kyei signed with Força Lleida CE of the Spanish LEB Gold.[7]
On 21 May 2019, Kyei signed a two-year deal with the Adelaide 36ers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).[8] He averaged 3.3 points and 4.2 rebounds in 28 games played for the team.[9] On 29 September 2020, he was granted a release by the 36ers to pursue business interests.[9]
On 21 June 2021, Kyei joined the Logan Thunder of the NBL1 North for the remainder of the 2021 season.[10] He averaged 11.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in five games played.[11] He returned to the Thunder for the 2022 season and averaged 10.1 points and 11.4 rebounds in 11 games.[4]
Kyei joined the Sydney Comets of NBL1 East for the 2024 season.[12] His impressive start to the NBL1 season saw him gain NBL interest.[13]
Fashion career
editKyei creates sustainable fashion for his label Obiri using vintage clothes and deadstock fabrics to produce new clothing.[14] He fronted the campaign for Champion Australia's sustainable Re:Bound collection in 2021.[14]
Personal life
editKyei holds Australian and British dual citizenship.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "Power forward Obi Kyei is a new player of Força Lleida". Spanish Basketball Federation. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- ^ Jimma, Natal; Huntsdale, Justin (14 February 2020). "Australian basketball diversifies as 'tsunami' of African players hits NBL". ABC. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
- ^ "Obi Kyei Bio - Metro State". Metropolitan State University of Denver Athletics. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Obi Kyei". Australiabasket.com. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "Obi Kyei Bio - Eckerd College". Eckerd College Athletics. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- ^ "Obi Kyei". SEABL. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "Kyei, Kearse Sign Professional Contracts in Spain". eckerdtritons.com. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "36ers Complete #NBL20 Squad with Obi Kyei". Adelaide 36ers. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Adelaide 36ers Agree to Obi Kyei's Release". Adelaide 36ers. 29 September 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
- ^ "NBL1 North McDonald's Logan Thunder Men Player Announcement: Obi Kyei". Logan Thunder. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ "Obi Kyei". NBL1. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
- ^ "2024 NBL1 East Roster Tracker". NBL1. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "NBL1 stars reportedly gaining NBL interest". NBL1. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ a b Bailey, Imogen (19 January 2021). "Champion ANZ recruits NBL basketballer turned designer for new campaign". Ragtrader. Retrieved 3 February 2022.