Oluwasimisola "Simisola" Shittu (born 7 November 1999) is a British-born Canadian professional basketball player for Yukatel Merkezefendi of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. He was one of the top-ranked players in the high school class of 2018.

Simisola Shittu
No. 11 – Yukatel Merkezefendi Basket
PositionCenter / Power forward
LeagueBasketbol Süper Ligi
Personal information
Born (1999-11-07) 7 November 1999 (age 25)
Harrow, London, England
NationalityCanadian / British
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeVanderbilt (2018–2019)
NBA draft2019: undrafted
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2020Windy City Bulls
2021Westchester Knicks
2021–2022Ironi Ness Ziona
2022–2023Lakeland Magic
2023Iowa Wolves
2023Calgary Surge
2023Limoges CSP
2023–2024Kolossos Rodou
2024–presentYukatel Merkezefendi
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Canada
FIBA Americas U16 Championship
Silver medal – second place 2015 Argentina National team

Early life

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Shittu was born in Harrow, London, to a family of Nigerian and Caribbean heritage. He moved to Canada when he was five years old. Shittu then moved to the United States before his freshman year to play higher competition.[1]

High school career

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Recruiting

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Simisola Shittu
PF
Burlington, ON Vermont Academy (VT) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Nov 22, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 92
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 7  247Sports: 8  ESPN: 19
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Vanderbilt 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  • "2018 Vanderbilt Commodores Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 26 June 2018.

College career

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Shittu had an underwhelming freshman year. After Darius Garland tore his meniscus during a game against Kent State, the team went 5–23 including a 0–18 in conference play. His draft value dropped dramatically over the season. Shittu averaged 10.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game during his freshman season.[2] Following the season, he declared for the 2019 NBA draft.[3]

Professional career

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Windy City Bulls (2019–2020)

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After going undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft, Shittu joined the Memphis Grizzlies for the 2019 NBA Summer League. On 4 October 2019, Shittu signed with the Chicago Bulls.[2] He was waived in training camp, but assigned to the Bulls’ NBA G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls.[4] In the final home game of the season, Shittu had 32 points and 21 rebounds in a loss to the Canton Charge.[5]

On 6 December 2020, the Chicago Bulls re-signed Shittu[6] on a non-guaranteed deal. On 18 December 2020, Shittu had a career high 13 points and 6 rebounds in a win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was waived at the end of training camp.[7]

Westchester Knicks (2021)

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On 21 January 2021, Shittu was included in the roster of the Westchester Knicks.[8] He averaged 14.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.[9]

Ironi Ness Ziona (2021–2022)

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On 24 November 2021, Shittu signed with Ironi Ness Ziona of the Israeli Basketball Super League.[9]

Lakeland Magic (2022–2023)

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On 9 August 2022, Shittu was signed by the Orlando Magic. He was waived prior to the start of the 2022–23 season.[10] On November 3, 2022, Shittu was named to the opening night roster for the Lakeland Magic.[11]

Iowa Wolves (2023)

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On 12 February 2023, Shittu was traded to the Iowa Wolves.[12]

Calgary Surge (2023)

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On 12 May 2023, Shittu signed with the Calgary Surge of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.[13]

Limoges CSP (2023)

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On July 31, 2023, Shittu signed with Limoges CSP of the French LNB Pro A.[14]

Kolossos Rodou (2023–2024)

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On December 20, 2023, Shittu moved to Greek club Kolossos Rodou.[15]

Yukatel Merkezefendi (2024–present)

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On August 8, 2024, he signed with Yukatel Merkezefendi of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).[16]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Vanderbilt 32 31 26.7 .468 .056 .576 6.7 1.8 .7 .5 10.9

References

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  1. ^ "MikeCheck: Once-heralded Shittu eager to regain ground with Grizzlies after rocky NBA transition". NBA.com. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Bulls sign Simisola Shittu". NBA.com. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  3. ^ Givony, Jonathan (3 April 2019). "Vanderbilt freshman Simi Shittu declares for NBA draft". ESPN. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  4. ^ Kessenich, Joe (7 November 2019). "WINDY CITY BULLS ANNOUNCE 2019-20 OPENING NIGHT ROSTER FOR TEAM'S FOURTH SEASON". NBA.com. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  5. ^ McGraw, Mike (20 March 2020). "Season likely over, but Windy City Bulls coach thankful for development". Daily Herald. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  6. ^ "We have signed C/F Simi Shittu". Chicago Bulls on Twitter.com. 6 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Transactions: We have waived Zach Norvell Jr. and Simi Shittu". Chicago Bulls on Twitter.com. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Westchester Knicks Announce 2021 Roster". NBA.com. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Simi Shittu joins Ironi Ness Ziona". Sportando. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Orlando Magic Waive Devin Cannady, Jay Scrubb and Simi Shittu". NBA.com. 15 October 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Lakeland Magic Announce 2022-23 Opening Night Roster". oursportscentral.com. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  12. ^ "2022-23 NBA G League Transactions". gleague.nba.com. 12 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  13. ^ "Calgary Surge Sign Simi Shittu". CEBL.ca. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  14. ^ "Simisola Shittu, un nouveau poste 5 Limoges au CSP". LimogesCSP.com (in French). 31 July 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  15. ^ Maggi, Alessandro (20 December 2023). "Kolossos signs Simisola Shittu - Sportando". Sportando. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  16. ^ @merkezefendigsk (8 August 2024). "Simi Shittu, bu şehrin takımına katıldı!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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