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Kofi Cockburn was a star for the University of Illinois from 2019 to 2022. Cockburn declared for the 2022 NBA draft but went undrafted. He signed a one-year deal with the Niigata Albirex BB in the Japanese B. League in October.
The Jamaican big man was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2020, averaging 13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 31 games for the Fighting Illini. He was also a two-time First-team All-Big Ten, one-time Consensus Second-Team All-American and one-time Consensus First Team All-American.
Cockburn signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Utah Jazz and went on to play three games in the Summer League. He averaged 7.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game.
Despite signing a contract overseas, Kofi Cockburn's dream is still to make the NBA. Cockburn believes that playing in Japan will help him accomplish it. He told Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun Times that he wants to be the best he can in the best league in the world.
"I still think I'm the best of the best," Cockburn said. "So I expect myself to be in the best. That's the desire that I have, to be in the NBA, and one day I will be. One day, but right now, it's just a slow grind."
Greenberg noted that a former coach and general manager told him that Cockburn could have been a lottery pick or even a top-five prospect years ago. However, the NBA has changed drastically from being a big-man dominated league to a 3-point shooting league.
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Kofi Cockburn plays in Japanese B. League
Kofi Cockburn signed a one-year deal with the Niigata Albirex BB in the Japanese B. League. Cockburn is averaging 19.8 points, 13.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in 21 games. He's shooting 54.7% from the field and 61.5% from the free throw line.
The typical B. League season has 60 regular-season games, and Cockburn's team has a current record of 4-26. They're the worst team in the first division and could get relegated if they don't improve in the second half of the season.
Cockburn had his best scoring game for Niigata on December 11 against the Hiroshima Dragonflies. He finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds in an embarrassing 108-68 defeat. However, his best performance came in the 92-78 win over the Sun Rockers Shibuya on December 14. Cockburn had 18 points, 24 rebounds and four assists.
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