Ikenna's Story

As a young man growing up in Nigeria, Ikenna never stopped dreaming that sports would one day change his life. He began as a soccer player, kicking anything he could without breaking his foot – including rolled-up socks, oranges or even empty plastic containers. He kept on playing soccer until his height caught the attention of someone who offered him a pair of basketball shoes and encouraged him to play basketball.

This simple gesture allowed Ikenna to pursue his dream. With one pair of shoes, Ikenna began his basketball journey in a small town in Nigeria. Although that first pair of shoes only lasted 3 months, Ikenna never turned back on his basketball dreams. Because Ikenna could not afford new basketball shoes, he played the game in dress shoes or with no shoes at all. After one year of playing basketball, Ikenna received a basketball scholarship from a high school in the United States.

In 2011, Ikenna moved to the United States to further his education and pursue his basketball dreams on an athletic scholarship. Upon arriving in the U.S, he joined the Purrington’s family, who helped him navigate through his journey in the U.S. After excelling in high school basketball, he attracted the attention of college coaches including Bobby Hurley, the head coach at Buffalo. The young man from Nigeria received an athletic scholarship from the University at Buffalo that allowed him to continue his academic and basketball journey. On the court, Ikenna helped Buffalo earn three MAC titles and three trips to the NCAA tournament. He excelled academically by earning degrees in International Trade and Geography. Ikenna’s educational pursuit and basketball journey did not stop there. With one year of eligibility left, Ikenna transferred to Wake Forest University, where he earned a master’s in liberal studies while playing basketball for coach Danny Manning and the Demon Deacons.. During his time at Wake Forest, Ikenna founded Smart Sport Foundation, which represented the outgrowth of a shoe drive he conducted in Buffalo. During his Junior year at Buffalo, Ikenna collected 90 pairs of basketball shoes. And during his visit back home in 2017, he distributed the shoes to young Nigerian basketball players in his hometown. Ikenna understands the scarcity of athletic shoes in Nigeria and other African countries.

That is why he Founded Smart Sport to help provide athletic shoes to young Africans who cannot afford them. More importantly, Ikenna has made it his mission to provide shoes to young African athletes to inspire them to dream bigger. A pair of shoes can open the door of possibilities to a young athlete living below the poverty line. At Smart Sport, we believe that one pair of basketball shoes can send a message of hope where hope does not exist.