Oscar Tshiebwe

About

Oscar Tshiebwe ( SHEEB-way; born 27 November 1999) is a Congolese professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Kentucky Wildcats. In 2022, Tshiebwe was the consensus national player of the year.

Tshiebwe grew up in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He played soccer as a child but was encouraged to start basketball because of his above-average height. Tshiebwe trained by running on hills and on a mountain near his hometown. He later attended a basketball camp led by Congolese NBA player Bismack Biyombo, who helped advance his career. Tshiebwe did not start playing basketball until May 2014.

Tshiebwe moved to the United States in November 2015, before his freshman year of high school, attending Mountain Mission School in Grundy, Virginia. Entering his junior year, he transferred to Kennedy Catholic High School in Hermitage, Pennsylvania. As a junior, Tshiebwe averaged 21.1 points per game and led his team to a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class 1A title. He earned Class 1A All-State first…