Élie-Franck Okobo (born 23 October 1997) is a French professional basketball player for AS Monaco Basket of the LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague.
Okobo subsequently competed for the youth team of Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez, reaching the LNB Espoirs title game in 2016.
[2] At age 16, Okobo joined JSA Bordeaux Basket of the Nationale Masculine 1 (NM1), the amateur level third-tier division of French basketball.
[7] On June 13, 2016, Okobo signed a three-year contract with Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez of the LNB Pro A, the highest professional division of France.
[10][11] Through the 2015–16 season, he primarily played with Espoirs Pau-Lacq-Orthez in the youth league, seeing limited minutes for the senior team in the Pro A.
[15] On March 25, 2016, Okobo erupted for 34 points and 10 rebounds, both season-bests, in a youth league win over Espoirs Le Havre.
[13] In the 2016–17 season, Okobo played sparingly in LNB Espoirs, instead receiving significant minutes off the bench for Pau-Orthez in the Pro A.
[21] On October 25, he debuted in the FIBA Europe Cup, the fourth-tier inter-continental European competition, notching 6 points and 2 rebounds in a win over Tartu.
[24] Okobo recorded a season-high 20 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, and 1 turnover in a 101–66 victory over JIP Pardubice in the second round of the FIBA Europe Cup on December 13.
[25][26] He had another notable performance on January 24, 2017, against Alba Fehérvár, scoring 10 points and hitting a game-winning three-pointer with under 10 seconds left to send his team to the FIBA Europe Cup Round of 16.
[6] Okobo was the runner-up for the LNB Pro A Best Young Player award, which was won by Frank Ntilikina of SIG Strasbourg.
[30] In his first game of the 2017–18 season, Okobo made his starting lineup debut in the Pro A on September 23, 2017, chipping in 14 points and 8 assists to help defeat Élan Chalon.
[40] It was around this time that the franchise's general manager, Ryan McDonough, mentioned that Okobo would be playing with the official, 15-man roster for the team this season.
[41] Three days after the draft, it was reported the Okobo would agree to a four-year deal worth $6 million, with his third and fourth years being team options.
[46] Three days later, Okobo made his first start in the NBA, recording eight points, four rebounds, and five assists in 28 minutes of action in a 120–90 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
[65] Okobo was a member of the French under-20 national basketball team, making his first international appearance at the 2016 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship in Finland.