Ezeli last appeared in the 2016 NBA Finals and did not play basketball due to his knee surgery in the 2017 season, then coming back in 2021.

One of five children, Ezeli remembered in a 2011 interview with Andy Katz of ESPN.com, "My parents told me I was an unusual child.

"[1]At age 16, Ezeli joined a second AAU team and also enrolled part-time at Yuba Community College.

[2] Although still learning the most basic of basketball skills, Ezeli made his high-level competitive debut on the AAU circuit in the summer of 2007.

[4] By then, Ezeli had reached 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 m),[3] and averaged 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game,[4] earning an invitation to the Reebok All-American Camp in July 2007.

"[2]With the help of his AAU coaches, Ezeli narrowed his list to Boston College, Connecticut, Harvard, and Vanderbilt.

[2] The Vanderbilt coaching staff sold Ezeli on the school, citing its academic reputation and the program's recent experience with international players.

During his first two years in the program, while still learning many of the basics of the sport, Ezeli was frequently dominated in practice by Ogilvy.

[2] However, as early as midway through his redshirt freshman season, the Commodores staff noticed that Ogilvy was beginning to have difficulty scoring against Ezeli in practice.

[2][4] With Ogilvy gone, Ezeli had a breakout season in 2010–11, averaging 13.0 points and 6.3 rebounds[5] while being named a second-team All-SEC (Southeastern Conference) performer.

Ezeli's improvement was noted by many in the basketball world; then-Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl told the Chattanooga Times Free Press, "I don't think they miss [Ogilvy] at all.

[11] The following day, Ezeli sprained his left ankle in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and was confined to a moon boot.

[14] The following day, Ezeli made his return for Golden State, playing eight minutes of action in a 121–96 victory over the Kings.

In the 2015 NBA playoffs, Ezeli logged key minutes as the first big man off the bench, often filling in for the foul-prone Andrew Bogut.

The Warriors, with the help of Ezeli, advanced deep into the postseason to win the Western Conference Finals against James Harden and the Houston Rockets in five games.

[18] On February 8, 2016, Ezeli underwent successful arthroscopic surgery to clean out debris from his left knee and was subsequently ruled out for six weeks.

[23] In mid-December, it became apparent to the Trail Blazers that conservative treatment of Ezeli's aching left knee was not working, and that season-ending surgery was imminent.

[26][27] On March 2, 2021, Ezeli signed a contract with the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League, returning to professional basketball after a four-year hiatus dealing with multiple injuries and difficult recoveries.

[29] On April 17, 2021, Ezeli signed with Rivers Hoopers to play in the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL).

Vanderbilt chancellor Nicholas Zeppos said of Ezeli: "You can imagine what it's like to hear his perspective on world trade, globalization and the economics of American sports.