Nicknamed "the Kandi Man," Olowokandi was selected as the first overall pick of the 1998 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.

[6] Olowokandi then entered Brunel University as a mechanical engineering major, where he was an athlete in track and field, cricket, and rugby union.

[7] UOP assistant coach Tony Marcopulos answered the phone call and was stunned when informed of Olowokandi's height of 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m).

[12][13] Olowokandi was considered to be a top two pick in the 1998 NBA draft due to his 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) wingspan and "unlimited upside".

The Clippers had initially planned to draft eventual second pick Mike Bibby but Elgin Baylor cited Olowokandi's work habits and off-season improvements as the swaying factors.

[1] His agent, Bill Duffy, put Olowokandi in contact with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who trained together extensively during the 1998 offseason.

[17] Bologna granted Olowokandi an early release to sign with the Clippers as he did not have a considerable impact and was poorly conditioned.

After Abdul-Jabbar's stint, Olowokandi received tutelage from Clippers assistant coach Igor Kokoskov who worked with him on footwork and shot selection.

[22][23][24] On 5 April 2002, Olowokandi was fined $50,000 by the Clippers for "behavior detrimental to the team" after he criticized teammates for a loss against the Utah Jazz.

[31] He also considered himself as having a limited role in coach Alvin Gentry's offense despite having a breakthrough season that saw improvements in his aggressiveness and consistency.

[35] Due to financial issues with the L.A. Clippers, Olowokandi signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a three-year, $16.2 million contract.

[36][37][38] Olowokandi had been considered the fourth most valuable free agent that offseason but received little interest from NBA teams and accepted the only solid deal he was offered.

[36][39] Olowokandi was enticed by Timberwolves general manager and former player Kevin McHale, who trained one-on-one together before the season started.

[34] Olowokandi again experienced pain and swelling in his left knee so had a second procedure before the start of the regular season that resulted in him missing all of training camp and attending only three team practices.

[43] On January 26, 2006, Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones, and Wally Szczerbiak were traded by the Timberwolves to the Boston Celtics, alongside a future first-round draft pick, for Justin Reed, Mark Blount, Ricky Davis, Marcus Banks and two future second-round draft picks.