Eyinmisan Edward Ogharanemeye Nikagbatse (born July 7, 1982 in Berlin) is a German basketball player who currently is a member of Pallacanestro Varese

Pallacanestro Varese

-Notable players:-Notable coaches: Aleksandar Nikolić Nico Messina Sandro Gamba Edoardo Rusconi Joe Isaac Carlo Recalcati Valerio Bianchini Ruben Magnano-Sponsorship names:Through the years, due to sponsorship deals, it has been also known as:...

's squad and has played for clubs in Germany, Greece and Italy so far.

Career

Nikagbatse started his professional career at TuS Lichterfelde Berlin, a farm team

Farm team

In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team or nursery club, is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher level at a given point...

 of ALBA Berlin

ALBA Berlin

-Depth Chart:* Denotes injured player.-Championships:*German Championships: 8 *German Cups: 6 *Korać Cups: 1 -Notable players:- Season by season :-External links:...

. At the 2000 international Albert Schweitzer Youth Tournament, he was the best scorer overall. Nikagbatse signed a contract with ALBA, but did not play for them as he wanted to play for a top club on a European level. After nearly one year without playing in any official game, he signed with Olympiacos Piraeus. After playing for the Italian club Snaidero Udine

Pallalcesto Amatori Udine

Snaidero Basketball is a prominent Italian basketball club based in Udine. It is also known as Snaidero Cucine Udine.-History:Its best finish so far is a 5th place in the Italian tournament in the 2005/06 season. The gold years for basketball in Udine were from 1965 to 1980, when the president and...

 for half a year, Nikagbatse returned to Germany to play for Mitteldeutscher BC

Mitteldeutscher BC

Mitteldeutscher Basketball Club is a German basketball club based in Weißenfels, Saxony-Anhalt. In 2004, the club won the FIBA Europe Cup against JDA Dijon...

, with which he won the EuroCup Challenge

EuroCup Challenge

The EuroCup Challenge was the 4th tier level transnational professional club basketball competition in Europe. It was run and organized by FIBA Europe.-Promotion to FIBA EuroCup:...

. He declared eligible for the 2004 NBA Draft

2004 NBA Draft

The 2004 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2004 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York and was broadcast live on ESPN at 7:00 pm . In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible...

, but went undrafted. Nikagbatse then moved to Italy again, playing for Sedima Roseto

Roseto Basket

Roseto Basket also known as Roseto Sharks and Pallacanestro Roseto 1946 was an Italian professional basketball team from Roseto, Abruzzo, Italy that was established in 1946....

 and Vertical Vision Cantù

Pallacanestro Cantù

Pallacanestro Cantù is an Italian League professional basketball club that is based in Cantù. For sponsorship reasons, it is also known as Bennet Cantù, after Bennet, an Italian supermarket chain. For past club sponsorship names, see the list below...

 in the first division. At the beginning of 2006, he signed for second division club Premiata Montegranaro

Sutor Basket Montegranaro

Sutor Basket Montegranaro, also known for sponsorship reasons as Sigma Coatings Montegranaro, is an Italian League professional basketball club from the town of Montegranaro, Marche...

, with which he got promoted to the first division. Nikagbatse returned to Germany, but was waived by the Köln 99ers in march 2008 after testing positive on THC

Tetrahydrocannabinol

Tetrahydrocannabinol , also known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol , Δ1-THC , or dronabinol, is the main chemical psychoactive substance found in the cannabis plant. It was first isolated in 1964. In pure form, it is a glassy solid when cold, and becomes viscous and sticky if warmed...

, although he was not officially suspended as he did not play during that time due to an injury.

International career

Nikagbatse won the bronze medal as a member of the German squad

Germany national basketball team

The German national basketball team for men is the basketball side that represents Germany in international competitions. Their biggest successes are the victory in the European Championship of 1993 at home in Germany, the silver medal in the 2005 European Championships and the bronze medal in the...

 at the 2002 FIBA world championship

2002 FIBA World Championship

The 2002 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA from August 29 to September 8, 2002.-Venues:-Squads:...

, dunking over Yao Ming

Yao Ming

Yao Ming is a retired Chinese professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association...

 during the competition. He also took part in the EuroBasket 2005

Eurobasket 2005

The EuroBasket 2005 was held in Serbia and Montenegro between 16 September and 25 September 2005. Greece won the gold medal by defeating Germany, while France won the bronze medal over Spain...

, winning the silver madal. The national team's coach Dirk Bauermann

Dirk Bauermann

Dirk Bauermann is a German basketball coach. He is the current head coach of the German national basketball team since 2003, after a previous stint in 1994.- Club head coaching positions :...

 cut his name off the roster for the 2008 Olympics qualification

Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's qualification

The men's qualification for Olympic basketball tournament occurred from 2006–2008; all five FIBA zones sent in teams....

 after the drug abuse incident
.

Personal life

His mother is Finnish while his father is Nigerian, and his sister Roli-Ann is a member of the German women's national team.