The Portland Trail Blazers have signed free agent center Festus Ezeli, it was announced today by president of basketball operations Neil Olshey.
Ezeli, 26, joins the Trail Blazers from the Golden State Warriors, where he averaged 7.0 points (54.8% FG, 53.0% FT), 5.6 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 1.09 blocks and 16.7 minutes in 46 games (13 starts) last season.
“Festus is an outstanding addition to the Trail Blazer organization on and off the court. He will make an immediate impact and be a valuable addition to our culture,” said Olshey.
Selected 30th overall by the Warriors in the 2012 NBA Draft, Ezeli holds career averages of 4.2 points (51.3% FG, 55.7% FT), 4.3 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.98 blocks and 14.1 minutes in 170 games (61 starts) over three NBA seasons.
Ezeli (6-11, 265) has seen playoff action in all three of his NBA seasons, and averaged 4.0 points (53.6% FG), 2.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 8.8 minutes in 23 games for Golden State during the 2016 NBA Playoffs. Ezeli won an NBA championship with the Warriors in 2015.
A four-year standout at Vanderbilt, Ezeli graduated as the school’s all-time blocks leader with 204 career blocked shots. He averaged 7.7 points (56.2% FG), 4.5 rebounds and 1.69 blocks in 121 collegiate games.
