Peter Aluma
Encyclopedia
Peter Aluma is a retired Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. After high school at Okota Grammar School in Isolo, Nigeria, the 6'10" center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
became a star at Liberty University
Liberty University
Liberty University is a private Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty's annual enrollment is around 72,000 students, 12,000 of whom are residential students and 60,000+ studying through Liberty University Online...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, USA.
He led the Big South conference in scoring in 1996 and was the conference’s top shot blocker in 1996 with 3.9 bpg and 1997 with 3.0 bpg.
He was a first-team Big South all-conference selection in 1996 and 1997. He earned second-team honors in 1995. He was named to the conference’s all-rookie team in 1994. He was named the Big South Tournament MVP in 1994 and 1997 and was a three-time all-tournament selection.
He was named all-region selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in 1997.
Aluma was also honored as an all-state team selection by both the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) in 1996 and 1997. In 1996, he was selected for the all-state first team by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
In April 1997, he was invited to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. The P.I.T. invites 64 of the best senior college basketball players from across the nation to participate. It is a four day, twelve game tournament. Every NBA team sends scouts to this tournament. He was not invited to attend the NBA's pre-draft camps in Phoenix or Chicago. On June 25, 1997, he was not taken in the 1997 NBA Draft. Aluma did play briefly for the NBA's Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
during the lockout
Lockout (industry)
A lockout is a work stoppage in which an employer prevents employees from working. This is different from a strike, in which employees refuse to work.- Causes :...
-shortened 1998-1999 season
1998-99 NBA season
The 1999 NBA season was the 53rd season of the National Basketball Association . Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999 after a new six year Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association...
. He was waived on February 19, 1999. During the 1999-2000 preseason, he was signed by the Phoenix Suns, but was waived on October 16, 1999. He was invited to join the Knicks 2000 summer league team. He was released on July 21, 2000.
In 1998, he played professionally in Venezuela for Toros De Aragua. He also played for Nigeria in the 1998 World FIBA Championship. Around February 25, 1999, he was waived by the Connecticut Pride of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). In 1999, he played in Belarus for the Gomel Wildcats Sozh. In 2001, he played with the Harlem Globetrotters.