Kibi’s basketball journey brings him back to Ottawa

Eric Kibi has been around the world and back.

Kibi, who played for the Ottawa SkyHawks (NBL Canada) in 201314, has been signed by the Ottawa BlackJacks, an expansion team in the Canadian Elite Basketball League.

“I left Ottawa when I was 15 to pursue my basketball dream and I just finished my eighth professional season abroad,” Kibi said. “Coming back home and playing in front of my family and friends is indescribable, especially since my parents and my sister sacrificed so much for me these past 15 years.”

Kibi has averaged 7.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 18.9 minutes in 188 games playing professionally around the world. Playing for two teams in Argentina last season, Kibi averaged 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds. As a member of Tiro Federal, he concluded the season with seven consecutive double-doubles.

Kibi has played in Argentina, Iraq, Canada, Slovakia, France, Spain, Denmark, Germany and Montenegro. A dual citizen of Canada and Congo, Kibi played on the Senior National Congolese team twice.

The 29-year-old communications graduate left Ottawa at age 15 to attend Sandia High School, a prep school in New Mexico, to pursue school and basketball. He played 49 college games split between Abilene Christian University and the University of Arkansas Little Rock.

The BlackJacks are scheduled to tip off their inaugural season on May 7 on the road against the Niagara River Lions. The first home game for Ottawa is scheduled for May 14 against the Hamilton Honey Badgers.