Agreement reached between FC Barcelona and player Olivier Nkamhoua, who is set to be at the Club until 30 June 2028. The 26-year-old, 2.03 metre Finnish power forward joins after leaving Italian outfit Varese, having gained experience with his national side, plus in the German league and the NCAA. He's a player that can bring energy in defence, anticipate rebounds and also make a difference in attack, being very adept finishing mid-air.

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"I'm happy to be here. I'm joining a historic club, with a lot of tradition, I've heard the fans are incredible, and my aim is help the team get as many wins and trophies as possible", he said to the Club's media after passing his medical.

"It's going to be my first year at this level, so I'm going to bring energy, effort, shot-making, defence, athleticism. So there's a lot of things I can do, but we're just going to start off with the basics. My goal is always to get better and be better than the year before. It's exciting to be able to play in a tournament like the EuroLeague. I'm very happy to take on this challenge".

Development in the NCAA and a return to Europe

His mother is from Finland and his father is from Cameroon (and a former basketball player). He was born in Finland in 2000, where he developed in Helsinki up to the age of 17 years old. He then left to go to the United States of America, where he spent five seasons in the NCAA (four with the Tennesse Volunteers and one with Michigan Wolverines), playing a total of 138 games (8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds).

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Nkamhoua: 'There's a lot of things I feel I can do'

He returned to Europe in 2024 to play for Niners Chemnitz in Germany (10 points and 4.7 rebounds in 36 games). He also gained European experience in the BCL (14.8 points and 4.8 rebounds).

The good season led to him signing for Italian outfit Varese, where he spent a season with an average of 16.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and a Performance Index Rating of 16.7 in 28 games (30 minutes playing time).

International experience

Nkamhoua will be the second Finnish player in the history of the Barça basketball team after Petteri Koponen (2016/18). "I got the chance to play with him (Koponen), a couple of games in the national team. I know him well. I talk with him a little bit, not too much. I'll talk to him more as time goes on and he'll probably come and watch some games". The new blaugrana player represented his country at youth level and made his debut with the full side in 2023. He has become one of the mainstays for the team over the last three years, and his side did really well in the last Eurobasket (4th place), when he got 10.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and a Performance Index Rating of 12.1.

Nkamhoua was recently in the Finland side that played in the first round of qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup. In the win against Hungary (85-77), the new blaugrana player featured for 18 minutes, getting 6 points, 3 rebounds and a Performance Index Rating of 5. The following defeat against France (98-69) saw him get 6 points, 3 rebounds and provide 2 assists. Nkamhoua and his teammates will be continuing to target one of the three spots in Group L to qualify them for the 2027 World Cup.

 

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