D’Tigers forward Chimezie Metu has signed a one-year contract with the Barcelona basketball team.

The Catalan club announced Metu’s arrival in a statement on its website on Tuesday.

Metu joined Barcelona as a free agent after playing the last part of the previous season with the Detroit Pistons in the American NBA.

“Chimezie Metu and FC Barcelona have reached an agreement for the 27-year-old power forward and center who will join the club for one season until June 30, 2025,” the statement read.

Metu was born in Los Angeles, his parents were of Nigerian descent and he started his career as a basketball player at the University of South Carolina Trojans.

He was selected 49th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs before moving to the Sacramento Kings two years later.

He started the 2023-24 season with the Phoenix Suns, but was traded to the Pistons for the final part of the season.

Metu chose to represent Nigeria on the international stage. He was named to the D’Tigers’ roster for the 2019 FIBA ​​World Cup and was also a mainstay of the team at the Tokyo Olympics.