 Chikoko withPallacanestro Reggiana in 2015 | |
| Free Agent | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1991-02-11)11 February 1991 (age 34) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2013:undrafted |
| Playing career | 2011–present |
| Career history | |
| 2010–2011 | Mbare Heat |
| 2011 | ASC Göttingen |
| 2011–2012 | BG Göttingen |
| 2012–2015 | TBB Trier |
| 2015 | Pallacanestro Reggiana |
| 2015–2016 | Tenezis Verona |
| 2016 | Bayern Munich |
| 2016–2019 | Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez |
| 2019–2021 | Metropolitans 92 |
| 2021–2023 | Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez |
| 2023–2024 | JDA Dijon |
| 2024–2025 | SIG Strasbourg |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Vitalis Chikoko (born 11 February 1991) is a Zimbabwean professionalbasketball player who last played forSIG Strasbourg of the FrenchLNB Pro A.[1]
Chikoko started playing basketball at age 12 inHarare.[2]
Chikoko started his career in Zimbabwe with the Mbare Heat fromMbare suburb in his hometownHarare. He left in 2011 to play for ASC Göttingen in Germany, before transferring toBasketball Bundesliga clubBG Göttingen later that year. After one year with Göttingen, Chikoko transferred toTBB Trier where he would stay for three seasons.
In 2015, Chikoko joinedPallacanestro Reggiana of the ItalianLega Basket Serie A (LBA).
In 2022, Chikoko helpedÉlan Béarnais win their fourth-everFrench Cup by scoring 15 points and grabbing 8 rebounds in the final againstSIG Strasbourg. After the game, he was named theFrench Cup Final MVP.[3] Chikoko was the first African MVP in French basketball history.[4] On 17 May 2023 he was named to the All-Pro A First Team of the 2022–23 season.[5]
On 17 July 2023 he signed withJDA Dijon of theLNB Pro A.[6] On 27 April 2024, Dijon won their third French Cup in history, and Chikoko was named the Final MVP.[7] He became the only player to have won two French Cup Final MVP awards.[7]
On June 21, 2024, he signed withSIG Strasbourg of the FrenchLNB Pro A.[8]
Chikoko has previously representedZimbabwe on the international stage at both the junior and senior levels. He played for his country at the2008 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship and theFIBA AfroBasket 2011 qualifying rounds.[9] OnFIBA AfroBasket 2015 he averaged 13.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.[10]
Chikoko is married and has two children, Nashe-Vitalis and Anaya-Lucy.[2]
He foundedBasket Hounds, a basketball team inHarare, Zimbabwe, in 2022. The Hounds play in the national top-levelBUZ National Championship.[11]