Former Tennessee standout Felix Okpara has officially inked his rookie contract with the Washington Wizards. Okpara has signed a two-way contract that will pay him $678,882 during the 2026-27 season according to spotrac. It’s a one-year contract with Washington.
The Wizards selected Okpara with the No. 48 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft last month. He was one of three Tennessee players selected along with Nate Ament and Ja’Kobi Gillespie.
The two-way deal allows Washington to move Okpara up and down from their NBA roster and G League team— the Capital City Go-Go.
Washington has yet to begin summer league play but Okpara is on the roster and will make his summer league debut on Thursday night when the Wizards face the Utah Jazz in Las Vegas. Tipoff is at 9 p.m. ET and ESPN is broadcasting the game.
Okpara spent the first two seasons of his college career at Ohio State before transferring to Tennessee where he started in 72 games and anchored the Vols’ stout defense on consecutive trips to the Elite Eight.
More From RTI: Milwaukee Bucks Reportedly Hopeful For Nate Ament to Play in the Summer League, But Status Still Remains Uncertain
The 6-foot-11 center is coming off a senior season where he averaged 8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Okpara’s block numbers were lower during his senior season but that was largely because the Vols asked him to guard on the perimeter.
Playing two bigs last season, Okpara was the only Tennessee big man who excelled guarding smaller and quicker guards and wings. With the Vols’ aggressive —often switching— ball screen defense, Okpara gave them the versatility they craved.
Don’t let the lighter block numbers make take away from Okpara’s ability to defend the rim. When allowed to play in the paint and protect the basket, Okpara was elite. That was evident in the NCAA Tournament when Okpara blocked four shots against Virginia and three shots against Iowa State.
“If you watch his last seven or eight games this season, he’s an all-conference player,” Tennessee assistant Lucas Campbell told RTI following the Iowa State game. “Today, his chase down block was unreal.”
Okpara played the best basketball of his Tennessee career down the stretch of his senior season, helping the Vols get back to the Elite Eight. The Lagos, Nigeria native averaged 9.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2 blocks in four NCAA Tournament games.
