Kofi Cockburn is a Jamaican-born professional basketball player currently playing with the Japanese B. League team, Niigata Albirex. On April 2022, he declared for the 2022 NBA draft but was left undrafted.
He served as a center for the Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team. Besides that, the athlete is originally from Jamaica and holds Jamaican nationality.
Initially, the player wasn’t passionate about basketball. However, his older brother Nagash Cockburn pushed him into the sport.
Nagash inspired his brother to be athletic and helped him pursue basketball. Moreover, he made Kofi realize that his height would be well-appreciated in the basketball world.
Furthermore, he has played a significant role in shaping his brother’s life. Consequently, Kofi has received several honors and awards for his exceptional basketball skills.
The collegiate player was on the watch list for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, Naismith Trophy, and Wooden Award. Likewise, he was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in the 2019-20 season.
The center is also a very hardworking and disciplined player. As a result, many sources consider him one of the top future NBA prospects.
Before getting into details about the college athlete’s life and career, here are some quick facts about him.
Kofi Cockburn | Quick Facts
| Full Name | Kofi Cockburn |
| Birth Date | September 1, 1999 |
| Birth Place | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Nick Name | None |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Nationality | Jamaican |
| Ethnicity | Jamaican |
| Education | University of Illinois |
| Horoscope | Virgo |
| Father’s Name | Laffette Cockburn |
| Mother’s Name | Dorothy Wray |
| Siblings | Four |
| Age | 27 years old |
| Height | 7’/2.13 m/213 cm |
| Weight | 133 kg/293 lb. |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Build | Athletic |
| Profession | Basketball Player |
| Current Team | Illinois Fighting Illini |
| Position | Center |
| Active Years | 2019 – Present |
| Marital Status/Girlfriend | Unmarried/ Not Available |
| Shoe Size | 11 (U.S.) |
| Tattoos | Three |
| Net Worth | $1.5 million |
| Social Media | |
| Illinois Fighting Illini’s Merch | Sweatshirt, Rookie-card |
| Last Update | October, 2026 |
Kofi Cockburn | Early Life, Family, And Education
Early Life And Family
Kofi Cockburn was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Furthermore, his parents are Dorothy Wray and Laffette Cockburn.
His father owned a cleaning supplies store, while his mother was a certified nursing assistant. Likewise, they both worked hard to provide the best life for their children.
Hence, Dorothy moved to America to be more financially helpful to her family. Although her migration affected Kofi’s academics, he later realized that she was doing it all for him.
Kofi is the youngest of five kids. His older brother Nagash Kofiburn served as another strong fatherly figure and mentor in his life.
Being the oldest, Nagash always encouraged his siblings to work hard and make something out of themselves. He was very athletic and passionate about basketball.
However, Kofi was more interested in other sports like soccer and track. Nevertheless, his older brother made him realize his strengths and how vital they would be for basketball.
Not to mention, Nagash competed in Jamaican National Team and later on coached the Jamaican Special Olympics team. The team won a gold medal.
Correspondingly, he is an assistant high school coach and is earning a degree in fitness management.
After years of training with his brother, Kofi got an opportunity to attend school in New York.
As a result, he flew to the United States in 2015, where he reunited with his mother. Even though he was sad to leave his family, the basketball player was excited about his future.
Education
In New York, he attended Christ the King High School. Initially, the athlete was overwhelmed to attend the same school as Lamar Odom and Khalid Reeves.
Nevertheless, the basketball player remained positive and aspired to work even harder to prove his worth. In the meantime, his father passed away due to a heart attack in 2016.
Kofi was devastated, but he knew that his father would’ve wanted him to keep going.
Moreover, Laffette used to beam with pride, talking about his youngest son and his achievements.
The center transferred to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia for his senior year to focus solely on basketball. His hard work and dedication came through when reputed colleges started approaching him.
Furthermore, he had 26 scholarship offers before his senior season. Finally, he verbally committed to the University of Illinois in 2019.
The Jamaican player explained that he had formed a good relationship with Illinois head coach Orlando Antigua. Moreover, the head coach recruited Cockburn since his sophomore year.
Kofi Cockburn | Age, Height, And Weight
The professional basketball player is 27 years old. Moreover, he is hardworking and conscious about his health and diet.
Hence, he works out daily and is very fit. Besides, he is 2.13 m (7 feet tall) and weighs 293 lb. (133 kg).
Initially, the player weighed almost 300 pounds. However, he lost some pounds after working out and maintaining his diet.
Kofi Cockburn | Basketball Career
High School Career
Initially, Cockburn played high school basketball for Christ the King High School. He also played in the Amateur Athletic Union for the New York Rens.
Moreover, the center scored 16.3 points and made 10.3 rebounds while playing at the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League with the Rens. Likewise, he was chosen for the Basketball Without Borders Americas camp in 2017.
Before his senior year, the basketballer was included in the World Team at the 2018 Nike Hoop Summit. Although he loved playing at Christ the King, he transferred to Oak Hill Academy as a senior.
He was an exceptional player for the Oak Hills Warriors. Likewise, the athlete became a consensus four-star recruit by the end of his senior year.
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College Career
After graduating high school, he committed to the University of Illinois. He started to prove his worth quite quickly to the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Furthermore, he helped the team win against many reputed colleges. Kofi was also the Big Ten player of the week as a freshman.
The basketballer also helped Illinois win against a 5th-ranked Michigan for the first time since 2013. Nevertheless, the game had a sad ending for Cockburn, who accidentally hit official Lewis Garrison.
As a result, Garrison fell and left the game shortly after. Nonetheless, Kofi was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year at the end of the regular season.
Moreover, media outlets selected him for the Third Team All-Big Ten, and coaches named him the Honorable Mention All-Conference. Likewise, the athlete was also the top rebounder and second-leading scorer in his college.
He was announced for the 2020 NBA draft. However, he pulled out of the draft on August 1 and returned for his sophomore season. As a sophomore, Kofi averaged 17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.
Although he declared for the 2021 NBA draft, he returned for his junior season at Illinois. Cockburn sustained an injury that led him to miss three games.
The center scored a career-high 38 points for Illinois in a win against Texas-Rio Grande Valley.
On April 20, 2022, he declared for the 2022 NBA draft.
He played with Illinois until he joined Niigata Albirex BB in japan recently. Kofi signed a professional contract with the Japanese basketball team.
College Stats
| Year | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Career | 90 | 90 | 28.3 | .596 | .000 | .623 | 9.6 | .5 | .6 | 1.2 | 17.2 |
Kofi Cockburn | Relationship And Girlfriend
The player is not dating anyone currently. Hence, he is single but definitely not ready to mingle.
Kofi is more focused on basketball and his potential career in the NBA. However, his dream is to make his country proud.
Moreover, he wants Jamaicans to celebrate his success as they once celebrated Usain Bolt’s Olympic wins.
So, it is safe to say that Cockburn does not have much time for relationships and a girlfriend.
Nevertheless, we should not give up on the idea that the basketballer may have a girlfriend shortly.
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Kofi Cockburn | Net Worth And Salary
He does not come from riches. His parents have worked hard and struggled for him to have everything that he has today.
Likewise, the basketballer has also earned his place in the basketball world. His popularity and media attention is due to his outstanding basketball skills.
Furthermore, his dedication and struggle will soon land him in NBA and open many doors for the center. Cockburn is an exceptional player who can have a great career in the National Basketball Association.
Different sources claim his net worth to be around $1.5 million.
However, the athlete recently signed an endorsement deal with T/CCI Manufacturing in Decatur.
Following the confirmation of the deal, Cockburn put #CoolLikeKofi on the back of his T-shirt. Likewise, the company also promoted the slogan to promote the company’s compressor technology.
Kofi Cockburn | Social Media Presence
The Niigata Albirex’s center is quite active on social media. Nevertheless, he does not have an official Instagram account.
Nevertheless, he has several fan accounts that have kept him alive on Instagram. Likewise, the athlete has over 849 posts under the hashtag #koficockburn.
There are mainly pictures of him playing basketball for Illinois with his teammates under the hashtag. Besides that, the player has a Twitter account under the handle @kxng_alpha.
Twitter: 26.9k followers
Kofi mainly tweets and shares basketball-related news, events, and highlights.
IM BACK ‼️ pic.twitter.com/xipbXQPc7d
— King Kofi (@kxng_alpha) August 1, 2020
Aside from that, he loves retweeting fans and Illinois Basketball. The Illini has also used his platform to raise awareness against systemic racism.
During an interview, he elaborated that he never saw racial injustice in Jamaica as most of the population is black. However, the situation was different when he landed in America.
He said that “It’s totally different from back home. Back home, growing up, racism wasn’t even in the picture. I come (to the U.S.), and there are words you can’t say to a specific race.”
Furthermore, he added, “I’ve come here and saw especially how the Black male is treated here in America; it’s a bunch of stuff going on.”
To this, he also added,
“I feel like people are hurting. It’s like, put yourself in their shoes. What if that was happening to you or your family member? You would want to speak out eventually.”
Kofi Cockburn | Popularity
He is a popular professional basketball player. There was a hike in his popularity when he declared for the 2022 NBA draft.
The above graph illustrates Kofi’s fluctuating popularity throughout the year in the United States.
Kofi Cockburn | FAQs
What year is Kofi Cockburn? What is his wingspan?
He played with the University of Illinois from 2019-2022. Currently, he is playing with the Japanese B. League team, Niigata Albirex.
He has a wingspan of 7 ft. (2.13 m).
How do you pronounce Kofi Cockburn?
The athlete pronounces his name as Co-fe Cock-burn.
Is Kofi Cockburn a free agent?
No, the athlete is not a free agent. Moreover, he is not even in the NBA. He was in the 2022 NBA Draft but remained undrafted.
Where is Kofi Cockburn from?
Cockburn is from Kingston, Jamaica. He moved to Queens, New York, the United States, in 2015 after receiving a scholarship to attend Christ the King High School.
How much can Kofi Cockburn bench press? What is his career statistic?
Kofi Cockburn bench presses 450. Well, Kofi maintains a career statistic of 17.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 62.3 free throw percentage.
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