Destiny Usman Garuba Alari (born 9 March 2002) is a Spanish professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League.
Listed at 2.03m, he plays at both the power forward and center positions.
Garuba was born in Madrid, Spain to Nigerian parents and joined the youth academy of Real Madrid at age 11.
2011
In November 2011, he joined Escuela Municipal de Baloncesto de Azuqueca (Municipal Basketball School of Azuqueca), where coach and coordinator David Serrano helped him start his basketball career and where he earned the nickname of "La pantera de Azuqueca" ("The Panther of Azuqueca").
2013
In 2013, Garuba joined the lower categories of Real Madrid.
He stood 1.89m and weighed 81 kg by the time he was 12 years old.
2015
In 2015, Garuba helped his team win the Minicopa Endesa, an under-14 Spanish club tournament.
He debuted by posting 24 points and 16 rebounds in a win over Valencia.
In the following year, Garuba led Real Madrid to another Minicopa title and was named MVP of the competition.
He averaged 22.8 rebounds per game in the tournament, grabbing 32 against Joventut Badalona in the final.
2016
He earned most valuable player (MVP) honors at the 2016 FIBA U16 European Championship at age 14.
In the 2021 NBA draft, he was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 23rd overall pick.
Born in Hospital 12 de Octubre in Madrid, Garuba was raised in the neighborhood of Villaverde Bajo (Madrid) and the municipality of Azuqueca de Henares (province of Guadalajara).
He grew up playing football, his original passion, but switched to basketball because his exceptional height limited his success in the former sport.
Garuba idolized former NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
2017
In the 2017–18 season, Garuba played for Real Madrid B, the reserve team for Real Madrid in the Liga EBA, the fourth-tier league in Spain.
In 11 games, he averaged 11.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
2018
In February 2018, Garuba gained his first Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT) experience with the Real Madrid under-18 team at the Munich qualifying tournament, after missing the previous edition with a quadriceps injury.
He was selected to the All-Tournament Team, despite being one of the youngest participants.
In the final tournament, Garuba averaged 12 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and was named ANGT Rising Star.
In the 2018–19 season, he continued to primarily play for Real Madrid B, averaging 14.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 blocks per game over 22 Liga EBA appearances.
On 28 October 2018, at 16 years and seven months of age, Garuba debuted for Real Madrid in the Liga ACB, the first-tier league in Spain, against Miraflores.
He became the youngest center in ACB history, surpassing José Ángel Antelo, and the third-youngest Real Madrid debutant, behind Luka Dončić and Roberto Núñez.
2019
In 2019, when he was 17 years old, he became the youngest starter in Real Madrid history.
In January 2019, he was named MVP of the ANGT Munich tournament after averaging 16.5 points, seven rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
Garuba helped Real Madrid win the final tournament and joined MVP Mario Nakić on the All-Tournament Team.
In the 2019–20 season, Garuba became a full-time member of Real Madrid's senior team.
In his season debut against Joventut Badalona, at 17 years, six months and 19 days of age, he eclipsed Dončić as Real Madrid's youngest-ever starter.
On 29 September, Garuba recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Murcia to become the youngest player with a double-double or 10 rebounds in ACB history; Dončić had previously held both records.
He was also the second-youngest player to post an efficiency rating of 24 in the ACB, behind only Ricky Rubio.
On 30 October 2019, Garuba made his EuroLeague debut, recording 12 points, four rebounds, three steals, and a Performance Index Rating (PIR) of 20, against Bayern Munich.
He finished the season averaging 4.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 15 minutes per game in the ACB and EuroLeague and was an ACB All-Young Players Team selection.
2020
In the 2020–21 season, Garuba was named EuroLeague Rising Star and ACB Best Young Player.
On 22 December 2020, Garuba recorded 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and 25 PIR in a 91–62 win over Alba Berlin.
On 18 April 2021, he posted 14 points and 12 rebounds in a 101–92 victory over Joventut Badalona.
Garuba won the ACB Best Young Player Award and was named to the ACB All-Young Players Team for his second straight season.
On 29 April, he recorded a career-high 24 points, 12 rebounds and 30 PIR, leading Real Madrid to an 82–76 win over Anadolu Efes in game 4 of the EuroLeague Playoffs.
Garuba earned EuroLeague Rising Star honors after averaging 3.9 points and four rebounds per game in the competition.
In the 2021 NBA draft, he was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the 23rd overall pick during a run in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
He made his 2021 NBA Summer League debut in a 92–76 loss versus the Toronto Raptors where he went scoreless along with six rebounds and one steal.
