How Former Illinois All-American Kofi Cockburn Fared Overseas Last Season

One of the best players in Illinois history, Cockburn has already built quite a professional career playing internationally

Mar 18, 2022; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) dribbles the ball against the Chattanooga Mocs during the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

One of the most memorable players in Illinois basketball history, Kofi Cockburn etched his name into Illini lore as a two-time All-American, a walking double-double and, not for nothing, a winner.

During Cockburn’s three-year stretch rocking the orange and blue (2019-2022), the Illini went 68-27, won a regular-season conference title, a Big Ten tournament title and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Happy 2️⃣5️⃣th, Kofi Cockburn 🥳

We're celebrating with 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 of the 2x 1st-team All-@bigten honoree's top @IlliniMBB dunks.#B1GMBBall x @kxng_alpha pic.twitter.com/SvPdPMEhfb

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) September 1, 2024

Illinois honored his legacy with a jersey ceremony back in early February, but Cockburn’s story is far from over. Although he has yet to suit up in an NBA game – and likely never will – Cockburn has built an impressive international career.

This past season, Cockburn played for the Seoul Samsung Thunders in the South Korean KBL, putting up averages of 18.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists.

Both his scoring (fourth) and rebounding (fourth) ranked among the league's top five, and Cockburn’s trademark efficiency has only continued into his professional days, as he shot 58.0 percent from the field.

Unfortunately, he still hasn’t developed his shooting range, as Cockburn attempted zero threes this season. And Cockburn’s shooting as a whole hasn’t seemed to improve notably, as he shot 66.7 percent from the free-throw line last season, only a slight bump from his 62.3 percent college average at the charity stripe.

With his lack of development as a shooter, and his continued reliance on his back-to-the-basket game, Cockburn seems unlikely to translate his game to the NBA. But he appears headed for a long and productive career as an impact player overseas.

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