ASU Online provides chance for NBA G League athlete to pursue multiple dreams at once
Efemena Abogidi is graduating this May with his bachelor's degree in anthropology. Photo by Oscar Ayarzagoita/Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2026 graduates.
Efemena Abogidi’s undergraduate experience may have been different from the traditional student, but he made the most of it.
Originally from Nigeria, Abogidi is a professional basketball player with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA G League. While basketball has been a big part of his life, he always knew he wanted to continue to build himself outside of the sport as well.
While a member of the G League Ignite Program, powered by InStride, Abogidi was introduced to ASU Online, which he says gave him the opportunity to continue chasing his dream in basketball while simultaneously working toward a degree.
“That meant a lot to me because it made me feel like I was growing in more than one direction at the same time,” Abogidi said.
He said he appreciated the flexibility ASU Online provided. As a professional athlete, his schedule is rarely normal, so being able to be a part of a program that worked with him made all the difference.
“It helped me stay committed to finishing my degree, but beyond that, it also gave me confidence that I’m investing in myself and my future outside of basketball,” Abogidi said. “That’s important to me, because I’ve always wanted to be more than just an athlete.”
Abogidi is graduating this May with his bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the School of Human Evolution and Social Change. He said he realized he wanted to study anthropology as a result of his lived experiences.
Having lived in Nigeria, Senegal, Australia and then the United States, and through playing basketball, he was constantly around people from various countries, backgrounds and cultures. Being around different ways of thinking and customs made him curious about the world, he said.
“I realized anthropology connected with the kind of curiosity I already had. It helped me make sense of the experiences I’d had and the different worlds I had been exposed to,” Abogidi said.
In the following Q&A, Abogidi talks more about his experience with ASU Online and how he managed his studies while being a professional athlete.
Question: What lessons have you learned as part of studying anthropology that you might apply to your career or life in general?
Answer: Anthropology taught me to see people and the world with more depth and understanding. One of the most amazing things to witness is the blend of different cultures and perspectives, and how much you can learn when you’re open to people whose lives look different from your own.
I think a lot of people do not fully take the time to learn from others outside their own background, but anthropology really teaches you the value of that. It helps you understand that people are shaped by culture, history, environment and experience, and that realization makes you more open-minded, more patient and less quick to judge. That is something I’ve been able to carry into both my life and my career in sports.
Q: You’re a forward for the NBA G League Rio Grande Valley Vipers. How do you balance your responsibilities being a student alongside being a professional athlete?
A: Honestly, it takes a lot of discipline. Being a professional athlete already demands so much physically and mentally, so adding school on top of that means you really have to be intentional with your time. I had to learn how to study whenever I could, on the road, after practice, late at night, early in the morning, wherever it fit. Some days were definitely harder than others, but I just kept reminding myself why I started. For me, it was about staying consistent even when it wasn’t convenient.
Q: What’s something you learned while at ASU Online — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you or changed your perspective?
A: Something that really changed my perspective was realizing that education can be something you carry with you, not just something tied to a place. With ASU Online, I was able to keep learning while living a completely different kind of life than a traditional student. That made me appreciate education in a deeper way, because it showed me that no matter where life takes you, you can still grow, still challenge yourself and still build toward something meaningful.
Q: What was an opportunity that opened up for you while earning your degree?
A: Having my degree is an opportunity in itself, and one that many people do not get. That is something I do not take lightly. Earning it while balancing a professional basketball career made it even more meaningful to me, because it represents discipline, sacrifice and growth in another area of my life.
Being named to the Dean’s List a couple of times during that journey also meant a lot, because it showed me that I was not just getting by, but truly applying myself and succeeding academically.
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