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

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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