Who Is Chiney Ogwumike's Husband Raphael Akpejiori?
How Raphael Akpejiori Went From Basketball To Football To Boxing
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Chiney Ogwumike has earned herself plenty of supporters over her career as a professional basketball player and sports analyst -- including her husband, Raphael Akpejiori.
The athlete's husband went through plenty of changes in his life before he met the former Los Angeles Sparks team member, whom he married in 2023.
We're going to take a look into the boxer's background and see how his love story with the basketball star played out.
Raphael Played Multiple Sports At The University of Miami
Ogwumike's not the only one with experience on the court, as her husband -- who was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria -- played on the University of Miami basketball team.
Akpejiori served as a forward for the Hurricanes, and he spent a total of four seasons on the squad.
Oh, and in addition to his work on the court, the athlete spent a season as a tight end on the school football team ... and he was later added to the Miami Dolphins practice squad in 2015, according to the Miami Herald.
Akpejiori eventually earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Miami, and he landed a position in the school's Energy Department.
He's Maintained A Career In Professional Boxing For Several Years
The athlete's boxing career began while he was at the University of Miami, where he began training after a friend decided to start going to a boxing gym.
Akpejiori, who told the Miami Herald his interest in boxing "started for me as a workout," eventually began competing as an amateur, and he won 13 out of his first 14 bouts.
He became a professional in 2018, and he trained with former world light-heavyweight champion Glen Johnson, who said Raphael was "very raw" when they began working together.
However, the former champ said seeing Akpejiori's skills as a boxer develop over the years was "very gratifying."
He Tied The Knot With Chiney During A Lavish Ceremony
Ogwumike and her husband initially matched on a dating app, according to People, and their first date took place at a Burna Boy concert.
The former Los Angeles Sparks star and the boxer got engaged on Christmas Eve in 2022.
The happy couple subsequently the knot over a four-day wedding ceremony in Houston, Texas the following November.
Ogwumike and Akpejiori celebrated their wedding by embarking on a series of what they described as "mini-moons," which saw them taking weekend trips to several getaway destinations.
