Serge Ibaka’s journey to becoming an integral member of the Oklahoma City Thunder is a unique one.  He had childhood experiences few can even fathom.  Those very experiences have contributed to the type of player he’s evolving into today - one who is fearless, determined and confident.  Of course, his natural freakish athleticism certainly helps.

Born September 18, 1989, in the city of Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, to basketball-playing parents, Ibaka, one of 18 children, lived through poverty with no electricity or running water, or even food, at times.  By the age of fourteen, he had lived through civil unrest in his country, his mother’s untimely death and his father’s political imprisonment.  The one constant was his love of basketball.  He learned the game on worn outside courts wearing sneakers with cardboard inserts to cover holes in the soles.

Following stints with local teams, the 17-year-old Ibaka left his family to further his basketball skills in Europe.  He eventually landed with DKV Joventut in Spain and began dreaming about an NBA career.  Scouts with the Thunder franchise noticed him, and then selected him with their 24^th pick in the 2008 NBA draft.  Ibaka stayed in Spain to develop another year, and in June, 2009, the Thunder brought him to Oklahoma City.

"When we brought him in, I knew he had a lot of athletic ability…his size, his quickness, his jumping ability," shares Thunder coach Scott Brooks with HOOPSWORLD.  "We worked him out right after we drafted him, and you knew that he had the ability to compete on the NBA level athletically.  I didn’t know (anything) about him prior to that.

"(We) knew that he was going to be a very good player because of his work ethic," continues Brooks.  "He was a two-time-a-day-workout guy all summer long, and he put a lot of energy and a lot of effort into his improvement."

Ibaka came off the bench during the 2009-10 season and he instantly became a fan favorite with his array of crowd-pleasing dunks and blocks.  His pure athleticism and strength were obvious.  He averaged 18.1 minutes per game last season, 6.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and his 1.3 blocks led all first-year players.

Oklahoma City fans had long since discovered Ibaka was a special player, but he gained national attention with his performance in the first-round playoff series against the reigning champions, the Los Angeles Lakers.  In the six-game series Ibaka logged 25.5 minutes per game, averaging 7.8 points, with 6.5 boards and 2.0 blocks.  He made history by becoming the youngest player in a single playoff game to record seven blocks; it occurred in the Game Two at Staples Center.

Oklahoma City’s franchise face, Kevin Durant, recognized Ibaka had NBA-quality talent pretty quick.

"I realized it when he first got here, that he was going to be special; just how he handles himself, how confident he is in his game, his never-back-down mentality," says Durant.  "He had ‘it’.  He’s so skilled, he can do a lot for us; a lot that people don’t even see.

"He’s a great offensive player.  To be honest, I think his offense is neck and neck with his defense, but he has to play low here.  He’s becoming a great player in this league."

Durant makes a good point.  Ibaka made his mark on the defensive end last year, but he returned this season revealing a well-kept secret that Brooks finally allowed to be shared: 6’10" Ibaka is a very effective mid-range shooter.  He’s averaging 4.2 field goals and .580 shooting this season, an efficiency percentage currently placing him fifth in the league.  In fact, he’s ranked fourth overall in Offensive Rating.

{AUTHOR_BOX}Fans don’t call him "Iblocka" for nothing though.  He’s averaging 2.1 blocks per game this year and is ranked sixth in total blocks in the league.

When forward Jeff Green was sidelined with an ankle injury early this season, Ibaka was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time.  The Thunder’s record is 12-6; their record was 7-2 when Ibaka started.  His scoring has jumped to 10.8 ppg, rebounds have increased to 6.9 per game and his playing time has averaged 27.7 mpg.

"He always wants to get better.  He’s a really hard worker, and he’s blessed," says fellow second-year player Byron Mullens.  "He has ‘it’.  He has everything you need.  He always wants to come into the gym on days off.  He’s just hungry.  He’s a special player."

"The more he plays, the better he’s gonna be.  I’m not too worried about him," chimes in teammate Thabo Sefolosha.  "Real confident, and he works hard.  He always finds that thing that we need (to) provide for the team.  He’s a smart player, but I think that he’s going to keep learning about the pace of the game, the NBA-type of game.  It’s pretty new for him."

Another thing new to Ibaka is the English language.  Already a master of three languages – French, Spanish and his native Lingala – he knew very little English when he relocated to Oklahoma in June of 2009.  Brooks had to coach Ibaka using hand gestures while he diligently took English classes.

"He’s a smart kid.  It’s not easy to do (learning a new language); I couldn’t do it.  On the opposite side, if I had to go overseas and learn a different language in a year…." Brooks says, his voice trailing off.  "But he does; he knows what we’re talking about.  He knows what we want."

In observing Ibaka in the locker room, it’s clear how significantly his conversational English has improved since last season.  He’s engaged in dialogue with his teammates much more frequently and when something strikes him as humorous, he bursts into a deep, hearty, lasting laugh, the kind of laugh that makes everyone around him laugh even if they don’t know the joke.

"Yeah, he’s understanding English a little bit better.  (Last year) was a challenge," Durant says, chuckling.  "I think the best thing is that he’s learning the game.  He’s more acclimated to what we’re doing as a team and his role here on the team.  That’s key, because this game is not just physical, it’s mental.  He’s learning that part of it, and he’s doing a great job."

"Last year, it was kinda hard to understand what he was saying," agrees Mullens. "But you know, he’s working hard and learning English.  After practice, he has a tutor and everything set up.  It’s not all the way there, but we can understand him and that’s what counts."

Ibaka has formed a particularly nice relationship with Swiss-born Sefolosha.  The two players can often be spotted talking to each other in French in the locker room and in the halls of the Oklahoma City Arena.  Sefolosha tells us that the rest of the players speak to Ibaka in English, while they mainly communicate in French.

What exactly is the ceiling for this gifted 21-year-old player?

"I don’t know how good he will be, but I know the way he’s improved the last two years, I’m looking forward to seeing it," answers Brooks.  "He’s working at it.  He’s being challenged.  He understands what we want, what we expect and he takes the challenge every night."

The challenge Brooks speaks about can surely be traced to the strength and determination to succeed that Ibaka developed under unimaginable circumstances not so very long ago.