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Injured Chuma Okeke arrives at Elite Eight in wheelchair to emotional chants from Auburn fans

henry bushnell
Senior reporter

Chuma Okeke, who tore his ACL Friday in Auburn’s upset of top-seeded North Carolina, got a raucous reception two days later when he was wheeled into the Sprint Center during his team’s Elite Eight game against Kentucky.

Okeke was in a wheelchair, with his injured left leg extended in a massive black brace. TV cameras showed him being pushed through the bowels of the arena.

When he emerged onto the court, Auburn fans – and Kentucky fans, and neutral fans – greeted him with an ovation.

“Chuma! Chuma!” they chanted at one point.

Teammate Bryce Brown and others came over to Okeke during the timeout to shake his hand.

Okeke was able to watch the second half from behind the bench.

An hour later, Auburn players repeated the “Chuma! Chuma!” chant on the podium prior to the trophy lift after taking down Kentucky.

Okeke’s injury an emotional one for Auburn

Okeke went down in agony toward the end of the UNC game after scoring 20 points. He was diagnosed with a torn ACL the following day, and is scheduled for surgery next week.

The injury has been an emotional one for Auburn. It was emotional in the immediate aftermath, as the sophomore writhed on the floor in pain. It brought head coach Bruce Pearl to tears in his postgame interview on the court. Auburn players then put their arms around Okeke as he placed a sticker bearing Auburn’s name in the Elite Eight on a life-size bracket in the locker room.

Two days later, the hashtag #DoItForChuma was trending in Auburn circles on social media. Teammate Malik Dunbar wore Okeke’s jersey during pregame warmups.

Former Auburn star Charles Barkley added a picture of Okeke to his pile of Auburn paraphernalia in the CBS studio.

And after 45 minutes, the Tigers did in fact #DoItForChuma. They beat Kentucky in overtime, 77-71.

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