University of Nevada Las Vegas

Emmanuel Stephen (pronounced "STEFF-in") is a 7-foot, 230-pound center originally from Lagos, Nigeria, who transferred to UNLV from the University of Arizona where he played as a freshman during the 2024-25 season. He the first player that head coach Josh Pastner signing at UNLV.

Stephen played his senior season of high school at Dream City Christian in Glendale, Ariz., where he was a four-star Top 100 recruit.

Stephen only started playing basketball in 2019 and spent some time at the NBA Academy Africa prior to arriving in the United States. On the AAU circuit, he played for Paul George Elite. At the 2023 Peach Jam, he averaged 3.8 blocks per game on his way to being named defensive MVP of the tournament. He also averaged 7.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest.

Out of high school, he chose to play at Arizona over Kansas, Miami (Fla.), Michigan and USC.