Before attending the University of Minnesota, Mbakwe played at Marquette University for the 2007–08 season where he suffered from chronic knee injuries. For his 2008–09 season, he transferred to Miami Dade College and led his team to the Southern Conference Championship. After redshirting in 2009–10, Mbakwe transferred to the University of Minnesota to play under head coach Tubby Smith. In his first year playing for Smith, he led the Big Ten Conference in rebounding at 10.5 rebounds per game. He was the first player for the Gophers since Kris Humphries to lead the Big Ten in rebounding, and also became number three on the all time rebounding list at the University of Minnesota when he collected 327 rebounds that season.
Professional career
In July 2013, Mbakwe signed his first professional contract with the Italian team Virtus Roma.[3][4] On August 22, 2013, it was officially confirmed that he signed contract for the 2013–14 season.[5]
On July 6, 2014, he signed with the German club Brose Baskets for the 2014–15 season.[6]
On July 1, 2015, he signed a three-year contract with the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.[7] After one season, he parted ways with Maccabi.[8]
On July 6, 2016, Mbakwe signed a one-year deal with Spanish club Unicaja.[9] Two months later, the club rescinded his contract after he did not pass his medical test.[10]
On November 3, 2016, he signed with Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg.[11] On June 6, 2017, Zenit announced the end of their cooperation with Mbakwe.[12]
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