Bruno Afonso David Fernandes, also known as Bruno Fernando (born August 15, 1998), is an Angolan professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the Houston Rockets of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divis ...

High school career

A native of

Luanda Luanda () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city in Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major Angola#Economy, industrial, Angola#Culture, cultural and Angola#Demographics, urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atl ...

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

, Bruno Fernando started playing basketball in his hometown. While playing the

2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship The 2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship (Arabic: بطولة العالم لكرة السلة 2014 تحت 17 سنة ) was the 3rd edition of the FIBA Under-17 World Championship, the biennial international men's youth basketball championship con ...

with the Angolan national team, he caught the eye of scouts in the US. In early 2015, he joined the Montverde Academy in

Montverde, Florida Montverde is a town in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,655 at the 2020 census and an estimated 1,675 in 2018. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Montverde wa ...

. He committed to

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , ...

in April 2016 but decided the following month to reclassify into the Class of 2017. He spent the 2016–17 season at

IMG Academy IMG Academy is a preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. IMG Academy is set across over 600 acres and features programs consisting of sport camps for youth athletes, adult camps, a board ...

in Bradenton, Florida. In October 2016, Bruno Fernando committed to the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

, after also considering Auburn,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, and

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

, among others.

College career

Fernando made his debut for Maryland on November 10, 2017, against Stony Brook. Coming off the bench, he scored ten points to go along with two rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal in 13 minutes of playing time. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on January 8, 2018, after posting 17 points and 11 rebounds against Penn State and a career-high 21 points in a 91–73 win versus

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

. He had a strong freshman season as he averaged 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game, and earned All-Big Ten Freshman honors. After the season, Fernando declared for the 2018 NBA draft and participated in the

NBA Draft Combine The NBA Draft Combine is a multi-day showcase that takes place every May before the annual June NBA draft. At the combine, college basketball players are measured and take medical tests, are interviewed, perform various athletic tests and shootin ...

that year, but withdrew from the draft and returned to Maryland.

Professional career

Atlanta Hawks (2019–2021)

Fernando was selected as the 34th pick of the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...

by the Philadelphia 76ers. Fernando became the first Angolan player to be selected in the NBA draft. He was traded to the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

. On July 7, 2019, the Hawks announced that they had signed Fernando. On October 24, 2019, Fernando made his debut in NBA, coming off from bench in a 117–100 win over the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

with seven points, three rebounds and two assists. He received his first assignment to the Hawks’

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

affiliate, the

College Park Skyhawks The College Park Skyhawks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in College Park, Georgia, and are affiliated with the Atlanta Hawks. The Skyhawks play their home games at Gateway Center Arena at College Park a ...

, on November 25. He made his G League debut that evening. Fernando missed several games in January 2020 due to the death of his mother. On June 20, 2021, Fernando was suspended for one game without pay for leaving the bench during an altercation between the Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Boston Celtics (2021–2022)

On August 7, 2021, Fernando was traded to the Boston Celtics in a three-team trade involving the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. On November 19, 2021, Fernando made his debut with the Maine Celtics scoring four points and shooting 100% from the field.

Houston Rockets (2022–present)

On February 10, 2022, the Houston Rockets acquired Fernando,

Enes Freedom Enes Kanter Freedom (; born Enes Kanter; May 20, 1992) is a professional basketball player who last played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Switzerland to Turkish parents, he was raised in Turkey and m ...

, and Dennis Schröder from the Boston Celtics in exchange for

Daniel Theis Daniel Theis (born April 4, 1992) is a German professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After seven seasons in the Basketball Bundesliga where he was a four-time All Star and three-time ch ...

. On July 26, 2022, Fernando re-signed with the Rockets in a two-way deal. On October 2, the Rockets converted his two-way contract into a four-year, $10.9 million deal. On October 19, he had his first start on the team with a seven-point, nine-rebound, and seven-assist performance in a 117–107 loss to the

National team career

Participating in the 2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

, he averaged 9.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per contest for the Angolan national team. In 2016, Bruno Fernando made his debut with Angola's men's national team and participated in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade. Averaging 18.3 points, 6.6 boards, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game, he led Angola to gold at the

2016 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship The 2016 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship was the 20th edition, played under the rules of FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, and the FIBA Africa thereof. The tournament was hosted by Rwanda from July 22 to 31, with the games played ...

, while receiving Afrobasket.com All-African Championships U18 Best Player honors. He later also joined the Angola senior team for the 2018 Olympic Qualifiers. He did not play for his country for four years, until returning in August 2022 for Angola's World Cup qualifiers.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

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, 33 , , 0 , , 6.8 , , .409 , , .000 , , .682 , , 2.4 , , .3 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

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Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

, 10 , , 0 , , 9.4 , , .707 , , .000 , , .579 , , 4.0 , , .3 , , .1 , , .8 , , 6.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 119 , , 13 , , 9.2 , , .527 , , .146 , , .608 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .2 , , .3 , , 3.2

Playoffs

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, 6 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .667 , , — , , 1.000 , , .2 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 6 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .667 , , — , , 1.000 , , .2 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0

College

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Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, 30 , , 20 , , 22.4 , , .578 , , .333 , , .740 , , 6.6 , , .7 , , .4 , , 1.2 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 33 , , 30.0 , , .607 , , .300 , , .779 , , 10.6 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , 1.9 , , 13.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 64 , , 53 , , 26.4 , , .595 , , .308 , , .763 , , 8.7 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , 1.6 , , 12.0

References

External links

Maryland Terrapins bio

FIBA profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernando, Bruno 1998 births Living people Angolan expatriate basketball people in the United States Angolan men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players from Luanda Boston Celtics players College Park Skyhawks players Houston Rockets players Maine Celtics players Maryland Terrapins men's basketball players Montverde Academy alumni Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Power forwards (basketball)