Cedric Simmons (born January 3, 1986) is an American-born Bulgarian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for

SeaHorses Mikawa Seahorses Mikawa is a Japanese professional basketball team located in Kariya and sponsored by Aisin. The team was founded in 1947. The team played in the National Basketball League (Japan), National Basketball League. In July 2015 it was annou ...

in Japan. He was born in the United States, but also holds Bulgarian citizenship, and has played for the senior men's

Bulgarian national basketball team The Bulgaria men's national basketball team ( bg, Български национален отбор по баскетбол, Balgarski natsionalen otbor po basketbol) represents Bulgaria in international basketball. The governing body is the Bu ...

. A

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers. When on Of ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

, Simmons was selected by the

New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, in the first round (15th overall pick) of the 2006 NBA draft.

College career

Simmons 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 ...

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

with the

NC State Wolfpack The NC State Wolfpack is the nickname of the athletic teams representing North Carolina State University. The Wolfpack competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for college footb ...

. As a sophomore, he averaged 11.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 2.5 blocks per game.

Professional career

Simmons was selected with the 15th pick in the 2006 NBA draft by the

. On July 5, 2006, he signed with the Hornets. On September 29, 2007, he was traded to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

, in exchange for guard

David Wesley David Barakau Wesley (born November 14, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the current television color analyst for the New Orleans Pelicans. He is the cous ...

. On January 2, 2008, he was assigned to the

Rio Grande Valley Vipers The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won f ...

of the

NBA D-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 Dev ...

. He was recalled by Cleveland on January 11, 2008. On February 21, 2008, he was traded to the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

, in a three-team trade, along with

Drew Gooden Andrew Melvin Gooden III (born September 24, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player who is currently a broadcaster for NBC Sports Washington. The power forward played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). ...

Larry Hughes Larry Darnell Hughes Sr. (born January 23, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. Hughes played for eight different teams during his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Hughes attended Saint Louis U ...

, and

Shannon Brown Shannon Brown (born November 29, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, was named Illinois Mr. Basketball in 2003, and played college basketball for Michigan State ...

, in exchange for Ben Wallace and Joe Smith. On March 15, 2008, he was assigned to the

Iowa Energy Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, 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: Wiscon ...

of the D-League. On April 1, 2008, he was recalled by the Bulls. On February 18, 2009, he was traded to 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 ...

, along with Drew Gooden and

Andrés Nocioni Andrés Marcelo Nocioni (born November 30, 1979) is an Argentine retired professional basketball player. He was a two-time All-EuroLeague selection before spending eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), from 2004 to 2012. No ...

, for Brad Miller and

John Salmons John Rashall Salmons (born December 12, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of Miami. ...

. On December 4, 2009, he was signed by the

Idaho Stampede Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

of the NBA D-League. In late January 2010, he left the Stampede and signed with the

Dongguan Leopards The Shenzhen New Century Liebao Club, also known as Shenzhen Marco Polo or Shenzhen Leopards (previously Shenzhen Aviators) are a Chinese professional basketball team which plays in the Southern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CB ...

of China for the rest of the 2009–10 CBA season. After the end of the Chinese season, on April 2, 2010, he signed with

Kavala Kavala ( el, Καβάλα, ''Kavála'' ) is a city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos and on the Egnat ...

of the Greek League for the rest of the season. In August 2011, he signed with Estudiantes of the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

for the 2011–12 season. On August 17, 2012, Simmons signed with

New Basket Brindisi New Basket Brindisi, for sponsorship reasons named Happy Casa Brindisi or shortly Brindisi, is a professional Italian basketball based in Brindisi, Apulia. It plays in the first division LBA in the 2022–23 season. Founded in 2004, the well-s ...

of the Italian

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

for the 2012–13 season. On July 1, 2013, he signed a three-year deal with the Greek club

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...

. On November 4, 2014, he parted ways with Olympiacos. Four days later, he signed with his former team New Basket Brindisi. After suffering a season-ending knee injury, he was replaced in the line-up by

Micheal Eric Micheal Oluwaseun Eric (born June 24, 1988) is a Nigerian professional basketball player for Unicaja Málaga of the Spanish Liga ACB. He played college basketball for Temple. Early life Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Eric did not play basketb ...

on December 13, 2014. On August 8, 2015, he signed with

Royal Halı Gaziantep Gaziantep Basketbol is a professional basketball team based in the city of Gaziantep in Turkey that plays in the Turkish Basketball Super League. Their home arena is the Karataş Şahinbey Sport Hall with a capacity of 6,400 seats. History The ...

of the

Turkish Basketball League Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

. However, later that month he parted ways with Gaziantep before appearing in a game for them. On January 28, 2016, he signed a two-week contract with

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

. Following the expiration of his contract, he parted ways with Maccabi on February 12. Two days later, he signed with

Baloncesto Sevilla Real Betis Baloncesto S.A.D., simply known as Real Betis, is a professional basketball team based in Seville, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB. It plays its home games at San Pablo. History Club Deportivo de Baloncesto Sevilla was foun ...

for the rest of the season. However, after failing to pass physicals his contract with the Spanish team was voided. On August 19, 2016, Simmons joined Budućnost VOLI for a tryout period. However, he did not signed a contract. On November 27, 2016, he signed with Estonian club

BC Kalev BC Kalev, known as BC Kalev/Cramo for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Tallinn, Estonia. The team plays in the Korvpalli Meistriliiga, the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League and the FIBA Europe Cup. They play their ...

/Cramo. Two days later, he made his debut for Kalev/Cramo in a 102–69 win over G4S Noorteliiga, recording 6 points in 14 minutes. On August 1, 2017, he re-signed with Kalev/Cramo for one more season.

National team career

Simmons has been a member of the senior men's

. He played at the

FIBA EuroBasket 2013 qualification This page describes the qualification procedure for EuroBasket 2013. Map Qualified teams Eight teams have secured their places at the EuroBasket 2013 before the qualification process. Sixteen teams qualified through the Qualifying Round. 5 Gro ...

tournament, where he averaged 10.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.

Personal life

On December 12, 2007, Simmons's girlfriend, Sabrina Acevedo, gave birth to the couple's son at Hillcrest Hospital in

Mayfield Heights, Ohio Mayfield Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and is an east-side suburb of Cleveland. The population was 18,827 at the 2010 census. History Mayfield Heights was initially built up as a streetcar suburb of Cleveland. It was ...

.Cavaliers: Wine and Gold's Winter Woes Continue.
/ref>

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , New Orleans/Oklahoma City , 43 , , 4 , , 12.4 , , .417 , , .000 , , .485 , , 2.5 , , .3 , , .2 , , .5 , , 2.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, 7 , , 0 , , 9.7 , , .333 , , .000 , , .000 , , 2.1 , , .0 , , .3 , , .7 , , .6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 7 , , 0 , , 2.7 , , .250 , , .000 , , .000 , , .4 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 11 , , 0 , , 5.5 , , .524 , , .000 , , .429 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , .1 , , .4 , , 2.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 7 , , 0 , , 3.3 , , .000 , , .000 , , .500 , , .6 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .1 , - , align="center" colspan=2 , Career , 75 , , 4 , , 9.4 , , .409 , , .000 , , .390 , , 1.9 , , .2 , , .1 , , .4 , , 2.2

References

External links

NBA.com Profile
*
Euroleague.net profileEurobasket.com profileItalian League profile

Spanish League profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Cedric 1986 births Living people African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in Estonia American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Japan American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Basketball players from North Carolina BC Kalev/Cramo players Bulgarian men's basketball players Bulgarian people of American descent CB Estudiantes players Centers (basketball) Chicago Bulls players Cleveland Cavaliers players Greek Basket League players Idaho Stampede players Iowa Energy players Kavala B.C. players Liga ACB players Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. players NC State Wolfpack men's basketball players New Basket Brindisi players New Orleans Hornets draft picks New Orleans Hornets players Olympiacos B.C. players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Brunswick County, North Carolina Power forwards (basketball) Rio Grande Valley Vipers players Sacramento Kings players San-en NeoPhoenix players Shenzhen Leopards players Small forwards Korvpalli Meistriliiga players