Hamed Ehdadi Haddadi ( fa, حامد حدادی, , born May 19, 1985) is an Iranian professional basketball player for

Sichuan Blue Whales The Sichuan Jinqiang Blue Whales (sometimes spelled Whale) (四川金强蓝鲸), also known as Sichuan Jinqiang or Sichuan Jinrong Industry, are a professional basketball team based in Wenjiang District, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, which plays in th ...

of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He plays at the center position and is 7'2" (2.18 meters) tall and weighs 254 lbs (115 kilograms). Haddadi was the first Iranian to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) when he debuted with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008. He played with the Grizzlies until 2013 before bouncing around the league with the Toronto Raptors and the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

. In 2013, he returned home to Iran before playing in China. Haddadi is regarded as the greatest Iranian basketball player of all time.

Professional career

Iran

Before officially playing for a professional Iranian team, Haddadi started his basketball stint with a hometown team of his known as Shahin Ahvaz. His stint there would ultimately allow Haddadi to play in the Iranian Basketball Super League with

Paykan Tehran Paykan Club is an Iranian sports club based in Tehran, Iran. The club was founded in 1967. Teams * Paykan Football Club, competing in the Iran Pro League * Paykan Volleyball Club, competing in the Iranian Super League *Paykan Cycling Club T ...

and

Saba Battery Saba Battery Club (also Saba Battery Physical and Cultural Gym) is an Iranian sports club based in Tehran, Iran. The club was founded in 2002شود Teams * Saba Battery Football Club, competing in the Iran Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro Leagu ...

. In 2004, Haddadi would also play for

Sanam Tehran Sanam Tehran Sports Club ( fa, باشگاه ورزشی صنام تهران, ''Bâshgâh-e Varzeshi-ye Sanâm-e Tehrân'') was an Iranian multisport club based in Tehran, Iran. Basketball * Iranian Super League :Winners (2): 2003, 2005 :Runners-up ...

for a bit as well. In August 2007, while still playing in Iran, he rejected a contract offer from the Serbian League team Partizan Belgrade in order to play for Saba Battery. During the 2011 NBA lockout, Haddadi signed a short-term contract with his hometown team, Melli Haffari Ahvaz. During this period Haddadi received no salary from the team. During the 2013 offseason, Haddadi signed a short-term contract with Foolad Mahan Isfahan. After his first stint with the Chinese Basketball Association, Haddadi would return to Iran once again to play for

Mahram Tehran Mahram Tehran Basketball Club is an Iranian professional basketball club based in Tehran, Iran. They compete in the Iranian Basketball Super League. Mahram is considered one of the giants of Iranian Basketball and were Champions of Asia in 2009 a ...

to play out the rest of their season. On March 9, 2016, Haddadi signed with

Petrochimi Bandar Imam Petrochimi Bandar Imam Basketball Club ( fa, تیم بسكتبال پتروشیمی بندر امام, ''Tim-e Beskâtbal-e Petrushimi-ye Bendâr Eman''), also known as shortly Petrochimi, is an Iranian professional basketball club based in Mahshah ...

of the Iranian Super League. However, he wouldn't make his debut until later on in March due to his CBA Finals duties with the

at the time. He would return to that same team once again after the

2016-17 CBA season 16-17 is a band from Basel, Switzerland. Their music combines punk rock, hardcore punk, jazz and industrial music. Biography 16-17 was founded in 1983 by Alex Buess, Knut Remond and Markus Kneubühler. When the group played its first con ...

concluded for Sichuan. This time around, however, he would play for them for the entirety of the 2017–18 season.

United Arab Emirates

In 2003, Haddadi was assigned by Paykan Tehran to play for

Al-Nasr Al Nassr Football Club ( ar, نادي النصر السعودي; '' Naṣr'' meaning ''Victory'') is a Saudi Arabian football club based in Riyadh. Formed in 1955, the club plays its home games at the Mrsool Park. Their home colours are yellow ...

from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for a short period of time. He would ultimately return with Paykan after his stint with Al-Nasr.

NBA career

Memphis Grizzlies

Before the

2004 NBA draft The 2004 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2004, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and was broadcast live on ESPN at 7:00 pm ( EDT). In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur colle ...

, Haddadi declared himself eligible for the draft as an early entrant. However, he went undrafted in the draft and therefore became a free agent who is free to sign with any NBA team. Haddadi received offers from NBA teams prior to the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

and stated he would sign with a team after the games. Complications existed because of legal restrictions regarding business dealings between U.S. companies and Iranian citizens. On August 28, 2008, Haddadi signed with the

NBA 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 ...

's Memphis Grizzlies as a free-agent. Haddadi scored four points in 17 minutes of action in his first NBA preseason game, an October 7, 2008 loss at the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

. Haddadi averaged 1.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 9.7 minutes in six preseason games with the Grizzlies, and made his regular season debut on December 30, when he played 4 minutes in a loss against the

, hitting both of his free throws and grabbing one rebound. On November 25, 2008, Memphis assigned Haddadi to the Dakota Wizards of the NBA D-League. On Tuesday, December 23, 2008, Haddadi was recalled by the Grizzlies. Haddadi scored a then career-high 10 points, with 8 rebounds and a block in less than 10 minutes to key a 12–0 run in the 4th quarter, sparking the Grizzlies to a come-from-behind victory at the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

on March 30, 2009. On December 31, 2011, he re-signed with the Memphis Grizzlies a one-year $1.3 million contract. On April 17, 2012, Hamed came off the bench to score 8 points in 12 minutes and give the Grizzlies a boost to lead them to a victory over the rival Minnesota Timberwolves. On July 28, 2012, Haddadi re-signed with the Memphis Grizzlies. On January 30, 2013, Haddadi was traded to the Toronto Raptors along with Rudy Gay as part of a three-way deal that sent José Calderón to the Detroit Pistons and Ed Davis, Tayshaun Prince,

Austin Daye Austin Darren Daye (born June 5, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who plays for New Taipei Kings of the P. League+. He played college basketball for Gonzaga before being drafted 15th overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2009 ...

, and a second round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies. However, Haddadi could not immediately report to the Raptors due to immigration issues. He would never play a single game for the Raptors.

Phoenix Suns

On February 21, 2013, the Raptors traded Haddadi and a second-round draft pick to the

for

Sebastian Telfair Sebastian Telfair (born June 9, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the NBA and the Chinese Basketball Association. Telfair was picked thirteenth overall in the 2004 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers on ...

. During his tenure with the Suns, Haddadi decided to wear the number 98 as a tribute of sorts to his home nation's national telephone code. Haddadi did not play for the Suns until March 6, 2013, in a game against the Raptors, the team that Haddadi was first traded to. On March 9, 2013, Haddadi recorded 6 points, 3 blocks and a career-high 11 rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench, contributing to the Suns 107–105 win over the

. Despite gaining professional career highs in his short stint with the team, Haddadi was waived by the Suns on June 29, 2013.

China

In September 2013, Haddadi signed with the

of the Chinese Basketball Association as the bonus foreign Asian player that's allowed to be on the expansion CBA team. On September 15, 2014, Haddadi agreed to terms with Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles.Qingdao Double Star agreed to terms with Hamed Haddadi
/ref> With Haddadi's help, the Eagles were one of the top teams during the 2014–15 season. During his time in Qingdao, Haddadi would average 20.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.3 blocks for the team's surprise rise. However, due to Qingdao's success that season, they could not re-sign him afterwards. In September 2015, Haddadi returned to the Sichuan Blue Whales as their bonus foreign Asian player due to them having one of the worst records that season. During his second stint in Sichuan, Haddadi would help the team reach their first playoff stint in CBA history. He would help the Blue Whales sweep the Zhejiang Lions in the first round and the

Xinjiang Flying Tigers The Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers () is a professional basketball team based in Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China. The team play its home games at the Hongshan Arena, which has a capacity for 3,800 spectators. The club joined the Chinese Basketball ...

in the second round before playing in the championship series against the Liaoning Flying Leopards. Before Haddadi would return to his home nation with

in Iran, he would help finish the job that was needed with the Blue Whales, as he would help lead Sichuan to a 4–1 Finals series win over the Liaoning Flying Leopards, and thus becoming the

CBA Finals MVP The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) Finals MVP is the annual award that is handed out at the end of each Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) playoff finals series to the most valuable player of that season's CBA Finals. The award was first di ...

in the process. After finishing his most recent stint in his home nation, he'd return to Sichuan as an exception player for the two international players allowed on their roster. After taking a year off from Chinese basketball, Haddadi returned to the CBA once again, this time playing as a starting centre for the

National team career

Haddadi won a silver medal at the 2002 Asian Under-18 Championship and a gold medal at the 2004 Asian U20 Championship while playing on Iran's junior national teams. He won gold medals at the 2004 and 2005 West Asian Championships with the senior Iranian national basketball team. Haddadi also won a bronze medal at the

2006 Asian Games 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

and gold medals at the

2007 FIBA Asia Championship The 2007 FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the qualifying tournament for FIBA Asia at the men's basketball tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics at Beijing. The tournament was held in Tokushima, Japan from July 28 to August 5, 2007. Particip ...

2009 FIBA Asia Championship The 2009 FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the biennial Asian continental championship and also served as the FIBA Asia qualifying tournament for the 2010 FIBA World Championship. The tournament was held from August 6 to 16, 2009 in Tianjin, China ...

, and the

2013 FIBA Asia Championship The 2013 FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the intercontinental championship for basketball organized by FIBA Asia that served as the qualifying tournament for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. The tournament was held from August 1–1 ...

. He was also named the MVP of the latter three tournaments. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he led the tournament with the highest average blocked shots per game and rebounds per game. Haddadi was involved in a brawl in the 2009 William Jones cup against team Jordan, which was a vital game in the cup. It later led to the outcome of the championship where Iran won despite having a 6–2 standing while Jordan had a 7–1 record. Haddadi led team Iran to back-to-back FIBA Asia championships, where they beat Jordan in the semifinals 77–75, and defeated tournament favorite and host China, 70–52. Haddadi scored a game high 18 points in a loss to France in the preliminary round of the

2020 Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

in Tokyo.

Other ventures

In September 2009, Haddadi hosted a weekend basketball camp for children on the campus of

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...

. The camp catered mainly to the Iranian American community, and coaches included Haddadi himself, his manager, Mayar Zokaei,

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

forward Ron Artest (now known as Metta World Peace), and Iranian professional basketball players

Behdad Sami Behdad Sami (born June 20, 1986) is an Iranian American professional basketball player. Behdad was the world's first Iranian basketball player to play professionally at any level in the United States when he played in the minor-league American B ...

and Benny Koochoie, amongst others. The camp attracted over 100 children and was the first sports camp ever by an Iranian athlete in the United States. Haddadi also spearheaded the ''Hamed Haddadi Javanan Foundation'', a charity organization formed with the intention of awarding college scholarships to student athletes across the nation.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 19 , , 0 , , 6.3 , , .484 , , .000 , , .600 , , 2.5 , , .4 , , .1 , , .6 , , 2.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 36 , , 0 , , 6.7 , , .387 , , .000 , , .737 , , 2.1 , , .3 , , .0 , , .4 , , 1.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 31 , , 0 , , 5.4 , , .517 , , .000 , , .652 , , 2.2 , , .2 , , .1 , , .4 , , 2.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 35 , , 0 , , 5.9 , , .542 , , .000 , , .692 , , 2.0 , , .2 , , .0 , , .7 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 13 , , 0 , , 6.7 , , .333 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , .1 , , .5 , , 1.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 17 , , 0 , , 13.8 , , .459 , , .000 , , .520 , , 5.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , 1.2 , , 4.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:centre;" colspan="2", Career , 151 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .463 , , .000 , , .632 , , 2.5 , , .3 , , .1 , , .6 , , 2.2

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 9 , , 0 , , 3.4 , , .300 , , .000 , , .833 , , .9 , , .0 , , .0 , , .6 , , 1.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 4 , , 0 , , 5.3 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .500 , , 2.3 , , .3 , , .0 , , .5 , , 1.3 , - , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:centre;" colspan="2", Career , 13 , , 0 , , 3.9 , , .417 , , .000 , , .750 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , .0 , , .5 , , 1.2

Honors

National team

Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...

**Gold medal:

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

**Silver medal:

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

**Bronze medal:

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

**Silver medal:

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

**Bronze medal:

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

* FIBA Asia Challenge **Gold medal:

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

* Asian Under-20 Championship **Gold medal:

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

* Asian Under-18 Championship **Silver medal:

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

Club

Asian Champions Cup The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...

**Gold medal:

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

(Saba Battery) **Gold medal:

(Foolad Mahan) * Chinese Basketball Association **Champions:

(Sichuan Blue Whales) * Iranian Basketball Super League **Champions:

(Petrochimi)

Individual

** MVP:

, 2017 * FIBA Asia Challenge **MVP:

William Jones Cup The R. William Jones Cup (), also known as the Jones Cup, is an international basketball tournament organized by the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) held annually since 1977 in Taiwan. It was named in honor of basketball promoter ...

**MVP:

* Chinese Basketball Association **All-Star: 2014, 2016 **

: 2016

References

External links

NBA.com profile archived

Player Profile ESPN.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haddadi, Hamed 1985 births Living people Asian Games bronze medalists for Iran Asian Games silver medalists for Iran Asian Games medalists in basketball Basketball players at the 2006 Asian Games Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2014 Asian Games Basketball players at the 2018 Asian Games Basketball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Centers (basketball) Dakota Wizards players Expatriate basketball people in Italy Foolad Mahan Isfahan BC players Iranian men's basketball players Iranian expatriate basketball people in China Iranian expatriate basketball people in Lebanon Iranian expatriate basketball people in the United Arab Emirates Iranian expatriate basketball people in the United States Mahram Tehran BC players Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games Melli Haffari club sportspeople Memphis Grizzlies players National Basketball Association players from Iran Olympic basketball players for Iran Sportspeople from Ahvaz Petrochimi Bandar Imam BC players Phoenix Suns players Qingdao Eagles players Sichuan Blue Whales players Undrafted National Basketball Association players Xinjiang Flying Tigers players 2010 FIBA World Championship players 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players