Hasheem Thabeet (born Hashim Thabit Manka on 16 February 1987) is a Tanzanian professional basketball player for the

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 played college basketball for UConn before being drafted second overall in the

2009 NBA draft The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eli ...

by the Memphis Grizzlies. His performance as a second overall draft pick has led many analysts to label him as one of the "biggest busts" in NBA history.

Early life

Thabeet did not begin to play basketball until the age of 15, when he began to watch pick-up games in Tanzania. When first recruited from Tanzania, Thabeet was fluent in Swahili but knew little English. He played high school basketball at Cypress Christian School in

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 in ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

where he graduated in 2006.

College career

As a freshman for the

Connecticut Huskies The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference. The university's fo ...

, he averaged 6.2 points and 3.8 blocks per game. On 3 December 2006, Thabeet tied a UConn record for blocks in a game with 10. Thabeet was named to the 2007 All- Big East Rookie Team, along with teammate Jerome Dyson. As a sophomore, he saw increased minutes and he averaged 10.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.5 blocks on the season. On 5 January 2008, he tied his career high in blocks with 10 in the Huskies' 73–67 loss at

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

. Thabeet was named

Big East Defensive Player of the Year The Big East Conference gave five football awards at the conclusion of every season. The awards were first given in 1991 following the conference's first football season, and last given in 2012 before the conference was restructured as the American ...

and to the All-Big East second team. As a junior, Thabeet emerged on the national scene, averaging 13.6 points and 10.8 rebounds. He earned his first career triple-double against

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, local diocese, it offers 47 undergradua ...

on 31 January 2009, with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks. He finished with 152 blocks on the season. He was named

and was co-

Big East Player of the Year The Big East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year award is given to the men's basketball player in the Big East Conference voted as the top performer by the conference coaches. It was first awarded at the end of the league's inaugural sea ...

with Pitt's

DeJuan Blair DeJuan Lamont Blair (born April 22, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Pittsburgh Panthers from 2007 to 2009. Blair entered the 2009 NBA draft where he was selected as the 37th overall ...

. He was named second team All-America and National Defensive Player of the Year. Thabeet surpassed the 1,000-point mark against

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

on 26 March 2009. He was the third UConn player that season to do so (Jerome Dyson and

A. J. Price Anthony Jordan Price (born October 7, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He was born in Orange, New Jersey and raised in East Massapequa, New York. He is the son of former NBA player Tony Price. High school career Price a ...

were the others). Thabeet helped lead UConn to their first Final Four appearance since 2004. In April 2009, Thabeet declared for the NBA draft, foregoing his final year of college eligibility.

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2009–2011)

Thabeet was selected with the second overall pick in

by the Memphis Grizzlies, ahead of two future NBA MVPs

James Harden James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Harden is regarded as one of the greatest scorers and shooting guards in NBA ...

and

Stephen Curry Wardell Stephen Curry II ( ; born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, ...

, becoming the first Tanzanian-born NBA player. On 13 December 2009, he had a season-high five blocks. On 25 February 2010, he was assigned to the Dakota Wizards of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

, becoming the tallest and then-highest-drafted player (surpassed by Anthony Bennett in 2015, the first overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft) to be sent to the D-League. On 8 March 2010, he was recalled by the Grizzlies.

Houston Rockets (2011–2012)

On 24 February 2011, Thabeet was traded, along with a future first-round pick, to 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 ...

in exchange for

Shane Battier Shane Courtney Battier (born September 9, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He's also worked for ESPN and recently joined the board of Yext. Battier is best known for his four years playing basketball at Duke, his 13 ye ...

and Ish Smith. On 21 March 2011, he was assigned with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. On 11 April 2011, he was recalled by the Rockets.

Portland Trail Blazers (2012)

On 15 March 2012, Thabeet was traded, along with

Jonny Flynn Jonny William Flynn (born February 6, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player. A three-year National Basketball Association (NBA) veteran, he last played for the Orlandina Basket of the Lega Basket Serie A and played collegiat ...

and a future second-round pick, to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Marcus Camby.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2012–2014)

On 11 July 2012, Thabeet signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder. On 26 November 2012, in a 114–69 win over the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populous ...

, Thabeet recorded his first career double-double with 13 points (a career high) and 10 rebounds.

Grand Rapids Drive (2014–2015)

On 26 August 2014, Thabeet was traded to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

in exchange for a trade exception and a 2015 protected second-round draft pick. On 1 September 2014, he was waived by the 76ers. On 25 September 2014, Thabeet signed with the Detroit Pistons. However, he was later waived by the Pistons on 20 October 2014. On 1 November 2014, Thabeet was acquired by the

Grand Rapids Drive The Grand Rapids Gold are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and are affiliated with the Denver Nuggets. The Gold play their home games at Van Andel Arena. They began play as the Anaheim ...

of the

as an affiliate player of the Pistons. In 49 games for the Drive, he averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. In July 2015, Thabeet joined the NBA D-League Select Team for the

2015 NBA Summer League The 2015 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA: the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Ten teams participated in the week-long Orlando Pro Summer League a ...

Yokohama B-Corsairs (2017–2018)

On 29 September 2017, Thabeet signed with the Yokohama B-Corsairs of the Japanese

B.League The B.League is a professional men's basketball league that began in Japan in September 2016. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that w ...

Fort Wayne Mad Ants (2019–2020)

For the 2019–20 season, Thabeet signed with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

. He was cut on 16 January 2020.

Hsinchu JKO Lioneers (2020–2021)

On September 25, 2020, Thabeet signed with the

Hsinchu JKO Lioneers Hsinchu JKO Lioneers (Chinese: 新竹街口攻城獅) is a professional basketball team based in Hsinchu County, Taiwan. They have been part of the P. League+ since the 2020–21 season. The Lioneers were one of the four teams of the inaugural ...

of the Taiwanese P. League+. He was the league's rebounding leader, blocks leader and Defensive Player of Year for the 2020–21 season. On October 28, 2021, Thabeet signed with the

Tainan TSG GhostHawks The Tainan TSG GhostHawks ( zh, 臺南台鋼獵鷹) are a Taiwanese professional basketball team based in Tainan City, Taiwan. They have competed in the T1 League since the 2021–22 season, and play their home games at the Chia Nan University of ...

of the Taiwanese

T1 League The T1 League is a Taiwanese men's professional basketball league founded in 2021. It is the third professional basketball league in Taiwan after the Chinese Basketball Alliance (CBA) and the P. League+ (PLG). In the 2022–23 season, the T ...

. Chien Wei-Cheng, the general manager of the Tainan TSG GhostHawks, indicated that Thabeet would not join the Tainan TSG GhostHawks on December 24.

Savio (2021)

In 2021, Thabeet played for

Savio Savio may refer to: People ; Surname * Carlos Fernando Savio (born 1978), Uruguayan footballer * Daniel Savio (born 1978), Swedish musician * Dominic Savio (1842–1857), Italian saint * Ernesto Savio (1899–1945), Italian partisan * Edit Romanos ...

in his native Tanzania, and guided the team to the Dar es Salaam Regional Basketball League (RBA) title and was named the Finals MVP.

Career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 68 , , 13 , , 13.0 , , .588 , , , , .581 , , 3.6 , , .2 , , .2 , , 1.3 , , 3.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 45 , , 0 , , 8.2 , , .436 , , , , .543 , , 1.7 , , .1 , , .2 , , .3 , , 1.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , , , , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .5 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 4.6 , , 1.000 , , , , , , 1.4 , , .0 , , .0 , , .4 , , 1.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, 15 , , 3 , , 7.7 , , .444 , , , , .650 , , 2.3 , , .0 , , .1 , , .5 , , 1.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, 66 , , 4 , , 11.7 , , .604 , , , , .604 , , 3.0 , , .2 , , .5 , , .9 , , 2.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , 0 , , 8.3 , , .565 , , , , .200 , , 1.7 , , .0 , , .2 , , .4 , , 1.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 224 , , 20 , , 10.5 , , .567 , , , , .578 , , 2.7 , , .1 , , .3 , , .8 , , 2.2

Playoffs

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

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 ...

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

, 4 , , 0 , , 6.5 , , .500 , , , , , , 1.5 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , .5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

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

, 2 , , 0 , , 3.5 , , , , , , , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 6 , , 0 , , 5.5 , , .500 , , , , , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .2 , , .0 , , .3

NBA G League

Source

Regular season

, - , align="left", 2009–10 , align="left" , Dakota , 6 , , 4 , , 31.3 , , .500 , , – , , .690 , , 11.2 , , .7 , , .7 , , 3.2 , , 13.8 , - , align="left" ,

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, align="left" ,

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

, 6 , , 5 , , 27.8 , , .615 , , – , , .571 , , 8.0 , , .7 , , .8 , , 2.7 , , 10.0 , - , align="left" , 2014–15 , align="left" ,

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

, 48 , , 42 , , 22.3 , , .593 , , – , , .654 , , 6.2 , , .4 , , .4 , , 2.4 , , 8.6 , - , align="left" , 2019–20 , align="left" ,

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

, 9 , , 2 , , 16.4 , , .577 , , – , , .600 , , 4.3 , , .7 , , .1 , , 1.8 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 68 , , 53 , , 22.8 , , .582 , , – , , .652 , , 6.6 , , .4 , , .4 , , 2.4 , , 8.6 , -

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;",

, 1 , , 1 , , 22.0 , , .000 , , – , , .750 , , 6.0 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 1.0 , , 3.0

Personal life

Thabeet is

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

and fasts during

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thabeet, Hasheem 1987 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Dakota Wizards players Expatriate basketball people in the United States Expatriate basketball people in Japan Fort Wayne Mad Ants players Grand Rapids Drive players Houston Rockets players Memphis Grizzlies draft picks Memphis Grizzlies players National Basketball Association players from Tanzania Oklahoma City Thunder players People from Dar es Salaam Portland Trail Blazers players Rio Grande Valley Vipers players Tanzanian expatriates in the United States Tanzanian men's basketball players Tanzanian Muslims UConn Huskies men's basketball players Yokohama B-Corsairs players Expatriate basketball people in Taiwan Hsinchu JKO Lioneers players P. League+ imports

Early life

College career

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2009–2011)

Houston Rockets (2011–2012)

Portland Trail Blazers (2012)

Oklahoma City Thunder (2012–2014)

Grand Rapids Drive (2014–2015)

Yokohama B-Corsairs (2017–2018)

Fort Wayne Mad Ants (2019–2020)

Hsinchu JKO Lioneers (2020–2021)

Savio (2021)

Career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

NBA G League

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

See also

References

External links