Isaiah Canaan (pronounced Cannon; born May 21, 1991) is an American 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

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 numbe ...

of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

and the EuroLeague. He was an All-American college player at

Murray State University Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper level and graduate courses in Paducah, ...

College career

Isaiah Canaan 2011 Murray State University Men's Basketball

Canaan, a 6'0" guard from

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated popu ...

, went to

Murray State Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper level and graduate courses in Paducah, H ...

after leading

Biloxi High School Biloxi High School is the only public high school located in the city of Biloxi, Mississippi. It has approximately 1,650 students and 150 faculty. History The original Biloxi High School was built in 1912 on Howard Avenue. A “new” Biloxi Hi ...

to the 5A

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

state championship as a senior. Canaan had an instant impact for the Racers, as he averaged 10.4

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by nu ...

and led the Racers in three-point percentage at .485 as a freshman in the 2009–10 season. He was named 2010

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Cham ...

(OVC) freshman of the year as the Racers went 17–1 in OVC play, winning the league. They also won the 2010 OVC tournament. Canaan was named tournament MVP as he scored 16 points off the bench for the Racers in the final. Murray State went on to knock off 4-seeded Vanderbilt in the NCAA tournament, before losing to eventual national runner-up

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantry ...

54–52 in the second round. In his sophomore year, Canaan raised his scoring average to 11.7 points per game and was named to the first team All-OVC team. He led the Racers to their second straight OVC regular-season championship. Though they lost in the 2011 OVC tournament, the Racers again went to the postseason in the form of the

2011 National Invitation Tournament The 2011 National Invitation Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 32 NCAA Division I teams that were not selected to participate in the 2011 NCAA tournament. The 74th annual tournament began March 15 on campus sites ended on March ...

. As a junior, Canaan and the Racers had a breakout season. Canaan was named to the preseason All-OVC team. Led by Canaan, Murray State began the season with a school and conference record 23 straight wins. Included was a 2011 Great Alaska Shootout tournament championship, as Canaan was named MVP, scoring 36 in the tournament final. Canaan, the Racers' leading scorer, was named to the finalist lists for the

Bob Cousy Award The Bob Cousy Award presented by The College of the Holy Cross (or Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award) is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate point guard. ...

and the

Oscar Robertson Award The Oscar Robertson Trophy is given out annually to the outstanding men's college basketball player by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). The trophy is considered to be the oldest of its kind and has been given out since 195 ...

. On February 17, 2018, Murray State retired Canaan's number 3 jersey.

College statistics

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 1 , , 20.4 , , .498 , , .482 , , .778 , , 2.3 , , 1.6 , , .9 , , .0 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-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. ...

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

, 32 , , 19 , , 28.1 , , .416 , , .403 , , .744 , , 1.9 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 33 , , 33.7 , , .468 , , .456 , , .837 , , 3.5 , , 3.6 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , 19.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 30 , , 36.5 , , .431 , , .370 , , .822 , , 3.5 , , 4.3 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 21.8 , - , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", , 132 , , 83 , , 29.4 , , .450 , , .419 , , .803 , , 2.8 , , 2.9 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 15.5

Professional career

Houston Rockets (2013–2015)

Canaan was selected 34th overall in the 2013 NBA draft by 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 ...

. On July 15, 2013, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Rockets. During his rookie season, he had multiple assignments with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the

NBA Development 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 ...

. On February 3, 2014, Canaan was named to the Prospects All-Star roster for the 2014 NBA D-League All-Star Game. On November 26, 2014, Canaan scored a career high 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting in the 102–89 win over the Sacramento Kings. Two days later, Cannan left the game against the

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

with a left ankle sprain and didn't return. At the time he left the injury, he was the Rockets leading scorer with 13 points. As a result of the injury, he was required to wear a walking boot and use crutches. After being forced to sit out for a few weeks to heal, he was reassigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on January 11, 2015 while he continued his recovery. On January 26, 2015, he was recalled by the Rockets after averaging 21.0 points, 8.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game.

Philadelphia 76ers (2015–2016)

On February 19, 2015, Canaan was traded, along with a 2015 second-round draft pick, 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 Ea ...

in exchange for

K. J. McDaniels Kevin "K. J." McDaniels Jr. (born February 9, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Meralco Bolts of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He played college basketball for Clemson University before he was selected by ...

. Three days later, he made his debut for the 76ers as the team's starting point guard. In 29 minutes of action, he recorded 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in a 103–98 loss to the Orlando Magic. On March 4, 2015, he recorded career highs of 31 points and eight three-pointers in a 123–118 overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. On March 21, 2016, Canaan made three three-pointers against the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first estab ...

, giving him 158 for the 2015–16 season and breaking a tie with

Allen Iverson Allen Ezail Iverson (; born June 7, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Answer", he played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) at both the shooting guard and point guard positions. Iv ...

for No. 5 on the franchise's single-season list. On April 8, 2016, he was ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Chicago Bulls (2016–2017)

On July 20, 2016, Canaan signed with 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 ...

. In 2016–17, Canaan appeared in 39 games and averaged 4.6 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 0.56 steals in 15.2 minutes per game. He shot .364 from the field, .266 from three-point range and .909 from the free throw line. Canaan made his first career postseason appearance on April 23, 2017 against the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

and logged his first career playoff start on April 26. On June 30, 2017, he was waived by the Bulls.

Return to Houston (2017)

On September 24, 2017, Canaan signed with the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. He was waived by the Thunder on October 14 after appearing in three preseason games. On October 24, 2017, Canaan signed with the

. He was waived by the Rockets four days later after appearing in one game.

Phoenix Suns (2017–2018)

On December 12, 2017, Canaan was acquired by the Northern Arizona Suns of the

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 D ...

. The next day, he was called up by 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 ...

, after Phoenix received an injury hardship exemption. He made his debut with Phoenix on December 16, scoring 15 points and making three game-winning free throws with six seconds left in a 108–106 win over the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

. Two days later, he scored 17 points in a 97–91 win over the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. Th ...

. With seven assists against Minnesota and six against Dallas, Canaan became the first player in Suns history to come off the bench and have at least 15 points and five assists in their first two games with the team. On December 23, 2017, the Suns retained him for the rest of the season. On January 31, 2018, Canaan fractured his left ankle while driving to the rim in the first quarter of their game against the Mavericks. He was subsequently waived by the Suns on February 8. On August 3, 2018, Canaan re-signed with the Phoenix Suns. In the Suns' season opener on October 17, 2018, Canaan got the start at point guard and had eight points, six rebounds and seven assists in a 121–100 win over the

. On November 14, he had 19 points and made all five of his 3-pointers in a 116–96 win over the

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

. Canaan began the season as the team's starting point guard before coach

Igor Kokoškov Igor Stefan Kokoškov ( sr-Cyrl, Игор Стефан Кокошков; born December 17, 1971) is a Serbian professional basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He had spen ...

moved Devin Booker to the point and inserted rookie Mikal Bridges into the starting lineup. On November 28, he was waived by the Suns. Kokoškov noted that it "was a business decision" to waive Canaan.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2019)

On January 30, 2019, Canaan signed a 10-day contract with the

. On February 11, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Timberwolves. Following the expiration of his second 10-day contract, the Timberwolves decided not to sign Canaan for the rest of the season.

Milwaukee Bucks (2019)

On February 25, 2019, Canaan signed a 10-day contract with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...

, but was released on March 3.

Stockton Kings (2019–2020)

On August 22, 2019, Canaan signed with Shandong Golden Stars of the CBA. On December 7, 2019, the Stockton Kings had acquired the returning right of Canaan with a third-round draft pick in the 2020 NBA G League Draft from the Austin Spurs for the returning rights of Cameron Reynolds and a second-round draft pick in the 2020 NBA G League Draft. Canaan made his Stockton debut on December 13, 2019. On January 19, 2020, Canaan scored 32 points and had six assists in a loss to the

Agua Caliente Clippers The Ontario Clippers, formerly known as the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Ontario, California, and are affiliated with the Los Angeles Clippers. The team began play in ...

UNICS Kazan (2020–2022)

On July 19, 2020, Canaan signed with

UNICS Kazan BC UNICS (russian: БК УНИКС) is a professional basketball club in Kazan, Russia, that plays in the VTB United League, and formerly played in the EuroLeague. On February 28, 2022, EuroLeague Basketball suspended the team because of the 20 ...

of the

VTB United League VTB United League (russian: Единая Лига ВТБ) is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2008. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, it ...

and the EuroCup. He averaged 14.2 points and 2.7 assists per game. Canaan re-signed with the team on July 7, 2021. He left the team in early 2022 due to the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. A ...

Galatasaray (2022)

On March 31, 2022, he has signed with Galatasaray Nef of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). During his 12 appearances in Turkish BSL he averaged 11.3 points, 2.2 assists, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.6 steals per game.

Olympiacos (2022–present)

On 8 July 2022, Canaan signed a two-year deal with

of the

and the EuroLeague.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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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 ...

, 22 , , 0 , , 11.5 , , .356 , , .327 , , .724 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .2 , , 4.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 25 , , 9 , , 14.8 , , .405 , , .381 , , .762 , , 1.3 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .0 , , 6.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, 22 , , 12 , , 25.9 , , .377 , , .364 , , .846 , , 2.5 , , 3.1 , , .7 , , .1 , , 12.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 77 , , 39 , , 25.5 , , .360 , , .363 , , .833 , , 2.3 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .2 , , 11.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, 39 , , 0 , , 25.5 , , .364 , , .266 , , .909 , , 1.3 , , .9 , , .6 , , .0 , , 4.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 1 , , 0 , , 4.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 0.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Phoenix , 19 , , 1 , , 22.0 , , .382 , , .333 , , .902 , , 2.3 , , 4.0 , , .8 , , .1 , , 9.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Phoenix , 19 , , 15 , , 26.5 , , .395 , , .347 , , .750 , , 2.6 , , 3.3 , , .6 , , .0 , , 7.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

, 7 , , 1 , , 13.5 , , .379 , , .368 , , 1.000 , , .7 , , 2.7 , , .3 , , .1 , , 4.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, 4 , , 0 , , 7.8 , , .333 , , .400 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , .0 , , .3 , , 1.5 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 235 , , 77 , , 20.4 , , .371 , , .351 , , .836 , , 1.9 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , .1 , , 8.1

Playoffs

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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 s ...

, align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, 3 , , 1 , , 31.7 , , .500 , , .357 , , .667 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 3 , , 1 , , 31.7 , , .500 , , .357 , , .667 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 11.7

References

External links

Murray State Racers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canaan, Isaiah 1991 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Russia American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Basketball players from Mississippi BC UNICS players Chicago Bulls players Galatasaray S.K. (men's basketball) players Houston Rockets draft picks Houston Rockets players Milwaukee Bucks players Minnesota Timberwolves players Murray State Racers men's basketball players Northern Arizona Suns players Olympiacos B.C. players Philadelphia 76ers players Phoenix Suns players Rio Grande Valley Vipers players Shooting guards Sportspeople from Biloxi, Mississippi Stockton Kings players Biloxi High School alumni