Luke Robert Babbitt (born June 20, 1989) is an American former 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. 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
Nevada Wolf Pack
The Nevada Wolf Pack are the athletic teams that represent the University of Nevada, Reno. They are part of NCAA's Division I's Mountain West Conference. It was founded on October 24, 1896 with football as the Sagebrushers in Reno, Nevada.
Hi ...
before declaring for the
2010 NBA draft
The 2010 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2010, at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National ...
following his sophomore year.
[Luke Babbitt Bio]
/ref> He was selected by 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 ...
with the 16th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft
The 2010 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2010, at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National ...
, then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
.
Early life
Babbitt was born in Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
, Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. At the age of nine his family moved to Reno, Nevada
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...
. Babbitt attended Galena High School, where he was a 3-time All-State performer and a two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year in 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 ...
. As a junior, Babbitt averaged 27.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while leading Galena to a state championship. Babbitt finished his high school career by scoring 2,941 points, which broke future college teammate Armon Johnson's Nevada state scoring record of 2,616 points.
Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
, Babbitt was listed as the No. 12 power forward
The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...
and the No. 31 player in the nation in 2008.
College career
After originally verbally committing to Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
, Babbitt backed out and decided to attend the University of Nevada
The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12 ...
. In his first game, Babbitt recorded a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double
In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...
versus Montana State. He went on to average 16.9 points per game during his freshman year including a season-high 30 points on March 12, 2009 versus San Jose State
San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...
.
In his sophomore season, Babbitt led the team in scoring with 21.9 points per game. He scored a career-high 33 points in the Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Texas.
Due to mos ...
tournament semifinals on March 13, 2010 versus New Mexico State
New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...
. Despite losing that game and ending their hopes of going to the NCAA Tournament, Nevada was invited to the NIT, where they lost in the second round to the University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of Rhode Isla ...
.
On April 20, 2010, Babbitt hired an agent and declared for the NBA draft.
Professional career
Portland Trail Blazers (2010–2013)
Babbitt was selected with the 16th overall pick by 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 ...
in the 2010 NBA draft
The 2010 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2010, at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National ...
. His rights were later traded, along with Wolves forward Ryan Gomes, to the Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
in exchange for Martell Webster
Martell Webster (born December 4, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player who played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The sixth player taken in the 2005 NBA draft, Webster played for Portland, Minnesota ...
. On July 9, 2010, Babbitt signed his rookie contract with the Blazers. He then joined the Blazers for the 2010 NBA Summer League.
On December 8, 2010, Babbitt was assigned to 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
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 December 18, 2010, he was recalled by the Trail Blazers. On March 3, 2011, he was reassigned to the Idaho Stampede. On March 28, 2011, he was recalled by the Trail Blazers. On January 4, 2012, he was reassigned to the Idaho Stampede. On January 10, 2012, he was recalled again.
Babbitt joined the Trail Blazers for the 2012 NBA Summer League.
Nizhny Novgorod (2013–2014)
In August 2013, Babbitt signed with Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...
of Russia for the 2013–14 season. In January 2014, he left Russia under controversial circumstances.
New Orleans Pelicans (2014–2016)
On February 4, 2014, Babbitt signed with the New Orleans Pelicans. On July 20, 2015, he re-signed with the Pelicans.
Miami Heat (2016–2017)
On July 10, 2016, Babbitt was traded to the Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
in exchange for a 2018 second-round draft pick and cash considerations.
Atlanta Hawks (2017–2018)
Babbitt signed with 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 August 9, 2017.
Return to Miami (2018)
Babbitt was traded back to the Heat on February 8, 2018 in exchange for Okaro White
Okaro White (born August 13, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League. He played college basketball for Florida State.
Early life
White was born in Brooklyn, New York, on August 13, 1992, ...
.
Career statistics
NBA
Regular season
, -
, 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 ...
, 24 , , 0 , , 5.7 , , .273 , , .188 , , .333 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.5
, -
, 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 ...
, 40 , , 4 , , 13.4 , , .410 , , .430 , , .850 , , 2.4 , , .4 , , .3 , , .1 , , 5.1
, -
, 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 ...
, 62 , , 0 , , 11.8 , , .368 , , .348 , , .769 , , 2.2 , , .5 , , .2 , , .1 , , 3.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
, 27 , , 2 , , 17.5 , , .390 , , .379 , , .778 , , 3.3 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .4 , , 6.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
, 63 , , 19 , , 13.2 , , .479 , , .513 , , .684 , , 1.8 , , .4 , , .3 , , .2 , , 4.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
, 47 , , 13 , , 18.0 , , .422 , , .404 , , .780 , , 3.1 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , .1 , , 7.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
, 68 , , 55 , , 15.7 , , .402 , , .414 , , .733 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , .2 , , 4.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", 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 ...
, 37 , , 9 , , 15.4 , , .476 , , .441 , , .773 , , 2.2 , , .7 , , .2 , , .1 , , 6.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
, 13 , , 5 , , 11.2 , , .234 , , .244 , , .000 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .1 , , .2 , , 2.5
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 381 , , 107 , , 14.0 , , .408 , , .402 , , .747 , , 2.2 , , .6 , , .2 , , .2 , , 4.8
Playoffs
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 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 Unit ...
, style="text-align:left;", Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
, 2 , , 0 , , 1.5 , , .000 , , – , , – , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 2 , , 0 , , 1.5 , , .000 , , – , , – , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0
College
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2008–09
, style="text-align:left;", Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
, 34 , , 34 , , 32.6 , , .456 , , .429 , , .864 , , 7.4 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .7 , , 16.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2009–10
, style="text-align:left;", Nevada
, 34 , , 34 , , 37.1 , , .500 , , .416 , , .917 , , 8.9 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 21.9
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 68 , , 68 , , 34.9 , , .480 , , .421 , , .893 , , 8.1 , , 1.8 , , .9 , , .8 , , 19.4
Awards and recognition
* 2008–09 WAC Freshman of the Year
* 2008–09 WAC 1st Team All- Conference
* 2008–09 WAC Newcomer of the Year
* 2009–10 WAC All-Decade Team
* 2009–10 ESPN The Magazine
''ESPN The Magazine'' was an American monthly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998. Initially published every other week, it scaled back to 24 issues a year ...
Academic All-American
* 2009–10 AP All American Honorable Mention
* 2009–10 Naismith Award Naismith Award is a basketball award named after James Naismith, and awarded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Naismith Awards include:
* Naismith College Player of the Year (men's and women's; NCAA Division I basketball)
* Naismith College Coach of t ...
mid-season finalistLuke Babbitt Named National Finalist
/ref>
* 2009–10 WAC Player of the Year
* 2009–10 WAC 1st Team All- Conference
* 2008–2010 2× WAC All-Tournament Team
References
External links
Luke Babbitt
at nevadawolfpack.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Babbitt, Luke
1989 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in Russia
American men's basketball players
Atlanta Hawks players
Basketball players from Nevada
Basketball players from Cincinnati
BC Nizhny Novgorod players
High school basketball coaches in Nevada
Idaho Stampede players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Miami Heat players
Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks
Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball players
New Orleans Pelicans players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Portland Trail Blazers players
Small forwards
Sportspeople from Reno, Nevada