Nassir Shamai Little (born February 11, 2000) 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 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 ...

of the

National Basketball Association 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 S ...

(NBA). Little finished his high school career as one of the top-ranked players in his class, having led

Orlando Christian Prep Orlando Christian Prep was founded in 1960, and is currently a ministry of Orlando Baptist Church. Considered one of the most established Christian schools in the greater Orlando area, OCP serves over 600 students from various backgrounds. The ...

to consecutive Florida state championships. The

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

went on to play

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

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...

High school career

Little played his freshman and sophomore seasons (2014–16) at

Oakleaf High School Oakleaf High School is a high school located in Orange Park, Florida. History The school began construction in 2007 and was completed in June 2010. The school's grand opening was August 16, 2010. The class of 2012 was the first class to graduate f ...

then transferred to

, where he played for the rest of his high school career. In his junior and senior season (2016–18), he led Orlando Christian Prep to back-to-back Florida state titles. Little stood out during the

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is the all-star basketball game played each year for American and Canadian boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the concl ...

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 ...

as he posted 28 points and tore down 5 rebounds, added 1 assist and 1 steal, to lead the West past the East and claim the

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

(MVP) award. He also won MVP honors at the

Jordan Brand Classic The Jordan Brand Classic is a high school All-Star basketball game played annually in April. The game's rosters feature the best and most highly recruited high school boys in the senior class including alumns like Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Bl ...

after putting up 24 points in 25 minutes. Thus he joined

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest pl ...

as only the second player to win MVP honors at both high school All-American games. Little was ranked the second-best high school prospect of 2018 by the recruiting service

Rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

College career

Little committed to play for

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

on October 4, 2017. He made his debut for the Tar Heels on November 6, 2018, recording 7 points, 3 assists, and 2 blocks during North Carolina's 78–67 victory over the

Wofford Terriers Wofford College sponsors 18 sports for men's and women's programs, competing as the Terriers. The Terriers compete in the Southern Conference, and have been a part of the league since the 1997–98 academic year. Wofford and the other SoCon memb ...

. Little scored a career-high 23 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists as North Carolina defeated the

Virginia Tech Hokies The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams representing the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in intercollegiate athletics. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 22 va ...

103–82. At the conclusion of his freshman season, Little announced his decision to forgo his collegiate eligibility and declare for the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...

, where he was projected to be a first-round selection.

Professional career

Portland Trail Blazers (2019–present)

On June 20, 2019, the

drafted Little with the 25th overall pick in the

. On July 1, 2019, Little officially signed with the Blazers. On February 1, 2021, Little scored a career-high 30 points to go along with 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal. On January 27, 2022, Little suffered a left shoulder labral tear. Four days later, the Trail Blazers announced he would undergo surgery and would miss the rest of the season. On May 9, Little underwent abdominal surgery. On October 19, 2022, Little agreed on a four-year, $28 million contract extension with the Trailblazers.

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 ...

, 48 , , 5 , , 11.9 , , .430 , , .237 , , .636 , , 2.3 , , .5 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 48 , , 2 , , 13.3 , , .467 , , .350 , , .800 , , 2.7 , , .5 , , .1 , , .3 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 42 , , 23 , , 25.9 , , .460 , , .331 , , .734 , , 5.6 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , .9 , , 9.8 , - class="sortbottom" , colspan=2 style="text-align:center", Career , 138 , , 30 , , 16.7 , , .455 , , .317 , , .727 , , 3.4 , , .7 , , .3 , , .5 , , 5.8

Playoffs

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

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

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

, 3 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .250 , , .250 , , .500 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , , 1.7 , - class="sortbottom" , colspan=2 style="text-align:center", Career , 3 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .250 , , .250 , , .500 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , , 1.7

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 0 , , 18.2 , , .478 , , .269 , , .770 , , 4.6 , , .7 , , .5 , , .5 , , 9.8

References

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Nassir 2000 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Orlando, Florida McDonald's High School All-Americans North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Oakleaf High School alumni Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Portland Trail Blazers players Shooting guards Small forwards