Rafael Paulo de Lara Araújo (; born August 12, 1980) is a Brazilian 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 for three years in 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 St ...

College career

After attending Padre Anacleto High School in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

, Araújo went to the

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to play

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, attending

Arizona Western College Arizona Western College (AWC) is a public community college in Yuma, Arizona. It offers associate degrees, occupational certificates, and transfer degrees. AWC also offers classes in Dateland, La Paz, San Luis, Somerton, and Wellton. Aca ...

Yuma, Arizona Yuma ( coc, Yuum) is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 93,064 at the 2010 census, up from the 2000 census population of 77,515. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, M ...

. In his freshman season (2000–01), he averaged 12.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.Prospect Profile: Rafael Araujo (Ha-fay-el Ar-RU-joe)
/ref> Araújo later explained that AWC coach Kelly Green gave him $400 to get his

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and establish himself in Yuma, despite coaches being forbidden to do so. As a sophomore, he tallied 17.9 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, leading the Matadors to a 28-3 record and a top ten national ranking among junior colleges. He was named Region Most Valuable Player and 2nd Team

NJCAA The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

All-American. At the same time Araújo was drafted for the Brazil national basketball team at the 2002 World Championships, as NBA player

Nenê Nenê (; born Maybyner Rodney Hilário; September 13, 1982) is a Brazilian former professional basketball player. Known previously as Nenê Hilario, he legally changed his name to simply Nenê in 2003. Early life Born Maybyner Rodney Hilário i ...

could not attend the tournament. After finishing his junior college career, Araújo moved to

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

in Provo, Utah where as a junior (2002–03), he averaged 12.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game (second in the

Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is one of the collegiate athletic conferences affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly I-A). The MW officially began operations ...

). In his senior season, Araújo led BYU in scoring (18.4 points per game), rebounding (10.1 rebounds per game), steals (43 total), and blocked shots (25). He was named Co-Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference, sharing the honor with

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

's Nick Welch.Araujo still eligible for MWC tourney
/ref> He was named 2nd Team NCAA All-American by ''Basketball Times'' and Honorable Mention All-American by the

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. With his size and strength, the 6-foot-11, 295-pound Araújo impressed many pro scouts during his senior season. On December 6, 2003, he dominated a tough

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

team, totaling 32 points and 17 rebounds in BYU's 76-71 upset victory. He concluded his collegiate career with a 24-point, 12-rebound performance in the Cougars' 80-75 loss to Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament.

Controversy

During the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis, Araújo tested positive for the steroid

nandrolone Nandrolone, also known as 19-nortestosterone, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) which is used in the form of esters such as nandrolone decanoate (brand name Deca-Durabolin) and nandrolone phenylpropionate (brand name Durabolin). Nandrolon ...

. He was given a 24-month suspension from international play. He was subsequently found clean during tests while a player at

BYU Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...

, and the NBA did not test players for steroid use. Araújo explained that the tests went positive because at the time he consumed a dietary supplement containing androstenedione, but he could still play because he was only suspended by

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its nam ...

, who does not sanction college basketball. Araújo was involved in multiple on-court incidents during his senior season at BYU. On March 6, 2004, Araújo was reprimanded by the Mountain West Conference (MWC) for hitting UNLV guard

Jerel Blassingame Jerel Romaine Blassingame (born September 12, 1981) is an American professional basketball player for AIK Basket of the Swedish second-tier Superettan. He is in height and plays at the point guard position. Amateur career Blassingame played at ...

during an 89-88 win.Mountain West Conference Reprimands Araujo
March 9, 2004 Six days later on March 12, in a 54-51 loss to

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, Araujo was charged with a technical foul for elbowing the Utes'

Andrew Bogut Andrew Michael Bogut (born 28 November 1984) is an Australian former basketball player who spent the majority of his professional career playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The tall center was selected by the Milwaukee Buck ...

in the head in the MWC Tournament.

Professional career

The

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

selected Araújo with the eighth pick in 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 ...

, making him the first college senior drafted that year, one pick ahead of future NBA finals MVP Andre Iguodala. His NBA career was mostly disappointing with him seeing limited action as a rookie, averaging 3.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game. He set a career-high with 14 rebounds against the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

on January 5, 2005. Days later, on January 9, he scored a career-high 14 points against the Golden State Warriors. He later matched that total against the Kings on November 25, 2005. In the 2005-06 season, he again struggled through a disappointing year and had trouble getting playing time, averaging 11.6 minutes a game, 2.3 points, and 2.8 rebounds while shooting a dismal 36.6% from the field. Shortly after that season, Toronto GM Rob Babcock was fired, and it was rumored that the firing, in part, had to do with the drafting of Araújo. The player claimed he did not play much with the Raptors because then-coach Sam Mitchell held a grudge against Babcock, and thus he did not want to put Babcock's draft pick on the court. On June 8, 2006, Araújo was traded to the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

with an undisclosed amount of money for

Kris Humphries Kristopher Nathan Humphries (born February 6, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA for the Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, New J ...

and Robert Whaley. Many viewed this as a new beginning for Araújo, a chance for him to change the direction of his career. He worked hard in Utah, dropping his weight from 295 pounds to 275 in an effort to improve his athleticism. He also expressed much interest as he already played in Utah during college. However, he did not fit in well in Utah's offense, which was already set with

Carlos Boozer Carlos Austin Boozer Jr. (born November 20, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. The two-time NBA All-Star played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers, and then spent his last seas ...

Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Gennadyevich Kirilenko (russian: Андрей Геннадьевич Кириленко; born February 18, 1981) is a Russian-American basketball executive and former professional basketball player, currently the commissioner of the Russ ...

and

Mehmet Okur Mehmet Murat Okur (born 26 May 1979) is a Turkish former professional basketball player. Listed at , he played as a power forward and center. Okur is known for his three-point shooting and ability to space the floor. In his seven seasons with ...

in the frontcourt, and Araújo played sparingly during the 2006-07 season. He averaged 2.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in 28 games, averaging only 8.9 minutes per appearance. Araújo's rookie contract expired after the 2006-07 season, and Jazz owner Larry H. Miller said publicly that he liked Araújo and hoped he could return to the team the following season. Araújo played for Utah in the 2007 Rocky Mountain Revue, but the Jazz signed 7-foot-1

Kyrylo Fesenko Kyrylo Anatoliyovych Fesenko ( uk, Кирило Анатолійович Фесенко; born 24 December 1986) is a Ukrainian professional basketball player for Al-Nasr SC of the Libyan Division I Basketball League. Standing at , he plays the c ...

during the offseason, filling the roster spot that Araújo held previously. With that opportunity gone, and his NBA career likely over, Araújo signed a 1-year, $500,000 contract to play for Spartak St. Petersburg in Russia. Araújo claimed that despite the easy adaptation, his lack of European passport and Spartak's underperformances led him to leave. Araújo was in training camp with the NBA's

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 ...

for 2008 but was waived before the 2008-09 season. He claimed that this happened because of the arrival of

Kevin Love Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time NBA All-Star Game, All-Star, a two-time member of the All-NBA ...

, and because Araújo was not in top shape due to an injured knee.Baby: “Não tive muitas chances (na NBA) e as que tive não foram justas”
After a brief and failed stint at the

Shanghai Sharks The Shanghai Sharks () are a Chinese Basketball Association team based in Shanghai. It is best known outside China as the club that developed Yao Ming before he entered the National Basketball Association. With Yao on the team, the Sharks made t ...

, in January 2009, Araújo signed with Brazilian club

Flamengo Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; English: ''Flamengo Rowing Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea, best known for their professional football ...

for the 2009 season. The details of his contract were not revealed. He became the star of the club's team alongside

Marcelinho Machado Marcelo "Marcelinho" Magalhães Machado (born 12 April 1975) is a former Brazilian professional basketball player. At a height of 2.01 m (6'7") tall, and a weight of 95 kg (210 lbs.), he played at the shooting guard and small forward ...

. Six months later, at the end of the 2009 season, he signed a deal with Paulistano for the 2009-10 season, and in June 2010 he transferred back to

signing a two-year contract. For his second stint at Flamengo, Araújo, for numerology reasons, changed the spelling of his nickname to "Bàbby" and his jersey number from 55 to 66. Araújo made headlines in January 2011 by shattering a glass backboard with a powerful dunk during a game in the

FIBA Americas League The FIBA Americas League ( Portuguese: ''FIBA Liga das Américas'', Spanish: ''FIBA Liga de las Américas''), officially abbreviated as the LDA, was the premier intercontinental basketball club competition played annually by clubs of the entire ...

. Video of the play was widely circulated across the Internet. In June 2011, he signed a deal with

Franca Basquetebol Clube Franca Basquetebol Clube (English: Franca Basketball Club), also known as Sesi/Franca for sponsorship reasons, is a Brazilian men's professional basketball club that is based in Franca, São Paulo state. It was founded on May 10, 1959. The club w ...

. In 2012, Araújo decided to retire, though he was open to return to basketball if he had a good proposal. In October 2012, Araujo returned to basketball, signing with

Mogi das Cruzes Mogi das Cruzes ( or ) is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, located within the metropolitan region of the state capital of the city of São Paulo. The population is 450,785 (2020 est.) in an area of 713 km2. It is located 40&n ...

. He moved to Pinheiros in 2014.

Career statistics

NBA

SourceRafael Araújo NBA Stats

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 2004–05 , align="left" ,

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, 59 , , 41 , , 12.5 , , .434 , , .333 , , .782 , , 3.1 , , .3 , , .4 , , .1 , , 3.3 , - , align="left" , 2005–06 , align="left" ,

, 52 , , 34 , , 11.6 , , .366 , , .000 , , .536 , , 2.8 , , .3 , , .5 , , .1 , , 2.3 , - , align="left" , 2006–07 , align="left" ,

, 28 , , 0 , , 8.9 , , .415 , , .000 , , .621 , , 2.4 , , .4 , , .2 , , .1 , , 2.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 139 , , 75 , , 11.4 , , .405 , , .250 , , .679 , , 2.8 , , .3 , , .4 , , .1 , , 2.8

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 2007 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 5.6 , , .375 , , .000 , , .417 , , 2.2 , , .2 , , .2 , , .0 , , 2.2

References

External links

* *
NBA Draft BustsPlayer profile
@ Flamengo.com.br
Ex-Toronto Raptor Rafael Araujo shatters backboard in Brazil (Video)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Araujo, Rafael 1980 births Living people Arizona Western Matadors men's basketball players BC Spartak Saint Petersburg players Brazilian expatriate basketball people in Canada Brazilian expatriate basketball people in the United States Brazilian expatriate basketball people in Russia Brazilian men's basketball players BYU Cougars men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Club Athletico Paulistano basketball players Esporte Clube Pinheiros basketball players Flamengo basketball players Franca Basquetebol Clube players Mogi das Cruzes Basquete players National Basketball Association players from Brazil Novo Basquete Brasil players Sportspeople from Curitiba Toronto Raptors draft picks Toronto Raptors players Utah Jazz players 2002 FIBA World Championship players