Rasheed Wesley Sulaimon (born March 9, 1994) is an American-Nigerian 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 for
Konyaspor
Konyaspor Kulübü (, Konya Sports Club) is a Turkish professional football club based in Konya. They are better known as Konyaspor. In 1922 Konyaspor were founded with the name Konya Gençlerbirliği and have played at their current home stadium ...
of
BSL. He was selected as a
McDonald's All-American
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger s ...
as well as a Jordan Brand Classic All-American in 2012. He was the primary reserve off the bench for the
Duke Blue Devils men's basketball
The Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represents Duke University in NCAA Division I college basketball and competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The team is fourth all-time in wins of any NCAA men's basketball program, and is cu ...
team during the 2014–15 season before being dismissed from the team on January 29, 2015.
He subsequently transferred to Maryland for his senior season.
College recruitment
Receiving offers from many colleges around the country, including
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 ...
,
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
,
Baylor,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
and
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
, Sulaimon committed to
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
on February 10, 2011 during an unofficial visit, signing a
National Letter of Intent on November 9, 2011.
College career
Sulaimon was dismissed from the Duke basketball program on January 29, 2015, after appearing in 90 games over three seasons.
[ He was the first player ever dismissed by coach ]Mike Krzyzewski
Michael William Krzyzewski ( ; born February 13, 1947), nicknamed "Coach K", is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at Duke University from 1980 to 2022, during which he led the Blue Devils to five nati ...
for failing to meet the standards set for a Duke basketball player. It was later revealed that two women had accused Sulaimon of sexual assault in the months preceding his eventual dismissal.
Sulaimon transferred to Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
for his senior season, where in 36 games, he averaged 11.3 points on .425 shooting from three-point range, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 32.9 minutes per game, garnering a 2015–16 All-Big Ten honorable mention.
Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Sulaimon joined 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 ...
for the 2016 NBA Summer League
The 2016 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League.
Ten teams participated in the week- ...
. On September 7, 2016, he signed with the Charlotte Hornets, but was waived on October 22 after appearing in four preseason games. On October 31, he was acquired by the Greensboro Swarm
The Greensboro Swarm are an American basketball team of the NBA G League based in Greensboro, North Carolina, and are affiliated with the Charlotte Hornets. The Swarm play their home games at the Greensboro Coliseum Fieldhouse. The team became ...
of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Hornets.
On July 3, 2020, he has signed with Casademont Zaragoza
Basket Zaragoza 2002 S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Basket Zaragoza and as Casademont Zaragoza for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Zaragoza, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB. Their home arena is th ...
of the Liga ACB. On October 8, Sulaimon was ruled out between six and eight weeks after injuring his leg.
On July 1, 2021, he signed with JL Bourg
Jeunesse Laïque de Bourg-en-Bresse, commonly known as JL Bourg or simply Bourg, is a basketball club based in Bourg-en-Bresse, France that plays in the Pro A. Their home arena is Ekinox, which has a capacity of 3,548 people.
History
In 2014, J ...
of LNB Pro A.
On July 15, 2022, he signed with Konyaspor
Konyaspor Kulübü (, Konya Sports Club) is a Turkish professional football club based in Konya. They are better known as Konyaspor. In 1922 Konyaspor were founded with the name Konya Gençlerbirliği and have played at their current home stadium ...
of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi
The Basketball Super League ( tr, Basketbol Süper Ligi; BSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replace ...
(BSL).
National team career
Sulaimon was selected for the Nigeria national basketball team
The Nigeria national basketball team represents Nigeria in men's international basketball and it is overseen by the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).
In March 2021, the global governing body FIBA ranked Nigeria as Africa's top men's basket ...
in November 2020, to play in the AfroBasket 2021 qualification
The AfroBasket 2021 qualification was a basketball competition that was played from January 2020 to July 2021, to determine the fifteen FIBA Africa nations who would join the automatically qualified host Rwanda at the AfroBasket 2021 final tourn ...
. He was forced to miss the games due to a leg injury, however.
Awards and honors
Club
;JDA Dijon
*LNB Pro A Leaders Cup
The LNB Pro A Leaders Cup, or French Basketball League Cup, is the annual national league cup competition for teams from the top-tier level of French professional basketball, the LNB Pro A. It was created in its current form in 2003 (after origi ...
: (2020)
*LNB Pro A Leaders Cup MVP: (2020)
High school
*2011 All American Championship
*2011 Nike Global Challenge
*2011 ESPN Boost Mobile Elite 24
*2012 McDonald's All-American
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger s ...
*2012 Jordan Brand Classic All American
*2012 First-team ''Parade'' All-American
*2012 Guy V. Lewis Award winne
References
External links
Maryland Terrapins bio
Duke Blue Devils bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sulaimon, Rasheed
1994 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in France
American expatriate basketball people in Spain
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Houston
Basket Zaragoza players
Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players
Greensboro Swarm players
JDA Dijon Basket players
JL Bourg-en-Bresse players
Liga ACB players
Maryland Terrapins men's basketball players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Nigerian men's basketball players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Metropolitans 92 players
Shooting guards
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory alumni