Samardo Samuels (born January 9, 1989) is a Jamaican 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 Bashkimi Prizren of the

Kosovo Basketball Superleague The Kosovo Basketball Superleague ( Albanian: Superliga e Kosovës në Basketboll) and known as the ArtMotion Superliga due to sponsorship reasons is the top men's professional basketball league in Kosovo. Basketball Superleague was founded in 199 ...

. He is a tall

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 ...

–

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

who attended college at the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one o ...

High school career

Samuels attended

Saint Benedict's Preparatory School St. Benedict's Preparatory School is a Catholic college preparatory school in Newark, New Jersey run by the Benedictines. The school serves boys and girls in kindergarten through twelfth grade on a urban campus. The school has been accredit ...

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.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 ...

and 2nd in the nation by Scout.com. He, alongside class of 2010 star

Tristan Thompson Tristan Trevor James Thompson (born March 13, 1991) is a Canadian-American professional basketball player who last played for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won the 2016 NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavali ...

led St. Benedicts's Prep to a 24–1 record in the 2007–2008 season. At season's end St. Benedict's was ranked #2 in the nation by ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

''. He played in the two top all-American games, the McDonald's All-American Game and 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 ...

College career

Samuels decided to attend the

for college. He chose the

Cardinals Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

over

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, Georgetown and

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 ...

. At Louisville, Samuels started every game that he played in and led the 2009–10 team in scoring and rebounding. After his sophomore year, he decided to skip his final two years of college eligibility and enter 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 ...

Professional career

Cleveland Cavaliers (2010–13)

After going undrafted in the

, Samuels played for 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 the 2010 NBA Summer League, averaging 12.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. On August 17, 2010, Samuels signed a 3-year, $2.3 million contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. A portion of the deal was guaranteed. He debuted against 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 ...

, on October 29, and scored 7 points. On December 27, 2010 he was sent to the Erie BayHawks, the Cavs' affiliate in the NBA Development League. On January 1, after two games in 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 ...

, he was recalled by the Cavs. On March 2, 2011, Samuels made his first career start against 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 ...

in place of the injured Antawn Jamison and scored a career high 23 points while pulling down 10 rebounds. On December 28, 2012, Samuels was assigned to the

Canton Charge The Cleveland Charge are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cleveland, Ohio, and are affiliated with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team plays its home games at the Wolstein Center in downtown Cleveland. The fr ...

of the D-League. He was recalled on December 31, 2012. On January 6, 2013, he was waived by the Cavaliers.

Several short stints (2013)

Following the waiving by the Cavaliers, he was acquired by the D-League's

Reno Bighorns 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 ...

on January 17, 2013. On April 7, 2013, Samuels signed with the Israeli club

Hapoel Jerusalem Hapoel Jerusalem is a sport organization in Jerusalem as a local branch of the Hapoel movement. The branch was established in the 1920s and represents the city in more sports than any other sport organization in Jerusalem. Today, the club's leadi ...

for the rest of the 2012–13 season.

Olimpia Milano (2013–15)

On July 25, 2013, he signed a two-year deal with the Italian club

Emporio Armani Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...

. In his first Euroleague season with Milano, he averaged 9.5 points and 3.9 rebounds over 25 games. In his second season with Milano, he elevated his game and averaged 12.9 points and 5.4 rebounds over 23 Euroleague games. In the summer of 2015, he parted ways with Olimpia Milano.

Barcelona (2015–16)

On July 22, 2015, Samuels signed a two-year deal with the Spanish club FC Barcelona Lassa. On September 11, 2015, Barcelona announced that Samuels has suffered right hand injury and will miss about 6 weeks of action. In his third consecutive Euroleague season, his role in the new team decreased, and he had averages of 6 points and 2.8 rebounds over 26 games. On August 16, 2016, he parted ways with Barcelona.

Jiangsu Dragons (2016–17)

On August 17, 2016, Samuels signed with the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

club

Jiangsu Dragons Jiangsu Dragons Kentier (), also known as Jiangsu Dragons or Jiangsu Kentier, are a Chinese professional basketball team in the Southern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Nanjing, Jiangsu. History In the 2004–05 seaso ...

for the 2016–17 CBA season.

Several short stints (2017–present)

On March 17, 2017, he signed with the Italian club Enel Brindisi for the rest of the

2016–17 LBA season The 2016–17 LBA season, was the 95th season of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), known for sponsorship reasons as the Serie A PosteMobile, the highest-tier level professional basketball league in Italy. The regular season started on 2 October 201 ...

. On August 18, 2017, Samuels signed with the Spanish club Real Betis Energía Plus. On September 21, 2017, he parted ways with Real Betis Energía Plus before appearing in a game for them. On October 16, 2017, Samuels signed with the Serbian club

Partizan Partizan may refer to: Sport * JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs: **AK Partizan, athletics ** Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling ** Džudo Klub Partizan, judo **FK Partizan, association fo ...

for the rest of the 2017–18 season. He was suspended by the club on November 15, for the violation of club's discipline and the provisions of the contract, day after Partizan lost in a EuroCup game against Alba Berlin. The suspension came as a result of his public criticism of the club, head coach

Miroslav Nikolić Miroslav "Muta" Nikolić ( sr, Мирослав Николић; born 8 January 1956) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. Playing career Nikolić played professional basketball for KK Goša from Smederevska Palanka, OK ...

and other inappropriate remarks toward female journalists. Shortly after, he parted ways with the club. On February 14, 2018, Samuels signed with the French club

Limoges CSP Limoges Cercle Saint-Pierre, commonly referred to as Limoges CSP or CSP, is a French professional basketball club based in the city of Limoges. History The club was founded in 1929, but its peak was during the 1980s and 1990s, when they became t ...

for the rest of the 2017–18 season. After averaging 11 points and 4 rebounds per game, he re-signed with the club on August 20, 2018. On February 16, 2020, Samuels signed with Chorale Roanne Basket. In December 2020, Samuels signed with

Maccabi Hod HaSharon Maccabi Hod HaSharon ( he, מכבי הוד השרון) is a professional basketball club based in Hod HaSharon in the Sharon region, Central District of Israel. The team plays in the Israeli National League. History Alumni Maccabi Hod Hasharo ...

. He played 17 games in the

Liga Leumit Liga Leumit ( he, ליגה לאומית, lit. ''National League'') is the second division of the Israeli Football League, and below its Premier League. Structure There are 16 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the two lowest-place ...

, the second national tier, and averaged 16.2 points and 7.8 rebounds. On April 18, 2021, he has signed with

Hapoel Haifa Hapoel Haifa Football Club ( he, מועדון הכדורגל הפועל חיפה, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Haifa'') is an Israeli football club located in the city of Haifa. The club won one championship (1998–99) and 4 Israeli cups (1 ...

of the

Israel Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball c ...

. On August 10, 2021, Samuels signed a one-year contract with Dutch club

ZZ Leiden ZZ Leiden Basketball, also known as Zorg en Zekerheid Leiden, is a basketball club based in Leiden, Netherlands. The club plays in the BNXT League, the domestic first tier league. Their home games are played at Vijf Meihal, which has 2,000 seats. ...

of the BNXT League. On August 30, 2021, he parted away with his club without playing a single game. Reason was that the work permit procedure took too long. Samuels subsequently joined

Libertadores de Querétaro Libertadores de Querétaro (English: ''Querétaro Liberators'') is a professional Mexican basketball team, based in Querétaro City, Querétaro. The Libertadores are part of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional, the top professional basket ...

of the

Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional The National Professional Basketball League ( or LNBP) is the top professional basketball league in Mexico. The league was founded in 2000 with 10 teams. Despite its short history, the LNBP has established itself as the one of the most important ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, 37 , , 10 , , 18.9 , , .456 , , .000 , , .618 , , 4.3 , , .5 , , .4 , , .5 , , 7.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 54 , , 0 , , 15.3 , , .455 , , .000 , , .701 , , 3.3 , , .4 , , .4 , , .4 , , 5.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 18 , , 1 , , 10.9 , , .367 , , .000 , , .583 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .2 , , .2 , , 3.2 , - class="sortbottom" , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 109 , , 11 , , 15.8 , , .445 , , .000 , , .653 , , 3.4 , , .4 , , .3 , , .4 , , 5.9

Career highs

*Points: 23 vs. San Antonio 03/02/11 *Rebounds: 10 3 times *Assists: 3 vs. San Antonio 03/02/11 *Steals: 3 @ L.A. Clippers 03/19/11 *Blocks: 3 vs. New Orleans 03/06/11

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;",

Milano Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ha ...

, 25 , , 23 , , 22.2 , , .503 , , .444 , , .730 , , 3.9 , , .2 , , .4 , , .3 , , 9.5 , , 8.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;", Milano , 23 , , 21 , , 26.1 , , .548 , , .233 , , .692 , , 5.4 , , .7 , , .4 , , .5 , , 12.9 , , 14.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, 26 , , 4 , , 13.2 , , .505 , , .000 , , .632 , , 2.8 , , .5 , , .2 , , .4 , , 6.0 , , 6.8 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 74 , , 48 , , 24.1 , , .522 , , .250 , , .685 , , 4.0 , , .5 , , .3 , , .4 , , 9.3 , , 9.7

Career highs

*Points: 36 vs.

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 ...

26 February 2015 *Rebounds: 12 vs.

Anadolu Efes Anadolu Efes Biracılık ve Malt Sanayii A.Ş.''(lit. Anadolu Efes Brewery and Malt Industries)'' produces and markets beer and malt and non-alcoholic beverages in a wide geographical area comprising Turkey, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independe ...

21 March 2014 *Assists: 3 vs.

Turów Zgorzelec PGE Turów Zgorzelec is a Polish a basketball team based in Zgorzelec. The club played in the Polish League (PLK) and won the Polish championship once, in the 2013–14 season. The club was sponsored by the PGE Group, and they are also the clu ...

13 November 2014 *Steals: 4 vs. Laboral Kutxa 13 March 2014 *Blocks: 4 vs. Stelmet Zielona Góra 23 October 2015

High school career

College career

Professional career

Cleveland Cavaliers (2010–13)

Several short stints (2013)

Olimpia Milano (2013–15)

Barcelona (2015–16)

Jiangsu Dragons (2016–17)

Several short stints (2017–present)

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Career highs

EuroLeague

Career highs

References

External links