Wayne Anthony Simien Jr. (born March 9, 1983) 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player, who last played with Spain's Cáceres Ciudad de Baloncesto. He was a member of 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 (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...
when they won the
2006 NBA championship. Simien played in college at the
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...
, where he was a consensus first-team
All-American his
senior year in
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
.
High school career
Growing up, Simien was a
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...
fan due to his proximity to
Lawrence
Lawrence may refer to:
Education Colleges and universities
* Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States
* Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States
Preparator ...
. He committed to play for
Roy Williams and the University of Kansas as early as the 8th or 9th grade, and was later named to the 2001
McDonald's All-American Team
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 ...
. He played for the Leavenworth Pioneers in high school with Coach Larry Hogan and led the Pioneers to a 6A-State Championship his junior year in high school. During his high school career, he began working with world-renowned conditioning coach
Istvan Javorek.
College career
At Kansas, Simien received
All-American honors his junior and senior years. He was a
Wooden Award
The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the ...
finalist both years, and was the
Big 12
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its fo ...
Player of the Year his senior year. His
college career ended when Kansas was defeated by 14th-seeded
Bucknell in the first round of the
2005 NCAA tournament. While at Kansas he won three Big 12 Championships and earned four NCAA Tournament berths including two Final Four appearances (one national runner-up finish) and one Elite 8 finish. Simien finished his college career with 110 wins and a 12–4 NCAA Tournament record. Simien was the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award winner his final year, recognizing him as the nation's top senior men's basketball player. He finished his career as the 12th leading all-time scorer at Kansas with 1,593 points. Kansas retired his number 23 jersey on January 29, 2011.
College statistics
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2001–02
, style="text-align:left;",
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
, 32, , -, , 15.3, , .553, , -, , .738, , 5.3, , .3, , .6, , .8, , 8.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2002–03
, style="text-align:left;",
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
, 16, , -, , 24.4, , .646, , -, , .676, , 8.2, , .6, , .9, , .3, , 14.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2003–04
, style="text-align:left;",
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
, 32, , -, , 32.7, , .532, , .182, , .811, , 9.3, , 1.2, , .9, , .9, , 17.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2004–05
, style="text-align:left;",
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
, 26, , -, , 34.3, , .552, , .286, , .816, , 11.0, , 1.4, , .6, , .6, , 20.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Career
, style="text-align:left;",
, 106, , -, , 26.6, , .566, , .24, , .784, , 8.3, , 0.9, , .7, , .7, , 15.0
Professional career
Simien was selected with the 29th overall selection of the
2005 NBA Draft
The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players f ...
by 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 (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...
, with whom he won a championship in
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
. During
the regular season, he appeared in 43 games (about 10 minutes per game), averaging 3 points and 2
rebounds
'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...
, but only managed two
postseason appearances.
Simien could not participate in the Heat's 2006 Summer League program because of a
salmonella
''Salmonella'' is a genus of rod-shaped (bacillus) Gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The two species of ''Salmonella'' are ''Salmonella enterica'' and ''Salmonella bongori''. ''S. enterica'' is the type species and is fur ...
infection. His contribution during
the season consisted of eight games.
Simien was traded from the Heat along with
Antoine Walker
Antoine Devon Walker (born August 12, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft out of the University of Kentucky and played in the NBA from 1996 to 2008. Walker ...
and
Michael Doleac
Michael Scott Doleac (born June 15, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player.
Doleac was selected 12th overall in the 1998 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in Portland, Oregon in 1 ...
to the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 24, 2007, for
Ricky Davis
Tyree Ricardo Davis (born September 23, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who played twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for University of Iowa.
Biography
Davis atten ...
and
Mark Blount
Mark D. Blount ( ; born November 30, 1975) is an American retired professional basketball center with four teams in the National Basketball Association between 2000 and 2009.
Career
Blount spent his freshman year of high school in Summerville, ...
. However, on October 29, Simien was waived by the Wolves in order for them to keep their roster at the 15-player limit.
He was given a Summer League invitation by the
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
, but did not play due to a
hamstring
In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury.
In quadrupeds, ...
injury. He later received a training camp invitation from 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 (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...
which was subsequently withdrawn. Simien joined, in October 2008,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
's
Cáceres 2016 Basket, in the
country's second level.
Simien decided to retire from professional basketball on May 5, 2009, to pursue his
Christian ministry
In Christianity, ministry is an activity carried out by Christians to express or spread their faith, the prototype being the Great Commission. The '' Encyclopedia of Christianity'' defines it as "carrying forth Christ's mission in the world", in ...
called Called To Greatness. In August 2021, he took a position with the
University of Kansas Athletic Department as the
Associate Athletic Director of Engagment and Outreach.
Personal life
Simien married his wife, Katie, on July 8, 2006.
References
External links
*
College stats and info
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simien, Wayne
1983 births
Living people
African-American basketball players
All-American college men's basketball players
American Christians
American expatriate basketball people in Spain
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Kansas
Cáceres Ciudad del Baloncesto players
Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Miami Heat draft picks
Miami Heat players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Sportspeople from Leavenworth, Kansas
Power forwards (basketball)
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people