Demetris Nichols (born September 4, 1984) is a retired 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. He can play at both 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 stronge ...

and

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 ...

positions. Nichols played

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 ...

with the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team, and has been a member of 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 Central ...

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 ...

, and

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

of the NBA.

High school career

Nichols was coached by Mike Hart at St. Andrew's High School, where he helped his club to a 28-8 record and won the New England Prep School Athletic Conference title, tallying 15 points and 13 rebounds in the championship game against Lawrence Academy. His senior year, he averaged 18.6 points and 8.9 rebounds a game. He was a three-time Street & Smith's Magazine Honorable Mention All-American, a 2003 third-team ''Parade'' All-American, the 2003 Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year, and the EA Sports Roundball Game All-American. He was rated 50th overall and 14th among small forwards by

ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including: ...

. He was successfully recruited by

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

College career

Nichols appeared in 26 games for the Orange during his freshman year, starting 15 of them. His best performance of the season was a seven-rebound and team-leading 17-point performance against Providence. He also scored 10 points against BYU and nine points against Maryland in the NCAA Tournament, in which Syracuse advanced to the Sweet 16. In his sophomore year, Nichols would start the first eight games of the season before he was forced out of the lineup with a back injury. He would play in 27 games that season, averaging 3.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. Nichols posted the sixth-best scoring average improvement in Syracuse history, going from 3.9 points per game as a sophomore to 13.3 points per game in 2005–06 in his junior year. He ranked second on the team in scoring and third in rebounding (5.8 rebounds per game). Nichols scored a season-high 28 points against

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 (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

and averaged 13.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in the Big East Tournament. Nichols' senior season proved to be his best one at Syracuse, as he was a unanimous selection for the All-Big East First Team. He was also a NABC and USBWA All-District First Team selection after leading the Big East in scoring (18.9 points per game) and finished third in conference play (17.9 points per game). He also set a Syracuse record in Big East games with a career-high 37 points, including seven three-pointers, to go along with 10 rebounds against St. John's. In March 2007, Nichols was elected to participate in the 19th Annual State Farm College Three-Point Championship. He finished second to Aaron Brooks. Nichols finished his Syracuse career tied for 28th in career scoring (1,344), third in three-point goals (205), fourth in three-point field goals attempted (573) and 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.358).

Professional career

Nichols was taken in the second round (53rd overall) by 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 ...

in the 2007 NBA draft, but immediately traded to the

in exchange for the Knicks' 2008 second round draft choice. Nichols participated in the July 2007 Las Vegas Summer League with the Knicks and averaged 15.6 points on 53 percent shooting, including 23 points in the final game against the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. He was second on the team in scoring as the Knicks went a perfect 5-0. Following the summer league, Nichols fired his agent after the Knicks were attempting to work out a deal to send Nichols to Europe for the 2007–08 season. Originally, the Knicks had wanted Nichols to play in Italy because they had 17 contracts and only 15 roster spots. When Nichols heard of the arrangement, he fired then-agent Bill Duffy in favor of Bill Neff and refused the Knicks' request. On October 1, Nichols was signed to the Knicks roster along with four other newcomers. However, he was subsequently released by the Knicks on October 25, as the team needed to cut down its roster to 15 players. Then on October 29, he was signed by the

to fill the 15th spot on their opening day roster. Nichols sat on the bench for the first month of his time with the Cavaliers, but saw his first action on November 28, scoring 2 points in 8 minutes of playing time. On December 5, 2007, Nichols was waived to clear roster space after the Cavs re-signed

Anderson Varejão Anderson França Varejão (; born September 28, 1982) is a Brazilian former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), 13 of those with the Cleveland Cavaliers. With a career that spanned ...

to end a contract dispute. He was subsequently claimed by the

and assigned to the

Iowa Energy Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

of the

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 ...

. After averaging 19.3 points per game in 14 appearances in the D-League, he was recalled to Chicago. He played his first game with the Bulls on January 23, 2008. He began the 2008–09 season with the Bulls, receiving marginal minutes in two early-season games. However, he was waived November 17. He rejoined the Energy in January 2009, scoring 11 points in his first game back in Des Moines. On March 6, 2009, Nichols signed a 10-day contract with the

. On December 1, 2009, Nichols signed with the French team

BCM Gravelines Basket Club Maritime Gravelines-Dunkerque, commonly referred to as BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque, is a French professional basketball club based in Gravelines. They currently play in the Pro A, the highest professional league in France. The team play ...

. In the summer of 2010, Nichols played for the

in the

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season competition organized by the National Basketball Association. NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups ...

. In November 2010, he signed a contract with French club

JA Vichy Jeanne d'Arc de Vichy-Clermont Métropole was a professional basketball club based in Vichy, France. The club played their home games at both Maison des Sports de Clermont-Ferrand and Palais des Sports de Vichy. In 2015, JA Vichy and Stade Clermo ...

, until the end of the season. In August 2012, Nichols played for the

Metros de Santiago Metros de Santiago is a professional basketball team based in Santiago de los Caballeros, Santiago, Dominican Republic. The team currently plays in the Dominican top division Liga Nacional de Baloncesto. Championships Liga Nacional de Baloncesto ...

, of the Dominican Republic. Later that year, Nichols joined the

Sioux Falls Skyforce The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team plays their home games in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have call ...

of 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 ...

. On February 4, 2013, Nichols was named to the Prospects All-Star roster for the 2013

NBA D-League All-Star Game The NBA D-League All-Star Game was an annual exhibition basketball game held by the NBA Development League (D-League). The D-League was founded in 2001 as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) and later as the NBA Development League. Th ...

. In September 2013, he signed a contract with the Russian team Krasnye Krylia. On August 18, 2014, Nichols signed a two-week tryout contract with

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet era, it was a central piece of the big So ...

. Nichols eventually extended his contract until the end of 2014–15 season. CSKA Moscow finished the season by winning the

VTB United League VTB United League (russian: Единая Лига ВТБ) is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2008. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, it ...

, after eliminating Khimki with a 3–0 series sweep in the league's final playoff series. On July 24, 2015, he re-signed with CSKA for one more season. He parted ways with the team on June 18, 2016. On September 2, 2016, Nichols signed with Greek club Panathinaikos for the 2016–17 season. On July 30, 2017, Nichols signed with Croatian club

Cedevita Zagreb Košarkaški klub Cedevita Junior ( en, Cedevita Junior Basketball Club), also known as Cedevita Junior, is a men's basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is named after its main sponsor Cedevita, and competes in the Croatian HT Pre ...

for the 2017–18 season. On August 5, 2018, Nichols signed a deal with the Italian club

Sidigas Avellino S.S. Felice Scandone was an Italian professional basketball club based in Avellino, Campania. Founded in 1948, the team has been a regular in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the first tier of basketball in Italy, for 19 years (2000/01 to 2018/19). ...

for the

2018–19 LBA season The 2018–19 LBA season, also known as Serie A PosteMobile for sponsorship reasons, was the 97th season of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the men's top tier professional basketball division of the Italian basketball league system (LBA). The regul ...

International career

Nichols was a member of the 2002 USA Development Festival East Team that finished 3-2 and earned the silver medal. He averaged 14.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in five games. Nichols was invited to try out for the 2004 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Men's Qualifying Team. He participated in the first round of July workouts, but did not make the team.

The Basketball Tournament

Demetris Nichols played for Boeheim's Army in the 2018 edition of

The Basketball Tournament The Basketball Tournament (TBT) is an open-application, single-elimination tournament played each summer in the United States. The 2022 edition features 64 teams with a $1 million winner-take-all prize, broadcast by ESPN. TBT was founded in 20 ...

. In 4 games, he averaged 14.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1 assist per game all while shooting 63 percent from 3 point range. Boeheim's Army reached the Northeast Regional Championship before falling to the Golden Eagles.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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

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New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

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EuroLeague

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Domestic leagues

References

External links

Demetris Nichols
at draftexpress.com
Demetris Nichols
at espn.com
Demetris Nichols
at euroleague.net

at fiba.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Demetris 1984 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Croatia American expatriate basketball people in the Dominican Republic American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Russia American men's basketball players Basketball players from Boston BC Krasnye Krylia players BCM Gravelines players Capitanes de Arecibo players Chicago Bulls players Cholet Basket players Cleveland Cavaliers players Iowa Energy players JA Vichy players KK Cedevita players Lega Basket Serie A players New York Knicks players Panathinaikos B.C. players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) PBC CSKA Moscow players Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Power forwards (basketball) Sioux Falls Skyforce players Small forwards S.S. Felice Scandone players Syracuse Orange men's basketball players