Nenê (; born Maybyner Rodney Hilário; September 13, 1982) 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. Known previously as Nenê Hilario, he legally changed his name to simply Nenê in 2003.

Early life

Born Maybyner Rodney Hilário in São Carlos, Brazil, he was nicknamed "Nenê" (a variation of

Brazilian Portuguese Brazilian Portuguese (' ), also Portuguese of Brazil (', ) or South American Portuguese (') is the set of varieties of the Portuguese language native to Brazil and the most influential form of Portuguese worldwide. It is spoken by almost all of ...

for ''baby'') because he was the youngest in both his family and his group of childhood friends. Like most Brazilian children, he played soccer from an early age; due to his skills, he was invited to train with pro clubs. In the mid-1990s, he started playing basketball at Escola de Basquete Meneghelli in his hometown. He later played professionally for Vasco da Gama from 1999 to 2002. In 2001, he joined the Brazilian national team and participated in the Goodwill Games.

Professional career

Denver Nuggets (2002–2012)

Nenê's successful three-year stint playing in Brazil earned him an NBA pre-draft camp invitation in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 2002. He was later selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft by the New York Knicks, who traded him to the Denver Nuggets. He was the first Brazilian ever to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft. Nenê began the 2002–03 season as a bench player, but ended it as a starter, averaging 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals. He ranked sixth in the NBA in field goal percentage (.519) and 20th in steals. He subsequently earned NBA All-Rookie first team honors. In his second season, Nenê played and started in 77 games, averaging 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 32.5 minutes per games. He ranked fourth in the NBA in field goal percentage (.530). In his third season, Nenê missed 27 games – 13 games due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, two games due to a right hip contusion, eight games due to a strained left hamstring, and four games due to an NBA suspension. He consequently played 55 games in 2004–05, averaging 9.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game. In 2005–06, Nenê missed 81 games after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee after just three minutes of action 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 the Denver's season opening game on November 1. After re-signing with the Nuggets to a six-year, $60 million contract on July 20, 2006, Nenê returned to action in 2006–07, averaging 12.2 points and 7.0 rebounds in 64 games (42 starts). In 2007–08, Nenê played in just 16 games, averaging 5.3 points and 5.4 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per game. He suffered a torn ulner collateral ligament in his left thumb against the Boston Celtics on November 7 and missed the next 22 games. On January 11, 2008, Nenê released a statement saying that he was taking an indefinite

leave of absence The labour law concept of leave, specifically paid leave or, in some countries' long-form, a leave of absence, is an authorised prolonged absence from work, for any reason authorised by the workplace. When people "take leave" in this way, they are ...

from the Denver Nuggets to address a medical issue. Three days later, he had a malignant

testicular tumor Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system. Symptoms may include a lump in the testicle, or swelling or pain in the scrotum. Treatment may result in infertility. Risk factors include an u ...

removed at a Denver hospital. His right testicle was removed as well. He returned to action on March 27, 2008, in the Nuggets' 118–105 home win over the Dallas Mavericks. Nenê entered the game with 1:17 left in the fourth quarter to a standing ovation. Nenê missed 37 games between January 11 and March 24, 2008 after his bout with testicular cancer. A right groin strain also forced him to miss the final six games of the season. In response to his poor run of injuries and missed time, Nenê had a career-best year in 2008–09. He appeared in 77 games (76 starts) and averaged career-highs of 14.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.31 blocks, in addition to 1.23 steals in 32.6 minutes per game. He subsequently finished fifth in voting for the 2008–09 NBA Most Improved Player award. He also ranked second in the NBA in field goal percentage (.604 – 428-of-709), the best single-season mark in Nuggets' franchise history. In 2009–10, Nenê played and started all 82 games for the first time in his career and averaged 13.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, a career-high 2.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks in a career-high 33.6 minutes per game. Nene Hilario Nuggets

In 2010–11, Nenê appeared in 75 games (starting all 75), averaging 14.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.12 steals while shooting an NBA-leading .615 from the field in 30.5 minutes per game. On December 14, 2011, Nenê re-signed with the Nuggets to a five-year, $67 million contract.

Washington Wizards (2012–2016)

On March 15, 2012, Nenê was traded to the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

in a three-way trade involving the Nuggets and the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

. He averaged 13.7 points and 7.5 rebounds in 39 total games (33 starts) with Washington and Denver during the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season. In 2012–13, Nenê averaged 12.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 27.2 minutes per game in 61 games (49 starts). On January 21, 2013, he scored a season-high 24 points in a 98–95 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. On November 26, 2013, Nenê scored a career-high 30 points in a 116–111 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Later that season, on February 22, Nenê matched that career-high in a 94–93 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. In 2014–15, various injuries and ailments limited Nenê's ability to produce at an optimum level, though he appeared in the most games (67) in five years. Towards the end of the season, when Nenê was relegated to more a supporting role to

Marcin Gortat Marcin Janusz Gortat (; born February 17, 1984) is a Polish former professional basketball player. The , center is the son of boxer Janusz Gortat. He was drafted in the second round by the Phoenix Suns in the 2005 NBA draft and played for the ...

, he was a better rebounder and did more of the dirty work required. He averaged 11.0 points and 5.1 rebounds on 51.1% shooting during the season. Nenê appeared in 12 of team's first 13 games to begin the 2015–16 season, but between November 28 and January 3, he missed 19 straight games with a strained left calf. On March 14, 2016, he scored a season-high 20 points off the bench in a 124–81 win over the Detroit Pistons, Washington's largest victory since the 2002–03 season.

Houston Rockets (2016–2020)

On July 20, 2016, Nenê signed with the Houston Rockets. He made his debut for the Rockets in their season opener on October 26, 2016, scoring seven points off the bench in a 120–114 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. On January 5, 2017, he scored a season-high 18 points for his 12th double-digit game of the season in a 118–116 win over the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. On April 23, 2017, he scored a playoff career-high 28 points on a perfect 12-of-12 shooting from the field to help the Rockets go up 3–1 in the team's first-round playoff series against the

. On May 8, 2017, Nenê was ruled out for the remainder of the postseason with a left adductor tear. He suffered the injury the previous day in Game 4 of the Rockets' second-round playoff series against the

. On July 6, 2017, Nenê re-signed with the Rockets. On December 16, 2017, he scored a season-high 16 points in a 115–111 win over the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

. Nenê missed the first 21 games of the 2018–19 season with a strained right calf. Nenê's final NBA game was Game 6 of the 2019 Western Conference Semifinals against the Golden State Warriors on May 10th, 2019. In his final game, Nenê recorded 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. He declined his $3.8 million player option, thus making him a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. On September 3, 2019, Nenê re-signed with the Rockets. Most of his 2019-20 salary was non-guaranteed in the form of a likely bonus. The NBA suspected cap circumvention and ruled that Nenê's salary value in a trade would only be the guaranteed $2.6 million and not the full value of $10 million. Due to a lingering hip injury, Nenê was unable to play in a single game for the Rockets in 2019-20. On February 5, 2020, Nenê was traded to 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 Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

in a four-team, 12-player trade. The following day, Nenê was waived by the Hawks.

National team career

Nenê has been a member of the senior

Brazilian national basketball team The Brazil national basketball team is governed by the Brazilian Basketball Confederation ( pt, Confederação Brasileira de Basketball), abbreviated as CBB. They have been a member of the International Federation of Basketball (FIBA), since 19 ...

. With Brazil, he played at the following major tournaments: the 2001 FIBA AmeriCup, the 2003 FIBA AmeriCup, the 2007 FIBA AmeriCup, the 2012 Summer Olympics, the

2014 FIBA World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. Hosted by Spain, it was the last tournament to be held on the then-current four-year cycle ...

, and the 2016 Summer Olympics. He won the silver medal at the 2001 FIBA AmeriCup.

Personal life

On January 14, 2008, Nenê had a malignant

removed. His right testicle was removed as well. In the years after his cancer scare, Nenê, a Christian, said God used cancer to test him and prepare him for helping others. Upon retiring from basketball, Nenê plans to become involved with church activities in Brazil. Nenê has three sons with wife Lauren Prothe.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 80 , , 53 , , 28.2 , , .519 , , .000 , , .578 , , 6.1 , , 1.9 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 77 , , 32.5 , , .530 , , .000 , , .682 , , 6.5 , , 2.2 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 55 , , 18 , , 23.9 , , .503 , , .000 , , .660 , , 5.9 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .9 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 1 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .000 , , , , , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 64 , , 42 , , 26.8 , , .570 , , .000 , , .689 , , 7.0 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 16 , , 1 , , 16.6 , , .408 , , .000 , , .551 , , 5.4 , , .9 , , .6 , , .9 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 76 , , 32.6 , , .604 , , .200 , , .723 , , 7.8 , , 1.4 , , 1.2 , , 1.3 , , 14.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 33.6 , , .587 , , .000 , , .704 , , 7.6 , , 2.5 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , 13.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 75 , , 30.5 , , style="background:#cfecec;", .615* , , .200 , , .711 , , 7.6 , , 2.0 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 14.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 28 , , 27 , , 29.5 , , .509 , , .000 , , .677 , , 7.4 , , 2.2 , , 1.3 , , .9 , , 13.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 11 , , 6 , , 25.8 , , .607 , , .000 , , .657 , , 7.5 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , 1.2 , , 14.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 61 , , 49 , , 27.2 , , .480 , , .000 , , .729 , , 6.7 , , 2.9 , , .9 , , .6 , , 12.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 53 , , 37 , , 29.4 , , .503 , , .200 , , .583 , , 5.5 , , 2.9 , , 1.2 , , .9 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 67 , , 58 , , 25.3 , , .511 , , .200 , , .604 , , 5.1 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 57 , , 11 , , 19.2 , , .544 , , .000 , , .578 , , 4.5 , , 1.7 , , .9 , , .5 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

, 67 , , 8 , , 17.9 , , .617 , , .333 , , .589 , , 4.2 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , .6 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 52 , , 4 , , 14.6 , , .569 , , .000 , , .636 , , 3.4 , , 0.9 , , .5 , , .3 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 42 , , 2 , , 13.0 , , .517 , , .000 , , .660 , , 2.9 , , 0.6 , , .4 , , .4 , , 3.6 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 965 , , 626 , , 26.2 , , .548 , , .132 , , .660 , , 6.0 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , 11.3

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2004 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 5 , , 26.4 , , .444 , , , , .538 , , 5.0 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 20.2 , , .429 , , , , .652 , , 5.0 , , .4 , , .4 , , .4 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 5 , , 35.8 , , .585 , , , , .778 , , 7.8 , , 2.4 , , .6 , , .6 , , 15.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

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, 3 , , 0 , , 10.0 , , .556 , , , , 1.000 , , 2.3 , , .3 , , .7 , , .3 , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009 , style="text-align:left;",

, 16 , , 16 , , 32.8 , , .548 , , , , .657 , , 7.5 , , 2.6 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2010 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 5 , , 33.8 , , .621 , , , , .583 , , 5.8 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 11.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 5 , , 32.4 , , .478 , , , , .563 , , 9.0 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 10 , , 32.5 , , .464 , , , , .346 , , 5.3 , , 2.6 , , .9 , , 1.1 , , 13.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015 , style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 10 , , 25.7 , , .447 , , , , .478 , , 6.6 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .3 , , 7.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 0 , , 17.9 , , .706 , , .000 , , .581 , , 4.7 , , .6 , , .7 , , .4 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 0 , , 9.7 , , .600 , , , , .636 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , .2 , , .5 , , 2.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 0 , , 7.6 , , 1.000 , , , , .778 , , 2.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 3.9 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 91 , , 56 , , 24.2, , .530 , , .000 , , .595 , , 5.4 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , .5 , , 9.2

References

External links

ESPN.com profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nene 1982 births Living people 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Basketball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Brazilian expatriate basketball people in the United States Brazilian men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games CR Vasco da Gama basketball players Denver Nuggets players Goodwill Games medalists in basketball Houston Rockets players National Basketball Association players from Brazil New York Knicks draft picks Novo Basquete Brasil players Olympic basketball players of Brazil People from São Carlos Power forwards (basketball) Washington Wizards players Sportspeople from São Paulo (state) Brazilian American American people of Brazilian descent