Vakeaton Quamar "Von" Wafer (born July 21, 1985) 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. He 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 ...

for the

Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivi ...

. Wafer has previously played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA) with the

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

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

and

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

. He was the 39th overall selection (ninth pick of the second round) in 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 fr ...

by the Lakers. His nickname is "The Dutch Cookie".

High school

Wafer attended Pineview High School in

Lisbon, Louisiana Lisbon is a village in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 185 at the 2010 census. Lisbon is located east of the parish seat of Homer. In the late 19th century Lisbon was the location of the former Lisbon Academy, atte ...

during his freshman, sophomore and junior years of high school. He averaged 32 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists during his junior season. Up to that point, Wafer was a virtual unknown on the national recruiting scene. Tim Loring, the coach of the Arkansas Wings AAU team, invited Wafer to play for them the summer before his senior year. This allowed Wafer to display his skills on a wider stage, and by the end of the summer, he was considered to be one of the top ten seniors on many recruiting lists. He was also briefly at R.L. Paschal High School and

Laurinburg Institute Laurinburg Institute is a historic African American preparatory school in Laurinburg, North Carolina. The school was founded in 1904 by Emmanuel Monty and Tinny McDuffie at the request of Booker T. Washington. Emmanuel McDuffie was a graduate ...

his senior year before deciding to attend and play at Heritage Christian Academy in

Cleveland, Texas Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area and Liberty County. The population was 7,471 at the 2020 census. History In 1854, a church and convent were built by Father Pet ...

, where he averaged 26 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocks per game. Wafer was the seventh

McDonald's High School All-American 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 ...

to play at

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

. During the game, he scored 8 points and finished second to

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...

in the McDonald's All-American slam-dunk contest.

College

During his freshman year at

in the 2003–04 season, Wafer averaged 7.9 points in 17.5 minutes a game with the

Seminoles The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and ...

. He ranked third among all ACC freshmen with 43 three-point field goals made and scored in double figures 12 times. As a sophomore during the 2004–05 season, he led the team in scoring (12.5 ppg) and three-point field goals made (65). He made more than one three-point field goal in 14 games and surpassed the 20-point mark on six occasions. Despite some success that year, he was suspended for two games early in the season and benched frequently later. The ''

Tallahassee Democrat The ''Tallahassee Democrat'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper. It covers the area centered on Tallahassee in Leon County, Florida, as well as adjacent Gadsden County, Jefferson County, and Wakulla County. The newspaper is owned by Gannett Co., ...

'' reported that his family explained the suspensions were because of missed classes and study sessions.

Professional career

Wafer declared himself as an early-entry candidate for the

after his sophomore year at FSU despite many draft experts predicting he would not be drafted. There were several hurdles he had to overcome to become a viable option for an NBA team to select him. Wafer was not invited to the annual

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

pre-draft camp, which provides players who are not viewed as first-round prospects a chance to display their abilities in front of NBA team personnel. During a workout with the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

, Wafer reportedly was frustrated by the physical play from

Jan Jagla Jan-Hendrik Jagla (born 25 June 1981) is a former German professional basketball player. Though he stands 7 feet tall, Jagla has the game of a 2-guard, and his game somewhat resembles that of Dirk Nowitzki. Jagla was also known to be a point forwa ...

, and responded by laying an intentional elbow to Jagla's nose, then walked off the court and ended the workout at that point. Los Angeles Lakers scout Irving Thomas, who played two seasons at FSU, saw three Seminoles games during the 2004–05 season and helped arrange a workout for Wafer with the Lakers. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak saw enough of Wafer's ability that they used the second of their two second-round picks to select Wafer in the draft. Wafer was placed on waivers by the Lakers on October 26, 2006. He played in only one pre-season game due to a bruised left heel. Wafer then played for the

Colorado 14ers Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of th ...

of the

NBA Development 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 ...

during 2006–07, and was named Player of the Month in January 2007. He was signed to a ten-day contract by the

on February 21. He played one minute without scoring before being waived a week later.Clippers Sign Will Conroy to 10-Day Contract
/ref> On April 12, 2007, the

signed Wafer for the remainder of the 2006–07 season. On February 21, 2008, the Denver Nuggets traded Wafer to the

for

Taurean Green Taurean James Green (born November 28, 1986) is a Georgian-American professional basketball player who last played for Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski of the Polish Basketball League (PLK). He is the son of former NBA journeyman Sidney Green. Green ...

. Wafer changed his number from 22 (which he wore with the Nuggets) to 24, as number 22 had been retired by the Trail Blazers to honor

Clyde Drexler Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player and the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association ...

Houston Rockets

Wafer was signed by the Houston Rockets and managed to keep a spot on the team due to his hot shooting in the preseason. On January 13, 2009, Wafer scored a career-high 23 points on 10-14 shooting in 39 minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers. He found a regular place in the Rockets' starting lineup due to good performance as well as an injury to regular starter Tracy McGrady. He continued to impress by scoring 21 points versus the Jazz and hitting the game-winning three at a game in Boston that the Rockets won 89–85. In that month he averaged 14.3 points per game. After Wafer moved to a team in Greece, the Rockets offered him a contract midway through the next season. He signed the contract, but failed his physical, so he could not join the Rockets.

Olympiacos Piraeus

Wafer joined the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Euroleague club Olympiacos Piraeus in August 2009, signing a two-year $10 million gross income contract.ESPN.com Wafer says he's signed with Olympiakos.
/ref> He was then waived by Olympiacos in December 2009. Wafer shot 36.4% from the field and averaged 3.0 points per game and 1.3 rebounds per game in the Greek A1 League with Olympiacos. In Euroleague play, he shot 50% from the field and averaged 7.7 points per game, 1.3 rebounds per game, and 1.0 assists per game.

Dallas Mavericks

On February 24, 2010, Wafer signed a ten-day contract with the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. Th ...

. He was not expected to crack the rotation during his tenure and although he was eligible to play six games, Wafer finished his contract with Dallas without playing a single minute.Report: C's sign Von Wafer - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston
/ref>

Boston Celtics

On July 3, 2010, Wafer signed a free agent deal with the

. On October 29, 2010, he was involved in a locker-room altercation with new teammate

Delonte West Delonte Maurice West (born July 26, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Dallas Mavericks. He also ...

Vanoli-Braga Cremona

In August 2011, during the 2011 NBA lockout, he signed a one-year contract with Vanoli-Braga Cremona in Italy.

Orlando Magic

Wafer was traded to the Magic on December 12, 2011, along with Glen Davis for

Brandon Bass Brandon Samuel Bass (born April 30, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. Early life Bass was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the oldest of three siblings; he has a brother, Chris, and sister, Dashia. Bass is the son of C ...

. He was waived by the Magic at the end of the 2011–12 season.Orlando Magic waive Von Wafer
/ref>

Move to CBA

Wafer moved to China in 2012, signed a one-year contract with Xinjiang Flying Tigers worth $2 million. He played 34 games for Xinjiang, averaged 26.4 points with a shooting percentage of 55.4%. He also got 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game. In October 2013, he signed with the

Shanghai Sharks The Shanghai Sharks () are a Chinese Basketball Association team based in Shanghai. It is best known outside China as the club that developed Yao Ming before he entered the National Basketball Association. With Yao on the team, the Sharks made t ...

, the team owned by his former teammate

Yao Ming Yao Ming (; born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese basketball executive and former professional player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Associa ...

at the

Rockets A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...

. In December 2013, he left the Sharks.

Bakersfield Jam

On January 10, 2014, he was acquired by the

Bakersfield Jam Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's pop ...

of the

. On January 28, 2014, he was waived by the Jam.

Russia

On February 3, 2014, he signed with

BC Krasny Oktyabr BC Krasny Oktyabr was a Russian professional basketball club that is based in Volgograd. In English, the club's name translates to "'BC Red October'". The club played in the VTB United League until 2016, when the team was forced to leave the league ...

for the rest of the 2013–2014 season.

Delaware 87ers

On November 26, 2016, Wafer returned to the United States, signing with the Delaware 87ers of the

Westchester Knicks

On December 14, 2016, Wafer was traded to the

Westchester Knicks The Westchester Knicks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in White Plains, New York, and are affiliated with the New York Knicks. The Knicks typically play their home games at Westchester County Center in Whit ...

in exchange for Devondrick Walker.

Return to CBA

On January 27, 2017, Wafer returned to China, signing with the

Jilin Northeast Tigers The Jilin Northeast Tigers () or Jilin Tonggang, Jilin Tonggang Northeast Tigers () or Jiutai Rural Commercial Bank are a professional basketball team based in Changchun, Jilin, China, which plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

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

, 16 , , 0 , , 4.6 , , .158 , , .118 , , .750 , , .5 , , .3 , , .2 , , .0 , , 1.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 1 , , 0 , , 1.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

, 21 , , 0 , , 4.3 , , .263 , , .067 , , .750 , , .5 , , .2 , , .1 , , .0 , , 1.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 8 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .304 , , .273 , , .500 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .0 , , .3 , , 2.4 , - , 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 ...

, 63 , , 11 , , 19.4 , , .447 , , .390 , , .752 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .1 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 58 , , 2 , , 9.5 , , .421 , , .269 , , .842 , , .8 , , .6 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

, 33 , , 1 , , 14.2 , , .452 , , .359 , , .704 , , 1.4 , , .9 , , .3 , , .1 , , 5.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 200 , , 14 , , 12.4 , , .420 , , .325 , , .751 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .4 , , .1 , , 5.3

Playoffs

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2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...

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, 13 , , 0 , , 13.9 , , .424 , , .409 , , .864 , , .9 , , .7 , , .2 , , .1 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

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, 3 , , 0 , , 1.7 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

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, 1 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .600 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 6.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 17 , , 0 , , 11.2 , , .424 , , .391 , , .864 , , .8 , , .5 , , .1 , , .1 , , 6.6

References

External links

Career statistics and player information from NBA.comEuroleague.net ProfileItalian League Profile

Greek Basket League Profile

Greek Basket League Profile

ESPN.com FSU College Statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wafer, Von 1985 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Russia American men's basketball players Bakersfield Jam players Basketball players from Louisiana BC Krasny Oktyabr players Boston Celtics players Colorado 14ers players Delaware 87ers players Denver Nuggets players Florida State Seminoles men's basketball players Fort Worth Flyers players Houston Rockets players Nanjing Tongxi Monkey Kings players Jilin Northeast Tigers players Leones de Ponce basketball players Los Angeles Clippers players Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Los Angeles Lakers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Olympiacos B.C. players Orlando Magic players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Homer, Louisiana Portland Trail Blazers players Shanghai Sharks players Shanxi Loongs players Shooting guards Vanoli Cremona players Westchester Knicks players Xinjiang Flying Tigers players