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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

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 São Carlos (Saint Charles, in English, ; named after Charles Borromeo, Saint Charles Borromeo) is a Brazilian city and municipality in the Interior of São Paulo, interior of the state of São Paulo, 254 kilometers from the city of São Paulo. ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, he was nicknamed "Nenê" (a variation of

Brazilian Portuguese Brazilian Portuguese (; ; also known as pt-BR) is the set of Variety (linguistics), varieties of Portuguese language native to Brazil. It is spoken by almost all of the 203 million inhabitants of Brazil and widely across the Brazilian diaspora ...

for ''baby'') because he was the youngest in both his family and his group of childhood friends. Like most Brazilian children, he played

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

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 Vasco da Gama ( , ; – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and nobleman who was the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India, first European to reach India by sea. Da Gama's first voyage (1497–1499) was the first to link ...

from 1999 to 2002. In 2001, he joined the Brazilian national team and participated in the

Goodwill Games The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s. In 1979, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the United States and other ...

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 Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 2002. He was later selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft by the

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 Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

, who traded him to 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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

. He was the first Brazilian ever to be selected in the first round of the

NBA draft The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...

. 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

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 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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

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 ar ...

from the Denver Nuggets to address a medical issue. Three days later, he had a malignant testicular tumor 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 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

. 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 Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

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 the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

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

. 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 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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. 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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

. 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. 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 The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

on May 10, 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 or manager 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 a contract at present ...

. 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

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. 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 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, the 2014 FIBA World Cup, and the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

. He won the silver medal at the 2001 FIBA AmeriCup.

Personal life

On January 14, 2008, Nenê had a malignant testicular tumor 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 ex-wife Lauren Prothe. He is currently married to Briley Sheppard Hilario.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, 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;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 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 , 11 , , 6 , , 25.8 , , .607 , , .000 , , .657 , , 7.5 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , 1.2 , , 14.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 61 , , 49 , , 27.2 , , .480 , , .000 , , .729 , , 6.7 , , 2.9 , , .9 , , .6 , , 12.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 53 , , 37 , , 29.4 , , .503 , , .200 , , .583 , , 5.5 , , 2.9 , , 1.2 , , .9 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 67 , , 58 , , 25.3 , , .511 , , .200 , , .604 , , 5.1 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 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 List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, 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

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2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

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

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

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

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

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

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

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

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

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

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

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

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

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

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

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

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

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

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

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

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

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

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

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

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, 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 NBA players from Brazil New York Knicks draft picks Novo Basquete Brasil players Olympic basketball players for Brazil Sportspeople from São Carlos Power forwards Washington Wizards players Basketball players from São Paulo (state) 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen

Early life

Professional career

Denver Nuggets (2002–2012)

Washington Wizards (2012–2016)

Houston Rockets (2016–2020)

National team career

Personal life

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links