Rashad Dion McCants (born September 25, 1984) 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 (appro ...

player who has played in the

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

(NBA) as well as overseas. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

, winning a national championship in his junior season.

High school career

McCants began his high school career at Clyde A. Erwin High School in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...

, and finished at

New Hampton School New Hampton School is an independent university-preparatory school, college preparatory high school in New Hampton, New Hampshire, United States. It has 330 students from over 30 states and 22 countries. The average class size is eleven, and the ...

in New Hampton,

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. He led New Hampton to the 2002 New England Prep School Class A championship and was named

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

of the title game. McCants played alongside future college teammate Wes Miller during his senior season. McCants was an honor roll student at New Hampton.NBA.com : Rashad McCants Bio Page
/ref> He also won the New Hampshire Player of the Year Award in 2001 and 2002. And, as a senior, he was also named to the Parade All-American and

McDonald's All-American Team The McDonald's All-American Game is an American all-star basketball game played each year for boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the hi ...

s. He played in the McDonald's All-American Game with future Tar Heel teammates Raymond Felton and

Sean May Sean Gregory May (born April 4, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant basketball coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina. May was born in Chicago, Illinois ...

College career

Alongside

, Raymond Felton, and David Noel, McCants joined a stellar recruiting class at UNC for the 2002–2003 season, coached by Matt Doherty. In his freshman year, McCants led the Tar Heels in scoring with 17.5 points per game, and led them to a third round loss to Georgetown in the

National Invitational Tournament The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2023, all rounds of the tournament are played at various sites across the country whi ...

. He was voted to the All-

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

(ACC) rookie team. In the 2003–2004 season, McCants led the ACC in scoring with 20 points per game. With that effort, McCants helped lead UNC back into the NCAA Tournament with a sixth seed, where they lost in the second round to number three seeded Texas. He was the leading vote-getter on the All-ACC First Team as a sophomore, and was named a third-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

. With freshman Marvin Williams joining the squad for the 2004–2005 season, the junior class led by preseason Wooden Award candidates in McCants, May, and Felton gave UNC a high ranking in all preseason polls and the team was seen as one of the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament. After going 33–4 and winning the ACC regular season, McCants' 16.4 points per game helped secure UNC one of the four number one seeds in the NCAA Tournament. UNC cruised to the championship game, where McCants helped the Tar Heels defeat the

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Fighting Illini, 75–70. McCants' three years at Chapel Hill were not without controversy. In an interview with local television station WRAL, McCants compared UNC to a prison, stating, "You're not allowed to say certain things, but once you get out of jail, you're free. (I'm) in my sentence, and I'm doing my time." Original AP wire title: "McCants Says He Likes Being at Carolina" McCants scored 1,721 points and made 221 three-pointers during his career at North Carolina.

Professional career

After winning the championship, McCants declared his eligibility for the

2005 NBA draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theater 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 fro ...

, and was selected 14th overall by the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

. His college teammates, Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, and

were also selected in the draft. During his first two years as a pro, McCants was bothered by injuries and did not play up to the expectations of fans. He had a lot of expectations going into the 2007–08 season, and on a young Timberwolves squad, he started the season as a rotation regular, and broke into the starting lineup halfway through the season. As of January 2008, Rashad had posted career-highs through his third season, with 34 points 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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

on January 4, 2008, 8 rebounds against 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

on January 8,NBA.com : Rashad McCants Career Stats Page
/ref> 4 steals against the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly shortened to Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and ...

on December 29, 2007, and getting 6 assists five times. On December 26, 2008, he hit a career-high 7 three-pointers in a Wolves win over 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 ...

. On February 19, 2009, McCants was sent to the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

along with Calvin Booth for Shelden Williams and

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown Sr. (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and dancer. Alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, he is recognized as a pioneer of new jack swing: a fusion of hip-hop and Contemporary R&B, R ...

. McCants then 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) ...

in September 2009, but had his contract retracted on the second day of the training camp. The Rockets General Manager said McCants presented with an abdomen problem and would not be able to participate in the camp, though he also said he would still consider McCants down the track once healthy. In the summer of 2010, he was scheduled to join the Cleveland Cavaliers'

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

team. However, he did not report to the team for personal reasons. In October 2010 the Dallas Mavericks signed McCants to their training camp roster. However, he was released only after a few days. He was then signed by the Mavericks' NBA Development League associate, the Texas Legends. In 2012, the Powerade Tigers of the Philippine Basketball Association acquired him as their import for the Governors Cup. However, despite playing his usual game, he was not able to help the Tigers win their first two games and was released afterwards. On July 13, 2012, McCants signed with the French club Strasbourg IG. On August 24, 2012, he parted ways with Strasbourg before appearing in a game for them. On November 19, 2012, he signed with the Foshan Long Lions of China. On January 10, 2013, he was waived by the Foshan. On January 24, 2013, McCants was acquired by the

Texas Legends The Texas Legends are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Frisco, Texas, and are affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team began as the Colorado 14 ...

. He was waived by the Legends in February 2013. In November 2013, he was announced by the Brazilian club

Uberlândia Tênis Clube Uberlândia () is a city and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. It is the second largest city in the state of Minas Gerais after the state capital Belo Horizonte. Its population in 2020 was 699,097, making it the si ...

for 2013–14 NBB season. He debuted on January 5, 2014, against

São José Basketball São José dos Campos Basketball, or simply Sao José Basketball, is a Brazilian professional basketball club that is based in São José dos Campos, São Paulo State. The club's full name is Associação Esportiva São José dos Campos Basketbal ...

. On November 23, 2014, McCants signed with Homenetmen Beirut of the

Lebanese Basketball League The Lebanese Basketball League is recognized as the top-tier professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Lebanon. It is organized annually as a national championship with playoffs and a national cup by the Lebanese Basketb ...

. In April 2015, he signed with Trotamundos de Carabobo of Venezuela for the rest of the 2015 LPB season.

BIG3

On April 30, 2017, McCants was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017

BIG3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3x3 basketball, 3-on-3 basketball league founded by the hip-hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former National Basketb ...

Draft by

Trilogy A trilogy is a set of three distinct works that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games. Three-part works that are considered components of ...

. On August 26, 2017, Trilogy won the first-ever Big3 League Championship. McCants scored 22 points on 55% shooting and was named Championship MVP.

Personal life

McCants' sister, Rashanda McCants, also played for

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

and in the WNBA. Rashad is the cousin of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player Cameron Maybin and third cousin of former

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

player John Avery. In June 2008, McCants began dating reality television star

Khloe Kardashian Chloe (; ), also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root , which relates to the colors yellow and green. Th ...

. The two were introduced by the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

player Reggie Bush who had been dating her sister Kim at the time. The relationship ended after seven months, in late January 2009, reportedly due to McCants's

infidelity Infidelity (synonyms include non-consensual non-monogamy, cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, se ...

. He also made a brief guest appearance on her reality show, ''

Keeping Up with the Kardashians ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' (often abbreviated ''KUWTK'') is an American reality television series which focused on the personal and professional lives of the Kardashian family, Kardashian–Jenner Stepfamily, blended family. It aired ...

'', during season 3 (episode 7). Eight years later, speaking with a '' Charlotte Observer'' reporter while looking back on his career in the NBA, McCants stated that the highly publicized relationship with Khloe Kardashian was the "biggest regret" because it "gave people an opportunity to doubt his commitment to the NBA", adding: "Without that situation in play, I’m a $60-70 million player. Easily." McCants was one of the victims of professional scam artist/fraudster Peggy Ann Fulford (Peggy King, Peggy Williams, Peggy Ann Barard, ''etc.''), losing $200,000, amongst the $5.79million in total she stole from him, Ricky Williams, Travis Best,

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Renowned for his defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forw ...

, Lex Hilliard and others. Fulford, who was indicted by the FBI in December 2016, continued her criminal activity until sentenced in February 2018 to 10 years in prison and full financial restitution to her victims.

Awards

*All-ACC First Team: 2003–04 *All-ACC Third Team: 2004–05 *All-ACC Rookie Team: 2002–03Howard Unanimous Selection For First-Team All-ACC :: Duke's Jones, Maryland's Blake, NC State's Hodge and Clemson's Scott also earn first-team honors
/ref> *Parade All-American: 2001–02 *McDonald's All-American: 2001–02 *New Hampshire Player of the Year: 2000, 2001

Career statistics

College

, - , align="left" , 2002–03 , align="left" ,

, 35 , , 31 , , 29.9 , , .491 , , .414 , , .697 , , 4.6 , , 1.5 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , 17.0 , - , align="left" , 2003–04 , align="left" ,

, 30 , , 29 , , 32.0 , , .479 , , .408 , , .748 , , 4.6 , , 2.2 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , 20.0 , - , align="left" , 2004–05 , align="left" ,

, 33 , , 30 , , 25.9 , , .489 , , .423 , , .722 , , 3.0 , , 2.7 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 98 , , 90 , , 29.2 , , .486 , , .415 , , .721 , , 4.1 , , 2.1 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , 17.6 , -

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 2005–06 , align="left" ,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, 79 , , 12 , , 17.2 , , .450 , , .372 , , .736 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .6 , , .3 , , 7.9 , - , align="left" , 2006–07 , align="left" ,

, 37 , , 0 , , 15.0 , , .350 , , .267 , , .690 , , 1.3 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , .2 , , 5.0 , - , align="left" , 2007–08 , align="left" ,

, 75 , , 24 , , 26.9 , , .453 , , .407 , , .748 , , 2.7 , , 2.2 , , .9 , , .2 , , 14.9 , - , align="left" , 2008–09 , align="left" ,

, 34 , , 2 , , 18.7 , , .360 , , .319 , , .741 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , .8 , , .2 , , 9.1 , - , align="left" , 2008–09 , align="left" ,

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, 24 , , 1 , , 19.4 , , .444 , , .357 , , .783 , , 2.0 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , .3 , , 10.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 249 , , 39 , , 20.2 , , .431 , , .368 , , .741 , , 2.0 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .9, , 10.0

References

External links

*
PBA stats
* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCants, Rashad 1984 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Brazil American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in the Dominican Republic American expatriate basketball people in Lebanon American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American expatriate basketball people in Venezuela American men's 3x3 basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Asheville, North Carolina Big3 players Caciques de Humacao players Cañeros del Este players McDonald's High School All-Americans Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks Minnesota Timberwolves players New Hampton School alumni North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Philippine Basketball Association imports Piratas de Quebradillas players Powerade Tigers players Sacramento Kings players Shooting guards Texas Legends players Trotamundos de Carabobo players Unitri/Uberlândia basketball players Guangzhou Loong Lions players CS Antonine players