Andrew William Nembhard ( ; born January 16, 2000) is a Canadian 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 for the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

of 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). 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

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

and

Gonzaga Bulldogs The Gonzaga Bulldogs (), also known unofficially as the Zags, are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing Gonzaga University, located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Gonzaga competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

. He was selected 31st overall by the Pacers in the

2022 NBA draft The 2022 NBA draft (branded as the 2022 NBA Draft presented by State Farm for sponsorship reasons), the 76th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft, was held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New ...

College career

Nembhard was recruited to the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

from

Montverde Academy Montverde Academy is a private college preparatory school in Montverde, Florida, United States, located in the Greater Orlando area. The school is widely known for its athletic programs, particularly soccer and basketball. History The school ...

Montverde, Florida Montverde is a town in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,655 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Montverde was the location of a Native Ame ...

. In his freshman season with the Gators, he started every game and tallied the fourth-highest freshman assist total in school history. After averaging 8.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists, and finishing fifth in the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC) in assist-turnover ratio, Nembhard was named to the conference all-Freshman team. Just a few days later, Nembhard hit a

buzzer-beater In timed sports, a buzzer beater is a successful shot made as the clock expires at the end of a period or at the end of the game, leaving zero seconds remaining. A buzzer sounds whenever a game clock expires, hence the name "buzzer beater." In b ...

to upset

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

(LSU) in the 2019 SEC tournament. Nembhard declared for the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible p ...

, but ultimately chose to return to the Gators for his sophomore season. As a sophomore, Nembhard averaged 11.2 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game and led the SEC with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio. Following the season he declared for the

2020 NBA draft The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead conducted at ESPN's facilities in Bristol, Connecticut, wi ...

but hired an NCAA-certified agent, allowing him the option to return to Florida. On May 30, 2020, Nembhard withdrew from the draft and entered the NCAA transfer portal. On June 23, 2020, Nembhard announced that he would transfer to

Gonzaga Gonzaga may refer to: Places *Gonzaga, Lombardy, commune in the province of Mantua, Italy *Gonzaga, Cagayan, municipality in the Philippines *Gonzaga, Minas Gerais, town in Brazil *Forte Gonzaga, fort in Messina, Sicily Surname *House of Gonza ...

. He chose the Bulldogs over offers from

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

, Georgetown and

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

. He was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility on November 24. In his first Gonzaga season, he primarily came off the bench (though he played more minutes per game than two Bulldogs starters), averaging 9.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game for a team that entered its conference tournament unbeaten. Nembhard was named the

West Coast Conference The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I consisting o ...

's inaugural Sixth Man of the Year, and was also named to the all-conference second team. He averaged 11.8 points, 5.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game as a senior. Nembhard was named to the First Team All-WCC. On April 21, 2022, Nembhard declared for the

, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.

Professional career

Indiana Pacers (2022–present)

Nembhard was selected with the 31st overall pick by the

. Nembhard joined the Pacers'

2022 NBA Summer League The 2022 NBA Summer League, also branded as the NBA 2K23 Summer League 2022, was an off-season competition held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) primarily at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada on the cam ...

roster. In his Summer League debut, Nembhard scored five points, five rebounds, and five assists in a 96–84 win over the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

. On July 22, 2022, Nembhard signed a four–year, $8.6M rookie contract with the Pacers, the largest rookie contract ever given to a second-rounder. On November 28, Nembhard scored a buzzer-beating, game-winning three-pointer in a 116–115 win over 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 December 5, with

Tyrese Haliburton Tyrese John Haliburton (born February 29, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "The Haliban", he is a two-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA Th ...

injured, Nembhard scored a career-high 31 points, 13 assists, 8 rebounds, and 5 three-pointers in a win over 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 January 31, 2023, Nembhard was named a 2023 NBA Rising Star alongside standout rookie teammate Bennedict Mathurin. Nembhard recorded back–to–back 20–point games with 24 points on March 16 against 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 ...

, and 22 points on 9–14 shooting on March 18 against the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. On March 22, in a win against the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

, Nembhard recorded another double–double with 25 points and 10 assists on 11–17 shooting. On March 28, as a starter against the

, Nembhard recorded a double–double with 15 points and a career–high 15 assists. On May 10, 2024, in a second-round game of the playoffs against 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 ...

, Nembhard hit a game winning three–pointer with 16 seconds on the clock to help the Pacers extend their series lead to 2–1. The three was the longest of his career up to that point.

National team career

Nembhard represented Canada in

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...

competition at the U-16, U-17 and U-18 levels. In 2019, he made the senior national team for the

2019 FIBA World Cup The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams, held from 31 August to 15 September 2019. The tournament was hosted in China and was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019, b ...

. He was named to Canada's roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Personal life

Nembhard is of Jamaican descent through his father, Claude. He has a younger brother, Ryan, who also played basketball at Gonzaga and has signed a two-way 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 75 , , 63 , , 27.6 , , .441 , , .350 , , .790 , , 2.7 , , 4.5 , , .9 , , .2 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , 47 , , 25.0 , , .498 , , .357 , , .804 , , 2.1 , , 4.1 , , .9 , , .1 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , 65 , , 28.9 , , .458 , , .291 , , .794 , , 3.3 , , 5.0 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 10.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 208 , , 175 , , 27.2 , , .464 , , .335 , , .795 , , 2.7 , , 4.6 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 9.6

Playoffs

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

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

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

, 17 , , 17 , , 32.6 , , .560 , , .483 , , .769 , , 3.3 , , 5.5 , , .4 , , .2 , , 14.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

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

, style="background:#cfecec;", 23* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 23* , , 33.4 , , .471 , , .465 , , .804 , , 3.2 , , 4.7 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , 12.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 40 , , 40 , , 33.1 , , .511 , , .473 , , .792 , , 3.3 , , 5.0 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 13.5

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, 36 , , 36 , , 32.9 , , .414 , , .347 , , .764 , , 2.9 , , 5.4 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 31 , , 33.2 , , .441 , , .308 , , .775 , , 3.0 , , 5.6 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

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

, 32 , , 16 , , 29.9 , , .480 , , .323 , , .754 , , 2.4 , , 4.4 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 32 , , 32.2 , , .452 , , .383 , , .873 , , 3.4 , , 5.8 , , 1.6 , , .1 , , 11.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 131 , , 115 , , 32.1 , , .446 , , .343 , , .790 , , 2.9 , , 5.3 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 10.0

References

External links

*
Gonzaga Bulldogs bioFlorida Gators bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nembhard, Andrew 2000 births Living people Canadian men's basketball players Canadian sportspeople of Jamaican descent 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Basketball people from Ontario Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States NBA players from Canada Florida Gators men's basketball players Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball players Indiana Pacers draft picks Indiana Pacers players Montverde Academy alumni Point guards Sportspeople from Aurora, Ontario Canada men's national basketball team players Basketball players at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic basketball players for Canada 21st-century Canadian sportsmen