Bruno Afonso David Fernandes, also known as Bruno Fernando (born August 15, 1998), is an Angolan 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 for 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 team of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Divisio ...

of 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). 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

Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divis ...

High school career

A native of

Luanda Luanda () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city in Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major Angola#Economy, industrial, Angola#Culture, cultural and Angola#Demographics, urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atl ...

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

, Bruno Fernando started playing basketball in his hometown. While playing the

2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship The 2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship (Arabic: بطولة العالم لكرة السلة 2014 تحت 17 سنة ) was the 3rd edition of the FIBA Under-17 World Championship, the biennial international men's youth basketball championship con ...

with the Angolan national team, he caught the eye of scouts in the US. In early 2015, he joined the

Montverde Academy Montverde Academy is a private PK–12 school in Montverde, Florida, United States. History The school was founded in 1912 as Montgomery Industrial School. The school president was Henry P. Carpenter. It underwent a major expansion in 1921, wh ...

Montverde, Florida Montverde is a town in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,655 at the 2020 census and an estimated 1,675 in 2018. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Montverde wa ...

. He committed to

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = " The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , pr ...

in April 2016 but decided the following month to reclassify into the Class of 2017. He spent the 2016–17 season at

IMG Academy IMG Academy is a preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. IMG Academy is set across over 600 acres and features programs consisting of sport camps for youth athletes, adult camps, a boar ...

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...

. In October 2016, Bruno Fernando committed to the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the Flagship un ...

, after also considering Auburn,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

, and

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a 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 education in the sta ...

, among others.

College career

Fernando made his debut for Maryland on November 10, 2017, against Stony Brook. Coming off the bench, he scored ten points to go along with two rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal in 13 minutes of playing time. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on January 8, 2018, after posting 17 points and 11 rebounds against

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High ...

and a career-high 21 points in a 91–73 win versus

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

. He had a strong freshman season as he averaged 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game, and earned All-Big Ten Freshman honors. After the season, Fernando declared for the

2018 NBA draft The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including inter ...

and participated in the

NBA Draft Combine The NBA Draft Combine is a multi-day showcase that takes place every May before the annual June NBA draft. At the combine, college basketball players are measured and take medical tests, are interviewed, perform various athletic tests and shooting ...

that year, but withdrew from the draft and returned to Maryland.

Professional career

Atlanta Hawks (2019–2021)

Fernando was selected as the 34th pick of the

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

by the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known 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 league's Ea ...

. Fernando became the first Angolan player to be selected in the NBA draft. He 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 ...

. On July 7, 2019, the Hawks announced that they had signed Fernando. On October 24, 2019, Fernando made his debut in NBA, coming off from bench in a 117–100 win over the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

with seven points, three rebounds and two assists. He received his first assignment to the Hawks’

NBA G 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 De ...

affiliate, the

College Park Skyhawks The College Park Skyhawks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in College Park, Georgia, and are affiliated with the Atlanta Hawks. The Skyhawks play their home games at Gateway Center Arena at College Park a ...

, on November 25. He made his G League debut that evening. Fernando missed several games in January 2020 due to the death of his mother. On June 20, 2021, Fernando was suspended for one game without pay for leaving the bench during an altercation between the Hawks and the

Boston Celtics (2021–2022)

On August 7, 2021, Fernando was traded to 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 league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...

in a three-team trade involving 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 Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. On November 19, 2021, Fernando made his debut with the

Maine Celtics The Maine Celtics (formerly the Maine Red Claws) are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo B ...

scoring four points and shooting 100% from the field.

Houston Rockets (2022–present)

On February 10, 2022, the

acquired Fernando,

Enes Freedom Enes Kanter Freedom (; born Enes Kanter; May 20, 1992) is a professional basketball player who last played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Switzerland to Turkish parents, he was raised in Turkey and m ...

, and

Dennis Schröder Dennis Schröder (; born September 15, 1993) is a German professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for SG Braunschweig and Phantoms Braunschweig in Germany, b ...

from the

in exchange for

Daniel Theis Daniel Theis (born April 4, 1992) is a German professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After seven seasons in the Basketball Bundesliga where he was a four-time All Star and three-time ch ...

. On July 26, 2022, Fernando re-signed with the Rockets in a two-way deal. On October 2, the Rockets converted his two-way contract into a four-year, $10.9 million deal. On October 19, he had his first start on the team with a seven-point, nine-rebound, and seven-assist performance in a 117–107 loss to the

National team career

Participating in the 2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics ...

, he averaged 9.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per contest for the Angolan national team. In 2016, Bruno Fernando made his debut with Angola's men's national team and participated in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade. Averaging 18.3 points, 6.6 boards, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game, he led Angola to gold at the

2016 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship The 2016 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship was the 20th edition, played under the rules of FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, and the FIBA Africa thereof. The tournament was hosted by Rwanda from July 22 to 31, with the games playe ...

, while receiving Afrobasket.com All-African Championships U18 Best Player honors. He later also joined the Angola senior team for the 2018 Olympic Qualifiers. He did not play for his country for four years, until returning in August 2022 for Angola's World Cup qualifiers.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, 56 , , 13 , , 12.7 , , .518 , , .135 , , .569 , , 3.5 , , .9 , , .3 , , .3 , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 0 , , 6.8 , , .409 , , .000 , , .682 , , 2.4 , , .3 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

, 20 , , 0 , , 2.9 , , .500 , , 1.000 , , .800 , , .8 , , .2 , , .0 , , .2 , , 1.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

, 10 , , 0 , , 9.4 , , .707 , , .000 , , .579 , , 4.0 , , .3 , , .1 , , .8 , , 6.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 119 , , 13 , , 9.2 , , .527 , , .146 , , .608 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .2 , , .3 , , 3.2

Playoffs

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, 6 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .667 , , — , , 1.000 , , .2 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 6 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .667 , , — , , 1.000 , , .2 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

, 30 , , 20 , , 22.4 , , .578 , , .333 , , .740 , , 6.6 , , .7 , , .4 , , 1.2 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 33 , , 30.0 , , .607 , , .300 , , .779 , , 10.6 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , 1.9 , , 13.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 64 , , 53 , , 26.4 , , .595 , , .308 , , .763 , , 8.7 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , 1.6 , , 12.0

References

External links

Maryland Terrapins bio

FIBA profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernando, Bruno 1998 births Living people Angolan expatriate basketball people in the United States Angolan men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players from Luanda Boston Celtics players College Park Skyhawks players Houston Rockets players Maine Celtics players Maryland Terrapins men's basketball players Montverde Academy alumni Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Power forwards (basketball)