Charlie Alexander Villanueva Mejia (born August 24, 1984) is a Dominican-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 played for 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 ...

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 ...

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

and

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 ...

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). The son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Villanueva was raised in Elmhurst, Queens, New York City. He was drafted at the age of 20 with the seventh overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft by the

. He also holds Dominican citizenship and has represented the Dominican Republic national team in international competitions.

Personal life

Villanueva has an autoimmune skin disease known as alopecia universalis, a variation of

alopecia areata Alopecia areata (AA), also known as spot baldness, is a condition in which hair loss, hair is lost from some or all areas of the body. It often results in a few Baldness, bald spots on the scalp, each about the size of a coin. Psychological st ...

. This prevents the growth of hair on the

scalp The scalp is the area of the head where head hair grows. It is made up of skin, layers of connective and fibrous tissues, and the membrane of the skull. Anatomically, the scalp is part of the epicranium, a collection of structures covering th ...

and/or elsewhere on the body, but otherwise is not physically painful, dangerous, or life-threatening. Villanueva is a spokesman for the NAAF (National Alopecia Areata Foundation),Charlie Villanueva Biography
/ref> and received the February 2006 Community Assist Award from the NBA for his work with the organization. A first-generation Dominican-American, Villanueva is fluent in Spanish, as it is the language he speaks with his family. Villanueva has three brothers, all named Roberto, a.k.a. Rob, after their father's name: Rob Antonio, Rob Elia, Rob Carlos. Announced in September 2015, Villanueva is working with two of the three brothers on a documentary titled "What is Alopecia", in order to continue his advocacy efforts to educate, create awareness and support the alopecia community. Villanueva has two children from a first marriage. Villanueva tied the knot a second time on July 24, 2021, in Dallas, Texas, after Villanueva proposed to Lala Alvarez on New Year’s Eve 2020 Nick & Sam’s, a steakhouse where they had their very first date.

High school career

During his freshman year, Villanueva attended Newtown High School in

Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, where he was a teammate of future NBA player Smush Parker. He spent his next three years at Blair Academy in

Blairstown, New Jersey Blairstown is a Township (New Jersey), township in Warren County, New Jersey, Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 5,704, a decrease of 263 (−4.4%) from the 2010 Uni ...

, where he played with another future NBA player,

Luol Deng Luol Ajou Deng (born 16 April 1985) is a South Sudanese–British former professional basketball player. He was a two-time NBA All-Star and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2012. Born in South Sudan that was then part of Republ ...

. Villanueva received

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 ...

honors as a senior and was named New Jersey Co-Player of the Year. He entered the 2003 NBA draft, but withdrew his eligibility so he could play college basketball for the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Villanueva was listed as the No. 2 power forward and the No. 5 player in the nation in 2003.

College career

Villanueva originally gave a verbal commitment to play for the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

, but after Bill Self left the Illini for the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

, Villanueva withdrew his commitment. He considered following Self to the Jayhawks, but instead opted to play for the

. In his freshman year at UConn, Villanueva earned

Big East The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

All-Rookie Team honors and was a key reserve member of the 2004 NCAA National Championship team. As a sophomore at UConn, he averaged 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds, leading the team in scoring and receiving team

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: ...

and second-team All-Big East honors. Villanueva declared for the 2005 NBA draft following his sophomore season, thus forgoing his final two years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Toronto Raptors (2005–2006)

Villanueva was selected by the

with the seventh overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft. Despite being panned by critics as soon as his name was called in the draft, Villanueva responded with a solid rookie season. He averaged 13.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in 81 games. He finished second among rookies in points and rebounds, and third in minutes and blocked shots. He also tallied 12 double-doubles and set the Raptors' rookie records for points (48) and rebounds (18) in a game. He also appeared in the Rookie Challenge and was named to the All-NBA Rookie first team.

Milwaukee Bucks (2006–2009)

On June 30, 2006, Villanueva was traded to the

in exchange for T. J. Ford. On April 9, 2008, Villanueva scored a season-high 38 points and made a career-high seven 3-point shots during a loss against his former team, the Raptors. In March 2009, Villanueva was reprimanded by Bucks coach

Scott Skiles Scott Allen Skiles Sr. (born March 5, 1964) is an American former basketball coach and player. He coached the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic. A first-round draft pick out of Michigan State University, Skiles played ...

for posting a message on his

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account during halftime of the Bucks– Celtics game. Despite the mishap, Villanueva's 2008–09 season turned out to be a career-best season for him as he averaged 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. On March 3, 2009, Villanueva scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds during a loss to the

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

Detroit Pistons (2009–2014)

On July 8, 2009, Villanueva signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the

. Villanueva had scored a career high 16.7 points per game with Milwaukee the previous season. He was described by Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars as "a versatile big man who can play in the post and score from the perimeter as well." He and fellow Pistons signee Ben Gordon were described as "key pieces to our roster next season." In November 2010, Villanueva tweeted that

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), ...

forward

Kevin Garnett Kevin Maurice Garnett ( ; born May 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Big Ticket," Garnett is considered one of the greatest power f ...

, a known trash-talker, called him a "cancer patient" during a Celtics blowout win over Detroit. In response, Garnett insisted that "My comment to Charlie Villanueva was in fact 'You are cancerous to your team and our league,'" and that he meant no insult to those afflicted with cancer. Celtics coach

Doc Rivers Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). An NBA player for 14 seasons, he was an NB ...

backed up Garnett's correction. On January 2, 2013, Villanueva was fined $25,000 by the NBA for delivering a flagrant foul to

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 ...

guard Isaiah Thomas the previous night. Villanueva had been ejected from the game for elbowing Thomas as Thomas drove to the basket. The NBA league office added the fine after reviewing the play.

Dallas Mavericks (2014–2016)

On September 23, 2014, Villanueva signed with the

. On February 9, 2015, he scored a season-high 26 points in a loss to 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 ...

. On August 6, 2015, Villanueva re-signed with the Mavericks to a one-year deal.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, 81 , , 36 , , 29.1 , , .463 , , .327 , , .706 , , 6.4 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .8 , , 13.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 39 , , 17 , , 25.2 , , .470 , , .337 , , .820 , , 5.8 , , .9 , , .6 , , .3 , , 11.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 76 , , 31 , , 24.1 , , .435 , , .297 , , .783 , , 6.1 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .5 , , 11.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 78 , , 47 , , 26.9 , , .447 , , .345 , , .838 , , 6.7 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .7 , , 16.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 78 , , 16 , , 23.7 , , .439 , , .351 , , .815 , , 4.7 , , .7 , , .6 , , .7 , , 11.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 76 , , 11 , , 21.9 , , .442 , , .387 , , .767 , , 3.9 , , .6 , , .6 , , .6 , , 11.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 13 , , 0 , , 13.8 , , .385 , , .333 , , .857 , , 3.7 , , .5 , , .5 , , .4 , , 7.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 69 , , 0 , , 15.8 , , .377 , , .347 , , .551 , , 3.5 , , .8 , , .4 , , .6 , , 6.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 20 , , 0 , , 9.0 , , .380 , , .250 , , .571 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , .2 , , .3 , , 4.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, 64 , , 1 , , 10.6 , , .414 , , .376 , , .571 , , 2.3 , , .3 , , .2 , , .3 , , 6.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 62 , , 4 , , 10.7 , , .382 , , .273 , , .917 , , 2.5 , , .4 , , .3 , , .2 , , 5.1 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 656 , , 163 , , 20.7 , , .435 , , .341 , , .772 , , 4.6 , , .8 , , .5 , , .5 , , 10.4

Playoffs

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, 5 , , 0 , , 8.7 , , .440 , , .421 , , .000 , , 2.6 , , .6 , , .2 , , .2 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" ,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 5.3 , , .250 , , .333 , , 1.000 , , 0.5 , , .2 , , .2 , , .2 , , 2.3 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 9 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .345 , , .377 , , 1.000 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .2 , , .2 , , 4.3

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2003–04 , style="text-align:left;",

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, 32 , , 4 , , 19.0 , , .514 , , .367 , , .667 , , 5.3 , , .7 , , .2 , , 1.5 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2004–05 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 31 , , 25.7 , , .521 , , .500 , , .688 , , 8.3 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , 1.8 , , 13.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 63 , , 35 , , 22.3 , , .518 , , .393 , , .681 , , 6.7 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 1.7 , , 11.2

National team career

The son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Villanueva was raised in Elmhurst, Queens, New York City. Villanueva represented the United States at youth levels but in 2009, he switched sports citizenship to the Dominican Republic. He played for the Dominican Republic national basketball team in the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship.

References

External links

* *
Founder of Alopecia Apparel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villanueva, Charlie 1984 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Canada American men's basketball players American sportspeople of Dominican Republic descent Basketball players from New Jersey Blair Academy alumni Dallas Mavericks players Detroit Pistons players Dominican Republic men's basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans Milwaukee Bucks players NBA players from the Dominican Republic Newtown High School (Queens) alumni People from Elmhurst, Queens People with alopecia universalis Power forwards Basketball players from Queens, New York Toronto Raptors draft picks Toronto Raptors players UConn Huskies men's basketball players Naturalised basketball players