Hasheem Thabeet (born Hashim Thabit Manka; 16 February 1987) is a Tanzanian professional basketball player who currently plays for Dar City. 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

UConn Huskies The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, with its main campus located in Storrs, Connecticut. The school is a member of ...

before being drafted second overall in the

2009 NBA draft The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball p ...

by the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

. His performance as a second overall draft pick has led many analysts to label him as one of the "biggest busts" in NBA history.

Early life

Thabeet did not begin to play basketball until the age of 15, when he began to watch pick-up games in

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

. He started playing basketball while attending Makongo Secondary School in

Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam (, ; from ) is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of the Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over 7 million people, Dar es Salaam is the largest city in East Africa by population and the ...

. When first recruited from Tanzania, Thabeet was fluent in Swahili but knew little English. He played high school basketball at Cypress Christian School in

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 ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

where he graduated in 2006.

College career

As a freshman for the Connecticut Huskies, he averaged 6.2 points and 3.8 blocks per game. On 3 December 2006, Thabeet tied a UConn record for blocks in a game with 10. Thabeet was named to the 2007 All-

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 ...

Rookie Team, along with teammate Jerome Dyson. As a sophomore, he saw increased minutes and he averaged 10.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.5 blocks on the season. On 5 January 2008, he tied his career high in blocks with 10 in the Huskies' 73–67 loss at

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

. Thabeet was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-Big East second team. As a junior, Thabeet emerged on the national scene, averaging 13.6 points and 10.8 rebounds. He earned his first career triple-double against

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Roman Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, it offers 47 undergraduate Academic ...

on 31 January 2009, with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 blocks. He finished with 152 blocks on the season. He was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year and was co- Big East Player of the Year with Pitt's DeJuan Blair. He was named second team All-America and National Defensive Player of the Year. Thabeet surpassed the 1,000-point mark against

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...

on 26 March 2009. He was the third UConn player that season to do so (Jerome Dyson and A. J. Price were the others). Thabeet helped lead UConn to their first

Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...

appearance since 2004. In April 2009, Thabeet declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final year of college eligibility.

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2009–2011)

Thabeet was selected with the second overall pick in

by the

, ahead of two future NBA MVPs

James Harden James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is regarded by some as one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA hist ...

and

Stephen Curry Wardell Stephen Curry II ( ; born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player and point guard for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Chef Curry", he is widely regarded as the ...

, becoming the first Tanzanian-born NBA player. On 13 December 2009, he had a season-high five blocks. On 25 February 2010, he was assigned to the Dakota Wizards of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

, becoming the tallest and then-highest-drafted player (surpassed by Anthony Bennett in 2015, the first overall pick in the

2013 NBA draft The 2013 NBA draft was held on June 27, 2013, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including internation ...

) to be sent to the D-League. On 8 March 2010, he was recalled by the Grizzlies.

Houston Rockets (2011–2012)

On 24 February 2011, Thabeet was traded, along with a future first-round pick, to 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 exchange for Shane Battier and Ish Smith. On 21 March 2011, he was assigned with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. On 11 April 2011, he was recalled by the Rockets.

Portland Trail Blazers (2012)

On 15 March 2012, Thabeet was traded, along with Jonny Flynn and a future second-round pick, to the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

in exchange for

Marcus Camby Marcus Dion Camby (born March 22, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player who played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named Defensive Player of the Year during the 2006–07 NBA season, leading ...

Oklahoma City Thunder (2012–2014)

On 11 July 2012, Thabeet signed with 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 26 November 2012, in a 114–69 win over the Charlotte Bobcats, Thabeet recorded his first career double-double with 13 points (a career high) and 10 rebounds.

Grand Rapids Drive (2014–2015)

On 26 August 2014, Thabeet was traded to 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 ...

in exchange for a trade exception and a 2015 protected second-round draft pick. On 1 September 2014, he was waived by the 76ers. On 25 September 2014, Thabeet signed with 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. However, he was later waived by the Pistons on 20 October 2014. On 1 November 2014, Thabeet was acquired by the Grand Rapids Drive of the

as an affiliate player of the Pistons. In 49 games for the Drive, he averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. In July 2015, Thabeet joined the NBA D-League Select Team for the

2015 NBA Summer League The 2015 NBA Summer League consisted of three professional sports, pro basketball sports league, leagues organized by the National Basketball Association, NBA: the Orlando Magic, Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas S ...

Yokohama B-Corsairs (2017–2018)

On 29 September 2017, Thabeet signed with the Yokohama B-Corsairs of the Japanese B.League.

Fort Wayne Mad Ants (2019–2020)

For the 2019–20 season, Thabeet signed with the

Fort Wayne Mad Ants The Noblesville Boom are an American professional basketball team based in Noblesville, Indiana that competes in the NBA G League. The Boom are the affiliate team of the NBA's Indiana Pacers and, since 2025, they have played their home games at ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

. He was cut on 16 January 2020.

Hsinchu JKO Lioneers (2020–2021)

On September 25, 2020, Thabeet signed with the Hsinchu JKO Lioneers of the Taiwanese P. League+. He was the league's rebounding leader, blocks leader and Defensive Player of Year for the 2020–21 season. On October 28, 2021, Thabeet signed with the

Tainan TSG GhostHawks The TSG GhostHawks ( zh, 台鋼獵鷹) are a Taiwanese professional basketball team based in Tainan City. They have competed in the T1 League since the 2021–22 season, and play their home games at the Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Scienc ...

of the Taiwanese T1 League. Chien Wei-Cheng, the general manager of the Tainan TSG GhostHawks, indicated that Thabeet would not join the Tainan TSG GhostHawks on December 24.

Savio (2021)

In 2021, Thabeet played for Savio in his native Tanzania, and guided the team to the Dar es Salaam Regional Basketball League (RBA) title and was named the Finals MVP.

TaiwanBeer HeroBears (2023)

On March 8, 2023, TaiwanBeer HeroBears registered Thabeet as import player. On March 13, Thabeet signed with the TaiwanBeer HeroBears of the T1 League.

Tanzania (2023–present)

In September 2023, Thabeet joined the roster of Tanzanian champions Pazi for the 2024 BAL qualification tournaments. In December 2024, Thabeet was on the roster of Tanzania's Dar City and played in the inaugural East Africa Basketball Championship Cup (EABCC). He guided them to the second place with a 4–1 record.

Career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 68 , , 13 , , 13.0 , , .588 , , , , .581 , , 3.6 , , .2 , , .2 , , 1.3 , , 3.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 45 , , 0 , , 8.2 , , .436 , , , , .543 , , 1.7 , , .1 , , .2 , , .3 , , 1.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , , , , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .5 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 4.6 , , 1.000 , , , , , , 1.4 , , .0 , , .0 , , .4 , , 1.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 15 , , 3 , , 7.7 , , .444 , , , , .650 , , 2.3 , , .0 , , .1 , , .5 , , 1.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

, 66 , , 4 , , 11.7 , , .604 , , , , .604 , , 3.0 , , .2 , , .5 , , .9 , , 2.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , 0 , , 8.3 , , .565 , , , , .200 , , 1.7 , , .0 , , .2 , , .4 , , 1.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 224 , , 20 , , 10.5 , , .567 , , , , .578 , , 2.7 , , .1 , , .3 , , .8 , , 2.2

Playoffs

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

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

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

, 4 , , 0 , , 6.5 , , .500 , , , , , , 1.5 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , .5 , - , 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;",

, 2 , , 0 , , 3.5 , , , , , , , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 6 , , 0 , , 5.5 , , .500 , , , , , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .2 , , .0 , , .3

NBA G League

Source

Regular season

, - , align="left", 2009–10 , align="left" , Dakota , 6 , , 4 , , 31.3 , , .500 , , – , , .690 , , 11.2 , , .7 , , .7 , , 3.2 , , 13.8 , - , align="left" , 2010–11 , align="left" ,

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...

, 6 , , 5 , , 27.8 , , .615 , , – , , .571 , , 8.0 , , .7 , , .8 , , 2.7 , , 10.0 , - , align="left" , 2014–15 , align="left" ,

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

, 48 , , 42 , , 22.3 , , .593 , , – , , .654 , , 6.2 , , .4 , , .4 , , 2.4 , , 8.6 , - , align="left" , 2019–20 , align="left" ,

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 United S ...

, 9 , , 2 , , 16.4 , , .577 , , – , , .600 , , 4.3 , , .7 , , .1 , , 1.8 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 68 , , 53 , , 22.8 , , .582 , , – , , .652 , , 6.6 , , .4 , , .4 , , 2.4 , , 8.6 , -

Playoffs

, - , 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 ...

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

, 1 , , 1 , , 22.0 , , .000 , , – , , .750 , , 6.0 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 1.0 , , 3.0

Personal life

Thabeet is

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and fasts during

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thabeet, Hasheem 1987 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Dakota Wizards players Tanzanian expatriate basketball people in Japan Tanzanian expatriate basketball people in Taiwan Tanzanian expatriate basketball people in the United States Tanzanian expatriate sportspeople in China Fort Wayne Mad Ants players Grand Rapids Drive players Houston Rockets players Memphis Grizzlies draft picks Memphis Grizzlies players NBA players from Tanzania Oklahoma City Thunder players Sportspeople from Dar es Salaam Portland Trail Blazers players Rio Grande Valley Vipers players Tanzanian men's basketball players Tanzanian Muslims UConn Huskies men's basketball players Yokohama B-Corsairs players Hsinchu Lioneers players P. League+ imports TaiwanBeer HeroBears players T1 League imports Pazi BBC players Mighty Sports players 21st-century Tanzanian sportsmen Sichuan Blue Whales players

Early life

College career

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2009–2011)

Houston Rockets (2011–2012)

Portland Trail Blazers (2012)

Oklahoma City Thunder (2012–2014)

Grand Rapids Drive (2014–2015)

Yokohama B-Corsairs (2017–2018)

Fort Wayne Mad Ants (2019–2020)

Hsinchu JKO Lioneers (2020–2021)

Savio (2021)

TaiwanBeer HeroBears (2023)

Tanzania (2023–present)

Career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

NBA G League

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

See also

References

External links