Manuel Narvaez (born December 25, 1981) is a Puerto Rican 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. He has played in the

NBDL 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, ...

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

( NAIA) and the

National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. The Baloncesto Superior Nacio ...

(BSN) with Santurce Crabbers, Coamo Marathon Runners, Ponce Lions, Bayamón Cowboys, Morovis Titans, and the Isabela Gallitos. Narvaez was drafted by the

Albuquerque Thunderbirds Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County. Founded in 1706 as ' by Santa Fe de Nuevo México gover ...

with the 1st pick of the fourth round of the 2006

draft. He was a member of the 2006 and 2007 Puerto Rican National Team.

Biography

Narvaez played his college career with

Southern Nazarene University Southern Nazarene University (SNU) is a Private university, private Church of the Nazarene, Nazarene university in Bethany, Oklahoma. History The history of the institution is one of various mergers and, therefore, one of differing institutions ...

from 2000 to 2004. During his junior year (2002–03)he averaged 15.8 points per game and 11.6 rebounds per game. During his senior year (2003–2004) he averaged 18.6 points per game and 12.5 rebounds per game, and was named NAIA Third Team All-American. Narvaez played professionally in the National Superior Basketball League starting in 2000. In 2006 Narvaez was drafted by the

with the 1st pick of the fourth round of the 2006

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, ...

draft. On January 2, 2007, Narvaez was waived by the Thunderbirds. On February 14, 2007, Narvaez was acquired by the

Colorado 14ers Colorado is a state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas to the east, ...

to replace Eric Osmundson due to injury. Narvaez was waived by the 14ers in February 2007. With the Coamo Marathon Runners in 2007, Narvaez averaged 14 points and 13.9 rebounds per game. He led his team in five categories: defensive rebound, offensive rebounds, All-start team, sportsmanship player and defensive team. Narvaez was a member of the

Puerto Rican National Basketball Team The Puerto Rico national basketball team () represents Puerto Rico in men's international basketball competitions, it is governed by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation (), The team represents both FIBA and FIBA Americas. Since joining FIBA ...

in 2006, participating in the

Central American and Caribbean Games The Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC or CACGs) are a multi-sport regional championship event, held quadrennial (once every four years), typically in the middle (even) year between Summer Olympics. The games are for 32 countries and ...

earning the gold medal and the Basketball World Championship 2006. During summer of 2007, Narvaez represented Puerto Rico as a member of the

, which won a silver medal during the 2007

Pan-American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

. Narvaez participated in the 2010 National Superior Basketball season, playing with Ponce Lions with an average of 10 points and 10 rebounds per game. In the 2011 season with Coamo, Narvaez averaged 11 points and 11 rebounds. Narvaez is also an author of a motivational book called "El Sentido del Baloncesto en la Vida". In this book, Narvaez described leadership tools basketball offers to the future generations.

Career stats

Narvaez's

stats in 16 games were 7 games started, 61 points with 3.9 points per game, 8 assists for 0.4 assists per game average, 72 rebounds for a 4.9 rebounds per game average, 4 steals with a 0.3 steals per game average, 1 block for a 0.1 blocks per game average, a .500 field goal percentage and a .765 free-throw percentage.

References