Nazr Tahiru Mohammed ( ; born September 5, 1977) is an 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 had a

journeyman A journeyman is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that field as a fully qualified employee ...

career in 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), playing for eight different teams over 18 seasons. He is the current

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

of the Oklahoma City Blue and a pro scout for 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 ...

. 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

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

Early life

The son of Alhaji Muhammad, an entrepreneur from Ghana, Mohammed was raised in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and attended high school at Kenwood Academy, graduating in 1995. Mohammed entered the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

in the fall of 1995 at a hefty 315 pounds, and saw little playing time during their NCAA Championship season. After slimming down for his sophomore year, Mohammed shared the starting center spot with Jamaal Magloire and was a key contributor in 1997, when the Wildcats were runners-up to

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

. Mohammed once again shared the starting post position with Magloire in 1998, and once again they brought the NCAA Championship home to Kentucky, for the second time in three years.

Professional career

Philadelphia 76ers (1998–2001)

After his junior year, Mohammed decided to enter the 1998 NBA draft. He was selected by the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

in the first round, as the 29th pick overall. Utah traded his rights 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 ...

for a future first-round pick, which turned out to be Quincy Lewis in the

1999 NBA draft The 1999–2000 NBA season, 1999 NBA draft was held on June 30, 1999, at the MCI Center (now Capital One Arena) in Washington, D.C. It was the first draft in which four players from the same college were picked in the first round, with Elton Bran ...

. He spent two and a half seasons in Philadelphia before being traded in February 2001 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

along with an injured

Theo Ratliff Theophalus Curtis Ratliff (born April 17, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player who played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Alabama, Ratliff played for and graduated from the University of Wyo ...

in exchange for Hall of Fame center

Dikembe Mutombo Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo (June 25, 1966 – September 30, 2024) was a Congolese-American professional basketball player. He played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Mount Mutombo ...

Atlanta Hawks (2001–2004)

On November 5, 2001, he scored a career-high 30 points against 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 ...

. He played for the Hawks through the middle of the 2003–04 season, at which point he was traded to 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 ...

for Michael Doleac.

New York Knicks (2004–2005)

Mohammed spent half of the 2004–05 season with the Knicks.

San Antonio Spurs (2005–2006)

He played for the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

(who acquired him in a trade for Malik Rose), for the second half of the 2004-05 NBA season. In a combined 77 games for both teams, he averaged 9.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. He won his first and only championship in

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

with the Spurs as a member of their starting lineup. During his second season in San Antonio, Mohammed shared the starting center position with Rasho Nesterović, averaging 6.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game during the regular season. On March 17, 2006, he tied his career-high of 30 points against the Phoenix Suns. He was a key contributor to the team's first round series victory over the Sacramento Kings, averaging 7.0 points per game and nailing his second career three-point basket late in Game 1. Mohammed, however, played sparingly in the team's second round series loss to 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 ...

. After the season, he turned down a four-year contract extension and did not return to the Spurs.

Detroit Pistons (2006–2007)

In July 2006, he 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 ...

and became their starting center. After beginning the season in the starting five, the arrival of

Chris Webber Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973), nicknamed "C-Webb", is an American former professional basketball player. Webber played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the largest portion of his career sp ...

on January 16, 2007 made him gradually fall out of the team's rotation, the culmination being his 5 minutes in two postseason contests. He averaged 5.6 points and 4.5 rebounds in 51 games (33 starts), with about 15 minutes of action per game.

Charlotte Bobcats (2007–2011)

Mohammed was traded from the Pistons to the Charlotte Bobcats on December 14, 2007, in exchange for Primož Brezec and Walter Herrmann.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2011–2012)

On February 24, 2011, Mohammed was traded to the

, while forward D. J. White and guard Morris Peterson were sent to the Charlotte Bobcats. He reached the 2012 NBA Finals with the Thunder, but the team lost to the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

4 games to 1.

Chicago Bulls (2012–2015)

On July 27, 2012, Mohammed signed with his hometown team, the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

. On May 10, 2013, he was involved in an altercation with

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

in the

2013 NBA Playoffs The 2013 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2012–13 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeating the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spu ...

, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals. James was called for a technical foul for tying up with Mohammed in transition; Mohammed retaliated by shoving James which required James to sue Mohammed. On July 11, 2013, Mohammed re-signed with the Bulls. On September 22, 2014, he again re-signed with the Bulls. On August 1, 2015, Mohammed played for Team Africa at the 2015 NBA Africa exhibition game. On October 9, 2015, he retired from the NBA.

Return to Oklahoma City (2016)

In March 2016, Mohammed came out of retirement in order to return to the NBA. On March 5, he signed with the

, returning to the franchise for a second stint. Four days later, he made his season debut in a 120–108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 26 , , 0 , , 4.7 , , .357 , , .000 , , .571 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , .2 , , .2 , , 1.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 28 , , 3 , , 6.8 , , .389 , , .000 , , .545 , , 1.8 , , .1 , , .1 , , .4 , , 1.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 30 , , 3 , , 6.5 , , .466 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.8 , , .1 , , .2 , , .2 , , 3.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, 28 , , 19 , , 25.6 , , .480 , , .000 , , .765 , , 9.0 , , .6 , , .8 , , 1.0 , , 12.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 73 , , 26.4 , , .461 , , .000 , , .617 , , 7.9 , , .4 , , .8 , , .7 , , 9.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 35 , , 0 , , 12.7 , , .421 , , .000 , , .634 , , 3.7 , , .2 , , .5 , , .6 , , 4.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 53 , , 1 , , 17.7 , , .493 , , .000 , , .627 , , 5.0 , , .4 , , .4 , , .5 , , 6.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , New York , 27 , , 23 , , 24.9 , , .563 , , .000 , , .525 , , 7.7 , , .6 , , 1.2 , , .9 , , 9.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , New York , 54 , , 54 , , 28.1 , , .509 , , .000 , , .708 , , 8.1 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , align="left" ,

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, 23 , , 5 , , 18.0 , , .387 , , .000 , , .571 , , 6.4 , , .3 , , .2 , , 1.4 , , 6.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 80 , , 30 , , 17.4 , , .504 , , .000 , , .785 , , 5.2 , , .5 , , .3 , , .6 , , 6.2 , - , 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 ...

, 51 , , 33 , , 15.2 , , .532 , , .000 , , .610 , , 4.5 , , .2 , , .5 , , .8 , , 5.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;", 21 , , 0 , , 10.9 , , .475 , , .000 , , .433 , , 3.5 , , .3 , , .3 , , .4 , , 3.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , style="background:#cfecec;", 61 , , 29 , , 23.3 , , .520 , , .000 , , .617 , , 6.9 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .9 , , 9.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 39 , , 1 , , 8.7 , , .406 , , .000 , , .550 , , 2.0 , , .2 , , .1 , , .4 , , 2.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 58 , , 29 , , 17.0 , , .553 , , .000 , , .648 , , 5.2 , , .5 , , .3 , , .7 , , 7.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 51 , , 30 , , 16.7 , , .502 , , .000 , , .591 , , 4.9 , , .3 , , .3 , , .9 , , 7.3 , - , align="left" , , 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 ...

, 24 , , 7 , , 17.9 , , .573 , , .000 , , .625 , , 4.8 , , .3 , , .7 , , .4 , , 6.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 63 , , 1 , , 11.0 , , .467 , , .000 , , .565 , , 2.7 , , .2 , , .3 , , .6 , , 2.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 63 , , 12 , , 11.0 , , .367 , , .000 , , .723 , , 3.1 , , .4 , , .3 , , .5 , , 2.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 80 , , 1 , , 7.0 , , .429 , , .000 , , .533 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , .2 , , .4 , , 1.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 23 , , 0 , , 5.6 , , .433 , , .000 , , .333 , , 1.7 , , .1 , , .2 , , .2 , , 1.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 3.8 , , .600 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .8 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1005 , , 354 , , 15.8 , , .486 , , .000 , , .640 , , 4.7 , , .4 , , .4 , , .6 , , 5.8

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, align="left" ,

, 3 , , 0 , , 1.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , align="left" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, align="left" , New York , 4 , , 4 , , 24.3 , , .500 , , .000 , , .688 , , 5.8 , , .3 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

† , align="left" ,

, 23 , , 23 , , 23.0 , , .528 , , 1.000 , , .638 , , 6.7 , , .3 , , .6 , , 1.0 , , 7.1 , - , align="left" ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, align="left" ,

, 8 , , 3 , , 11.8 , , .733 , , 1.000 , , .722 , , 3.9 , , .1 , , .4 , , .8 , , 4.5 , - , align="left" ,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, align="left" ,

, 2 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .500 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.5 , - , align="left" ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, align="left" , Charlotte , 4 , , 0 , , 12.0 , , .579 , , .000 , , .667 , , 2.0 , , .5 , , .3 , , .5 , , 6.0 , - , 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 ...

, align="left" ,

, 14 , , 0 , , 10.6 , , .412 , , .000 , , .400 , , 2.3 , , .0 , , .3 , , .4 , , 2.3 , - , align="left" ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, align="left" ,

, 8 , , 0 , , 10.4 , , .500 , , .000 , , .500 , , 2.0 , , .1 , , .0 , , .4 , , 2.3 , - , 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 ...

, align="left" ,

, 12 , , 0 , , 9.5 , , .512 , , .000 , , .571 , , 2.7 , , .3 , , .2 , , .6 , , 3.8 , - , 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 ...

, align="left" ,

, 2 , , 0 , , 2.5 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , align="left" ,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, align="left" ,

, 3 , , 0 , , 4.7 , , .286 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.7 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , , 1.3 , - , 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" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .500 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.6 , , .0 , , .0 , , .2 , , 0.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 88 , , 30 , , 13.1 , , .514 , , .667 , , .639 , , 3.5 , , .2 , , .3 , , .6 , , 4.2

Personal life

Mohammed is a practicing

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 ...

who fasts for

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 ...

. He had lost nearly ten pounds during 2004–05 season because of his fasting. Mohammed and his wife Mandi have two daughters and a son. Their son, Sir, currently plays college basketball for Notre Dame. He created The Nazr Mohammed Foundation which is committed to being a charitable member of the global community by supporting a multitude of worthy causes through personal donations, fundraisers, camps, grants and scholarships and in August 2012, his foundation hosted the Kenwood Academy Capital Improvements Fundraiser. Mohammed studied Business Management at Kentucky and graduated in May 2020 with a Bachelor’s of Arts and Sciences.

References

External links

NBA.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohammed, Nazr 1977 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen African-American Muslims American men's basketball players American sportspeople of Ghanaian descent Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players from Chicago Centers (basketball) Charlotte Bobcats players Chicago Bulls players Detroit Pistons players Kenwood Academy alumni Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Muslims from Illinois New York Knicks players Oklahoma City Thunder players Philadelphia 76ers players San Antonio Spurs players Utah Jazz draft picks