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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who had a

journeyman A journeyman, journeywoman, or journeyperson 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 f ...

career in 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), 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 the

Oklahoma City Blue The Oklahoma City Blue are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and are affiliated with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Blue play their home games at Paycom Center. The franchise began as ...

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 league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. He played college basketball for

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

Early life

The son of Alhaji Muhammad a successful entrepreneur (family friend) from Ghana, Mohammed was raised in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

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 land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state's ...

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 Jamaal Dane Magloire (born May 21, 1978) is a Canadian former professional basketball player who currently serves as basketball development consultant and community ambassador for the Toronto Raptors. He played 12 seasons in the National Basketbal ...

and was a key contributor in 1997, when the Wildcats were runners-up to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

. 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 The 1998 NBA draft took place on June 24, 1998, at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This draft helped turn around four struggling franchises: the Dallas Mavericks, the Sacramento Kings, the Boston Celtics, and the To ...

. 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 league's Western Conference, Northwest Division. Since the 1991–92 season, ...

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

for a future first round pick, which turned out to be

Quincy Lewis Quincy Lavell Lewis (born June 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who last played with the pro club Iurbentia Bilbao Basket in Spain. He currently works as an analyst for Fox Sports North, covering the Minnesota Ti ...

in the 1999 NBA draft. 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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

along with an injured Theo Ratliff in exchange for Hall of Fame center

Dikembe Mutombo Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo (born June 25, 1966) is a Congolese-American former professional basketball player. Mutombo played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Outside basketball, he has becom ...

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 Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

. 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 New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associa ...

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 league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

(who acquired him in a trade for

Malik Rose Malik Jabari Rose (born November 23, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. Rose played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning championships with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 and 2003. High school ...

), 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 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...

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 Radoslav "Rasho" Nesterović ( sr-Cyrl, Радослав "Рашо" Нестеровић, sl, Radoslav "Rašo" Nesterovič; born May 30, 1976) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player. He holds citizenship in both Slovenia and Greec ...

, 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 Western Conference Southwest Division. The ...

. 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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

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) is an American former professional basketball player. Drafted number one overall by the Orlando Magic, though arguably best known and remembered as the star forward for the Sacramento King ...

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 Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populous ...

on December 14, 2007, in exchange for

Primož Brezec Primož Brezec (born October 2, 1979) is a Slovenian retired professional basketball player. He is a 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall center. Brezec has played eight seasons in the NBA. Professional career Europe/Asia Brezec grew up in Sežan ...

and

Walter Herrmann Walter Herrmann Heinrich (born June 26, 1979) is an Argentine former professional basketball player. He is listed at 6'9" and 225 lbs. He was a key member of the senior men's Argentine national basketball team that won the gold medal dur ...

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 The 2012 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2011–12 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeated the Western Conference champion ...

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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on Januar ...

. 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 widely considered one of the greatest pl ...

in the 2013 NBA Playoffs, 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

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Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 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" ,

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, 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" ,

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, 27 , , 23 , , 24.9 , , .563 , , .000 , , .525 , , 7.7 , , .6 , , 1.2 , , .9 , , 9.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 54 , , 54 , , 28.1 , , .509 , , .000 , , .708 , , 8.1 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , align="left" ,

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, 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 largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

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

, 21 , , 0 , , 10.9 , , .475 , , .000 , , .433 , , 3.5 , , .3 , , .3 , , .4 , , 3.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

, 61 , , 29 , , 23.3 , , .520 , , .000 , , .617 , , 6.9 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .9 , , 9.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 39 , , 1 , , 8.7 , , .406 , , .000 , , .550 , , 2.0 , , .2 , , .1 , , .4 , , 2.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 58 , , 29 , , 17.0 , , .553 , , .000 , , .648 , , 5.2 , , .5 , , .3 , , .7 , , 7.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 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 capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, an ...

, 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" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

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

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

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

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, 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

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1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...

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

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, 23 , , 23 , , 23.0 , , .528 , , 1.000 , , .638 , , 6.7 , , .3 , , .6 , , 1.0 , , 7.1 , - , align="left" , 2006 , align="left" ,

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

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...

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2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

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, 4 , , 0 , , 12.0 , , .579 , , .000 , , .667 , , 2.0 , , .5 , , .3 , , .5 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" , 2011 , align="left" ,

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

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, 8 , , 0 , , 10.4 , , .500 , , .000 , , .500 , , 2.0 , , .1 , , .0 , , .4 , , 2.3 , - , align="left" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

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, 12 , , 0 , , 9.5 , , .512 , , .000 , , .571 , , 2.7 , , .3 , , .2 , , .6 , , 3.8 , - , align="left" ,

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, 3 , , 0 , , 4.7 , , .286 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.7 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , , 1.3 , - , align="left" , 2016 , 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 who fasts for Ramadan. 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. 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 African-American basketball players African-American Muslims American men's basketball players American sportspeople of Ghanaian descent Atlanta Hawks players Centers (basketball) Charlotte Bobcats players Chicago Bulls players Detroit Pistons players Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players New York Knicks players Oklahoma City Thunder players Philadelphia 76ers players San Antonio Spurs players Utah Jazz draft picks Basketball players from Chicago 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople