Wayne Anthony Simien Jr. (born March 9, 1983) 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 last played with Spain's Cáceres Ciudad de Baloncesto. He was a member of 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 ...

when they won the 2006 NBA championship. Simien played in college at the University of Kansas, where he was a consensus first-team

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 ...

his senior year 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 ...

High school career

Growing up, Simien was a University of Kansas fan due to his proximity to Lawrence. He committed to play for Roy Williams and the University of Kansas as early as the 8th or 9th grade, and was later named to the 2001 McDonald's All-American Team. He played for the Leavenworth Pioneers in high school with Coach Larry Hogan and led the Pioneers to a 6A-State Championship his junior year in high school. During his high school career, he began working with world-renowned conditioning coach Istvan Javorek.

College career

At Kansas, Simien received

honors his junior and senior years. He was a Wooden Award finalist both years, and was the Big 12 Player of the Year his senior year. His college career ended when Kansas was defeated by 14th-seeded Bucknell in the first round of the 2005 NCAA tournament. While at Kansas he won three Big 12 Championships and earned four NCAA Tournament berths including two Final Four appearances (one national runner-up finish) and one Elite 8 finish. Simien finished his college career with 110 wins and a 12–4 NCAA Tournament record. Simien was the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award winner his final year, recognizing him as the nation's top senior men's basketball player. He finished his career as the 12th leading all-time scorer at Kansas with 1,593 points. Kansas retired his number 23 jersey on January 29, 2011.

College statistics

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Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

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, 16, , -, , 24.4, , .646, , -, , .676, , 8.2, , .6, , .9, , .3, , 14.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2003–04 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32, , -, , 32.7, , .532, , .182, , .811, , 9.3, , 1.2, , .9, , .9, , 17.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2004–05 , style="text-align:left;",

, 26, , -, , 34.3, , .552, , .286, , .816, , 11.0, , 1.4, , .6, , .6, , 20.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", , 106, , -, , 26.6, , .566, , .24, , .784, , 8.3, , 0.9, , .7, , .7, , 15.0

Professional career

Simien was selected with the 29th overall selection of the 2005 NBA draft by the

, with whom he won a championship in 2006. During the regular season, he appeared in 43 games (about 10 minutes per game), averaging 3 points and 2 rebounds, but only managed two postseason appearances. Simien could not participate in the Heat's 2006 Summer League program because of a

salmonella ''Salmonella'' is a genus of bacillus (shape), rod-shaped, (bacillus) Gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The two known species of ''Salmonella'' are ''Salmonella enterica'' and ''Salmonella bongori''. ''S. enterica'' ...

infection. His contribution during the season consisted of eight games. Simien was traded from the Heat along with Antoine Walker and Michael Doleac to the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 24, 2007, for Ricky Davis and Mark Blount. However, on October 29, Simien was waived by the Wolves in order for them to keep their roster at the 15-player limit. He was given a Summer League invitation by the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

, but did not play due to a

hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...

injury. He later received a training camp invitation from 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 ...

which was subsequently withdrawn. Simien joined, in October 2008,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

's Cáceres 2016 Basket, in the country's second level. Simien decided to retire from professional basketball on May 5, 2009, to pursue his

Christian ministry Christian ministry is the vocational work of living and teaching about faith, in the hopes of increasing the population of God's people done by the church, church officials, congregational members, and Jesus followers. The '' Cyclopedia of Bib ...

called Called To Greatness. In August 2021, he took a position with the University of Kansas Athletic Department as the Associate Athletics Director for Engagement and Outreach.

Personal life

Simien is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

. Simien married his wife, Katie, on July 8, 2006. They have 5 children.

References

External links

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College stats and info
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simien, Wayne 1983 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American Christians American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Basketball players from Kansas Cáceres Ciudad del Baloncesto players Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans Miami Heat draft picks Miami Heat players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards Sportspeople from Leavenworth, Kansas