Nazr Mohammed
Mohammed during his first tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Blue
PositionGeneral Manager
Personal information
Born (1977-09-05) September 5, 1977 (age 46)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High schoolKenwood Academy
(Chicago, Illinois)
CollegeKentucky (1995–1998)
NBA draft1998: 1st round, 29th overall pick
Selected by the Utah Jazz
Playing career1998–2015, 2016
PositionCenter
Number14, 2, 13, 6, 8, 48
Career history
1998–2001Philadelphia 76ers
2001–2004Atlanta Hawks
2004–2005New York Knicks
2005–2006San Antonio Spurs
2006–2007Detroit Pistons
2007–2011Charlotte Bobcats
2011–2012Oklahoma City Thunder
2012–2015Chicago Bulls
2016Oklahoma City Thunder
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points5,827 (5.8 ppg)
Rebounds4,708 (4.7 rpg)
Blocks639 (0.6 bpg)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Nazr Tahiru Mohammed (/ˈnɑːzi/ NAH-zee; born September 5, 1977)[1] is an American former professional basketball player who had a journeyman career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing for eight different teams over 18 seasons. He is the current general manager of the Oklahoma City Blue and a pro scout for the Oklahoma City Thunder.[2] He played college basketball for Kentucky.

Early life

The son of Alhaji Muhammad, an entrepreneur from Ghana, Mohammed was raised in Chicago and attended high school at Kenwood Academy, graduating in 1995. Mohammed entered the University of Kentucky 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. 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.[1]

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 in the first round, as the 29th pick overall. Utah traded his rights to the Philadelphia 76ers for a future first-round pick, which turned out to be Quincy Lewis in the 1999 NBA draft.[3] He spent two and a half seasons in Philadelphia before being traded in February 2001 to the Atlanta Hawks along with an injured Theo Ratliff in exchange for Hall of Fame center Dikembe Mutombo.[4]

Atlanta Hawks (2001–2004)

On November 5, 2001, he scored a career-high 30 points against the Los Angeles Clippers.[5] He played for the Hawks through the middle of the 2003–04 season, at which point he was traded to the New York Knicks for Michael Doleac.[6]

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 (who acquired him in a trade for Malik Rose), for the second half of the 2004-05 NBA season.[7] In a combined 77 games for both teams, he averaged 9.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.[8] He won his first and only championship in 2005 with the Spurs as a member of their starting lineup.[9]

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.[10] On March 17, 2006, he tied his career-high of 30 points against the Phoenix Suns.[11] 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.[12] Mohammed, however, played sparingly in the team's second round series loss to the Dallas Mavericks. 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 and became their starting center.[13] After beginning the season in the starting five, the arrival of Chris Webber 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.[14]

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.[15]

Oklahoma City Thunder (2011–2012)

On February 24, 2011, Mohammed was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, while forward D. J. White and guard Morris Peterson were sent to the Charlotte Bobcats.[16] He reached the 2012 NBA Finals with the Thunder, but the team lost to the Miami Heat 4 games to 1.[17]

Chicago Bulls (2012–2015)

On July 27, 2012, Mohammed signed with his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls.[18] On May 10, 2013, he was involved in an altercation with LeBron James 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.[19]

On July 11, 2013, Mohammed re-signed with the Bulls.[20] On September 22, 2014, he again re-signed with the Bulls.[21]

On August 1, 2015, Mohammed played for Team Africa at the 2015 NBA Africa exhibition game.[22] On October 9, 2015, he retired from the NBA.[23]

Return to Oklahoma City (2016)

In March 2016, Mohammed came out of retirement in order to return to the NBA.[24] On March 5, he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder, returning to the franchise for a second stint.[25][26] Four days later, he made his season debut in a 120–108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.[27]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1998–99 Philadelphia 26 0 4.7 .357 .000 .571 1.4 .1 .2 .2 1.6
1999–00 Philadelphia 28 3 6.8 .389 .000 .545 1.8 .1 .1 .4 1.9
2000–01 Philadelphia 30 3 6.5 .466 .000 .500 1.8 .1 .2 .2 3.2
2000–01 Atlanta 28 19 25.6 .480 .000 .765 9.0 .6 .8 1.0 12.3
2001–02 Atlanta 82 73 26.4 .461 .000 .617 7.9 .4 .8 .7 9.7
2002–03 Atlanta 35 0 12.7 .421 .000 .634 3.7 .2 .5 .6 4.6
2003–04 Atlanta 53 1 17.7 .493 .000 .627 5.0 .4 .4 .5 6.5
2003–04 New York 27 23 24.9 .563 .000 .525 7.7 .6 1.2 .9 9.1
2004–05 New York 54 54 28.1 .509 .000 .708 8.1 .5 1.0 1.0 10.9
2004–05† San Antonio 23 5 18.0 .387 .000 .571 6.4 .3 .2 1.4 6.2
2005–06 San Antonio 80 30 17.4 .504 .000 .785 5.2 .5 .3 .6 6.2
2006–07 Detroit 51 33 15.2 .532 .000 .610 4.5 .2 .5 .8 5.6
2007–08 Detroit 21 0 10.9 .475 .000 .433 3.5 .3 .3 .4 3.3
2007–08 Charlotte 61 29 23.3 .520 .000 .617 6.9 1.1 .6 .9 9.3
2008–09 Charlotte 39 1 8.7 .406 .000 .550 2.0 .2 .1 .4 2.7
2009–10 Charlotte 58 29 17.0 .553 .000 .648 5.2 .5 .3 .7 7.9
2010–11 Charlotte 51 30 16.7 .502 .000 .591 4.9 .3 .3 .9 7.3
2010–11 Oklahoma City 24 7 17.9 .573 .000 .625 4.8 .3 .7 .4 6.9
2011–12 Oklahoma City 63 1 11.0 .467 .000 .565 2.7 .2 .3 .6 2.7
2012–13 Chicago 63 12 11.0 .367 .000 .723 3.1 .4 .3 .5 2.6
2013–14 Chicago 80 1 7.0 .429 .000 .533 2.2 .3 .2 .4 1.6
2014–15 Chicago 23 0 5.6 .433 .000 .333 1.7 .1 .2 .2 1.2
2015–16 Oklahoma City 5 0 3.8 .600 .000 1.000 .8 .0 .0 .0 1.6
Career 1005 354 15.8 .486 .000 .640 4.7 .4 .4 .6 5.8

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1999 Philadelphia 3 0 1.0 .000 .000 .000 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
2004 New York 4 4 24.3 .500 .000 .688 5.8 .3 1.5 .8 10.3
2005† San Antonio 23 23 23.0 .528 1.000 .638 6.7 .3 .6 1.0 7.1
2006 San Antonio 8 3 11.8 .733 1.000 .722 3.9 .1 .4 .8 4.5
2007 Detroit 2 0 3.0 .500 .000 1.000 1.5 .0 .0 .0 2.5
2010 Charlotte 4 0 12.0 .579 .000 .667 2.0 .5 .3 .5 6.0
2011 Oklahoma City 14 0 10.6 .412 .000 .400 2.3 .0 .3 .4 2.3
2012 Oklahoma City 8 0 10.4 .500 .000 .500 2.0 .1 .0 .4 2.3
2013 Chicago 12 0 9.5 .512 .000 .571 2.7 .3 .2 .6 3.8
2014 Chicago 2 0 2.5 .000 .000 .000 1.0 .0 .0 .0 .0
2015 Chicago 3 0 4.7 .286 .000 .000 1.7 .0 .0 .3 1.3
2016 Oklahoma City 5 0 2.0 .500 .000 .000 0.6 .0 .0 .2 0.4
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.[28]

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.[1]

Mohammed studied Business Management at Kentucky and graduated in May 2020 with a Bachelor’s of Arts and Sciences.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Nazr Mohammed Stats, Video, Bio, Profile". NBA.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  2. ^ Roush, Nick (September 29, 2020). "Nazr Mohammed promoted to GM of Oklahoma City's G League team".
  3. ^ "1998 NBA Draft, First Round". NBA.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  4. ^ "Mutombo traded to Sixers in six-player deal". ESPN.com. February 23, 2001. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  5. ^ "Hawks vs. Clippers". USAToday.com. November 6, 2001. Retrieved March 17, 2006.
  6. ^ "N.Y. gets Thomas, Mohammed; Baker next?". ESPN.com. February 16, 2004. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  7. ^ "Knicks land Rose, Taylor, draft picks". ESPN.com. February 24, 2005. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  8. ^ "Nazr Mohammed 2004-05 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  9. ^ "Spurs Dethrone Pistons To Take Third NBA Title". NBA.com. June 23, 2005. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  10. ^ "Nazr Mohammed 2005-06 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  11. ^ "Mohammed Dominates Inside, Spurs Top Suns". NBA.com. March 17, 2006. Retrieved March 17, 2006.
  12. ^ "Parker scores 25 as Spurs demolish Kings in Game 1". ESPN.com. April 22, 2006. Retrieved April 22, 2006.
  13. ^ Rogers, Justin (July 4, 2006). "Pistons sign Nazr Mohammed". MLive.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  14. ^ "Nazr Mohammed 2006-07 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  15. ^ "Bobcats acquire Mohammed from Pistons for Brezec, Herrmann". ESPN.com. February 22, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  16. ^ Rohde, John (February 24, 2011). "OKC Thunder trade for Kendrick Perkins, Nate Robinson, Nazr Mohammed". NewsOK.com. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  17. ^ "Notebook: Heat 121, Thunder 106". NBA.com. June 22, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  18. ^ "BULLS SIGN FREE AGENT CENTER NAZR MOHAMMED". NBA.com. July 27, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  19. ^ Swanson, Ben (May 10, 2013). "Nazr Mohammed shoves LeBron James to the ground after foul". SBNation.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  20. ^ "BULLS RE-SIGN CENTER NAZR MOHAMMED". NBA.com. July 11, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  21. ^ "BULLS RE-SIGN CENTER NAZR MOHAMMED". NBA.com. September 22, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  22. ^ "NBA stars, legends shine as Team World rallies to beat Team Africa". ESPN.com. August 1, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  23. ^ Cantave, Marc (October 9, 2015). "NBA: NAZR MOHAMMED RETIRES FROM THE NBA". SportsBlog.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  24. ^ Sharania, Shams (March 4, 2016). "Sources: Thunder to sign veteran center Nazr Mohammed". Yahoo.com. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  25. ^ "Thunder Signs Nazr Mohammed". NBA.com. March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  26. ^ "Nazr Mohammed signs with Thunder". ESPN.com. March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  27. ^ "Westbrook's huge triple-double leads Thunder past Clippers". NBA.com. March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  28. ^ Beck, Howard (December 31, 2004). "Mohammed Is Having an All-Star Season". The New York Times. Retrieved April 1, 2005.

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