Hamed Haddadi

Hamed Haddadi
حامد حدادی

Haddadi before a game in March 2009
Petrochimi Bandar Imam
Position Center
League Iranian Basketball Super League
Personal information
Born (1985-05-19) May 19, 1985
Ahvaz, Iran
Nationality Iranian
Listed height 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
Listed weight 265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
NBA draft 2004 / Undrafted
Playing career 1999–present
Career history
1999–2002 Shahin Ahvaz (Iran)
2002–2007 Paykan Tehran (Iran)
2003 →Al-Nasr (United Arab Emirates)
2004 →Sanam Tehran (Iran)
2007–2008 Saba Battery Tehran (Iran)
2008–2013 Memphis Grizzlies
2008 →Dakota Wizards (D-League)
2011 Melli Haffari Ahvaz (Iran)
2013 Phoenix Suns
2013 Foolad Mahan Isfahan (Iran)
2013–2014 Sichuan Blue Whales (China)
2014 Mahram Tehran (Iran)
2014–2015 Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles (China)
2015–2016 Sichuan Blue Whales (China)
2016–present Petrochimi Bandar Imam (Iran)
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Competitor for  Iran
Asian Games
2014 Incheon Team
2006 Doha Team
FIBA Asia Championship
2007 Tokushima Team
2009 Tianjin Team
2013 Manila Team
2015 Changsha Team

Hamed E. Haddadi (Persian: حامد حدادی‎‎, Persian pronunciation: [hɑmɛd ɛ hæddɑdi], born May 19, 1985) is an Iranian professional basketball player for Petrochimi Bandar Imam of the Iranian Basketball Super League. He plays at the center position and is 7'2" (2.18 meters) tall and weighs 265 lbs. Haddadi was the first Iranian to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) when he debuted in 2008.[1]

Professional career

Iran

Before officially playing for a professional Iranian team, Haddadi started his basketball stint with a hometown team of his known as Shahin Ahvaz. His stint there would ultimately allow Haddadi played in the Iranian Basketball Super League with Paykan Tehran and Saba Battery. During 2004, Haddadi would also play for Sanam Tehran for a bit as well. In August 2007, while still playing in Iran, he rejected a contract offer from the Serbian League team Partizan Belgrade in order to play for Saba Battery.[2] In 2008, he won the Asian Club Championship with Saba Battery.

During the 2011 NBA lockout, Haddadi signed a short-term contract with his hometown team, Melli Haffari Ahvaz.[3] During this period Haddadi received no salary from the team.[4]

During the 2013 offseason, Haddadi signed a short-term contract with Foolad Mahan Isfahan. During this time, he helped lead the team to win the 2013 FIBA Asia Champions Cup over the Al Rayyan basketball team in Qatar. After his first stint with the Chinese Basketball Association, Haddadi would return to Iran once again to play for Mahram Tehran to play out the rest of their season.

On March 9, 2016, Haddadi signed with Petrochimi Bandar Imam of the Iranian Super League.[5] However, he wouldn't make his debut until later on in March due to his CBA Finals duties with the Sichuan Blue Whales at the time.

United Arab Emirates

In 2003, Haddadi was assigned by Paykan Tehran to play for Al-Nasr from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for a little bit. He would ultimately return with Paykan after his stint with Al-Nasr.

NBA career

Memphis Grizzlies

Before the 2004 NBA draft, Haddadi declared himself eligible for the draft as an early entrant.[6] However, he went undrafted in the draft and therefore became a free agent who is free to sign with any NBA team.

Haddadi received offers from NBA teams prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics and stated he would sign with a team after the games.[7] Complications existed because of legal restrictions regarding business dealings between U.S. companies and Iranian citizens.[8][9]

On August 28, 2008, Haddadi signed with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies as a free-agent. Haddadi scored four points in 17 minutes of action in his first NBA preseason game, an October 7, 2008 loss at the Houston Rockets.[10][11]

Haddadi averaged 1.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 9.7 minutes in six preseason games with the Grizzlies, and made his regular season debut on December 30, when he played 4 minutes in a loss against the Phoenix Suns, hitting both of his free throws and grabbing one rebound.[12][13]

On November 25, 2008, Memphis assigned Haddadi to the Dakota Wizards of the NBA D-League. On Tuesday, December 23, 2008, Haddadi was recalled by the Grizzlies.[14] Haddadi scored a then career-high 10 points, with 8 rebounds and a block in less than 10 minutes to key a 12–0 run in the 4th quarter, sparking the Grizzlies to a come-from-behind victory at the Golden State Warriors on March 30, 2009.[15]

On December 31, 2011, he re-signed with the Memphis Grizzlies a one-year $1.3 million contract.[16] On April 17, 2012, Hamed came off the bench to score 8 points in 12 minutes and give the Grizzlies a boost to lead them to a victory over the rival Minnesota Timberwolves. On July 28, 2012, Haddadi re-signed with the Memphis Grizzlies.[17]

On January 30, 2013, Haddadi was traded to the Toronto Raptors along with Rudy Gay as part of a three-way deal that sent José Calderón to the Detroit Pistons and Ed Davis, Tayshaun Prince, Austin Daye, and a second round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies.[18] However, Haddadi could not immediately report to the Raptors due to immigration issues.[19] He would never play a single game for the Raptors.

Phoenix Suns

On February 21, 2013, the Raptors traded Haddadi and a second-round draft pick to the Phoenix Suns for Sebastian Telfair.[20] During his tenure with the Suns, Haddadi decided to wear the number 98 as a tribute of sorts to his home nation's national telephone code.[21]

Haddadi did not play for the Suns until March 6, 2013, in a game against the Raptors, the team that Haddadi was first traded to. On March 9, 2013, Haddadi recorded 6 points, 3 blocks and a career-high 11 rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench, contributing to the Suns 107-105 win over the Houston Rockets.

Despite gaining professional career highs in his short stint with the team, Haddadi was waived by the Suns on June 29, 2013.[22]

China

In September 2013, Haddadi signed with the Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association as the bonus foreign Asian player that's allowed to be on the expansion CBA team.[23]

On September 15, 2014, Haddadi agreed to terms with Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles.[24] With Haddadi's help, the Eagles were one of the top teams during the 2014–15 season. During his time in Qingdao, Haddadi would average 20.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.3 blocks for the team's surprise rise. However, due to Qingdao's success that season, they could not re-sign him afterwards.

In September 2015, Haddadi returned to the Sichuan Blue Whales as their bonus foreign Asian player due to them having one of the worst records that season. During his second stint in Sichuan, Haddadi would help the team reach their first playoff stint in CBA history. He would help the Blue Whales sweep the Zhejiang Lions in the first round and the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in the second round before playing in the championship series against the Liaoning Flying Leopards. Before Haddadi would return to his home nation with Petrochimi Bandar Imam in Iran, he would finish the job with the Blue Whales, as he would help lead the Blue Whales to a 4-1 finals series over the Liaoning Flying Leopards, thus becoming the Finals MVP in the process.

Iranian national team

Haddadi with the national team in 2014.

Haddadi won a silver medal at the 2002 Asian Under-18 Championship and a gold medal at the 2004 Asian U20 Championship while playing on Iran's junior national teams. He won gold medals at the 2004 and 2005 West Asian Championships with the senior Iranian national basketball team.

Haddadi also won a bronze medal at the 2006 Asian Games and gold medals at the 2007 FIBA Asia Championship, 2009 FIBA Asia Championship, and the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship. He was also named the MVP of the latter three tournaments.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he led the tournament with the highest average blocked shots per game and rebounds per game, the latter by a wide margin.

Haddadi was involved in a brawl in the 2009 William Jones cup against team Jordan, which was a vital game in the cup. It later led to the outcome of the championship where Iran won despite having a 6–2 standing while Jordan had a 7–1 record.

Haddadi led team Iran to back-to-back FIBA Asia championships, where they beat Jordan in the semifinals 77–75, and defeated tournament favorite and host China, 70–52.

Off the court

In September 2009, Haddadi hosted a weekend basketball camp for children on the campus of California State University, Northridge. The camp catered mainly to the Iranian American community, and coaches included Haddadi himself, his manager, Mayar Zokaei, Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest (now known as Metta World Peace), and Iranian professional basketball players Behdad Sami and Benny Koochoie, amongst others. The camp attracted over 100 children and was the first sports camp ever by an Iranian athlete in the United States.[25]

Haddadi also spearheaded the Hamed Haddadi Javanan Foundation, a charity organization formed with the intention of awarding college scholarships to student athletes across the nation.[25]

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

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09 Memphis 19 0 6.3 .484 .000 .600 2.5 .4 .1 .6 2.5
2009–10 Memphis 36 0 6.7 .387 .000 .737 2.1 .3 .0 .4 1.7
2010–11 Memphis 31 0 5.4 .517 .000 .652 2.2 .2 .1 .4 2.4
2011–12 Memphis 35 0 5.9 .542 .000 .692 2.0 .2 .0 .7 2.0
2012–13 Memphis 13 0 6.7 .333 .000 .500 1.8 .3 .1 .5 1.2
2012–13 Phoenix 17 0 13.8 .459 .000 .520 5.1 .5 .3 1.2 4.1
Career 151 0 7.0 .463 .000 .632 2.5 .3 .1 .6 2.2

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011 Memphis 9 0 3.4 .300 .000 .833 .9 .0 .0 .6 1.2
2012 Memphis 4 0 5.3 1.000 .000 .500 2.3 .3 .0 .5 1.3
Career 13 0 3.9 .417 .000 .750 1.3 .1 .0 .5 1.2

Honors

National team

Haddadi playing for Iran in 2010

Club

Individual

References

  1. ↑ Michaela Yisrael and Richard Roth, CNN. "Iranian playing in NBA scores with America". Cnn.com. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  2. ↑ "IRI - Remedial Tonic takes Iran's basketball to Beijing". FIBA. May 13, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  3. ↑ Hamed Haddadi joins Melli Haffari
  4. ↑ "Interview with Hamed Haddadi – 5/18/2013". Pfdctv.com. 2013-05-18. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  5. ↑ "Petrochimi signs Hamed Haddadi and Ivan Johnson". Sportando.com. March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Fifty-Three Early Entry Candidates Withdraw". Nba.com. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  7. ↑ "Iran's Haddadi to play in NBA". Press TV. October 25, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
  8. ↑ Adrian Wojnarowski, NBA teams seek clearance to sign Iranian, August 16, 2008
  9. ↑ NBA cleared to talk, deal with Hamed Haddadi, August 20, 2008
  10. ↑ "Grizzlies sign Iranian center Hamed Haddadi | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES". Nba.com. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  11. ↑ Hamed Haddadi hits out at NBA legal counsel, August 19, 2008
  12. ↑ "Grizzlies rookie Haddadi makes NBA debut". Rotoworld.com. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  13. ↑ FedExForum, Memphis, TN (2008-12-30). "Suns 101, Grizzlies 89 - Box score". Scores.espn.go.com. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  14. ↑ "Grizzlies assign Hamed Haddadi to NBA Development League's Dakota Wizards". Nba.com. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  15. ↑ Tillery, Ronald. "Grizzlies rally to beat Golden State Warriors, 114-109". Commercialappeal.com. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  16. ↑ "Grizzlies sign Hamed Haddadi". NBA.com. 2011-12-31. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
  17. ↑ "Grizzlies re-sign Hamed Haddadi". NBA.com. 2012-07-28. Retrieved 2012-07-30.
  18. ↑ "Grizzlies deal Gay to Raptors in three-team trade". NBA.com. January 30, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Toronto Raptors trade Jose Calderon, Ed Davis to Memphis Grizzlies for Rudy Gay". TheStar.com. January 30, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Suns Acquire Haddadi, Second-Round Pick". NBA.com. 2013-02-21. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
  21. ↑ Dwyer, Kelly (2013-02-26). "Hamed Haddadi’s new Phoenix Suns jersey is Iran’s international telephone code (PHOTO) | Ball Don't Lie - Yahoo Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  22. ↑ Zimmerman, Kevin (2013-06-29). "Shannon Brown remains with Suns, Hamed Haddadi waived". Valleyofthesuns.com. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  23. ↑ "Hamed Haddadi signs in China with Sichuan". Sportando.net. 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  24. ↑ Qingdao Double Star agreed to terms with Hamed Haddadi
  25. 1 2 "Haddadi camps brings hoops to Iranian-American community". Nba.com. 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2014-06-13.

External links

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