Shabazz Bozie Napier was born on July 14,1991 and is an American-Puerto Rican professional basketball player for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A and the EuroLeague.
35 Facts About Shabazz Napier
2.
Shabazz Napier was drafted 24th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2014 NBA draft and immediately traded to the Miami Heat.
3.
Shabazz Napier represents Puerto Rican national team in senior international tournaments.
4.
Shabazz Napier played college basketball for the Connecticut Huskies, and won two national championships in 2011 and 2014.
5.
Shabazz Napier was again one of UConn's key players when they won the NCAA tournament for a second time in four years in 2014 and was named as the tournament's most outstanding player.
6.
Shabazz Napier was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts to Carmen Velasquez, a native of Puerto Rico and Alex Shabazz Napier, who is African American.
7.
Shabazz Napier has an older sister Titania and an older brother Timmie.
8.
Shabazz Napier grew up in Boston's Mission Hill projects, and took a liking to basketball during that period.
9.
Shabazz Napier attended his first two years of high school at Charlestown High School in Charlestown, Massachusetts before transferring to Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts and reclassifying as a junior.
10.
Shabazz Napier appeared in all 41 games for the Huskies, coming off the bench averaging 7.8 points, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game for the season.
11.
Shabazz Napier hit two game clinching free throws to secure a win in the Final Four against Kentucky.
12.
Shabazz Napier's numbers improved, as Napier averaged 13.0 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game.
13.
Shabazz Napier notched his first career triple-double as he tallied 22 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists against Coppin State on November 20,2011.
14.
Shabazz Napier scored his 1000th career point in a game against DePaul.
15.
Shabazz Napier excelled in overtime play, scoring 55 points in 45 minutes of overtime play, as he led them to a school record 5 overtime wins.
16.
Shabazz Napier averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.0 steals a game.
17.
Shabazz Napier was then chosen to the Big East All First Team, was an honorable mention for Big East Player of the Year.
18.
Shabazz Napier said the reason he and his teammates returned is because Shabazz Napier wanted to get his degree and for him and his teammates to return to the NCAA Tournament.
19.
Shabazz Napier was named as a candidate for the Wooden Award, Bob Cousy Award, Naismith Award, Senior Class Award, and Oscar Robertson Trophy.
20.
Shabazz Napier recorded his 2nd career triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists on November 11,2013.
21.
Shabazz Napier led the team to win the 2K Sports Classic Title and was named Tournament MVP.
22.
Shabazz Napier was named the USBWA District I Player of the Year for the second straight season, and was named a first team All-American on the Wooden team, Associated Press team, USBWA and NABC, and a second team member for Sporting News.
23.
Shabazz Napier continued to lead the Huskies through the Final Four defeating Florida before reaching the National Championship game.
24.
Shabazz Napier is the only player in UConn history with 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists, and 250 steals in his career.
25.
Shabazz Napier finished his career in fourth place on the UConn scoring list with 1,959 points, second all-time with 260 made three-point field goals and steals with 251, first in 143 games played and free throws made with 509, and third in school history with 646 assists.
26.
On June 26,2014, Shabazz Napier was selected with the 24th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets.
27.
Shabazz Napier was later traded to the Miami Heat on draft night.
28.
On July 27,2015, Shabazz Napier was traded to the Orlando Magic, along with cash considerations, in exchange for a conditional 2016 second-round draft pick.
29.
On July 7,2016, Shabazz Napier was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for cash considerations.
30.
On July 17,2018, Shabazz Napier signed with the Brooklyn Nets.
31.
Shabazz Napier ended the season with averages of 9.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 17.6 minutes.
32.
Shabazz Napier was traded to the Washington Wizards the following day, in exchange for Jordan McRae.
33.
On July 19,2021, Shabazz Napier agreed on a one-year deal with Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg.
34.
On November 4,2022, Shabazz Napier was named to the opening night roster for the Capitanes de Ciudad de Mexico.
35.
Shabazz Napier did not participate in the 2012 Centrobasket due to injury.