Hasheem Thabeet could not stick in the NBA; Where is he now?
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BVM) — Every year at draft time, it is easy to fall in love with nearly every single prospect. But only time will tell which ones from this crop will actually make an impact. In 2009, Hasheem Thabeet was seen as a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but unfortunately it did not turn out that way.
Hasheem Thabeet’s NBA career
Going into the 2009 NBA Draft, Blake Griffin was the clear cut choice to go No. 1 to the Los Angeles Clippers. The draft really started at No. 2.
The Memphis Grizzlies were heavily linked pre-draft to Ricky Rubio and many thought that could be the selection. Instead, Memphis went with Thabeet, a 7-foot-3 Tanzanian center out of UConn.
Outside of Rubio, future MVPs James Harden and Steph Curry were still on the board at the time.
There was hope that Memphis could turn Thabeet into a premier defender at the center position for a decade plus, but it was just not in the cards.
Thabeet could not make it through two full seasons with the Grizzlies, being sent off at the trade deadline to Houston in his second season. With multiple call-ups and send-downs between the NBA and then called D-League, Thabeet only played two games for the Rockets for the rest of the season.
After bouncing around some more over the next couple of seasons, Thabeet’s time in the NBA would end in 2014 with the Thunder. Despite his inability to stick in the league, there was a reason why he was so coveted in the draft process.
The legend of Hasheem Thabeet
Before he stepped foot on campus at UConn, Thabeet moved to the United States as a 15-year-old, playing at the prep level in the Houston area.
When he arrived at Connecticut, he made an instant impact for the Huskies. As a freshman, he averaged 3.8 blocks and was selected for the Big East All-Rookie Team that season. He topped that number his sophomore year blocking 4.5 shots per game, earning Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
He capped off his career at UConn his junior season winning co-Big East Player of the Year as well as the National Defensive Player of the Year. Thabeet guided the Huskies that season all the way to the Final Four before getting knocked off by Michigan State.
Even though his NBA tenure was not as glamorous as his time in college, Thabeet has been able to continue his playing career.
Where is Hasheem Thabeet now and how much is he worth?
Since the end of the 2013-14 season with Oklahoma City, he has had various stints in the G-league and countries overseas including Japan and Taiwan. In January 2022, Thabeet signed on with Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association.
Despite never really finding his footing in the NBA, Thabeet still accrued over $16.4 million during his time in the association. Whether he is a bust or not, making that type of money for a kid from Tanzania is still a success story.
