The Memphis Grizzlies signed Hasheem Thabeet, the second overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft, to a multi-year contract, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Thabeet, a 7-3, 267-pound center, averaged 13.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game (second in the NCAA) as a junior at the University of Connecticut, earning 2008-09 Big East Co-Player of the Year (Pittsburgh’s DeJuan Blair) honors and winning his second consecutive National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Selected by Memphis with the second overall pick behind the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin, Thabeet has averaged 8.0 points and 4.5 rebounds on 50.0 percent shooting in 24.8 minutes, helping lead the Grizzlies to a 4-0 start in the 2009 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Nev.
The Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania native, who ranks second on the all-time Big East blocked shots list (243) behind Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing, is the first Tanzanian-born player drafted by an NBA team.
