Nazr Mohammed
From Hoopedia
Nazr Tahiru Mohammed (first name pronounced NAH-ZeR) (born September 5, 1977 in Chicago, Illinois) is a professional basketball player with the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats. He plays both center and power forward positions. He is 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) and 250 lb (113.4 kg). For his height he has good mobility on the floor. He is aggressive in offensive rebounding and putbacks. He is a consistently good free throw shooter averaging 78.5% in 2005-06 season.
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Early Life
The son of an immigrant from Ghana, Mohammed was raised in Chicago and attended high school at Kenwood Academy. 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 Cats were runners-up to Arizona. Mohammed would once again share the starting post position with Magloire in 1998 ,and once again they would bring the NCAA Championship home to Kentucky for the second time in three years.
NBA
After his junior year, Mohammed was faced with a decision on whether to come back to school or enter the draft, and ultimately 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, with whom he spent two and a half seasons. He then played for the Atlanta Hawks through the middle of the 2004 season, at which point he went to the New York Knicks. Mohammed split the 2004-05 season between the Knicks and the Spurs (who acquired him in a trade for Malik Rose). In a combined 77 games for both teams, he averaged 9.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. He won the 2005 NBA title with the San Antonio Spurs as a member of their starting lineup.
During Mohammed's second season in San Antonio he shared the starting center position with Rasho Nesterovic, averaging 6.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game during the regular season. He was a key contributor to the team's first round series victory over Sacramento, averaging 7.0 points per game and nailing his second career three-point basket late in Game 1. 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. On July 4, 2006, it was announced that he had come to terms on an agreement with the Detroit Pistons to become their starting center. However, after starting 33 games, he lost the position to Chris Webber. "Naz" is now averaging 6.9 ppg and 5.5 rpg in 18.5 mpg. He was also selected to be on the ballot for the NBA All-Star game in Las Vegas, but was not voted onto the team.
Personal Life
Nazr has a younger brother, Ahajee, who played for the Univesrity of Louisville and continued on to to play internationally. Nazr is married to college sweetheart Mindy. They have two children together. During the off-season, they reside in Simpsonville, KY.
