With the copious amounts of injuries and negativity surrounding the Miami Heat this season, there has been one bright spot glimmering beneath all of the tumultuous muck: the emergence of one Hassan Whiteside.
Whiteside has seemingly come out of the blue and, with innate athleticism and size, has proven to be the real deal. However, with the sudden eruption out of thin air, one has to wonder, where did this kid come from? And what’s his story?
Whiteside’s story is actually quite fascinating and we’ve decided to break it down into 10 facts about his life that you may have never heard of. So without further ado, here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about Hassan Whiteside starting with number 10.
10. He’s been in and out of the NBA for five years.
That’s correct, Hassan isn’t a rookie. He was drafted in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings with the 33rd pick and also played for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2014.
(Continue on next page!)
[xyz-ihs snippet=”Responsive-Ad”]
9. He had an extremely low basketball IQ when he entered the NBA.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons why so many teams released him and also why he has a tendency to rack up so many fouls. Pat Riley said, “When Hassan came from Marshall, he had no clue. He just didn’t have that basketball IQ. I remember seeing Marshall just put him in a zone in the middle of the court, and he just stood there. He didn’t know how to play man-to-man defense.”
[xyz-ihs snippet=”Responsive-Ad”]
8. Whiteside is currently being mentored by Alonzo Mourning and Juwan Howard.
As reported by CBS Sports, Mourning has taken on a mentor role to make sure Whiteside stays humble as he climbs the ladder of elite centers in the NBA. Assistant coach Juwan Howard has also helped Whiteside develop a low post-game and continues to work with him.
[xyz-ihs snippet=”Responsive-Ad”]
7. He only played in one game during his rookie season before being waived.
It seems like all the cards were stacked against Hassan during his first go around in the NBA. On March 5, 2011, Whiteside had surgery to repair a partially torn tendon in his left knee, which sidelined him for the season. He was sent back and forth between the Kings and their D-League affiliate Reno Bighorns before being released on July 16, 2012.
[xyz-ihs snippet=”Responsive-Ad”]
6. He won the NBL Championship and was named Defensive Player of the Year, Center of the Year, and Finals MVP in 2013.
Here’s the catch, it was in China. Even still, to win three awards in one year along with a championship isn’t exactly an easy feat, no matter what league you’re playing in. Whiteside’s team at the time, the Sichuan Blue Whales went undefeated that year.
[xyz-ihs snippet=”Responsive-Ad”]
5. Whiteside’s agent played Will Smith’s Miami over the phone when he called to say the Heat signed him.
This was actually fairly recent and was reported by ESPN’s Tom Haberstroh. Amazing.
[xyz-ihs snippet=”Responsive-Ad”]
4. He accidentally ate sheep innards while in China.
Now you can imagine why Whiteside was so grateful to be playing back in the states. And oh, if you needed clarification on what sheep innards were, they are all the things inside of a sheep: guts, intestines, internal organs…you get the picture.
[xyz-ihs snippet=”Responsive-Ad”]
3. In 2009-10, Whiteside finished as the nation’s leading shot blocker.
He was playing at Marshall University at the time and finished the season with 182 blocked shots, which also shattered a C-USA record.
[xyz-ihs snippet=”Responsive-Ad”]
2. NBA 2K15 raised Whiteside’s rating from a 59 to a 77 after Whiteside asked for it.
You all remember it. It was a career night for Hassan, who went berserk against the Chicago Bulls as he finished the night with a historic triple-double: 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 blocks. He shattered Alonzo Mourning’s previous franchise-high in blocks (9). Whiteside said after the game, “I’m just trying to really get my NBA 2K rating up,” and the next day, NBA 2K complied, as they raised his rating a whopping 18 points!
[xyz-ihs snippet=”Responsive-Ad”]
1. Hassan witnessed car bombs and AK-47’s while playing ball in the Middle East.
Hassan actually credits his emergence to the adversities he had to deal with while playing basketball in the Middle East. Whiteside spent part of last season with Al Mouttahed Tripoli of the Lebanese Basketball League and said he had many fears while playing there. He spoke of car bombs and his team’s security official wielding an AK-47.
[xyz-ihs snippet=”Responsive-Ad”]