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Nassir Little

Nassir Shamai Little (/nəˈsɪər/ nə-SEER;[1] born February 11, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League. Little finished his high school career as one of the top-ranked players in his class, having led Orlando Christian Prep to consecutive Florida state championships. The small forward played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels and was selected in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Nassir Little
Little with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2022
No. 5 – Sioux Falls Skyforce
PositionPower forward / small forward
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (2000-02-11) February 11, 2000 (age 24)
Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeNorth Carolina (2018–2019)
NBA draft2019: 1st round, 25th overall pick
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2023Portland Trail Blazers
2023–2024Phoenix Suns
2024–presentSioux Falls Skyforce
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

High school career

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Little played his freshman and sophomore seasons (2014–16) at Oakleaf High School then transferred to Orlando Christian Prep, where he played for the rest of his high school career. In his junior and senior season (2016–18), he led Orlando Christian Prep to back-to-back Florida state titles.[2] Little stood out during the McDonald's All-American Game in 2018 as he posted 28 points and 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal, to lead the West past the East and claim the most valuable player (MVP) award. He also won MVP honors at the Jordan Brand Classic after putting up 24 points in 25 minutes. Thus he joined LeBron James as only the second player to win MVP honors at both high school All-American games.[3] Little was ranked the second-best high school prospect of 2018 by the recruiting service Rivals.[4]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Nassir Little
SF 		Orange Park, FL Orlando Christian Prep (FL) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Oct 4, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars    247Sports:5/5 stars     ESPN:5/5 stars    ESPN grade: 95
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 2  247Sports: 2  ESPN: 6
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "North Carolina 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  • "2018 North Carolina Tar Heels Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018.

College career

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Little jumps for a slam dunk in 2019.

Little committed to play for North Carolina on October 4, 2017.[5] He made his debut for the Tar Heels on November 6, 2018, recording 7 points, 3 assists, and 2 blocks during North Carolina's 78–67 victory over Wofford.[6] Little scored a career-high 23 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists as North Carolina defeated Virginia Tech 103–82.[7]

At the conclusion of his freshman season, Little announced his decision to forgo his collegiate eligibility and declare for the 2019 NBA draft, where he was projected to be a first-round selection.[8]

Professional career

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Portland Trail Blazers (2019–2023)

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On June 20, 2019, the Portland Trail Blazers drafted Little with the 25th overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft.[9] On July 1, 2019, Little officially signed with the Blazers.[10]

On February 1, 2021, Little scored a career-high 30 points to go along with 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal.[11]

On January 27, 2022, Little suffered a left shoulder labral tear.[12] Four days later, the Trail Blazers announced he would undergo surgery and would miss the rest of the season.[13] On May 10, Little underwent abdominal surgery on his left side.[14]

On October 17, 2022, it was announced Little agreed on a four-year, $28 million contract extension with the Trail Blazers.[15] In mid-April 2023, Little underwent abdominal surgery on his right side.[16]

Phoenix Suns (2023–2024)

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On September 27, 2023, Little, alongside Grayson Allen, Jusuf Nurkić, and Keon Johnson was traded to the Phoenix Suns as part of a three-team trade that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks and Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Deandre Ayton, and a 2029 first-round draft pick to the Portland Trail Blazers.[17]

On August 27, 2024, Little was waived by the Suns.[18]

Sioux Falls Skyforce (2024–present)

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On September 24, 2024, Little signed with the Miami Heat,[19] but was waived on October 19.[20] On October 28, he joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce.[21]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Portland 48 5 11.9 .430 .237 .636 2.3 .5 .3 .3 3.6
2020–21 Portland 48 2 13.3 .467 .350 .800 2.7 .5 .1 .3 4.6
2021–22 Portland 42 23 25.9 .460 .331 .734 5.6 1.3 .6 .9 9.8
2022–23 Portland 54 4 18.1 .442 .367 .717 2.6 .9 .4 .4 6.6
2023–24 Phoenix 45 2 10.2 .460 .300 .850 1.7 .5 .2 .2 3.4
Career 237 36 15.8 .452 .330 .735 2.9 .7 .3 .4 5.5

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021 Portland 3 0 3.0 .250 .250 .500 .3 .0 .0 .3 1.7
2024 Phoenix 4 0 3.4 .600 .333 — .3 .0 .0 .0 1.8
Career 7 0 3.2 .444 .286 .500 .3 .0 .0 .1 1.7

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 North Carolina 36 0 18.2 .478 .269 .770 4.6 .7 .5 .5 9.8

References

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  1. ^ "2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide". NBA.com (Press release). October 24, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  2. ^ Lefko, Randy (June 26, 2019). "Little drafted into NBA". Clay Today. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  3. ^ "Nassir Little Is Learning the Hard Way". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  4. ^ Boone, Kyle (March 29, 2018). "McDonald's All-American Game: North Carolina signee Nassir Little takes home MVP honors". CBS Sports. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  5. ^ Rapaport, Daniel (October 4, 2017). "Five-Star Recruit Nassir Little Commits to North Carolina". SI.com. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  6. ^ Alexander, Jonathan M. (November 6, 2018). "North Carolina withstands a late push by Wofford to win season opener on the road". NewsObserver.com. Retrieved March 8, 2019. Freshman wing Nassir Little added seven points, and three assists. [...] He had two blocks.
  7. ^ Underhill, Maxwell (January 22, 2019). "UNC's Long-Awaited Nassir Little Awakening Should Scare Rest of ACC". 12up.com. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  8. ^ Givony, Johnathan (April 1, 2019). "UNC freshman Little declares for NBA Draft". ESPN. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  9. ^ "Nassir Little to Trail Blazers: Portland's Current Roster After 2019 NBA Draft". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  10. ^ "Trail Blazers Sign Nassir Little". NBA.com. July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  11. ^ "Bucks sizzle from 3-point range to blast Blazers 134-106". ESPN.com. February 2, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2023. Nassir Little led [...] with 30 points – 2 1/2 times [his] previous career high of 12.
  12. ^ Wojnarowski, Adrian (January 27, 2022). "Portland Trail Blazers' Nassir Little likely done for season because of shoulder tear, sources say". ESPN. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  13. ^ "Nassir Little To Undergo Surgery On Left Shoulder". NBA.com. January 31, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  14. ^ Fentress, Aaron (May 10, 2022). "Portland Trail Blazers' Nassir Little undergoes core muscle surgery". OregonLive.com. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  15. ^ "Trail Blazers Sign Nassir Little to Multi-Year Contract Extension". NBA.com. October 17, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  16. ^ Holdahl, Casey (April 13, 2023). "Nassir Little Undergoes Abdominal Surgery". NBA.com. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  17. ^ "SUNS ACQUIRE NURKIĆ, ALLEN, LITTLE, JOHNSON". NBA.com. September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  18. ^ Amico, Sam (August 27, 2024). "Suns Officially Waive Two Players". HoopsWire.com. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  19. ^ "HEAT SIGN NASSIR LITTLE". NBA.com. September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  20. ^ "HEAT WAIVE LITTLE, PULLIN, STEVENS AND WASHINGTON". NBA.com. October 19, 2024. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  21. ^ "Skyforce Announces Training Camp Roster Ahead of 2024-25 Season". NBA.com. October 28, 2024. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
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