Abdel Nader

Abdel Nader (Arabic: عبد الرحمن نادر‎; born September 25, 1993) is an American-Egyptian professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Northern Illinois Huskies and the Iowa State Cyclones before being drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 58th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. Nader has also played for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Abdel Nader
Nader with the Boston Celtics in 2018
No. 11 – Phoenix Suns
PositionSmall forward / Shooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1993-09-25) September 25, 1993
Alexandria, Egypt
NationalityAmerican / Egyptian
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolNiles North (Skokie, Illinois)
College
NBA draft2016 / Round: 2 / Pick: 58th overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–2017Maine Red Claws
2017–2018Boston Celtics
2017–2018→Maine Red Claws
2018–2020Oklahoma City Thunder
2018→Oklahoma City Blue
2020–presentPhoenix Suns
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

High school career

He started his career at Maine East High School, before transferring to Niles North. Abdel averaged 23.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game as a senior at Niles North and led the Vikings to a 24–6 record and their first sectional championship and Central Suburban League titles in the school's 47-year history. He garnered First Team All-State honors from the Chicago Tribune,[1] earned Chicago Sun-Times Class 4A Second Team All-State recognition, and named to the ESPN Chicago All-Area team.[2]

College career

Freshman season

Nader enrolled at Northern Illinois University and appeared in all 31 games starting in 29 of them. He averaged a team-best 10.4 points, third among MAC freshmen; and 4.2 rebounds, second-best among MAC freshmen. Nader recorded 21 steals and a team-high 22 blocked shots, the best among conference freshmen. He made his first collegiate start in the season opener at Purdue, scoring nine points and grabbing four rebounds. Abdel scored in double figures in 17 games, including three games of 20-plus points as well as having a season-best 26 points against Ball State. Nader's freshman season earned him MAC All-Freshman Team honors.[3]

Sophomore season

Nader began the season as a preseason All-MAC West selection. He started 18 of the 19 games he played in, leading the team in scoring at 13.1 points while averaging 5.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and shooting 77.2 percent from the free-throw line (44-57 FT). He scored in double figures 13 times, including three games with 20-plus points. Abdel posted 23 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range against Central Michigan (8-12 FG). He was named MAC West Player of the Week on Feb 4 after averaging 22.5 points and 11.0 rebounds during the week.[4] In spite of Nader's contributions, the Huskies finished last in the MAC West division and had a 5 - 15 team record overall, and it was reported that he would be transferring to another school.[5]

Junior season

Nader eventually transferred to Iowa State.[6] He had to sit out the 2013–2014 season, becoming eligible again for the 2014–15 season. He saw action in 32 games, averaging 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds in 16.4 minutes per game. He was tied for second on the team with 16 blocked shots. Abdel grabbed six boards, two blocks, two steals, and hit 6-of-10 field goals, including 4-of-6 behind the arc to score 19 points in Iowa State's victory at Iowa.[7] He matched his season-high with 19 points at West Virginia. Nader scored 11 points and had six rebounds at home against Kansas State, he scored seven consecutive points in key second-half run against the Wildcats and blocked a fastbreak layup with 2:48 left that would have given the Wildcats the lead.[8] Nader averaged 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds when playing at least 20 minutes, ISU was 8–1 in those games.

Professional career

Maine Red Claws (2016–2017)

On June 24, 2016, Nader was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 58th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft.[9] He then joined the Celtics for the 2016 NBA Summer League.[10] On October 31, 2016, he was acquired by the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League.[11] On April 14, 2017, he was named the 2016–17 NBA Development League Rookie of the Year, becoming the first internationally-born player to be named NBA D-League Rookie of the Year and the third Red Claws player to earn the honor. Nader averaged 21.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 40 games, propelling the Red Claws to a 29–21 record and the Eastern Conference's second seed in the 2017 NBA D-League Playoffs. In addition to shooting 44.6 percent from the floor, Nader recorded a team-high 99 three-pointers. He also tallied 16 points, four rebounds and four assists during the 2017 D-League All-Star Game in New Orleans.

Boston Celtics (2017–2018)

On July 14, 2017, Nader agreed to a 4-year, $6M deal with the Celtics.[12] He made his NBA debut on October 18 against the Milwaukee Bucks.[13] During his rookie season, he received multiple assignments to the Maine Red Claws.[14] In four games with the Red Claws, he averaged 21.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. Nader posted 3.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game with the Celtics.[15]

Oklahoma City Thunder (2018–2020)

On July 23, 2018, Nader was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Rodney Purvis. Oklahoma City also received cash considerations in the deal.[16] On November 28, 2019, Nader scored his career-high 23 points with two rebounds in a 136–119 loss against the Portland Trail Blazers.[17]

Phoenix Suns (2020–present)

On November 16, 2020, the Thunder traded Nader and Chris Paul to the Phoenix Suns for Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque, and a protected 2022 first round pick.[18] After getting a concussion in the December 2020 preseason against the Utah Jazz,[19] Nader made his season debut on January 11, 2021 against the Washington Wizards.[20] On January 28, Nader scored a season-high 16 points in a blowout 114–93 win over the Golden State Warriors.[21]

Career statistics
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

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Boston 48110.9.336.354.5901.5.5.3.23.0
2018–19 Oklahoma City 61111.4.423.320.7501.9.3.3.24.0
2019–20 Oklahoma City 55615.8.468.375.7731.8.7.4.46.3
Career 164812.7.421.352.7161.8.5.4.34.5

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018 Boston 1103.0.333.000.500.3.3.1.11.1
2019 Oklahoma City 301.7.500--.0.0.0.3.7
2020 Oklahoma City 308.3.143.200.5001.0.0.3.71.3
Career 1703.7.292.111.500.4.2.1.21.1

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011–12 Northern Illinois 312924.2.337.299.6824.21.1.7.710.4
2012–13 Northern Illinois 191825.4.337.277.7725.6.91.3.513.1
2014–15 Iowa State 32016.4.406.217.7672.9.7.4.55.8
2015–16 Iowa State 353531.1.478.371.7365.01.51.1.712.9
Career 1365620.6.469.382.7892.71.3.7.28.8

Personal life

Nader moved with his family to the United States at the age of 8 and cites Skokie, Illinois as his hometown. He speaks fluent Arabic. He majored in liberal studies at Iowa State University.[22]

References
  1. Helfgot, Mike (April 2, 2011). "Boys basketball: 2011 Chicago Tribune All-State first team: Two All-Americans, two Mr. Basketballs and a Nader make up top five". ChicagoTribune.com. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  2. Powers, Scott (March 17, 2011). "Boys basketball all-area team 2010-11". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  3. "Nader Named to MAC All-Freshman Team". NIUHuskies.com. March 7, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  4. "Nader Named MAC West Player of the Week". NIUHuskies.com. February 4, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  5. Johnson, Raphielle (March 28, 2013). "Report: Northern Illinois leading scorer Abdel Nader to transfer". NBCSports.com. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  6. Hines, Travis (April 26, 2013). "Men's Basketball: Northern Illinois transfer Nader headed to ISU". AmesTrib.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. Leistikow, Chad (December 12, 2014). "Iowa State dismantles Hawkeyes in Cy-Hawk showdown". DesmoinesRegister.com. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  8. Birch, Tommy (January 20, 2015). "Abdel Nader's big block alters course of Iowa State's win". DesmoinesRegister.com. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  9. "Boston Celtics 2016 Draft Results". NBA.com. June 24, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  10. "Celtics Announce 2016 Summer League Roster". NBA.com. July 1, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  11. "2016 Training Camp Roster Announced". NBA.com. October 31, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  12. "Maine Red Claws' Abdel Nader Named NBA D-League Rookie of the Year". NBA.com. April 14, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  13. "Bucks vs. Celtics - Box Score". ESPN.com. October 18, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  14. "2017-2018 Maine Red Claws Transactions History". RealGM.com. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  15. "Final 2017-18 NBA G League stats for ex-Iowa collegians". The Gazette. March 27, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  16. "Thunder Acquires Abdel Nader". NBA.com. July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  17. https://www.fantasypros.com/nba/news/239793/abdel-nader-goes-off-career-high-23-points.php
  18. "Suns complete trade for Chris Paul, Abdel Nader". NBA.com. November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  19. Suns' Abdel Nader: In concussion protocol
  20. Beal Pours In 34 As Wizards Cruise Past Suns (Beal scores 34, Wizards beat Suns 128-107 for first home win)
  21. Brandt, David (January 28, 2021). "Suns Pull Away From Warriors, Climb Above .500 (Suns snap 3-game skid, roll to 114-93 win over Warriors)". NBA.com. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  22. "Abdel Nader bio". Cyclones.com. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
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