Clint Capela facts for kids
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Capela with the Houston Rockets in 2019
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| No. 15 – Atlanta Hawks | |
|---|---|
| Center | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | May 18, 1994 Geneva, Switzerland |
| High school | INSEP (Paris, France) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 256 lb (116 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA Draft | 2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 25th overall |
| Selected by the Houston Rockets | |
| Pro career | 2012–present |
| League | NBA |
| Career history | |
| 2012–2014 | Élan Chalon |
| 2014–2020 | Houston Rockets |
| 2014–2015 | →Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| 2020–present | Atlanta Hawks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Clint N'Dumba Capela was born on May 18, 1994. He is a professional basketball player from Switzerland. He plays for the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Clint is well-known for his amazing ability to grab rebounds and block shots. He was chosen by the Houston Rockets as the 25th pick in the 2014 NBA draft. Did you know he is the highest-earning team athlete in Switzerland's history?
Clint started his professional journey in 2012 with Élan Chalon in France. He played there for two seasons. During that time, he was named the best young player and the most improved player. He then decided to join the NBA draft in 2014.
His big break came in the 2016–17 season with the Rockets. He became a very important player as a center and a key defender. He led the league in field goal percentage in the 2017–18 season. His career field goal accuracy is one of the best in NBA history! He also often ranks among the top players for rebounds and blocks. He even led the NBA in rebounding during the 2021–22 season. Clint has also played for the Swiss national team.
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Early Life and Starting Basketball
Clint Capela was born in Geneva, Switzerland. His father was from Angola, and his mother was from the Congo. His parents separated when he was very young. His mother raised him and his brothers by herself.
When he was a child, Clint first loved playing soccer. He also spent some time in foster care. By the time he was 13, he was already very tall, about 6 feet 3 inches (1.90 meters)! His brother suggested he try basketball instead.
After meeting famous Swiss basketball player Thabo Sefolosha, Clint became very interested in basketball. At 15, he was noticed by scouts at a European Junior Championships game. Soon after, he joined a special training center in France called INSEP.
Clint's Professional Basketball Journey
Starting in France (2012–2014)
In 2012, Clint Capela joined the main team of Élan Chalon in France. This was his first professional team.
In April 2014, Clint played for the World Team at the 2014 Nike Hoop Summit. This event showcases top young basketball players from around the world. Later that month, he decided to enter the 2014 NBA draft. In May 2014, he was recognized as the Best Young Player and Most Improved Player in the French league.
Playing for the Houston Rockets (2014–2020)
On June 26, 2014, the Houston Rockets picked Clint as the 25th player in the 2014 NBA draft. He officially signed with them in July 2014.
Clint scored his first NBA points on March 30, 2015. He finished that game with eight points and nine rebounds. During his first year, he also played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. This was a team in the NBA's minor league. Clint got more playing time in the playoffs that year. He played in more playoff games than regular-season games!
In his second season, on November 6, 2015, Clint got his first "double-double". This means he had double-digit numbers in two stats, like points and rebounds. He scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. He even set a new career high with 18 points later that month. In 2016, Clint played in the Rising Stars Challenge during the NBA All-Star Weekend. This game features the best young players in the league.
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Clint continued to improve. On November 19, 2016, he scored a career-high 20 points. A week later, he topped that with 21 points! Unfortunately, he broke a bone in his leg in December 2016 and missed 15 games. He returned to play in January 2017.
The 2017–18 season was a huge year for Clint. On October 18, 2017, he scored 22 points and matched his career high with 17 rebounds. On December 11, 2017, he scored a new career-high 28 points. By Christmas, he had 16 double-doubles and was leading the NBA in field goal percentage.
On February 9, 2018, Clint had an amazing game. He scored 23 points and grabbed a career-high 25 rebounds! This was his first game with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. He was the youngest Rockets player to do this since the legendary Hakeem Olajuwon in 1985. Clint was also a runner-up for the NBA Most Improved Player Award that season. He averaged career highs in points, rebounds, and blocks. He led the league in field goal percentage and was among the top players in rebounds and blocks.
After the 2017–18 season, Clint signed a big five-year contract extension with the Rockets. He continued to play well, setting a new career best with six double-doubles in a row in November 2018. He also tied his season high with 23 rebounds twice in December. On January 7, he scored a new career-high 31 points! In January 2019, he injured his thumb and missed 15 games. He returned in February and had a great streak of 12 games with at least 10 rebounds in March 2019.
Joining the Atlanta Hawks (2020–present)
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On February 5, 2020, Clint was traded to the Atlanta Hawks as part of a big trade involving four teams and 12 players.
Clint made his debut with the Hawks on December 28, 2020. He had seven points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. On January 22, 2021, Clint achieved his first "triple-double"! This means he had double-digit numbers in three stats. He scored 13 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, and had a career-high 10 blocks in a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
During the 2021 NBA playoffs, Clint helped the Hawks reach the Conference Finals. This is a very important stage of the playoffs! In Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks, he scored 12 points and grabbed 19 rebounds. The Hawks eventually lost that series.
On December 31, 2021, Clint had a season-high 23 rebounds and scored 18 points in a win. On April 11, 2023, during a play-in tournament game, he grabbed 21 rebounds. This helped the Hawks win and secure a spot in the playoffs.
Playing for Switzerland
In August 2013, Clint Capela started playing for the Swiss national basketball team. He played in the qualification rounds for the FIBA EuroBasket 2015 tournament.
Career Statistics
Here are some of Clint Capela's career statistics. These tables show how well he has played in different leagues and seasons.
| 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 | PIR | Performance Index Rating |
| Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league |
NBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Houston | 12 | 0 | 7.5 | .483 | — | .174 | 3.0 | .2 | .1 | .8 | 2.7 |
| 2015–16 | Houston | 77 | 35 | 19.1 | .582 | .000 | .379 | 6.4 | .6 | .8 | 1.2 | 7.0 |
| 2016–17 | Houston | 65 | 59 | 23.9 | .643 | — | .531 | 8.1 | 1.0 | .5 | 1.2 | 12.6 |
| 2017–18 | Houston | 74 | 74 | 27.5 | .652* | .000 | .560 | 10.8 | .9 | .8 | 1.9 | 13.9 |
| 2018–19 | Houston | 67 | 67 | 33.6 | .648 | — | .636 | 12.7 | 1.4 | .7 | 1.5 | 16.6 |
| 2019–20 | Houston | 39 | 39 | 32.8 | .629 | — | .529 | 13.8 | 1.2 | .8 | 1.8 | 13.9 |
| 2020–21 | Atlanta | 63 | 63 | 30.1 | .594 | — | .573 | 14.3* | .8 | .7 | 2.0 | 15.2 |
| 2021–22 | Atlanta | 74 | 73 | 27.6 | .613 | .000 | .473 | 11.9 | 1.2 | .7 | 1.3 | 11.1 |
| 2022–23 | Atlanta | 65 | 63 | 26.6 | .653 | .000 | .603 | 11.0 | .9 | .7 | 1.2 | 12.0 |
| 2023–24 | Atlanta | 73 | 73 | 25.8 | .571 | .000 | .631 | 10.6 | 1.2 | .6 | 1.5 | 11.5 |
| Career | 609 | 546 | 26.6 | .621 | .000 | .545 | 10.7 | 1.0 | .7 | 1.5 | 12.3 | |
Play-in
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Atlanta | 2 | 2 | 21.5 | .750 | — | .500 | 12.5 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 11.0 |
| 2023 | Atlanta | 1 | 1 | 28.4 | .667 | — | .000 | 21.0 | 1.0 | .0 | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| 2024 | Atlanta | 1 | 1 | 37.6 | .733 | — | — | 17.0 | 4.0 | .0 | .0 | 22.0 |
| Career | 4 | 4 | 27.2 | .733 | — | .333 | 15.8 | 2.0 | .5 | 1.3 | 12.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Houston | 17 | 0 | 7.5 | .677 | — | .517 | 2.5 | .3 | .2 | .5 | 3.4 |
| 2016 | Houston | 5 | 0 | 8.6 | .333 | — | .400 | 4.0 | .4 | .6 | .4 | 1.6 |
| 2017 | Houston | 11 | 11 | 26.0 | .561 | .000 | .615 | 8.7 | 1.1 | .7 | 2.5 | 10.5 |
| 2018 | Houston | 17 | 17 | 30.6 | .660 | — | .473 | 11.6 | 1.3 | .8 | 2.1 | 12.7 |
| 2019 | Houston | 11 | 11 | 30.1 | .561 | — | .429 | 10.3 | 1.5 | .3 | 1.1 | 9.7 |
| 2021 | Atlanta | 18 | 18 | 31.6 | .603 | — | .436 | 11.2 | .9 | .7 | 1.1 | 10.1 |
| 2022 | Atlanta | 2 | 2 | 20.0 | .333 | — | — | 7.5 | .0 | .5 | .5 | 2.0 |
| 2023 | Atlanta | 6 | 6 | 25.2 | .605 | — | .667 | 8.3 | .5 | 1.0 | .5 | 8.3 |
| Career | 87 | 65 | 23.8 | .602 | .000 | .495 | 8.4 | .9 | .6 | 1.3 | 8.5 | |
EuroLeague
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Élan Chalon | 7 | 0 | 8.0 | .636 | .000 | 1.000 | 3.0 | .3 | .4 | .7 | 2.3 | 4.9 |
| Career | 7 | 0 | 8.0 | .636 | .000 | 1.000 | 3.0 | .3 | .4 | .7 | 2.3 | 4.9 | |
See also
In Spanish: Clint Capela para niños
- List of NBA career field goal percentage leaders
