Hassan Whiteside facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Hassan Whiteside
No. 45 – Cangrejeros de Santurce
Whiteside with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019
Center
Personal information
Born	(1989-06-13) June 13, 1989 (age 36) Gastonia, North Carolina, U.S.
High school	East Side (Newark, New Jersey) Hope Christian Academy (Kings Mountain, North Carolina) The Patterson School (Lenoir, North Carolina)
Listed height	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight	265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
College	Marshall (2009–2010)
NBA Draft	2010 / Round: 2 / Pick: 33rd overall
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
Pro career	2010–present
League	Baloncesto Superior Nacional
Career history
2010–2012	Sacramento Kings
2010–2012	→Reno Bighorns
2012–2013	Sioux Falls Skyforce
2013	Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2013	Amchit Club
2013	Sichuan Blue Whales
2013–2014	Al Mouttahed Tripoli
2014	Jiangsu Tongxi
2014	Iowa Energy
2014–2019	Miami Heat
2014	→Sioux Falls Skyforce
2019–2020	Portland Trail Blazers
2020–2021	Sacramento Kings
2021–2022	Utah Jazz
2023	Piratas de Quebradillas
2025–present	Cangrejeros de Santurce

Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2016) NBA rebounding leader (2017) 2× NBA blocks leader (2016, 2020) All-LBL First Team (2014) LBL blocks leader (2014) NBL-China champion (2013) NBL-China Finals MVP (2013) NBL-China Defensive Player of the Year (2013) BSN Defensive Player of the Year (2023) BSN rebounding leader (2023) BSN blocks leader (2023) NBA G League champion (2013) NCAA blocks leader (2010) Second-team All-Conference USA (2010) Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year (2010) Conference USA Freshman of the Year (2010)

Hassan Niam Whiteside (born June 13, 1989) is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rico's Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) league. Before playing professionally, he played college basketball for the Marshall Thundering Herd.

Hassan was picked by the Sacramento Kings in the 2010 NBA draft. He later joined the Miami Heat in 2014. With the Heat, he became known for his strong defense. He was even named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2016. That year, he also led the NBA in blocks. In 2017, he led the league in rebounding. He also played for the Portland Trail Blazers and led the league in blocks again in his first season there. Hassan has also played for teams in China, Lebanon, and Puerto Rico.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Hassan Whiteside grew up in Gastonia, North Carolina. He has six brothers and sisters. He attended several high schools during his teenage years.

For his junior year, Hassan moved to Newark, New Jersey. He played basketball at East Side High School. He was very good, averaging 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 5.5 blocked shots per game. After that, he returned to North Carolina. He played at Hope Christian Academy and later at The Patterson School. At Patterson, he helped his team achieve a great record of 34 wins and only 2 losses. They were even ranked number one nationally.

College Basketball Journey

Hassan Whiteside chose to play college basketball at Marshall University. He quickly became a standout player. In November 2009, he had an amazing game with 14 points, 17 rebounds, and 9 blocked shots.

A few weeks later, he achieved his first "triple-double." This means he had double-digit numbers in three different stats: 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 blocks. He had two more triple-doubles that season. Hassan finished his first year as the national leader in blocked shots with 182. This set new records for Marshall and for freshmen in college basketball.

In March 2010, Hassan decided to enter the 2010 NBA draft. This meant he would leave college early to try and play in the NBA.

Professional Basketball Career

Starting in the NBA: Sacramento Kings (2010–2012)

The Sacramento Kings picked Hassan Whiteside as the 33rd player in the 2010 NBA draft. He played in his first NBA game but then spent time with the Kings' minor league team, the Reno Bighorns. He also had surgery on his knee, which kept him from playing for a while. The Kings later decided to let him go in 2012.

Playing in the Minor Leagues and Overseas (2012–2014)

After leaving the Kings, Hassan played for several teams in the NBA Development League (now called the G League). These included the Sioux Falls Skyforce and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

He also played basketball in other countries. He joined the Amchit Club in Lebanon and then the Sichuan Blue Whales in China. In China, he played very well, averaging 25.7 points, 16.6 rebounds, and 5.1 blocks per game. He later returned to Lebanon to play for Al Mouttahed Tripoli and then went back to China to play for Jiangsu Tongxi.

Making a Name: Miami Heat (2014–2019)

In November 2014, Hassan Whiteside signed with the Miami Heat. This was a big turning point in his career.

2014–15 Season

Hassan quickly showed his skills. In January 2015, he recorded his first career "triple-double" with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and a team-record 12 blocks in one game. He was one of only a few players in NBA history to achieve so many blocks in such a short time. He also had a game with 24 points and 20 rebounds, showing his dominance. He finished the season averaging 11.8 points and 10 rebounds per game.

2015–16 Season

Hassan continued to shine. He scored a career-high 25 points in one game. He also had two more triple-doubles, bringing his total to four. He became known for blocking many shots, setting a Heat record for blocks early in the season. He reached 300 blocks with the Heat faster than any other player in team history. He also reached 1,000 career rebounds faster than any other Heat player.

Hassan finished this season as the NBA's leading shot-blocker. He was also chosen for the NBA All-Defensive Second Team because of his excellent defense.

2016–17 Season

In July 2016, Hassan signed a new contract with the Heat. He became the first player in NBA history to go from a minimum salary to a maximum contract. He continued to have amazing games, including one with 27 points and 15 rebounds. He also set a team record with five straight games having a "double-double" (double digits in two stats).

He had several games with 20 points and 20 rebounds. In one game, he grabbed an NBA season-high 25 rebounds. He even set a career high with 32 points in another game. Hassan finished this season as the NBA's leading rebounder.

2017–18 Season

Hassan started the season strong with 26 points and 22 rebounds in the first game. He missed some games due to knee and hip injuries but still played well when he was on the court. He had a season-high 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 blocks in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

2018–19 Season

Hassan continued to be a strong rebounder and shot-blocker. He had an NBA season-high 24 rebounds in one game. In another game, he had 29 points, 20 rebounds, and 9 blocked shots, which was an NBA season-high for blocks. He set a Heat record for blocks in a single half. Towards the end of the season, he played a reserve role after recovering from a hip injury.

Portland Trail Blazers (2019–2020)

In July 2019, Hassan Whiteside was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. He continued his strong defensive play. In November 2019, he recorded 10 blocks in a game. This set a new record for the Trail Blazers franchise for most blocks in a single game.

Return to Sacramento (2020–2021)

In November 2020, Hassan signed a one-year contract to return to the Sacramento Kings.

Utah Jazz (2021–2022)

In August 2021, Hassan Whiteside signed with the Utah Jazz. He played as a backup center and still managed to average 1.6 blocks per game, ranking 8th in the league.

Playing in Puerto Rico (2023–Present)

In March 2023, Hassan signed with the Piratas de Quebradillas in Puerto Rico. In February 2024, it was reported that he had retired from basketball. However, in April 2025, Hassan officially signed with the Cangrejeros de Santurce, also in Puerto Rico. He explained that he had not retired but took a year off to recover from shoulder surgery.

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

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2010–11	Sacramento	1	0	2.0	—	—	—	.0	.0	.0	.0	.0
2011–12	Sacramento	18	0	6.1	.444	—	.417	2.2	.0	.2	.8	1.6
2014–15	Miami	48	32	23.8	.628	—	.500	10.0	.1	.6	2.6	11.8
2015–16	Miami	73	43	29.1	.606	—	.650	11.8	.4	.6	3.7*	14.2
2016–17	Miami	77	77	32.6	.557	—	.628	14.1*	.7	.7	2.1	17.0
2017–18	Miami	54	54	25.3	.540	1.000	.703	11.4	1.0	.7	1.7	14.0
2018–19	Miami	72	53	23.3	.571	.125	.449	11.3	.8	.6	1.9	12.3
2019–20	Portland	67	61	30.0	.621	.571	.686	13.5	1.2	.4	2.9*	15.5
2020–21	Sacramento	36	4	15.2	.563	.000	.519	6.0	.6	.3	1.3	8.1
2021–22	Utah	65	8	17.9	.652	—	.623	7.6	.4	.3	1.6	8.2
Career		511	332	24.7	.586	.308	.605	10.8	.6	.5	2.2	12.6

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2016	Miami	10	10	29.1	.681	—	.591	10.9	.3	.8	2.8	12.0
2018	Miami	5	5	15.4	.450	—	.615	6.0	.2	.0	1.2	5.2
2020	Portland	5	3	21.2	.542	1.000	.500	7.0	.4	.2	2.0	6.8
2022	Utah	6	0	10.8	.417	—	.250	5.2	.0	.3	1.3	1.8
Career		26	18	20.7	.592	1.000	.560	7.9	.2	.4	2.0	7.3

College

*	Led NCAA Division I

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2009–10	Marshall	34	23	26.1	.524	.600	.588	8.9	.3	.6	5.4*	13.1

Awards and Honors

2010 Sporting News second team All-American
2010 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year
2010 Conference USA Freshman of the Year
2010 Conference USA All-Freshman Team
2010 A member of FOXSports.com's All-Freshman Team
2010 CBSSports.com Freshman All-American Team
2010 Conference USA All-Defensive Team
2010 Conference USA 7-time Rookie of The Week
2010 Second Team All-Conference USA
2010 NCAA Second Team All-Freshman Team
2010 NCAA Division I blocks leader
2010 First NCAA Conference USA player to ever record three triple-doubles in a season
NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2016)

Personal Life

Hassan Whiteside is the son of Hasson Arbubakrr and Debbie Whiteside. His father, Hasson Arbubakrr, played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1980s.

Hassan has a younger brother named Nassan, who has autism. In 2012, a non-profit organization called Nassan's Place was started in New Jersey. This organization helps families with lower or middle incomes get good, affordable care for their children in a safe and fun environment.