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Hassan Whiteside
Personal information
Whiteside with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019
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	2010–2023
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

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)

Career NBA statistics
Points	6,450 (12.6 ppg)
Rebounds	5,523 (10.8 rpg)
Blocks	1,143 (2.2 bpg)

Hassan Niam Whiteside (born June 13, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player. He played as a center. Whiteside played college basketball for the Marshall Thundering Herd. He was picked by the Sacramento Kings in the 2010 NBA draft.

After joining the Miami Heat in 2014, Whiteside became a top defensive player. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2016. That year, he also led the NBA in blocks. He led the league in rebounding in 2017. Later, he played for the Portland Trail Blazers and again led the league in blocks. Whiteside also played for teams in China and Lebanon.

Early life and high school journey

Hassan Whiteside grew up in Gastonia, North Carolina. He lived with his single mother and six siblings. During his high school years, he attended several schools.

In 2006–07, he moved to Newark, New Jersey. He played basketball at East Side High School. He averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 5.5 blocks per game. The next year, he returned to North Carolina. He attended Hope Christian Academy in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.

For his final year (2008–09), he played at The Patterson School in Lenoir, North Carolina. He helped his team achieve a 34–2 record. They were ranked No. 1 nationally. Whiteside was considered a top recruit. Scout.com ranked him as the No. 19 center in his class. Rivals.com ranked him No. 87 overall.

College basketball career at Marshall

Whiteside chose to play for Marshall University. He picked Marshall over other big schools like UNC Charlotte and Kentucky.

He quickly gained national attention in the 2009–10 season. On November 28, he had 14 points, 17 rebounds, and nine blocks. This was in a win against the Ohio University Bobcats. On December 12, he achieved Marshall's first ever triple-double. He scored 17 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and blocked 11 shots. He had two more triple-doubles that season.

Whiteside led the nation in blocked shots with 182. He broke records for most blocks in a season for both C-USA and Marshall. His 182 blocks also set a national record for a freshman. On March 29, 2010, he decided to enter the 2010 NBA draft.

Professional basketball journey

Starting in the NBA and D-League

The Sacramento Kings drafted Whiteside as the 33rd pick in the 2010 NBA draft. He played in their first game but then spent time with their minor league team. This team was the Reno Bighorns in the D-League. In March, he had surgery on his left knee.

During the 2011–12 season, he again played for the Reno Bighorns. He also played 18 games for the Kings. He had 10 rebounds in one game against the Houston Rockets. In July 2012, the Kings released him.

He then joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the D-League in December 2012. In January 2013, he was traded to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Playing basketball overseas

In April 2013, Whiteside left the Vipers. He joined the Lebanese club Amchit Club. After three games, he moved to China. He played for the Chinese NBL team Sichuan Blue Whales. In his first game, he had 28 points and 21 rebounds. He averaged 25.7 points, 16.6 rebounds, and 5.1 blocks per game.

In November 2013, Whiteside returned to Lebanon. He signed with Al Mouttahed Tripoli. In April 2014, he went back to China. He played for Jiangsu Tongxi. There, he averaged 29.6 points, 16.4 rebounds, and 4.3 blocks per game.

After playing in the NBA Summer League and preseason, he joined the Iowa Energy. This was another D-League team.

Becoming a star with the Miami Heat

On November 24, 2014, Whiteside signed with the Miami Heat. He was briefly sent to the Sioux Falls Skyforce again. On January 4, 2015, he recorded his first double-double. He had 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

First season with the Heat (2014–15)

On January 25, he achieved his first triple-double. He scored 14 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and set a Heat record with 12 blocks. This was in a win against the Chicago Bulls. He was one of only four players in 25 years to have such a game. On February 4, he scored a career-high 24 points and had 20 rebounds. He finished his first season with the Heat averaging 11.8 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Leading the league in blocks (2015–16)

On November 1, 2015, Whiteside scored a career-high 25 points. On November 17, he recorded his second triple-double. He had 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 blocks. He became the seventh player in NBA history with multiple points-rebounds-blocks triple-doubles. He set a Heat record for blocks early in the season.

On January 15, 2016, he had his third triple-double. He recorded 19 points, 17 rebounds, and 11 blocks. On February 5, he had his fourth career triple-double. He scored 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 blocks. On February 20, he had 25 points and 23 rebounds off the bench. This was only the 11th time in NBA history a player did this. He also reached 300 blocks with the Heat faster than any other player.

Whiteside finished the season as the NBA's leading shot-blocker. He was also selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. The Heat made it to the playoffs. Whiteside had 21 points and 11 rebounds in his first playoff game.

Leading the league in rebounds (2016–17)

On July 7, 2016, Whiteside re-signed with the Heat. He became the first player to go from a minimum salary to a maximum contract. On October 26, he had 18 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks. On October 30, he tied his career high with 27 points.

He set a franchise record with five straight double-doubles to start the season. On November 10, he had 20 points and 20 rebounds. Five days later, he grabbed an NBA season-high 25 rebounds. On November 21, he set a career high with 32 points. On December 14, he recorded 26 points and 22 rebounds.

On February 4, 2017, he scored 30 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in just 27 minutes. This was his first 30-20 game. On March 21, he set a Heat single-season record for rebounds with 936. He also had his 57th double-digit rebound game, another Heat record. Whiteside finished the season as the league's leading rebounder.

Later years with the Heat (2017–19)

On October 18, 2017, Whiteside had 26 points and 22 rebounds in the season opener. He was the first player since Kevin Garnett in 2007 to do this on opening night. On January 17, 2018, he had a season-high 27 points, 13 rebounds, and six blocks.

On October 29, 2018, Whiteside grabbed an NBA season-high 24 rebounds. On November 7, he had 29 points, 20 rebounds, and an NBA season-high nine blocks. He set a Heat record with eight blocks in the first half. In March 2019, he moved to a reserve role after a hip injury.

Portland Trail Blazers (2019–2020)

On July 6, 2019, Whiteside was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. On November 29, 2019, he recorded 8 points, 15 rebounds, and a season-high 10 blocks. His 10 blocks set a new Trail Blazers' franchise record. The previous record was 9 blocks by Bill Walton.

Return to Sacramento (2020–2021)

On November 27, 2020, the Sacramento Kings signed Whiteside again. He played one season with them.

Utah Jazz (2021–2022)

On August 6, 2021, Whiteside signed with the Utah Jazz. He played as a backup center. Even though he played only 17.9 minutes per game, he averaged 1.6 blocks. This ranked him 8th in the league for blocks.

Piratas de Quebradillas (2023) and retirement

On March 14, 2023, Whiteside signed with the Piratas de Quebradillas in Puerto Rico. On February 13, 2024, Hassan Whiteside announced his retirement from basketball.

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

Play-in

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2020	Portland	1	0	13.9	.333	–	–	4.0	.0	1.0	.0	4.0
Career		1	0	13.9	.333	–	–	4.0	.0	1.0	.0	4.0

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 and family

Hassan Whiteside is the son of Hasson Arbubakrr and Debbie Whiteside. His father, Hasson Arbubakrr, played in the NFL. He played for the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1983 to 1984.

Hassan has a younger brother named Nassan. Nassan has autism. In 2012, an organization called Nassan's Place was started. It is a non-profit group in New Jersey. Nassan's Place helps families with lower incomes. It gives them good and affordable care for their children with autism. This care is provided in a safe and fun environment.