Rakeem Christmas facts for kids
Christmas with Syracuse in 2013
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| No. 25 – Hangtuah Jakarta | |
|---|---|
| Power forward | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | December 1, 1991 Irvington, New Jersey, U.S. |
| High school |
|
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Syracuse (2011–2015) |
| NBA Draft | 2015 / Round: 2 / Pick: 36th overall |
| Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves | |
| Pro career | 2015–present |
| League | IBL |
| Career history | |
| 2015–2017 | Indiana Pacers |
| 2015–2017 | →Fort Wayne Mad Ants |
| 2017 | Galatasaray |
| 2018 | New Zealand Breakers |
| 2018 | Henan Shedianlaojiu |
| 2019 | Capitanes de Arecibo |
| 2019 | Magnolia Hotshots |
| 2019–2020 | Ormanspor |
| 2020 | Mets de Guaynabo |
| 2020–2021 | Yulon Luxgen Dinos |
| 2022 | Plaza Fernando Valerio |
| 2022 | Cangrejeros de Santurce |
| 2022 | Cocodrilos de Caracas |
| 2023 | Marineros de Puerto Plata |
| 2023 | Santos de San Luis |
| 2024 | Biguá |
| 2024 | Marineros de Puerto Plata |
| 2023 | Santos de San Luis |
| 2024–present | Amartha Hangtuah |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Rakeem Haleek Christmas (born December 1, 1991) is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Amartha Hangtuah team in the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL).
Before becoming a professional, Rakeem played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange team for four seasons. In 2015, he was chosen by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA draft. He was the 36th player picked overall.
After being drafted, Rakeem was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and then to the Indiana Pacers. He played two seasons with the Pacers. During this time, he also played for their NBA G League team, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Later, he played for teams in other countries, including Turkey, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
Contents
High School Basketball Journey
Rakeem Christmas started his high school basketball career at Northeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He played there from 2007 to 2009.
Before his junior year, he moved to Academy of the New Church in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. As a junior, he averaged 13.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game. In his senior year, he averaged 11.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 3.9 blocks per game.
Experts rated him as one of the top players in his class. He was named to the Class A first team as a junior.
College Basketball Career
Rakeem Christmas decided to play college basketball for Syracuse on August 6, 2010. This was after his junior year in high school.
He began playing for the Syracuse Orange in the 2011–12 season. He was an important player for the team during all four seasons he was there.
College Career Highlights
Rakeem had some impressive games during his college career.
- He blocked 6 shots in a game against Loyola on November 25, 2014.
- He grabbed 16 rebounds in a game against Hampton on November 16, 2014.
- He scored a career-high 35 points against Wake Forest on January 13, 2015.
Professional Basketball Career
Playing for the Indiana Pacers (2015–2017)
On June 25, 2015, Rakeem Christmas was chosen by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA draft. He was the 36th pick overall. His draft rights were then traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Later, his rights were traded again to the Indiana Pacers.
On July 27, 2015, he officially signed with the Pacers. During the 2015–16 season, Rakeem spent most of his time playing in the NBA Development League (now called the NBA G League). He played for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. In January 2016, he was named to the NBA D-League All-Star team.
Rakeem made his NBA debut in the last game of the 2015–16 season. He scored four points for the Pacers. In the 2016–17 season, he played in 29 games for the Pacers. He also continued to play for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. On July 7, 2017, the Pacers decided to release him from their team.
Playing Overseas (2017–Present)
After leaving the NBA, Rakeem Christmas began playing for teams around the world.
- Galatasaray (2017): On August 17, 2017, he signed with Galatasaray, a club in Turkey. He left the team in November 2017.
- New Zealand Breakers (2018): In January 2018, Rakeem joined the New Zealand Breakers for the rest of their season. He averaged 7.5 points and 5.6 rebounds in 12 games.
- Magnolia Hotshots (2019): In July 2019, he joined the Magnolia Hotshots in the Philippine Basketball Association.
- Ormanspor (2019–2020): In August 2019, he returned to Turkey to play for Ormanspor.
- Yulon Dinosours (2020–2021): In November 2020, he joined the Yulon Luxgen Dinos team.
- Cangrejeros de Santurce (2022): In January 2022, Rakeem signed with the Cangrejeros de Santurce team.
- Santos del Potosí (2023): In August 2023, he joined Santos del Potosí. He left the team in November 2023.
- Amartha Hangtuah (2024–Present): In December 2024, Rakeem Christmas joined the Amartha Hangtuah team in the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL), where he plays today.
NBA Career Statistics
Rakeem Christmas played in a total of 30 NBA games during his career. He averaged 2.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.1 assists per game.
Personal Life
Rakeem Christmas had a challenging start to his life. He moved to St. Croix with his mother, Landra Hamid, when he was two years old. Sadly, his mother passed away when she was 28. After her death, Rakeem stayed in St. Croix and was raised by his grandmother, Evelyn Hamid.
When he was 13, he moved to Philadelphia to live with his aunt, Amira Hamid, who became his legal guardian.
Rakeem Christmas was married to Jasmine Jordan, who is the daughter of famous basketball player Michael Jordan. Their son, Rakeem Michael Christmas, was born in May 2019. He also welcomed his second child in 2024 with his girlfriend.
See also
In Spanish: Rakeem Christmas para niños
