Emmanuel Mudiay

Emmanuel Mudiay

No. 0 – Denver Nuggets
Position Point guard
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1996-03-05) March 5, 1996
Kinshasa, Zaire
Nationality Congolese
Listed height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight 200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school Grace Prep (Arlington, Texas)
Prime Prep (Dallas, Texas)
NBA draft 2015 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Playing career 2014–present
Career history
2014–2015 Guangdong Southern Tigers
2015–present Denver Nuggets
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Emmanuel Kabeya Mudiay (born March 5, 1996) is a Congolese professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played high school basketball for Grace Preparatory Academy and Prime Prep Academy in Texas, where he gained much of the media's attention. He committed to play for the SMU Mustangs men's basketball team on August 24, 2013 but later made the decision to forgo college and joined the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China. After an injury-riddled season in China, he was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets.

Early life

Mudiay was born on March 5, 1996 in Kinshasa, Zaire to Jean-Paul Mudiay and Therese Kabeya. His father died when he was a toddler, and the family was tremendously troubled by the Second Congo War. He lived under the constant threat of the instability in the region, while his mother grew only enough coffee and vegetables to support their needs. In 2001, Kabeya and her sons sought asylum in the United States and eventually escaped.[1] He primarily spoke French upon arriving in the United States, but his older brother said, "We felt like Americans."[1] Mudiay began playing basketball in middle school and transformed into a talented point guard.

High school career

In his freshman season, Mudiay attended Grace Preparatory Academy in Arlington, Texas where he played alongside Isaiah Austin, who became an elite college center before being diagnosed with Marfan syndrome. Mudiay scored 16 points in the 2011 TAPPS Class 4A Final, helping the team defeat two-time champions Westbury Christian School with the score of 42-37.[2]

Mudiay transferred to Prime Prep Academy in Dallas, Texas with head coach Ray Forsett for his final seasons in high school. The program was put under scrutiny following the ineligibility of Karviar Sheperd and Jordan Mickey, two elite collegiate prospects. Upon excellent seasons with Prime Prep, however, Mudiay was rated the second-best recruit in his class by Rivals.com. He was also touted as a possible number one pick in the 2015 NBA draft.[3]

He committed to play for the SMU Mustangs men's basketball team on August 24, 2013 because of the prospect of being coached by Larry Brown, who previously won an NBA title with the Detroit Pistons.[4] Mudiay selected the school over other possibilities with the likes of Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, and Kentucky.[5]

In the summer of 2014, Mudiay made the decision to forgo college and play overseas after considering playing in the Chinese Basketball Association. The move drew comparisons with Brandon Jennings, who made a similar choice.[6][7]

Professional career

Guangdong Southern Tigers (2014–2015)

On July 22, 2014, Mudiay signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association.[8][9] On December 5, 2014, Will Bynum was signed by Guangdong as an injury replacement for Mudiay.[10] Mudiay managed just 10 regular season games for Guangdong, only returning to action for the team on March 1, 2015 in Game 3 of their semi-final series against the Beijing Ducks.[11] He played in Game 4 as well, but Guangdong lost the best-of-five series 3–1. In 12 total games (10 regular season and two playoff), Mudiay averaged 18.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Denver Nuggets (2015–present)

On June 25, 2015, Mudiay was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the seventh overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft.[12] Mudiay played with the Nuggets in the 2015 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, where he was named to the All-NBA Summer League second team.[13] On July 31, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Nuggets.[14] He made his debut for the Nuggets in the team's season opener against the Houston Rockets on October 28, recording 17 points and nine assists in a 105–85 win.[15] On November 20, he had a season-best game with 26 points and five assists in a 114–107 loss to the Phoenix Suns.[16] Mudiay started in all 23 games for the Nuggets to begin the season before a sprained right ankle suffered on December 11 ruled him out for 14 straight games.[17] He returned to action on January 10 against the Charlotte Hornets, recording 11 points and six assists in a 95–92 win.[18] On February 11, he was selected to replace injured defending champion Patrick Beverley in the NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge.[19] On March 10, he scored a career-high 30 points in a 116–98 win over the Phoenix Suns.[20] On March 23, he recorded 27 points and 11 rebounds, and hit the game-winning 35-foot "rainbow" shot at the buzzer to give the Nuggets a 104–103 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.[21] At the season's end, he earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors.[22] During the 2016 off-season, he was part of the USA Men's Select Team, a team selected to train with the USA Basketball Men's National Team in preparation for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.[23]

On November 6, 2016, Mudiay scored 24 of his career-high-tying 30 points in the first quarter of the Nuggets' 123–107 win over the Boston Celtics.[24]

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
2015–16 Denver 68 66 30.4 .364 .319 .670 3.4 5.5 1.0 .5 12.8
Career 68 66 30.4 .364 .319 .670 3.4 5.5 1.0 .5 12.8

CBA

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2014–15 Guangdong 12 0 31.6 .478 .342 .574 6.3 5.9 1.6 .1 18.0

References

  1. 1 2 Smith, Corbett (March 8, 2014). "Once endangered by African war, SMU signee Emmanuel Mudiay aims for NBA career". DallasNews.com. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  2. ↑ Smith, Corbett (March 20, 2014). "Basketball Player of the Year: Emmanuel Mudiay's rise has next stop at SMU". DallasNews.com. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  3. ↑ Payne, Terrence (July 23, 2013). "Top-5 recruit Emmanuel Mudiay will return to Prime Prep". NBCSports.com. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  4. ↑ SMU makes statement with Emmanuel Mudiay's commitment
  5. ↑ "Emmanuel Mudiay". Yahoo.com. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  6. ↑ Gleeson, Scott (July 14, 2014). "Emmanuel Mudiay decides not to attend SMU, will turn pro overseas". USAToday.com. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  7. ↑ Thompson, Tyler (July 14, 2014). "Emmanuel Mudiay releases a statement". KentuckySportsRadio.com. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Emmanuel Mudiay signs in China with Guangdong". Sportando.com. July 22, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Emmanuel Mudiay will earn $1.2 million to play in China with Guangdong". Sportando.com. July 22, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Emmanuel Mudiay won't be waived for the moment". Sportando.com. December 5, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  11. ↑ "穆迪埃顶替阿德里安，广东祭出后场双外援". Hupu.com. March 1, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Denver Nuggets Select Emmanuel Mudiay with the Seventh Overall Selection of the 2015 NBA Draft". NBA.com. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  13. ↑ "Spurs forward Kyle Anderson named Summer League MVP". SI.com. July 19, 2015. Archived from the original on July 20, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Nuggets Sign Emmanuel Mudiay". NBA.com. July 31, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Gallinari's 23 points leads Nuggets over Rockets 105-85". NBA.com. October 28, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Knight scores 38 as Suns rally to beat Nuggets 114-107". NBA.com. November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Emmanuel Mudiay 2015-16 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. December 30, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Mudiay, Gallinari help Nuggets beat Hornets 95-92". NBA.com. January 10, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Mudiay Headed to All-Star Skills Challenge". NBA.com. February 11, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Mudiay's 30 points lead Nuggets overs Suns, 116-98". NBA.com. March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Mudiay's buzzer-beater gives Nuggets 104-103 win over 76ers". NBA.com. March 23, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Wolves' Towns, Knicks' Porzingis lead 2015-16 NBA All-Rookie teams". NBA.com. May 19, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  23. ↑ Huang, Jonathan (June 7, 2016). "USA Basketball Names 2016 Men's Select Team". NBA.com. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Mudiay's fast start helps Nuggets cruise by Celtics 123-107". ESPN.com. November 6, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2016.

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