Nassir Little Explained

Nassir Little
Position:Power forward / small forward
Height Ft:6
Height In:6
Weight Lb:220
League:NBA
Team:Phoenix Suns
Number:25
Birth Date:11 February 2000
Birth Place:Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
High School:
College:North Carolina (2018–2019)
Draft Year:2019
Draft Round:1
Draft Pick:25
Draft Team:Portland Trail Blazers
Career Start:2019
Years1:
Team1:Portland Trail Blazers
Years2:–present
Team2:Phoenix Suns
Highlights:

Nassir Shamai Little (;[1] born February 11, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Little finished his high school career as one of the top-ranked players in his class, having led Orlando Christian Prep to consecutive Florida state championships. The small forward played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels and was selected in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.

High school career

Little played his freshman and sophomore seasons (2014–16) at Oakleaf High School then transferred to Orlando Christian Prep, where he played for the rest of his high school career. In his junior and senior season (2016–18), he led Orlando Christian Prep to back-to-back Florida state titles.[2] Little stood out during the McDonald's All-American Game in 2018 as he posted 28 points and 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal, to lead the West past the East and claim the most valuable player (MVP) award. He also won MVP honors at the Jordan Brand Classic after putting up 24 points in 25 minutes. Thus he joined LeBron James as only the second player to win MVP honors at both high school All-American games.[3] Little was ranked the second-best high school prospect of 2018 by the recruiting service Rivals.[4]

College career

Little committed to play for North Carolina on October 4, 2017.[5] He made his debut for the Tar Heels on November 6, 2018, recording 7 points, 3 assists, and 2 blocks during North Carolina's 78–67 victory over Wofford.[6] Little scored a career-high 23 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists as North Carolina defeated Virginia Tech 103–82.[7]

At the conclusion of his freshman season, Little announced his decision to forgo his collegiate eligibility and declare for the 2019 NBA draft, where he was projected to be a first-round selection.[8]

Professional career

Portland Trail Blazers (2019–2023)

On June 20, 2019, the Portland Trail Blazers drafted Little with the 25th overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft.[9] On July 1, 2019, Little officially signed with the Blazers.[10]

On February 1, 2021, Little scored a career-high 30 points to go along with 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal.[11]

On January 27, 2022, Little suffered a left shoulder labral tear.[12] Four days later, the Trail Blazers announced he would undergo surgery and would miss the rest of the season.[13] On May 10, Little underwent abdominal surgery on his left side.[14]

On October 17, 2022, it was announced Little agreed on a four-year, $28 million contract extension with the Trail Blazers.[15] In mid-April 2023, Little underwent abdominal surgery on his right side.[16]

Phoenix Suns (2023–present)

On September 27, 2023, Little, alongside Grayson Allen, Jusuf Nurkić, and Keon Johnson was traded to the Phoenix Suns as part of a three-team trade that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks and Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Deandre Ayton, and a 2029 first-round draft pick to the Portland Trail Blazers.[17]

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

|-| style="text-align:left;"|| style="text-align:left;"|Portland| 48 || 5 || 11.9 || .430 || .237 || .636 || 2.3 || .5 || .3 || .3 || 3.6|-| style="text-align:left;"|| style="text-align:left;"|Portland| 48 || 2 || 13.3 || .467 || .350 || .800 || 2.7 || .5 || .1 || .3 || 4.6|-| style="text-align:left;"|| style="text-align:left;"|Portland| 42 || 23 || 25.9 || .460 || .331 || .734 || 5.6 || 1.3 || .6 || .9 || 9.8|-| style="text-align:left;"|| style="text-align:left;"|Portland| 54 || 4 || 18.1 || .442 || .367 || .717 || 2.6 || .9 || .4 || .4 || 6.6|-| style="text-align:left;"|| style="text-align:left;"|Phoenix| 45 || 2 || 10.2 || .460 || .300 || .850 || 1.7 || .5 || .2 || .2 || 3.4|- class="sortbottom"| colspan=2 style="text-align:center"|Career| 237 || 36 || 15.8 || .452 || .330 || .735 || 2.9 || .7 || .3 || .4 || 5.5

Playoffs

|-| style="text-align:left;"|2021| style="text-align:left;"|Portland| 3 || 0 || 3.0 || .250 || .250 || .500 || .3 || .0 || .0 || .3 || 1.7|-| style="text-align:left;"|2024| style="text-align:left;"|Phoenix| 4 || 0 || 3.4 || .600 || .333 || || .3 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 1.8|- class="sortbottom"| colspan=2 style="text-align:center"|Career| 7 || 0 || 3.2 || .444 || .286 || .500 || .3 || .0 || .0 || .1 || 1.7

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"|2018–19| style="text-align:left;"|North Carolina| 36 || 0 || 18.2 || .478 || .269 || .770 || 4.6 || .7 || .5 || .5 || 9.8

External links

Notes and References

  1. . 2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide . National Basketball Association . October 24, 2023 . May 18, 2024.
  2. Web site: Lefko . Randy . June 26, 2019 . Little drafted into NBA . July 23, 2023 . Clay Today.
  3. Web site: Nassir Little Is Learning the Hard Way. Bleacher Report. September 12, 2019.
  4. News: Boone. Kyle. McDonald's All-American Game: North Carolina signee Nassir Little takes home MVP honors. May 1, 2018. CBS Sports. March 29, 2018.
    • https://jordanbrandclassic.com/jbc-mvps
    • https://jordanbrandclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018JBCBoysFinalBox.pdf
  5. Web site: Rapaport . Daniel . Five-Star Recruit Nassir Little Commits to North Carolina . SI.com . March 8, 2019 . October 4, 2017.
  6. Web site: Alexander . Jonathan M. . North Carolina withstands a late push by Wofford to win season opener on the road . newsobserver . March 8, 2019 . November 6, 2018 . Freshman wing Nassir Little added seven points, and three assists. [...] He had two blocks..
  7. Web site: Underhill . Maxwell . UNC's Long-Awaited Nassir Little Awakening Should Scare Rest of ACC . 12up.com . March 8, 2019 . January 22, 2019.
  8. News: Givony . Johnathan . April 1, 2019 . UNC freshman Little declares for NBA Draft . . July 23, 2023.
  9. Web site: Nassir Little to Trail Blazers: Portland's Current Roster After 2019 NBA Draft . Bleacher Report . June 20, 2019.
  10. Web site: Trail Blazers Sign Nassir Little . NBA.com . July 1, 2019 . July 2, 2019 .
  11. Web site: February 2, 2021 . Bucks sizzle from 3-point range to blast Blazers 134-106 . July 23, 2023 . ESPN.com . Nassir Little led [...] with 30 points – 2 1/2 times [his] previous career high of 12..
  12. News: Wojnarowski . Adrian . Adrian Wojnarowski . January 27, 2022 . Portland Trail Blazers' Nassir Little likely done for season because of shoulder tear, sources say . . January 27, 2022.
  13. Web site: January 31, 2022 . Nassir Little To Undergo Surgery On Left Shoulder . July 23, 2023 . NBA.com.
  14. Web site: Fentress . Aaron . May 10, 2022 . Portland Trail Blazers' Nassir Little undergoes core muscle surgery . July 23, 2023 . oregonlive.com.
  15. Web site: October 17, 2022 . Trail Blazers Sign Nassir Little to Multi-Year Contract Extension . July 23, 2023 . NBA.com.
  16. Web site: Holdahl . Casey . April 13, 2023 . Nassir Little Undergoes Abdominal Surgery . July 23, 2023 . NBA.com.
  17. Web site: SUNS ACQUIRE NURKIĆ, ALLEN, LITTLE, JOHNSON. NBA.com. September 27, 2023. September 27, 2023.