What next for Hamed Haddadi in the NBA?
TEHRAN - Hamed Haddadi’s three-year contract with the Memphis Grizzlies has expired and he has not yet signed with a new team.
He was the first Iranian to play in the NBA.
The 7' 2"" center joined the Grizzlies in 2008 on a three-year contract worth $5,227,779, but stayed on the bench under coach Marc Iavaroni in the beginning of his first season. In the middle of the season, Lionel Hollins was named the new Grizzlies coach, but Haddadi didn’t see any major changes in his situation.
Then he lost his cool and chided team officials.
“Grizzlies’ officials don’t let me show my abilities. I have done my best every time I was called up to play for my team, but I don’t know why they don’t trust me. I will have to change my team now since I am a star of the team but sitting on the bench,” Haddadi told the Tehran Times in an interview in August 2009.
Haddadi averaged 2.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in 36 appearances for the Grizzlies in his second season.
But he could not start the third year on time. Haddadi was detained in Iran because of a legal issue, and only joined the Grizzlies after missing the first three weeks of training camp. Then in November, Haddadi was arrested for domestic assault and forced to go to jail for a short time.
In March 2011, Haddadi scored 10 points in an NBA game for the first time, but this performance could not get him more playing time.
Haddadi played very little in the playoffs this year during the Grizzlies amazing run in which they eliminated the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs and only fell to the Oklahoma Thunder after seven games in the second round, narrowly missing the NBA Western Conference finals.
In one playoff game, he played for one second.
Now, Haddadi’s future remains shrouded in mystery since the Memphis Grizzlies have not renewed his contract.
