Hassan Whiteside is a professional basketball player who is part of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Miami Heat basketball team. Hassan plays in the most competitive basketball league in the world and has reached an enviable height in the sport, as anyone who knows the game will tell you. His rise to prominence wasn’t that easy as he got off to a rough start at first. Read on to find out how the African American went from that rough start to one of the game’s best defenders.
Hassan Whiteside Bio
Hassan Whiteside was born on June 13, 1989 and grew up in Gastonia, North Carolina. He always knew he wanted to be a basketball player and so despite changing high school several times he stuck with basketball and played the beautiful game for three different schools. The boy had the best high school career in his home state of Gastonia, North Carolina before briefly attending Newark, New Jersey for East Side High School when he moved in with his father. When Hassan graduated from high school, he was ranked 19th best middle position player in the recruit class of 2009 and ranked 87th overall by Rivals.com.
Despite modest ratings from respected Scouting, Whiteside still had a selection of college basketball programs to choose from, and he went with Marshall University from a roster that included South Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi State and UNC Charlotte College.
Hassan’s career was not yet worthy of national attention at the time, despite leading one of his high school teams – The Patterson School in Lenoir, North Carolina, to a 34-2 record and the No. 1 national ranking. He finally made a difference on the national basketball scene when he recorded 14 points, 17 rebounds and 9 blocks in just 29 minutes in a win over the Ohio University Bobcats. It was the beginning of the magic for Hassan and by the time the season was over he was leading the nation in blocked shots.
After losing his head coach at Marshall to another team, Hassan Whiteside decided to forgo his college admissions and drafted the 2010 NBA draft.
He also spent time in China and ChinaLebanon. Despite much back and forth between clubs and countries between 2010 and 2014, Hassan was eventually signed by the Miami Heat on November 24, 2014. It looked like there would be another back-and-forth between clubs when he was transferred to Sioux Falls Skyforce, however he was called off two days later and has been with the Miami Heat ever since.
Maybe it’s determining the early struggles of his professional life or what happens when someone finally gives you a chance to show what you can do, but Hassan has been a tremendous asset since he’s been on the Miami Heat team. Over the four seasons he has spent with the Heats so far, he has played over 250 times from 206 starts, averaging 13.6 points per game and 11.4 rebounds per game. He has received personal honors such as NBA Rebounding Leader in 2017, NBA Block Leader in 2016, and a 2016 NBA All-Defensive Second Team call-up.
Height Weight
Hassan Whiteside stands at an amazing 7 feet with a body weight of 120kg. While there’s no denying the presence of honed skills, his physique is a major contributor to his rebound and block numbers. He is an African American with black hair and black eyes.
injury
Over the course of his career with the Heat, Hassan has had four serious injuries while missing 24 games. His injury record, while not the worst, has left him unavailable for the Heat in a few key games.
Other interesting facts
- Hassan Whiteside was born to a former professional athlete – Hasson Arbubakrr, who played football in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings and in the Canadian Football League for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- He was raised by his mother as his parents were separated when he was younger. She raised Hassan along with six other children.
- The footballer has a younger brother namedNassan, who has autism. Nassan inspired Hassan to start a foundation called Nassan’s Place – a non-profit organization that provides quality, affordable health care to low- to middle-income families.
- Hassan is in a long term relationship with his girlfriend Ashly Ariza. The couple have been together since 2016.
- Whiteside has inked a four-year, $98 million deal with the Miami Heat, which he signed in 2016 for an average salary of $25 million.