Luke Babbitt

Luke Babbitt

Babbitt with the Pelicans in 2014
No. 5 – Miami Heat
Position Small forward / Power forward
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1989-06-20) June 20, 1989
Cincinnati, Ohio
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight 225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school Galena (Reno, Nevada)
College Nevada (2008–2010)
NBA draft 2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 16th overall
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Playing career 2010–present
Career history
2010–2013 Portland Trail Blazers
2010–2012 →Idaho Stampede
2013–2014 Nizhny Novgorod
2014–2016 New Orleans Pelicans
2016–present Miami Heat
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Luke Robert Babbitt (born June 20, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball at the University of Nevada-Reno for two seasons before declaring for the 2010 NBA draft following his sophomore year.[1] He was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 16th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Early life

Babbitt was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. At the age of nine his family moved to Reno, Nevada. Babbitt attended Galena High School, where he was a 3-time All-State performer and a 2-time Gatorade State Player of the Year in basketball. As a junior, Babbitt averaged 27.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while leading Galena to a state championship. Babbitt finished his high school career by scoring 2,616 points, breaking future college teammate Armon Johnson's Nevada state scoring record.

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Babbitt was listed as the No. 12 power forward and the No. 31 player in the nation in 2008.[2]

College career

After originally verbally committing to Ohio State, Babbitt backed out and decided to attend the University of Nevada-Reno.[3] In his first game, Babbitt recorded a 20-point, 12 rebound double-double versus Montana State. He went on to average 16.9 points per game during his freshman year including a season-high 30 points on March 12, 2009 versus San Jose State.[4]

In his sophomore season, Babbitt led the team in scoring with 21.9 points per game. He scored a career-high 33 points in the Western Athletic Conference tournament semifinals on March 13, 2010 versus New Mexico State.[5] Despite losing that game and ending their hopes of going to the NCAA Tournament, Nevada was invited to the NIT, where they lost in the second round to the University of Rhode Island.[6]

On April 20, 2010, Babbitt hired an agent and declared for the NBA Draft.[7]

Professional career

Portland Trail Blazers (2010–2013)

Babbitt was selected with the 16th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2010 NBA draft. His rights were later traded along with Minnesota forward Ryan Gomes to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Martell Webster.[8] On July 9, 2010, Babbitt signed his rookie contract with the Blazers.[9] He then joined the Blazers for the 2010 NBA Summer League.

Babbitt in 2011 with the Portland Trail Blazers

On December 8, 2010, Babbitt was assigned to the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League.[10] On December 18, 2010, he was recalled by the Trail Blazers.[11] On March 3, 2011, he was reassigned to the Idaho Stampede.[12] On March 28, 2011, he was recalled. On January 4, 2012, he was reassigned to the Idaho Stampede. On January 10, 2012, he was recalled by the Trail Blazers.[13]

Babbitt joined the Trail Blazers for the 2012 NBA Summer League.

Nizhny Novgorod (2013–2014)

In August 2013, Babbitt signed with Nizhny Novgorod of Russia for the 2013–14 season.[14] In January 2014, he left Russia under controversial circumstances.[15]

New Orleans Pelicans (2014–2016)

On February 4, 2014, Babbitt signed with the New Orleans Pelicans.[16] On July 20, 2015, he re-signed with the Pelicans.[17]

Miami Heat (2016–present)

On July 10, 2016, Babbitt was traded to the Miami Heat in exchange for a 2018 second-round draft pick and cash considerations.[18]

NBA 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

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010–11 Portland 24 0 5.7 .273 .188 .333 1.3 .3 .1 .1 1.5
2011–12 Portland 40 4 13.4 .410 .430 .850 2.4 .4 .3 .1 5.1
2012–13 Portland 62 0 11.8 .368 .348 .769 2.2 .5 .2 .1 3.9
2013–14 New Orleans 27 2 17.5 .390 .379 .778 3.3 1.1 .3 .4 6.3
2014–15 New Orleans 63 19 13.2 .479 .513 .684 1.8 .4 .3 .2 4.1
2015–16 New Orleans 47 13 18.0 .422 .404 .780 3.1 1.1 .2 .1 7.0
Career 263 38 13.5 .407 .403 .744 2.3 .6 .2 .2 4.7

Awards and recognition

References

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