Nenê
Encyclopedia
Nenê is a Brazilian professional basketball
player who last played for the NBA
's Denver Nuggets
. His name at birth was Maybyner Rodney Hilário, but it was legally changed to Nenê in 2003.
for baby) because he was the youngest in both his family and his group of childhood friends. Like most Brazilian children, he started out playing soccer, and played well enough to receive some interest from professional clubs.
as a member of the Brazilian national team. He also played in the Brazilian club Vasco da Gama. Afterward, he excelled at the NBA's predraft camp in Chicago in 2002; the New York Knicks
picked him seventh overall in the 2002 NBA Draft
and immediately traded him to the Denver Nuggets
.
He began the 2002–03 season on the bench, but ended it as a starter, averaging 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.6 steals, and finishing in the league's top ten in shooting percentage (.519). After the season, he was selected to the NBA All-Rookie first team.
On November 1, 2005, against the San Antonio Spurs
, Nenê suffered a serious knee injury on an awkward fall consisting of a torn anterior cruciate ligament
, a sprained medial collateral ligament
and a torn meniscus
in his right knee during Denver's first game of the NBA season. He had played just 3 minutes.
from the team to take care of a personal medical issue. On January 14, he had a testicular tumor removed at a Denver hospital. He returned to action on March 27, 2008, in a 118-105 Nuggets home win over the Dallas Mavericks
. Nenê entered the game with 1:17 left in the fourth quarter to a standing ovation.
| align="left" | 2002–03
| align="left" | Denver
| 80 || 53 || 28.2 || .519 || .000 || .578 || 6.1 || 1.9 || 1.6 || .8 || 10.5
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | Denver
| 77 || 77 || 32.5 || .530 || .000 || .682 || 6.5 || 2.2 || 1.5 || .5 || 11.8
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Denver
| 55 || 18 || 23.9 || .503 || .000 || .660 || 5.9 || 1.5 || .9 || .9 || 9.6
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | Denver
| 1 || 0 || 3.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Denver
| 64 || 42 || 26.8 || .570 || .000 || .689 || 7.0 || 1.2 || 1.0 || .9 || 12.2
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Denver
| 16 || 1 || 16.6 || .408 || .000 || .551 || 5.4 || .9 || .6 || .9 || 5.3
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
| align="left" | Denver
| 77 || 76 || 32.6 || .604 || .200 || .723 || 7.8 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 1.3 || 14.6
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Denver
| 82 || 82 || 33.6 || .587 || .000 || .704 || 7.6 || 2.5 || 1.4 || 1.0 || 13.8
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | Denver
| 75 || 75 || 30.5|| .615 || .200 || .711 || 7.6 || 2.0 || 1.1 || 1.0 || 14.5
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 527 || 424 || 29.6 || .563 || 0.095 || .678 || 6.9 || 1.8 || 1.2 || .9 || 12.3
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | Denver
| 5 || 5 || 26.4 || .444 || .000 || .538 || 5.0 || 3.0 || 1.0 || .6 || 7.8
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Denver
| 5 || 0 || 20.2 || .429 || .000 || .652 || 5.0 || .4 || .4 || .4 || 6.6
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Denver
| 5 || 5 || 35.8 || .585 || .000 || .778 || 7.8 || 2.4 || .6 || .6 || 15.2
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Denver
| 3 || 0 || 10.0 || .556 || .000 || 1.000 || 2.3 || .3 || .7 || .3 || 4.3
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
| align="left" | Denver
| 16 || 16 || 32.8 || .548 || .000 || .657 || 7.5 || 2.6 || 1.2 || .6 || 11.5
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Denver
| 5 || 5 || 33.8 || .621 || .000 || .583 || 5.8 || 2.2 || 1.2 || .2 || 11.4
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | Denver
| 5 || 5 || 32.4 || .478 || .000 || .563 || 9.0 || 1.6 || 1.0 || .8 || 14.2
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 44 || 36 || 29.5 || .531 || .000 || .630 || 6.6 || 2.1 || 1.0 || .6 || 10.8
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who last played for the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
. His name at birth was Maybyner Rodney Hilário, but it was legally changed to Nenê in 2003.
Early life
He received his nickname Nenê (Brazilian PortugueseBrazilian Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese is a group of Portuguese dialects written and spoken by most of the 190 million inhabitants of Brazil and by a few million Brazilian emigrants, mainly in the United States, United Kingdom, Portugal, Canada, Japan and Paraguay....
for baby) because he was the youngest in both his family and his group of childhood friends. Like most Brazilian children, he started out playing soccer, and played well enough to receive some interest from professional clubs.
Professional career
He first came to international attention at the 2001 Goodwill GamesGoodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
as a member of the Brazilian national team. He also played in the Brazilian club Vasco da Gama. Afterward, he excelled at the NBA's predraft camp in Chicago in 2002; the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
picked him seventh overall in the 2002 NBA Draft
2002 NBA Draft
The 2002 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2002 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting 57 amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from non-North...
and immediately traded him to the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
.
He began the 2002–03 season on the bench, but ended it as a starter, averaging 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.6 steals, and finishing in the league's top ten in shooting percentage (.519). After the season, he was selected to the NBA All-Rookie first team.
On November 1, 2005, against the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
, Nenê suffered a serious knee injury on an awkward fall consisting of a torn anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
, a sprained medial collateral ligament
Medial collateral ligament
The medial collateral ligament of the knee is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. It is also known as the tibial collateral ligament, or abbreviated as the MCL.- Structure :It is a broad, flat, membranous band,...
and a torn meniscus
Meniscus (anatomy)
In anatomy, a meniscus is a crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that, in contrast to articular disks, only partly divides a joint cavity. In humans it is present in the knee, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular, and temporomandibular joints; in other organisms they may be present in other...
in his right knee during Denver's first game of the NBA season. He had played just 3 minutes.
Cancer scare
On January 11, 2008, Nenê released a statement saying that he was taking an indefinite leave of absenceLeave of absence
Leave of absence is a term used to describe a period of time that one is to be away from his/her primary job, while maintaining the status of employee...
from the team to take care of a personal medical issue. On January 14, he had a testicular tumor removed at a Denver hospital. He returned to action on March 27, 2008, in a 118-105 Nuggets home win over the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
. Nenê entered the game with 1:17 left in the fourth quarter to a standing ovation.
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2002–03
| align="left" | Denver
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
| 80 || 53 || 28.2 || .519 || .000 || .578 || 6.1 || 1.9 || 1.6 || .8 || 10.5
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | Denver
| 77 || 77 || 32.5 || .530 || .000 || .682 || 6.5 || 2.2 || 1.5 || .5 || 11.8
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Denver
| 55 || 18 || 23.9 || .503 || .000 || .660 || 5.9 || 1.5 || .9 || .9 || 9.6
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | Denver
| 1 || 0 || 3.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Denver
| 64 || 42 || 26.8 || .570 || .000 || .689 || 7.0 || 1.2 || 1.0 || .9 || 12.2
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Denver
| 16 || 1 || 16.6 || .408 || .000 || .551 || 5.4 || .9 || .6 || .9 || 5.3
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
2008–09 NBA season
The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...
| align="left" | Denver
| 77 || 76 || 32.6 || .604 || .200 || .723 || 7.8 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 1.3 || 14.6
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| align="left" | Denver
| 82 || 82 || 33.6 || .587 || .000 || .704 || 7.6 || 2.5 || 1.4 || 1.0 || 13.8
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
| align="left" | Denver
| 75 || 75 || 30.5|| .615 || .200 || .711 || 7.6 || 2.0 || 1.1 || 1.0 || 14.5
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 527 || 424 || 29.6 || .563 || 0.095 || .678 || 6.9 || 1.8 || 1.2 || .9 || 12.3
Playoffs
|-| align="left" | 2003–04
2004 NBA Playoffs
The 2004 NBA Playoffs were the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2003–04 season. Consisting of 16 teams in two conferences, the playoffs involved about two months of play. The playoffs were conducted in seven-game series, with the team with the better record holding home court...
| align="left" | Denver
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
| 5 || 5 || 26.4 || .444 || .000 || .538 || 5.0 || 3.0 || 1.0 || .6 || 7.8
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
2005 NBA Playoffs
The 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season.The San Antonio Spurs, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, 4-3 in the NBA Finals...
| align="left" | Denver
| 5 || 0 || 20.2 || .429 || .000 || .652 || 5.0 || .4 || .4 || .4 || 6.6
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
2007 NBA Playoffs
The 2007 NBA Playoffs was the postseason to the National Basketball Association's 2006–2007 season.There were four rounds of postseason action, all of them in a best-of-seven format, with teams seeded on a bracket. The team with the better record wasn't necessarily the basis of seeding teams in...
| align="left" | Denver
| 5 || 5 || 35.8 || .585 || .000 || .778 || 7.8 || 2.4 || .6 || .6 || 15.2
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
2008 NBA Playoffs
The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4–2....
| align="left" | Denver
| 3 || 0 || 10.0 || .556 || .000 || 1.000 || 2.3 || .3 || .7 || .3 || 4.3
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
2009 NBA Playoffs
The 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The playoffs started on April 18, 2009 with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| align="left" | Denver
| 16 || 16 || 32.8 || .548 || .000 || .657 || 7.5 || 2.6 || 1.2 || .6 || 11.5
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
2010 NBA Playoffs
The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2009–10 season. The playoffs started on April 17, 2010 with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| align="left" | Denver
| 5 || 5 || 33.8 || .621 || .000 || .583 || 5.8 || 2.2 || 1.2 || .2 || 11.4
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
2011 NBA Playoffs
The 2011 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs, all seeded 1 to 8 in a tournament bracket, with all rounds in a best-of-seven format. The 2011 NBA Playoffs began on...
| align="left" | Denver
| 5 || 5 || 32.4 || .478 || .000 || .563 || 9.0 || 1.6 || 1.0 || .8 || 14.2
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 44 || 36 || 29.5 || .531 || .000 || .630 || 6.6 || 2.1 || 1.0 || .6 || 10.8
NBA achievements
- 2010–112010–11 NBA seasonThe 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
field goalField goal (basketball)In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...
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