Hamed Haddadi Assigned To Wizards From Memphis Grizzlies
November 25, 2008 - NBA G League (G League)
Dakota Wizards News Release
BISMARCK, ND, November 25, 2008 - The NBA Development League Central Division Champion Dakota Wizards received word today that the Memphis Grizzlies, the Wizards' NBA parent club have assigned center Hamed Haddadi (pronounced ha-MED ha-DAHD-dee) to the Wizards. Haddadi will arrive in Bismarck today in time for the team's home opener on Saturday November 29th.
"We have had a great relationship with our affiliates, so it's good to see it pay off for the fans now and see some of the Grizzlies talent", said Wizards Head Coach Duane Ticknor. "Hamed is going to be a great addition to our team, I am looking forward to seeing him in game speed, he's a big guy that knows how to get rebounds and block shots".
Signed as a rookie free agent on Aug. 28, Haddadi averaged 1.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 9.7 minutes in six preseason games with the Grizzlies. The 7-2, 280-pound center has yet to make his NBA regular season debut.
A native of Ahvaz, Iran, Haddadi represented his country last summer in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, where he averaged a double-double (16.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks) in Olympic competition, playing five games for the Iranian National Team.
The 23-year-old also posted 14.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 25.5 minutes in two contests for the Iranian National Team at the 2008 Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City in the summer of 2008.
Slated to become the first Iranian to ever play in the NBA, Haddadi is the Grizzlies' first assignee to the NBA D-League since the club assigned Alexander Johnson to the Arkansas RimRockers on March 1, 2007. He is the seventh NBA player (sixth rookie) to be assigned to the Development League in 2008-09.
For the Wizards, this assignment will mark their second in their short three years in the NBA D-League with the first coming from the Chicago Bulls during the 2006-07 season. Dakota will host their regular season opener vs. the Iowa Energy on Saturday, Nov. 29 at the Bismarck Civic Center in Bismarck, North Dakota.
NBA G League Stories from November 25, 2008
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- Hamed Haddadi Assigned To Wizards From Memphis Grizzlies - Dakota Wizards
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