Hasheem Thabeet 221 cm tall athlete

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Tall athletes -- Tanzania

Hasheem Thabeet 221 cm 2.21 m (7 ft 3 in) Tallest Tanzanian Professional basketball player. Hasheem Thabeet (born Hashim Thabit Manka on February 16, 1987 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) is a Tanzanian professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA. He was drafted 2nd pick overall by the Grizzlies in the 2009 NBA Draft after playing with the Connecticut Huskies. At 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) and 263 lb (119 kg), Thabeet was the tallest player ever to play for the Huskies. He did not begin to play basketball until the age of 15, when he began to watch pickup games in Tanzania. The 12th tall athlete in the world.

University of Connecticut

2006–07

As a freshman, he averaged 6.2 points and 3.8 blocks per game. On December 3, 2006, Thabeet tied a UConn record with 10 blocks. Thabeet was named to the 2007 All-Big East Rookie Team, along with fellow teammate Jerome Dyson.

2007–08

As a sophomore he saw increased minutes and he averaged 10.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.5 blocks on the season. On January 5, 2008, he tied his career high in blocks with 10 in the Huskies' 73-67 loss at University of Notre Dame. Thabeet was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year and to the Second Team All Big East.

2008–09

As a junior at UConn, Thabeet emerged on the national scene, averaging 13.6 points and 10.8 rebounds. He earned his first career triple-double against Providence College on January 31, 2009, with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks. He finished with 152 blocks on the season, and he was known for the shots he prevented from ever being taken.

He was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year and was co-Big East Player of the Year with Pitt's DeJuan Blair. He was named Second Team All-America and National Defensive Player of the Year.

Thabeet surpassed the 1,000-point mark against Purdue on March 26, 2009. He was the third UConn player that season to do so (Jerome Dyson and A. J. Price were the others). Thabeet helped lead UConn to their first Final Four appearance since 2004.

In April 2009, Thabeet decided to forgo his senior season and declare for the 2009 NBA Draft. He was drafted 2nd overall by the Memphis Grizzlies. He became the first Tanzanian born NBA player.

See also
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