Shabazz Napier shares LeBron story and Zenit's offer he couldn't refuse / News - Basketnews.com

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"Shabazz Napier is really talented, and I think if he figures out Europe, he will be dominant." That's former Zalgiris Kaunas Martin Schiller speakingin the press conference on the eve of the contest against Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Points this season

46%74,0Points made:74,0Accuracy:45,9%Place in standings:11Record max:90Record min:58Best scorer:Jordan LoydTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Back then, on October 6, 2021, Napier was in his early days of a lengthy recovery period following an injury to the ligaments of the right ankle joint, suffered during Zenit's last pre-season game against CSKA Moscow on September 19.

The American guard, who also holds Puerto Rican nationality due to his mother and manager, Carmen Velasquez, avoided surgery but needed almost four months to come back to team practices.

It was a belated, albeit much-awaited comeback for the Russian side. During a post-game presser on November 6, coach Xavi Pascual pointed out that Napier's full recovery was imminent.

"We are going day by day. I think we are in the last part of his recovery. But I think we need more than one week. We don't want to put pressure on the player," the Catalan tactician said.

BasketNews has presented the full timeline of Napier's rehabilitation period, which included a lot of episodes. Finally, last Wednesday (January 19), Napier re-joined his teammates on the court.

However, just one day before the accident occurred, Napier had shown what he's capable of, dropping 33 points against UNICS Kazan in the VTB SuperCup semi-final. Now, it remains to be seen how much time he will need to get back at 100%.

The American guard (1.85) has spent his entire career in the NBA, where he participated in 345 regular-season and another 9 playoff games. Of all current EuroLeague players, only UNICS Kazan's OJ Mayo has seen more NBA time.

Napier has been a member of the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Washington Wizards. He holds career averages of 7.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.

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Given the hardships that many former NBA players experience when moving to Europe, one would assume that the 30-year-old from Roxbury, Massachusetts, would belong to the same category.

In his press conference, Martin Schiller obviously also had Emmanuel Mudiay's case in mind when he talked about Napier having to "figure out Europe".

If someone asked Zenit's most prestigious summer transfer, he would probably get a different answer.

"It's basketball at the end of the day," he told BasketNews on September 16, only three days prior to his injury. "I've been playing basketball since I was 5 and hopefully, I can help Zenit win a lot of games this year," he added.

Napier formed a formidable duo along with veteran JJ Barea to lead Puerto Rico to AmeriCup 2022. The two former NBA players combined for 48 points and 15 assists in the game against the Bahamas. Barea dropped 26 points and dished 8 assists, while Napier's share was 22 points and 7 dimes.

"I don't know if AmeriCup made me more prepared to play in the FIBA game," Napier says. "I started practicing with them when I was a sophomore at college. I'll try to keep playing with Puerto Rico."

He explains that he also wanted to represent the country in the past Tokyo Olympics, but there were some family situations he couldn't miss out on.

Those family issues are the main reason why Napier sat out through the entire 2020-21 season. However, he was coming off his probably career-best campaign with Minnesota and Washington in terms of numbers and playing time.

"I'm in good shape. I know that some people might be worried that I have not played in official matches for a year, but believe me, all this time I have constantly been training and competing against serious opponents in friendly games and Pro-Am leagues," Napier explained upon signing with Zenit.

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"My biggest reason for sitting out was that it wasn't the right moment for me to play," he contends, talking to BasketNews.

"There were a lot of things I got to take care of back at home. I had a couple of offers throughout the whole year by certain teams, but I had to hold out in order to fulfill what I wanted to do. Looking back at it, I made a decision based on what I felt was best for me and my family."

Napier signed with Zenit earlier (July 19) than most ex-NBA players usually do. The Russian team was looking for Kevin Pangos's replacement, and their offer came at the right time for the player since he hadn't received any concrete NBA offers by then.

"I thought I signed late with Zenit," he responds.

"But the NBA season and the overseas free agency didn't line up correctly. The NBA free agency was after overseas. I had teams that I talked to, but we didn't get into conversations in terms of being with them in a long call."

"Shabazz took his time to evaluate our offer, for his coming to Europe was an unexpected turn in his career. But he evaluated all the pros and cons, and he fully understands what we expect from him," Zenit general director Alexander Tserkovnyi said in late August.

"Zenit made me an offer I couldn't miss on at the moment," Napier underlines. "So, basically, it was about making a decision to play overseas or be patient until I hear something (from the NBA)."

Nevertheless, the experienced point guard admits he had some reservations before deciding to move overseas. His wife was four months pregnant when Zenit hit him up, and many logistical issues had to be taken care of. "I had a talk with my family to make sure that it was going to be the smart decision on the basis of me becoming a father. Obviously, I want to be there for my family and my kids. The decision was based on how we all thought this would be," he says.

In any case, his first impressions from the club and coach Xavi Pascual were more than positive: "Coach Xavi is great, and Zenit have a good fanbase and team. Overall, it's been great for me so far. Things are going pretty well with the team, and I'm glad I made this choice."

It was also a choice based on the experiences of old-time friends. Napier played at Charlestown High School but spent some time visiting basketball friends at Boston College. One of them was former EuroLeague and EuroCup champion Tyrese Rice, of whom Napier has said that "he was like an older brother to me." "Yes, I asked a lot of players that played overseas, and they all gave me a good background on teams and coaches - Tyrese Rice, Ryan Boatright, Alex Poythress, Zach Auguste," he concedes.

"The main decision was about what team I would go to, but I felt that Zenit was going to be great. I felt comfortable with the place and that I had the chance to complement them."

For a player who maintains that most NBA playbooks are "quite similar", the essence of basketball is simple. Regardless of how different Xavi Pascual's playbook might look compared to those of his NBA colleagues, Napier insists that "the name of the game is to put the ball in the hoop and try to stop other teams from doing that."

"I've known many coaches in the NBA who have seen overseas," he adds.

"I can say that there are certain details in the plays, but you still have to find ways to put the ball in the hoop."

Being overseas for the first time in his eight seasons as a professional athlete, Napier just wants to embrace the experience that Europe can provide. His view is generic, as he hasn't been able to play any EuroLeague games, but he's enjoying all the trappings of living in another part of the world.

"I think there are great players in every country, in every place in the world," he says.

"So, it's great to be able to play with some of the best players and meet some of the best coaches in the world outside the NBA. You get to see the different size of the game in terms of European and American basketball."

Of course, there are some things he particularly looks forward to. "I want to be part of a new culture; see the fans and different teams. It's my first year, and I'm taking everything in. I want to battle and compete for cups."

Zenit are facing some tough competition, and they've done terrific so far without Napier. They hold the second-best record (8-3) in the VTB and the third-best (12-6) in the EuroLeague regular season.

"I don't know the rivals so much," Napier admits. "But we want to win every single game. I'm excited to see what it's like playing at home and away."

Napier's college career had been nothing short of outstanding. Following his prep career, he chose to play at the University of Connecticut under coach Jim Calhoun. He had a solid freshman year in 2010-11 backing up Kemba Walker and hit two crucial free throws to secure a win in the Final Four against Kentucky.

In 2014, along with UConn teammates Niels Giffey and Tyler Olander, they became the only Division I players in history to have won national championships as both freshmen and seniors. It was the culmination of Napier's four-year term with the college, as he took home the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year and the accolade for Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Final Four.

"I didn't feel I needed to hold the legacy of Kemba Walker or anyone else," he explains.

"I think UConn is one of the best schools you can go to, for education as well as basketball. So, there was no legacy that Kemba Walker held. When you go to a school like that, you're held to a different standard.

My teammates and I made sure that when we stepped on the court, we tried our best to be triumphant and, hopefully, be the last team standing. We were fortunate to do that two out of four years. Basically, the UConn Huskies rely on the heritage and the culture that Jim Calhoun has given that campus," Napier argues.

The point guard of Zenit is the only player in UConn history with 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists, and 250 steals in his career. Considering his early achievements, one would expect that his selection with the 24th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft would come as a surprise to him. Napier strongly disagrees. "No, there are only 60 picks," he says. "Not a lot of people get picked. So, to be able to get picked and play in the NBA is a dream come true, whether I was the 1st or the 60th pick. It's something that a lot of people hope to get and battle every day for it. Being selected was worthy enough for me." Although he was selected by the Charlotte Hornets, Napier was traded to the Miami Heat on draft night. He made his NBA debut with the same team, appearing in 51 games as a rookie.

On draft night, LeBron James tweeted: "My favorite player in the draft." Two months prior to that, he had provided another post of endorsement: "No way you take another point guard in the lottery before Napier."

Did The King play a part in him being traded from the Hornets to the Heat? Napier says he wouldn't know.

"I wasn't in the meetings," he replies, shrugging his shoulder.

"But it was cool to get that support from him," he further adds.

"I knew him before because I was in his camp. So, I wasn't like a kid in a candy store. I wasn't like "oh, it's LeBron!".

I think a lot of people misinterpreted it. He just mentioned that he felt like I was the best point guard in the draft. So, I thought nothing of it. I didn't even have Twitter at the time either, so I didn't see it."

As a matter of fact, Shabazz Napier created his Twitter account in June 2014. Thus, we can safely assume that he will get to see all the comments made on his performances now that he's ready to ball out in Europe.

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