Whiteside’s five seasons with the Miami Heat are what made him most famous. Whiteside averaged 14.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game between 2014 and 2019. Whiteside led the Miami Heat in blocks twice and rebounds once during his time on the team. The Marshall graduate was also chosen for the 2016 NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
Erik Spoelstra, the head coach of Miami, discussed his time with Whiteside after he left the team in free agency in 2019:
During a private conversation on the Heat’s practice court at AmericanAirlines Arena, Spoelstra stated, “I like him as a human being, and I liked coaching him.” And just like I would with anyone else who comes through here, I will keep cheering for him.
One year after joining the team, the 34-year-old participated in this season’s Baloncesto Superior Nacional competition with Piratas de Quebradillas.
During the 2021–22 NBA season, Whiteside last competed for the Utah Jazz. Whiteside averaged 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game in 65 games that season.
Whiteside additionally spent time with the Portland Trail Blazers.
To put it bluntly, Whiteside had minimal influence on the history of the league. Nevertheless, his breakthrough season upon joining the Heat was impressive to witness. Whiteside was selected by the Kings in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft, but he never established himself as a regular member of the squad. Whiteside started playing for D-League teams or teams abroad in China and Lebanon just two seasons into his NBA career. Whiteside discussed his first season with the Kings after returning to the team in 2020:
After being selected by the Kings in the 2010 draft, Hassan Whiteside claimed that injuries sustained early in his career prevented him from reaching his full potential. After being freed in 2012, he views this season as his
Whiteside was a rim protector first and foremost. Whiteside spent four seasons between 2015 and 2020 in the top three for both defensive rebound percentage and block percentage. In addition, Whiteside won the NBA Defensive Rating championship in both the 2015–16 and 2018–19 seasons.
Whiteside was an offensive player as well. Over his whole career with the Heat, the native of North Carolina averaged a double-double each season. Whiteside’s 2016–17 season, in which he averaged 17 points per game while shooting 55.7% from the field, was his best scoring year.
The Final Word on the Retirement of Hassan Whiteside
Whiteside’s retirement may have been influenced by the likelihood that he would never be able to make it back into the NBA. Still, Whiteside was an entertaining player to watch.
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