Clint Capela

Clint Capela
Capela with the Houston Rockets in 2019
No. 15 – Atlanta Hawks
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1994-05-18) May 18, 1994 (age 30)
Geneva, Switzerland
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight256 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High schoolINSEP (Paris, France)
NBA draft2014: 1st round, 25th overall pick
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Playing career2012–present
Career history
2012–2014Élan Chalon
2014–2020Houston Rockets
2014–2015→Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2020–presentAtlanta Hawks
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Clint N'Dumba Capela (born May 18, 1994) is a Swiss professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Known for his rebounding and shot-blocking abilities, he was selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets. He is the highest-earning team athlete in Switzerland's history.[1]

Capela began his professional career in 2012 with Élan Chalon of the LNB Pro A, where he played for two seasons and was honored as both the Pro A Best Young Player and Most Improved Player before declaring for the NBA draft in 2014. His breakout season came in 2016-2017 with the Rockets, as he saw a substantial increase in his role as a center and a key defensive player. He achieved the league's highest field goal percentage during the 2017-18 season, his 62.1% career field goal percentage is the 4th highest in NBA history, and has remained among the top players in rebounds and blocks, leading the NBA in rebounding during the 2021-22 season. He has represented the Swiss national team.

Early years

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Capela was born in Geneva, Switzerland, to an Angolan father and Congolese mother.[2][3] His parents separated a few months after his birth, leaving his mother to raise him and his brothers by herself. As a child, at first he liked soccer. He was raised partly in foster care.[4] Because he was 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) as a 13-year-old, his brother suggested he switch sports. After meeting Swiss basketball icon Thabo Sefolosha, Capela became more and more fascinated with basketball. At 15 years old, he was spotted at the European Junior Championships with the Swiss team and joined the Chalon-sur-Saône training center, INSEP, in France.[5]

Professional career

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Élan Chalon (2012–2014)

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In 2012, Capela joined the senior Élan Chalon team of the LNB Pro A.

On April 12, 2014, Capela represented the World Team at the 2014 Nike Hoop Summit.[6] Later that month, he declared for the 2014 NBA draft.[7] In May 2014, he was named the Best Young Player and Most Improved Player of the 2013–14 LNB Pro A season.[8]

Houston Rockets (2014–2020)

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On June 26, 2014, Capela was selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets.[9][10] On July 25, 2014, he signed with the Rockets.[11] On March 30, 2015, Capela scored his first NBA points, finishing the game with eight points and nine rebounds in a 99–96 loss to the Toronto Raptors.[12] On April 13, he had a season-best game for the Rockets with 10 points and five rebounds in a win over the Charlotte Hornets.[13] During his rookie season, he had multiple assignments with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League.[14] Capela took a step forward in the postseason, when he saw minutes in place of the injured Donatas Motiejūnas. He appeared in more playoff games (17) than regular season contests in 2014–15 and averaged 3.4 points in 7.5 minutes per postseason game.[15]

In his second season, on November 6, 2015, Capela recorded his first career double-double with then career highs of 13 points and 12 rebounds as a starter in a 116–110 win over the Sacramento Kings.[16] On November 29, in an overtime win over the New York Knicks, Capela recorded his third double-double over a span of four games, including a career-high 18 points.[17] During the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend, Capela competed for the World Team in the Rising Stars Challenge. On April 13, in the Rockets' season finale, Capela recorded a career-high 17 rebounds in a 116–81 win over Sacramento.[18]

On November 19, 2016, Capela scored a career-high 20 points in a 111–102 win over the Utah Jazz.[19] On November 27, 2016, he set a new career high with 21 points against the Portland Trail Blazers.[20] On December 19, 2016, he was ruled out for six weeks after suffering a broken fibula.[21] He returned to action on January 17, 2017, against the Miami Heat after missing 15 games; he started the game against Miami but was scoreless in nine minutes.[22]

Capela with the Houston Rockets in 2016

On October 18, 2017, Capela had 22 points and matched his career high with 17 rebounds in a 105–100 win over the Sacramento Kings.[23] On December 11, 2017, he had a career-high 28 points in a 130–123 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.[24] By Christmas, Capela had accumulated 16 double-doubles in 28 games and ranked first in the NBA in field goal percentage.[25] On February 9, 2018, he recorded 23 points and a career-high 25 rebounds in a 130–104 win over the Denver Nuggets, earning his first 20-point, 20-rebound game of his career. He became the youngest Rocket to have at least 23 points and 25 rebounds in a game since Hakeem Olajuwon had 30 points and 25 rebounds against the Knicks on February 14, 1985.[26] Capela was runner-up for the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 2017–18 after averaging career highs of 13.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.85 blocks. He led the league in field goal percentage (.652) while ranking eighth in rebounding and second in blocks.[27] In Game 5 of the Rockets' first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Capela had 26 points and 15 rebounds in a 122–104 series-clinching win.[28]

After the 2017–18 season, Capela became a restricted free agent. On July 27, 2018, he signed a five-year, $90 million extension with the Rockets.[27][29] On November 5, in a 98–94 win over the Indiana Pacers, Capela had 18 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth consecutive double-double, a career best.[30] On December 22, he had 21 points and a season-high 23 rebounds in a 108–101 win over the San Antonio Spurs.[31] On December 25, he had 16 points and tied a season high with 23 rebounds in a 113–109 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.[32] On January 7, he scored a career-high 31 points in a 125–113 win over the Denver Nuggets.[33] On January 14, he was ruled out for four to six weeks with a right thumb injury that he suffered the previous night against the Orlando Magic.[34] He returned to action on February 21 against the Los Angeles Lakers after missing 15 games.[35] In March 2019, he had a career-best streak (12) of games with at least 10 rebounds.[36][37]

Atlanta Hawks (2020–present)

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Clint Capela with the Atlanta Hawks in 2021

On February 5, 2020, Houston traded Capela and Nenê to the Atlanta Hawks and received Robert Covington and Jordan Bell in a four-team, 12-player trade.[38]

On December 28, 2020, Capela made his Hawks debut, putting up seven points, nine rebounds, and two blocks in a 128–120 win against the Detroit Pistons.[39] On January 22, 2021, Capela recorded his first career triple-double with 13 points, 19 rebounds, and a career-high 10 blocks in a 116–98 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.[40][41] During the 2021 NBA Playoffs, Capela helped the Hawks reach the Conference Finals. On June 23, Capela scored 12 points, including the go-ahead score with 29.8 seconds left, and grabbed 19 rebounds during a 116–113 Game 1 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.[42] The Hawks would eventually lose the series in six games.

On December 31, 2021, Capela grabbed a season-high 23 rebounds and scored 18 points during a 121–118 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.[43]

On April 11, 2023, during the Hawks' play-in tournament game against the Miami Heat, Capela grabbed 21 rebounds, alongside four points and two blocks, in a 116–105 win that secured the seventh seed in the playoffs for the Hawks.[44]

National team career

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In August 2013, Capela debuted for the Swiss national basketball team at the FIBA EuroBasket 2015 qualification rounds.

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high
* Led the league

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2014–15 Houston 12 0 7.5 .483 — .174 3.0 .2 .1 .8 2.7
2015–16 Houston 77 35 19.1 .582 .000 .379 6.4 .6 .8 1.2 7.0
2016–17 Houston 65 59 23.9 .643 — .531 8.1 1.0 .5 1.2 12.6
2017–18 Houston 74 74 27.5 .652* .000 .560 10.8 .9 .8 1.9 13.9
2018–19 Houston 67 67 33.6 .648 — .636 12.7 1.4 .7 1.5 16.6
2019–20 Houston 39 39 32.8 .629 — .529 13.8 1.2 .8 1.8 13.9
2020–21 Atlanta 63 63 30.1 .594 — .573 14.3* .8 .7 2.0 15.2
2021–22 Atlanta 74 73 27.6 .613 .000 .473 11.9 1.2 .7 1.3 11.1
2022–23 Atlanta 65 63 26.6 .653 .000 .603 11.0 .9 .7 1.2 12.0
2023–24 Atlanta 73 73 25.8 .571 .000 .631 10.6 1.2 .6 1.5 11.5
Career 609 546 26.6 .621 .000 .545 10.7 1.0 .7 1.5 12.3

Play-in

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 Atlanta 2 2 21.5 .750 — .500 12.5 1.5 1.0 1.5 11.0
2023 Atlanta 1 1 28.4 .667 — .000 21.0 1.0 .0 2.0 4.0
2024 Atlanta 1 1 37.6 .733 — — 17.0 4.0 .0 .0 22.0
Career 4 4 27.2 .733 — .333 15.8 2.0 .5 1.3 12.0

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015 Houston 17 0 7.5 .677 — .517 2.5 .3 .2 .5 3.4
2016 Houston 5 0 8.6 .333 — .400 4.0 .4 .6 .4 1.6
2017 Houston 11 11 26.0 .561 .000 .615 8.7 1.1 .7 2.5 10.5
2018 Houston 17 17 30.6 .660 — .473 11.6 1.3 .8 2.1 12.7
2019 Houston 11 11 30.1 .561 — .429 10.3 1.5 .3 1.1 9.7
2021 Atlanta 18 18 31.6 .603 — .436 11.2 .9 .7 1.1 10.1
2022 Atlanta 2 2 20.0 .333 — — 7.5 .0 .5 .5 2.0
2023 Atlanta 6 6 25.2 .605 — .667 8.3 .5 1.0 .5 8.3
Career 87 65 23.8 .602 .000 .495 8.4 .9 .6 1.3 8.5

EuroLeague

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2012–13 Élan Chalon 7 0 8.0 .636 .000 1.000 3.0 .3 .4 .7 2.3 4.9
Career 7 0 8.0 .636 .000 1.000 3.0 .3 .4 .7 2.3 4.9

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Berger, Nicola (November 6, 2019). ""Wie ein grosser Bruder": Was Clint Capela an Thabo Sefolosha schätzt – und wie die beiden in Houston einen globalen Konflikt umschiffen". Neue Züricher Zeitung (in German). Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  2. ^ "NBA players express shock, sympathy over Paris terrorist tragedy". ESPN.com. November 14, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  3. ^ "Schröder To Play In 2017 NBA Africa Game". NBA.com. July 13, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  4. ^ Lowe, Zach (May 5, 2021). "'I'm thinking about dominating the paint': How Clint Capela has anchored the surging Hawks". ESPN. Disney. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  5. ^ Jaquet, Aurélie (November 16, 2016). "Clint Capela à la conquête de l'Ouest". illustre.ch (in French). Archived from the original on September 26, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  6. ^ "2014 Nike Hoop Summit: World Team Recap - NBADraft.net". April 21, 2014.
  7. ^ "Clint Capela officially declares for the 2014 NBA Draft". Archived from the original on May 22, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  8. ^ "Capela, Falker, Diot and Dobbins win French Pro Awards". Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  9. ^ "2014 NBA Draft: Rockets get a B for picking Clint Capela at No. 25".
  10. ^ "Rockets Introduce Capela and Johnson - Houston Rockets". NBA.com.
  11. ^ TEGNA. "KHOU - Houston Flights, Traffic, Road Conditions, Traffic Cams, Maps - KHOU.com". Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  12. ^ Feigen, Jonathan (March 31, 2015). "Clint Capela leaves good impression after performance in Toronto". Chron.com. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  13. ^ "Rockets at Hornets". NBA.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  14. ^ "2014-15 NBA Assignments". NBA.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  15. ^ Rockets To Pick Up 2016/17 Option On Clint Capela Archived September 29, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ "Rockets vs Kings". NBA.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  17. ^ "Rockets vs Knicks". NBA.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  18. ^ "Kings vs Rockets". NBA.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  19. ^ "Harden, Rockets beat Jazz, improve to 4-1 at home". ESPN.com. November 19, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  20. ^ "Clint Capela 2016-17 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  21. ^ Moore, Matt (December 19, 2016). "Rockets center Clint Capela out up to six weeks with fractured fibula". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  22. ^ "Dragic scores 21 and Heat stun Rockets, 109-103". ESPN.com. January 17, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  23. ^ "Harden, Houston spoil another opener, win 105-100 at Kings". ESPN.com. October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  24. ^ "Capela, Harden lead Rockets over Pelicans 130-123". ESPN.com. December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  25. ^ Feigen, Jonathan (December 24, 2017). "Rockets injury report: Clint Capela and Chris Paul improving". chron.com. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  26. ^ "Harden, Capela lead Rockets to 130-104 win over Nuggets". ESPN.com. February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  27. ^ a b "Rockets Re-sign Clint Capela". NBA.com. July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  28. ^ "Capela scores 26; Rockets eliminate Wolves with 122-104 win". ESPN.com. April 25, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  29. ^ "Sources: Rockets strike 5-year deal to bring back Clint Capela". ESPN.com. July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  30. ^ "Harden's late 3 helps Houston rocket past Pacers 98-94". ESPN.com. November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  31. ^ "Harden scores 39, leads Rockets past Spurs 108-101". ESPN.com. December 22, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  32. ^ "Harden's 41 helps Rockets over Thunder 113-109". ESPN.com. December 25, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  33. ^ "Harden, Capela help Rockets over Nuggets 125-113". ESPN.com. January 7, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  34. ^ "Reports: Rockets' Clint Capela to miss 4-6 weeks with right thumb injury". NBA.com. January 14, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  35. ^ "LeBron rallies Lakers to 111-106 victory over Rockets". ESPN.com. February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  36. ^ "Harden's 38 helps Rockets cruise past Nuggets 112-85". ESPN.com. March 28, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019. Capela extended his career-best streak of games with at least 10 rebounds to 11.
  37. ^ "Harden logs fifth career 50-point triple-double". ESPN.com. March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2019. Capela has at least 10 rebounds in a career-high 12 straight games.
  38. ^ "Rockets Complete Four-Team Trade" (Press release). Houston Rockets. February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  39. ^ Spencer, Sarah (December 28, 2020). "Rondo, Capela make debuts as Hawks beat Pistons, start 3-0". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  40. ^ "Clint Capela Notches Triple-Double With 10 Blocks in Hawks Win Over T-Wolves | Sports Illustrated". www.si.com. January 22, 2021.
  41. ^ Hawks crush Timberwolves behind Clint Capela triple-double
  42. ^ Young scores 48 points, Hawks beat Bucks 116-113 in Game 1
  43. ^ HAWKS EDGE CAVALIERS, SNAP 3-GAME SKID
  44. ^ "HAWKS GRAB NO. 7 SEED IN EAST, HOLD OFF HEAT 116-105". NBA.com. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
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