| Position | Center |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Weight | 275 lb (125 kg) |
| League | NBB |
| Team | Paulistano |
| Born | August 12, 1980 Curitiba, Brazil |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| High school | Padre Anacleto |
| College | Arizona Western (2000-2002) BYU (2002-2004) |
| Draft | 8th overall, 2004 Toronto Raptors |
| Pro career | 2004–present |
| Former teams | Toronto Raptors (2004–06) Utah Jazz (2006-07) Spartak St. Petersburg (2007-08) Flamengo (2009) |
Rafael Paulo de Lara Araújo, aka "Baby" in the Brazilian sports scene, (Portuguese pronunciation: [hafaˈɛw aɾaˈuʒu]; born August 12, 1980 in Curitiba) is a Brazilian professional basketball player currently with Paulistano of NBB.
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College career
After attending Padre Anacleto High School in São Paulo, Araújo went to the United States to play college basketball, attending Arizona Western College in Yuma, Arizona. In his freshman season (2000-01), he averaged 12.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.[1] As a sophomore, he tallied 17.9 points and 10.7 rebounds per game,[1] leading the Matadors to a 28-3 record and a top ten national ranking among junior colleges.[1] He was named Region Most Valuable Player and 2nd Team NJCAA All-American.[1]
After finishing his junior college career, Araújo moved to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah where as a junior (2002-03), he averaged 12.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game[2] (second in the Mountain West Conference). In his senior season, Araújo led BYU in scoring (18.4 points per game), rebounding (10.1 rebounds per game), steals (tied) (43 total), and blocked shots (25).[3] He was named Co-Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference, sharing the honor with Air Force's Nick Welch.[4][5] He was named 2nd Team NCAA All-American by Basketball Times.
On December 6, 2003, he scored 32 points and grabbed a career-high[1] 17 rebounds against Oklahoma State in BYU's 76-71 home victory.[6] He concluded his collegiate career with a team-high 24-point, 12-rebound performance in the Cougars' 80-75 loss to Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament.[1][7]
Controversy
During the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis, Araújo tested positive for the steroid nandrolone. He was given a 24-month suspension from international play. He was subsequently found clean during tests while a player at BYU, and the NBA did not test players for steroid use.[8]
Araújo was involved in an on-court incident during his senior season at BYU. On March 6, 2004, Araújo was reprimanded by the Mountain West Conference (MWC) for hitting (Araújo later denied punching) UNLV guard Jerel Blassingame during a 89-88 win.[4][5] Three days later on March 12, in a 54-51 loss to Utah, Araujo was charged with a technical foul for elbowing the Utes' Andrew Bogut in the head in the MWC Tournament.[9]
Professional career
The Toronto Raptors selected Araújo with the eighth pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, making him the first college senior drafted that year. As a rookie, Araújo averaged 3.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game. He set a career-high with 14 rebounds against the Sacramento Kings on January 5, 2005. Days later, on January 9, he scored a career-high 14 points against the Golden State Warriors. He later matched that total against the Kings on November 25, 2005.
In the 2005-06 season, he averaged 11.6 minutes a game, 2.3 points, and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 36.6% from the field.
On June 8, 2006, Araújo was traded to the Utah Jazz with an undisclosed amount of money for Kris Humphries and Robert Whaley. With the Jazz, he played in 28 games, averaging 2.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in 8.9 minutes per appearance.
Araújo's rookie contract expired after the 2006-07 season. After playing with the Utah Jazz Summer League team, Araújo signed a 1-year, $500,000 contract to play for Spartak St. Petersburg in Russia.[10]
Araújo was in training camp with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves for 2008 but was waived before the 2008-09 season.[11]
On January 2009, Araújo signed with Brazilian club Flamengo for the 2009 season. The details of his contract were not revealed. He became the star of the club's team alongside Marcelinho Machado.[12]
Araujo signed with Paulistano for the 2009/10 season on August, 2009.
NBA career statistics
| 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 | Bold | Career high |
- (Correct as of 30 May 2009)[13]
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Toronto | 59 | 41 | 12.5 | .434 | .333 | .782 | 3.1 | .3 | .4 | .1 | 3.3 |
| 2005–06 | Toronto | 52 | 34 | 11.6 | .366 | .000 | .536 | 2.8 | .3 | .5 | .1 | 2.3 |
| 2006–07 | Utah | 28 | 0 | 8.9 | .415 | .000 | .621 | 2.4 | .4 | .2 | .1 | 2.6 |
| Career | 139 | 75 | 11.4 | .405 | .250 | .679 | 2.8 | .3 | .4 | .1 | 2.8 |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Utah | 5 | 0 | 5.6 | .375 | .000 | .417 | 2.2 | .2 | .2 | .0 | 2.2 |
| Career | 5 | 0 | 5.6 | .375 | .000 | .417 | 2.2 | .2 | .2 | .0 | 2.2 |
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f Prospect Profile: Rafael Araujo (Ha-fay-el Ar-RU-joe)
- ^ Brigham Young Cougars Statistics - 2002-03
- ^ Brigham Young Cougars Statistics - 2003-04
- ^ a b Araujo still eligible for MWC tourney
- ^ a b Mountain West Conference Reprimands Araujo, March 9, 2004
- ^ BYU 76, Oklahoma State 71
- ^ McNamara drains nine 3s for career-high 43
- ^ Deseret Morning News | Araujo finishing steroid suspension
- ^ GAME 29 RECAP -- HEARTBREAKER ENDS COUGARS VICTORY STREAK
- ^ Araujo finds a home with Russian Team
- ^ Timberwolves Waive Center Rafael Araujo
- ^ Ex-pivô da NBA já treina no Flamengo (Portuguese)
- ^ Rafael Araújo NBA Stats (English)
External links
- Rafael Araújo (basketball) Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
- Men's Basketball Athlete Profile - Rafael Araujo @ byucougars.com
- NBA Draft Busts
- Player profile @ Flamengo.com.br (Portuguese)
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