An offensively strong guard with plenty of NBA experience completes the roster of FC Bayern Basketball: Shabazz Napier arrived in Munich on Tuesday and joins the German champions. His contract is valid for the upcoming season and includes a option for an additional year. The 33-year-old American, who also holds a Puerto Rican passport, has played 354 games over six NBA seasons with an average of 7.1 points per game. Last season, he played for EuroLeague rivals Milan and Red Star Belgrade. In the EuroLeague, his stats were 11.8 points and 3.5 assists per game.
The American-born player will reunite with two familiar faces in Munich: He spent most of the past two seasons with Johannes Voigtmann at Olimpia Milan – Niels Giffey, on the other hand, celebrated two NCAA championships with Napier during their exciting college days with the UConn Huskies, in 2011 and 2014. Napier was selected 24th overall in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft.
354 Games in the NBA
"I would like to thank Bayern for this opportunity; I am very excited for the season," says the Boston-born point guard, who has already completed his medical tests and attended his new team's test game against Würzburg under Gordon Herbert. "I am looking forward to playing alongside great players and learning from a great coaching staff. The goal is celebrate some powerful wins this year with the great fans of Bayern. Through the leadership of Coach Herbert I believe we can!"
Even in college at Connecticut, the agile playmaker and shooter was a sensation; during the second title win with the Huskies in 2014, he stood out with an average of 18 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. Napier was named the "Most Outstanding Player" of the Final Four tournament.
The Miami Heat secured his services that year. Despite various trades and stints in the G League, Napier improved his scoring average in each of his six NBA seasons – in his final year before the COVID-19 pause in 2020, he achieved personal bests with Minnesota (9.6 PPG) and then Washington (11.6).
Photo credits: EuroLeague
Reunion with Voigtmann and Giffey
In 2021, "Bazz" Napier moved to Europe for the first time, to Saint Petersburg, Russia. After an injury, he made an impressive debut for Milan in the EuroLeague the following year (15 PPG, 46% from three-point range in twelve appearances). In the summer of 2023, he moved to Serbia to join Red Star, only to return to Lombardy and the Italian champion Olimpia at the end of 2023.
For the Puerto Rican national team, his mother’s homeland, he played in the AmeriCup qualifiers in 2021 (17.5 PPG).
“We agreed internally that in order to finalize the roster for this season we should be vary patient and wait for the right opportunity to show up on the market,” explains FCBB Sports Director Dragan Tarlac. “With Napier we found that player, who undoubtedly has the individual and leadership qualities that we’ve been looking for paired with a lot of experience. Throughout the conversation with the player we understood that his interest to join our organization was at first, common goals and excitement to play with his former teammates as well for coach Herbert.”
SHABAZZ BOZIE NAPIER (*July 14, 1991, Roxbury, Massachusetts/USA)
Point Guard – 1.83 m – 79 kg
- 2010 – 2014: University of Connecticut
- 2014 – 2015: Miami Heat (NBA), Sioux Falls Skyforce (NBA G League)
- 2015 – 2016: Orlando Magic (NBA)
- 2016 – 2018: Portland Trail Blazers (NBA)
- 2018 – 2019: Brooklyn Nets (NBA)
- 2019 – 2020: Minnesota Timberwolves, Washington Wizards (NBA)
- 2021 – 2022: Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS)
- 2022 – 2023: Capitanes de Ciudad de Mexico (NBA G League), Olimpia Milano (ITA)
- 2023 – 2024: Olimpia Milano (ITA), Red Star Belgrade (SRB)
Achievements/Awards:
- NCAA Champion 2011, 2014
- Italian Champion 2023, 2024
- First-team All-Big East 2013 (NCAA)
- NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player 2014 (NCAA)
- American Athletic Conference Player of the Year 2014 (NCAA)
- First-team All-AAC 2014 (NCAA)
- Bob Cousy Award 2014
- Consensus first-team All-American (NCAA)