Eduardo Nájera
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| Player information | ||
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| Full name | Eduardo Alonso Nájera Pérez | |
| birthday | 11th July 1976 (age 44) | |
| place of birth | Ciudad Meoqui , Mexico | |
| size | 203 cm | |
| Weight | 109 kg | |
| position | Power Forward / Small Forward | |
| college | Oklahoma | |
| NBA draft | 2000 , 38th Pick, Houston Rockets | |
| Clubs as active | ||
2000–2004 Dallas Mavericks 2004–2005 Golden State Warriors 2005–2008 Denver Nuggets 2008–2010 New Jersey Nets 2010 Dallas Mavericks 2010–2012 Charlotte Bobcats
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| National team | ||
2003 
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Mexico | |
| Clubs as coaches | ||
| 2012–2015 Texas Legends
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Eduardo Alonso Nájera Pérez (born July 11, 1976 in Ciudad Meoqui , Chihuahua ) is a retired Mexican basketball player who was active in the North American professional league NBA from 2000 to 2012 . He was best known for his rebounding and tenacity in defense. Nájera is only the second Mexican-born player to play in the NBA.
Basketball career
Nájera played college basketball at the University of Oklahoma from 1997 to 2000, where he became a key player. He helped the team make four consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament during his college career.
With Nájera, Mexico reached fourth place in the 1999 World Games and the Universiade .
With the Dallas Mavericks he played from 2000 to 2004 and from 2004 to 2005 with the Golden State Warriors . From there he switched to the Denver Nuggets. Then he moved from the Nuggets to the Nets in New Jersey. There he played until January 2010. On January 9, 2010 he was traded against Kris Humphris and Shawnee Williams to the Dallas Mavericks . July 2010 Nájera was traded together with Erick Dampier and Matt Carroll against Tyson Chandler and Alex Ajinca to the Charlotte Bobcats . Najera played for the Bobcats until 2012. He decided to end his active career after his contract ended.
Coaching career
After the end of his active career, Najera decided to pursue a career as a coach. He received an offer from the Dallas Mavericks to become the new head coach of the Texas Legends in the NBA Development League . Najera was the team's coach until 2015.
Besides the sport
In 2004, Nájera founded the Eduardo Najera Foundation for Latin Achievement , which awards college scholarships to outstanding Latino students.
In 2001 Nájera served as ambassador for the United Nations Drug Control Program for Sport and Against Drugs.
In 2000 Nájera received the Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame .
Web links
- Eduardo Nájera - player profile on basketball-reference.com (English)
- Eduardo Nájera - player statistics on NBA .com (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Nájera, Eduardo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Nájera Pérez, Eduardo Alonso (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | mexican basketball player and coach |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 11, 1976 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ciudad Meoqui , Chihuahua, Mexico |