Aamir Simms
Simms in March 2020
No. 25 – Reyer Venezia
PositionPower forward
LeagueLBA
EuroCup
Personal information
Born (1999-02-17) February 17, 1999
East Orange, New Jersey
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeClemson (2017–2021)
NBA draft2021: undrafted
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2022Westchester Knicks
2022–2023Paris Basketball
2023Denver Nuggets Summer League
2023–presentReyer Venezia Mestre
Career highlights and awards
  • Second-team All-ACC (2021)
  • Third-team All-ACC (2020)
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men’s basketball
Representing  United States
Summer Universiade
Gold medal – first place 2019 Italy Team competition

Aamir Earl Simms (born February 17, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for Reyer Venezia Mestre of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroCup. He played college basketball for the Clemson Tigers.

Early life and high school career

Simms spent his early childhood in East Orange, New Jersey, but moved to Palmyra, Virginia, in 2008 after his mother, Lateasha Jones, decided East Orange was too dangerous. He spent hours on the basketball court near the family's home, often playing deep into the night.[1] He scored 377 points as a freshman at Fluvanna County High School.[2] At an AAU Tournament, his performance drew the attention of Cade Lemcke, coach at the Blue Ridge School, and Simms decided to attend the school after receiving a scholarship.[1] He helped the team win a state championship as a sophomore.[2] As a senior at Blue Ridge, Simms averaged 13.0 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.[3] He helped the team win a second state title, contributing 16 points and 10 rebounds in the championship game against Miller. He was named the Central Virginia Player of the Year.[2] He committed to playing college basketball at Clemson over offers from more than a dozen schools.[1]

College career

Simms averaged 4.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game as a freshman.[4] He helped Clemson reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Kansas, 80–76.[5] As a sophomore, Simms averaged 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.[6] On November 5, 2019, Simms had his first double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds in a 67–60 loss to Virginia Tech.[7] He was named ACC Co-Player of the Week (alongside Tre Jones) on January 13, 2020, after leading Clemson in points (20), rebounds (8), assists (6), blocks (4) and steals (3) in Clemson's first-ever win at North Carolina, and hit a three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime.[8] On January 14, Simms scored a career-high 25 points to go along with nine rebounds in a 79–72 win over third-ranked Duke.[9] As a junior, he averaged 13.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, earning Third Team All-ACC honors. Following the season, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[10] He withdrew from the draft on June 1, returning for his senior season.[11] He averaged 13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, winning Second Team All-ACC honors. He declared for the 2021 NBA draft and hired an agent, forgoing his final season of eligibility granted by the NCAA as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

Professional career

After being undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Simms joined the New York Knicks for the 2021 NBA Summer League and averaged 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. On August 19, 2021, he signed with the Knicks.[13] However, he was waived on October 16.[14] In October 2021, he joined the Westchester Knicks as an affiliate player.[15] He averaged 11.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. On July 29, 2022, he signed with Paris Basketball of the LNB Pro A.[16]

On July 19, 2023, he signed with Reyer Venezia Mestre of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).[17]

National team career

Simms was a part of the Clemson team chosen to represent the United States in the 2019 Summer Universiade in Italy. The US received a gold medal after defeating Ukraine in the title game behind 12 points from Simms.[18] He played in all six games and led the team in scoring and rebounding with 15.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.[19]

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

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Clemson 341215.4.473.326.5773.2.6.2.94.0
2018–19 Clemson 343426.6.441.331.7504.61.0.6.78.1
2019–20 Clemson 303031.6.474.400.7057.22.61.0.813.0
2020–21 Clemson 242429.7.532.400.8256.42.7.9.713.4
Career 12210025.3.481.362.7305.21.6.7.89.2

References

  1. 1 2 3 Needelman, Joshua (February 15, 2019). "Clemson basketball star sees himself in young fan from same hometown in rural Virginia". Charleston Post and Courier. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Counts, Ron (April 1, 2017). "Central Virginia boys basketball player of the year: Blue Ridge's Aamir Simms". The Daily Progress. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  3. ↑ Gordon, Mark (November 6, 2017). "2017-18 Clemson Basketball Season Preview: Frontcourt Analysis". Shakin the Southland. SB Nation. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  4. ↑ Crumpton, Tony (June 21, 2018). "Clemson forward makes incredible full-court shot". TigerNet. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  5. ↑ Raynor, Grace (March 23, 2018). "Clemson basketball hangs with Kansas, falls 80–76 in Sweet 16 to end historic season". Charleston Post and Courier. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Simms set for big season at Clemson". CBS 19 News. October 20, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Horne, Nolley lead Virginia Tech to 67–60 win at Clemson". ESPN. Associated Press. November 5, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Jones, Simms, Nolley Earn ACC Men's Basketball Weekly Honors". Atlantic Coast Conference. January 13, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Clemson gets rare ACC double in 79–72 win over No. 3 Duke". ESPN. Associated Press. January 14, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  10. ↑ Shiers, Mike (March 31, 2020). "Former Blue Ridge star Aamir Simms enters NBA Draft". NBC29. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Clemson leading scorer Aamir Simms returning for senior year". ESPN. Associated Press. June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  12. ↑ Senkiw, Brad (May 1, 2021). "Aamir Simms Enters NBA Draft, Ends Clemson Career". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Knicks Sign Aamir Simms". NBA. August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Knicks Waive Brandon Knight, Aamir Simms and M.J. Walker". NBA. October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Westchester Knicks Announce Training Camp Roster". NBA. October 25, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Paris Basketball lands Aamir Simms". Sportando. July 30, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Colpo Umana Reyer: firmato Aamir Simms!". reyer.it (in Italian). July 19, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Clemson basketball takes home the gold for the United States at the World University Games". NCAA. July 12, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  19. ↑ Hood, Nikki (July 14, 2019). "Clemson's Simms proud to wear the USA flag after gold medal win". TigerNet. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
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