Sani Sakakini (Arabic: سني سكاكيني; born August 19, 1988) is a Palestinian professional basketball player for the New Taipei Kings of the East Asia Super League (EASL).[1][2] In 2017, he ranked second all-time highest in the FIBA Asia Championship in scoring average, after the 2015 edition where he ranked first in scoring and rebounds (22.4 PPG and 12.6 RPG in 8 games).[3]
 | |
| No. 31 – New Taipei Kings | |
|---|---|
| Position | Forward |
| League | East Asia Super League Taiwan Professional Basketball League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 19, 1988 Ramallah, Palestine |
| Nationality | Palestinian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8.5 in (2.04 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2010: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2007–present |
| Career history | |
| 2007–2013 | Al Riyadi Amman |
| 2011 | →Guangzhou Free Man |
| 2011–2012 | Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles |
| 2013 | →Sarriyet Ramallah |
| 2013–2014 | Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles |
| 2014 | →Hoops Club |
| 2015 | Orthodox (Jordan) |
| 2015–2016 | Jiangsu Tongxi |
| 2016 | →Champville SC |
| 2016–2017 | Tianjin Ronggang |
| 2017 | Trotamundos de Carabobo |
| 2017–2018 | Guangzhou Long-Lions |
| 2018 | Shabab Al Ahli |
| 2018 | Trotamundos de Carabobo |
| 2018–2019 | Yulon Luxgen Dinos |
| 2019–2020 | Beijing Royal Fighters |
| 2021 | Orthodoxi Beit Sahour |
| 2021–2022 | Taichung Wagor Suns |
| 2022–2023 | Taoyuan Pilots |
| 2023–2024 | Al Riyadi Beirut |
| 2024–present | New Taipei Kings |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Professional career
editSakakini started playing basketball at the age of 14 in the Sarriyet Ramallah club.[2] His international career started in 2007 after he went to Applied Science University in Jordan and joined the Jordanian Premier League playing three seasons for Al Riyadi Amman.[4] He came back to the league in 2015 to play one season with Orthodox and help the team win the title.[5]
In 2011, Sakakini started in the minor NBL league with Guangzhou Free Man before playing in the main CBA league for four seasons with Qingdao Eagles, Jiangsu Monkey King and Tianjin Gold Lions. He started 115 games for 126 appearances, averaging 19.3 PPG and 12.5 RPG.[6][7]
He also played a few games in 2014 and 2016 in the LBL league for Hoops Club and Champville SC. He started 17 games out of 17 appearances, averaging 18.4 PPG and 10.6 RPG.[8]
For the 2017-2018 season, Sakakini joined the LPB league playing for the Trotamundos de Carabobo.[9]
On August 29, 2021, Sakakini officially joined the Taichung Suns of the T1 League in Taiwan.[10] On July 2, 2022, Sakakini was selected to the all-T1 League first team in 2021–22 season.[11]
On October 9, 2024, Sakakini signed with the New Taipei Kings of the East Asia Super League (EASL).[12]
National team career
editSakakini joined the Palestine national basketball team in 2006.[13] He contributed in rebuilding the Palestine national basketball team with coach Jerry Steele and recruiting players such as former University of Minnesota guard Jamal Abu-Shamala. This led to the team's first ever qualification to the FIBA Asia Championship in 2015.[1]
In August 2021, Sakakini has announced his retirement from international basketball.[13] The announcement came after his Palestinian team got two consecutive losses at the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, dropping them from the tournament.[14]
Career statistics
editStatistics from FIBA,[7] CBA,[6] REAL GM,[8] EUROBASKET,[15] SBL.[16]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | 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 | Led the league | |
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | League | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Guangzhou Free Man | NBL | 20 | 54.2 | 25.0 | 67.5 | 9.8 | 1.1 | 14.5 | |||
| 2011-2012 | Qingdao DoubleStar | CBA | 31 | 27.3 | 51.6 | 16.7 | 67.4 | 8.2 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 10.5 |
| 2013 | Al Riyadi Amman | JPL | 18 | 11.8 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 23.9 | |||||
| 2013 | Sarriyet Ramallah | PBBA | 8 | 15.7 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 32.7 | ||||
| 2013-2014 | Qingdao DoubleStar | CBA | 29 | 39.4 | 51.7 | 20.8 | 75.6 | 13.8 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 18.9 |
| 2014 | Hoops Club | LBL | 9 | 39.2 | 42.3 | 22.2 | 74.1 | 11.9 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 20.4 |
| 2015-2016 | Jiangsu Tongxi | CBA | 30 | 42.6 | 46.2 | 20.5 | 76.3 | 14.7 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 23.2 |
| 2016 | Champville SC | LBL | 8 | 31.4 | 47.2 | 00.0 | 78.4 | 9.1 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 16.1 |
| 2016-2017 | Tianjin Ronggang | CBA | 35 | 41.2 | 54.5 | 33.7 | 79.6 | 13.3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 24.0 |
| 2017-2018 | Guangzhou Long-Lions | CBA | 37 | 40.1 | 52.4 | 32.3 | 85.4 | 11.7 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 21.2 |
| 2018-2019 | Yulon Luxgen Dinos | SBL | 22 | 31.8 | 47.6 | 26.9 | 79.8 | 13.6 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 23.6 |
International tournaments
edit| Year | Team | League | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Palestine | FIBA Asia Championship | 8 | 35.9 | .407 | .205 | .682 | 12.6 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 22.4 |
Career highs
editSakakini scored a season-high 48 points and 22 rebounds on 11/11/2015 in a 111-101 win of Jiangsu Monkey King over Tianjin Gold Lions.[17]
Off the court
editHe is the son of George Sakakini, and elder brother of Salim Sakakini who also plays on the Palestine national basketball team.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b Carpenter, Les (2015-08-03). "The NBA's first Palestinian? Sani Sakakini's remarkable basketball odyssey". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
- ^ a b "Meet Palestine's first professional basketball player". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
- ^ "Sani Sakakini profile, FIBA Asia Championship 2015 | FIBA.COM". FIBA.COM. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- ^ "Al Riyadi Amman basketball, News, Roster, Rumors, Stats, Awards, Transactions, Details - asia-basket.com". www.eurobasket.com. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- ^ "الفلسطيني سني سكاكيني يعود إلى الدوري الصيني". ARABASKET. 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
- ^ a b "CBA球员介绍:桑尼". cbadata.sports.sohu.com. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
- ^ a b "Sani Sakakini profile | Game center | FIBA.com". www.fiba.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
- ^ a b "Sani Sakakini Player Profile, Tianjin Ronggang, International Stats, Events Stats, Game Logs, Awards - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
- ^ "..::TROTAMUNDOS DE CARABOBO::.. EL EQUIPO MAS GANADOR DEL BALONCESTO VENEZOLANO". www.trotamundosbbc.com. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
- ^ 黃及人 (2021-08-29). "桑尼強勢加盟台中太陽 妻小全都帶來台灣". 中國時報. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
- ^ "蔣淯安、胡瓏貿領銜 年度第一隊名單揭曉". United Daily News. July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ "新北國王又補猛將！ 西亞全能前鋒桑尼回歸台籃效力". ETtoday. October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ a b "Sani Sakakini's Legacy: Paving the way for Palestine's next generation". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia cruises to win, punches ticket to Asia Cup along with India". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
- ^ "Sani Sakakini basketball profile, EUROBASKET". www.eurobasket.com. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- ^ "桑尼". 超級籃球聯賽. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ "Boxscores | FIBA.COM". www.fiba.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved 2017-02-28.