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Henri Drell

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Henri Drell
Drell with Pesaro in September 2019
No. 55 – Rip City Remix
PositionShooting guard / small forward
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (2000-04-25) 25 April 2000 (age 24)
Tallinn, Estonia
Listed height2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)
Listed weight100 kg (220 lb)
Career information
NBA draft2022: undrafted
Playing career2015–present
Career history
2015–2016Audentes
2016–2019Brose Bamberg
2016–2019→Baunach Young Pikes
2019–2021Victoria Libertas Pesaro
2022–2023Windy City Bulls
2023Chorale Roanne Basket
2023–2024Chicago Bulls
2023–2024→Windy City Bulls
2024–presentRip City Remix
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Estonia
FIBA Europe U-18 Championship Division B
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Estonia U18 Team

Henri Drell (born 25 April 2000) is an Estonian professional basketball player for the Rip City Remix of the NBA G League. He also represents the Estonian national basketball team internationally. Standing 2.05 metres (6 ft 9 in), he plays shooting guard and small forward. He is also the second Estonian player to ever play in the NBA.

Early life and youth career

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Drell was born in Tallinn, Estonia. He started playing basketball at nine years of age. He joined a small club in Estonia and after that he moved to BC Kalev/Cramo youth.[1]

In July 2016, Drell moved to Brose Bamberg, Germany, where he started to play in the German Under-19 Youth Bundesliga (NBBL- Nachwuchs-Basketball-Bundesliga). In May 2019, Drell led his NBBL team (TSV Breitengüßbach) to the silver medal.[2] On 27 February 2019, he was selected to play in the 2019 NBBL All-Star Game.[3]

In February 2018, Drell played for Brose Bamberg's U18 team at Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT) in Munich. He was selected to the All-Tournament Team after leading the event with 27 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists per game and a Performance Index Rating (PIR) of 26.3.[4][5] Later in June, he also attended the NBA Global Camp in Treviso, Italy.[6]

Professional career

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Audentes (2015–2016)

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In September 2015, Drell joined his hometown team Audentes/Noortekoondis.[7]

Brose Bamberg (2016–2019)

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On 1 July 2016, Drell signed a six-year contract with German club Brose Bamberg.[8] He made his professional debut for Brose Bamberg on 18 March 2019, recording 2 points in a 100–74 win over Eisbären Bremerhaven.[9]

Drell mainly played with Baunach Young Pikes, the farm team of Brose Bamberg, in the German 2nd Division (ProA). In the 2018–19 season Drell's stats of 13.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for Baunach showed marked improvement over the previous year, playing in the ProA.[10] On 2 February 2019 he was named the ProA Youngster of the Month. Drell eventually finished second in Pro A Young Player of the Year voting.[11]

On 19 April 2019, he declared for the 2019 NBA draft. ESPN ranked Drell 55th out of 100 draft prospects, but later on he decided to withdraw from the draft in order to try to improve his draft stock for the 2020 NBA draft.[12]

Victoria Libertas Pesaro (2019–2021)

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On 19 July 2019, Drell signed with Italy's Victoria Libertas Pesaro of the Lega Basket Serie A.[13] He made his professional debut for VL Pesaro on 22 September 2019, recording two points and three rebounds in 25 minutes and a 72–80 loss over Fortitudo Bologna. However, the season ended prematurely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]

In his second season with Victoria Libertas Pesaro under coach Jasmin Repeša, Drell played 24 games and started in 12, while averaging 16.6 minutes per game and making huge improvements throughout the season, mainly in defence and shooting.[15] He finished the season shooting 40% from the three-point line and 50% from two-point range.[16] On 12 January, Drell helped VL Pesaro to qualify for the Italian Basketball Cup after a ten-year drought.[17]

In February 2021, in a prestigious Italian Basketball Cup, Drell had a break-out tournament, where in the quarter-finals he recorded his LBA career-high 23 points, shooting 7-of-9 from the field, with five rebounds in an overtime 115–110 win over Dinamo Sassari.[18][19] Drell helped his team to reach their seventh Italian Cup finals, beating Happy Casa Brindisi in the semi-finals, but eventually losing to AX Armani Exchange Milano in the final, where he posted 12 points and four rebounds in 23 minutes.[20][21] Drell was named "Best Offensive Player" in the tournament. He finished the tournament averaging 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1 assist per game, Drell had also the best shooting percentages in the tournament: 63.6% from the two-point range and 62.5% from the three-point range.[22][23][24] He parted ways with the team on 30 November 2021.[25]

Windy City Bulls (2022–2023)

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On 15 January 2022, NBA Draft-eligible Drell was acquired from the available player pool by the Windy City Bulls of the NBA G League.[26]

In April 2022, Drell made history for the Windy City Bulls, becoming tenth in all-time blocks in franchise history, despite playing only 17.3 minutes per game over 29 games in the season.[27][28]

After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, he signed an NBA Summer League contract with the Chicago Bulls.[29][30]

On 12 October 2022, the Chicago Bulls signed Drell to an Exhibit-10 contract and immediately waived him on the same day.[31] He later re-signed with the Windy City Bulls and ended the season averaging 11.6 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.[32]

Chorale Roanne Basket (France) (2023)

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On 9 April 2023, Drell returned to Europe, signing for the remainder of the season with French club Chorale Roanne Basket of the LNB Pro A.[33]

Chicago / Windy City Bulls (2023–2024)

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On 12 September 2023, Drell signed with the Chicago Bulls,[34] but was waived on 12 October.[35] On 2 November, Drell rejoined the Windy City Bulls.[36] On 16 December, Drell signed a two-way contract with Chicago.[37] Drell made his NBA debut on 14 March against Los Angeles Clippers, scoring 2 points and dishing out 2 assists.[38] He became the second Estonian player to ever play in the NBA after Martin Müürsepp, who debuted with Miami Heat in 1996.[39]

Rip City Remix (2024–present)

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On 13 August 2024, Drell signed with the Portland Trail Blazers,[40] but was waived on 27 September.[41] On 28 October, he joined the Rip City Remix.[42]

National team career

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Junior national team

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Drell competed for Estonia for the first time at the 2016 FIBA U16 European Championship in Radom, Poland. He helped the Estonia national under-16 team to avoid relegation while averaging a team-high 14.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.[43][44]

Drell played in the 2018 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship in Division B, where he was named to the All-Star Five after ranking third among all players with 19 points per game and helping his team finish in fourth place.[45][46][47]

Senior national team

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He made his debut for the senior Estonian national team on 21 February 2019, in a 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifier against Serbia, scoring 4 points in a 71–70 home victory.[48][49]

In February 2021, Drell posted 12 points including the game-winning shot and three rebounds in 28 minutes in a 105–101 victory over Italy, leading Estonia to their third Eurobasket tournament of the century.[50] He finished Eurobasket 2022 qualification averaging 7.8 points and 2.4 rebounds in 5 games.[51][52][53]

As a member of the senior Estonian national team, Drell had a break-out tournament at the Eurobasket 2022, where he recorded 20 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the field, with three rebounds in a blowout win against Great Britain, earning him the TLC Player of the Game honours.[54][55] He finished the tournament averaging 8.6 points while shooting 40% from the three-point-line and grabbing 5 rebounds per game in 25 minutes of action, helping Estonia finish 19th out of 24.[56]

Personal life

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Henri Drell is from a basketball background. His father was a former professional basketball player who played for Kalev. His mother and sister were also professional basketball players and were part of the Estonia women's national basketball team.[1]

Career statistics

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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  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023–24 Chicago 4 0 7.5 .400 .333 .500 1.0 1.0 .5 .3 2.8
Career 4 0 7.5 .400 .333 .500 1.0 1.0 .5 .3 2.8

Domestic leagues and other leagues

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Season Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Audentes/Noortekoondis KML 4 16.0 .444 .250 .400 2.0 1.2 .5 .0 4.5
2016–17 Baunach Young Pikes ProA 6 8.1 .429 .000 1.000 1.5 .0 .2 .0 2.0
2017–18 24 16.3 .496 .340 .649 1.6 .8 .5 .0 6.1
2018–19 29 28.8 .394 .297 .673 3.9 1.6 1.2 .4 13.1
Brose Bamberg BBL 3 8.1 .500 – .500 1.0 .7 .0 .0 2.0
2019–20 Victoria Libertas Pesaro LBA 15 17.1 .351 .235 .667 2.1 1.1 .3 .4 4.7
2020–21 24 16.6 .459 .400 .611 2.5 .5 .4 .3 5.8
2021–22 7 12.4 .286 .200 .600 1.3 .4 .3 .0 1.7
Windy City Bulls NBA G League 29 17.9 .372 .308 .500 3.0 1.2 .9 1.0 5.2
2022–23 30 31.2 .472 .333 .756 5.9 2.6 1.2 .6 11.7
Chorale Roanne Basket LNB Pro A 6 23.2 .425 .263 1.000 3.3 1.8 .7 .3 10.0
2023–24 Windy City Bulls NBA G League 30 33.8 .438 .316 .746 8.4 2.8 1.6 1.1 15.6

Estonia national team

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Year Tournament National Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016 2016 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship Estonia U-16 7 7 25.1 .376 .294 .818 7.1 1.9 2.1 .6 14.1
2017 2017 FIBA U18 European Championship Division B Estonia U-18 8 8 24.3 .416 .314 .833 4.4 2.1 1.2 .6 12.5
2018 2018 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Division B Estonia U-18 7 7 26.8 .469 .333 .861 5.7 1.7 1.4 .7 19.0
2019 2019 Basketball World Cup qualification Estonia 2 0 13.8 .545 .333 .833 .0 .5 1.5 .0 9.0
2020 EuroBasket 2022 qualification Estonia 5 0 18.5 .438 .462 .556 2.4 .8 .8 .6 7.8
2022 EuroBasket 2022 Estonia 5 5 25.0 .459 .400 1.000 5.0 1.8 1.4 .8 8.6

Awards and accomplishments

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Professional career

References

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  1. ^ a b Semiskar, Siim (10 May 2019). "Talendikas korvpallitäht Henri Drell". Sportland Magazine (in Estonian). Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Bamberg: NBBL ist deutscher U19-Vizemeister!". Nachwuchs & Jugend Basketball Bundesliga - NBBL & JBBL (in German). 27 May 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  3. ^ "easyCredit - ALLSTARS der NBBL". easycredit-bbl.de (in German). Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  4. ^ "MVP Nakic of U18 Real Madrid leads Munich all-tourney team". ADIDAS Next Generation Tournament. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  5. ^ "DRELL, HENRI - Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL". euroleague.net. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Scariolo will be the head coach of the U18 team of the NBA Global Camp". Eurohoops. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  7. ^ Korvpalliliit, Eesti. "Mängijad". basket.ee. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Eesti noorkorvpallur sõlmis Euroliiga klubiga 6-aastase lepingu" (in Estonian). Delfi Sport. 1 July 2016.
  9. ^ "Henri Drell tegi Bambergi eest Bundesliga debüüdi ja viskas esimesed punktid" (in Estonian). Korvpall24.ee. 18 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Spieler – BARMER 2. Basketball Bundesliga" (in German). Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  11. ^ "BARMER 2.Basketball Bundesliga on Instagram: "Wir präsentieren euch den @ballside.com_official Spieler/Youngster des Monats 👏 Henri Drell AKA @lllerd AKA Youngster des Monats Januar…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  12. ^ Givony, Johnathan (19 April 2019). "Estonian wing Drell declares for NBA draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  13. ^ Carchia, Emiliano (19 July 2019). "VL Pesaro signs prospect Henri Drell to multi-year deal". Sportando. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  14. ^ Borghesan, Ennio Terrasi (7 April 2020). "Italian Basketball Federation officially ends LBA 2019-20 season". Sportando. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  15. ^ "10 youngsters who left a lasting impression during the February 2021 window". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  16. ^ "SEASON TOTAL HENRI DRELL". web.legabasket.it. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  17. ^ Legabasketa (9 February 2021). "Nove anni dopo l'ultima apparizione, la Carpegna Prosciutto Pesaro torna a disputare una Final Eight di Coppa Italia..." [Nine years after their last appearance, Carpegna Prosciutto Pesaro returns to compete in the Italian Cup Final Eight...]. Instagram (in Italian). Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Pesaro, Brindisi advance to Italian Cup semifinals". Eurohoops. 12 February 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Pesaro VS Sassari LBA CUP 2021". web.legabasket.it. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  20. ^ "Olimpia Milano dominates Pesaro to win the Italian Cup". Eurohoops. 14 February 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  21. ^ "LEGABASKET SERIE A CUP 2021". web.legabasket.it. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  22. ^ Caporaso, Armando (14 February 2021). "Frecciarossa Final Eight: Rodriguez miglior assistman, Drell miglior giocatore offensivo". Sportando (in Italian). Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  23. ^ "Facebook LBA "Best Offensive Player"". facebook.com. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  24. ^ Legabasket Serie A (14 February 2021). "Best Shooter". Facebook.com. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  25. ^ Carchia, Emiliano (30 November 2021). "Henri Drell, VL Pesaro part ways". Sportando. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  26. ^ "2021-22 NBA G League Transactions". gleague.nba.com. 15 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  27. ^ Windy City Bulls [@windycitybulls] (3 April 2022). "After last night, @henridrell is tied for the tenth most blocks in Windy City history..." (Tweet). Retrieved 20 May 2022 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ "Henri Drell kirjutas ennast Bullsi ajalooraamatutesse". Korvpall (in Estonian). 4 April 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  29. ^ "Estonian star Henri Drell has NBA aspirations with Bulls in Summer League". Pippen Ain't Easy. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  30. ^ "Chicago Bulls 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster | NBA.com". nba.com. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  31. ^ "Bulls Sign-And-Waive Henri Drell". basketball.realgm.com. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  32. ^ "Henri Drell". NBA G League Stats. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  33. ^ Moss, Gabriel (9 April 2023). "Henri Drell in support of the Choir of Roanne". UKDaily.news. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  34. ^ Chicago Bulls [@chicagobulls] (12 September 2023). "Roster Update: We have signed F Henri Drell to a camp contract" (Tweet). Retrieved 13 September 2023 – via Twitter.
  35. ^ Chicago Bulls [@chicagobulls] (12 October 2023). "Transactions: We have waived guard Max Heidegger & forward Henri Drell" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 October 2023 – via Twitter.
  36. ^ "Windy City Bulls Announce 2023 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  37. ^ "Chicago Bulls sign Henri Drell to Two-Way contract". NBA.com. 16 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  38. ^ "Henri Drell tegi NBA korvpalliliigas debüüdi" [Henri Drell made his debut in the NBA basketball league]. Delfi Sport (in Estonian). 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  39. ^ "Henri Drell becomes 2nd Estonian after Martin Muursepp to play in NBA". Estonian news. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  40. ^ Adams, Luke (14 August 2024). "Trail Blazers Sign Henri Drell To Exhibit 10 Deal". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  41. ^ Adams, Luke (28 September 2024). "Two Jazz Signings Among NBA's Latest Minor Moves". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  42. ^ Rip City Remix [@ripcityremix] (28 October 2024). "Your official 2024 Remix training camp roster 🫨💿" (Tweet). Retrieved 4 November 2024 – via Twitter.
  43. ^ "Henri DRELL at the FIBA U16 European Championship Division A 2016". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  44. ^ "Estonia at the FIBA U16 European Championship Division A 2016". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  45. ^ "Henri DRELL at the FIBA U18 European Championship Division B 2018". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  46. ^ "Dutch center Kuta snatches up MVP award". FIBA.basketball. 5 August 2018.
  47. ^ "Eurohopes Basketball Prospects - News - FIBA U18 Division B - Top Performers". Eurohopes.com. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  48. ^ "Avdija, Maledon, Drell among talents to use final World Cup window for debut". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  49. ^ "Estonia v Serbia". FIBA.basketball. 21 February 2019.
  50. ^ "Overtime madness: Estonia end Italy's perfect run". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  51. ^ "10 youngsters who left a lasting impression during the February 2021 window". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  52. ^ "Sweetest defeat ever: Estonia lose to North Macedonia, still advance to FIBA EuroBasket 2022". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  53. ^ "Henri Drell led Estonia to EuroBasket 2022 : Full Highlights". YouTube. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  54. ^ "Estonia v Great Britain boxscore - FIBA EuroBasket 2022 - 6 September". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  55. ^ Henri DRELL 🇪🇪 | 20 PTS | TCL Player of the Game vs. Great Britain, retrieved 13 September 2022
  56. ^ "Henri DRELL at the FIBA EuroBasket 2022". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
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