Bruno Fernando
Bruno Afonso David Fernandes, also known as Bruno Fernando (born August 15, 1998), is an Angolan professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Maryland Terrapins. High school career. A native of Luanda, Angola, Bruno Fernando started playing basketball in his hometown. While playing the 2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship with the Angolan national team, he caught the eye of scouts in the US. In early 2015, he joined the Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida. He committed to Southern Methodist University in April 2016, but decided the  following month to reclassify into the Class of 2017. He spent the 2016–17 season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. In October 2016, Bruno Fernando committed to the University of Maryland, after also considering Auburn, Alabama and Florida State, among others. College career. Fernando made his debut for Maryland on November 10, 2017, against Stony Brook. Coming off the bench, he scored ten points to go along with two rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 13 minutes of playing time. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on January 8, 2018, after posting 17 points  and 11 rebounds against Penn State and a career-high 21 points in a 91–73 win versus Iowa. He had a strong freshman season as he averaged 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, and earned All-Big Ten Freshman honors. After the season, Fernando declared for the 2018 NBA draft and participated in the NBA Draft Combine that year, but withdrew from the draft and returned to Maryland. Professional career. Atlanta Hawks (2019–2021). Fernando was selected as the 34th pick of the 2019 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. Fernando became the first Angolan player to be  selected in the NBA draft. He was traded to the Atlanta Hawks. On July 7, 2019, the Hawks announced that they had signed Fernando. On October 24, 2019, Fernando made his debut in NBA, coming off from bench in a 117–100 win over the Detroit Pistons with seven points, three rebounds and two assists. He received his first assignment to the Hawks’ NBA G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, on November 25. He made his G League debut that evening. Fernando missed several games in January 2020 due to the death of his mother. On June 20, 2021, Fernando  was suspended for one game without pay for leaving the bench during an altercation between the Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers. Boston Celtics (2021–2022). On August 7, 2021, Fernando was traded to the Boston Celtics in a three-team trade involving the Sacramento Kings. On November 19, 2021, Fernando made his debut with the Maine Celtics scoring 4 points and shooting 100% from the field. Houston Rockets (2022–present). On February 10, 2022, the Houston Rockets acquired Fernando, Enes Freedom, and Dennis Schröder from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Daniel Theis. National team career. Participating in the 2014 FIBA  Under-17 World Championship in Dubai, he averaged 9.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per contest for the Angolan national team. In 2016, Bruno Fernando made his debut with Angola's men's national team and participated in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade. Averaging 18.3 points, 6.6 boards, 2.1 assists as well 1.6 blocks per outing, he led Angola to gold at the 2016 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship, while receiving Afrobasket.com All-African Championships U18 Best Player honors.