Last season, Andrew Nembhard stood out from the crowd despite Tyrese Haliburton, an All-Star guard, joining the Indiana Pacers. The team responded by offering him a $59 million contract that would secure his skills for the foreseeable future.
Nembhard earned multiple honors while playing collegiate basketball for the Florida Gators and Gonzaga Bulldogs before to joining the NBA. He was selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team after starting each game for Florida as a freshman. After transferring to Gonzaga, he went on to have successful sophomore and junior seasons, leading the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio and garnering All-WCC recognition.
The Indiana Pacers selected Nembhard with the 31st overall choice in the 2022 NBA Draft. After making an impressive addition to the Pacers Summer League roster, he signed the highest rookie contract ever offered to a second-round choice, a four-year deal worth $8.6 million.
Nembhard has maintained his impressive play in the league, going on to produce a career-high 31 points, 13 assists, and 8 rebounds against the Golden State Warriors in addition to making the game-winning three-pointer against the Los Angeles Lakers. He demonstrated his well-rounded game with multiple impressive games, including double-doubles, and was named a 2023 NBA Rising Star. Nembhard is a bright young player for the Pacers because of his abilities to score, create plays, and play defense.
Andrew Nembhard Signs $59 Million Contract with Indiana Pacers
Nembhard’s potential as a starter was evident to all after he assisted Indiana in reaching the Eastern Conference Finals the previous year. This prompted the franchise to extend him, according to an AP piece by Michael Marot.
According to a source with knowledge of the negotiations, Andrew Nembhard and the Indiana Pacers have reached an agreement on a three-year, $59 million contract on Wednesday.
Since the arrangement hasn’t been made public, the individual talked to The Associated Press under the condition of anonymity, according to Marot.
In Nembhard’s second NBA season, he averaged 9.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game last season. These figures increased to 14.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game over the previous few months’ 17-game playoff run by the Pacers.
Nembhard undoubtedly possesses all the necessary skills to be an effective backcourt player for Indiana. If everything goes according to plan, he can eventually assist Haliburton and the Pacers in winning the championship.
