# Buddy Hield
**Buddy Hield** (born Chavano Rainer Hield, 1992, in [Freeport, Bahamas](https://www.edgepedia.org/freeport-bahamas)) is a Bahamian professional basketball player, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard and small forward for the [Chicago Bulls](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-bulls) of the NBA, known as one of the league's most prolific three-point shooters[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hieldbu01.html). He entered the NBA as the sixth overall pick of the 2016 draft and built his career around high-volume perimeter shooting, with a career mark of 39.5 percent from three over his first ten seasons[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hieldbu01.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / born | Chavano Rainer Hield, 1992, Freeport, Bahamas; 6-4, 220 lb[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hieldbu01.html) |
| Draft | New Orleans Pelicans, first round, 6th overall, 2016 NBA Draft; NBA debut October 26, 2016[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hieldbu01.html) |
| College honors | 2016 Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, and Oscar Robertson Trophy as national player of the year; Big 12's all-time leading scorer with 2,291 points[2](https://soonersports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/buddy-hield/872) |
| Senior season (2015-16) | 25.0 points per game, .501 FG%, .457 on 8.7 three-point attempts per game[2](https://soonersports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/buddy-hield/872) • [3](https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/nba-2016-draft-pospect-preview-buddy-hield) |
| NBA career (through 2025-26) | 765 games, 14.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists per game; .433 FG%, .395 3P%, .856 FT%[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hieldbu01.html) |
| Teams | New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hieldbu01.html) • [4](https://apnews.com/article/a842c4027f210b7258b57c6b19f71425) |
| Nicknames | Buddy Love, Buddy Fresh, Buddy Buckets[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hieldbu01.html) |
## College career at Oklahoma
Hield played four years at the [University of Oklahoma](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-oklahoma) (2012-2016) and finished second in school history in scoring with 2,291 points, the most in [Big 12 Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-12-conference) history[2](https://soonersports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/buddy-hield/872). He became only the second player in Big 12 history to win conference player of the year twice, after Raef LaFrentz in 1997 and 1998[2](https://soonersports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/buddy-hield/872).
His senior season of 2015-16 made him college basketball's most decorated player. He started all 37 games and averaged a career-high 25.0 points, second in the country and first among Power 5 players, while shooting .501 from the field, .457 from three-point range, and .880 from the free throw line[2](https://soonersports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/buddy-hield/872). His 147 made three-pointers led the nation, and his 4.0 threes per game also led the country[2](https://soonersports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/buddy-hield/872). He won the Wooden Award, the Naismith Trophy, and the Oscar Robertson Trophy as national player of the year, the first consensus player of the year for Oklahoma since [Blake Griffin](https://www.edgepedia.org/blake-griffin) in 2009[2](https://soonersports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/buddy-hield/872).
The improvement was deliberate. As a freshman he shot 23.8 percent from three; by his senior year he was converting 45.7 percent while attempting nearly nine threes per game, a jump scouts attributed to an exceptional work ethic[2](https://soonersports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/buddy-hield/872) • [5](https://as.com/us/us/2016/06/22/masdeporte/1466609270_092853.html). [NBC Sports](https://www.edgepedia.org/nbc-sports)' draft preview called his work ethic the single biggest thing he had going for him, while noting a low release point and little lift on a shot that was essentially a set shot from beyond the arc[3](https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/nba-2016-draft-pospect-preview-buddy-hield).
## NBA career
**New Orleans and Sacramento.** The New Orleans Pelicans selected Hield with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 draft[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hieldbu01.html). His rookie season earned him a place on the All-Rookie team[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hieldbu01.html). During his rookie year he was traded to the [Sacramento Kings](https://www.edgepedia.org/sacramento-kings) in the deal that sent [DeMarcus Cousins](https://www.edgepedia.org/demarcus-cousins) to New Orleans; a study of that trade noted that Hield, who joined Sacramento, increased his three-point scoring percentage after the move[6](https://libstore.ugent.be/fulltxt/RUG01/002/349/890/RUG01-002349890_2017_0001_AC.pdf).
In Sacramento he developed into one of the league's premier outside scorers. Against the [Minnesota Timberwolves](https://www.edgepedia.org/minnesota-timberwolves) he scored a career-high 42 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter on 6-of-6 shooting with 5-of-5 from three[7](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/buddy-hield-hopes-shot-redemption-3-point-contest). Kings coverage described his closed-door shooting exhibitions as legendary and placed him in any conversation about the league's best outside scorers[7](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/buddy-hield-hopes-shot-redemption-3-point-contest).
**Indiana, Philadelphia, and Golden State.** Hield later played for the [Indiana Pacers](https://www.edgepedia.org/indiana-pacers), and at the February 2024 trade deadline he left Indiana in a trade to the [Philadelphia 76ers](https://www.edgepedia.org/philadelphia-76ers)[4](https://apnews.com/article/a842c4027f210b7258b57c6b19f71425). Pacers coach [Rick Carlisle](https://www.edgepedia.org/rick-carlisle) said at that deadline that Hield was going to go down as one of the best three-point shooters in the history of the league[4](https://apnews.com/article/a842c4027f210b7258b57c6b19f71425). In July 2024 he joined the Golden State Warriors from Philadelphia as part of a six-team trade that sent Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks, taking on a spacing role after Thompson's departure[8](https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2024/07/18/golden-state-warriors-buddy-hield-team-role-housing-search). His most prominent moment with Golden State came in Game 7 of a first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets in May 2025: after not scoring in Game 6, Hield made six three-pointers and scored 22 points in the first half to carry the Warriors to a 12-point lead in a 103-89 win[9](https://apnews.com/article/d75989545a5eff62d32e28240e0d7eb7). He subsequently appeared with the Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls[10](https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1627741/) • [1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hieldbu01.html).
## Playing style
Hield's game is built on three-point shooting at unusual volume. In the 2025-26 season he took 64.5 percent of his field goal attempts from three, against a league average of 41.4 percent[11](https://3pointstats.com/p/buddy-hield). His career accuracy of 39.5 percent on that volume places him among the NBA's high-volume marksmen, and coverage during his 76ers tenure described his three-point production as on par with [Stephen Curry](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-curry)'s[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hieldbu01.html) • [12](https://www.si.com/nba/76ers/news/76ers-buddy-hields-three-point-production-on-par-with-steph-curry).
Scouting reports from his draft year identified the same profile that defined his professional career: elite catch-and-shoot efficiency, with SI ranking him in a tier by himself among 2016 shooting guard prospects, ahead of [Denzel Valentine](https://www.edgepedia.org/denzel-valentine) and [Jamal Murray](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamal-murray) in the next tier[13](https://www.si.com/nba/2016/06/17/buddy-hield-nba-draft-scouting-report). As defenses played him tightly, he extended his range to NBA distance without sacrificing much accuracy[13](https://www.si.com/nba/2016/06/17/buddy-hield-nba-draft-scouting-report). The recurring limitation in evaluations of his NBA play has been defense and shot creation, with commentary describing him as a shooter first whose value depends on hitting from outside[12](https://www.si.com/nba/76ers/news/76ers-buddy-hields-three-point-production-on-par-with-steph-curry).
Hield has also represented the Bahamas internationally, headlining the national team's perimeter alongside fellow NBA players[14](https://as.com/baloncesto/mas_baloncesto/asi-es-bahamas-tres-estrellas-nba-un-nino-prodigio-y-klay-en-el-futuro-n/).
## References
1. [Buddy Hield Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more, Basketball-Reference.com](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hieldbu01.html)
2. [Buddy Hield - 2015-16 Men's Basketball Roster, University of Oklahoma](https://soonersports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/buddy-hield/872)
3. [PBT's NBA 2016 Draft Prospect Preview: Buddy Hield, NBC Sports](https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/nba-2016-draft-pospect-preview-buddy-hield)
4. [Trade deadline day: The Knicks took a big swing, and some shooters are now in the playoff race, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/a842c4027f210b7258b57c6b19f71425)
5. [Buddy Hield, el niño que fabricaba sus propias canastas, AS](https://as.com/us/us/2016/06/22/masdeporte/1466609270_092853.html)
6. [An Investigation of Three-point Shooting through an Analysis of NBA Player Tracking Data (Ghent University)](https://libstore.ugent.be/fulltxt/RUG01/002/349/890/RUG01-002349890_2017_0001_AC.pdf)
7. [Buddy Hield Hopes for Shot at Redemption in 3-Point Contest, Sacramento Kings](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/buddy-hield-hopes-shot-redemption-3-point-contest)
8. [5 things we learned about new Warriors guard Buddy Hield, Axios San Francisco](https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2024/07/18/golden-state-warriors-buddy-hield-team-role-housing-search)
9. [Stephen Curry and Buddy Hield lead Warriors past Rockets 103-89 in Game 7, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/d75989545a5eff62d32e28240e0d7eb7)
10. [Buddy Hield player page, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1627741/)
11. [Buddy Hield - career stats & shot charts, 3pointstats](https://3pointstats.com/p/buddy-hield)
12. [76ers Buddy Hield's Three-Point Production on Par With Steph Curry, SI](https://www.si.com/nba/76ers/news/76ers-buddy-hields-three-point-production-on-par-with-steph-curry)
13. [Scouting Buddy Hield, the NBA draft's best shooter, SI](https://www.si.com/nba/2016/06/17/buddy-hield-nba-draft-scouting-report)
14. [Así es Bahamas: tres estrellas NBA, un niño prodigio y ¿Klay en el futuro?, AS](https://as.com/baloncesto/mas_baloncesto/asi-es-bahamas-tres-estrellas-nba-un-nino-prodigio-y-klay-en-el-futuro-n/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › Current NBA players › Shooting guards › Established NBA veterans*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license