Isaiah Canaan
Isaiah Canaan | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 21, 1991 Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Known for | Playing for Crvena zvezda, Murray State Racers standout |
Isaiah Andre Canaan (pronounced Cannon; born May 21, 1991) is a professional basketball athlete from the United States currently playing for Crvena zvezda in both the ABA League and EuroLeague. He earned All-American honors during his collegiate tenure at Murray State, where he built a notable reputation before entering the professional ranks.
College career
Standing 6'0", Canaan hails from Biloxi, Mississippi and committed to Murray State following his senior year at Biloxi High School, where he led the team to a 5A state championship in Mississippi. As a freshman in the 2009–10 season, he quickly made his mark by averaging 10.4 points per game and topping the squad with a .485 three-point shooting percentage. His performance earned him the title of 2010 Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Freshman of the Year. That season, Murray State posted a 17–1 record in OVC play and secured the 2010 OVC tournament championship, with Canaan named tournament MVP after contributing 16 points off the bench. The Racers proceeded to the NCAA tournament, where they upset the No. 4 seed Vanderbilt before falling narrowly to eventual finalist Butler.
In his second year, Canaan improved his scoring average to 11.7 points per contest and earned first-team All-OVC recognition while guiding Murray State to another regular-season OVC title. Although the team was defeated in the 2011 OVC tournament, they secured a berth in the 2011 National Invitation Tournament.
During his junior season, Canaan propelled Murray State to an exceptional campaign, receiving preseason All-OVC accolades. The team broke both school and conference records by achieving 23 consecutive victories, which included winning the 2011 Great Alaska Shootout. Canaan was named MVP of that tournament after scoring 36 points in the championship game. Additionally, he was shortlisted as a finalist for prestigious national awards such as the Bob Cousy Award and the Oscar Robertson Award.
On February 17, 2018, Murray State honored Canaan by retiring his jersey number 3.
Houston Rockets (2013–2015)
The Houston Rockets selected Canaan with the 34th pick in the 2013 NBA draft. He inked his rookie scale contract on July 15, 2013. Throughout his rookie season, he had several stints assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s affiliate in the NBA Development League.
On February 3, 2014, Canaan earned a spot on the Prospects All-Star roster for the 2014 NBA D-League All-Star Game.
On November 26, 2014, he posted a career-best performance by scoring 24 points during a 102–89 victory against the Sacramento Kings. Just two days later, while leading Houston with 13 points against the Los Angeles Clippers, he exited due to a left ankle sprain. This injury sidelined him for multiple weeks. As part of his rehabilitation process, he was reassigned to Rio Grande Valley on January 11, 2015. After averaging impressive numbers—21.0 points, 8.5 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game—in the D-League, Houston recalled him on January 26.
Philadelphia 76ers (2015–2016)
On February 19, 2015, Canaan was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers along with a 2015 second-round draft pick in exchange for K. J. McDaniels. Just three days later, he made his debut as Philadelphia's starting point guard, tallying 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in a defeat against the Orlando Magic. On March 4, he achieved career-best numbers with 31 points and eight three-pointers during an overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
By March 21, 2016, Canaan surpassed Allen Iverson for fifth place on the franchise’s single-season three-pointers leaderboard by sinking his 158th three-pointer of that season. Unfortunately, on April 8, he was sidelined for the remainder of the campaign due to a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
Chicago Bulls (2016–2017)
Canaan signed with the Chicago Bulls on July 20, 2016. Throughout the 2016–17 campaign, he participated in 39 games, averaging 4.6 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 0.56 steals over 15.2 minutes per contest. His shooting percentages stood at .364 from the field, .266 from beyond the arc, and an impressive .909 from the free throw line. He made his playoff debut on April 23, 2017, facing the Boston Celtics, and started his first postseason game three days later. The Bulls released him on June 30, 2017.
Return to Houston (2017)
Canaan inked a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder on September 24, 2017, but was waived on October 14 after appearing in three preseason matches. Shortly thereafter, on October 24, he signed with the Houston Rockets but was released four days later following a single game appearance.
Phoenix Suns (2017–2018)
On December 12, 2017, Canaan joined the Northern Arizona Suns of the NBA G League. The next day, he was elevated to the Phoenix Suns under an injury hardship exception. In his debut on December 16, he scored 15 points and nailed three crucial free throws to clinch a narrow 108–106 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Two days later, he added 17 points in a win against the Dallas Mavericks. With seven assists in the game versus Minnesota and six against Dallas, Canaan became the first Suns player to register at least 15 points and five assists off the bench in each of their first two outings with the team. The Suns officially signed him for the remainder of the season on December 23. However, on January 31, 2018, he suffered a fractured left ankle while driving to the basket against the Mavericks and was waived on February 8.
Canaan rejoined Phoenix on August 3, 2018. In the season opener on October 17, starting at point guard, he contributed eight points, six rebounds, and seven assists during a commanding 121–100 win over the Dallas Mavericks. On November 14, he scored a season-high of 19 points while connecting on all five three-point attempts in a victory against the San Antonio Spurs. Initially beginning as Phoenix’s starting point guard, coach Igor Kokoškov later moved Devin Booker into that role and brought rookie Mikal Bridges into the rotation. Consequently, Canaan was waived on November 28; Kokoškov referred to this move as "a business decision."
Minnesota Timberwolves (2019)
On January 30, 2019, Canaan inked a 10-day agreement with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He earned a second 10-day deal on February 11; however, the organization opted not to extend his contract beyond that period for the rest of the season.
Milwaukee Bucks (2019)
Canaan secured a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks on February 25, 2019, but was released shortly thereafter on March 3.
Stockton Kings (2019–2020)
On August 22, 2019, Canaan signed with the Shandong Golden Stars competing in the CBA. Subsequently, on December 7, 2019, the Stockton Kings obtained his returning rights through a trade from the Austin Spurs. He made his Stockton debut on December 13, 2019, and notably scored 32 points with six assists in a defeat against the Agua Caliente Clippers on January 19, 2020.
UNICS Kazan (2020–2022)
Canaan joined UNICS Kazan of the VTB United League and EuroCup on July 19, 2020. During his tenure, he averaged 14.2 points alongside 2.7 assists per contest. He renewed his contract on July 7, 2021, but departed early in 2022 amid the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Galatasaray (2022)
On March 31, 2022, Canaan became part of Galatasaray Nef competing in the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). Across 12 BSL appearances, he posted averages of 11.3 points, 2.2 assists, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.6 steals per game.
Olympiacos (2022–2024)
Canaan agreed to a two-year contract (1+1) with Olympiacos, participating in both the Greek Basket League and EuroLeague, on July 8, 2022. The club exercised their option to retain him for an additional season on July 5, 2023.
During a VTB Supercup match against Dubai on September 29, 2025, Canaan sustained an ACL injury.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 22 || 0 || 11.5 || .356 || .327 || .724 || 1.1 || 1.0 || .4 || .2 || 4.6 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 25 || 9 || 14.8 || .405 || .381 || .762 || 1.3 || 1.2 || .6 || || 6.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 22 || 12 || 25.9 || .377 || .364 || .846 || 2.5 || 3.1 || .7 || .1 || 12.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 77 || 39 || 25.5 || .360 || .363 || .833 || 2.3 || 1.8 || .7 || .2 || 11.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Chicago | 39 || 0 || 25.5 || .364 || .266 || .909 || 1.3 || .9 || .6 || .0 || 4.6 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 1 || 0 || 4.0 || || || || 1.0 || || || || 0.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 19 || 1 || 22.0 || .382 || .333 || .902 || 2.3 || 4.0|| .8|| .1||9.1 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3"| | style="text-align:left;" | Phoenix |19||15||26.5||.395||.347||.750||2.6||3.3||.6|| |7.5 |- | style="text-align:left;" | Minnesota |7||1||13.5||.379||.368||1.000||0.7||2.7||0.3||0.1||4.7 |- | style="text-align:left;" | Milwaukee |4||0||7.8||.333||0.400||0||1||0.8|||.3||1.5 |- class="sortbottom"
|style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 | Career |235||77||20.4||0.371||0.351||0.836||1.9||1.9||0.6||0.1||8.1
Playoffs
|- |style="text-align:left;" | 2017 NBA Playoffs |style="text-align:left;" | 2016–17 Chicago Bulls season |3||2||31.7||0.500||0.357||0.667||1.3||1.3|||1||||||11.7 |- class="sortbottom" |style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 | Career |3||2||31.7||0.500||0.357||0.667||1.3||1.3|||1||||||11.7
EuroLeague
| * | League leader |
|- |style="text-align:left;" | 2021–22 EuroLeague |style="text-align:left;" | BC UNICS |24||2|||23.9|||0.410|||0.410|||0.816|||1.8|||1.3|||0.5|||0.2|||11.8|||6.9 |- |style="text-align:left;" | 2022–23 EuroLeague |style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 | Olympiacos |39||36|||16.1|||0.390|||0,382|||0,667|||1,0|||0,9|||0,6|||0,1|||6,3|||3,4 |- |style="text-align:left;" | 2023–24 EuroLeague |style="background:#CFECEC;" | 41* |style="background:#CFECEC;" | 41* |23,0 |0,462 |0,425 |0,882 |1,2 |1,4 |0,9 |0,1 |11,1 |8,4 |- |style="text-align:left"|
|
|
35
|
8
|
21,0
|
0,412
|
0,383
|
0,864
|
1,5
|
1,3
|
0,6
|
0,0
|
10,0
|
7,6
|- class=sortbottom |
style=text-align:center colspan=2| Career
|
138
|
87
|
20,4
|
426
|
402
|
837
|
1,3
|
1,2
|
07
|
01
|
9,6
|
63
EuroCup
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21 | style="text-align:left;"| UNICS | 24 || 21 || 27.0 || .404 || .356 || .944 || 2.9 || 3.1 || .9 || .0 || 14.1 || 12.1 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center" colspan="2"| Career | 24 || 21 || 27.0 || .404 || .356 || .944 || 2.9 || 3.1 || .9 || .0 || 14.1 || 12.1
Domestic leagues
| Season | Club | Competition | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | NBA G League | 18 | 34.0 | .437 | .369 | .811 | 4.0 | 8.2 | .7 | .2 | 21.8 |
| 2014–15 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | NBA G League | 4 | 35.9 | .368 | .349 | .633 | 3.5 | 8.5 | .7 | — | 21.0 |
| 2017–18 | Motor City Cruise | NBA G League | 1 | 24.9 | .667 | .750 | .750 | 3.0 | 6.0 | — | 1.0 | 18.0 |
| 2019–20 | Stockton Kings | NBA G League | 30 | 31.3 | .434 | .417 | .814 | 4.0 | 5.9 | 1.2 | .0 | 21.4 |
| 2020–21 | BC UNICS | VTB United League | 24 | 26.3 | .422 | .418 | .877 | 2.6 | 2.4 | .4 | .2 | 14.3 |
| 2021–22 | BC UNICS | VTB United League | 12 | 21.1 | .420 | .440 | .813 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 1.2 | .1 | 12.7 |
| 2021–22 | Galatasaray | Basketbol Süper Ligi | 12 | 22.5 | .421 | .432 | .700 | 1.9 | 2.2 | .6 | — | 11.3 |
| 2022–23 | Olympiacos | Greek Basket League | 16 | 17.7 | .442 | .448 | .938 | 1.1 | 1.1 | .6 | — | 10.0 |
| 2023–24 | Olympiacos | Greek Basket League | 33 | 22.8 | .446 | .462 | .727 | 1.7 | 1..5' | '.9' | '.0' | 10'.8
College |
| 2009–10 | Murray State | 36 | 0 | 20.4 | .498 | .482 | .778 | 2.3 | 1.6 | .9 | 10.4 | |
| 2010–11 | Murray State | 32 | 20 | 28.1 | .416 | .403 | .744 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 1.1 | .1 | 11.7 |
| 2011–12 | Murray State | 33 | 33 | 33.7 | .468 | .456 | .837 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 1.4 | .1 | 19.0 |
| 2012–13 | Murray State | 31 | 30 | 36.5 | .431 | .370 | .822 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 1.5 | .1 | 21.8 |
| Career | 132 | 83 | 29.4 | .450 | .419 | .803 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 1.2 | .1 | 15.5 | |