_(cropped).jpg) Capela with theHouston Rockets in 2019 | |
| No. 30 – Houston Rockets | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1994-05-18)May 18, 1994 (age 31) Geneva, Switzerland |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 256 lb (116 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | INSEP (Paris, France) |
| NBA draft | 2014: 1st round, 25th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Houston Rockets |
| Playing career | 2012–present |
| Career history | |
| 2012–2014 | Élan Chalon |
| 2014–2020 | Houston Rockets |
| 2014–2015 | →Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| 2020–2025 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 2025–present | Houston Rockets |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Clint N'Dumba Capela (born May 18, 1994) is a Swiss professionalbasketball player for theHouston Rockets of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). Known for hisrebounding andshot-blocking abilities, he was selected with the 25th overall pick in the2014 NBA draft by the Rockets. He is the highest-earning team athlete inSwitzerland's history.[1]
Capela began his professional career in 2012 withÉlan Chalon of theLNB Pro A, where he played for two seasons and was honored as both thePro A Best Young Player andMost Improved Player before declaring for theNBA draft in 2014. His breakout season came in2016–17 with the Rockets, as he saw a substantial increase in his role as acenter and a key defensive player. He achieved the league's highestfield goal percentage during the2017–18 season, his 62.1% career field goal accuracy is the fourth highest in NBA history, and has remained among the top players in rebounds and blocks, leading the NBA in rebounding during the2020–21 season as a member of theAtlanta Hawks. He has represented theSwiss national team.
Capela was born inGeneva, Switzerland, to anAngolan father andCongolese mother.[2][3] His parents separated a few months after his birth, leaving his mother to raise him and his brothers by herself. As a child, at first he likedsoccer. He was raised partly in foster care.[4] Because he was 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) as a 13-year-old, his brother suggested he switch sports. After meeting Swiss basketball iconThabo Sefolosha, Capela became more and more fascinated with basketball. At 15 years old, he was spotted at the European Junior Championships with the Swiss team and joined theChalon-sur-Saône training center,INSEP, in France.[5]
In 2012, Capela joined the seniorÉlan Chalon team of theLNB Pro A.
On April 12, 2014, Capela represented the World Team at the 2014Nike Hoop Summit.[6] Later that month, he declared for the2014 NBA draft.[7] In May 2014, he was named the Best Young Player and Most Improved Player of the 2013–14 LNB Pro A season.[8]
On June 26, 2014, Capela was selected with the 25th overall pick in the2014 NBA draft by theHouston Rockets.[9][10] On July 25, 2014, he signed with the Rockets.[11] On March 30, 2015, Capela scored his first NBA points, finishing the game with eight points and nine rebounds in a 99–96 loss to theToronto Raptors.[12] On April 13, he had a season-best game for the Rockets with 10 points and five rebounds in a win over theCharlotte Hornets.[13] During his rookie season, he had multipleassignments with theRio Grande Valley Vipers of theNBA Development League.[14] Capela took a step forward in the postseason, when he saw minutes in place of the injuredDonatas Motiejūnas. He appeared in more playoff games (17) than regular-season contests in 2014–15 and averaged 3.4 points in 7.5 minutes per postseason game.[15]
In his second season, on November 6, 2015, Capela recorded his first careerdouble-double with then-career highs of 13 points and 12 rebounds as a starter in a 116–110 win over theSacramento Kings.[16] On November 29, in an overtime win over theNew York Knicks, Capela recorded his third double-double over a span of four games, including a career-high 18 points.[17] During the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend, Capela competed for the World Team in theRising Stars Challenge. On April 13, in the Rockets' season finale, Capela recorded a career-high 17 rebounds in a 116–81 win over Sacramento.[18]
On November 19, 2016, Capela scored a career-high 20 points in a 111–102 win over theUtah Jazz.[19] On November 27, 2016, he set a new career high with 21 points against thePortland Trail Blazers.[20] On December 19, 2016, he was ruled out for six weeks after suffering a broken fibula.[21] He returned to action on January 17, 2017, against theMiami Heat after missing 15 games; he started the game against Miami but was scoreless in nine minutes.[22]
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On October 18, 2017, Capela had 22 points and matched his career high with 17 rebounds in a 105–100 win over theSacramento Kings.[23] On December 11, 2017, he had a career-high 28 points in a 130–123 win over theNew Orleans Pelicans.[24] By Christmas, Capela had accumulated 16 double-doubles in 28 games and ranked first in the NBA in field goal percentage.[25] On February 9, 2018, he recorded 23 points and a career-high 25 rebounds in a 130–104 win over theDenver Nuggets, earning his first 20-point, 20-rebound game of his career. He became the youngest Rocket to have at least 23 points and 25 rebounds in a game sinceHakeem Olajuwon had 30 points and 25 rebounds against the Knicks on February 14, 1985.[26] Capela was runner-up for theNBA Most Improved Player Award in 2017–18 after averaging career highs of 13.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.85 blocks. Heled the league in field goal percentage (.653) and dunks (213)[27] while ranking eighth in rebounding and second in blocks.[28] In Game 5 of the Rockets' first-round playoff series against theMinnesota Timberwolves, Capela had 26 points and 15 rebounds in a 122–104 series-clinching win.[29]
After the 2017–18 season, Capela became arestricted free agent. On July 27, 2018, he signed a five-year, $90 million extension with the Rockets.[28][30] On November 5, in a 98–94 win over theIndiana Pacers, Capela had 18 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth consecutive double-double, a career best.[31] On December 22, he had 21 points and a season-high 23 rebounds in a 108–101 win over theSan Antonio Spurs.[32] On December 25, he had 16 points and tied a season high with 23 rebounds in a 113–109 win over theOklahoma City Thunder.[33] On January 7, he scored a career-high 31 points in a 125–113 win over theDenver Nuggets.[34] On January 14, he was ruled out for four to six weeks with a right thumb injury that he suffered the previous night against theOrlando Magic.[35] He returned to action on February 21 against theLos Angeles Lakers after missing 15 games.[36] In March 2019, he had a career-best streak (12) of games with at least 10 rebounds.[37][38]
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On February 5, 2020, Houston traded Capela andNenê to theAtlanta Hawks and receivedRobert Covington andJordan Bell in a four-team, 12-player trade.[39]
On December 28, 2020, Capela made his Hawks debut, putting up seven points, nine rebounds and two blocks in a 128–120 win against theDetroit Pistons.[40] On January 22, 2021, Capela recorded his first careertriple-double with 13 points, 19 rebounds and a career-high 10 blocks in a 116–98 win over theMinnesota Timberwolves.[41][42] During the2021 NBA playoffs, Capela helped the Hawks reach the Conference Finals. On June 23, Capela scored 12 points, including the go-ahead score with 29.8 seconds left, and grabbed 19 rebounds during a 116–113 Game 1 win over theMilwaukee Bucks.[43] The Hawks would eventually lose the series in six games.
On December 31, 2021, Capela grabbed a season-high 23 rebounds and scored 18 points during a 121–118 win over theCleveland Cavaliers.[44]
On April 11, 2023, during the Hawks'play-in tournament game against theMiami Heat, Capela grabbed 21 rebounds, alongside four points and two blocks, in a 116–105 win that secured the seventh seed in the playoffs for the Hawks.[45]
On July 6, 2025, Capela signed a three-year, $21.5 million contract with theHouston Rockets as part of a sign-and-trade involving seven teams.[46][47]
In August 2013, Capela debuted for theSwiss national basketball team at theFIBA EuroBasket 2015 qualification rounds.
| 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 |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Houston | 12 | 0 | 7.5 | .483 | — | .174 | 3.0 | .2 | .1 | .8 | 2.7 |
| 2015–16 | Houston | 77 | 35 | 19.1 | .582 | .000 | .379 | 6.4 | .6 | .8 | 1.2 | 7.0 |
| 2016–17 | Houston | 65 | 59 | 23.9 | .643 | — | .531 | 8.1 | 1.0 | .5 | 1.2 | 12.6 |
| 2017–18 | Houston | 74 | 74 | 27.5 | .652* | .000 | .560 | 10.8 | .9 | .8 | 1.9 | 13.9 |
| 2018–19 | Houston | 67 | 67 | 33.6 | .648 | — | .636 | 12.7 | 1.4 | .7 | 1.5 | 16.6 |
| 2019–20 | Houston | 39 | 39 | 32.8 | .629 | — | .529 | 13.8 | 1.2 | .8 | 1.8 | 13.9 |
| 2020–21 | Atlanta | 63 | 63 | 30.1 | .594 | — | .573 | 14.3* | .8 | .7 | 2.0 | 15.2 |
| 2021–22 | Atlanta | 74 | 73 | 27.6 | .613 | .000 | .473 | 11.9 | 1.2 | .7 | 1.3 | 11.1 |
| 2022–23 | Atlanta | 65 | 63 | 26.6 | .653 | .000 | .603 | 11.0 | .9 | .7 | 1.2 | 12.0 |
| 2023–24 | Atlanta | 73 | 73 | 25.8 | .571 | .000 | .631 | 10.6 | 1.2 | .6 | 1.5 | 11.5 |
| 2024–25 | Atlanta | 55 | 41 | 21.4 | .559 | .000 | .536 | 8.5 | 1.1 | .6 | 1.0 | 8.9 |
| Career | 664 | 587 | 26.2 | .617 | .000 | .544 | 10.5 | 1.0 | .7 | 1.4 | 12.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Houston | 17 | 0 | 7.5 | .677 | — | .517 | 2.5 | .3 | .2 | .5 | 3.4 |
| 2016 | Houston | 5 | 0 | 8.6 | .333 | — | .400 | 4.0 | .4 | .6 | .4 | 1.6 |
| 2017 | Houston | 11 | 11 | 26.0 | .561 | .000 | .615 | 8.7 | 1.1 | .7 | 2.5 | 10.5 |
| 2018 | Houston | 17 | 17 | 30.6 | .660 | — | .473 | 11.6 | 1.3 | .8 | 2.1 | 12.7 |
| 2019 | Houston | 11 | 11 | 30.1 | .561 | — | .429 | 10.3 | 1.5 | .3 | 1.1 | 9.7 |
| 2021 | Atlanta | 18 | 18 | 31.6 | .603 | — | .436 | 11.2 | .9 | .7 | 1.1 | 10.1 |
| 2022 | Atlanta | 2 | 2 | 20.0 | .333 | — | — | 7.5 | .0 | .5 | .5 | 2.0 |
| 2023 | Atlanta | 6 | 6 | 25.2 | .605 | — | .667 | 8.3 | .5 | 1.0 | .5 | 8.3 |
| Career | 87 | 65 | 23.8 | .602 | .000 | .495 | 8.4 | .9 | .6 | 1.3 | 8.5 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Élan Chalon | 7 | 0 | 8.0 | .636 | .000 | 1.000 | 3.0 | .3 | .4 | .7 | 2.3 | 4.9 |
| Career | 7 | 0 | 8.0 | .636 | .000 | 1.000 | 3.0 | .3 | .4 | .7 | 2.3 | 4.9 | |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)Capela extended his career-best streak of games with at least 10 rebounds to 11.
Capela has at least 10 rebounds in a career-high 12 straight games.
