MIAMI, December 10 The Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed center Mickell Gladness. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Gladness appeared in four games for the Dakota Wizards of the NBA Development League this season averaging 7.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.75 blocks and 20.8 minutes while shooting 70 percent (14-of-20) from the field and 75 percent (3-of-4) from the foul line. He has appeared in 81 career NBA D-League games (20 starts) and averaged 4.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.41 blocks and 13.9 minutes while shooting 57 percent from the field and 60.7 percent from the foul line. Additionally, the 611, 220-pound center helped the Rio Grande Valley Vipers capture the franchises first NBA Development League Championship in 2010. Prior to that he appeared in 37 games for Matrixx Magix Nijmegen of Holland, averaging 2.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 12.1 minutes.
During his collegiate career, Gladness appeared in 85 games (83 starts) at Alabama A&M and averaged 7.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.66 blocks and 26.8 minutes. He was named as the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year while also earning All-SWAC First Team honors in both his junior and senior seasons. He finished his junior season with 188 total blocks, the third most in NCAA history, including a game in which he set a new NCAA single-game record after blocking 16 shots vs. Texas Southern on Feb. 24, 2007.
Gladness was previously signed by Miami on September 27, 2010, playing in two games on the HEATs 2010 summer league squad, totaling eight points, five rebounds, two steals and a block in 28:53 minutes of action while shooting 2-of-4 from the field and 4-of-5 from the foul line before being waived on October 11, 2010.
The Miami HEAT is proud to have ASSIST-CARD as the Presenting Sponsor for the 2011-12 season.