Charlie Villanueva is a retired professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 11 seasons. He was born on August 24, 1984, in Queens, New York, and grew up in Elmhurst. Villanueva attended Blair Academy in New Jersey, where he played basketball and was named a McDonald's All-American in 2003.
After high school, Villanueva committed to play college basketball at the University of Connecticut. He played for the Huskies for two seasons, averaging 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. In 2005, Villanueva declared for the NBA draft and was selected seventh overall by the Toronto Raptors.
Villanueva played for the Raptors for two seasons before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2006. He played for the Bucks for five seasons, averaging 14.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. In 2011, Villanueva signed with the Detroit Pistons as a free agent. He played for the Pistons for four seasons, averaging 9.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
In 2015, Villanueva signed with the Dallas Mavericks. He played for the Mavericks for one season, averaging 5.1 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. In 2016, Villanueva signed with the Turkish team Tofaş Bursa. He played for Tofaş Bursa for one season before retiring from professional basketball in 2017.
Throughout his career, Villanueva was known for his ability to shoot from beyond the arc. He was a career 36.5% three-point shooter and set a Milwaukee Bucks franchise record for most three-pointers made in a season with 193 in 2008-09. Villanueva was also known for his philanthropic work off the court. He founded the Charlie Villanueva Foundation, which focuses on helping children with alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss.
In addition to his basketball career, Villanueva also appeared on the reality television show "The Amazing Race" in 2019 with his friend and former NBA player, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The duo finished in eighth place.
Overall, Charlie Villanueva had a successful career in the NBA, playing for five different teams and averaging 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He was known for his shooting ability and his philanthropic work off the court.
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