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Hawks Center Clint Capela Turns 28 Today

'The Swiss Bank' turns 28 years old.

Pat Benson

© Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
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Let's take a break from our usual coverage to wish a happy 28th birthday to Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela. 'The Swiss Bank' has had a most unusual and unlikely journey to the NBA. 

Capela and his brothers spent some time in foster care throughout their childhood in Geneva, Switzerland. Capela initially gravitated towards soccer, but thanks to his height and a chance encounter with former Hawks player Thabo Sefolosha, the prodigy fell in love with basketball.

By the age of 19, Capela was playing professionally in France. After three seasons with the senior Élan Chalon team of the LNB Pro A, Capela was ready for the association. The Houston Rockets selected Capela with the 25th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Capela split time between the Development League and the NBA throughout his rookie season before quickly emerging as one of the most promising young centers in the league. While with the Rockets, Capela and teammate James Harden came within a hair of the NBA Finals on multiple occasions.

When Rockets general manager Daryl Morey embraced small ball (or micro-ball), Capela was sent to the Atlanta Hawks in the largest multi-team trade the league had seen since 2000.

Capela made his official debut with the Hawks in the 2020-21 season, where he led the NBA in rebounding. Of course, we all remember the magical postseason run where the Hawks pushed the eventual champion, Milwaukee Bucks, to six games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Capela was rewarded for his play with a two-year contract extension worth $46 million.

Capela is a superhero on and off the court. He is easily considered one of the kindest players on the Hawks roster. When Capela isn't swatting shots and dunking on opponents, he is either playing Chad Johnson in FIFA or live-tweeting soccer games. Capela and the Hawks have a long offseason before they try to get back to the promised land. But before returning to work, Capela has earned his day off today.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks for Sports Illustrated's All Hawks. He has covered the NBA for several years and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)".

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