Joshua Malik Childress (born June 20, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. An All-EuroLeague Second Team member in 2010, he played with the Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and Olympiacos Piraeus of the Greek Basket League and EuroLeague.

Josh Childress
Childress with the Atlanta Hawks in 2008
Personal information
Born (1983-06-20) June 20, 1983 (age 40)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolMayfair (Lakewood, California)
CollegeStanford (2001–2004)
NBA draft2004: 1st round, 6th overall pick
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Playing career2004–2019
PositionSmall forward / shooting guard
Number1, 2, 6, 8
Career history
20042008Atlanta Hawks
2008–2010Olympiacos
20102012Phoenix Suns
2012Brooklyn Nets
2013New Orleans Pelicans
2014–2016Sydney Kings
2016Texas Legends
2016–2017San-en NeoPhoenix
2017–2018Adelaide 36ers
2018–2019San-en NeoPhoenix
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life edit

Childress grew up in Compton, California where he and his brother, Chris, played basketball and did their best to stay out of trouble. The neighborhood they lived in was very tight and supportive, but they lived under constant threat of gangsters in the area.[1] Childress attended Mayfair High School in nearby Lakewood, overlapping with MLB All-Star Justin Turner. Besides playing basketball in high school and being named a McDonald's High School All-American, he also played volleyball during his senior year. He led his high school volleyball team, the Monsoons, to an undefeated record and he was voted to the All-League volleyball team. Josh has his #22 jersey retired at Mayfair.

College career edit

Childress played three seasons of college basketball with Stanford, where he was named an AP first team All-American, an All-American Consensus second team honoree, the Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year and the Pac-10 Conference tournament MVP as a junior in 2004. He then declared for the 2004 NBA draft where he was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the sixth overall pick, becoming the highest Stanford player to be drafted in the NBA.

Professional career edit

Atlanta Hawks (2004–2008) edit

Childress was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks. During his rookie season in 2004–05, Childress emerged as one of two promising rookie talents for the Hawks, along with Josh Smith; as the season went on, the two showed improved play, minutes and production. Childress ranked third among rookies in double-doubles in the 2004–05 season, behind only Emeka Okafor and Dwight Howard. He was also voted to the NBA All-Rookie second team.

Over the next three seasons, Childress played a sixth man role for the Hawks, and in four total seasons for the franchise, he averaged 11.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in 285 games with 67 starts.[2]

Olympiacos (2008–2010) edit

 
Childress in November 2009

In July 2008, Childress signed a three-year, $20 million contract with the Greek team Olympiacos Piraeus. Because of tax breaks from playing overseas, however, his $20 million contract was equivalent to $32.5 million with an NBA team. Childress also had the option to opt out of the contract after each year.[3][4] Childress also received a Greek Nike shoe contract after signing with Olympiacos, a Nike sponsorship club. He had been offered a five-year, $33 million deal by the Atlanta Hawks, but he turned it down because it was significantly less money than what Olympiacos offered him.[5]

During the 2008–09 EuroLeague season, he averaged 8.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. During the 2009–10 EuroLeague season, he averaged 15.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game.[6]

In June 2010, Childress parted ways with Olympiacos.[7]

Phoenix Suns (2010–2012) edit

On July 13, 2010, Childress' rights were acquired by Phoenix Suns in a trade that also sent a 2012 second-round draft pick to the Atlanta Hawks. Childress then signed a five-year deal with the Suns.[8]

On July 15, 2012, after the Suns acquired the amnestied rights of Luis Scola, Childress was released by the Suns via the amnesty clause.[9]

Brooklyn Nets (2012) edit

On September 13, 2012, Childress signed with the Brooklyn Nets.[10][11] On December 29, 2012, he was waived by the Nets.[12]

New Orleans Pelicans (2013) edit

On September 27, 2013, Childress signed with the Washington Wizards.[13] However, he was later waived by the Wizards on October 24, 2013.[14] On November 12, 2013, he signed with the New Orleans Pelicans.[15]

Childress' final NBA game was played on December 6, 2013 in a 95 - 109 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Childress only played for a little over 2 minutes (being subbed in at the end of the 4th quarter for Eric Gordon) and recorded only 1 rebound and 1 assist. On December 13, 2013, he was waived by the Pelicans.[16]

Sydney Kings (2014–2016) edit

2014–15 season edit

On August 12, 2014, Childress signed with the Sydney Kings for the 2014–15 NBL season.[17] On October 28, he was handed a one-game suspension and a $7,500 fine for unduly rough play and bringing the game into disrepute. The charges were laid over his strike to Perth Wildcats' forward Jesse Wagstaff on October 24; Childress was ejected from the game following the incident.[18] He went on to earn Player of the Week honors for Round 5 after scoring 18 points against the Wollongong Hawks on November 7, and 36 points against the Adelaide 36ers on November 9.[19] On December 5, he was named the NBL Player of the Month for November.[20] On January 28, 2015, Childress was ruled out for the rest of the season after scans revealed he required surgery for a torn pectoral muscle.[21] In 18 games for the Kings in 2014–15, he averaged 21.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.1 blocks per game.[22]

2015–16 season edit

On July 2, 2015, Childress re-signed with the Kings for the 2015–16 NBL season.[23] After missing the first four games of the season with a foot injury, Childress returned to the court on October 23 against the Adelaide 36ers.[24] However, in his return game, he sustained another injury, this time breaking his right hand. He played through the Kings' 91–80 loss to the 36ers with the break and still managed to score 23 points,[25] but following the game, he was ruled out for a further four to six games with a boxer's fracture.[26] He was subsequently replaced in the line-up by fellow former NBA player Al Harrington.[27] On November 10, he was suspended for two games for demonstrating unsportsmanlike behaviour on the sidelines during the Kings' loss to the Adelaide 36ers three days prior. Not playing in the game due to his hand injury, Childress verbally abused the referees in the tunnel of Titanium Security Arena following the conclusion of the match, further tarnishing his reputation in the NBL.[28] A third injury to Childress, this time a fractured left hand, was sustained on December 4 against the Cairns Taipans, just two games back after recovering from his previous injury. He was subsequently ruled out for another two to four weeks.[29][30] He was reactivated once again on December 29[31] and played out the rest of the season. In 13 games for the last-placed Kings in 2015–16, Childress averaged 21.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.7 blocks per game.

Texas Legends (2016) edit

On March 8, 2016, Childress was acquired by the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League.[32] Three days later, he made his debut for the Legends in a 115–113 loss to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, recording 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 29 minutes off the bench.[33] In eight games for the Legends, he averaged 12.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

San-en NeoPhoenix (2016–2017) edit

In November 2016, Childress signed with San-en NeoPhoenix of the Japanese B.League.[34] In 40 games, he averaged 18.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.

Adelaide 36ers (2017–2018) edit

After spending preseason with the Denver Nuggets, Childress signed with the Adelaide 36ers for the rest of the 2017–18 NBL season on October 21, 2017, returning to the NBL for a second stint.[35][36] He helped the 36ers reach the 2018 NBL Grand Final series, where in Game 2, he suffered a shoulder injury that ruled him out for the rest of the series.[37] The 36ers went on to lose the grand final series 3–2. In 27 games, he averaged 12.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

Return to the NeoPhoenix (2018–2019) edit

On December 13, 2018, Childress was reported to have signed with San-en NeoPhoenix of the Japanese B.League.[38]

Career statistics edit

Legend
  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

NBA edit

Regular season edit

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2004–05 Atlanta 80 44 29.7 .470 .232 .823 6.0 1.9 .9 .4 10.1
2005–06 Atlanta 74 10 30.4 .552 .492 .766 5.2 1.8 1.2 .5 10.0
2006–07 Atlanta 55 13 36.8 .504 .338 .795 6.2 2.3 1.0 .7 13.0
2007–08 Atlanta 76 0 29.9 .571 .367 .807 4.9 1.5 .9 .6 11.8
2010–11 Phoenix 54 3 16.6 .565 .063 .492 2.9 .8 .6 .4 5.0
2011–12 Phoenix 34 0 14.4 .485 .167 .000 2.8 1.0 .4 .2 2.9
2012–13 Brooklyn 14 0 7.1 .286 .333 .500 1.1 .4 .1 .1 1.0
2013–14 New Orleans 4 0 6.0 .000 .000 .000 .8 .5 .3 .0 .0
Career 391 70 26.7 .522 .329 .779 4.7 1.6 .9 .5 9.1

Playoffs edit

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008 Atlanta 7 0 29.3 .524 .000 .500 5.7 1.6 .1 .7 7.1
Career 7 0 29.3 .524 .000 .500 5.7 1.6 .1 .7 7.1

EuroLeague edit

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2008–09 Olympiacos 16 15 24.3 .470 .158 .636 4.6 1.1 1.1 .5 8.8 10.4
2009–10 Olympiacos 20 20 32.3 .523 .328 .647 4.8 1.9 1.1 .6 15.2 15.3
Career 36 35 28.7 .504 .286 .643 4.7 1.5 1.1 .6 12.4 13.1

International career edit

In 2000, Childress earned a silver medal as a member of the 2000 USA Basketball Men's Youth Development Festival West Team. He also played at the 2003 Pan American Games.

Personal edit

Childress is featured on the box cover of ESPN College Hoops 2K5 for the PlayStation 2, published by Sega. Childress had a high school GPA of 3.5 and scored 1110 on the SAT.[39] After being waived by the Nets, Childress enrolled back in Stanford and graduated with a degree in sociology in August 2013.[40]

References edit

  1. ^ Josh Childress’s incredible journey from Compton to the Sydney Kings
  2. ^ Josh Childress NBA Stats
  3. ^ Ex-Hawk Childress signs with Greek club team
  4. ^ "Allen Iverson and the top 6 basketball players outside the NBA". The Christian Science Monitor. 2010-11-01. Archived from the original on 2021-06-19.
  5. ^ Agent: Boykins to stay in Italy
  6. ^ CHILDRESS, JOSH – Euroleague.net
  7. ^ Josh Childress on his way to leave Olympiacos
  8. ^ Suns Acquire Josh Childress
  9. ^ Suns Awarded Scola, Use Amnesty on Childress
  10. ^ "Brooklyn Nets sign Josh Childress". Archived from the original on 2014-03-02. Retrieved 2012-09-14.
  11. ^ Josh Childress signs with Nets
  12. ^ Brooklyn Nets Release Josh Childress
  13. ^ "Wizards sign Josh Childress, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Xavier Silas, D'Or Fischer to training camp". Archived from the original on 2015-07-15. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  14. ^ Wizards waive Josh Childress, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Xavier Silas
  15. ^ PELICANS SIGN AMUNDSON AND CHILDRESS
  16. ^ "PELICANS WAIVE CHILDRESS". NBA.com. December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  17. ^ "Josh Childress is a King". NBL.com.au. August 12, 2014. Archived from the original on August 13, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  18. ^ Josh Childress Tribunal Verdict
  19. ^ R5 Player of the Week: Josh Childress
  20. ^ NBL Awards: November
  21. ^ Sydney Kings lose star import Josh Childress to season-ending injury
  22. ^ Player statistics for Josh Childress
  23. ^ Childress remains a King
  24. ^ "INJURY UPDATE – CHILDRESS RETURN". Archived from the original on 2015-10-25. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  25. ^ "Josh Childress breaks hand in comeback game for Sydney Kings". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2015-10-23. Archived from the original on 2020-08-08.
  26. ^ Josh Childress shattered by latest injury as Sydney Kings' NBL struggles deepen
  27. ^ "KINGS SIGN NBA REPLACEMENT". Archived from the original on 2015-11-01. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  28. ^ CHILDRESS FOUND GUILTY BY TRIBUNAL
  29. ^ "Josh Childress injured again as Cairns Taipans put bite on Sydney Kings". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2015-12-04. Archived from the original on 2021-04-14.
  30. ^ Sydney Kings searching for short-term replacement for Josh Childress
  31. ^ "Josh Childress to return for Sydney Kings as Damion James taken off roster". The Age. 2015-12-29. Archived from the original on 2020-08-12.
  32. ^ "Texas Legends Acquire NBA Vet Josh Childress". NBA.com. March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  33. ^ "Vipers Edge Legends". NBA.com. March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  34. ^ Josh Childress is a newcomer at Sanen
  35. ^ 36ers secure NBA veteran Josh Childress
  36. ^ Adelaide 36ers sign former NBA veteran Josh Childress
  37. ^ Adelaide 36ers star Josh Childress to miss rest of the NBL grand final series with a broken shoulder
  38. ^ "San-en welcomes back Josh Childress". asia-basket.com. December 13, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  39. ^ "Smooth Childress reminiscent of some classics". SI.com. July 10, 2000. Archived from the original on January 11, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  40. ^ Lee, Michael (October 7, 2013). "Wizards basketball: Josh Childress back in game after going back to school". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 23, 2016.

External links edit