Ray Spalding
Raymond Mark Spalding (born March 11, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for Louisville.
![]() Spalding being defended by Virginia Tech | |
No. 26 – Rio Grande Valley Vipers | |
---|---|
Position | Power forward |
League | NBA G League |
Personal information | |
Born | Louisville, Kentucky | March 11, 1997
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Trinity (Louisville, Kentucky) |
College | Louisville (2015–2018) |
NBA draft | 2018 / Round: 2 / Pick: 56th overall |
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers | |
Playing career | 2018–present |
Career history | |
2018–2019 | Dallas Mavericks |
2018–2019 | →Texas Legends |
2019 | Phoenix Suns |
2019–present | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com |
High school careerEdit
Spalding is the son of Raymond Brooks and Gerri Spalding. He grew up playing soccer, kickball, and basketball.[1] He attended Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was coached by Mike Szabo.[2] Spalding began to receive college looks after scoring 34 points in an AAU tournament the summer before his senior year of high school. He committed to Louisville because he wanted to become a household name in his hometown.[1]
College careerEdit
Coming into Louisville, former head coach Rick Pitino raved about Spalding, claiming he has the most potential of any player he has coached.[3] Spalding came off the bench his first two years at Louisville. He averaged 5.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore.[4] After the season, Spalding noticed the work teammate Donovan Mitchell put in to become an NBA player and resolved to do the same. He pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds to go with 21 points in a win versus Grand Canyon in December 2017.[1] Spalding had a career-high 23 points to go with 12 rebounds in an 82–78 double overtime win over Notre Dame on January 16, 2018.[5] He moved into the starting lineup as a junior, averaging 12.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. Spalding led the team to a 22–14 season and the quarterfinals of the NIT.[6] He was an Honorable Mention All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection. After the season, Spalding entered the 2018 NBA draft and hired an agent, thus forgoing his final season at Louisville.[2]
Professional careerEdit
Dallas Mavericks (2018–2019)Edit
On June 21, 2018, Spalding was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 56th pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He was subsequently traded to the Dallas Mavericks alongside the last pick of the draft, Kostas Antetokounmpo for the rights to the 54th pick, Shake Milton.[7] He signed his rookie contract on July 20, 2018.[8] He made his NBA debut on October 17, 2018, playing one minute, in a 121–100 loss against the Phoenix Suns.[9] It was the only game he played with Dallas. The rest of his tenure was spent being assigned to the affiliate Texas Legends in the NBA G League.
On January 31, 2019, Spalding was waived by the Mavericks.[10]
Phoenix Suns (2019)Edit
On February 20, 2019, Spalding signed to a 10-day contract with the Phoenix Suns.[11] While he never played during the proper contract, he was given a two-year partially guaranteed contract on March 3.[12][13] Spalding eventually recorded his first rebound on March 9, playing in only 3 minutes in a 127–120 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[14] A week later, Spalding would have his best game of the season in the NBA at that point against the New Orleans Pelicans, recording 8 points on 4/5 shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 assists in 14 minutes of action in a 138–136 overtime win.[15] On April 5, Spalding had his first start in the league, putting up a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds in a 133–126 overtime win over the Pelicans.[16]
Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2019–present)Edit
On July 31, 2019, Spalding signed a Exhibit 10 contract with the Atlanta Hawks.[17] On October 8, 2019, Spalding was waived by the Hawks.[18] On October 10, 2019, Spalding signed with the Houston Rockets. Spalding was waived by the Rockets on October 19, 2019. Following his release, he was added to the roster of the Rockets’ G League affiliate the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.[19]
Career statisticsEdit
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 | Bold | Career high |
NBAEdit
Regular seasonEdit
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018–19 | Dallas | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | – | – | – | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 0.0 |
2018–19 | Phoenix | 13 | 3 | 11.3 | .532 | .000 | .333 | 3.7 | .4 | .7 | .6 | 4.2 |
Career | 14 | 3 | 10.6 | .532 | .000 | .333 | 3.4 | .4 | .6 | .6 | 3.9 |
NBA G LeagueEdit
Regular seasonEdit
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018–19 | Texas | 29 | 26 | 30.1 | .514 | .231 | .568 | 9.3 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 15.9 |
Career | 29 | 26 | 30.1 | .514 | .231 | .568 | 9.3 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 15.9 |
CollegeEdit
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015–16 | Louisville | 30 | 6 | 17.5 | .560 | .333 | .500 | 4.3 | .5 | .9 | .7 | 5.6 |
2016–17 | Louisville | 34 | 8 | 19.2 | .590 | .000 | .545 | 5.5 | .8 | .6 | .9 | 5.9 |
2017–18 | Louisville | 36 | 34 | 27.6 | .543 | .263 | .640 | 8.7 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 12.3 |
Career | 100 | 48 | 21.7 | .557 | .240 | .579 | 6.3 | .9 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 8.1 |
ReferencesEdit
- ^ a b c Greer, Jeff (December 27, 2017). "Louisville basketball's Ray Spalding is chasing his dream of being a household name in his hometown". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ^ a b Greer, Jeff (April 3, 2018). "Ray Spalding announces he'll leave Louisville, stay in the NBA draft pool". Louisville Courier Journal. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ^ "Rick Pitino: Ray Spalding loaded with potential". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ "No. 2 Midwest seed Louisville draws familiar foe in first round". Lexington Herald-Leader. March 12, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ^ "Spalding scores 23, Louisville beats Notre Dame 82–78 in 2OT". ESPN. Associated Press. January 16, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ^ Johnson, Raphielle (April 3, 2018). "Louisville forward Ray Spalding to enter 2018 NBA Draft". NBC Sports. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ^ "Mavericks acquire draft rights to Ray Spalding and Kostas Antetokounmpo". Mavs.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ "Mavericks sign forward Ray Spalding". Mavs.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
- ^ "Booker's late onslaught lifts Suns past Mavs 121–100". National Basketball Association. October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ "Mavericks acquire All-Star Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee, and Trey Burke in trade with Knicks". Mavs.com. January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ "Phoenix Suns Sign Ray Spalding". Phoenix Suns. February 20, 2019.
- ^ https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1102215128995557378[non-primary source needed]
- ^ "Phoenix Suns Sign Ray Spalding".
- ^ "Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trail Blazers - March 09, 2019".
- ^ "Phoenix Suns vs. New Orleans Pelicans - March 16, 2019".
- ^ Jackson nets 35 points, Suns beat Pelicans in overtime
- ^ "Atlanta Hawks Sign Ray Spalding". NBA.com. July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
- ^ "Atlanta Hawks Request Waivers on Ray Spalding". NBA.com. October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- ^ "Vipers Finalize Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 27, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.