Royce Khalil O'Neale (born June 5, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Denver Pioneers and the Baylor Bears.
.jpg) O'Neale with the Utah Jazz in 2018 | |
| No. 00 – Phoenix Suns | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 5, 1993 Killeen, Texas, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 226 lb (103 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Harker Heights (Harker Heights, Texas) |
| College | |
| NBA draft | 2015: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2015–present |
| Career history | |
| 2015–2016 | Riesen Ludwigsburg |
| 2016–2017 | Gran Canaria |
| 2017–2022 | Utah Jazz |
| 2017 | →Salt Lake City Stars |
| 2022–2024 | Brooklyn Nets |
| 2024–present | Phoenix Suns |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
College career edit
O'Neale, a forward from Killeen, Texas, was recruited to the University of Denver out of Harker Heights High School. He played two seasons for the Pioneers, including an all-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) season in 2012-13, before transferring to Baylor University in 2013.[1] Because he transferred to be closer to his family and ailing grandfather, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) granted him a waiver to transfer rules, making him immediately eligible to play for the Bears instead of sitting out the customary year.[2]
Professional career edit
Riesen Ludwigsburg (2015–2016) edit
Following the close of his college career, O'Neale was not selected in the 2015 NBA draft. He played his first professional season in Germany for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, where he averaged 8.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Gran Canaria (2016–2017) edit
After playing for the Golden State Warriors' Summer League team in 2016, he signed with Spanish club Herbalife Gran Canaria for the 2016–17 season.[3]
Utah Jazz (2017–2022) edit
On June 25, 2017, O'Neale signed with Lithuanian club Žalgiris Kaunas.[4] However, he never played a game for the team.
After playing for the Utah Jazz in the 2017 NBA Summer League, he was signed to the team for the 2017–18 season due to the exception left in the contract with Žalgiris Kaunas.[5] O'Neale made his NBA debut on October 21, 2017, playing a single minute in their 96–87 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. [6] On February 14, 2018, he scored 19 points in a home game against the Phoenix Suns. [7]
After the game on November 12, 2019 against the Brooklyn Nets, O’Neale traded jerseys with former Baylor Bears teammate Taurean Prince.
On January 19, 2020, the Utah Jazz announced that they had signed O’Neale to a contract extension.[8]
Brooklyn Nets (2022–2024) edit
On June 30, 2022, O'Neale was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a 2023 first-round draft pick.[9] On November 17, O'Neale put up 11 points, alongside a game-winning tip, with 10 rebounds, and 11 assists for his first career triple-double in a 109–107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.[10]
On January 8, 2023, O'Neale put up a game-winning putback in a 102–101 win over the Miami Heat.[11]
Phoenix Suns (2024–present) edit
On February 8, 2024, O'Neale was traded to the Phoenix Suns for Keita Bates-Diop, Jordan Goodwin, and 3 second round picks in a three-team trade that also involved the Memphis Grizzlies' David Roddy, Chimezie Metu, Yuta Watanabe, and a 2026 first round pick swap.[12]
Career statistics edit
| 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 |
| * | Led the league |
NBA edit
Regular season edit
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Utah | 69 | 4 | 16.7 | .423 | .356 | .803 | 3.4 | 1.4 | .5 | .2 | 5.0 |
| 2018–19 | Utah | 82* | 16 | 20.4 | .475 | .386 | .762 | 3.5 | 1.5 | .7 | .3 | 5.2 |
| 2019–20 | Utah | 71 | 62 | 28.9 | .433 | .377 | .764 | 5.5 | 2.5 | .8 | .5 | 6.3 |
| 2020–21 | Utah | 71 | 71 | 31.6 | .444 | .385 | .848 | 6.8 | 2.5 | .8 | .5 | 7.0 |
| 2021–22 | Utah | 77 | 77 | 31.2 | .457 | .389 | .804 | 4.8 | 2.5 | 1.1 | .4 | 7.4 |
| 2022–23 | Brooklyn | 76 | 53 | 31.7 | .386 | .389 | .725 | 5.1 | 3.7 | .9 | .6 | 8.8 |
| 2023–24 | Brooklyn | 49 | 6 | 24.5 | .388 | .366 | .682 | 4.5 | 2.8 | .7 | .6 | 7.4 |
| Phoenix | 30 | 8 | 25.1 | .411 | .376 | .692 | 5.2 | 2.7 | .9 | .5 | 8.1 | |
| Career | 525 | 297 | 26.4 | .426 | .381 | .773 | 4.8 | 2.4 | .8 | .4 | 6.8 | |
Playoffs edit
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Utah | 11 | 5 | 23.5 | .500 | .357 | .632 | 3.5 | 1.4 | .9 | .4 | 7.1 |
| 2019 | Utah | 5 | 0 | 27.4 | .467 | .348 | .750 | 4.6 | 1.6 | .4 | .4 | 10.6 |
| 2020 | Utah | 7 | 7 | 35.6 | .406 | .455 | .500 | 5.4 | 2.7 | 1.3 | .3 | 5.6 |
| 2021 | Utah | 11 | 11 | 36.7 | .506 | .467 | .833 | 7.3 | 2.1 | 1.1 | .3 | 11.3 |
| 2022 | Utah | 6 | 6 | 31.3 | .400 | .280 | 1.000 | 5.7 | 1.5 | .5 | .2 | 6.2 |
| 2023 | Brooklyn | 4 | 0 | 29.5 | .241 | .182 | 1.000 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 1.3 | .3 | 5.0 |
| Career | 44 | 29 | 30.8 | .447 | .372 | .711 | 5.2 | 2.0 | .9 | .3 | 8.0 | |
References edit
- ^ Moss, Irv (May 13, 2013). "Royce O'Neale leaving DU Pioneers basketball to be closer to family, headed to Baylor". Denver Post. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ^ Goodman, Jeff (October 31, 2013). "Royce O'Neale granted waiver". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ^ Carchia, E. (July 26, 2016). "Royce O'Neale inks with Gran Canaria". Sportando.com. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ^ "Zalgiris Kaunas signs Royce O'Neale to a 1+1 contract". Sportando.com. June 25, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ^ "Jazz Sign Royce O'Neale". NBA.com. July 19, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
- ^ "Oklahoma City Thunder vs Utah Jazz Oct 21, 2017 Game Summary". NBA. October 21, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ "Phoenix Suns vs Utah Jazz Feb 14, 2018 Game Summary". NBA. February 14, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ "Jazz sign Royce O'Neale to contract extension". NBA.com. January 19, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ^ "Brooklyn Nets Acquire Royce O'Neale". NBA.com. June 30, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
- ^ Pagaduan, Jedd (November 17, 2022). "NBA Twitter goes bonkers as Royce O'Neale saves Kevin Durant, Nets vs. Blazers with game-winning tip". ClutchPoints. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
- ^ "Nets top Heat 102-101, lose Durant to right knee injury". espn.com. January 8, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ "SUNS ACQUIRE ROYCE O'NEALE AND DAVID RODDY IN THREE-TEAM TRADE WITH BROOKLYN AND MEMPHIS". NBA.com. February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
External links edit
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- Baylor Bears bio Archived March 3, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
- College stats