Aaron Michael Gray (born December 7, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player who played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A heart condition forced him into early retirement in 2015.
 Gray (in red jersey) with the Chicago Bulls in February 2009 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 7, 1984 Tarzana, California, U. S. |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 270 lb (122 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Emmaus (Emmaus, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Pittsburgh (2003–2007) |
| NBA draft | 2007: 2nd round, 49th overall pick |
| Selected by the Chicago Bulls | |
| Playing career | 2007–2014 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 34, 33 |
| Coaching career | 2015–2018 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 2007–2010 | Chicago Bulls |
| 2010–2011 | New Orleans Hornets |
| 2011–2013 | Toronto Raptors |
| 2013–2014 | Sacramento Kings |
| As coach: | |
| 2015–2018 | Detroit Pistons (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Early life and education
editGray was born December 7, 1984, in the Tarzana section of Los Angeles, California, and attended Emmaus High School in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.
High school career
editGray played high school basketball for Emmaus High School, which is a member of Pennsylvania's highly competitive East Penn Conference. Gray did not begin playing for the varsity team until the middle of his sophomore season. In Gray's senior season at Emmaus High School, he was named Pennsylvania's Gatorade Player of the Year.
Gray was recruited by major collegiate basketball programs, including Penn State, Pitt, and Rutgers, and committed to Pitt.
College career
editWhile at Pitt, Gray was named a Third Team All-American after helping lead Pitt to the Sweet 16 in the 2007 NCAA Division I tournament in March 2007.
National Basketball Association
editAt the NBA's pre-draft camp in 2007, Gray was the only player whose height measured at least seven feet without shoes.[1] He was selected with the 49th overall selection by the Chicago Bulls in the 2007 NBA draft.
Chicago Bulls (2007–2010)
editOn November 2, 2007, Gray made his NBA debut with the Chicago Bulls against the Philadelphia 76ers. On April 16, 2008, against the Toronto Raptors, he recorded 19 points, 22 rebounds, and two assists in 35 minutes of play.[2] In the 2007–08 season, Gray scored 262 points and recorded 168 rebounds for the Bulls.
New Orleans Hornets (2010–2011)
editOn January 25, 2010, the Bulls traded Gray to the New Orleans Hornets for Devin Brown.[3]
On July 15, 2010, the Hornets re-signed Gray.[4]
Toronto Raptors (2011–2013)
editOn December 11, 2011, Gray was signed to a one-year contract by the Toronto Raptors.[5][6]
On July 27, 2012, Gray was re-signed by the Raptors.[7]
On January 28, 2013, Gray recorded a career high 22 points, along with 10 rebounds, in a 114–102 loss to Golden State Warriors.[8]
Sacramento Kings (2013–2014)
editOn December 9, 2013, the Raptors traded Gray, Rudy Gay, and Quincy Acy, to the Sacramento Kings for Greivis Vásquez, Patrick Patterson, John Salmons, and Chuck Hayes.[9]
Detroit Pistons (2014)
editOn August 18, 2014, Gray signed with the Detroit Pistons.[10] On September 29, 2014, the Pistons announced Gray would miss training camp while rehabbing from a cardiac episode suffered following a voluntary workout in late August.[11] On October 26, 2014, he was waived by the Pistons.[12]
On June 19, 2015, Gray retired after a blood clot was discovered in his heart in the summer of 2014.[13]
Coaching career
editDetroit Pistons (2015–2018)
editFollowing the end of his playing career, Gray joined Stan Van Gundy's staff with the Detroit Pistons as an assistant coach to work with the team's big men and with young prospects of the Grand Rapids Drive, team's NBA G League.[13]
NBA 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 |
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Chicago | 61 | 1 | 10.0 | .505 | .000 | .566 | 2.8 | .7 | .3 | .3 | 4.3 |
| 2008–09 | Chicago | 56 | 18 | 12.8 | .485 | .000 | .576 | 3.9 | .8 | .3 | .3 | 3.5 |
| 2009–10 | Chicago | 8 | 0 | 6.3 | .381 | .000 | .286 | 2.0 | .3 | .0 | .0 | 2.3 |
| 2009–10 | New Orleans | 24 | 0 | 10.9 | .557 | .000 | .857 | 3.8 | .8 | .4 | .5 | 3.6 |
| 2010–11 | New Orleans | 41 | 6 | 13.0 | .566 | .000 | .500 | 4.2 | .4 | .3 | .3 | 3.1 |
| 2011–12 | Toronto | 49 | 40 | 16.6 | .516 | .000 | .532 | 5.7 | .6 | .4 | .3 | 3.9 |
| 2012–13 | Toronto | 42 | 16 | 12.2 | .533 | .000 | .523 | 3.2 | .8 | .2 | .1 | 2.8 |
| 2013–14 | Toronto | 4 | 0 | 5.0 | .667 | .000 | .500 | 2.0 | .8 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 |
| 2013–14 | Sacramento | 33 | 6 | 10.2 | .431 | .000 | .556 | 3.1 | .6 | .3 | .2 | 1.8 |
| Career | 318 | 87 | 12.1 | .509 | .000 | .562 | 3.7 | .7 | .3 | .3 | 3.4 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Chicago | 2 | 0 | 4.5 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| 2011 | New Orleans | 6 | 0 | 14.5 | .692 | .000 | .375 | 3.5 | .3 | .3 | .3 | 3.5 |
| Career | 8 | 0 | 12.0 | .600 | .000 | .375 | 2.8 | .3 | .3 | .3 | 2.6 | |
References
edit- ^ "2007 Draft Combine | Pre Draft camp Measurements | 2007 NBA Draft". www.mynbadraft.com. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
- ^ Bulls beat Raptors as Toronto barely uses starters
- ^ "HORNETS ACQUIRE AARON GRAY FROM BULLS". NBA.com. 2010-01-25. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
- ^ Hornets re-sign Aaron Gray
- ^ "Raptors sign center Aaron Gray". InsideHoops.com. December 11, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
- ^ "Raptors Sign Free-Agent Centre Aaron Gray". NBA.com. December 11, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
- ^ Raptors re-sign Gray, ink free-agent guard Lucas III Archived 2012-07-31 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Notebook: Warriors 114, Raptors 102
- ^ "Kings Acquire Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray from Toronto". NBA.com. December 9, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
- ^ Pistons Sign Free Agent Forward Cartier Martin and Center Aaron Gray
- ^ Detroit Pistons Center Aaron Gray Out Indefinitely
- ^ "Pistons waive center Aaron Gray". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-28. Retrieved 2014-10-27.
- ^ a b Ellis, Vince (June 19, 2015). "Aaron Gray stays upbeat after blood clot forces retirement". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
