Ray Spalding

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Ray Spalding
Spalding being defended by Virginia Tech
No. 26 – Rio Grande Valley Vipers
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (1997-03-11) March 11, 1997 (age 27)
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolTrinity (Louisville, Kentucky)
CollegeLouisville (2015–2018)
NBA draft2018: 2nd round, 56th overall pick
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–2019Dallas Mavericks
2018–2019→Texas Legends
2019Phoenix Suns
2019–2020Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2020Charlotte Hornets
2020→Greensboro Swarm
2021Houston Rockets
2021→Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2022–presentRio Grande Valley Vipers
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

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.

High school career[edit]

Spalding is the son of Raymond Brooks and Gerri Spalding. Spalding, is a descendant of the Spalding basketball family.[1] He grew up playing lacrosse, soccer, kickball, table tennis, lacrosse, fencing and basketball.[2] He attended Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was coached by Mike Szabo.[3] 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 the Louisville Cardinals because he wanted to become a household name in his hometown.[2]

College career[edit]

Coming into Louisville, former head coach Rick Pitino raved about Spalding, claiming he has the most potential of any player he has coached.[4] 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.[5] 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.[2] 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.[6] 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.[7] 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.[3]

Professional career[edit]

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.[8] He signed his rookie contract on July 20, 2018.[9] He made his NBA debut on October 17, 2018, playing one minute, in a 121–100 loss against the Phoenix Suns.[10] 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 dismissed by the Mavericks.[11]

Phoenix Suns (2019)[edit]

On February 20, 2019, Spalding signed to a 10-day contract with the Phoenix Suns.[12] While he never played during the proper contract, he was given a two-year partially guaranteed contract on March 3.[13][non-primary source needed][14] Spalding eventually recorded his first rebound on March 9, playing in only 3 minutes in a 127–120 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[15] 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-of-5 shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 assists in 14 minutes of action in a 138–136 overtime win.[16] 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.[17]

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2019–2020)[edit]

On July 31, 2019, Spalding signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Atlanta Hawks.[18] On October 8, 2019, he was waived by the Hawks.[19] On October 10, 2019, Spalding signed with the Houston Rockets. He 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.[20] Spalding was suspended one game without pay after leaving the bench during an altercation in a 132–109 loss to the Memphis Hustle on December 17.[21]

Greensboro Swarm (2020)[edit]

On January 15, 2020, the Charlotte Hornets announced that they had signed with Spalding to a two-way contract.[22] He scored 15 points in his G League debut for the Greensboro Swarm in a win over the Iowa Wolves.[23] Spalding never played a game for the Hornets.

Spalding was waived by the Hornets on November 29, 2020.[24]

Houston Rockets (2021)[edit]

On February 12, 2021, the Houston Rockets announced that they had signed with Spalding to a two-way contract.[25] He was waived on February 16 after two games with the team.[26]

Return to Rio Grande Valley (2022–present)[edit]

On November 3, 2022, Spalding was named to the opening night roster for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.[27]

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  Bold  Career high

NBA[edit]

Regular season[edit]

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
2020–21 Houston 2 0 9.5 .500 .000 .000 2.0 .0 .0 1.0 2.0
Career 16 3 10.4 .529 .000 .286 3.3 .3 .6 .6 3.6

NBA G League[edit]

Regular season[edit]

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

College[edit]

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

References[edit]

  1. ^ "History - Spalding Basketball". Spalding. February 22, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "Rick Pitino: Ray Spalding loaded with potential". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  5. ^ "No. 2 Midwest seed Louisville draws familiar foe in first round". Lexington Herald-Leader. March 12, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  6. ^ "Spalding scores 23, Louisville beats Notre Dame 82–78 in 2OT". ESPN. Associated Press. January 16, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  7. ^ Johnson, Raphielle (April 3, 2018). "Louisville forward Ray Spalding to enter 2018 NBA Draft". NBC Sports. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  8. ^ "Mavericks acquire draft rights to Ray Spalding and Kostas Antetokounmpo". Mavs.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  9. ^ "Mavericks sign forward Ray Spalding". Mavs.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  10. ^ "Booker's late onslaught lifts Suns past Mavs 121–100". National Basketball Association. October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "Phoenix Suns Sign Ray Spalding". Phoenix Suns. February 20, 2019.
  13. ^ @ShamsCharania (March 3, 2019). "The Phoenix Suns are signing forward Ray Spalding to a two-year deal, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "Phoenix Suns Sign Ray Spalding". NBA.com.
  15. ^ "Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trail Blazers - March 09, 2019". NBA.com.
  16. ^ "Phoenix Suns vs. New Orleans Pelicans - March 16, 2019". NBA.com.
  17. ^ Jackson nets 35 points, Suns beat Pelicans in overtime
  18. ^ "Atlanta Hawks Sign Ray Spalding". NBA.com. July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  19. ^ "Atlanta Hawks Request Waivers on Ray Spalding". NBA.com. October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  20. ^ "Vipers Finalize Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 27, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  21. ^ "Four Rio Grande Valley Vipers Players Suspended". NBA.com. December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  22. ^ "Hornets Sign Ray Spalding". NBA.com. January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  23. ^ Northam, Mitchell (January 21, 2020). "Ray Spalding scores 15 points in Greensboro Swarm debut". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  24. ^ "Hornets Waive Ray Spalding". NBA.com. November 29, 2020.
  25. ^ "Rockets Sign Ray Spalding to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  26. ^ McGavic, Matthew. "Rockets Waive Ray Spalding Following Achilles Injury". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  27. ^ "Vipers Finalize 2022-23 Opening Night Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.

External links[edit]

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