Early life and college
Gill was born in Summit, New Jersey, and graduated from Overland High School in 1996. After high school, Gill enrolled at the College of Eastern Utah, a junior college in Price, Utah, and played on the basketball team, averaging 6.1 points and 2.4 assists. In 1997, Gill transferred to Salt Lake Community College and again played basketball. At Salt Lake CC, Gill had 16.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game. [1]
Gill transferred to Weber State University in 1998 and played for two seasons on the Weber State Wildcats men's basketball team. In his junior year (1998–1999), Gill averaged 14.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. [1] For the 1999 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament, Gill was MVP after scoring 15 points and making 9 assists and 6 rebounds in 40 minutes of play. He also only committed two of his team's five turnovers in the 82–75 victory over Northern ArizonaI despite playing 40 minutes. This tournament championship qualified Weber State for an automatic NCAA tournament bid. [2] In the Round of 64 game, 14th-seeded Weber State upset third-seeded North Carolina 76–74. [3] Gill scored 16 points despite only making 4 of 12 field goals; he also made 5 of 5 free throws and had 2 assists and 5 defensive rebounds. [4] In Weber State's next round loss to sixth-seeded Florida, Gill scored 19 points in 5-for-14 shooting and 7-for-8 free throw shooting and also made 3 defensive rebounds and 5 assists. [5] Weber State finished the season 25–8. [6]
As a senior (1999–2000), Gill averaged 16.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 6.9 assists. In both seasons, Gill earned First-Team All-Big Sky Conference honors. [1]
Professional career
Las Vegas Silver Bandits, Kansas City Knights, New Jersey Nets, and Italy (2000–2001)
Not selected in the 2000 NBA draft, Gill began his professional career with the Las Vegas Silver Bandits of the IBL. In 31 games with Las Vegas, Gill averaged 14.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.9 assists. Gill then played in 10 games with the Kansas City Knights of the ABA and averaged 6 points and 9 assists. On March 29, 2001, Gill signed a 10-day contract with the NBA's New Jersey Nets and would sign another 10-day contract afterwards. [7] Playing in a game against the Boston Celtics on April 15, 2001, Gill scored the eight millionth point in NBA history. [8] With New Jersey, Gill averaged 4.9 points, 1.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 turnovers in 8 games. He made 39% of field goals. [7] Gill joined the Italian Lega Basket Serie A team Paf Bologna in April 2001. [9]
Return to Kansas City and Memphis Grizzlies (2001–2002)
Returning to the Kansas City Knights in fall 2001, Gill played in 18 games and averaged 12.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. [1] Gill signed with the Memphis Grizzlies for a 10-day contract on February 23, 2002, and later signed for the rest of the 2001–02 season. [7] Gill played 23 games with Memphis and started 5. He averaged 5.0 points, 1.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 turnovers. [7] In a game that used only eight players, Gill scored 20 points in his debut with Memphis on February 25, a 90–77 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. [10] Gill made 7 of 12 field goals (including 1 of 2 three-pointers) and made all 5 free throw attempts. He also had 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and a steal. [11] Gill would score in double figures in only three other games: 11 on March 3 against Seattle, 11 on March 4 against Atlanta, and 10 on March 7 against Indiana. [11]
Greek League, CBA, and return to NBA (2003–2004)
In the beginning of the 2003–04 season, Gill played with Greek Basket League team Ionikos Athens. In six games, Gill averaged 15.8 points and 3.7 assists. He later played in 25 games for the Dakota Wizards of the CBA and averaged 18.1 points and 8.0 assists. [1] In the CBA All-Star Classic on January 20, Gill helped the National team rally from a 20-point deficit to a 2-point win with 15 points, 6 assists, 10 rebounds, and 3 steals. [13] Gill returned to the NBA on February 5, 2004, by signing as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers. In 22 games, Gill averaged 2.3 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists. [7]
Indiana Pacers (2004–2006)
On June 24, 2004, Portland traded Eddie Gill to the New Jersey Nets, but the Nets waived Gill on July 6. Gill signed as a free agent with the Indiana Pacers on July 28. [7] In the infamous game on November 19, 2004, that concluded with the Pacers–Pistons brawl, Gill joined two of his Pacers teammates and others in an effort to break up a fight between players and fans. [14] The following day, Gill started the game and was one of only six players used due to the suspensions from the brawl the night before. [15] [16] In Indiana's 86–83 loss to Orlando on November 20, Gill made 3 of 10 field goals (including 1 of 1 three-point attempt), converted 1 of 2 free throws, and had 8 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 3 steals, and a turnover. [15] Gill played in 73 games in 2004–05 and had 3 starts in the 2004–05 season for the Pacers and averaged 3.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. [7] Gill scored a season-high 21 points on December 1 against the Los Angeles Clippers. [15] Gill made his postseason debut on April 23, 2005, in the Pacers' first first-round playoff game against the Boston Celtics. Gill made one field goal out of four attempts and made two free throws; in 17 minutes of play he scored 4 points and made 2 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal, and 2 turnovers. [15] In the 2005–06 season with Indiana, Gill played only 41 games an averaged 1.1 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.3 assists. [7]
Return to the Nets and D-League, Seattle SuperSonics (2007–2008)
On October 1, 2007, Gill signed with the New Jersey Nets but was waived on October 25. [7] [17] The Colorado 14ers drafted Gill as the top pick in the 2007 NBA Development League Draft. [18] Due to a thigh injury to Darrell Armstrong, the Nets re-signed Gill on November 16. [19] With New Jersey, Gill averaged 2.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists before the Nets waived him on December 12. [7] In his short stint, Gill had two games in double figures: 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting on November 19 against Utah and 10 points on December 4 against Cleveland. [20] Gill also started the December 5 game against New York. [20] Gill returned to the Colorado 14ers on December 17. [21] In 37 games with Colorado, Gill averaged 18.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 8.5 assists. [22] In the 2008 NBA D-League All-Star Game on February 16, Gill played on the Red Team and scored 3 points off one three-pointer but missed 6 other field goals. He also had 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 turnovers. The Blue Team won 117–99 over Red. [23]
On March 24, 2008, the Seattle SuperSonics signed Gill to a ten-day contract, due to a depleted lineup. [24] He played only 5 minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers in his first game on March 24. [25] On April 3, his contract expired and was not renewed. [7]
Return to Colorado 14ers, call-up to Milwaukee Bucks (2009)
He signed with the New Jersey Nets in the 2008 offseason but was waived, among with 3 other players, before the season started (October 24). He had averaged 4.5 points and 1 assist in six preseason games. [26] Gill returned to the Colorado 14ers on December 8. [27]
The Milwaukee Bucks, facing a depleted roster due to injuries, signed Gill to a 10-day contract on February 9, 2009. [28] He signed a second 10-day contract on February 20. In 6 games for the Bucks he averaged 2.8 points and 1.8 assists in 7.2 minutes per game. [7] This call-up to Milwaukee would end up being Gill's final days in the NBA, as his final NBA game was played on February 25, 2009, in a 96–116 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. In his final game, Gill played for 5 and half minutes and recorded 2 assists and 1 rebound.
In 40 games with Colorado, Gill averaged 14.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 8.4 assists, and 1.6 steals. [22] D-League coaches voted Gill as Player of the Year at the end of the season. [29] In Game 1 of the D-League finals on April 21, Gill made the tying free throw to force overtime, and Colorado beat the Utah Flash 136–131 in overtime. [30] Colorado won the D-League title in Game Two on April 23. [31]
BC Oostende (2009–2010)
In November 2009, Gill signed with the Basketball League Belgium team BC Oostende and in 26 games averaged 7 points, 3. rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.2 steals with 28.0% field goal shooting. [9] On February 19, 2010, during a late 12–4 run by Oostende, Gill made five free throws in the last two minutes to seal a 75–68 win over the Antwerp Giants. [32] Oostende won the Belgian Cup championship for the season. [9]
EWE Baskets Oldenburg (2010–2011)
On September 24, 2010, he signed with the New Jersey Nets of the NBA but was waived on October 6, 2010. [7] On December 6, 2010, Gill signed with German team EWE Baskets Oldenburg for the remainder of the 2010–11 season. [33] Gill played in 27 league games and averaged 7.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.4 steals with 40.9% field goals made. In 2 Eurocup games, Gill averaged 5 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, and 1.5 steals. [9]
Townsville Crocodiles (2011–2012)
On July 15, 2011, Gill signed with the Townsville Crocodiles of the Australian NBL for the 2011–12 season. [34] In the 28 games of the regular season he averaged 12.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals in 29 minutes per game. [35] Gill scored 21 in an October blowout 95–67 win over the Cairns Taipans. [36] On November 11, Gill led Townsville with 30 points and seven assists in Townsville's 95–88 overtime upset of the Melbourne Tigers; with 2 seconds left in regulation, Gill made the tying free throw. [37] With 73% field goals made, Gill scored 26 in a 100–93 win over the Sydney Kings on December 23. [38] Against doctor's orders, Gill played on March 4, 2012, with 15 stitches in his right hand. He had 4 points, 3 assists, and 7 turnovers but drew a last-second charging foul to seal Townsville's three-point victory over the Melbourne Tigers. [39]
Gill won the NBL Player of the Week twice, in rounds 6 and 12, [40] and was also named to the 2011–12 All-NBL Third Team. [41]
The Crocodiles made it to the 2011–12 NBL playoffs, finishing in fourth position overall for the regular season with a win–loss record of 15–13 (54.57%). On Friday 30 March 2012, the Crocodiles scored an upset 99–82 win over the New Zealand Breakers in the first game of the 2011–12 NBL postseason competition. Gill scored 21 points, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds in the win. [42]
Gill signed with the Milwaukee Bucks on October 1 but was waived before the regular season on October 27. [7] In three preseason games, Gill had limited playing time and made 0 of 4 field goals in one game. [43]
Micheal "Sugar" Ray Richardson is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Richardson played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eight years with the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors and New Jersey Nets. He was a four-time NBA All-Star, and led the league in steals in three seasons. He later became a head coach in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and National Basketball League of Canada.
Joshua Malik Childress 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.
Billy Thomas is an American former professional basketball player who competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and several other leagues. A 6'5" tall shooting guard from Shreveport, Louisiana, he last played with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League. Billy Thomas is now the basketball head coach of Rockhurst High School
Oscar Joshua Boone is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'10" power forward-center, he played three years of college basketball for UConn. He declared for the 2006 NBA draft after his junior season, forgoing his final year of college.
Brad Newley is an Australian professional basketball player for the Frankston Blues of the NBL1 South. After starting his career in Australia, playing for the Australian Institute of Sport and the Townsville Crocodiles, Newley was drafted 54th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2007 NBA draft. He never played in the NBA and instead carved out a career in Europe, playing in Greece, Turkey, Lithuania, and Spain between 2007 and 2016. Between 2016 and 2024, he played in the National Basketball League (NBL) for the Sydney Kings and Melbourne United.
Kaniel Dickens is an American former professional basketball player. He was selected by the Utah Jazz in the second round in the 2000 NBA draft.
James Dixon Mays is an American-born naturalized Central African former professional basketball player currently working as an assistant coach for the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League. He represented the Central African Republic at the 2011 FIBA Africa Championship.
Joshua Michael Pace is an American former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his ten-year career playing in the New Zealand National Basketball League. He also had successful stints playing college basketball for Syracuse and playing in the ABA for the Mavericks. He currently serves as the head coach for the Western New Mexico Mustangs women's basketball team.
Dennard Maurice "Mo" Charlo is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the University of Nevada. He has previously played for the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, Colorado 14ers and Anaheim Arsenal of the NBA Development League.
Clarence "Sonny" Weems is an American professional basketball player for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. He was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 2008 NBA draft and shortly thereafter traded to the Denver Nuggets. He has since played for the Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA, and has had stints in Lithuania and Russia. At 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), Weems plays both the shooting guard and small forward positions. He was an All-EuroLeague First Team selection in 2014.
Sundiata Kofi Gaines is an American professional basketball player who is a free agent. He played college basketball at the University of Georgia.
Donald Wayne Sloan is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies. Sloan played parts of five seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets. He played in the NBA D-League and Chinese Basketball Association in between NBA stints.
Luke Alexander Nevill is a former Australian professional basketball player who last played for Yulon Luxgen Dinos of the Taiwan Super Basketball League. He played college basketball for the University of Utah.
Mitchell Creek is an Australian professional basketball player for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He is also contracted with the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League (NBL). He began his NBL career in 2010 and played his first eight seasons with the Adelaide 36ers. After a stint in Germany in 2018, he joined the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League. During the 2018–19 season, he had stints in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves. He joined the Phoenix in 2019.
Casper Ware Jr. is an American professional basketball player for CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League. He played college basketball for the Long Beach State 49ers.
Torrey Craig is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Upstate Spartans, where he was named an honorable mention All-American and Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year in 2012.
Keifer Jerail Sykes is an American professional basketball player for the Windy City Bulls of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. Sykes is featured in the 2018 documentary film Chi-Town, produced and directed by Nick Budabin, following his path from high school to his brush with the NBA.
Alan Travis Williams is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for UC Santa Barbara before beginning his professional career with the Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association in 2015.
Deng Adel is a South Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for Boulazac Basket Dordogne of the LNB Pro B. He played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals.
Jeremiah Oljawain Martin Jr. is an American professional basketball player who plays for Enisey Krasnoyarsk in the VTB United League. He played college basketball for the Memphis Tigers.
