Eric Gaines

Last updated
Eric Gaines
Windy City Bulls
Position Point guard
League NBA G League
Personal information
Born (2001-01-19) January 19, 2001 (age 24)
New Jersey, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High school Lithonia (Stonecrest, Georgia)
College
  • LSU (2020–2022)
  • UAB (2022–2024)
NBA draft 2024: undrafted
Playing career2024–present
Career history
2024–2025 Maine Celtics
2025–present Windy City Bulls

Eric T. Gaines (born January 19, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Windy City Bulls of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the LSU Tigers and UAB Blazers.

Contents

Early life and high school career

Gaines was born in New Jersey and moved to Lithonia, Georgia, as a child. [1] He first played football but transitioned into basketball. [1] Gaines was taller than his teammates and primarily played as a center but utilised his speed for a playstyle that involved him grabbing a defensive rebound and beating defenders up the court with his dribble. [1]

Gaines attended Lithonia High School where he did not receive much scouting attention during his first two seasons. [1] He developed a reputation for his dunking abilities during his senior year and received comparisons to Ja Morant which Gaines attributes to increasing his recruitment offers. [1] He averaged 18.6 points, 4 assists, and 2.7 steals per game during his senior season. [2] Gaines was selected as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution All-Metro DeKalb County Player of the Year. [3] [4] He was a four-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for LSU. [1]

College career

Gaines averaged 2.5 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game during his freshman season with the LSU Tigers. [5] He improved his output to nine points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game during his sophomore season while his 2.1 steals per game led the Southeastern Conference. [4] [5] Gaines was primarily utilised as a distributor and defender with the Tigers. [1] He decided to transfer from the team when head coach Will Wade was fired after the 2021–22 season. [1]

On April 12, 2022, Gaines committed to play for UAB. [2] [5] He averaged 11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game during the 2022–23 season. [6] Gaines declared for the 2023 NBA draft but withdrew on May 30, 2023. [7]

Professional career

Maine Celtics (2024–2025)

On April 5, 2024, Gaines declared for the 2024 NBA draft, [8] but went undrafted. [9] On October 26, 2024, Gaines was selected by the Maine Celtics in the 2024 NBA G League draft. [10]

Windy City Bulls (2025–present)

On January 24, 2025, Gaines was traded to the Windy City Bulls. [11]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames 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

College

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2020–21 LSU 29113.4.222.172.7271.41.21.0.22.5
2021–22 LSU 34826.9.391.250.7933.32.92.1.59.0
2022–23 UAB 392929.1.394.343.7933.44.31.8.611.5
2023–24 UAB 353333.7.393.269.7503.95.52.3.512.3
Career1377126.4.380.279.7733.13.61.9.59.2

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Irvine, Steve (September 12, 2022). "Point guard Eric Gaines brings his 'high risk, high reward' style to UAB basketball". 1819 News. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "UAB Adds LSU Transfer Eric Gaines to Roster". The University of Alabama at Birmingham. April 12, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  3. ↑ Holcomb, Todd (March 26, 2020). "2019-20 High school basketball All-Metro boys team". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Richburg, Jason (April 6, 2022). "Top College Hoopers out of Atlanta". The Signal. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Dudley, Evan (April 12, 2022). "UAB basketball adds LSU transfer Eric Gaines". Advance Local. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  6. ↑ Almanza, Clemente (May 23, 2023). "Report: Eric Gaines worked out for the Thunder in pre-draft visit". USA Today. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  7. ↑ Dudley, Evan (May 30, 2023). "UAB's Eric Gaines withdraws from NBA Draft". Advance Local. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  8. ↑ Dudley, Evan (April 5, 2024). "UAB basketball's Eric Gaines declares for NBA draft". AL.com. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  9. ↑ Inabinett, Mark (June 27, 2024). "Alabama prospects shut out in 78th annual NBA Draft". AL.com. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  10. ↑ Martin, Spencer (October 26, 2024). "Celtics Select Three In G League Draft". NBA.com. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  11. ↑ "NBA Veteran Jawun Evans Joins Maine Celtics". OurSportsCentral.com. January 24, 2025. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
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