Brandon Rush

Last updated

Brandon Rush
Brandon Rush in 2015.jpg
Rush in February 2015
Personal information
Born (1985-07-07) July 7, 1985 (age 38)
Kansas City, Missouri
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school
College Kansas (2005–2008)
NBA draft 2008: 1st round, 13th overall pick
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career2008–2021
Position Shooting guard / small forward
Career history
20082011 Indiana Pacers
20112013 Golden State Warriors
2013–2014 Utah Jazz
20142016 Golden State Warriors
2016–2017 Minnesota Timberwolves
2019–2021 Larisa
Career highlights and awards
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at NBA.com
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at Basketball-Reference.com

Brandon Leray Rush (born July 7, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted in the first round of the 2008 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, before being traded to the Indiana Pacers on draft day, after playing for Kansas for three seasons, including the 2008 championship season. He was selected as a Wooden Award All-American in both 2007 and 2008 as a Jayhawk. [1] Rush has also played for the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, and Minnesota Timberwolves, winning an NBA championship with the Warriors in 2015.

Contents

High school career

Rush played high school basketball at Westport High School in Missouri and Mt. Zion Christian Academy in Durham, North Carolina.

Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Rush was listed as the No. 2 small forward and the No. 13 player in the nation in 2005. [2] After withdrawing from the 2005 NBA draft, he committed to play collegiately at Kansas under Bill Self.

College career

Rush was the starting small forward in every game that season. He led the Jayhawks in scoring (13.5 points per game), rebounding (5.9) and three-point shooting percentage (47.2%). He was instrumental in the team's Big 12 Conference championship run, and was elected the conference Freshman of the Year. He was also the first freshman ever to be named to the First Team All-Big 12, before Kevin Durant did it the following season for the Texas Longhorns. He was selected as the preseason Co-Player of the Year in the Big 12, along with fellow Jayhawk Julian Wright. He was also selected as a preseason All-American. In 2007, he earned a position on the All-Tournament Team in the Big 12 Tournament. On April 26, 2007, Rush announced his intentions to enter the 2007 NBA draft, but he did not sign with an agent.

Injury

Rush returned to Kansas in May 2007, after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a pickup game. He had planned to enter the 2007 NBA draft had he not been injured, but returned to play for Kansas. On June 1, 2007, the torn ACL was successfully repaired. [3] After rehabilitation, he returned to play in November, and became a starter soon afterward.

On October 27, 2010, it was reported that Rush had, in fact, suffered the ACL injury during an illegal workout conducted by Rodney Heard, director of East Coast scouting for the New York Knicks; Isiah Thomas, then-president of the Knicks, is said to have known of the secret workouts. Rush verified the allegation, and severe sanctions were expected to be levied against the Knicks organization. [4]

Junior season

After returning to the starting lineup, he led Kansas to a national title in the 2008 NCAA championship. He was named Most Valuable Player in the national semifinal game against North Carolina, with 25 points and 7 rebounds. [5] [6] He was rated number one small forward in all of college basketball by Rivals.com for his overall statistics after being named MVP in the Big 12 Tournament and averaging 15.8 points per game in the six games of the NCAA national championship tournament. [7] On April 17, 2008, he declared himself eligible for the 2008 NBA draft, skipping his senior year. [8]

On February 22, 2017, the University of Kansas basketball program retired his jersey, #25. [9]

Professional career

Indiana Pacers (2008–2011)

Rush with the Pacers in 2009 Brandon Rush cropped 3993527184.jpg
Rush with the Pacers in 2009

Rush was selected 13th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2008 NBA draft. He was then traded to the Indiana Pacers, along with Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts, for Jerryd Bayless and Ike Diogu.

Golden State Warriors (2011–2013)

On December 19, 2011, Rush was traded to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Louis Amundson. [10] [11]

On August 1, 2012, Rush re-signed with the Warriors on a two-year, $8 million contract. [12] In a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on November 2, 2012, Rush injured his left knee landing awkwardly after being fouled in the air by Zach Randolph. [13] An MRI the next day revealed a torn ACL. The extent of the injury ruled him out for the remainder of the 2012–13 season. [14]

Utah Jazz (2013–2014)

On July 10, 2013, Rush was traded, along with Richard Jefferson and Andris Biedriņš and several draft picks, to the Utah Jazz in a three-team trade that brought Andre Iguodala and Kevin Murphy to the Warriors. [15]

Second stint with Golden State (2014–2016)

On July 22, 2014, Rush signed a two-year deal with the Golden State Warriors, returning to the franchise for a second stint. [16] [17] Rush won his first NBA championship with the Warriors after they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2015 NBA Finals in six games.

On June 25, 2015, Rush exercised his player option with the Warriors for the 2015–16 season. [18] On November 28, 2015, he started at small forward against the Sacramento Kings in place of the injured Harrison Barnes. He subsequently scored 16 points, his highest scoring total since scoring 19 points on April 22, 2012. [19] On January 8, 2016, he scored a season-high 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting against the Portland Trail Blazers. Rush helped the Warriors win an NBA record 73 games to eclipse the 72 wins set by the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls. Rush played limited minutes during the Warriors playoff run to the NBA Finals. The Warriors would again face the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite the Warriors going up 3–1 in the series following a Game 4 win, they went on to lose the series in seven games to become the first team in NBA history to lose the championship series after being up 3–1.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2016–2017)

On July 8, 2016, Rush signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. [20]

On September 19, 2017, Rush signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. [21] He was waived on October 14 as one of the team's final preseason roster cuts. [22]

Portland Trail Blazers (2018)

On February 21, 2018, the Portland Trail Blazers signed Rush to a 10-day contract. [23] Rush left Portland after the 10-day contract expired, without even playing a game for the team. [24]

Larisa (2019–2021)

On November 21, 2019, Rush returned to action and signed overseas with Greek Basket League club Larisa [25] for the remainder of the 2019–2020 season. On August 26, 2020, Rush renewed his contract with the Greek team.

NBA 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
  Won an NBA championship  * Led the league

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2008–09 Indiana 751924.0.423.373.6973.1.9.5.58.1
2009–10 Indiana 82*6430.4.423.411.6294.21.4.7.89.4
2010–11 Indiana 672126.2.421.417.7553.2.9.6.59.1
2011–12 Golden State 65126.4.501.452.7933.91.4.5.99.8
2012–13 Golden State 2012.5.667.000.667.51.0.0.07.0
2013–14 Utah 38011.0.333.340.6001.2.6.1.22.1
2014–15 Golden State 3308.2.204.111.4551.2.4.2.4.9
2015–16 Golden State 722514.7.427.414.6432.5.8.3.34.2
2016–17 Minnesota 473321.9.374.386.7222.11.0.5.54.2
Career48116322.0.426.402.7062.91.0.5.56.8

Playoffs

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2011 Indiana 5011.0.462.750.5001.4.6.2.23.2
2015 Golden State 302.3.167.500.0001.0.0.0.01.0
2016 Golden State 1407.9.450.333.5001.6.2.1.11.6
Career2207.8.410.444.5001.5.3.1.11.9

Personal life

Rush was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He is the brother of former professional basketball players JaRon and Kareem Rush. [26]

He resides in Berkeley, California.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Trail Blazers</span> National Basketball Association team in Portland, Oregon

The Portland Trail Blazers are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. The team played its home games in the Memorial Coliseum before moving to the Moda Center in 1995. The franchise entered the league as an expansion team in 1970, and has enjoyed a strong following: from 1977 through 1995, the team sold out 814 consecutive home games, the longest such streak in American major professional sports at the time, and which has only since been surpassed by the Boston Red Sox and the Dallas Mavericks. The Trail Blazers are the only NBA team based in the Pacific Northwest, after the Vancouver Grizzlies relocated to Memphis and became the Memphis Grizzlies in 2001 and the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kareem Rush</span> American basketball player (born 1980)

Kareem Lamar Rush is an American former professional basketball player. Rush's younger brother, Brandon, last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, while older brother JaRon played college basketball for UCLA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raef LaFrentz</span> American basketball player

Raef Andrew LaFrentz is an American former professional basketball power forward and center who played for the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, and Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born and raised in Iowa, LaFrentz attended the University of Kansas and was drafted in 1998 by the Denver Nuggets. He was known for his perimeter shooting and his shot blocking abilities. In 2019–20 LaFrentz became an assistant basketball coach at Decorah High School in Decorah, Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Porter</span> American basketball player and coach

Terry Porter is an American former college basketball coach and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was most recently the head men's basketball coach at the University of Portland. A native of Wisconsin, he played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point before being drafted 24th by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1985 NBA draft. In Portland, he played ten seasons with two All-Star Game appearances. Porter spent 17 years in the NBA as a player. Following his retirement as a player in 2002, he began coaching in the league. Porter has twice been a head coach, first with his hometown Milwaukee Bucks and then with the Phoenix Suns.

Kevin Lee Pritchard is an American basketball executive, and a former player and coach, who is currently the president of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers. Pritchard played 4 seasons in the NBA as a player, and was also the general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Indiana Pacers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martell Webster</span> American basketball player (born 1986)

Martell Webster is an American former professional basketball player who played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The sixth player taken in the 2005 NBA draft, Webster played for Portland, Minnesota and Washington between 2005 and 2015. His best season came in 2012–13 when he started 62 games for the Wizards and averaged 11.4 points per game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Gomes</span> American basketball player

Ryan Anthony Gomes is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Cold Hearts of Overtime Elite (OTE). He was named a First Team All-American power forward at Providence College before being selected with the 50th overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mo Williams</span> American basketball player and coach (born 1982)

Maurice Williams is the head men's basketball coach at Jackson State University and a former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a successful high school career at Murrah High School in Jackson, Mississippi, Williams attended college at the University of Alabama, where he led his team as a freshman to a 27–8 record, and also shared an SEC regular-season championship. After two seasons at Alabama, Williams entered the 2003 NBA draft where he was selected with the 47th overall pick by the Utah Jazz. Throughout his career, he has also played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2009, Williams was selected as an NBA All-Star. In the 2016, he won his only NBA championship with the Cavaliers. He retired as a player in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LaMarcus Aldridge</span> American basketball player (born 1985)

LaMarcus Nurae Aldridge is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for two seasons with the Texas Longhorns. Aldridge was selected second overall in the 2006 NBA draft. After spending nine seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, he signed with the San Antonio Spurs in 2015. In March 2021, he signed with the Brooklyn Nets after the Spurs bought out his contract. He retired after two weeks due to an irregular heartbeat, but returned to the Nets the following season after receiving medical clearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corey Brewer</span> American basketball player (born 1986)

Corey Wayne Brewer is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a player development coach for the New Orleans Pelicans. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA national championships in 2006 and 2007. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2007 NCAA tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandon Roy</span> American basketball player and coach (born 1984)

Brandon Dawayne Roy is an American basketball coach and former player. He serves as the head coach of the boys' basketball team at Garfield High School in Seattle. Roy played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves. He was selected sixth in the 2006 NBA draft, having completed four years playing for the Washington Huskies. His nickname was "B-Roy", but he was also referred to as "the Natural" by Trail Blazers announcer Brian Wheeler. On December 10, 2011, Roy announced his retirement from basketball due to a degenerative knee condition, though he returned in 2012 to play five games for the Timberwolves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Smith (basketball, born 1983)</span> American basketball player

Craig Smith is an American former professional basketball player. After playing at Boston College from 2002–2006, he was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2006 NBA draft.

The Portland Trail Blazers are a professional basketball team in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Trail Blazers are currently celebrating their 50th NBA season. The franchise owner is Jody Allen, who assumed ownership upon the death of her brother Microsoft co-founder and Vulcan Inc. chairman Paul Allen, in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lou Amundson</span> American basketball player

Louis Gabriel Amundson is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for UNLV and 12 years professionally, including 10 seasons in the NBA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerryd Bayless</span> American basketball player (born 1988)

Jerryd Andrew Bayless is an American former professional basketball player. He played a year of college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats after playing high school basketball at St. Mary's High School in Phoenix. He was selected 11th overall in the 2008 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers and was then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Robinson (basketball)</span> American Lebanese basketball player

Thomas Earl Robinson is an American-born naturalised Lebanese professional basketball player who plays for Pelita Jaya Bakrie of the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL). A consensus All-American at the University of Kansas, Robinson was drafted fifth overall in the 2012 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CJ McCollum</span> American basketball player

Christian James McCollum is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his third year in the league in 2015–16, he was named the NBA Most Improved Player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Trail Blazers draft history</span>

The Portland Trail Blazers are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The franchise was founded in the 1970–71 NBA season. The team made their first draft pick in the 1970 NBA draft and have selected 279 players total. The franchise won its only NBA championship in 1977, when the team was led by their 1974 first overall pick, Bill Walton, as well as multiple other former draft picks who went on to have their numbers retired by Portland. Many of the players selected have gone on to have accomplished careers while playing for the team. Clyde Drexler and Damian Lillard hold multiple Blazer records and are first in many stats. Along with Walton and Drexler, two other draft picks, Dražen Petrović and Arvydas Sabonis, went on to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after their playing careers ended, with Petrović being inducted posthumously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Layman</span> American basketball player (born 1994)

Jake Douglas Layman is an American professional basketball player for SeaHorses Mikawa of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the Maryland Terrapins.

The 2017–18 Sacramento Kings season was the 73rd season of the franchise, its 69th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and its 33rd in Sacramento.

References

  1. "Big 12 Leads Nation With Three On Wooden All-America Team", Big 12 Conference, April 1, 2008.
  2. Brandon Rush Recruiting Profile
  3. "Kansas' Brandon Rush has Successful Surgery on ACL". kuathletics.cstv.com. June 1, 2007. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2007.
  4. Sources: N.Y. scout led improper workouts
  5. Kansas v. North Carolina 2008, Wikipedia
  6. "North Carolina battles back, but Rush, Kansas close out Tar Heels", Associated Press, April 6, 2008.
  7. Rivals.com Basketball Power Rankings, 2007-2008
  8. KU's Rush, Arthur declare for the NBA draft
  9. Ratke, Kyle (February 22, 2017). "Brandon Rush Has Jersey Retired at University of Kansas". nba.com. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  10. "Warriors Acquire Guard Brandon Rush From Indiana". NBA.com . December 19, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  11. "Pacers Acquire Amundson From Golden State For Brandon Rush". December 19, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  12. "Warriors Re-Sign Restricted Free Agent Brandon Rush". NBA.com . August 1, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  13. "Brandon Rush Sustains Serious Left Knee Injury". ibabuzz.com. November 2, 2012. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  14. "Brandon Rush To Miss Remainder Of 2012-13 Season". NBA.com. November 3, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  15. "Warriors Acquire Andre Iguodala from Denver Nuggets as Part of Three-Team Trade". NBA. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  16. Warriors Sign Free Agent Brandon Rush to Contract
  17. "Rush signs two-year deal with Warriors". Archived from the original on February 11, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  18. "Warriors Guard Brandon Rush Exercises Player Option for 2015-16 Season". NBA.com. June 25, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  19. "Warriors run NBA-record start to 18-0, beat Kings 120-101". NBA.com. November 28, 2015. Archived from the original on November 29, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  20. "TIMBERWOLVES SIGN GUARD/FORWARD BRANDON RUSH". NBA.com. July 8, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  21. "BUCKS SIGN BRANDON RUSH". NBA.com. September 19, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  22. "Bucks request waivers on three players". NBA.com. October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  23. "TRAIL BLAZERS SIGN BRANDON RUSH Free agent guard/forward joins Portland on 10-day contract". NBA.com. February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  24. "Trail Blazers will not sign Brandon Rush to second 10-day deal". Sportando.com. March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  25. "Ένας πρωταθλητής του NBA στην Λάρισα!". larisabasket.gr (in Greek). November 21, 2019. Archived from the original on August 22, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  26. "SLAM ONLINE » Rush In Revolution". Archived from the original on January 1, 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2011.