Billy Preston (basketball)

Billy Preston (born October 26, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who plays for Metropolitanos de Mauricio Baez of the TBS. A power forward, he attended four high schools: St. John Bosco High School, Redondo Union High School, Prime Prep Academy, and Oak Hill Academy. He was ranked among the top recruits of his class, earning McDonald's All-American honors while at Oak Hill.

For the American musician, see Billy Preston.
Billy Preston
Preston with the Cavs in the 2018 preseason
Free agent
PositionPower forward
Personal information
Born (1997-10-26) October 26, 1997
Redondo Beach, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school
NBA draft2018 / Undrafted
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018Igokea
2018Canton Charge
2018–2019Erie BayHawks
2019Texas Legends
2019Illawarra Hawks
2020-presentMetropolitanos de Mauricio Baez
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Following high school, Preston enrolled at the University of Kansas and had signed to play basketball for the Jayhawks. In November 2017, he was involved in an on-campus car accident that resulted in no injuries. Preston, without having played any games, was sidelined until the completion of a university investigation into the incident. After being barred for over two months, he opted to play at the professional level instead.

High school career

A Santa Ana, California native, Preston attended St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California and Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, California, followed by a stint at Prime Prep in Dallas, Texas.[1] In 2016, he transferred to Oak Hill Academy.[2] He had per-game averages of 15.3 points and 9.2 rebounds as a senior at Oak Hill.[3]

In November 2016, he committed to Kansas, after he had also visited Syracuse, Indiana and the University of Southern California during the recruiting process.[4]

Preston played in the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, scoring ten points and grabbing three rebounds.[5] In the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic, he tallied seven points in 15 minutes of play.[6]

College career

Preston was held out of the Kansas Jayhawks lineup indefinitely due to a car accident on KU campus on November 8, 2017.[7] The accident, which resulted in no personal injuries, triggered an NCAA investigation into the “financial picture” of the vehicle.[8] On January 20, 2018, Preston left Kansas in the middle of the 2017–18 season due to frustration over the investigation. Although he played in Jayhawks exhibition games before the accident, he played no regular-season games for the team.[9]

Professional career

KK Igokea (2018)

On January 20, 2018, Preston signed with Igokea Laktaši of the ABA League and Bosnian League.[10] He made his professional debut 9 days later, recording 2 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, and 1 steal in 6 minutes of play in a win against Zadar.[11] On March 4, 2018, after playing in only three ABA League games with Igokea, Preston left Igokea due to a sore shoulder that's persistently hurt him during the last two weeks.[12] His name would officially pop up as one of a record-high 236 underclassmen to declare entry for the 2018 NBA Draft on April 24, 2018.[13] Ten days later, Preston was announced as one of a record-high 69 invites for the NBA Draft Combine that year.[14]

Canton Charge (2018)

Ultimately, Preston went undrafted that year. However, he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers on June 23, 2018 as a member of their 2018 NBA Summer League team.[15] On July 7, Preston signed a two-way contract with the Cavaliers, meaning he would split his playing time between them and their NBA G League affiliate, the Canton Charge, for the 2018–19 season, with the contract also going into the 2019-2020 season.[16] On December 2, 2018, Preston was waived without appearing in a game for the Cavaliers.[17]

Erie BayHawks (2018–2019)

On December 16, 2018, the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League announced that they had acquired Preston from Canton Charge for the returning right of Jordan Mathews.[18] On February 8, 2019, Preston was traded to the Texas Legends.[19]

Texas Legends (2019)

On February 8, 2019, Preston was traded to the Texas Legends for the returning rights of Codi Miller-McIntyre.[20] After just over a month into the 2019–20 NBA G League season, Preston left for the National Basketball League of Australia.

Illawarra Hawks (2019)

On December 9, 2019, Preston signed with the Illawarra Hawks of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).[21] He was released after only three games.[22]

References
  1. "After two transfers, rising top 10 prospect Billy Preston settling in Dallas". USA Today High School Sports. August 23, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  2. "Billy Preston transfer may help with UK". A Sea Of Blue. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  3. "Versatile Billy Preston gearing up for McDonald's All-American Game". KUsports.com. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  4. "Preston commits to Kansas; No. 20 in ESPN 100". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  5. "2017 McDonald's All-American Game box score". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  6. "Official Basketball Box Score -- Game Totals -- Final Statistics East Team vs West Team" (PDF). jordanbrandclassic.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  7. "KU seeking 'clearer financial picture' on Billy Preston-driven vehicle". Topeka Capital-Journal. November 14, 2017.
  8. "Billy Preston situation now out of KU basketball's hands, Bill Self says". Topeka Capital-Journal. December 20, 2017.
  9. "Billy Preston signs with Bosnian professional team, leaves KU without playing a game". kansascity. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  10. Borzello, Jeff (January 20, 2018). "Kansas freshman Billy Preston signs with European team BC Igokea". ESPN.com.
  11. j.t.d., ABA liga. "IGO - ZAD > Match : ABA League". ABA Liga. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  12. http://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article203479564.html
  13. http://www.nba.com/article/2018/04/24/nba-announces-early-entry-candidates-2018-nba-draft
  14. https://sports.yahoo.com/complete-2018-nba-draft-combine-list-211843026.html
  15. "Bill Self: Intangibles the key now for undrafted Jayhawk Billy Preston | Tale of the Tait". KUsports.com. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  16. "Cavaliers Sign Billy Preston to Two-Way Contract | Cleveland Cavaliers". Cleveland Cavaliers. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  17. "Cavs Sign Jalen Jones and Jaron Blossomgame to Two-Way Contracts". NBA.com. December 2, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  18. Hartman, Billy (December 16, 2018). "BayHawks Complete Trade with Charge". NBA.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  19. https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/legends-acquire-billy-preston/n-5445948. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. "Legends Acquire Billy Preston". Texas Legends.
  21. "Illawarra Hawks Sign Billy Preston". www.hawks.com.au.
  22. "Illawarra Part Ways With Preston". NBL.com.au. December 25, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
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