Ray Spalding

Raymond Mark Spalding (born March 11, 1997) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Louisville.

Ray Spalding
Spalding being defended by Virginia Tech
Free agent
PositionPower forward
Personal information
Born (1997-03-11) March 11, 1997
Louisville, Kentucky
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolTrinity (Louisville, Kentucky)
CollegeLouisville (2015–2018)
NBA draft2018 / Round: 2 / Pick: 56th overall
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
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

High school career

Spalding is the son of Raymond Brooks and Gerri Spalding. He grew up playing soccer, kickball, and basketball.[1] He attended Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was coached by Mike Szabo.[2] 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.[1]

College career

Coming into Louisville, former head coach Rick Pitino raved about Spalding, claiming he has the most potential of any player he has coached.[3] 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.[4] 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.[1] 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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[2]

Professional career

Dallas Mavericks (2018–2019)

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

Phoenix Suns (2019)

On February 20, 2019, Spalding signed to a 10-day contract with the Phoenix Suns.[11] While he never played during the proper contract, he was given a two-year partially guaranteed contract on March 3.[12][13] Spalding eventually recorded his first rebound on March 9, playing in only 3 minutes in a 127–120 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16]

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2019–2020)

On July 31, 2019, Spalding signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Atlanta Hawks.[17] On October 8, 2019, he was waived by the Hawks.[18] 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.[19] 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.[20]

Charlotte Hornets (2020)

On January 15, 2020, the Charlotte Hornets announced that they had signed with Spalding to a two-way contract.[21] He scored 15 points in his G League debut for the Greensboro Swarm in a win over the Iowa Wolves.[22]

Spalding was waived by the Hornets on November 29, 2020.[23]

Career statistics
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

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Dallas 101.0–––.0.0.0.00.0
2018–19 Phoenix 13311.3.532.000.3333.7.4.7.64.2
Career 14310.6.532.000.3333.4.4.6.63.9

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Texas 292630.1.514.231.5689.31.81.72.215.9
Career 292630.1.514.231.5689.31.81.72.215.9

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Louisville 30617.5.560.333.5004.3.5.9.75.6
2016–17 Louisville 34819.2.590.000.5455.5.8.6.95.9
2017–18 Louisville 363427.6.543.263.6408.71.31.51.712.3
Career 1004821.7.557.240.5796.3.91.01.18.1

References
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. "Rick Pitino: Ray Spalding loaded with potential". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  4. "No. 2 Midwest seed Louisville draws familiar foe in first round". Lexington Herald-Leader. March 12, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  5. "Spalding scores 23, Louisville beats Notre Dame 82–78 in 2OT". ESPN. Associated Press. January 16, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  6. Johnson, Raphielle (April 3, 2018). "Louisville forward Ray Spalding to enter 2018 NBA Draft". NBC Sports. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  7. "Mavericks acquire draft rights to Ray Spalding and Kostas Antetokounmpo". Mavs.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  8. "Mavericks sign forward Ray Spalding". Mavs.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  9. "Booker's late onslaught lifts Suns past Mavs 121–100". National Basketball Association. October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  10. "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.
  11. "Phoenix Suns Sign Ray Spalding". Phoenix Suns. February 20, 2019.
  12. https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1102215128995557378%5B%5D
  13. "Phoenix Suns Sign Ray Spalding".
  14. "Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trail Blazers - March 09, 2019".
  15. "Phoenix Suns vs. New Orleans Pelicans - March 16, 2019".
  16. Jackson nets 35 points, Suns beat Pelicans in overtime
  17. "Atlanta Hawks Sign Ray Spalding". NBA.com. July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  18. "Atlanta Hawks Request Waivers on Ray Spalding". NBA.com. October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  19. "Vipers Finalize Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 27, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  20. "Four Rio Grande Valley Vipers Players Suspended". NBA.com. December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  21. "Hornets Sign Ray Spalding". NBA.com. January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  22. Northam, Mitchell (January 21, 2020). "Ray Spalding scores 15 points in Greensboro Swarm debut". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  23. "Hornets Waive Ray Spalding". NBA.com. November 29, 2020.
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