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.
 Rush in February 2015 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 7, 1985 Kansas City, Missouri |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 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 career | 2008–2021 |
| Position | Shooting guard / small forward |
| Career history | |
| 2008–2011 | Indiana Pacers |
| 2011–2013 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2013–2014 | Utah Jazz |
| 2014–2016 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2016–2017 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2019–2021 | Larisa |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
High school career
editRush 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
editRush 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
editRush 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
editAfter 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
editIndiana Pacers (2008–2011)
editRush 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)
editOn 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)
editOn 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)
editOn 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)
editOn 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)
editOn 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)
editOn 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
edit| 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 |
| † | Won an NBA championship | * | Led the league |
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Indiana | 75 | 19 | 24.0 | .423 | .373 | .697 | 3.1 | .9 | .5 | .5 | 8.1 |
| 2009–10 | Indiana | 82* | 64 | 30.4 | .423 | .411 | .629 | 4.2 | 1.4 | .7 | .8 | 9.4 |
| 2010–11 | Indiana | 67 | 21 | 26.2 | .421 | .417 | .755 | 3.2 | .9 | .6 | .5 | 9.1 |
| 2011–12 | Golden State | 65 | 1 | 26.4 | .501 | .452 | .793 | 3.9 | 1.4 | .5 | .9 | 9.8 |
| 2012–13 | Golden State | 2 | 0 | 12.5 | .667 | .000 | .667 | .5 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | 7.0 |
| 2013–14 | Utah | 38 | 0 | 11.0 | .333 | .340 | .600 | 1.2 | .6 | .1 | .2 | 2.1 |
| 2014–15† | Golden State | 33 | 0 | 8.2 | .204 | .111 | .455 | 1.2 | .4 | .2 | .4 | .9 |
| 2015–16 | Golden State | 72 | 25 | 14.7 | .427 | .414 | .643 | 2.5 | .8 | .3 | .3 | 4.2 |
| 2016–17 | Minnesota | 47 | 33 | 21.9 | .374 | .386 | .722 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .5 | .5 | 4.2 |
| Career | 481 | 163 | 22.0 | .426 | .402 | .706 | 2.9 | 1.0 | .5 | .5 | 6.8 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Indiana | 5 | 0 | 11.0 | .462 | .750 | .500 | 1.4 | .6 | .2 | .2 | 3.2 |
| 2015† | Golden State | 3 | 0 | 2.3 | .167 | .500 | .000 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 |
| 2016 | Golden State | 14 | 0 | 7.9 | .450 | .333 | .500 | 1.6 | .2 | .1 | .1 | 1.6 |
| Career | 22 | 0 | 7.8 | .410 | .444 | .500 | 1.5 | .3 | .1 | .1 | 1.9 | |
Personal life
editRush 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
editReferences
edit- ^ "Big 12 Leads Nation With Three On Wooden All-America Team", Big 12 Conference, April 1, 2008.
- ^ Brandon Rush Recruiting Profile
- ^ "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.
- ^ Sources: N.Y. scout led improper workouts
- ^ Kansas v. North Carolina 2008, Wikipedia
- ^ "North Carolina battles back, but Rush, Kansas close out Tar Heels", Associated Press, April 6, 2008.
- ^ Rivals.com Basketball Power Rankings, 2007-2008
- ^ KU's Rush, Arthur declare for the NBA draft
- ^ Ratke, Kyle (February 22, 2017). "Brandon Rush Has Jersey Retired at University of Kansas". nba.com. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
- ^ "Warriors Acquire Guard Brandon Rush From Indiana". NBA.com. December 19, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
- ^ "Pacers Acquire Amundson From Golden State For Brandon Rush". December 19, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
- ^ "Warriors Re-Sign Restricted Free Agent Brandon Rush". NBA.com. August 1, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- ^ "Brandon Rush Sustains Serious Left Knee Injury". ibabuzz.com. November 2, 2012. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
- ^ "Brandon Rush To Miss Remainder Of 2012-13 Season". NBA.com. November 3, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
- ^ "Warriors Acquire Andre Iguodala from Denver Nuggets as Part of Three-Team Trade". NBA. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ^ Warriors Sign Free Agent Brandon Rush to Contract
- ^ "Rush signs two-year deal with Warriors". Archived from the original on February 11, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
- ^ "Warriors Guard Brandon Rush Exercises Player Option for 2015-16 Season". NBA.com. June 25, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "TIMBERWOLVES SIGN GUARD/FORWARD BRANDON RUSH". NBA.com. July 8, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
- ^ "BUCKS SIGN BRANDON RUSH". NBA.com. September 19, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
- ^ "Bucks request waivers on three players". NBA.com. October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- ^ "TRAIL BLAZERS SIGN BRANDON RUSH Free agent guard/forward joins Portland on 10-day contract". NBA.com. February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ^ "Trail Blazers will not sign Brandon Rush to second 10-day deal". Sportando.com. March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "SLAM ONLINE » Rush In Revolution". Archived from the original on January 1, 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
External links
edit- Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference