Carlton Edward Bragg Jr. (born December 14, 1995) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for Al Nassr Riyadh of the

Saudi Basketball League The Saudi Basketball League (SBL) is the highest tier of men's and women's basketball in Saudi Arabia. Current clubs Men's league Women's League Former teams Champions of the Saudi Premier League The elite Championship Cup P ...

(SBL). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

New Mexico Lobos The New Mexico Lobos are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of New Mexico, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque. The university participates in the NCAA Division I in the Mountain West Conference (MW) since 1999 ...

and the

Kansas Jayhawks The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as simply KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools List of college athletic programs in Kansas, in the state of Kansas that participate in ...

Early life and high school career

Bragg was born in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

and was raised in the neighborhood of Wade Park. Growing up, four of his friends were murdered. He often spent time at the gym and

roller skating Roller skating is the act of travelling on surfaces with roller skates. It is a recreation, recreational activity, a sport, and a form of transportation. Roller rinks and skate parks are built for roller skating, though it also takes place on s ...

to escape violence in his hometown. Bragg played

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

before having a growth spurt and starting

in ninth grade. He played basketball for

Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School is a private Roman Catholic college-preparatory high school located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The school's name is commonly abbreviated VASJ. It was formed by the 1990 merger of Villa Angela Academy ...

in Cleveland. As a freshman, he also played baseball for the school as a

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. In his junior season, Bragg averaged 18.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, leading his team to an

Ohio High School Athletic Association The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of comp ...

Division III runner-up finish. As a senior, he averaged 21.3 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game and won the Division III state championship. Bragg was named Division III Player of the Year and was selected to the

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is an American all-star basketball game played each year for boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the hi ...

. He was considered a five-star recruit by

247Sports 247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on college recruiting, athletic recruitment in college football and college basketball, basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount Global, Paramount. The website hosts a large ...

and

Rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

. On January 8, 2015, Bragg committed to

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

over

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, joining fellow five-star recruit

Cheick Diallo Cheick Diallo (born September 13, 1996) is a Malian professional basketball player for the Osos de Manatí of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). Diallo was a five-star recruit and the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the 2015 McDonald's All-A ...

College career

Kansas

On March 10, 2016, as a freshman at

, Bragg scored a season-high 12 points in 11 minutes off the bench in an 85–63 quarterfinal win over

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public inst ...

at the Big 12 tournament. He finished the season averaging 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per game. Bragg made his sophomore debut on November 11, 2016, scoring 12 points in a 103–99 overtime loss to 11th-ranked

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

at the Armed Forces Classic. Two games later, on November 18, he posted a season-high 15 points and 11 rebounds for his first career

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the ter ...

in an 86–65 victory over

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

. On December 9, Bragg was suspended indefinitely after being arrested on a

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than admi ...

battery Battery or batterie most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source * Battery indicator, a device whic ...

charge. He was reinstated when the charge was dropped five days later. On January 26, 2017, Bragg was again suspended indefinitely after being charged with possession of

drug paraphernalia The term drug paraphernalia refers to any equipment that is used to produce, conceal, and consume illicit drugs. It includes but is not limited to items such as bongs, roach clips, miniature spoons, and various types of pipes. Product types I ...

. He was reinstated five days after reaching a

diversion Diversion, Diversions, or The Diversion may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Diversion'' (film), a 1980 British television film adapted into the 1987 movie ''Fatal Attraction'' * ''Diversion'' (play), a 1927 work by John Van Druten * '' T ...

agreement and missed three games due to the suspension. On February 22, 2017, Bragg matched his season-high of 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds in an 87–68 win over

TCU TCU may stand for: Education * Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania * Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas ** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school * Tok ...

. As a sophomore, he averaged 5.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game. After the season, Bragg announced that he was transferring from Kansas. He committed to continue his career at

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...

on May 3, 2017 over

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

and Illinois. He worked out with the team in the offseason but was not eligible to play due to

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) transfer rules. Before the season began, Bragg had stopped traveling with the team, and by January 1, 2018, he had left the program.

New Mexico

On January 25, 2018, he announced that he was transferring to

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. Bragg was forced to sit out the first semester due to NCAA transfer rules and became eligible to play on December 16, 2018. On March 9, 2019, he recorded 22 points and 20 rebounds, both the best marks of his career, in an 88–81 loss to

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

. He became the first New Mexico player to post at least 20 points and 20 rebounds since

Drew Gordon Drew Edward Gordon (July 12, 1990 – May 30, 2024) was an American professional basketball player. He spent most of his career playing overseas in Europe but also played domestically in the NBA G League and with the Philadelphia 76ers of the N ...

in 2012. In 24 games as a junior, Bragg averaged 10.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. He was named honorable mention All-

Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on Ja ...

by the media. On December 1, 2019, as a senior, Bragg chipped in a season-high 20 points and 14 rebounds in a 72–63 win over

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

. On December 16, he was recognized as Mountain West Player of the Week after recording 17 points and 17 rebounds in a 69–62 victory over

New Mexico State New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a Public university system, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1888, it is the state's oldest public institution ...

. On December 22, Bragg was suspended indefinitely after being accused of attempted rape. After missing three games, he was reinstated on January 3, 2020. On January 12, Bragg was dismissed from the team after he was arrested on charges of

driving under the influence Driving under the influence (DUI) is the crime of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while one is impaired from doing so safely by the effect of either alcohol (drug), alcohol (see drunk driving) or some other drug, whether re ...

and marijuana possession. Bragg averaged 12.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game as a senior in 15 games.

Professional career

On August 24, 2020, Bragg signed his first professional contract with

Basketball Nymburk Basketball Nymburk, also known as ERA Nymburk due to sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team that is based in the town of Nymburk. The club plays in the top-tier level professional Czech National League (NBL). Nymburk regularly pl ...

of the Czech National Basketball League. In his first and only game, he had 2 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist. On September 21, he signed with

Polski Cukier Toruń Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

of the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English language, English: Polish Basketball League), officially known as the Orlen Basket Liga due to its sponsorship by Orlen, is a professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Poland. I ...

. On August 5, 2021, he has signed with Balıkesir Büyükşehir Belediye of the

Turkish Basketball First League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

(TBL).

National team career

Bragg represented the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

with several Kansas teammates at the

2015 Summer Universiade The 2015 Summer Universiade (), officially known as the XXVIII Summer Universiade () and also known as Gwangju 2015 () was a multi-sport event for student and youth athletes sanctioned by the International University Sports Federation (FISU), hel ...

Gwangju Gwangju (; ), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated Special cities of South Korea, metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home ...

, South Korea. He averaged 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game and helped win a gold medal.

Personal life

Bragg's father, also named Carlton, is a house painter and bowler. He has a son, Carlton III, who was born in May 2017.

References

External links

Kansas Jayhawks bioNew Mexico Lobos bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bragg, Carlton Living people 1995 births American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in the Czech Republic American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Basketball players from Cleveland Edmonton Stingers players FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans Medalists at the 2015 Summer Universiade New Mexico Lobos men's basketball players Power forwards Summer World University Games medalists in basketball 21st-century American sportsmen Al Nassr BC players Manama Club basketball players