Gabriel Michael Pruitt (born April 19, 1986) is an American former professional

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player. He played two seasons for the

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of the

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(NBA), winning an NBA championship with the team in 2008. He also played in the NBA D League,

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, and

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from 2010 to 2018.

High school

Pruitt and was born in

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and attended Westchester High School, where he averaged 22 points per game as a senior in 2004. He was a fourth-team ''Parade'' All-American selection, ''

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'' All-City and South Bay/Westside first team and South Bay ''

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'' Player of the Year honors. He was listed as the No. 20 prep player in the country by ''Basketball Times'' after his senior year, and was considered among the top 20 prep guards by

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and Insiders.com in his senior year in 2004.

College career

2004–2005

Pruitt earned team MVP honors along with fellow freshman

Nick Young Nicholas Aaron Young (born June 1, 1985), nicknamed "Swaggy P", is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was a two-time first-team all-conference selection in the Pac-10 The ...

. He led the Trojans in points (356), scoring average (12.3), three-point average (.450), assists (92), and steals (56) earning him selection to the All-Pac-10 freshman team. His three-point field-goal percentage set a school record and he hit at a .547 clip (41-of-75) in the latter half of the season. He was among the all-time Trojan top-10 freshmen in points (fifth) average (T-fourth), field goals (seventh), field-goals attempted (eighth), field-goal percentage (the ninth-best ever by a freshman guard), three-pointers (1st), three-pointers attempted (second), three-pointer percentage (first), free-throw percentage (ninth), assists (fifth) and steals (second). He scored in double digits in 20 of 29 of his games, including a season-high of 23 twice, both against Stanford at home on January 22 and at Stanford on February 27. In the home game v. Stanford, he made a season high of seven three-pointers out of 11 attempted. This tied him with Anthony Pendleton, who had achieved this feat on December 9, 1987. He had a season-best eight assists in his game v. San Diego on December 11. and a high of eight rebounds v. Arizona State on February 12.

2005–2006

Pruitt started 25 games for the USC and finished second on that team and fifth in the Pac-10 with a 16.9 scoring average, while snagging 4.0 rebounds and having 3.1 assists per game. He was named to the All-Pac-10 First Team along with teammate Nick Young; they had become the first pair of Trojans to make the team since Duane Cooper and Harold Miner in 1992. Additionally Pruitt was selected to the NABC District 15 first team. On December 3 v. BYU, he had his first career double-double, scoring 17 points with a career-high 10 rebounds. His next career high was made when he scored 36 points in a 71–69 victory at Loyola Marymount on December 10, which earned him Pac-10 Player of the Week honors. From the

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, Pruitt was 13-19 (68.4 percent), including 5-for-10 from three-point range. He became the 12th Trojan to score 36 points or more in a game. He had 16 points (counting 5-for-8 from outside the arc), six rebounds and assists, and four steals in a victory over North Carolina on December 21. He sealed USC's win over

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

on December 31 by making 10 of 12

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

shots down the line, including 6–6 in the final 47 seconds of the 82–71 win at the

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...

. He scored 30 points on 11-for-18 shooting (5-11 from three-point range) in a near-victory against

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 January 5 (at 66–65). Pruitt scored six three-pointers and made all of his 21 points in the second half of an 86–77 loss vs. Washington on the twelfth. He marked 30 points again on an 8–12 shooting (6 three-pointers made) in an 84–78 win on January 28. Pruitt became the ninth Trojan to score 30 or more points in three games or more in the same season and the first since Harold Miner in 1992 (who did this 11 times). He tallied a career-high seven steals and a game-high 25 points in a 77–70 win over Arizona on February 2. Then he missed several games from February 9 to February 25 after he suffered a

tibial plateau fracture A tibial plateau fracture is a bone fracture, break of the upper part of the tibia (shinbone) that involves the knee joint. This could involve the medial, lateral, central, or bicondylar (medial and lateral). Symptoms include pain, knee effusion, ...

in his left knee. His return to action was on March 2, playing in USC's final three games. However, he only marked 29.3 percent of his shots (12-for-41). He ranked second in the Pac-10 in steals with 55 (2.2 per game). His 111 steals are among the tops of the Pac-10. Making 94 of his 117 (80.3 percent) free-throw attempts, he ranked tenth in the conference and earned the Joe Barbato Award for the best free-throw percentage on the Trojans at the team awards dinner. During the end of the 2005–2006 season, Pruitt gained slight media attention after he was the victim of a

Catfishing Catfishing refers to the creation of a fictitious online persona, or fake identity (typically on social networking platforms), with the intent of deception, usually to mislead a victim into an online romantic relationship or to commit finan ...

scam in which a

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student later revealed to be named Steven Kenyon pretended to be a female

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

student named Victoria. Victoria messaged Pruitt on

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and the two chatted flirtatiously and planned a date after Pruitt's game against Cal. During the game, several students in the student section for Cal having been in on the gig, chanted taunts at Pruitt. Things such as "Call Gabe" and "Victoria! Victoria!" were chanted by hundred of students in the audience. Kenyon later commented that the entire ordeal was to give Cal a competitive advantage by throwing Pruitt off his feet.

2006–2007

Since he was an efficient shooter, defender, and leader, Pruitt did fairly well as a

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for the Trojans. with 131 three-pointers, Pruitt holds the record for most three-pointers by a Trojan (in his first two seasons), ranking 10th all-time at

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

. Pruitt, who missed the first 13 games of the season while academically ineligible, finished third in scoring, averaging 12.5 points per game, while leading the team in assists with 113 and steals with 47 in 26 games. He also led USC in free throw shooting, hitting 80.0 percent, to win the Joe Barbato Award for the team's highest free throw percentage for his second consecutive season. Pruitt became the 32nd Trojan in history to score 1,000 points in his career, and ranks 27th all-time at USC in scoring with 1,102 points. He also stands in fourth place all-time at USC for three-pointers made with 179 while holding down the sixth spot in steals with 158. He was also selected to the honorable-mention all-pac-10 team. Pruitt helped lead East Region five-seed USC to the round of Sweet Sixteen in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, where they fell to No. 1 North Carolina, 74–64. Pruitt scored in double figures in all three NCAA Tournament games against Arkansas, Kevin Durant-led Texas, and the Tar Heels, and had better than a 3:1 assist to turnover ratio (19 to 6). On April 27, 2007, Pruitt announced that he registered for the

2007 NBA draft The 2007 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2007, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amate ...

, following teammate and fellow junior

in declaring for the draft, whereas freshman teammate

Taj Gibson Taj Jami Gibson (born June 24, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans men's basketball, USC Trojans and was sele ...

declined to make himself eligible, and was eventually selected by the

in the 2nd round with the 32nd overall selection.

NBA and D-League

2007–2008

Pruitt did not see significant playing time in his first

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

season. Being the 4th string

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behind

Rajon Rondo Rajon Pierre Rondo Sr. (; born February 22, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. Rondo won two NBA championships, was selected four times as an NBA All-Star, earned four NBA All-Defensive Team honors including two First Te ...

Eddie House Edward Lee House II (born May 14, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. A guard known for his three-point shooting, House played for nine NBA teams in 11 seasons in the league. He was a member of the Boston Celtics team that ...

and

Sam Cassell Samuel James Cassell Sr. (born November 18, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach and former point guard who serves as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drafted 24th overall in th ...

, he spent most of the season playing with the Celtics'

D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

affiliate, the

Utah Flash Orem, Utah Orem Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Utah, Provo, Lindon, Utah, Lindon, and Vineyard, Utah, Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake ...

2008–2009

Pruitt played a small role on the Celtics, averaging under 8 minutes per game.

2009–2010

Pruitt was waived by the Celtics on July 31, 2009. He played with the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

during their 2009 training camp, but was waived on October 7, 2009. Pruitt then played for the

Los Angeles D-Fenders The South Bay Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, that competes in the NBA G League. Founded in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, who were the first ...

and

of the NBA Developmental League.

2011–2012

Pruitt started the 2011–12 season in the D-League with the

Sioux Falls Skyforce The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team has played its home games in the Sanford Pentagon since the 2013–14 ...

. After appearing in just two games, he signed with the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

in December 2011. On December 21, 2011, after two preseason games against the

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, he was waived, and returned to the Skyforce.

2012–2013

On February 26, 2013, Pruitt was traded to the

Maine Red Claws The Maine Celtics are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo Building. The Boston Celtics pu ...

, in exchange for James Mays. He left the Red Claws in late March.

European career

On April 3, 2013, Pruitt signed with the Greek League club Rethymno Aegean.

College statistics

Source: http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/bviewplayer.asp?Player=46729

Rankings

*Pruitt was ranked #46 in Rivals Hoops 2004 top 150 players. *Pruitt was ranked the #9 point guards in 2004 by RivalsRivals.com Prospect Rankings
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NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Playoffs

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References

External links

*
Eurobasket.com ProfileGreek Basket League Profile

Draftexpress.com Profile

Scoresway.com Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pruitt, Gabe 1986 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Cyprus American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Mexico American men's basketball players Basketball players from Los Angeles Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics players Elitzur Ashkelon players Keravnos B.C. players Los Angeles D-Fenders players Maine Red Claws players Rethymno B.C. players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Panionios B.C. players Point guards Santos de San Luis players Shooting guards Sioux Falls Skyforce players USC Trojans men's basketball players Utah Flash players Westchester High School (Los Angeles) alumni