Aaron Michael Gray (born December 7, 1984) is an American former 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 who played seven seasons in the

National Basketball Association 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 ...

(NBA). A heart condition forced him into early retirement in 2015.

Early life and education

Gray was born December 7, 1984, in the Tarzana section of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California, and attended Emmaus High School in

Emmaus, Pennsylvania Emmaus ( ) is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 11,652. Emmaus is located in the Lehigh Valley, the third-largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania and 68th-largest metrop ...

High school career

Gray played

high school basketball High school basketball, also known as prep basketball, is the sport of basketball as played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. Top high school athletes often go on to play college basketball after ...

for Emmaus High School, which is a member of Pennsylvania's highly competitive East Penn Conference. Gray did not begin playing for the varsity team until the middle of his sophomore season. In Gray's senior season at Emmaus High School, he was named Pennsylvania's Gatorade Player of the Year. Gray was recruited by major collegiate basketball programs, including

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

, Pitt, and

Rutgers Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...

, and committed to Pitt.

College career

While at Pitt, Gray was named a Third Team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

after helping lead Pitt to the Sweet 16 in the 2007 NCAA Division I tournament in March 2007.

National Basketball Association

At the

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 ...

's pre-draft camp in 2007, Gray was the only player whose height measured at least seven feet without shoes. He was selected with the 49th overall selection by the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

in the 2007 NBA draft.

Chicago Bulls (2007–2010)

On November 2, 2007, Gray made his NBA debut with the

against the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. On April 16, 2008, against the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

, he recorded 19 points, 22 rebounds, and two assists in 35 minutes of play. In the 2007–08 season, Gray scored 262 points and recorded 168 rebounds for the Bulls.

New Orleans Hornets (2010–2011)

On January 25, 2010, the Bulls traded Gray to the

New Orleans Hornets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

for Devin Brown. On July 15, 2010, the Hornets re-signed Gray.

Toronto Raptors (2011–2013)

On December 11, 2011, Gray was signed to a one-year contract by the

. On July 27, 2012, Gray was re-signed by the Raptors. On January 28, 2013, Gray recorded a career high 22 points, along with 10 rebounds, in a 114–102 loss to

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

Sacramento Kings (2013–2014)

On December 9, 2013, the Raptors traded Gray,

Rudy Gay Rudy Carlton Gay Jr. (born August 17, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. A forward, he played college basketball for the UConn Huskies before being selected eighth overall in the 2006 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets, ...

, and Quincy Acy, to the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

for

Greivis Vásquez Greivis Josué Vásquez Rodríguez (born January 16, 1987) is a Venezuelan former professional basketball player, who spent six seasons in the NBA. He is currently a coach, most recently working as the associate head coach for the Birmingham Squa ...

, Patrick Patterson, John Salmons, and Chuck Hayes.

Detroit Pistons (2014)

On August 18, 2014, Gray signed with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. On September 29, 2014, the Pistons announced Gray would miss training camp while rehabbing from a cardiac episode suffered following a voluntary workout in late August. On October 26, 2014, he was waived by the Pistons. On June 19, 2015, Gray retired after a

blood clot A thrombus ( thrombi) is a solid or semisolid aggregate from constituents of the blood (platelets, fibrin, red blood cells, white blood cells) within the circulatory system during life. A blood clot is the final product of the blood coagulatio ...

was discovered in his heart in the summer of 2014.

Coaching career

Detroit Pistons (2015–2018)

Following the end of his playing career, Gray joined Stan Van Gundy's staff with the

as an assistant coach to work with the team's big men and with young prospects of the Grand Rapids Drive, team's

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Playoffs

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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Aaron 1984 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Canada American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from California Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania Basketball players from Los Angeles Basketball players from Pennsylvania Centers (basketball) Chicago Bulls draft picks Chicago Bulls players Detroit Pistons assistant coaches Emmaus High School alumni New Orleans Hornets players People from Tarzana, Los Angeles Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball players Sacramento Kings players Sportspeople from Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Toronto Raptors players