Alex Poythress (born September 6, 1993) is an American-born naturalized Ivorian 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 Zenit Saint Petersburg of the

VTB United League The VTB United League () is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2009. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, it is the first tier of Russian ...

. He won the Gatorade Player of the Year in Tennessee in 2011–12 in his senior year of high school, and was the TSSAA Class AAA Mr. Basketball his senior year. He was a 5-star recruit out of Northeast High School in

Clarksville, Tennessee Clarksville is a city in Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 166,722 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tennessee, fifth-most populo ...

, during 2011–12. He played college basketball for the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

. Finished his career with 966 points, 597 rebounds and 77 blocks, becoming just the 12th player in program history with at least 900 points, at least 500 rebounds and at least 70 blocks.

High school career

Poythress was rated as the number 17 player in the class of 2012 in the

ESPNU ESPNU is an American multinational digital cable and satellite sports television channel owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remain ...

100, the number 10 player by Scout.com, and the number 8 player by Rivals.com. Poythress chose Kentucky over offers from

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, Memphis, and Vanderbilt, among others.

College career

On December 12, 2014, Poythress was ruled out for the rest of the 2014–15 season after tearing the

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...

in his left knee during practice the previous day. Poythress returned to Kentucky for his senior season, and averaged 10.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. As of the 2020–21 season, Poythress remained one of only five players to play four scholarship seasons under

John Calipari John Vincent Calipari (; born February 10, 1959) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach at the Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball, University of Arkansas. He has been named Naismith College Coach of the Year three times (1996, 2 ...

at Kentucky.

Professional career

Fort Wayne Mad Ants (2016–2017)

After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Poythress joined 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 ...

for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On August 29, 2016, he signed with the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. He was waived by the Pacers on October 17, 2016, after appearing in two preseason games. On October 31, 2016, he was acquired by the

Fort Wayne Mad Ants The Noblesville Boom are an American professional basketball team based in Noblesville, Indiana that competes in the NBA G League. The Boom are the affiliate team of the NBA's Indiana Pacers and, since 2025, they have played their home games at ...

of the

NBA Development 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, ...

as an affiliate player of the Pacers.

Philadelphia 76ers (2017)

On April 2, 2017, Poythress signed with 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 ...

to help the team deal with numerous injuries. Philadelphia had to use an NBA hardship exemption in order to sign him as he made their roster stand at 16, one over the allowed limited of 15. He made his NBA debut that night, scoring 11 points in 24 minutes off the bench in a 113–105 loss to 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 ...

. On April 11, 2017, he signed with the 76ers for the remainder of the season.

Indiana Pacers (2017–2018)

On August 22, 2017, Poythress signed a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless o ...

by the

. Under the terms of the deal, he will split time between the Pacers and their G-League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, with him projected to return to Fort Wayne once again for the majority of the season. However, on December 28, 2017, Poythress' contract would be converted into a full, regular season contract despite him playing in only 11 games with the Pacers by that point. On July 6, 2018, he was waived by the Pacers.

Atlanta Hawks (2018–2019)

On August 20, 2018, Poythress signed a two-way deal with the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

. Poythress appeared in 21 games for the Hawks (one start), averaging 5.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He also averaged 23.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks in 18 G-League games for the Erie Bayhawks. On August 12, 2019, Poythress signed with Jilin Northeast Tigers of the CBA.

Galatasaray (2019–2020)

On December 2, 2019, he signed with Galatasaray of the Turkish

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League (; TBSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replaced the former Turkish Bas ...

(BSL). Poythress averaged 12.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the team.

Zenit Saint Petersburg (2020–2022)

On July 7, 2020, he signed with Zenit Saint Petersburg of the

and the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

. On June 16, 2021, Poythress renewed his contract with the Russian club.

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2022–2023)

On June 21, 2022, he signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

and

. In 16 EuroLeague games, he averaged 7.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 22 minutes per contest.

Olimpia Milano (2023–2024)

On July 28, 2023, he signed with

Olimpia Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...

of the Italian

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club (sport), club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball ...

(LBA).

Zenit Saint Petersburg (2024–)

On June 26, 2024, he signed with Zenit Saint Petersburg of the Russian

(VTB).

International career

Poythress received an Ivorian passport in 2022 in order to play for their national team and to not be considered an import player under the

Cotonou Agreement The Cotonou Agreement (French: ''Accord de Cotonou'') is a treaty between the European Union (EU) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States ("ACP countries"). It was signed in June 2000 in Cotonou, Benin's largest city, by 78 ACP c ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 6 , , 1 , , 26.2 , , .463 , , .316 , , .800 , , 4.8 , , .8 , , .5 , , .3 , , 10.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

, 25 , , 0 , , 4.2 , , .423 , , .364 , , – , , .7 , , .1 , , .1 , , .0 , , 1.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, 21 , , 1 , , 14.5 , , .494 , , .391 , , .621 , , 3.6 , , .8 , , .2 , , .5 , , 5.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 52 , , 2 , , 10.9 , , .472 , , .358 , , .667 , , 2.3 , , .5 , , .2 , , .3 , , 3.8

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", Zenit , 32 , , 7 , , 18.8 , , .595 , , .000 , , .711 , , 4.3 , , .5 , , .6 , , .7 , , 8.6 , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , 23 , , 5 , , 20.2 , , .628 , , .000 , , .766 , , 4.2 , , .9 , , .7 , , .6 , , 7.7 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2022–23 , style="text-align:left;", Maccabi Tel Aviv , 16 , , 13 , , 22.3 , , .545 , , .200 , , .587 , , 3.6 , , .8 , , .5 , , .6 , , 7.8 , , 7.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2023–24 , style="text-align:left;",

, 30 , , 9 , , 12.8 , , .598 , , .200 , , .793 , , 2.7 , , .1 , , .3 , , .4 , , 5.3 , , 4.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 101 , , 34 , , 17.9 , , .595 , , .125 , , .707 , , 3.7 , , .5 , , .5 , , .5 , , 7.3 , , 7.6

EuroCup

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;", Galatasaray , 7 , , 6 , , 27.9 , , .473 , , .333 , , .840 , , 7.1 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , .9 , , 13.6 , , 14.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 7 , , 6 , , 27.9 , , .473 , , .333 , , .840 , , 7.1 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , .9 , , 13.6 , , 14.3

Domestic leagues

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%; text-align:right;" ! Year ! Team ! League ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", D-League , , 46 , , 31.1 , , .528 , , .403 , , .783 , , 7.1 , , 1.5 , , .7 , , 1.4 , , 18.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", G League , , 7 , , 34.1 , , .482 , , .227 , , .675 , , 8.9 , , 2.7 , , .9 , , 1.4 , , 20.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , , style="text-align:left;", Erie BayHawks , , style="text-align:center;", G League , , 18 , , 34.8 , , .516 , , .296 , , .698 , , 9.7 , , 2.9 , , 1.2 , , 1.3 , , 23.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , , style="text-align:left;", Galatasaray , , style="text-align:center;", TBSL , , 13 , , 26.8 , , .508 , , .174 , , .629 , , 5.9 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , .5 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , , style="text-align:left;", Zenit , , style="text-align:center;", VTBUL , , 18 , , 18.7 , , .670 , , .000 , , .696 , , 4.1 , , .7 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , , style="text-align:left;", Zenit , , style="text-align:center;", VTBUL , , 21 , , 25.7 , , .724 , , .000 , , .726 , , 5.7 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2022–23 , , style="text-align:left;", Maccabi Tel Aviv , , style="text-align:center;", Ligat HaAl , , 14 , , 20.4 , , .708 , , .000 , , .657 , , 5.2 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , .6 , , 10.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2023–24 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", LBA , , 18 , , 15.3 , , .534 , , .000 , , .673 , , 3.3 , , .3 , , .6 , , .3 , , 7.3

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

, 33 , , 31 , , 25.8 , , .581 , , .424 , , .689 , , 6.0 , , .7 , , .3 , , .4 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;",

, 40 , , 0 , , 18.4 , , .497 , , .242 , , .625 , , 4.5 , , .4 , , .3 , , .7 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 8 , , 20.3 , , .381 , , .000 , , .857 , , 3.8 , , .3 , , .5 , , 1.5 , , 5.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 23 , , 23.6 , , .601 , , .304 , , .706 , , 6.0 , , .3 , , .6 , , .7 , , 10.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 112 , , 62 , , 22.1 , , .551 , , .302 , , .686 , , 5.3 , , .5 , , .4 , , 0.7 , , 8.6

References

External links

Kentucky Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poythress, Alex 1993 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Russia American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players from Savannah, Georgia Basketball players from Tennessee Centers (basketball) BC Zenit Saint Petersburg players Erie BayHawks (2017–2019) players Fort Wayne Mad Ants players Galatasaray S.K. (men's basketball) players Indiana Pacers players Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. players McDonald's High School All-Americans Olimpia Milano players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Philadelphia 76ers players Power forwards Sportspeople from Clarksville, Tennessee Undrafted NBA players Naturalised basketball players 21st-century American sportsmen