Arron Agustin Afflalo (born October 15, 1985) 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 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). 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

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF ...

. As a junior, he was named a consensus

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 ...

and was voted the player of the year in the

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...

. After forgoing his senior year in college, Afflalo was selected in the first round of the 2007 NBA draft by 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 ...

with the 27th overall pick.

Early life

Afflalo was born at the UCLA Medical Center in

Los Angeles, California 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, ...

, only a few minutes' walk from Pauley Pavilion, where the UCLA Bruins play their home games. His parents are Benjamin Afflalo and Gwendolyn Washington. He also has a younger sister named Paris. Afflalo has grandparents from Jamaica and is also of Portuguese and Moroccan descent. He is named after the Biblical figure

Aaron According to the Old Testament of the Bible, Aaron ( or ) was an Israelite prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of Moses. Information about Aaron comes exclusively from religious texts, such as the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament ...

but his mother changed the spelling to make it unique. Afflalo's parents did not marry and separated when he was three. He lived with his mother until the age of 13 and then moved into his father's house in

Compton, California Compton is a city located in the Gateway Cities region of southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county, and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth ci ...

. Afflalo grew up as a fan of the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

and his favourite player was Byron Scott; Afflalo wore a #4 jersey in honor of Scott who used the same number. As a senior in the 2003–04 season, Afflalo helped lead Centennial High School to a California Division III title. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Afflalo was listed as the No. 6 shooting guard and the No. 26 player in the nation in 2004.

College career

As a collegiate player for

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 ...

, Afflalo's defensive dominance throughout the 2006–07 season (one example being holding Cal's Ayinde Ubaka to zero points in one of the two teams' matchups), and his 17.4 points per game, led to him being voted the Pac-10 Player of the Year by the other coaches in the conference. He also set the then-school record for most three-point field goals made (87) in a season. Commenting on the award, Afflalo said, "It is good that contributions on both ends of the floor are recognized ... If you truly have a love and passion for the game, then you should work at every aspect of it, not just the part that gives you ttention that being scoring."

NCAA tournament

In a 2006 NCAA tournament game against

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, Afflalo hit the game-winning three-point shot and also defended Alabama point guard Ronald Steele on his errant three-point attempt which would have given Alabama the lead. In the Bruins' 2006 Sweet Sixteen comeback victory over Gonzaga, Afflalo and teammate Ryan Hollins, in what was later widely hailed as a classy move, helped the distraught Gonzaga star Adam Morrison off the court after the final buzzer sounded. Against Memphis in the Elite Eight, Afflalo was noted by many to be largely responsible for stopping Rodney Carney and helping UCLA advance to the

Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...

. In the 2007 NCAA Tournament, he was named the West Regional's Most Outstanding Player after scoring 24 points and making several big plays in a 68–55 victory over 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 ...

. However, his quick foul trouble against the Florida Gators cost his team the ability to successfully compete and the Bruins ended up bowing out of the tournament.

Professional career

Detroit Pistons (2007–2009)

On June 28, 2007, Afflalo was drafted with the 27th overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons and later signed July 6. In a surprising turn of events, Afflalo made his first career NBA start on November 1, 2007, the opening night of his rookie season, when Richard Hamilton missed the first two games to attend the birth of his son. Afflalo started the team's first and second games during his rookie campaign that culminated with a loss to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

in the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2008 NBA Playoffs. On February 14, 2009, Afflalo helped Team Detroit to its second victory in three years at the Shooting Stars Competition during the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, Arizona. Afflalo teamed with Detroit Shock head coach and former NBA legend Bill Laimbeer, and Shock guard Katie Smith to get the win against Team Phoenix in the final.

Denver Nuggets (2009–2012)

On July 13, 2009, he was traded along with Walter Sharpe to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

in exchange for a second round pick in the 2011 NBA draft and cash. The draft pick became the 52nd overall pick and was used by the Pistons to draft Vernon Macklin. On February 10, 2011, Afflalo made a 20-foot jump shot at the buzzer over Shawn Marion as the Nuggets defeated the eventual NBA champion

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

121–120, in a game that would be Carmelo Anthony’s final Denver home game. The Nuggets trailed by as many as 13 in the 4th quarter and were down 119–110 with under 2 minutes to play before pulling off a miraculous upset victory. Afflalo had 19 points in the fourth quarter alone to almost single-handedly power Denver to the win, ending Dallas’ ten game win streak.

Orlando Magic (2012–2014)

On August 10, 2012, he was traded to the Orlando Magic in a four-team deal which sent Dwight Howard to the

, Andrew Bynum to the Philadelphia 76ers, and

Andre Iguodala Andre Tyler Iguodala ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player who played for 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The swingman was an NBA All-Star in 2012 and was named to the NBA All ...

to the Nuggets. On December 3, 2013, he recorded a career-high 43 points and minutes with 52, in a double-overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. His previous career-high in points came just less than a month earlier with 36 points against the

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

on November 13, where he also made a career-high 8 three-point shots.

Return to the Nuggets (2014–2015)

On June 26, 2014, Afflalo was traded back to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Evan Fournier and the draft rights to Devyn Marble. Afflalo, arguably Orlando's best player in 2013–14, was dealt to avoid concerns that he would opt out of his contract following the 2014–15 season and assured the Magic value in return. The transaction also cleared $6 million in cap space for the team. On October 29, 2014, Afflalo made his return for the Nuggets, recording 15 points and four rebounds in the season opening 89–79 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Portland Trail Blazers (2015)

On February 19, 2015, Afflalo was traded, along with Alonzo Gee, to the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

in exchange for Will Barton, Víctor Claver, Thomas Robinson, and a lottery-protected 2016 first-round pick.

New York Knicks (2015–2016)

On July 9, 2015, Afflalo signed 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 ...

. The move reunited him with his former

teammate Carmelo Anthony. Afflalo missed the first eight games of the regular season with hamstring issues, making his debut for the Knicks on November 11 against the Charlotte Hornets. In 28 minutes as a starter, he recorded 12 points and 6 rebounds in a 95–93 loss. Over his first nine games for the Knicks, Afflalo averaged just 11.2 points per game. He went on to score a season-high 31 points in an overtime loss to the Houston Rockets on November 29. He topped that mark with 38 points against the Atlanta Hawks on January 3, hitting 14-of-17 from the field and 7-of-8 from three-point range.

Sacramento Kings (2016–2017)

On July 9, 2016, Afflalo signed with 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 ...

. On June 23, 2017, he was waived by the Kings.

Return to Orlando (2017–2018)

On July 27, 2017, Afflalo signed with the Orlando Magic, returning to the franchise for a second stint. On January 16, 2018, Afflalo was involved in an on-court fight with the Minnesota Timberwolves' Nemanja Bjelica; he took a swing on Bjelica but Bjelica evaded it and put Afflalo in a headlock to calm him down. Afflalo later received a two-game suspension for his actions. Afflalo finished the season with career-lows of 3.4 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists over 53 games.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 75 , , 9 , , 12.9 , , .411 , , .208 , , .782 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .4 , , .1 , , 3.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 74 , , 8 , , 16.7 , , .437 , , .402 , , .817 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .4 , , .2 , , 4.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 75 , , 27.1 , , .465 , , .434 , , .735 , , 3.1 , , 1.7 , , .6 , , .4 , , 8.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 69 , , 69 , , 33.7 , , .498 , , .423 , , .847 , , 3.6 , , 2.4 , , .5 , , .4 , , 12.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 62 , , 62 , , 33.6 , , .471 , , .398 , , .798 , , 3.2 , , 2.4 , , .6 , , .2 , , 15.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Orlando , 64 , , 64 , , 36.0 , , .439 , , .300 , , .857 , , 3.7 , , 3.2 , , .6 , , .2 , , 16.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Orlando , 73 , , 73 , , 35.0 , , .459 , , .427 , , .815 , , 3.6 , , 3.4 , , .5 , , .0 , , 18.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 53 , , 53 , , 33.0 , , .428 , , .337 , , .841 , , 3.4 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , .1 , , 14.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Portland , 25 , , 19 , , 30.1 , , .414 , , .400 , , .851 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .1 , , 10.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , New York , 71 , , 57 , , 33.4 , , .443 , , .382 , , .840 , , 3.7 , , 2.0 , , .4 , , .1 , , 12.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, 61 , , 45 , , 25.9 , , .440 , , .411 , , .892 , , 2.0 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .1 , , 8.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Orlando , 53 , , 3 , , 12.9 , , .401 , , .386 , , .846 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .1 , , .2 , , 3.4 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 762 , , 537 , , 27.3 , , .450 , , .386 , , .825 , , 2.9 , , 1.8 , , .4 , , .2 , , 10.8

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, align="left" ,

, 12 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .389 , , .000 , , .000 , , .4 , , .5 , , .3 , , .0 , , 1.2 , - , align="left" ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 16.5 , , .476 , , .200 , , .600 , , .8 , , .3 , , .0 , , .5 , , 6.3 , - , align="left" ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, align="left" ,

, 6 , , 6 , , 20.0 , , .625 , , .429 , , .818 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , .3 , , 9.2 , - , align="left" ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, align="left" ,

, 3 , , 3 , , 28.3 , , .353 , , .250 , , .875 , , 3.0 , , 2.3 , , .0 , , .0 , , 11.3 , - , align="left" ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, align="left" ,

, 7 , , 7 , , 32.7 , , .405 , , .200 , , .800 , , 3.6 , , 2.7 , , .7 , , .3 , , 10.9 , - , align="left" ,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, align="left" , Portland , 3 , , 3 , , 20.0 , , .167 , , .250 , , .000 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.7 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 35 , , 19 , , 18.4 , , .424 , , .258 , , .775 , , 1.7 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , .2 , , 6.0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2004–05 , style="text-align:left;",

, 29, , 29, , 31.3, , .442, , .386, , .708, , 3.3, , 2.2, , .6, , .2, , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , style="text-align:left;",

, 39, , 38, , 33.4, , .462, , .366, , .806, , 4.2, , 1.8, , .6, , .1, , 15.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;",

, 36, , 36, , 32.9, , .461, , .375, , .802, , 2.8, , 1.9, , .6, , .2, , 16.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 104 , , 103 , , 32.7 , , .457 , , .373 , , .781 , , 3.5 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , .2 , , 14.8

Personal life

Afflalo attended Centennial High School two years ahead of rapper

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...

, who credited Afflalo's academic and athletic achievements in the first verse of the song "Black Boy Fly", a bonus track from his album '' Good Kid, M.A.A.D City''. In the song, Lamar described Afflalo as an example of someone who had the "determination, ambition plus dedication and wisdom" to get out of Compton. Afflalo nodded towards Lamar's drive in an interview with XXL, saying "I was almost like the golden child in the city of Compton, or at least at Centennial at that time, considering where I was as a basketball player, and all the positivity I had around me, in terms of school and people appreciating me and showing me love for what I did on the court and in the community at that time in my life. So for him to kind of be in the background and who he is today, it showed you the perseverance that he had for so many years."

Notes

References

External links

*
Official website

UCLA bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Afflalo, Arron 1985 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players American people of Moroccan descent American people of Portuguese descent Sportspeople of Portuguese descent American sportspeople of Jamaican descent Basketball players from Los Angeles Centennial High School (Compton, California) alumni Denver Nuggets players Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons players McDonald's High School All-Americans New York Knicks players Orlando Magic players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Portland Trail Blazers players Sacramento Kings players Shooting guards Small forwards UCLA Bruins men's basketball players