Brandon Leray Rush (born July 7, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted in the first round of the

2008 NBA draft The 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008, at the The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this NBA draft, draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took t ...

by the Portland Trail Blazers, before being traded to 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 ...

on draft day, after playing for

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 ...

for three seasons, including the 2008 championship season. He was selected as a Wooden Award All-American in both 2007 and 2008 as a Jayhawk. Rush has also played for the

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 ...

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

, and

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

, winning an

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

with the Warriors in

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 ...

High school career

Rush played high school basketball at Westport High School in Missouri and Mt. Zion Christian Academy in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Rush was listed as the No. 2 small forward and the No. 13 player in the nation in 2005. After withdrawing from the

2005 NBA draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players fro ...

, he committed to play collegiately at Kansas under

Bill Self Billy Eugene Self Jr. (born December 27, 1962) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball, Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team. Self has held various coaching roles at the collegiate level an ...

College career

Rush was the starting small forward in every game that season. He led the Jayhawks in scoring (13.5 points per game), rebounding (5.9) and three-point shooting percentage (47.2%). He was instrumental in the team's Big 12 Conference championship run, and was elected the conference Freshman of the Year. He was also the first freshman ever to be named to the First Team All-Big 12, before

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Durant has won two List of NBA champions, NBA champ ...

did it the following season for the Texas Longhorns. He was selected as the preseason Co-Player of the Year in the Big 12, along with fellow Jayhawk

Julian Wright Julian Emil-Jamaal Wright (born May 20, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Kansas. In 2014–15, he was the top rebounder in the Israel Basketball Premier League. Hig ...

. He was also selected as a preseason All-American. In 2007, he earned a position on the All-Tournament Team in the Big 12 Tournament. On April 26, 2007, Rush announced his intentions to enter the 2007 NBA draft, but he did not sign with an agent.

Injury

Rush returned to Kansas in May 2007, 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 right knee in a pickup game. He had planned to enter 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 ...

had he not been injured, but returned to play for Kansas. On June 1, 2007, the torn ACL was successfully repaired. After rehabilitation, he returned to play in November, and became a starter soon afterward. On October 27, 2010, it was reported that Rush had, in fact, suffered the ACL injury during an illegal workout conducted by Rodney Heard, director of East Coast scouting for 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 ...

;

Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III ( ; born April 30, 1961), also known as "Zeke", is an American former professional basketball player who is head coach of the Saginaw Soul of the Basketball Super League, and also an analyst for NBA TV and Fox Sports. H ...

, then-president of the Knicks, is said to have known of the secret workouts. Rush verified the allegation, and severe sanctions were expected to be levied against the Knicks organization.

Junior season

After returning to the starting lineup, he led Kansas to a national title in the 2008 NCAA championship. He was named Most Valuable Player in the national semifinal game against

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, with 25 points and 7 rebounds. He was rated number one small forward in all of college basketball by Rivals.com for his overall statistics after being named MVP in the Big 12 Tournament and averaging 15.8 points per game in the six games of the NCAA national championship tournament. On April 17, 2008, he declared himself eligible for the 2008 NBA draft, skipping his senior year. On February 22, 2017, the University of Kansas basketball program retired his jersey, #25.

Professional career

Indiana Pacers (2008–2011)

Rush was selected 13th overall by 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 the

. He was then traded to the

, along with Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts, for Jerryd Bayless and

Ike Diogu Ikechukwu Somtochukwu Diogu (born September 11, 1983) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for Piratas de La Guaira of the Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto in Venezuela. Family and early life Diogu's parents, natives of Ni ...

Golden State Warriors (2011–2013)

On December 19, 2011, Rush was traded to the

in exchange for Louis Amundson. On August 1, 2012, Rush re-signed with the Warriors on a two-year, $8 million contract. In a game against the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

on November 2, 2012, Rush injured his left knee landing awkwardly after being fouled in the air by

Zach Randolph Zachary McKenley Randolph (born July 16, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Z-Bo", the 2-time NBA All-Star played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans men's basketball, Michigan State Spartans bef ...

. An

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and rad ...

the next day revealed a torn ACL. The extent of the injury ruled him out for the remainder of the 2012–13 season.

Utah Jazz (2013–2014)

On July 10, 2013, Rush was traded, along with

Richard Jefferson Richard Allen Jefferson Jr. (born June 21, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played small forward. He played for eight teams in his 17-season career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jefferson playe ...

and

Andris Biedriņš Andris Biedriņš (; born 2 April 1986) is a Latvian former professional basketball player. He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the 11th overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft. Professional career Skonto (2002–2004) Biedriņš's p ...

and several draft picks, to the

in a three-team trade that brought

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 ...

and Kevin Murphy to the Warriors.

Second stint with Golden State (2014–2016)

On July 22, 2014, Rush signed a two-year deal with the Golden State Warriors, returning to the franchise for a second stint. Rush won his first NBA championship with the Warriors after they defeated the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

in the

2015 NBA Finals The 2015 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2014–15 season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven series, the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors ...

in six games. On June 25, 2015, Rush exercised his player option with the Warriors for the 2015–16 season. On November 28, 2015, he started at small forward against the Sacramento Kings in place of the injured

Harrison Barnes Harrison Bryce Jordan Barnes (born May 30, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels before being sel ...

. He subsequently scored 16 points, his highest scoring total since scoring 19 points on April 22, 2012. On January 8, 2016, he scored a season-high 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting against the Portland Trail Blazers. Rush helped the Warriors win an NBA record 73 games to eclipse the 72 wins set by the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls. Rush played limited minutes during the Warriors playoff run to the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

. The Warriors would again face the

. Despite the Warriors going up 3–1 in the series following a Game 4 win, they went on to lose the series in seven games to become the first team in NBA history to lose the championship series after being up 3–1.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2016–2017)

On July 8, 2016, Rush signed with the

. On September 19, 2017, Rush signed with 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 ...

. He was waived on October 14 as one of the team's final preseason roster cuts.

Portland Trail Blazers (2018)

On February 21, 2018, the

signed Rush to a 10-day contract. Rush left Portland after the 10-day contract expired, without even playing a game for the team.

Larisa (2019–2021)

On November 21, 2019, Rush returned to action and signed overseas with

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

club Larisa for the remainder of the 2019–2020 season. On August 26, 2020, Rush renewed his contract with the Greek team.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

, 75 , , 19 , , 24.0 , , .423 , , .373 , , .697 , , 3.1 , , .9 , , .5 , , .5 , , 8.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 64 , , 30.4 , , .423 , , .411 , , .629 , , 4.2 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .8 , , 9.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 67 , , 21 , , 26.2 , , .421 , , .417 , , .755 , , 3.2 , , .9 , , .6 , , .5 , , 9.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 65 , , 1 , , 26.4 , , .501 , , .452 , , .793 , , 3.9 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , .9 , , 9.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 2 , , 0 , , 12.5 , , .667 , , .000 , , .667 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 7.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, 38 , , 0 , , 11.0 , , .333 , , .340 , , .600 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .1 , , .2 , , 2.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 33 , , 0 , , 8.2 , , .204 , , .111 , , .455 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .2 , , .4 , , .9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 72 , , 25 , , 14.7 , , .427 , , .414 , , .643 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , .3 , , .3 , , 4.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, 47 , , 33 , , 21.9 , , .374 , , .386 , , .722 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .5 , , 4.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 481 , , 163 , , 22.0 , , .426 , , .402 , , .706 , , 2.9 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .5 , , 6.8

Playoffs

, - , 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" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 11.0 , , .462 , , .750 , , .500 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , .2 , , .2 , , 3.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

† , align="left" , Golden State , 3 , , 0 , , 2.3 , , .167 , , .500 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.0 , - , align="left" ,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, align="left" , Golden State , 14 , , 0 , , 7.9 , , .450 , , .333 , , .500 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 22 , , 0 , , 7.8 , , .410 , , .444 , , .500 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.9

Personal life

Rush was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He is the brother of former professional basketball players JaRon and

Kareem Rush Kareem Lamar Rush (born October 30, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player. Rush's younger brother, Brandon, last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, while older brother JaRon played college basketball for UCLA. College ...

. He resides in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rush, Brandon 1985 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American men's 3x3 basketball players American men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Greece Basketball players from Kansas City, Missouri Big3 players Golden State Warriors players Indiana Pacers players Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players Larisa B.C. players Minnesota Timberwolves players Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Shooting guards Utah Jazz players