Darryl Eugene "D. J." Strawberry Jr. (born June 15, 1985) is an American-born naturalized Cameroonian 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. He is the son of former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player

Darryl Strawberry Darryl Eugene Strawberry Sr. (born March 12, 1962) is an American former professional baseball right fielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Throughout his career, Strawberry was one of the most feared sluggers in the sport ...

High school career

While living in

Corona, California Corona (Spanish language, Spanish for "Crown") is a city in northwestern Riverside County, California, United States, directly bordering Orange County, California, Orange and San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino counties. Its curre ...

, Strawberry attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. During Strawberry's senior year at Mater Dei, he defended future

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 ...

superstar

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

in a nationally televised matchup against St. Vincent–St. Mary High School of

Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...

. Strawberry was lauded for his efforts, which included holding James to a 33% shooting performance (8 for 24 from the field), and 0 for 8 from beyond the three-point line). Considered a four-star recruit by

247Sports 247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on college recruiting, athletic recruitment in college football and college basketball, basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount Global, Paramount. The website hosts a large ...

, Strawberry was listed as the No. 15 shooting guard and the No. 84 player in the nation in 2003.

College career

Strawberry assumed the role of a

swingman A swingman is an athlete capable of playing multiple positions in their sport. Basketball In basketball, the term "swingman" (a.k.a. "wing" or "guard-forward") denotes a player who can play both the shooting guard (2) and small forward (3) positi ...

for the

Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's college sports in the United States, varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate ...

, and he was much valued for his on-the-ball defense. He averaged nearly 2 steals per game, leading his team in that category. He was also valued for his off-the-bench intensity; it is felt that Maryland's absence from the 2005 NCAA tournament was due in no small part to a season-ending ACL injury Strawberry suffered in mid-January of that year. While he was primarily a swingman, a lack of depth pressed Strawberry into the role of

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

during his junior year. He had various degrees of success in this new role, leading the team in assists(4.0 per game). Strawberry received Honorable Mention All- ACC Freshman honors. During his junior year, he received Honorable Mention All-ACC Defensive Team honors, becoming the eighth player in Maryland history to lead the team in both steals and assists. In his senior season, Strawberry was voted to second team All-ACC.

Professional career

Strawberry was drafted by the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

with the 59th selection in 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 ...

. He was signed on August 28, 2007, to a two-year contract.

NBA D-League

On December 18, 2007, it was announced he was assigned to the

Albuquerque Thunderbirds Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County. Founded in 1706 as ' by Santa Fe de Nuevo México gover ...

of the

NBA 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, ...

. He was named ''Performer of the Week'' for the week ending January 6. Strawberry was recalled to the Suns in place of another rookie,

Alando Tucker Alando Forest Tucker (born February 11, 1984) is an American former collegiate basketball coach and former professional basketball player who played for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before joining the NBA, he played college basketba ...

, on January 10, 2008.

2008–09 season

On August 25, 2008, he was traded to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

for

Sean Singletary Sean Michael-Eli Singletary (born September 6, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and other professional leagues. He played college basketball for the Virginia Cava ...

, but was waived on October 24. Six days later, he signed with the Italian club

Fortitudo Bologna Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna 103, commonly known as Fortitudo Bologna and currently known as Fortitudo Flats Service Bologna for sponsorship reasons, is a basketball club based in Bologna, Italy and currently plays in the second division. H ...

for the rest of the season. In April, 2009, he suffered a

meniscus Meniscus may refer to: *Meniscus (anatomy), crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint cavity *Meniscus (liquid) In physics (particularly liquid statics), the meniscus (: menisci, ) is the curve in the upper sur ...

injury to his left knee, ending his season in Italy. He then returned to the United States for surgery, and in July, 2009 he began a 6-month program in Los Angeles.

2009–2022

In January 2010, Strawberry joined the

Reno Bighorns Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, in the Truckee River v ...

of the

. In July 2010, Strawberry joined 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 ...

for the 2010

NBA summer league The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season basketball competition organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regula ...

. On September 17, 2010, he was signed by 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 ...

to a non-guaranteed one-year deal. However, he was later waived by the Hornets on October 20. Afterwards, Strawberry re-signed with the Reno Bighorns. On January 18, 2011, he signed with

Lietuvos rytas ''Lietuvos rytas'' (lit. 'Morning of Lithuania') is a Lithuanian daily newspaper. History and profile "Lietuvos rytas" was established in 1990 on a basis of newspaper "Komjaunimo tiesa". The paper is printed in Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is ...

of Lithuania until the end of the 2010–11 season. On August 26, 2011, Strawberry signed a two-year deal with the Israeli club

Hapoel Jerusalem Hapoel Jerusalem is a sport organization in Jerusalem as a local branch of the Hapoel movement. The branch was established in the 1920s and represents the city in more sports than any other sport organization in Jerusalem. Today, the club's lead ...

. After one season in which he averaged 15.6 points in the Israeli League, he parted ways with Hapoel on June 25, 2012. On September 20, 2012, Strawberry signed with the Croatian club

Cibona Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association, and compete ...

. On June 22, 2013, Strawberry signed with the

Capitanes de Arecibo The Capitanes de Arecibo are a Puerto Rican professional basketball team based in Arecibo that competes in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) league. In 2010, the team also had the distinction to play in the Premier Basketball League (PBL) ...

of Puerto Rico for the 2013 BSN season. On July 12, 2013, he re-signed with Cibona. On December 25, 2013, he was released by Cibona due to financial problems of the club. Two days later, he signed with Pau-Lacq-Orthez of France for the rest of the season. On June 27, 2014, he signed with

Piratas de Quebradillas ''Piratas'' () is a Spanish adventure drama television series with comedy elements created by Carlos Portela and which stars Óscar Jaenada, Pilar Rubio and Silvia Abascal. It aired on Telecinco in 2011. Premise Set in the 18th century, the fi ...

of Puerto Rico for the 2014 BSN season. On July 2, 2014, he signed a one-year deal with

Pınar Karşıyaka Pınar is a common feminine Turkish given name A Turkish name consists of an ''ad'' or an ''isim'' (given name; plural ''adlar'' and ''isimler'') and a ''soyadı'' or ''soyisim'' (surname). Turkish names exist in a "full name" format. While th ...

of the

Turkish Basketball League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The ...

. On July 2, 2015, he signed a two-year contract with the Greek club and

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 ...

powerhouse

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...

. After one season, he parted ways with Olympiacos. On July 22, 2016, Strawberry signed with Turkish club

Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 18 km2 and its population is 175,190 (2022). It is located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and ...

for the 2016–17 season. On July 3, 2017, he re-signed with Beşiktaş for one more season. On July 29, 2018, Strawberry signed a one-year deal with

Herbalife Gran Canaria Club Baloncesto Gran Canaria – Claret, S.A.D., known as Dreamland Gran Canaria due to sponsorship, is a professional basketball club based in Las Palmas, Spain. The team plays in the Spanish Liga ACB and the Champions League. Their home venue ...

of the

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

and the

. On October 31, 2019, he signed with

Orléans Loiret Basket Orléans Loiret Basket, formerly known as Entente Orléanaise and Entente Orléanaise 45 Loiret, is a professional basketball club that is based in the city of Orléans, France. "45" is the number of Loiret. The club plays in the LNB Pro B, French ...

of the French Pro A. In June 2020, he signed for one term at

team

UCAM Murcia UCAM Murcia is a Spanish multi-sport club. It may refer to: * UCAM Murcia CB, the basketball team * UCAM Murcia CF, their football team {{Disambiguation ...

. Strawberry parted ways with the team on June 30, 2021. He re-joined Orléans Loiret Basket on December 6, 2021. On January 30, 2022, Strawberry signed with

Zamalek SC Zamalek Sporting Club (), commonly referred to as Zamalek, is an List of football clubs in Egypt, Egyptian Club based in Cairo, Egypt. The club is best known for its professional men's Association football, football team, which plays in the Egy ...

of the

Egyptian Basketball Super League The Egyptian Basketball Premier League () is the top professional basketball division of the Egyptian basketball league system. Administered by the Egyptian Basketball Federation (EBBFED), it is contested by 16 teams, with the two lowest-placed te ...

. On February 12, he made his debut for the team when he recorded 5 points and 3 rebounds against

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

in the

2022 FIBA Intercontinental Cup The 2022 FIBA Intercontinental Cup was the 31st edition of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup. The tournament was held in February 2022. The competition was played in the Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall in Cairo, the first time the competition was hosted ...

semifinal.

Cameroon national team

In 2017, Strawberry was cleared to play with the senior men's

Cameroon national basketball team Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

.DJ Strawberry can play for Cameroon at AfroBasket
/ref>

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 2007–08 , align="left" , Phoenix , 33 , , 0 , , 8.2 , , .315 , , .240 , , .474 , , .8 , , .9 , , .4 , , .2 , , 2.2 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 33 , , 0 , , 8.2 , , .315 , , .240 , , .474 , , .8 , , .9 , , .4 , , .1 , , 2.2

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 2007–08 , align="left" , Phoenix , 1 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 1 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0

References

External links