Gregory Stiemsma (; born September 26, 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 who spent four 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). He played high school basketball for Randolph High School and college basketball for the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

, before going undrafted in the 2008 NBA draft. A 6'11" center, Stiemsma was known for his defense and shot blocking ability during his playing days.

High school career

Stiemsma attended Randolph High School in Randolph, Wisconsin where he led the Rockets to Division 4 state titles as a sophomore, junior and senior. As a junior in 2002–03, he earned first-team all-state honors after averaging 14.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.5 blocks and 2.7 assists per game. In November 2003, he signed a National Letter of Intent to play

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

. As a senior in 2003–04, he was limited to just 18 games due to right knee injury but still managed to earn third-team Associated Press all-state honors after averaging 11.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game.

College career

In his freshman season at

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, Stiemsma played just 10 games after missing the first six weeks of the season with a right foot injury. In those 10 games, he averaged just 1.1 points per game. In his sophomore season, he was again disrupted, managing just 16 games after he was deemed ineligible to play during the second semester due to poor grades. Stiemsma was later diagnosed with depression as a result of his poor academic performance. Despite this, he still finished the season first on the team in total blocks with 24. In those 16 games, he averaged 2.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. In his junior season, he played out his first full season, playing 34 of the 36 games while averaging 2.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. In his senior season, led the team with 40 blocks, while recording four double-digit scoring performances, including a career-high 14 points in the NCAA tournament against Kansas State. In 35 games, he averaged 3.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.

College statistics

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

, 10 , , 0 , , 2.7 , , .833 , , .000 , , .500 , , .6 , , .0 , , .1 , , .2 , , 1.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , style="text-align:left;",

, 16 , , 0 , , 11.7 , , .553 , , .000 , , .429 , , 2.8 , , .9 , , .4 , , 1.5 , , 2.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 0 , , 9.9 , , .500 , , .000 , , .808 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , .9 , , 2.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 7 , , 11.5 , , .548 , , .000 , , .826 , , 3.1 , , .7 , , .4 , , 1.1 , , 3.5 , -

Professional career

Early years (2008–2011)

2008–09 season

Stiemsma went undrafted in the 2008 NBA draft. In August 2008, he signed with Oyak Renault of Turkey for the 2008–09 season. In February 2009, he left Oyak and signed with the Seoul SK Knights of South Korea for the rest of the season. On April 11, 2009, he was acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League.

2009–10 season

In July 2009, Stiemsma joined the Memphis Grizzlies for the 2009 NBA Summer League. On November 1, 2009, he was reacquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce. On April 13, 2010, he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the rest of the season.

2010–11 season

In July 2010, Stiemsma joined the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2010 NBA Summer League. On September 10, 2010, he was waived by the Timberwolves before appearing in a game for them. Later that month, he signed with 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 ...

. However, he was later waived by the Cavaliers on October 2, 2010. Three days later, he signed a two-year deal with Türk Telekom of the Turkish Basketball League.

2011–12 season

On August 21, 2011, Stiemsma signed with BC Sokhumi of the Georgian Superliga but left before appearing in a game for them. On November 2, 2011, he was reacquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Boston Celtics (2011–2012)

On December 9, 2011, Stiemsma signed with 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), ...

. On December 28, 2011, he made his NBA debut, recording 2 points, 6 blocks and 4 rebounds in a 78–97 loss to the New Orleans Hornets. In March 2012, he signed a sponsorship deal with Nike. On June 29, 2012, the Celtics extended a $1.05 million qualifying offer to Stiemsma, thereby making him a restricted free agent.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2012–2013)

On July 21, 2012, Stiemsma received an offer sheet from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Two days later, the Celtics withdrew their qualifying offer to Stiemsma, clearing the way for the Timberwolves to sign him as an unrestricted free agent. On August 2, 2012, he officially signed with the Timberwolves. On July 7, 2013, he was waived by the Timberwolves.

New Orleans Pelicans (2013–2014)

On July 10, 2013, Stiemsma signed with the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

. On April 14, 2014, he was waived by the Pelicans.

Toronto Raptors (2014–2015)

On September 4, 2014, Stiemsma signed with 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 September 24, 2015, Stiemsma signed with the Orlando Magic. However, due to an Achilles' tendon strain, Stiemsma was prevented from playing early in the preseason, appearing in a total of two exhibition games for the Magic, collecting 1.5 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game. He was subsequently waived by the Magic on October 22 prior to the start of the regular season. On September 12, 2016, Stiemsma signed with 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 ...

, but was waived on October 21 after appearing in four preseason games.

Coaching career

Minnesota Timberwolves (2019–2021)

On September 12, 2019, the Minnesota Timberwolves announced that they had named Stiemsma as player development associate.

San Antonio Spurs (2021-2024)

Stiemsma worked as a video assistant in the film room with the

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

in 2021. He was part of their 2022 Summer League coaching staff and later received a promotion in Player Development.

Wisconsin Badgers (2024-Present)

Stiemsma was hired as the Director of Player Development for the Wisconsin Badger's men's basketball team in July 2024.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, 55 , , 3 , , 13.9 , , .545 , , .000 , , .707 , , 3.2 , , .5 , , .7 , , 1.5 , , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-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 ...

, 76 , , 19 , , 15.9 , , .457 , , .000 , , .768 , , 3.4 , , .4 , , .6 , , 1.2 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, 55 , , 20 , , 18.3 , , .574 , , .000 , , .594 , , 4.1 , , .7 , , .6 , , 1.0 , , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, 17 , , 0 , , 3.9 , , .750 , , .000 , , .500 , , .9 , , .2 , , .1 , , .0 , , .8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 203 , , 42 , , 15.0 , , .509 , , .000 , , .705 , , 3.3 , , .5 , , .6 , , 1.1 , , 3.2 , -

Playoffs

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, 19 , , 0 , , 7.5 , , .667 , , .000 , , .667 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , .2 , , .6 , , 1.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 19 , , 0 , , 7.5 , , .667 , , .000 , , .667 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , .2 , , .6 , , 1.5

International career

In 2011, Stiemsma earned a bronze medal with Team USA at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

where he led the tournament in field goal percentage (.889) and was second in the tournament in blocked shots with 11.

Personal life

Stiemsma is the son of Rick and Sharry Stiemsma, and has one sister, Erin. He is married to his wife Emily and they have a two daughters and one son together. He is of Dutch origin. He has admitted to suffering from depression.Greg Stiemsma
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stiemsma, Greg 1985 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in South Korea American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players American people of Dutch descent Basketball players at the 2011 Pan American Games Basketball players from Wisconsin Boston Celtics players Suwon KT Sonicboom players Centers (basketball) Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Minnesota Timberwolves players New Orleans Pelicans players 21st-century American sportsmen Oyak Renault basketball players Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in basketball People from Randolph, Wisconsin Seoul SK Knights players Sioux Falls Skyforce players Toronto Raptors players Türk Telekom B.K. players Undrafted NBA players Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball players United States men's national basketball team players