Bronta Laron Profit (born August 5, 1977) is an American professional
basketball coach
Basketball coaching is the act of directing and strategizing the behavior of a basketball team or individual basketball player. Basketball coaching typically encompasses the improvement of individual and team offensive and defensive skills, as wel ...
and former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player.
Early life and college
Profit was born in
Charleston, South Carolina. Because his stepfather James Truiett served in the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...
, Profit lived in various Air Force bases as a child including
Kirtland Air Force Base
Kirtland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the ea ...
in
Albuquerque, New Mexico,
Howard Air Force Base
Howard Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Panama. It discontinued military operations on 1 November 1999 as a result of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which specified that US military facilities in the former Pa ...
in the
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...
,
Dover Air Force Base
Dover Air Force Base or Dover AFB is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), located southeast of the city of Dover, Delaware. 436th AW is the host wing and runs the busiest and largest ai ...
in
Dover, Delaware
Dover () is the capital and second-largest city of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County and the principal city of the Dover, DE, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County and is part o ...
.
In 1995, Profit graduated from
Caesar Rodney High School
Caesar Rodney High School is a public high school located in Camden, Delaware, just south of Dover. The school is in Caesar Rodney School District. Its enrollment is over 2,000. During 1983 to 1984, Caesar Rodney was recognized as a Blue Rib ...
in
Camden, Delaware
Camden is a town in Kent County, Delaware, United States. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,464 at the 2010 census.
History
Camden was established in 1783 as a community originally known as Mif ...
as an honor student who scored over 1000 on his first attempt at the
SAT exam.
From 1995 to 1999, Profit attended the
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...
. With the
Maryland Terrapins basketball team, Profit played as a
small forward
The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular c ...
and earned all-conference all four seasons: Honorable Mention All-
ACC as a freshman then for his other three seasons third-team All-ACC. In his junior year, Profit led the ACC in steals with 2.7 steals per game and led the Terrapins in scoring with 15.8 points per game.
Profit was an honorable mention All-American as a junior.
In his senior year, Profit averaged 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.
Professional career
First stint with Wizards (1999–2001)
In the
1999 NBA draft, 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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was estab ...
selected Profit in the second round as the 38th pick overall. Profit hoped to transition to a
shooting guard professionally. On September 22, 1999, the Magic traded Profit to the
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
for a second-round draft pick in the
2001 NBA draft.
In his rookie season () with the Wizards, Profit played in 33 games, averaging 1.5 points and 6.8 minutes, and missed 21 games due to
tendinitis
Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow ( tennis e ...
in a
knee
In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the human leg, leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest join ...
. On April 18, 2000, Profit scored a season-high 10 points against 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 league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...
. The following season, Profit played in 35 games and started the final 12 games of the regular season. Profit averaged 9.7 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds and scored a season-high 18 points twice. Against 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 team of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Divisio ...
on March 31, 2001, Profit reached season highs in steals (7) and rebounds (8). On April 14 against the
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on Januar ...
, Profit had his first
double-double in his career from scoring 12 points and a season-high 14 assists.
The Wizards traded Profit to the Orlando Magic, the team that originally drafted Profit, for the draft rights to
Brendan Haywood on August 1, 2001. The Magic waived Profit on October 15, and team general manager
John Gabriel explained that releasing Profit was the cost of trading the first-round pick Haywood.
First international stint (2002–2004)
Profit would then play internationally from 2002 to 2004. Starting in January 2002, Profit played six games with
Premiata Montegranaro
Sutor Basket Montegranaro, is an amateur Italian basketball club based in Montegranaro, Marche. It plays in the Promozione (7th division) as of June 2015.
It was formerly in the top division, with the 2013-14 season its last in Lega Basket Serie ...
of the Italian
Lega Basket Serie A
The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club basketball league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). It is the highest-tie ...
and averaged 13.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 2.2 steals.
From January 2003 to 2004, Profit played with the
Guangdong Southern Tigers of the
Chinese Basketball Association
The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China.
The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basi ...
(CBA).
In his second season with the Southern Tigers, Profit averaged 5.1 points and 1.8 rebounds per game.
The Guangdong Southern Tigers also won the CBA championship in 2004.
During his stint abroad, Profit also attended training camp with the NBA's
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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
in October 2002 and participated with the
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known 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 league's Ea ...
in 2003
NBA Summer League
The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season competition organized by the National Basketball Association. NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups ...
.
Second stint with Wizards (2004–2005)
On October 1, 2004, Profit re-signed with the Washington Wizards as a free agent. Profit scored 11 points in the October 21 preseason 92–83 victory over the
defending champion 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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...
. Because he had to fill in roles for injured players and was a free agent who had not played an NBA game in over two years, Profit played longer than expected in that game.
After cutting
Billy Thomas, the Wizards awarded Profit the 15th and final team roster spot.
Entering the , the Wizards had only eight available players for opening night, and four (including leading scorers
Gilbert Arenas
Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. (; born January 6, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Arenas attended Grant High School in the Valley Glen district of Los Angeles, and accepted a scholarship offer to the University of Arizona lat ...
and
Larry Hughes
Larry Darnell Hughes Sr. (born January 23, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. Hughes played for eight different teams during his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Hughes attended Saint Louis ...
) were serving suspensions. Despite these shortcomings, the Wizards rallied from a 19-point deficit to defeat 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 league's Western Conference ...
102–91 on the season opener of November 3, 2004. Profit led the Wizards in assists (with 6) and scored 11 points. On March 5, 2005, Profit made the winning
tip shot
Basketball moves are generally individual actions used by players in basketball to pass by defenders to gain access to the basket or to get a clean pass to a teammate to score.
Dribble
Dribbling is bouncing the ball continuously with one ha ...
with 3.1 seconds left for the Wizards to defeat the
Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populous ...
86–84. After
All-Star forward
Antawn Jamison
Antawn Cortez Jamison (; born June 12, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He serves as director of pro personnel for the Washington Wizards. Jamison pl ...
left the game during the third quarter with a sore knee, Wizards coach
Eddie Jordan kept Profit for the rest of the game. The Wizards made the
NBA Playoffs in 2005 for the first time in eight seasons and had not won a playoff game since 1988.
Ultimately, the number-one Eastern Conference team
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
swept the Wizards in four games in the 2005 Eastern Conference Semifinals. Profit played in 42 games (including 4 starts) with Washington during the breakout 2004–05 season and averaged 3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.9 assists.
Los Angeles Lakers (2005–2006)
On August 2, 2005, the Washington Wizards traded Profit and
Kwame Brown
Kwame Hasani Brown (born March 10, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Selected by the Washington Wizards in the 2001 NBA draft, Brown was the first No. ...
to the
Los Angeles Lakers for
Caron Butler and
Chucky Atkins.
Profit played in 25 games and started one game. In his one start, the November 20, 2005 loss to the
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on Januar ...
, Profit played 18 minutes, scored two points off
free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...
s, and made two defensive rebounds and one assist. On December 21, 2005, Profit suffered a season-ending ruptured
achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...
after substituting into a game for
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely ...
, who had just scored 62 points in 3 quarters against the
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 Western Conference Southwest Division. The ...
. The Lakers waived Profit on January 17, 2006 to make room for rookie
Ronny Turiaf.
Second international stint (2006–2010)
On December 12, 2006,
Anadolu Efes S.K.
Anadolu Efes Spor Kulübü ( en, Anadolu Efes Sports Club), formerly known as Efes Pilsen, is a Turkish professional basketball team based in Istanbul, Turkey. Efes is the most recent Euroleague champion and on the first place of European Club ...
of the
Turkish Basketball League
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and ...
signed Profit to a one-month contract with a full-season option. In seven games with Anadolu Efes, Profit averaged 3.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. Efes released Profit in mid-February 2007.
Profit later joined the team
Grises de Humacao
Grises de Humacao (lit. "Humacao Greys") is a basketball team based in Humacao, Puerto Rico, which competes in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) professional league.
History
The team was originally created in 2005, when the Toritos de Caye ...
, part of the Puerto Rican league
BSN, wearing jersey #7. In his debut with Grises on April 25, 2007, Profit had 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in the loss. He suffered a torn
hamstring
In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury.
In quadrup ...
in early May 2007. However, Profit later returned in mid-month and scored 23 points in a 105–97 win over
Cangrejeros de Santurce on May 14. In a May 18 overtime loss, Profit scored 26. Grises waived Profit by the end of the month. In the 2007 season, Profit played 10 games and averaged 18.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.
Club Deportivo Libertad of the Argentine
LNB signed Profit on February 7, 2008. The team won the LNB championship in 2008.
Coaching career
Profit 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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was estab ...
as an assistant coach on August 30, 2012.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Washington
, 33 , , 1 , , 6.8 , , .356 , , .176 , , .400 , , .8 , , .8 , , .2 , , .1 , , 1.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Washington
, 35 , , 12 , , 17.3 , , .394 , , .269 , , .733 , , 1.8 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 4.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Washington
, 42 , , 4 , , 10.2 , , .438 , , .286 , , .640 , , 1.8 , , .9 , , .4 , , .1 , , 3.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
L. A. Lakers
, 25 , , 1 , , 11.2 , , .476 , , .167 , , .875 , , 1.7 , , .6 , , .4 , , .2 , , 4.2
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 135 , , 18 , , 11.4 , , .419 , , .236 , , .712 , , 1.5 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .2 , , 3.3
Playoffs
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Washington
, 3 , , 0 , , 1.7 , , .000 , , , , , , .3 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0
References
External links
Maryland Terrapins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Profit, Laron
1977 births
Living people
African-American basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in Argentina
American expatriate basketball people in China
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
American men's basketball players
Anadolu Efes S.K. players
Baloncesto Superior Nacional players
Basketball players from Delaware
Basketball players from Albuquerque, New Mexico
Basketball players from South Carolina
Caciques de Humacao players
Guangdong Southern Tigers players
Libertad de Sunchales basketball players
Los Angeles Lakers players
Maryland Terrapins men's basketball players
Orlando Magic draft picks
People from Dover, Delaware
Point guards
Shooting guards
Small forwards
Sportspeople from Charleston, South Carolina
Washington Wizards players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American sportspeople