Nicholas Aaron Young (born June 1, 1985), nicknamed "Swaggy P", 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. 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

USC Trojans The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...

and was a two-time first-team all-conference selection in the

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...

. Young was selected by 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 Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

in the first round of 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 ...

with the 16th overall pick. He won 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

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 ...

in 2018.

Early life

Born 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, ...

, Young played for Hamilton High School, Dorsey High School, and Cleveland High School in suburban

Reseda, California Reseda is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1912, and its central business district started developing in 1915. The neighborhood was devoted to agriculture for many years. Earthquake ...

. He averaged 27.2 points and 10.8 rebounds as a 2004 senior at Cleveland, earning 2004 CIF L.A. City Section, Los Angeles Times All-City and San Fernando Valley first team honors. Young shot 57.3% from the field and 46.8% from three-point range (52-of-111), had 48 steals and 41 blocks as Cleveland finished with a 25–4 reocrd. He was tabbed the seventh-best player in the country by HoopScoop and listed by prep basketball guru Frank Burlison as among the Top 50 recruits in 2004. Young once scored 56 points in one game and had 23 rebounds in another. He earned CIF L.A. City Section first team honors in 2003 and was included in a list of Top Seniors by ''

Athlon Sports Parade Media (previously known as AMG/Parade and Athlon Media Group) is a publisher founded in 1967 that is based in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville's Spencer Hays was its majority stockholder. It was purchased by The Arena Group in 2022 and no ...

'' heading into 2004.

College career

Young played for the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

from 2004 to 2007 and was All-Pac-10 First Team in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. In the 2007 NCAA Tournament, he led the fifth-seeded Trojans to a berth in the Sweet Sixteen, where they lost to the one-seeded

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

, 74–64. Along the way, Young led USC to a 77–60 first-round win against Arkansas. In the second round, he led the team with 22 points over the

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and ...

in an 87–68 rout of the team featuring the National Player of the Year,

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 ...

, though Durant led both teams in scoring with 30. As expected, following his junior season, Young announced on April 15, 2007, to the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' that he would forgo his senior year to turn professional and enter the

, where Young was selected with the 16th overall pick by the

Professional career

Washington Wizards (2007–2012)

Young was selected 16th overall by the

in the

. He started his first career NBA game on December 15, 2007, against 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 January 9, 2010, Young was fined $10,000 by the Wizards for participating in antics before a game on January 5, 2010, against the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially 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 Atlan ...

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 l ...

was being investigated for a prior incident involving guns in the Wizards' locker room, but made light of the accusations by pointing his finger at his teammates, as if he were shooting them. Young's teammates were photographed smiling and laughing with him. Young scored a career-high 43 points on January 11, 2011, against the

Los Angeles Clippers (2012)

On March 15, 2012, Young was traded to his hometown team the

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

in a three-way trade involving 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 ...

and

. On April 16, 2012, Young helped the Clippers clinch their first playoff berth in six years with a 19-point performance against the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

. He was also a key part of the Clippers' comeback victory against the Memphis Grizzlies in game one of the first round of the 2012 playoffs, making three three-pointers in under a minute.

Philadelphia 76ers (2012–2013)

On July 12, 2012, Young signed with the

to a one-year deal.

Los Angeles Lakers (2013–2017)

On July 11, 2013, Young signed with 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 ...

. During the 2013–14 season, he converted a Lakers-record seven

four-point play In basketball, a four-point play is the rare occasion when an offensive player shoots and makes a three-point field goal while simultaneously being fouled by a defensive player, resulting in a shooting foul and one free throw attempt, or a two- ...

s while averaging a career-high 17.9 points per game. On July 21, 2014, Young re-signed with Lakers to a reported four-year, $21.5 million contract. During training camp, he suffered a complete tear of the radial collateral ligament in his right thumb, and was expected to miss six to eight weeks. After missing the first 10 games of the season with the injury, Young made his season debut on November 18 against the Atlanta Hawks, recording 17 points and five rebounds in a 114–109 win. On December 12, he scored a season-high 29 points in a 112–110 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. On November 30, 2016, Young was ruled out for two to four weeks due to a strained right calf muscle. On December 17, he made eight three-pointers and scored a season-high 32 points in a 119–108 loss to 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 ...

. Between late December and early January, Young's burst from long range gave him 36 three-pointers in eight games—the most in an eight-game stretch in Lakers franchise history. On April 2, 2017, after being held out of 11 of the previous 12 games despite being healthy, Young was shut down by the Lakers for the last five regular-season games. On June 21, 2017, the Lakers announced that Young elected not to exercise his option to extend his contract for the 2017–18 season, thus becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Golden State Warriors (2017–2018)

On July 7, 2017, Young signed with the

. During his Warriors debut in their season opener on October 17, Young came off the bench to hit six three-pointers and score 23 points in a narrow 122–121 loss 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) ...

. He helped the Warriors reach the

2018 NBA Finals The 2018 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2017–18 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff, the defending NBA champion and Western Conference champi ...

, where they defeated the

in a four-game sweep, with Young winning his first NBA championship.

Denver Nuggets (2018)

On December 10, 2018, Young signed with the

. He was waived on December 30 after appearing in only four games.

Macau Black Bears (2023)

On September 26, 2023, Young signed with the

Macau Black Bears The Macau Black Bears () are a Macanese professional basketball team. History Chong Son Kung Fu was a Chinese basketball team playing in the ASEAN Basketball League. The team was baed in Nanhai District, Foshan, Guangdong and played their ho ...

of The Asian Tournament (TAT), but the event was cancelled.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, 75 , , 2 , , 15.4 , , .439 , , .400 , , .815 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , .5 , , .1 , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 5 , , 22.4 , , .444 , , .341 , , .850 , , 1.8 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .2 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , 23 , , 19.2 , , .418 , , .406 , , .800 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , .4 , , .1 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 64 , , 40 , , 31.8 , , .441 , , .387 , , .816 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .3 , , 17.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 40 , , 32 , , 30.3 , , .406 , , .371 , , .862 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , .3 , , 16.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 22 , , 3 , , 23.5 , , .394 , , .353 , , .821 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .6 , , .3 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 59 , , 17 , , 23.9 , , .413 , , .357 , , .820 , , 1.8 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , .2 , , 10.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 64 , , 9 , , 28.3 , , .435 , , .386 , , .825 , , 2.6 , , 1.5 , , .7 , , .2 , , 17.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 42 , , 0 , , 23.8 , , .366 , , .369 , , .892 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .3 , , 13.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 54 , , 2 , , 19.1 , , .339 , , .325 , , .829 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .4 , , .1 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 60 , , 60 , , 25.9 , , .430 , , .404 , , .856 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .2 , , 13.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 80 , , 8 , , 17.4 , , .412 , , .377 , , .862 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .5 , , .1 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-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 ...

, 4 , , 0 , , 9.3 , , .333 , , .375 , , .000 , , .3 , , .5 , , .0 , , .3 , , 2.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 720 , , 201 , , 22.8 , , .418 , , .376 , , .836 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .2 , , 11.4

Playoffs

, - , style="text-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 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 0 , , 4.3 , , .111 , , .000 , , .750 , , .5 , , .3 , , .5 , , .0 , , 1.3 , - , style="text-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 ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 11 , , 0 , , 18.2 , , .433 , , .515 , , .889 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .3 , , .4 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

† , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 20 , , 2 , , 10.3 , , .302 , , .298 , , .750 , , .6 , , .2 , , .1 , , .0 , , 2.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 35 , , 2 , , 12.1 , , .357 , , .378 , , .833 , , .7 , , .2 , , .2 , , .1 , , 4.2

College

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

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

, 29 , , 24 , , 25.7 , , .441 , , .315 , , .644 , , 4.1 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .3 , , 11.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , style="text-align:left;",

, 30 , , 30 , , 33.9 , , .467 , , .333 , , .801 , , 6.6 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 17.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;",

, 37 , , 36 , , 33.2 , , .525 , , .440 , , .786 , , 4.6 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .3 , , 17.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 96 , , 90 , , 31.1 , , .483 , , .368 , , .764 , , 5.1 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , .3 , , 15.5

Boxing career

On September 10, 2022, Young made his boxing debut against

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

star Malcolm Minikon in an exhibition bout as the co-feature on the Austin McBroom vs. AnEsonGib at the

Banc of California Stadium BMO Stadium (formerly Banc of California Stadium) is a soccer-specific stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of Major League Soccer's Los Angeles FC and the National Women's S ...

. The bout ended as a no contest after an accidental

headbutt A headbutt or butt is a targeted strike (attack), strike with the head, typically involving the use of robust parts of the headbutter's Skull#Humans, cranium as the area of impact. The most effective headbutts strike the most sensitive areas of ...

was performed by Minikon.

Personal life

Young's parents are Charles and Mae Young. He grew up in Los Angeles with four brothers. Young's oldest brother, Charles Jr., was killed by a gang when Nick was only five years old. In 2007, Young became the main subject of a documentary titled ''Second Chance Season'', in which his exploits, shortcomings, and successes are reviewed, as well as giving a glimpse of his family. Young's nickname is "Swaggy P", which he said is a pseudo-biblical reference to "the Prophet of Swag".

Relationships and family

Young is the cousin of

Kevon Looney Kevon Grant Looney ( ; born February 6, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a freshman playing college basketball with the UCLA Bruins men's basketball ...

, who is also an NBA player. They became teammates with the Warriors in 2017–18 and won the NBA championship together that season. Young is also a cousin of rappers

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 ...

and

Baby Keem Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr. (born October 22, 2000), known professionally as Baby Keem, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Las Vegas, he gained recognition in the late 2010s with his contributions to '' Black Panther: The Album'' ...

. Young has been in an on-again, off-again relationship with his high school sweetheart, Keonna Green, since 2002. They have had three children together: two sons (born in 2012 and 2019) and a daughter (born in 2016). They became engaged in 2019. Young and Australian rapper

Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea ( ), is an Australian rapper. Born in Sydney, Azalea moved to the United States at the age of 16 in order to pursue a career in music. She earned public recognition ...

announced their engagement on June 1, 2015. Azalea broke off their engagement a year later after a video of Young discussing how he was having an affair with another woman surfaced. After Azalea broke off her engagement to Young, Green confirmed that she was 22 weeks pregnant with their daughter.

Meme

In October 2014, Young uploaded a

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

video of himself going about his daily life with an assistant known as "Big Meat". A

screenshot A screenshot (also known as screen capture or screen grab) is an analog or digital image that shows the contents of a computer display. A screenshot is created by a (film) camera shooting the screen or the operating system An operating sys ...

of the video, showing Young giving a perplexed look, went viral soon after, becoming an

internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...

. Reflecting on it, Young once remarked, "Some people only recognize me for that — ain't you the meme guy?"

References

External links

Nick Young
at usctrojans.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Nick 1985 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen American men's 3x3 basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Los Angeles Big3 people Big3 players Cleveland High School (Los Angeles) alumni Denver Nuggets players Golden State Warriors players Los Angeles Clippers players Los Angeles Lakers players People from Reseda, Los Angeles Philadelphia 76ers players Shooting guards Small forwards USC Trojans men's basketball players Washington Wizards draft picks Washington Wizards players