Ronald D'Wayne Price (born June 21, 1983) 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 and current scout for 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 ...

. Price grew up in

Friendswood, Texas Friendswood is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Greater Houston metropolitan area. The city lies in Galveston and Harris counties. As of the 2020 census, the population of Friendswood was 41,213. History Friendswood, s ...

and 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 one year at Nicholls State and three years at Utah Valley State (now Utah Valley). Price went undrafted in 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 ...

and played for 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 ...

from to . Price then played for the

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 ...

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 ...

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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

, and

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 ...

before returning to Phoenix for a second and final playing stint.

Early life and college career

Price was born and raised in

and graduated from

Clear Brook High School Clear Brook High School is a secondary school located in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, with a Friendswood postal address. The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, had its first graduating class in 1991. The school opened in 1988, ...

in 2001 as an honor roll student with a 3.4

grade point average Grading in education is the application of standardized Measurement, measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentage ...

. At 5-foot-7, Price was considered undersized as a senior and was not offered any basketball scholarships out of high school. In 2001, Price enrolled at

Nicholls State University Nicholls State University is a public university in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Founded in 1948, Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System. Originally named Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the university is named for Francis T. Nichol ...

Thibodaux, Louisiana Thibodaux ( ) is a city in and the parish seat of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 15,948 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Thib ...

and walked on to the Colonels basketball team. He grew to 6 feet by the beginning of his freshman season and averaged 11.3 points per game. At 6-foot-1 by the end of his freshman year, Price transferred to Utah Valley State College (now

Utah Valley University Utah Valley University (UVU) is a public university in Orem, Utah, United States. UVU offers master's, bachelor's, associate degrees, and certificates. Previously called Utah Valley State College, the school attained university status in July ...

) in

Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Utah, Provo, Lindon, Utah, Lindon, and Vineyard, Utah, Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the pri ...

. As a sophomore (2002–03), Price averaged 15.3 points per game, earning Honorable Mention honors in the NJCAA Region 18. UVSC became a four-year institution the following year, and Price decided to stay as the school transitioned to

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Division I basketball. He improved his scoring average to 20.2 points per game as a junior (2003–04), leading the Wolverines to the so-called Division I Provisional Championship, meaning the team beat other schools transitioning to Division I. The Wolverines finished the season with a 23–5 record. Price scored a career-high 37 points in a game twice during the season. In his senior season (2004–05), Price averaged 24.3 points per game, ranking third in the nation in that category albeit unofficially due to Utah Valley's status as a provisional Division I member. For his efforts, he was named Division I Independent Player of the Year. He finished his senior year with a terrific performance, scoring a season-high 36 points (27 in the second half) in a 71–52 victory over Northern Colorado. Price was inducted into the Utah Valley University Hall of Fame on February 4, 2010, at halftime of Utah Valley's game against Texas–Pan American.

Professional career

Sacramento Kings (2005–2007)

Price worked out for the

and

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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

after going undrafted in the

. On August 3, 2005, Price signed a guaranteed two-year contract with the

. Price became the first player to enter the NBA directly from Utah Valley University. He played sporadically in his rookie season: in 29 games, Price averaged 5.2 minutes and 2.1 points. On December 22 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

, Price had his only game that season in double figures, with 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in 18 minutes. In the season, Price got more playing time with 58 games and one start and averaged 9.7 minutes, 3.3 points, and 1.2 rebounds. On November 22, Price scored a career-high 16 points in a game against the

on November 22, 2006, including a dunk over

Carlos Boozer Carlos Austin Boozer Jr. (born November 20, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. The two-time NBA All-Star played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers, and then spent his last season ...

that NBA.com panelists considered one of the most memorable plays of the season. Price started his first NBA game on December 5 against the

and scored 2 points in 13 minutes.

Utah Jazz (2007–2011)

In July 2007, Price signed a free agent contract with the Jazz. He started the season as third-string point guard, behind

Deron Williams Deron Michael Williams ( ; born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball, Illinois Fighting Illini before being drafted third overall in ...

and Jason Hart (Hart for the second time). Price eventually replaced Hart as the main backup to Williams. He played in 61 games in 2007–08, averaging 3.7 points per game. He made highlight reels again after a block he had on

Luke Walton Luke Theodore Walton (born March 28, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the lead assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 10 seasons in the NBA as a ...

in game 4 of the second round of the

2008 NBA Playoffs The 2008 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles ...

against the L.A. Lakers. Walton appeared to have a breakaway layup or dunk when Price unexpectedly caught up with him at the last moment and blocked him soundly, despite their difference in height. This was after receiving 4 stitches and a large bandage above his right eye following a flagrant foul from Ronny Turiaf earlier in the game.

Phoenix Suns (2011–2012)

On December 13, 2011, Price signed a one-year contract with the Phoenix Suns to replace Zabian Dowdell. Starting 8 of 36 games, Price averaged 3.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 0.9 steals. Price had three games with double-figure scoring, including a season-high 18 points on January 13 against the

New Jersey Nets 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 ...

Portland Trail Blazers (2012–2013)

On July 18, 2012, Price signed with the

. Price played 39 games in the season for Portland and averaged 2.7 points, 1.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 0.7 steals. On February 21, 2013, Price was released by the Trail Blazers to create roster space for

Eric Maynor Eric Demarqua Maynor (born June 11, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for Virginia Commonwealt ...

after the team traded draft rights to Georgios Printezis to 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 ...

Orlando Magic (2013–2014)

On July 25, 2013, Price signed with the

. On July 2, 2014, he was waived by the Magic.

Los Angeles Lakers (2014–2015)

On September 24, 2014, Price signed with the

. On December 7, 2014, Price was moved into the starting line-up in place of Jeremy Lin. On February 24, 2015, Price was ruled out for the rest of the 2014–15 season after undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow. During his time with the Lakers, Price recorded career-best numbers in points (5.1), assists (3.8), and steals (1.6). In a pre-season game that year, he was ejected after his shoe came off and he threw it at the ball.

Return to Phoenix (2015–2017)

On July 17, 2015, Price signed a one-year deal with the Phoenix Suns, returning to the franchise for a second stint. Entering his second stint with the team, Price accepted a third-string point guard role behind young guards Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, and embraced a part-time role in order to be more of a mentor. On December 23, 2015, Price made a career-high six three-pointers and scored a career-high 20 points in a loss to the Denver Nuggets. On January 15, 2016, he was ruled out for a month after undergoing surgery on his right big toe. He returned to action on February 19 against the Houston Rockets. Price played in a career-high 62 games for the Suns in 2015–16, and recorded a career-high 5.3 points per game. On August 14, 2016, Price signed a two-year deal with the

. However, he was waived by the Thunder on October 24, 2016, after appearing in five preseason games. On January 27, 2017, Price returned to the Suns on a 10-day contract. On February 6, 2017, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Suns, despite having not appeared in a game during his first 10-day contract. He made his season debut four days later, playing two minutes in a 115–97 win over 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 Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

. On February 24, 2017, he signed with the Suns for the rest of the season.

Scouting career

During the 2018-19 NBA season, the Suns hired Price as a part of the team's new scouting department, after having previously firing a majority of their old staff prior to the start of the season. The move essentially confirmed Price's retirement from professional basketball.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

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, 58 , , 1 , , 9.7 , , .390 , , .323 , , .673 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , .5 , , .1 , , 3.3 , - , 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 ...

, 61 , , 3 , , 9.6 , , .431 , , .347 , , .684 , , .8 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .0 , , 3.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 52 , , 17 , , 14.2 , , .379 , , .311 , , .756 , , 1.3 , , 2.1 , , .8 , , .1 , , 4.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 60 , , 4 , , 13.4 , , .405 , , .286 , , .695 , , 1.2 , , 2.1 , , .7 , , .2 , , 4.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 59 , , 0 , , 12.2 , , .352 , , .290 , , .744 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , .7 , , .1 , , 3.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Phoenix , 36 , , 8 , , 14.4 , , .377 , , .295 , , .800 , , 1.6 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , .1 , , 3.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, 39 , , 0 , , 13.1 , , .325 , , .256 , , .708 , , 1.1 , , 1.9 , , .7 , , .1 , , 2.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, 31 , , 2 , , 12.2 , , .304 , , .209 , , .692 , , 1.4 , , 2.1 , , .8 , , .1 , , 2.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Lakers , 43 , , 20 , , 22.8 , , .345 , , .284 , , .800 , , 1.6 , , 3.8 , , 1.6 , , .1 , , 5.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Phoenix , 62 , , 18 , , 19.5 , , .384 , , .347 , , .756 , , 1.6 , , 2.4 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 5.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Phoenix , 14 , , 0 , , 9.6 , , .167 , , .176 , , .750 , , .8 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .1 , , 1.0 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2" , Career , 544 , , 73 , , 13.4 , , .373 , , .302 , , .738 , , 1.2 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .1 , , 3.7

Playoffs

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2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

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, 4 , , 0 , , 2.3 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , 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 ...

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, 12 , , 0 , , 5.7 , , .323 , , .214 , , .769 , , .3 , , .9 , , .5 , , .2 , , 2.8 , - , align="left" ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

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, 2 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .300 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 1.5 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , .0 , , 4.0 , - , align="left" ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

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, 10 , , 0 , , 9.0 , , .292 , , .286 , , .500 , , 1.0 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .1 , , 2.0 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2" , Career , 28 , , 0 , , 6.5 , , .294 , , .208 , , .696 , , .6 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .1 , , 2.2

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Price, Ronnie 1983 births Living people American men's basketball players Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Los Angeles Lakers players Nicholls Colonels men's basketball players Orlando Magic players People from Friendswood, Texas Sportspeople from the Houston metropolitan area Phoenix Suns players Phoenix Suns scouts Point guards Portland Trail Blazers players Sacramento Kings players Basketball players from Harris County, Texas Undrafted NBA players Utah Jazz players Utah Valley Wolverines men's basketball players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen