Travis Lamar Trice II (born January 22, 1993) is an American 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 for the Beijing Royal Fighters of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier men's professional 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 basis ...

(CBA). He played college basketball for the

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 Varsity team, varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan Army, Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the sc ...

, leading his team in points during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. He attended Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio, where he played under his father, Travis Trice Sr.

Early life

Trice was born on January 22, 1993, to Travis Sr. and Julie Trice. Julie's pregnancy marked the abrupt end of her successful high school track career and a potential athletics scholarship to University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She later said, "People were telling me I should get an abortion after I got pregnant. People have been saying 'No, no, no, no, no' to him forever." She had her son at about 18 years of age, while she was a senior in high school and her husband was still attending college. In Julie's 41st week of

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring gestation, gestates inside a woman's uterus. A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Conception (biology), Conception usually occurs ...

, her son's heartbeat flatlined and she was immediately rushed in for a

C-section Caesarean section, also known as C-section, cesarean, or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma ...

operation. According to ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', Trice was born with "the

umbilical cord In Placentalia, placental mammals, the umbilical cord (also called the navel string, birth cord or ''funiculus umbilicalis'') is a conduit between the developing embryo or fetus and the placenta. During prenatal development, the umbilical cord i ...

tangled around his ankles," but survived. Trice fell in love with

at a young age, but also actively played

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

in his childhood. He said, "I liked baseball, but I didn't like all the standing around." Trice officially began basketball in middle school, after watching his friends play on the team. He played

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

in middle school football, but was strongly compared to his friend Braxton Miller. His mother recalled the situation to the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

'', "No, you aren't big enough. No, you aren't quick enough. You're a good middle school quarterback, but not as good as your best friend." Miller would go on to play football at a high level for the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, ...

High school career

Trice attended Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio. He averaged 16.5 points per game as a sophomore in 2009, garnering all-district and all-conference honors. The guard saw considerable improvement in the junior year that followed. In his third season playing for Wayne, Trice averaged 22.1 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.2 steals, shooting 43% from long range. He would be named district underclassman of the year on two occasions and conference player of the year. He also was a third-team All-State honoree. Trice saw even more success as a senior in 2011. After averaging 23.5 points, 6.5 assists, 4.3 steals, and 3.3 rebounds in his final season in a Wayne uniform, he was named Gatorade Ohio Boys' Basketball Player of the Year. The point guard also earned first-team All-State and District Player of the Year accolades. He shot .481 from the field and .425 on three-pointers. Trice's contributions helped the Warriors reach a 22–2 record and a district finals appearance by the end of the season. He went on to become the school's all-time leading scorer, recording a total of 1,555 points representing the Warriors. Upon completion of his high school years, Trice was listed as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com. Scout.com gave him two stars, while

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

ranked him as the 55th best point guard in the Class of 2011. Rivals scout Brian Snow commented on his strong play with his

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

(AAU) program, "Trice is the huge x-factor for them. In the semi-finals there is absolutely no way that SYF gets past King James if not for the play of Trice. He was making shots, getting to the rim, and setting up teammates very well." Trice's small size came across as the biggest drawback. However, Michigan State men's basketball head coach

Tom Izzo Thomas Michael Izzo (, ; born January 30, 1955) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Michigan State University since 1995. On April 4, 2016, Izzo was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Izzo has le ...

began recruiting him after noticing him on Branden Dawson's AAU team. Dawson, who would later become Trice's teammate with the Spartans, was a far more touted prospect. Izzo commented on Trice, who stood 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) and 160 lbs (73 kg) at the time, saying he was "too skinny" and "too small." He also said, "He was too this and too that. But, unbelievable family, a dad who's a coach, just an ability to win." Trice verbally committed to Michigan State on August 4, 2010, despite receiving offers from

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

, Creighton,

Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

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 ...

, Northern Iowa, Northwestern,

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

, and

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

. His family had visited the

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

in the days prior and heard from Izzo that Trice would likely be a significant part of the team as a freshman. The point guard said to the ''

Lansing State Journal The ''Lansing State Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Lansing, Michigan, owned by Gannett. It is the sole daily newspaper published in Greater Lansing. History The paper was started as the ''Lansing Republican'' on April 28, 1855, ...

'', "I took it as hard work pays off, and I'm a hard worker. Throughout the whole day I (thought) this is too good to be true...I got to spend time with the (players) and watched them work out. I was like 'Man, I could see myself here.'" Gary native and five-star forward Dawson committed to the same program on August 5 as well.

College career

On October 30, 2011, Trice made his debut for

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...

in an exhibition game against

Ferris State University Ferris State University (FSU or Ferris) is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1884 as Big Rapids Industrial School by Woodbridge N. Ferris and became a public institution in 1950. ...

, a Division II school in the field of basketball. The guard recorded 7 points and 4 rebounds in 18 minutes. After the Spartans topped the Bulldogs with a score of 85–58, coach

commented on his freshmen's play. About Trice, he said, "Today I jumped Travis a little bit. I watched /nowiki>Draymond Green">Draymond_Green.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Draymond Green">/nowiki>Draymond Green/nowiki> go right over and put his arm around him and talk to him." Trice made his first official appearance with the team on November 11, 2011, in a Carrier Classic showdown vs North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball, North Carolina. He was allowed 20 minutes on the court, but 1-of-8 shooting limited him to 4 points throughout the game. He went for 11 points and 5 rebounds off the bench the following week on November 18 against Texas Southern, the most he had scored in a single college basketball game until that point in time. However, on December 7 of the same year, in a home contest vs Central Connecticut, he broke that record, adding 20 points despite not being a starter. Izzo noted, "When you really look at it, Trice looked good...give Travis credit." He would hold the number as his season-high scoring performance. He suffered from a brain infection as a freshman that drained his energy and caused him to sleep 12 hours a day. In December 2013, trainer Quinton Sawyer removed a blister on Trice's foot. When the pain didn't subside, it was discovered that there was another blister underneath it. "As soon as I cut that one open, I felt great," Trice said. He shot 43.4 percent on 3-pointers as a junior, third best in the Big 10. As a senior, Trice enjoyed a breakout season, averaging a team-high 15.3 points per game and dished out team-high 197 assists. He helped lead Michigan State to the Final Four that year. Trice was a Third Team All-Big Ten honoree. After defeating the

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...

in the Elite Eight, Trice was named East Region Most Outstanding Player.

Professional career

2015–16 season

After going undrafted in the

2015 NBA draft The 2015 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2015, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by ESPN. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eli ...

, Trice joined the

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

for

2015 NBA Summer League The 2015 NBA Summer League consisted of three professional sports, pro basketball sports league, leagues organized by the National Basketball Association, NBA: the Orlando Magic, Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas S ...

. On September 22, 2015, he signed with the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

. However, he was later waived by the Knicks on October 23 after appearing in two preseason games. On November 2, 2015, he was acquired by the

Westchester Knicks The Westchester Knicks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in White Plains, New York, and are affiliated with the New York Knicks. The Knicks play their home games at Westchester County Center in White Plains, N ...

of the

NBA Development 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, ...

as an affiliate player of New York. In 51 games for Westchester in 2015–16, he averaged 15.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

2016–17 season

On August 5, 2016, Trice signed with the

Cairns Taipans The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Convention Centre, known colloquially as "The S ...

for the 2016–17 NBL season. On November 27, 2016, he scored a season-high 31 points in a 91–80 win over the

New Zealand Breakers The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Bank of New Zealand, BNZ Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers are the only non-Australian side currently competing in Austral ...

. On February 12, 2017, he was recognised for his standout season by claiming the Cairns Taipans MVP. In 26 games for the Taipans, he averaged 14.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game. On February 28, 2017, Trice was acquired by the

, returning to the franchise for a second stint. In nine games for the Knicks, he averaged 21.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game.

2017–18 season

On July 5, 2017, Trice signed with the

Brisbane Bullets The Brisbane Bullets are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL) based in Brisbane, Queensland. They competed from 1979 to 2008, and returned to the league in 2016. Brisbane were one of ten NBL ...

for the 2017–18 NBL season. Prior to joining the Bullets, he played for the

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

' Summer League team in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. In 27 games for the Bullets, he averaged 15.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. On March 6, 2018, Trice signed with Champville SC of the

Lebanese Basketball League The Lebanese Basketball League is recognized as the top-tier professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Lebanon. It is organized annually as a national championship with playoffs and a national cup by the Lebanese Basketb ...

2018–19 season

On July 31, Trice signed a training camp contract with the

. On September 17, 2018, Trice was waived by the Bucks. Trice was added to the opening night roster of the

Wisconsin Herd The Wisconsin Herd are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and are affiliated with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Herd play their home games at Oshkosh Arena. History On June 29, 2016, it was anno ...

on November 1, 2018. On January 16, 2019, Trice was traded to

Austin Spurs The Austin Spurs are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cedar Park, Texas, and are affiliated with the San Antonio Spurs. The team plays their home games at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. The team has made the po ...

. On April 2, 2019, Tofaş of the Basketball Super League announced that they had signed Trice.

2019–20 season

On July 21, 2019, Trice signed with SIG Strasbourg of the

LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Republic * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, an Argentine basketball league * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (Paraguay), Liga Nacional de Básquetb ...

. On January 15, 2020, he signed with Germani Brescia of the

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club (sport), club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball ...

2020–21 season

On December 29, 2020, Trice signed with Galatasaray of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL).

2021–22 season

On July 21, 2021, Trice signed with the Illawarra Hawks for the 2021–22 NBL season. He was later released by the Hawks on September 21, 2021. On October 18, 2021, he has signed with

Śląsk Wrocław Wrocławski Klub Sportowy Śląsk Wrocław Spółka Akcyjna, commonly known as WKS Śląsk Wrocław (), is a Polish professional Association football, football club based in Wrocław that plays in , the second level of the Polish football leagu ...

of the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English language, English: Polish Basketball League), officially known as the Orlen Basket Liga due to its sponsorship by Orlen, is a professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Poland. I ...

. He led the club to its first domestic championship in 20 years, while being awarded MVP both for the regular season and the finals.

2023–24 season

On March 11, 2024, Trice signed with Criollos de Caguas of the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. T ...

. On July 11, 2024, the league announced the end of season award winners; with Travis Trice being named the league's Most Valuable Player. The Criollos made the 2024 BSN Finals against the Osos de Manati. In Game 2, with the Criollos down by three points, Trice made a buzzer-beater, half-court shot to tie the game and send it to over-time. The Criollos eventually won the game, 109–104, with Trice making another key three-point shot during the overtime. The Criollos won the championship, 4 games to 3. Trice was named finals MVP.

Career statistics

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 0 , , 17.2 , , .381 , , .405 , , .576 , , 1.8 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .1 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , style="text-align:left;",

, 27 , , 0 , , 18.6 , , .320 , , .403 , , .720 , , 1.6 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , .0 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 8 , , 22.3 , , .420 , , .434 , , .818 , , 1.6 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , .2 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 39 , , 33 , , 33.6 , , .397 , , .369 , , .715 , , 3.2 , , 5.1 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 15.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 134 , , 41 , , 23.6 , , .390 , , .395 , , .715 , , 2.1 , , 2.9 , , .9 , , .1 , , 8.5

Personal

Trice is the son of Travis Trice Sr., who played two years of

with

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...

and

. Trice's father is currently the head coach at his son's alma mater, Huber Heights' Wayne High School. On March 28, 2015, Trice Sr. led them to an

Ohio High School Athletic Association The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of comp ...

(OHSAA) Division I title, with a victory over Westerville South High School. When he was in high school himself, growing up in

Princeton, Indiana Princeton is the largest city in and the county seat of Patoka Township, Gibson County, Indiana, United States. The population was 8,301 at the 2020 United States census, and it is part of the greater Evansville, Indiana, Metropolitan Area. H ...

, he was one of the best point guards in the Class of 1990. At Butler, he would play under Barry Collier and Thad Matta, turning down offers to play with

Tim Duncan Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 19-year career with the San Antonio Sp ...

at Wake Forest and for

John Calipari John Vincent Calipari (; born February 10, 1959) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach at the Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball, University of Arkansas. He has been named Naismith College Coach of the Year three times (1996, 2 ...

and with

Marcus Camby Marcus Dion Camby (born March 22, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player who played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named Defensive Player of the Year during the 2006–07 NBA season, leading ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. Trice Sr. declined a scholarship offer from

Lute Olson Robert Luther "Lute" Olson (September 22, 1934 – August 27, 2020) was an American basketball coach, who was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the head co ...

at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

primarily because superstar Khalid Reeves had accepted just before. His younger brother D'Mitrik Trice played basketball for the

Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball The Wisconsin Badgers are an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. The Wisconsin Badgers, Badgers' home games are played at the Kohl Center, located on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus in Madison ...

team. Trice Jr.'s grandfather, Bob Pritchett, competed at the same level for

Vincennes University Vincennes University (VU) is a public college with its main campus in Vincennes, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1801 as Jefferson Academy, VU is the oldest public institution of higher learning in Indiana. VU was chartered in 1806 as the In ...

and Old Dominion. On April 29, 2008, Pritchett was inducted into the

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (ODU) is a Public university, public research university in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. Established in 1930 as the two-year Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary, it began by educating people with fewer ...

Sports Hall of Fame. With the Monarchs, he scored 1,188 career points in 50 games, also breaking the school's single-game scoring record against the Richmond Professional Institute, with 67 points. Pritchett was brought up in Princeton, Indiana, the same city as his son-in-law, Travis Trice Sr. Trice, Jr's uncle, his mother's brother, Matt Pritchett, played

left tackle A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and Defensive tackle, defense. In the modern system of ...