Tyrone Lewis "TyTy" Washington Jr. (born November 15, 2001) 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

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 ...

of 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), on a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless o ...

with the Valley Suns of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

. He played

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for the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

s in the 2021 class.

High school career

Washington played basketball for Cesar Chavez High School in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

. As a sophomore, he averaged 23.2 points, 4.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.3 steals per game. Washington transferred to AZ Compass Prep School in

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, fourth-most populous city in Arizona ...

during his junior season. As a senior, he averaged 24 points, seven assists, and six rebounds per game, leading his team to a 30–2 record. He was named to the

Jordan Brand Classic The Jordan Brand Classic is a high school all star basketball game played annually in April. The game's rosters feature the best and most highly recruited high school boys and girls in the senior class. In 2015, a girl's game was introduced. Th ...

roster.

Recruiting

Washington was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top

s in the 2021 class. On November 15, 2020, he committed to playing college basketball for Creighton. He decommitted on March 11, 2021, nine days after head coach

Greg McDermott Greg McDermott (born November 25, 1964) is an American basketball coach who has been the head coach of the Creighton Bluejays men's basketball, Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team since 2010. Previously, McDermott served as the head coach a ...

recalled telling his players, "I need everybody to stay on the plantation. I can't have anybody leave the plantation," following a loss in February. On May 12, 2021, Washington committed to

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

over offers from

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, Baylor,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

and

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

College career

On January 8, 2022, Washington recorded 17 points and 17 assists in a 92–77 win against

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, surpassing John Wall's single-game school record for assists. On January 15, Washington scored a career-high 28 points in a 107–79 win against

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. As a freshman, Washington averaged 12.5 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. He was named to the Second Team All- SEC as well as the All-Freshman Team. On April 6, Washington declared for the

2022 NBA draft The 2022 NBA draft (branded as the 2022 NBA Draft presented by State Farm for sponsorship reasons), the 76th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft, was held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New ...

, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.

Professional career

Houston Rockets (2022–2023)

Washington was selected by 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 Southwest Division of the ...

with the 29th overall pick in the

. The Grizzlies traded Washington and

Walker Kessler Walker Ross Kessler (born July 26, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels and Auburn Tigers. Early life Ke ...

to the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

on draft night for Jake LaRavia. The Timberwolves subsequently traded Washington 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) ...

for Wendell Moore. On October 2, 2022, Washington made his preseason debut, registering eight points along with three rebounds and one assist in a 134–96 win against 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 ...

. On July 8, 2023, Washington was traded to the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

in a five-team trade. On July 12, he was traded again, this time 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 ...

, along with

Usman Garuba Destiny Usman Garuba Alari (born 9 March 2002) is a Spanish professional basketball player for Real Madrid Baloncesto, Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Listed at , he plays at both the power forward and center (basketball ...

Rudy Gay Rudy Carlton Gay Jr. (born August 17, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. A forward, he played college basketball for the UConn Huskies before being selected eighth overall in the 2006 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets, ...

and a 2026 second-round pick, in exchange for Patty Mills. On August 18, he was waived by the Thunder.

Milwaukee Bucks (2023–2024)

On August 29, 2023, Washington signed a two-way contract with 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 ...

Phoenix Suns (2024–present)

On August 2, 2024, Washington signed a two-way contract with the

Career statistics

NBA

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Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, 31 , , 2 , , 14.0 , , .363 , , .238 , , .556 , , 1.5 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , .1 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 11 , , 0 , , 5.1 , , .300 , , .333 , , , , .5 , , .5 , , .3 , , .0 , , 1.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 16 , , 0 , , 7.4 , , .311 , , .190 , , .500 , , .8 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .0 , , 2.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 58 , , 2 , , 10.5 , , .347 , , .234 , , .542 , , 1.1 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .0 , , 3.3

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 29 , , 29.2 , , .451 , , .350 , , .750 , , 4.5 , , 3.9 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 12.5

References

External links

*
Kentucky Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, TyTy Jr. 2001 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen American men's basketball players Basketball players from Phoenix, Arizona Houston Rockets players Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Memphis Grizzlies draft picks Milwaukee Bucks players Phoenix Suns players Point guards Rio Grande Valley Vipers players Valley Suns players Wisconsin Herd players