Tyrone Lewis 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 (appr ...
player 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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
of the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
(NBA), on a
two-way contract with 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 ...
of the
NBA G League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...
. He played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
for the
Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...
. He was a consensus five-star
recruit __NOTOC__
Recruit can refer to:
Military
* Military recruitment
* Recruit training, in the military
* ''Rekrut'' (English: Recruit), a military recruit or low rank in German-speaking countries
* Seaman recruit Books
*''Le Réquisitionnaire'' (En ...
and one of the top
point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...
s in the 2021 class.
High school career
Washington played basketball for
Cesar Chavez High School in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) 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 1 ...
. 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-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to the ...
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 roster.
Recruiting
Washington was a consensus five-star
recruit __NOTOC__
Recruit can refer to:
Military
* Military recruitment
* Recruit training, in the military
* ''Rekrut'' (English: Recruit), a military recruit or low rank in German-speaking countries
* Seaman recruit Books
*''Le Réquisitionnaire'' (En ...
and one of the top
point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...
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 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 state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
over offers from
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
,
Baylor,
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
,
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
and
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
.
College career
On January 8, 2022, Washington recorded 17 points and 17 assists in a 92–77 win against
Georgia, surpassing
John Wall
Johnathan Hildred Wall Jr. (born September 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A Raleigh, North Carolina native, Wall was chosen with the List of firs ...
'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 state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
. 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 draft, was held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The ...
, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.
Professional career
Houston Rockets (2022–2023)
Washington was selected by the
Memphis Grizzlies with the 29th overall pick in 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 draft, was held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 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 men's basketball, North Carolina T ...
to the
Minnesota Timberwolves 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 team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...
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 league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...
.
On July 8, 2023, Washington was traded to the
Atlanta Hawks in a five-team trade. On July 12, he was traded again, this time to the
Oklahoma City Thunder, along with
Usman Garuba
Destiny Usman Garuba Alari (born 9 March 2002) is a Spanish professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at , he plays the power forward and center positions.
Garuba was born in Mad ...
,
Rudy Gay and a 2026 second-round pick, in exchange for
Patty Mills. On August 18, he was waived by the Thunder.
Milwaukee Bucks / Wisconsin Herd (2023–present)
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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
.
Career statistics
NBA
, -
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Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, 31 , , 2 , , 14.0 , , .363 , , .238 , , .556 , , 1.5 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , .1 , , 4.7
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, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 31 , , 2 , , 14.0 , , .363 , , .238 , , .556 , , 1.5 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , .1 , , 4.7
College
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2021–22
, style="text-align:left;",
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
, 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
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
Point guards
Rio Grande Valley Vipers players
Wisconsin Herd players