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Billy Preston (basketball)

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Billy Preston
Preston with the Cavs in the 2018 preseason
Free agent
PositionPower forward
Personal information
Born (1997-10-26) October 26, 1997 (age 27)
Redondo Beach, California, USA
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school
NBA draft2018: undrafted
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018Igokea
2018Canton Charge
2018–2019Erie BayHawks
2019Texas Legends
2019Illawarra Hawks
2020Metropolitanos de Mauricio Baez
2021–2022Cape Town Tigers
2024Cape Town Tigers
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Billy Dewon Preston Jr.[1] (born October 26, 1997) is an American professional basketball player. A power forward, he attended four high schools: St. John Bosco High School, Redondo Union High School, Prime Prep Academy, and Oak Hill Academy. He was ranked among the top recruits of his class, earning McDonald's All-American honors while at Oak Hill.

Following high school, Preston enrolled at the University of Kansas and had signed to play basketball for the Jayhawks. In November 2017, he was involved in an on-campus car accident that resulted in no injuries. Preston, without having played any games, was sidelined until the completion of a university investigation into the incident. After being barred for over two months, he opted to play at the professional level instead.

High school career

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A Santa Ana, California native, Preston attended St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California and Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, California, followed by a stint at Prime Prep in Dallas, Texas.[2] In 2016, he transferred to Oak Hill Academy.[3] He had per-game averages of 15.3 points and 9.2 rebounds as a senior at Oak Hill.[4]

In November 2016, he committed to Kansas, after he had also visited Syracuse, Indiana and the University of Southern California during the recruiting process.[5]

Preston played in the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, scoring ten points and grabbing three rebounds.[6] In the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic, he tallied seven points in 15 minutes of play.[7]

College career

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Preston was held out of the Kansas Jayhawks lineup indefinitely due to a car accident on KU campus on November 8, 2017.[8] The accident, which resulted in no personal injuries, triggered an NCAA investigation into the "financial picture" of the vehicle.[9] On January 20, 2018, Preston left Kansas in the middle of the 2017–18 season due to frustration over the investigation. Although he played in Jayhawks exhibition games before the accident, he played no regular-season games for the team.[10]

Professional career

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KK Igokea (2018)

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On January 20, 2018, Preston signed with Igokea Laktaši of the ABA League and Bosnian League.[11] He made his professional debut 9 days later, recording 2 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, and 1 steal in 6 minutes of play in a win against Zadar.[12] On March 4, 2018, after playing in only three ABA League games with Igokea, Preston left Igokea due to a sore shoulder which persistently hurt him during his last two weeks with the team.[13] His name would officially pop up as one of a record-high 236 underclassmen to declare entry for the 2018 NBA draft on April 24, 2018.[14] Ten days later, Preston was announced as one of a record-high 69 invites for the NBA Draft Combine that year.[15]

Canton Charge (2018)

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Ultimately, Preston went undrafted that year. However, he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers on June 23, 2018, as a member of their 2018 NBA Summer League team.[16] On July 7, Preston signed a two-way contract with the Cavaliers, meaning he would split his playing time between them and their NBA G League affiliate, the Canton Charge, for the 2018–19 season, with the contract also going into the 2019–2020 season.[17] On December 2, 2018, Preston was waived without appearing in a game for the Cavaliers.[18]

Erie BayHawks (2018–2019)

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On December 16, 2018, the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League announced that they had acquired Preston from Canton Charge for the returning right of Jordan Mathews.[19] On February 8, 2019, Preston was traded to the Texas Legends.[20]

Texas Legends (2019)

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On February 8, 2019, Preston was traded to the Texas Legends for the returning rights of Codi Miller-McIntyre.[21] After just over a month into the 2019–20 NBA G League season, Preston left for the National Basketball League of Australia.

Illawarra Hawks (2019)

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On December 9, 2019, Preston signed with the Illawarra Hawks of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).[22] He was released after only three games.[23]

Dominican Republic (2019)

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In 2019, Preston played for Metropolitanos de Mauricio Baez of the Dominican Torneo de Baloncesto Superior (TBS).[24]

Cape Town Tigers (2021–2022)

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In September 2021, Preston signed with the Cape Town Tigers of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), ahead of the qualifiers of the 2022 BAL season.[25] He helped Cape Town successfully qualify, after averaging 16.6 points and 9.4 rebounds in five qualifying games.[26] On April 12, 2022, Preston made his debut in the BAL against Zamalek, scoring a team-high 26 points.[27]

In September 2023, Preston signed with the New Taipei Kings of the P. League+ (PLG).[28] In October 2023, Preston left the Kings, he played for the Kings in two PLG preseason games.[29]

Second stint with the Cape Town Tigers (2024)

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Preston returned for a second stint with the Cape Town Tigers in March 2024 for the 2024 BAL season.[30] He was not on the roster for the playoffs.[31]

On May 15, 2024, Preston signed with the Calgary Surge of the Canadian Elite Basketball League,[32] but didn't play any game.

References

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  1. ^ "Cape Town Tigers at the ROAD TO BAL 2022 2021". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  2. ^ "After two transfers, rising top 10 prospect Billy Preston settling in Dallas". USA Today High School Sports. August 23, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  3. ^ "Billy Preston transfer may help with UK". A Sea Of Blue. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  4. ^ "Versatile Billy Preston gearing up for McDonald's All-American Game". KUsports.com. March 28, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  5. ^ "Preston commits to Kansas; No. 20 in ESPN 100". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  6. ^ "2017 McDonald's All-American Game box score". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  7. ^ "Official Basketball Box Score – Game Totals – Final Statistics East Team vs West Team" (PDF). jordanbrandclassic.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  8. ^ "KU seeking 'clearer financial picture' on Billy Preston-driven vehicle". Topeka Capital-Journal. November 14, 2017.
  9. ^ "Billy Preston situation now out of KU basketball's hands, Bill Self says". Topeka Capital-Journal. December 20, 2017.
  10. ^ "Billy Preston signs with Bosnian professional team, leaves KU without playing a game". kansascity. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  11. ^ Borzello, Jeff (January 20, 2018). "Kansas freshman Billy Preston signs with European team BC Igokea". ESPN.com.
  12. ^ j.t.d., ABA liga. "IGO – ZAD > Match : ABA League". ABA Liga. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  13. ^ "Former KU forward Billy Preston leaves pro team in Bosnia because of injury | the Kansas City Star". Archived from the original on March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  14. ^ "NBA announces 236 early entry candidates for 2018 NBA Draft". Nba.com.
  15. ^ "Some of college basketball's biggest names highlight NBA draft combine list". Sports.yahoo.com.
  16. ^ "Bill Self: Intangibles the key now for undrafted Jayhawk Billy Preston | Tale of the Tait". KUsports.com. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  17. ^ "Cavaliers Sign Billy Preston to Two-Way Contract | Cleveland Cavaliers". Cleveland Cavaliers. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  18. ^ "Cavs Sign Jalen Jones and Jaron Blossomgame to Two-Way Contracts". NBA.com. December 2, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  19. ^ Hartman, Billy (December 16, 2018). "BayHawks Complete Trade with Charge". NBA.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  20. ^ "Legends Acquire Billy Preston". Oursportscentral.com. February 8, 2019.
  21. ^ "Legends Acquire Billy Preston". Texas.gleague.nba.com.
  22. ^ "Illawarra Hawks Sign Billy Preston". www.hawks.com.au.
  23. ^ "Illawarra Part Ways With Preston". Nbl.com.au. December 25, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  24. ^ "Billy Preston | Jugador del Mauricio Báez | TBS Distrito 2020 (28-2-2020)". YouTube. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  25. ^ "@CapeTownTigers making moves ahead of @theBAL Zonal Qualifiers". The Big Tip Off. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  26. ^ "Cape Town Tigers at the ROAD TO BAL 2022 2021". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  27. ^ "Zamalek Down Cape Town to Stay Perfect in the Nile Conference". The BAL. April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  28. ^ 游郁香 (September 8, 2023). "新北國王網羅昔5星高中生 毛加恩期待他搭配牧倫斯、曼尼高". ETtoday. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  29. ^ 游郁香 (October 24, 2023). "新北國王Thank You昔5星高中生比利 他上個月才入隊". ETtoday. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  30. ^ "Cape Town Tigers (SOUTH AFRICA)". The BAL. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  31. ^ "Final Rosters for the 2024 BAL Playoffs - Who is in, Who is out". The BAL. March 23, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  32. ^ "THE CALGARY SURGE SIGN 6'10 FORWARD FROM LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, BILLY PRESTON". CalgarySurge.ca. May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
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