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Lamont Butler

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Lamont Butler
Butler with San Diego State in 2024
No. 1 – Kentucky Wildcats
PositionPoint guard
LeagueSoutheastern Conference
Personal information
Born (2002-06-09) June 9, 2002 (age 22)
Moreno Valley, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High schoolRiverside Polytechnic
(Riverside, California)
College
Career highlights and awards
  • Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year (2024)
  • Third-team All-Mountain West (2023)
  • 3× Mountain West All-Defensive Team (2022–2024)

Lamont Butler Jr. (born June 9, 2002) is an American college basketball player for the Kentucky Wildcats of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He previously played for the San Diego State Aztecs, who he led to a berth in the 2023 Final Four.

Early life and high school career

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Butler grew up in and Moreno Valley, California and attended Riverside Polytechnic High School.[1] He was a four-year starter for the school and broke the school's career scoring record, which was previously held by Reggie Miller.[2] Butler was rated a three-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for San Diego State over offers from Saint Mary's, Stanford, Washington, California, Colorado, USC, Boise State, and Utah State.[3][4]

College career

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Butler played in 28 games with two starts during his freshman season at San Diego State, averaging 4.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.[5][6] He started 25 games as a sophomore and averaged 7.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game and was named to the Mountain West Conference All-Defensive team.[6] Butler missed several games due to a broken wrist.[7] He was named third-team All-Mountain West and repeated as an All-Defensive selection during his junior season.[8] In the semifinal of the 2023 NCAA tournament, Butler hit a buzzer-beating jump shot as time expired to beat Florida Atlantic 72–71 and send the Aztecs to the 2023 national championship game.[9] He averaged 8.8 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game. After the season, Butler entered his name into the 2023 NBA draft, but ultimately withdrew in order to return to San Diego State for his senior season.[10]

Butler averaged 9.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game as a senior. Eligible for a fifth year due to COVID interruptions to his college career, Butler transferred to Kentucky.[11]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 San Diego State 28 2 12.4 .396 .290 .667 1.7 1.5 .9 .0 4.3
2021–22 San Diego State 27 25 25.4 .391 .329 .773 2.1 2.1 1.7 .1 7.3
2022–23 San Diego State 39 38 25.9 .421 .342 .731 2.7 3.2 1.5 .1 8.8
Career 94 65 21.8 .408 .330 .723 2.2 2.4 1.4 .1 7.1

Personal life

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Butler's sister, Asasha Hall, was shot and killed in a domestic dispute on January 25, 2022.[12][13]

References

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  1. ^ "SoCal Prep Legends Athlete of the Week: Lamont Butler, Riverside Poly". The Press-Enterprise. December 11, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  2. ^ Miller, Bryce (February 16, 2021). "Column: Lamont Butler's emerging nickname illustrates his game for Aztecs". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  3. ^ Zeigler, Mark (June 19, 2019). "SDSU basketball lands prep recruit from Inland Empire". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  4. ^ Cassidy, Rob (April 3, 2023). "Looking back on the recruitment of San Diego State's starting five". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  5. ^ "Final Four: Lamont Butler's journey from heartbreak to hero". Houston Chronicle. April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Al-Khateeb, Zac (April 3, 2023). "Who is Lamont Butler? What to know about player who hit Final Four buzzer-beater for San Diego State". Sporting News. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  7. ^ Zeigler, Mark (December 1, 2021). "Bad break for Aztecs as Lamont Butler suffers wrist injury". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  8. ^ Zeigler, Mark (March 6, 2023). "Lamont Butler is Mountain West defensive player of the year". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  9. ^ Keh, Andrew (April 1, 2023). "Lamont Butler Hits Buzzer-Beater to Send San Diego State to N.C.A.A. Title Game". The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  10. ^ "Final Four hero Lamont Butler to return to SDSU for his senior season". The San Diego Union-Tribune. May 29, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  11. ^ Zeigler, Mark (April 26, 2024). "That was quick: SDSU transfer Lamont Butler commits to Kentucky". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  12. ^ Forde, Pat (April 2, 2023). "A Buzzer-Beater For Teammates, Family and a Fallen Sister". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  13. ^ Thamel, Pete (April 2, 2023). "SDSU's Lamont Butler: Felt sister's presence on game winner". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
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