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T. J. Bray

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T. J. Bray
Personal information
Born (1992-06-14) June 14, 1992 (age 32)
New Berlin, Wisconsin
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight207 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High schoolCatholic Memorial
(Waukesha, Wisconsin)
CollegePrinceton (2010–2014)
NBA draft2014: undrafted
Playing career2014–2021
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
Career history
2014–2015Pallacanestro Trapani
2015–2016Casale Monferrato
2017Basic-Fit Brussels
2017–2018Kolossos Rodou
2018–2019Rasta Vechta
2019–2021Bayern Munich
2020–2021→Zaragoza
2021Panathinaikos
Career highlights and awards

Thomas Joseph "T. J." Bray (born June 14, 1992) is an American former professional basketball player who played seven seasons in several top professional leagues in Europe. Bray played college basketball for the Princeton Tigers.

Early life and high school

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Bray grew up in New Berlin, Wisconsin and attended Catholic Memorial High School. As a senior, Bray was named Wisconsin Mr. Basketball after averaging 17.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game and led Catholic Memorial to the WIAA Division 2 state title, recording 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and six steals in the state championship game.[1] He committed to play basketball at Princeton University, which plays in the non-scholarship Ivy League, over offers from North Dakota and Florida Gulf Coast.[2]

College career

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Bray played four seasons for the Princeton Tigers and was a starter for his final three years. He played in all 32 of Princeton's games coming off the bench as a freshman, averaging 1.5 points per game. In his first season as a starter, Bray averaged 7.2 points per game. Bray was named second team All-Ivy after averaging 9.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.8 steals as a junior. As a senior, he was a unanimous first team All-Ivy selection after leading the Tigers with 18 points per game, 34 steals, 133 assists and a .537 field goal percentage.[3] Bray finished his collegiate career with 1,024 points scored and third in school history with 374 assists.[4]

Professional career

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Pallacanestro Trapani

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After going unselected in the 2014 NBA draft, Bray played in the 2014 NBA Summer League as a member of the Toronto Raptors roster. He averaged 4.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 18.2 minutes played over five games for the Raptors but ultimately was not invited to preseason training camp. He then signed with Pallacanestro Trapani of Serie A2 Basket, the Italian second division, on August 6, 2014.[3] In his first professional season, Bray averaged 9.5 points, 3.0 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game in 29 games played.[5]

Casale Monferrato

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Following the Serie A2 season, Bray played in the 2015 NBA Summer League with the New York Knicks, but only appeared in two games. Bray returned to Serie A2 for a second season after signing with Novipiù Casale Monferrato on August 4, 2015.[6] Bray played in 35 games with Casale Monferrato, averaging 14.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.[7]

Basic-Fit Brussels

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Bray initially signed a contract to play for Riesen Ludwigsburg of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) in the summer of 2016 but was unable to play for the team due to a knee injury he suffered while back in the U.S. After rehabbing the injury for several months, Bray signed with Basic-Fit Brussels of the Belgian Pro Basketball League (PBL) on January 10, 2017 for the remainder of the 2016–17 season.[8] After joining the team Bray played in 33 games, all starts, and averaged 8.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game and was named honorable mention All-PBL by Eurobasket.com.[9]

Kolossos Rodou

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Bray signed with Kolossos Rodou B.C. of the Greek Basket League (GBL) on August 3, 2017.[10] Bray averaged 12.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 27 GBL games (26 starts).[9]

Rasta Vechta

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Bray signed with SC Rasta Vechta of the BBL on July 14, 2018.[11] He was named the player of the week for the 4th round of the BBL season following a 36 point, three rebound, eight assist performance in a 106-100 win over Mitteldeutscher BC.[12] Bray was selected as a reserve to play in the 2019 BBL All-Star Game as a member of the "International" team.[13] Bray averaged 14.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, a BBL-leading 7.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in 33 games (all starts) as Rasta Vechta finished in fourth place in the BBL regular season and 19.7 points, 9.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals in the postseason.[14][15] He was named first team All-Basketball Bundesliga and finished second to Will Cummings in MVP voting.[16]

Bayern Munich

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Bray agreed to a two-year contract with Bayern Munich on July 11, 2019.[17] Bray missed the first three months of the season due to a tendon injury in his foot.[18] In 10 Euroleague games, he averaged 6.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Bray re-signed with the team on August 13, 2020.[19]

Casademont Zaragoza

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On December 3, 2020, Bray signed with Casademont Zaragoza of the Liga ACB.[20]

Panathinaikos

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On February 8, 2021, Bray signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague,[21] returning in Greece after his first stint with Kolossos Rodou three years earlier. In 12 league games, he averaged 10.8 points, 3 assists and 1.7 rebounds, shooting with 53.3% from beyond the arc, 63.2% from the field and 66.7% from the free throw line. On August 15, 2021, Bray officially parted ways with the Greek club, citing serious personal reasons overseas.[22] He announced his retirement from professional basketball on September 9.[23]

References

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  1. ^ Briggs, Luke (March 20, 2010). "WIAA boys basketball: Bray's big day includes state title for Catholic Memorial". Madison.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  2. ^ Stewart, Mark (April 11, 2010). "T.J. Bray leaves no doubt". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "After Solid Stint in NBA Summer League, PU Alum Bray Signs With Italian Pro Team". Town Topics. August 6, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  4. ^ "Bray '14 Signs With Belgian Top-Division Team". GoPrincetonTigers.com. January 10, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  5. ^ "Tiger Hoops Alum Bray Enjoying Time in Europe, Returning for 2nd Season With Italian Pro League". Town Topics. August 26, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  6. ^ "TJ Bray is the second foreigner of Novipiù". IlMonferrato.it (in Italian). August 4, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  7. ^ "T.J. Bray signed by Brussels". Court-Side.com. January 12, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  8. ^ "T.J. Bray inks with Brussels". EuroMillionsBasketball.be. January 10, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Schmidt-Scheuber, Miles (July 13, 2018). "Vechta inks TJ Bray, ex Kolossos HH". EuroBasket.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  10. ^ Carchia, Emiliano (August 3, 2017). "TJ Bray inks with Kolossos Rhodes". Sportando. NanoPress. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  11. ^ Richter, Hauke (July 14, 2018). "Rasta Vechta brings US pro Bray". NWZOnline.de (in German). Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  12. ^ "TJ Bray claims German BBL Interperformances weekly honour". EuroBasket.com. October 23, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  13. ^ "Reservists of the ALLSTAR Games: Aito relies on newcomers, Menz on veterans and 348 internationals". EasyCredit-BBL.de (in German). February 12, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  14. ^ "Second in the MVP race: TJ, Bray convinces experts". Schoenen-Dunk.de (in German). May 11, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  15. ^ "Bayern Munich signed TJ Bray". EuroHoops.net. July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  16. ^ "Our "Famous Five" of the season: Five professionals from Oldenburg, Berlin and Vechta make up the First Team". EasyCredit-BBL.de (in German). May 15, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  17. ^ "Bayern tabs German League assist leader Bray". EuroLeague.net. July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  18. ^ "Bayern's Bray sidelined with foot injury". EuroLeague.net. September 1, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  19. ^ "Bayern keeps Bray for another season". Eurobasket. August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  20. ^ Yahyabeyoglu, Fersu (December 3, 2020). "TJ Bray (ex Bayern) signs at Zaragoza". Eurobasket. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  21. ^ T.J. Bray officially added by Panathinaikos
  22. ^ Carchia, Emiliano (August 15, 2021). "TJ Bray, Panathinaikos part ways". Sportando. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  23. ^ Maggi, Alessandro (September 9, 2021). "TJ Bray: I have decided to retire from professional basketball". Sportando. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
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