Avery Antonio Bradley Jr. (born November 26, 1990) is an American former professional basketball player who is the vice president of player development for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns before being drafted 19th overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2010 NBA draft. With the Celtics, Bradley was twice recognized as an NBA All-Defensive Team member. He also played for the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Early life Bradley was born on November 26, 1990, in Tacoma, Washington, to Avery Bradley Sr. and Alicia Jones-Bradley. He has two older brothers, and one older sister. Alicia worked in a welfare office, while Avery Sr. had a 22-year military career. After the two divorced in 2001, Bradley lived with his mother but maintained a strong relationship with his father, whose career took him all over the country. Bradley became a Texas Longhorns fan when he lived in Arlington from 2001 to 2004. Bradley and his family left Texas for Tacoma in the summer of 2004, before the start of his eighth grade year. Bradley played on the same AAU team as future Celtics teammate Isaiah Thomas.Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas share a childhood connection
High school career Bradley was ranked among the top high school basketball players in the class of 2009. ESPNU 100 rated him No. 1 nationally, and he was rated No. 4 by Rivals.comAVERY BRADLEY – Yahoo and No. 5 by Scout.com.Avery Bradley Player Profile News Bradley propelled Findlay College Prep to the National High School Basketball championship game against Oak Hill Academy, winning the contest 56–53. After leading Findlay to the title, Bradley was named National High School Basketball Player of the Year by Parade Magazine. He played against the nation's best high school players at the 2009 McDonald's All-American Game and won the McDonald's All-American Dunk Contest. Before transferring to Findlay Prep for his senior campaign, Bradley was a three-year starter at Bellarmine Preparatory School in Tacoma, Washington. Bradley and University of Washington recruit Abdul Gaddy led Bellarmine Prep to the Class 4A State Semifinals with a 25–4 mark as a junior.AVERY BRADLEY - 2009-10 MEN'S BASKETBALL
College career Bradley attended the University of Texas at Austin. He found the Texas Longhorns basketball program appealing in part because he had spent parts of his childhood in Arlington, where Bradley became a fan of T. J. Ford.
As a freshman in 2009–10, Bradley averaged 11.6 points for the Longhorns and established himself as one of the top defensive guards in the country. He subsequently earned Big 12 All-Rookie Team and All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors.
In April 2010, Bradley declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility.Texas' Avery Bradley Declares For NBA Draft, Won't Sign With Agent
Professional career Boston Celtics (2010–2011)
Bradley was selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. On July 2, 2010, he signed his rookie-scale contract with the Celtics. The same day, Bradley underwent successful ankle surgery and subsequently missed the 2010 NBA Summer League.Bradley signs, has surgery
Still just 19 years old, Bradley joined a Celtics team that was one of the best in the Eastern Conference. He did not see his first regular-season action until the fourteenth game of the season, a 23-point victory over the Atlanta Hawks in which Bradley scored two points and committed two turnovers.Avery Bradley Game-by-Game Stats (2010-11) On January 14, 2011, Bradley was assigned to the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League and on the same day made his debut game for the team, playing 21 minutes and scoring 11 points. Following a spinal cord injury to Marquis Daniels during a game against the Orlando Magic on February 6, Bradley was recalled by the Celtics the next day and joined the team for the game against the Charlotte Bobcats.
In the one Celtics game of Bradley's rookie season in which he played more than 15 minutes, Bradley scored 20 points to go with three rebounds, two assists and two steals. However, he played 10 or more minutes in just two other NBA games and did not appear in any of the Celtics' postseason contests. On June 30, 2011, the Celtics exercised their third-year team option on Bradley's rookie-scale contract, extending the contract through the 2012–13 season.Celtics Exercise Contract Option on Avery Bradley for 2012-13 Season
Hapoel Jerusalem (2011) In October 2011, Bradley signed with Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Basketball Premier League for the duration of the NBA lockout. He played three games with the team, averaging 13.7 points per game.
Return to Boston (2011–2017) 2011–12 season
During the 2011–12 NBA season, Bradley enjoyed much more playing time and was promoted to a starting role following an injury to Ray Allen. Bradley's scoring output increased significantly during the season, and he managed a career-high 28 points against the Atlanta Hawks on April 20, 2012. He also received praise for his tremendous hustle and defense, including memorable blocks on Dwyane Wade and Russell Westbrook, among others. However, Bradley suffered a dislocated shoulder during the 2012 NBA playoffs. This injury, which led to season-ending surgery, was a significant setback to the Celtics, who lost in seven games to the Miami Heat in the Conference Finals.
2012–13 season On October 30, 2012, the Celtics exercised their fourth-year team option on Bradley's rookie-scale contract, extending the contract through the 2013–14 season.Celtics Exercise Fourth-Year Option on Guard Avery Bradley With Bradley still sidelined for the beginning of the 2012–13 NBA season, the aging Celtics struggled with the duo of Courtney Lee and Jason Terry receiving the majority of minutes at shooting guard. On January 2, 2013, Bradley returned to action against the Memphis Grizzlies, regaining his spot as the starting shooting guard and providing a significant boost to the team, evident by their winning six out of Bradley's first seven games back. However, the season was ultimately a disappointment for both Bradley and the Celtics. Although he led the league in fewest points per play allowed on defense, at 0.697, Bradley struggled offensively, shooting just 40.2 percent from the field and managing 15 or more points just five times in 50 regular-season games. The Celtics lost any realistic chance of contention after point guard Rajon Rondo went down with a torn ACL on January 27, leaving them without their most dynamic player. After falling behind three games to none against the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs, Boston mounted a furious comeback, winning two games and narrowly losing Game 6. Bradley, whose play in the series had mirrored the ineffectiveness of the team, provided a gutsy effort at the end of the game, making all four of his shots and stealing the ball three times in the last ten minutes. The Celtics entered the offseason with an eye toward the future and Bradley a vital part of their plans to rebuild a contender.
2013–14 season The Celtics ended an era on the day of the 2013 NBA draft, trading aging stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, as well as Jason Terry and D. J. White, to the Brooklyn Nets. The Celtics also declined to sign Bradley to a contract extension before the October 31, 2013, deadline, allowing him to become a restricted free agent in 2014. However, new Celtics coach Brad Stevens professed his trust in Bradley, who, in the absence of the injured Rondo, began the 2013–14 NBA season as the team's starting point guard. Bradley's time at point guard lasted just four disappointing games; he had more turnovers than assists, and the Celtics lost all four times. In an effort to turn the team around, Stevens named Jordan Crawford the new point guard, allowing Bradley to move to his natural shooting guard. The move worked brilliantly, as the Celtics immediately went on a four-game winning streak and the more comfortable Bradley settled nicely into his role on the team. Although the Celtics' lack of talent and experience began to show itself as the season went along, particularly with Rondo still out, Bradley was a rare bright spot, increasing his scoring average every month through January. Bradley was especially effective in December, shooting a fantastic 50 percent on three-pointers and making 48.7 percent of his shots overall. Unfortunately, on January 21, in just the third game all season that Rondo was active, Bradley sprained his ankle and ended up missing five games. Shortly after returning, on February 5, Bradley re-sprained the same ankle. Determined to be cautious, Stevens still had not set a return date for Bradley as the Celtics headed into the All-Star break more than a week later.
Bradley ultimately returned to action on March 14. In his fourth game back, a victory over the Miami Heat, Bradley connected on a career-high six three-pointers as part of a 23-point effort,Notebook: Celtics 101, Heat 96 then followed it up with 28 points, matching his career high, the next game.Bradley's career high can't keep Celtics from road loss to Nets When healthy, Bradley played significant minutes and played effectively in the final stretch of the season, scoring at least 18 points in the team's last five games. He shouldered a higher percentage of the offensive workload for Celtics in 2013–14, and Bradley responded by greatly improving his shooting from the previous season. In a rebuilding year for the team, one that saw them win only 25 games, Bradley stood out as one of their few consistent performers.
2014–15 season With Bradley set to become a restricted free agent in July 2014, the Celtics needed to extend a qualifying offer of $3.6 million in order to be able to match any contract offered by another team, which they did on June 30.Celtics Extend Qualifying Offer To Restricted Free Agent Avery Bradley On July 15, Bradley re-signed with the Celtics to a four-year, $32 million contract. Although the Celtics had high hopes for their backcourt pairing of Bradley and Rajon Rondo, both now healthy, they were soon dealt a setback when Rondo broke his hand a month before the 2014–15 season. Although the team planned to be cautious with Rondo's injury, Brad Stevens made the decision to keep Bradley at shooting guard even with Rondo out, with a mix of rookie Marcus Smart, second-year guard Phil Pressey and new acquisition Evan Turner playing point guard.
Despite the concerns, Rondo ultimately surprised many by being ready for opening night. Bradley continued to play harassing defense and scored in double digits in 13 of the team's first 15 games, including a career-high 32 points in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks.Parsons, Mavs hold on to beat Celtics 118-113 However, the Celtics struggled to a 4–11 start. Meanwhile, Bradley's offense cooled off in December, as he shot just 39 percent from the field for that month and made just 1-of-21 three-point attempts over a six-game stretch. Faced with a 9–14 record on December 18, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge made the difficult decision to part with Rondo, trading him and rookie Dwight Powell to the Dallas Mavericks for Brandan Wright, Jae Crowder, Jameer Nelson and two draft picks. Pundits such as Bill Simmons and Jalen Rose portrayed the trade as a surrender to a mediocrity, with the hopes of getting a high draft pick at season's end,Bill and Jalen React To The Rondo Trade and the Celtics continued to struggle after Rondo's exit.