The Spurs dealt superstar Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan. Looking forward to the upcoming season, Gay should have a chance at a bounce-back showing.
That kept him out of the picture in all but deeper Fantasy leagues, though his contributions as a mentor and as a reliable bench presence still made him a valuable basketball player for the Spurs. He finished the campaign averaging 11.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists, while knocking down just 31.4 percent of his three-pointers. The veteran averaged just 21.6 minutes, which was far-and-away a career low - Gay averaged 33.8 minutes in his final season with Sacramento in 2016-17. In addition to the the extended absence, Gay also saw his workload take a significant hit. That marked his second straight season playing less than 60 games. Even with the change of scenery, injuries once again crept into the picture and Gay ended up missing a stretch of 23 games while dealing with bursitis in his left heel. He was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the eighth overall pick and then was traded a couple days later to the Memphis Grizzlies.Īfter spending just over three years in Sacramento, Gay decided to join a playoff contender in the Spurs and took a fairly significant pay cut in doing so.
Gay announced that he would enter the 2006 NBA Draft after his sophomore year. In his 2004-05 freshman year, Gay collected the Big East Rookie of the Year award after averaging 11.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Gay was named to the 2005-06 All-America Second Team. He led the Huskies to the Elite Eight in the 2006 NCAA Tournament before losing to George Mason in overtime.
The Baltimore, Maryland native earned All-Big East First Team honors on the strength of those accomplishments, which came in what was his sophomore campaign. Gay also founded the Flight 22 Foundation in his hometown of Baltimore, with the aim to serve "as the runway to helping school-aged children in under served communities take flight." Learn more about Gay by following him on Twitter and on Instagram Gay led the University of Connecticut in points (15.2) and steals (1.8) per game while checking in second on the team in assists (2.1) and third in rebounds (6.4) during the 2005-06 season. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and Gay kicked in another $22,222 of his own money. That resulted in a $5,000 donation from the NBA to the St. As a result of his actions, Gay was awarded the NBA Cares Community Assist Award for March of 2010. Gay donated $20,000 to the program, which raised funds by allowing donors to pledge a set amount of money for each point scored by Gay and other participating NBA players. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. In 2010, he was named an ambassador for the Hoops for St. Since joining the NBA, Gay has taken part in a number of charitable activities. He was named the Baltimore Sun's co-player of the year, the Washington Post All-Met Basketball Player of the Year, a McDonald's All-American and a Parade first-team All-American.
During his senior year, Gay averaged 21.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game. He played basketball for Spalding for two years, earning first team All-Baltimore Catholic League honors as a junior and senior. Gay attended Eastern Technical High School in Essex, Maryland, for two years before transferring to Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn, Maryland, during his junior year. He began playing competitive recreational basketball in his hometown of Baltimore when he was 12 years old. was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Rae and Rudy Sr.