Aaron Gray
| No. 34 – Chicago Bulls | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | December 7, 1984 Tarzana, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) |
| Listed weight | 271 lb (123 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Emmaus |
| College | Pittsburgh |
| NBA draft | 2007: 2nd round, 49th Overall |
| Selected by the Chicago Bulls | |
| Playing career | 2007–present |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Aaron Michael Gray (born December 7 1984 in Tarzana, California) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the NBA.
High school career
Gray played high school basketball at Emmaus High School in Pennsylvania's highly competitive Lehigh Valley Conference, where he was a standout center. Gray did not start playing for the varsity team until the middle of his sophomore season. He played for coach Anthony Semler. While at Emmaus, Gray was recruited and committed to attend the University of Pittsburgh. He chose Pitt over Rutgers and Penn State. His nickname at Emmaus was "Big Bird" in reference to the Sesame Street character. Although being a premiere player in the Lehigh Valley, Gray shockingly was not a 1000 point scorer for Emmaus.
College career
While at Pitt, Gray was named an Associated Press Third Team All-American, after helping lead the University of Pittsburgh to the Sweet 16 in the 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in March 2007. At Pitt, Gray's seemingly effortless offensive game from 16 feet in earned him the moniker "Gravy," a homage to his impressive paint and baseline scoring moves and the likeness of his surname, Gray, to the popular sauce, (gravy).
Professional career
In 2007, Gray announced his intention to enter the 2007 NBA Draft. At the NBA's 2007 pre-draft camp, Gray was the only player whose height measured at least seven feet without shoes, and he had the highest body-fat measurement at 15%. He is 7'1" and weighs 271 pounds.
He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 49th overall selection.
Gray made his NBA debut with the Bulls on November 2, 2007 against the Milwaukee Bucks. His most outstanding game so far came on April 16, 2008 against the Toronto Raptors, when he recorded 19 points, 22 rebounds and 2 assists in 35 minutes of play, all career highs. He is currently on the Bulls' active roster and is starting to log significant minutes. As of March 15, 2008, Gray has scored 185 points and 112 rebounds for the Bulls during the 2007-08 season.
Season by season totals
NCAA
| Year | Team | G | FGM | FGA | REB | BLK | STL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-2004 | PITT | 15 | 11 | 20 | 22 | 3 | 0 |
| 2004-2005 | PITT | 29 | 49 | 85 | 82 | 16 | 5 |
| 2005-2006 | PITT | 33 | 170 | 323 | 345 | 49 | 21 |
| 2006-2007 | PITT | 27 | 163 | 281 | 271 | 45 | 14 |
| Totals | 104 | 393 | 724 | 705 | 113 | 40 | |
NBA (as of March 15, 2008)
| Year | Team | G | FGM | FGA | PTS | REB | BLK | AST | STL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-2008 | CHI | 47 | 72 | 148 | 185 | 112 | 10 | 32 | 13 |
| Totals | 47 | 72 | 148 | 185 | 112 | 10 | 32 | 13 | |