Nick Young (basketball)
![]() Young with the Lakers in December 2014 | |
No. 0 – Los Angeles Lakers | |
---|---|
Position | Shooting guard / Small forward |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | Los Angeles, California | June 1, 1985
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Cleveland (Los Angeles, California) |
College | USC (2004–2007) |
NBA draft | 2007: 1st round, 16th overall pick |
Selected by the Washington Wizards | |
Playing career | 2007–present |
Career history | |
2007–2012 | Washington Wizards |
2012 | Los Angeles Clippers |
2012–2013 | Philadelphia 76ers |
2013–present | Los Angeles Lakers |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Nicholas Aaron "Nick" Young (born June 1, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays both shooting guard and small forward positions. Young played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was a two-time first-team all-conference selection in the Pac-10.
High school career
Born in Los Angeles, California, Young played for Cleveland High School in suburban Reseda, California. He averaged 27.2 points and 10.8 rebounds as a 2004 senior at Cleveland, earning 2004 CIF L.A. City Section, Los Angeles Times All-City and San Fernando Valley first team honors. He shot 57.3% from the field and 46.8% from three-point range (52-of-111), had 48 steals and 41 blocks as Cleveland finished 25–4. Young was tabbed the seventh-best player in the country by HoopScoop and listed by prep basketball guru Frank Burlison as among the Top 50 recruits in 2004. He once scored 56 points in one game and had 23 rebounds in another. He earned CIF L.A. City Section first team honors in 2003 and was included in a list of Top Seniors by Athlon heading into 2004.
College career
Young played for the University of Southern California from 2004 to 2007 and was All-Pac-10 First Team in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. In the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Young led the fifth-seeded Trojans to a berth in the Sweet Sixteen, where they lost to the one-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels, 74–64.[1] Along the way, Young led USC to a 77–60 first-round win against Arkansas.[2] In the 2nd round, Young led the team with 22 points over the Texas Longhorns in an 87–68 rout of the team featuring the National Player of the Year, Kevin Durant, though Durant led both teams in scoring with 30.[3]
Following his junior season, as expected,[4] Young announced on April 15, 2007 to the Los Angeles Times that he would forgo his senior year to turn professional and enter the 2007 NBA Draft,[5] where he was selected with the 16th overall pick by the Washington Wizards.
College statistics
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004–05 | USC | 29 | 24 | 25.7 | .441 | .315 | .644 | 4.1 | 1.3 | .8 | .3 | 11.1 |
2005–06 | USC | 30 | 30 | 33.9 | .467 | .333 | .801 | 6.6 | 1.6 | 1.0 | .2 | 17.3 |
2006–07 | USC | 37 | 36 | 33.2 | .525 | .440 | .786 | 4.6 | 1.4 | .7 | .3 | 17.5 |
Career | 96 | 90 | 31.1 | .483 | .368 | .764 | 5.1 | 1.4 | .8 | .3 | 15.5 |
Professional career
Washington Wizards (2007–2012)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Nick_Young_shoots.jpg/170px-Nick_Young_shoots.jpg)
Young was selected 16th overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2007 NBA draft. He started his first career NBA game on December 15, 2007, against the Sacramento Kings.
On January 9, 2010, Young was fined $10,000 by the Washington Wizards for participating in Gilbert Arenas' antics before a game on January 5, 2010 against the Philadelphia 76ers. Arenas was being investigated for a prior incident involving guns in the Wizards' locker room, but made light of the accusations by pointing his finger at his teammates, as if he were shooting them. His teammates were photographed smiling and laughing with him.[6]
Young scored a career-high 43 points on January 11, 2011 against the Sacramento Kings.[7]
Los Angeles Clippers (2012)
On March 15, 2012, Young was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-way trade involving the Denver Nuggets and Washington Wizards. Later, on April 16, 2012, he helped the Clippers clinch their first playoff berth in 6 years with a 19-point performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was also a key part of the Clippers' comeback victory against the Memphis Grizzlies in game one of the first round of the 2012 playoffs, making three three-pointers in under a minute.
Philadelphia 76ers (2012–2013)
On July 12, 2012, Young signed with the Philadelphia 76ers to a one-year deal.[8]
Los Angeles Lakers (2013–present)
On July 11, 2013, Young signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.[9] During the 2013–14 season, he converted a Lakers' record seven four-point plays while averaging career-highs with 17.9 points and 1.5 assists per game.[10][11]
On July 21, 2014, Young re-signed with Lakers to a reported four-year, $21.5 million contract.[12][13] During training camp, he suffered a complete tear of the radial collateral ligament in his right thumb, and was expected to miss six to eight weeks.[10] After missing the first ten games of the season with the injury, Young made his season debut on November 18 against the Atlanta Hawks, recording 17 points and 5 rebounds in a 114–109 win.[14] On December 12, he scored a season-high 29 points in a 112–110 win over the San Antonio Spurs.[15]
NBA career statistics
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 |
Regular season
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2007–08 | Washington | 75 | 2 | 15.4 | .439 | .400 | .815 | 1.5 | .8 | .5 | .1 | 7.5 |
2008–09 | Washington | 82 | 5 | 22.4 | .444 | .341 | .850 | 1.8 | 1.2 | .5 | .2 | 10.9 |
2009–10 | Washington | 74 | 23 | 19.2 | .418 | .406 | .800 | 1.4 | .6 | .4 | .1 | 8.6 |
2010–11 | Washington | 64 | 40 | 31.8 | .441 | .387 | .816 | 2.7 | 1.2 | .7 | .3 | 17.4 |
2011–12 | Washington | 40 | 32 | 30.3 | .406 | .371 | .862 | 2.4 | 1.1 | .8 | .3 | 16.6 |
2011–12 | L.A. Clippers | 22 | 3 | 23.5 | .394 | .353 | .821 | 1.6 | .5 | .6 | .3 | 9.7 |
2012–13 | Philadelphia | 59 | 17 | 23.9 | .413 | .357 | .820 | 1.8 | 1.4 | .6 | .2 | 10.6 |
2013–14 | L.A. Lakers | 64 | 9 | 28.3 | .435 | .386 | .825 | 2.6 | 1.5 | .7 | .2 | 17.9 |
2014–15 | L.A. Lakers | 42 | 0 | 23.8 | .366 | .369 | .892 | 2.3 | 1.0 | .5 | .3 | 13.4 |
Career | 522 | 131 | 23.8 | .423 | .376 | .833 | 2.0 | 1.1 | .6 | .2 | 12.3 |
Playoffs
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | Washington | 4 | 0 | 4.3 | .111 | .000 | .750 | .5 | .3 | .5 | .0 | 1.3 |
2012 | L.A. Clippers | 11 | 0 | 18.2 | .433 | .515 | .889 | 1.1 | .3 | .3 | .4 | 8.3 |
Career | 15 | 0 | 14.5 | .395 | .486 | .864 | .9 | .3 | .3 | .3 | 6.4 |
Personal life
In 2007, Young became the main subject of a documentary titled Second Chance Season, in which his exploits, shortcomings, and successes are reviewed.[16]
In November 2013, there were rumors that Young was romantically involved with Australian rapper Iggy Azalea after they had contact on Twitter and were seen out on a date.[17] In an April 2014 radio interview with Hot 97, Azalea confirmed that they had been dating for around eight months.[18] They announced their engagement on June 1, 2015.[19]
Young's cousin is rapper Kendrick Lamar.[20]
Young's nickname is "Swaggy P", which is in his Twitter handle. According to Young, speaking at the Lakers' 11th Annual All-Access Event in January 2015, the name is a pseudo-biblical reference to "the Prophet of Swag".[21]
References
- ^ "UNC pulls off biggest rally of the season to dismiss USC". Sports.espn.go.com. March 23, 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ "Gibson keys decisive Trojan victory over Hogs". Sports.espn.go.com. March 16, 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ "Young pours in 22 points for USC in blowout of Texas". Sports.espn.go.com. March 18, 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ Andy Katz (April 16, 2007). "Trojans' Young set to declare but may not get agent". Sports.espn.go.com. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ "USC's Young passes on senior year, turns pro". Sports.espn.go.com. April 17, 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ "The Washington Wizards have fined four players for participating in Arenas' antics". Sports.espn.go.com. January 9, 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ "Wizards vs. Kings: Nick Young scores 43 and Washington survives meltdowns to win in overtime, 136-133". Washingtonpost.com. January 12, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ Sixers Sign Free Agent Guard Nick Young
- ^ "Lakers Sign Nick Young". NBA.com. July 21, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ^ a b Markazi, Arash (October 3, 2014). "Nick Young has torn thumb ligament". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2014.
- ^ "LOS ANGELES LAKERS 2013-14 SEASON REVIEW". NBA.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 4, 2014.
- ^ "Lakers Sign Nick Young". NBA.com. July 21, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
- ^ "Nick Young Agrees To Re-Sign With Lakers On Four-Year, $21.5M Deal". RealGM.com. July 11, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
- ^ "Bryant leads struggling Lakers past Hawks 114-109". NBA.com. November 18, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ^ "Nick Young 2014-15 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
- ^ Second Chance Season (2007) - Movie Info - Yahoo! Movies
- ^ "Iggy Azalea Finds Love On Twitter With NBA Star Nick Young". Mobo.com. November 13, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
- ^ "Iggy Azalea confirms relationship with NBA Star Nick Young". hot97.com. April 22, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^ 'Happiest Day': Iggy Azalea proudly shows off her 10.43 carat yellow diamond sparkler worth $500,000 after NBA player beau Nick Young gets down on one knee
- ^ Interview: Nick Young Talks Style, His Cousin Kendrick Lamar and His Experience With a Fire Extinguisher
- ^ Markazi, Arash (January 6, 2015). "The Lakers' 'Odd Couple'". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- Nick Young at espn.com
- Nick Young at usctrojans.com
- Nick Young on X
- 1985 births
- Living people
- African-American basketball players
- Basketball players from California
- Los Angeles Clippers players
- Los Angeles Lakers players
- People from the San Fernando Valley
- Shooting guards
- Small forwards
- Sportspeople from Los Angeles, California
- USC Trojans men's basketball players
- Washington Wizards draft picks
- Washington Wizards players