Brandon Davies (born July 25, 1991) is an American-born naturalized Ugandan professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for

Olimpia Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...

of the Italian

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club basketball league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). It is the highest-tier le ...

(LBA) and the EuroLeague. He also represents the senior Ugandan national team. He was an all-conference college player at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

. Davies earned an

All-EuroLeague First Team The All-EuroLeague Team is an award for Europe's premier level league, the EuroLeague, that is given to the league's top ten basketball players for each season, since the 2000–01 season. During the FIBA era of the EuroLeague, players were honor ...

selection in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Early life and college career

Davies was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, but adopted by single mother Kathy Davies and raised in

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU). Provo lies between the ...

. He attended

Provo High School Provo High School is a public secondary school located in Provo, Utah, United States. It is one of three high schools in the Provo City School District and was the oldest secondary school in the city. In the Summer of 2017 the school district be ...

, where his team won state titles in his sophomore and junior seasons. After considering schools such as

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, Gonzaga, and

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, Davies chose to play

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

basketball at

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his ...

. After playing a reserve role as a freshman in 2009–10, Davies became a key player for the Cougars as a sophomore. He served as the key inside player for the small, sharp-shooting 2010–11 Cougars (led by eventual National Player of the Year

Jimmer Fredette James Taft "Jimmer" Fredette (born February 25, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player. He last played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. Fredette was the 2011 National Player of the Year in college ...

). BYU raced to a 27–2 record and was ranked no. 3 in the

AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...

when Davies was suspended from the team for violating BYU's honor code by having

premarital sex Premarital sex is sexual activity which is practiced by people before they are married. Premarital sex is considered a sin by a number of religions and also considered a moral issue which is taboo in many cultures. Since the Sexual Revolutio ...

with his girlfriend. Davies was reinstated to the team as a junior and was named to the All-

West Coast Conference The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I consisting of ...

team in each of his last two seasons at BYU. As a senior, Davies served as team captain and averaged 17.7 points and 8.0

rebounds per game 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

Professional career

Following his graduation from BYU, Davies was invited to participate in the

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, (PIT), is the oldest amateur basketball tournament in the United States and the only postseason camp restricted to college basketball seniors. The Portsmouth Invitational is the first of two NBA pre-Draft ( ...

(PIT) pre- NBA draft camp. Davies performed well, averaging 20.7 points per game on 68% shooting and grabbing 9.3 rebounds per game. He was named MVP of the PIT. Davies' performance earned him an invitation to the Chicago

NBA Draft combine The NBA Draft Combine is a multi-day showcase that takes place every May before the annual June NBA draft. At the combine, college basketball players are measured and take medical tests, are interviewed, perform various athletic tests and shootin ...

. After going undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft, he joined the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

for the

2013 NBA Summer League The 2013 NBA Summer League is a pro basketball league run by the NBA just after the 2013 NBA draft. It gives newly drafted players a chance to test their skills against each other, and to give them a feel for professional basketball. All 30 NBA ...

. On September 5, 2013, he signed with the Clippers, but was later waived on October 21.

Philadelphia 76ers (2013–2014)

On October 28, 2013, Davies signed with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

. He played in his first NBA game on November 2, 2013 against the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

, scoring two points in two minutes of action. On January 18, 2014, he fractured his right small finger, requiring surgery and up to a month of rehabilitation. On November, 5, 2014, Davies scored a career-high 20 points in an 89–91 loss to the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

Brooklyn Nets (2014–2015)

On December 11, 2014, Davies was traded to the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...

in exchange for

Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Gennadyevich Kirilenko (russian: Андрей Геннадьевич Кириленко; born February 18, 1981) is a Russian-American basketball executive and former professional basketball player, currently the commissioner of the Russ ...

, Jorge Gutiérrez, the Nets' second-round draft pick in 2020, the right to swap second-round picks in 2018, and cash considerations. On January 6, 2015, he was waived by the Nets after appearing in seven games.

Élan Chalon (2015)

On January 12, 2015, Davies signed with

Élan Chalon Élan Sportif Chalonnais, commonly known as Élan Chalon, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Chalon-sur-Saône, France. The team's main colors are red and white, and their mascot is a moose. The team's home arena is called ...

of the LNB Pro League in

Chalon-sur-Saône Chalon-sur-Saône (, literally ''Chalon on Saône'') is a city in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; h ...

, France for the rest of the 2014–15 LNB Pro A season as a replacement for an injured player. He helped Élan reach the league playoffs.

Pallacanestro Varese (2015–16)

In August 2015, Davies signed with

Pallacanestro Varese Pallacanestro Varese, also called by its current sponsor's name, the Openjobmetis Varese, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Varese, Lombardy. Founded in 1945, the team plays in the Italian basketball league system, Italian first ...

Varese Varese ( , , or ; lmo, label= Varesino, Varés ; la, Baretium; archaic german: Väris) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 has reached 80,559. It is the c ...

, Italy for the 2015–16 season.

AS Monaco (2016–17)

In July 2016, Davies signed with

AS Monaco Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club SA, commonly referred to as AS Monaco () or Monaco, is a professional football club based in Monaco that is member of French Football Federation (FFF) and competes in Ligue 1, the top tier of Frenc ...

of the

LNB Pro A The LNB Pro A, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is the top-tier men's professional basketball league in France. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nationale de Basket has governed the league. ...

and

Basketball Champions League The Basketball Champions League (BCL) is an annual professional basketball competition for European clubs, organised by FIBA. It is the top-level competition organised by FIBA Europe, therefore the champion participates in the FIBA Intercontin ...

Žalgiris Kaunas (2017–2019)

In the summer of 2017, Davies played in

The Basketball Tournament The Basketball Tournament (TBT) is an open-application, single-elimination tournament played each summer in the United States. The 2022 edition features 64 teams with a $1 million winner-take-all prize, broadcast by ESPN. TBT was founded in 201 ...

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

for Team Fredette. He competed for the $2 million prize, and for Team Fredette, he scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds in their first round game, which they lost to Team Utah (Utah Alumni) 100–97. On June 23, 2017, Davies signed with a 1+1 contract with Lithuanian team Žalgiris Kaunas of the

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

. Over his two seasons with Žalgiris, Davies helped the team achieve much success, in particular in the EuroLeague. On May 9, 2019, Davies was named to the

, becoming the first Žalgiris player to win the award in 15 years since

Arvydas Sabonis Arvydas Romas Sabonis (; born December 19, 1964) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player and businessman. Recognized as one of the best European players of all time, he won the Euroscar six times and the Mr. Europa Award twice. He p ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

FC Barcelona (2019–2022)

On July 4, 2019, Davies signed a two-year deal with the Spanish club

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. In his second game with Barcelona, Davies recorded 24 points and 11 rebounds in a 95–87 win over Saski Baskonia.

Olimpia Milano (2022–present)

On June 24, 2022, Davies signed a two-year contract with Italian champions

of the

, playing also the EuroLeague.

National team career

Coinciding with his move to Barcelona, Davies acquired a

Ugandan passport The Ugandan passport is a document issued to citizens of Uganda for international travel. History Passports with the name Uganda written upon them or used by Ugandan citizens were first used in the 1940s although they were mainly used by Asia ...

, because under the

Cotonou Agreement The Cotonou Agreement is a treaty between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States ("ACP countries"). It was signed in June 2000 in Cotonou, Benin's largest city, by 78 ACP countries (Cuba did not sign) and the ...

African players are not subject to the same limited quotas in the

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

as American players. As part of the arrangement, Barcelona agreed to release Davies to play some matches for the Uganda national team, and in November 2021 he played in three 2023 World Cup qualifiers in

Benguela Benguela (; Umbundu: Luombaka) is a city in western Angola, capital of Benguela Province. Benguela is one of Angola's most populous cities with a population of 555,124 in the city and 561,775 in the municipality, at the 2014 census. History Por ...

. (The Turkey team complained that Barcelona had not released

Sertaç Şanlı Sertaç Şanlı (born 5 August 1991) is a Turkish professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He plays at the center position. Professional career He made his professional debut in the TB2L with G ...

for its qualifiers in Europe.)

Career statistics

Professional

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

, 51 , , 11.3 , , .422 , , .200 , , .642 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .5 , , .2 , , 2.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, 27 , , 15.7 , , .402 , , .235 , , .649 , , 3.1 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .3 , , 5.3 , - , -class=sortbottom , align="center" colspan=2 , Career ,

, 78 , , 12.8 , , .411 , , .227 , , .644 , , 2.5 , , .7 , , .5 , , .2 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left" , Žalgiris Kaunas , Lithuanian League , 45 , , 16.6 , , .616 , , .000 , , .762 , , 5.2 , , 1.6 , , .9 , , .6 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left" , Žalgiris Kaunas , EuroLeague , 36 , , 17.4 , , .577 , , .000 , , .848 , , 3.5 , , .9 , , .9 , , .4 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left" , Žalgiris Kaunas , EuroLeague , 34 , , 23.7 , , .559 , , .000 , , .762 , , 5.5 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left" ,

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...

, Spanish League , 26 , , 18.0 , , .545 , , .409 , , .768 , , 4.5 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , .5 , , 11.7 , - , -class=sortbottom , align="center" colspan=2 , Career , All Leagues , 219 , , 16.6 , , .543 , , .284 , , .761 , , 3.9 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , .4 , , 8.7

Personal life

Davies is a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

.Brandon Davies: Is BYU’s Premarital Sex Controversy Good For College Sports?
/ref> He married Lenzie Quist of Riverside, California, in January 2015. They have a daughter, born in the summer of 2016.

References

External links

BYU Cougars bio

EuroLeague profile

Liga ACB profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Brandon 1991 births Living people African-American basketball players African-American Latter Day Saints American adoptees American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Lithuania American expatriate basketball people in Monaco American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players AS Monaco Basket players Basketball players from Philadelphia Basketball players from Utah BC Žalgiris players Brooklyn Nets players BYU Cougars men's basketball players Centers (basketball) College basketball controversies in the United States Élan Chalon players FC Barcelona Bàsquet players Latter Day Saints from Pennsylvania Latter Day Saints from Utah Liga ACB players Pallacanestro Varese players Philadelphia 76ers players Sportspeople from Provo, Utah Ugandan men's basketball players Undrafted National Basketball Association players