Gabriel Michael Pruitt (born April 19, 1986) is an American former 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. He played two seasons for the

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of the

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(NBA)., winning an NBA championship with the team in 2008. He also played in the NBA D League,

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Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

, and

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from 2010 to 2018.

High school

Pruitt and was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and attended Westchester High School, where he averaged 22 points per game as a senior in 2004. He was a fourth-team ''Parade'' All-American selection, ''

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'' All-City and South Bay/Westside first team and South Bay ''

Daily Breeze The ''Daily Breeze'' is a 57,000-circulation daily newspaper published in Hermosa Beach, California Hermosa Beach (''Hermosa'', Spanish language, Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of Calif ...

'' Player of the Year honors. He was listed as the No. 20 prep player in the country by ''Basketball Times'' after his senior year, and was considered among the top 20 prep guards by

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and Insiders.com in his senior year in 2004.

College career

2004–2005

Pruitt earned team MVP honors along with fellow freshman Nick Young. He led the Trojans in points (356), scoring average (12.3), three-point average (.450), assists (92), and steals (56) earning him selection to the All-Pac-10 freshman team. His three-point field-goal percentage set a school record and he hit at a .547 clip (41-of-75) in the latter half of the season. He was among the all-time Trojan top-10 freshmen in points (fifth) average (T-fourth), field goals (seventh), field-goals attempted (eighth), field-goal percentage (the ninth-best ever by a freshman guard), three-pointers (1st), three-pointers attempted (second), three-pointer percentage (first), free-throw percentage (ninth), assists (fifth) and steals (second). He scored in double digits in 20 of 29 of his games, including a season-high of 23 twice, both against Stanford at home on January 22 and at Stanford on February 27. In the home game v. Stanford, he made a season high of seven three-pointers out of 11 attempted. This tied him with Anthony Pendleton, who had achieved this feat on December 9, 1987. He had a season-best eight assists in his game v. San Diego on December 11. and a high of eight rebounds v. Arizona State on February 12.

2005–2006

Pruitt started 25 games for the USC and finished second on that team and fifth in the Pac-10 with a 16.9 scoring average, while snagging 4.0 rebounds and having 3.1 assists per game. He was named to the All-Pac-10 First Team along with teammate Nick Young; they had become the first pair of Trojans to make the team since

Duane Cooper Samuel Duane Cooper (born June 25, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. College career Born in Benton Harbor, Michigan, Cooper graduated from the University of Southern California. Pro career Cooper was selected by the ...

and

Harold Miner Harold David Miner (born May 5, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player and two-time champion of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Slam Dunk Contest. He attended college at the University of Southern California (USC) a ...

in 1992. Additionally Pruitt was selected to the NABC District 15 first team. On December 3 v. BYU, he had his first career double-double, scoring 17 points with a career-high 10 rebounds. His next career high was made when he scored 36 points in a 71–69 victory at Loyola Marymount on December 10, which earned him Pac-10 Player of the Week honors. From the

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, Pruitt was 13-19 (68.4 percent), including 5-for-10 from three-point range. He became the 12th Trojan to score 36 points or more in a game. He had 16 points (counting 5-for-8 from outside the arc), six rebounds and assists, and four steals in a victory over North Carolina on December 21. He sealed USC's win over

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

on December 31 by making 10 of 12

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the Key (basketball), restricted ...

shots down the line, including 6–6 in the final 47 seconds of the 82–71 win at the

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. He scored 30 points on 11-for-18 shooting (5-11 from three-point range) in a near-victory against

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

on January 5 (at 66-65). Pruitt scored six three-pointers and made all of his 21 points in the second half of an 86–77 loss vs. Washington on the twelfth. He marked 30 points again on an 8–12 shooting (6 three-pointers made) in an 84–78 win on January 28. Pruitt became the ninth Trojan to score 30 or more points in three games or more in the same season and the first since Harold Miner in 1992 (who did this 11 times). He tallied a career-high seven steals and a game-high 25 points in a 77–70 win over Arizona on February 2. Then he missed several games from February 9 to February 25 after he suffered a

tibial plateau fracture A tibial plateau fracture is a break of the upper part of the tibia (shinbone) that involves the knee joint. Symptoms include pain, swelling, and a decreased ability to move the knee. People are generally unable to walk. Complication may include ...

in his left knee. His return to action was on March 2, playing in USC's final three games. However, he only marked 29.3 percent of his shots (12-for-41). He ranked second in the Pac-10 in steals with 55 (2.2 per game). His 111 steals are among the tops of the Pac-10. Making 94 of his 117 (80.3 percent) free-throw attempts, he ranked tenth in the conference and earned the Joe Barbato Award for the best free-throw percentage on the Trojans at the team awards dinner. During the end of the 2005-2006 season, Pruitt gained slight media attention after he was the victim of a

Catfishing Catfishing is a deceptive activity in which a person creates a fictional persona or fake identity on a social networking service, usually targeting a specific victim. The practice may be used for financial gain, to compromise a victim in so ...

scam in which a

Cal Cal or CAL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Cal'' (novel), a 1983 novel by Bernard MacLaverty * "Cal" (short story), a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov * ''Cal'' (1984 film), an Irish drama starring John Lynch and Helen Mir ...

student later revealed to be named Steven Kenyon pretended to be a female

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

student named Victoria. Victoria messaged Pruitt on AIM and the two chatted flirtatiously and planned a date after Pruitt's game against Cal. During the game, several students in the student section for Cal having been in on the gig, chanted taunts at Pruitt. Things such as "Call Gabe" and "Victoria! Victoria!" were chanted by hundred of students in the audience. Kenyon later commented that the entire ordeal was to give Cal a competitive advantage by throwing Pruitt off his feet.

2006–2007

Since he was an efficient shooter, defender, and leader, Pruitt did fairly well as a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

for the Trojans. with 131 three-pointers, Pruitt holds the record for most three-pointers by a Trojan (in his first two seasons), ranking 10th all-time at

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

. Pruitt, who missed the first 13 games of the season while academically ineligible, finished third in scoring, averaging 12.5 points per game, while leading the team in assists with 113 and steals with 47 in 26 games. He also led USC in free throw shooting, hitting 80.0 percent, to win the Joe Barbato Award for the team's highest free throw percentage for his second consecutive season. Pruitt became the 32nd Trojan in history to score 1,000 points in his career, and ranks 27th all-time at USC in scoring with 1,102 points. He also stands in fourth place all-time at USC for three-pointers made with 179 while holding down the sixth spot in steals with 158. He was also selected to the honorable-mention all-pac-10 team. Pruitt helped lead East Region five-seed USC to the round of Sweet Sixteen in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, where they fell to No. 1 North Carolina, 74–64. Pruitt scored in double figures in all three NCAA Tournament games against Arkansas, Kevin Durant-led Texas, and the Tar Heels, and had better than a 3:1 assist to turnover ratio (19 to 6). On April 27, 2007, Pruitt announced that he registered for the 2007 NBA draft, following teammate and fellow junior Nick Young in declaring for the draft, whereas freshman teammate

Taj Gibson Taj Jami Gibson (born June 24, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Gibson played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was selected 26th overall by th ...

declined to make himself eligible, and was eventually selected by the

in the 2nd round with the 32nd overall selection.

NBA and D-League

2007–2008

Pruitt did not see significant playing time in his first

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 ...

season. Being the 4th string

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

behind

Rajon Rondo Rajon Pierre Rondo (, born February 22, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Rondo played two years of college basketball for ...

Eddie House Edward Lee House II (born May 14, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. A guard known for his three-point shooting, House played for nine NBA teams in 11 seasons in the league. He was a member of the Boston Celtics team that ...

and

Sam Cassell Samuel James Cassell Sr. (born November 18, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach and former point guard who serves as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drafted 24th overall i ...

, he spent most of the season playing with the Celtics'

D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

affiliate, the

Utah Flash Orem, Utah Orem Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal ...

2008–2009

Pruitt played a small role on the Celtics, averaging under 8 minutes per game.

2009–2010

Pruitt was waived by the Celtics on July 31, 2009. He played with the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

during their 2009 training camp, but was waived on October 7, 2009. Pruitt then played for the

Los Angeles D-Fenders LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significance ...

and

of the NBA Developmental League.

2011–2012

Pruitt started the 2011–12 season in the D-League with the

Sioux Falls Skyforce The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team plays their home games in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have call ...

. After appearing in just two games, he signed with 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 ...

in December 2011. On December 21, 2011, after two preseason games against the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

, he was waived, and returned to the Skyforce.

2012–2013

On February 26, 2013, Pruitt was traded to the

Maine Red Claws The Maine Celtics (formerly the Maine Red Claws) are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo B ...

, in exchange for

James Mays James Dixon Mays (born March 8, 1986) is an American-born naturalized Central African professional basketball player for Shandong Heroes of the Chinese Basketball Association. He represented the Central African Republic at the 2011 FIBA Africa Ch ...

. He left the Red Claws in late March.

European career

On April 3, 2013, Pruitt signed with the Greek League club Rethymno Aegean.

College statistics

Source: http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/bviewplayer.asp?Player=46729

Rankings

*Pruitt was ranked #46 in Rivals Hoops 2004 top 150 players. *Pruitt was ranked the #9 point guards in 2004 by RivalsRivals.com Prospect Rankings
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NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Playoffs

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References

External links

NBA.com Profile

Eurobasket.com ProfileGreek Basket League Profile

Draftexpress.com ProfileScoresway.com Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pruitt, Gabe 1986 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Cyprus American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Mexico American men's basketball players Basketball players from Los Angeles Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics players Ironi Ashkelon players Keravnos B.C. players Los Angeles D-Fenders players Maine Red Claws players Rethymno B.C. players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Panionios B.C. players Point guards Santos de San Luis players Shooting guards Sioux Falls Skyforce players USC Trojans men's basketball players Utah Flash players Westchester High School (Los Angeles) alumni