Gary Neal (born October 3, 1984) is an American 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 ...

coach and former player. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

La Salle University La Salle University () is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. History La ...

and

Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university h ...

. He began his professional career abroad with teams in Turkey, Spain and Italy before signing with the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

in 2010. He mostly played the

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

position.

High school career

Born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Neal attended Aberdeen High School for three years. At Aberdeen, he was teammates with future George Mason standout, forward-center

Jai Lewis Jai Lamar Lewis (born February 13, 1983) is an American former basketball player who last played for Sabios de-Manizales in Colombia. He now works as a behavioral specialist in Parkville, Maryland. College career He grew up in Germany to US ...

. As a junior, Neal led Aberdeen to a 21–4 record and won their state championship, while averaging a triple double per game. For his senior year, he enrolled at

Calvert Hall College High School Calvert Hall College High School (also known as "Calvert Hall" or "CHC") is a Catholic college preparatory high school for boys, located in Towson, Maryland, United States. The school's mission is to make its students "men of intellect, men of f ...

, to play in the

Baltimore Catholic League The Baltimore Catholic League (BCL), locally known as the Catholic League is a competitive basketball association composed of private Catholic high schools in the Baltimore, Maryland geographic area. History The BCL was founded in 1972, after t ...

. He played alongside Jack McClinton, who was drafted by the

in the 2009 NBA draft.

College career

As a freshman, Neal was the Atlantic Ten Rookie of the Year. He led the

La Salle Explorers The La Salle Explorers are the varsity sports teams from La Salle University in Philadelphia. The Explorers compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The men's and women's basketball teams are also participate in the P ...

in scoring with an 18.6 average during his two seasons for the Explorers. Before the 2004–05 season, Neal was dismissed from the team due to a rape allegation by a University of New Haven women's basketball player who was working at La Salle camp. Neal was later acquitted after prosecutors failed to convince a jury that the woman was too drunk to consent to sex. Neal sat out the 2004–05 season to transfer to

. He initially joined Towson with no athletic aspirations, but was given a walk-on spot on their basketball team in 2005–06 conditional on the result of his rape case. Neal was activated as soon as he was acquitted, and received a scholarship for his senior year in 2006–07. That year, he returned to high-scoring numbers averaging 25.3 points per game, 3.5 assists per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, and he led the Tigers to the second round of the 2007

CAA CAA may refer to: Law * Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 of India ** Citizenship Amendment Act protests, Protests regarding the Citizenship (Amendment) Act * Copyright transfer agreement, Copyright assignment agreement, to transfer copyright to ...

conference tournament, before losing to

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (Old Dominion or ODU) is a public research university in Norfolk, Virginia. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary and is now one of the largest universities in Virginia with ...

. He became the fourth basketball player in NCAA history to score at least 1,000 points with two different schools.

Professional career

Pinar Karsiyaka (2007–2008)

Neal was eligible in the 2007 NBA draft in June and was projected to be on the bubble to get drafted. Neal went

undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. When playing for

Pınar Karşıyaka Pınar is a common feminine Turkish given name. In Turkish, "Pınar" means "Spring" (of water), and/or "Fountain". Notable people called Pınar include: Given name * Pinar Heggernes (born 1969), Turkish-born Norwegian computer scientist * Pına ...

, Neal led the Turkish

Basketball Super League Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's ...

in scoring, averaging 23.6 points per game.

FC Barcelona, Benetton Treviso, and Unicaja Málaga (2008–2010)

Eventually,

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 ...

bought out Neal's Pınar Karşıyaka contract. He was signed by FC Barcelona in January 2008. In Barcelona he averaged 2.3 points per game in the Euroleague and 3.3 points per game in the ACB with Barcelona during the 2007–08 season. In June 2008, Neal was signed by the Italian

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

outfit Benetton Treviso. With Benetton, he was named to the EuroCup Basketball (the league below the EuroLeague level) All-EuroCup Second Team during the 2008–09 season. Neal then joined the Spanish club

Unicaja Málaga Unicaja is a Spanish savings bank based in Málaga and chartered as a caja de ahorros providing retail banking services. The banks full name is ''Monte de Piedad y Caja de Ahorros de Ronda, Cádiz, Almería, Málaga y Antequera'' after th ...

, where he finished the 2009–10 season, averaging 12.6 points per game in Spanish League play.

San Antonio Spurs (2010–2013)

On July 22, 2010, the

of the

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 ...

signed Neal to a three-year deal. In the 2010–11 NBA season, Neal played 80 games and started one and scored 45.1% of his field goal attempts, 41.9% of three-pointers, and 80.8% of free throws; he also averaged 9.8 points per game and 2.5 rebounds per game. On April 27, 2011, during game 5 of the first round of the NBA playoffs and the Spurs trailing the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

97–94 and the series 3–1, Neal hit a three-pointer with 1.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Spurs beat the Grizzlies 110–103 in overtime and forced a sixth game in the series. However, the Spurs lost Game 6 to the Grizzlies 99–91 and were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round. In 22 minutes that game, Neal scored 8 points and made 5 rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Gary Neal Spurs (cropped)

On January 2, 2012, the Spurs assigned Neal to the

Austin Toros Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

as he recovered from an

appendectomy An appendectomy, also termed appendicectomy, is a Surgery, surgical operation in which the vermiform appendix (a portion of the intestine) is removed. Appendectomy is normally performed as an urgent or emergency procedure to treat complicated acu ...

. However, he was recalled on the next day without playing any games for the Toros. On December 10, 2012, Neal scored an NBA career-high 29 points to go along with his career-high 7 3-pointers made in a win against the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

in overtime. On June 11, 2013, in Game 3 of the 2013 NBA Finals, Neal scored a career playoff-high of 24 points on 9 of 17 from the field, including 6 of 10 three-pointers to help lead the Spurs to a blowout 113–77 victory over 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 ...

. The 6 made three-point shots was an NBA Finals single-game record for undrafted players that stood until Duncan Robinson achieved 7 in the

2020 NBA Finals The 2020 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2019–20 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Laker ...

. However, the Spurs lost the series in seven games.

Milwaukee Bucks (2013–2014)

On July 30, 2013, Neal signed with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets (2014–2015)

On February 20, 2014, Neal and

Luke Ridnour Lukas Robin Ridnour (born February 13, 1981) is an American retired professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). High school career Ridnour was born in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and grew up in Blaine, Washington. His fa ...

were traded to the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populou ...

in exchange for

Jeff Adrien Jeff Adrien (born February 10, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for San Lorenzo de Almagro of the Liga Nacional de Básquet, Argentina. He formerly served as captain for the University of Connecticut Huskies, where he played as ...

and

Ramon Sessions Ramon Sessions (born April 11, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player and a licensed Sports Agent for an independently owned firm, On Time Agency (OTA). He played three years of college basketball for Nevada, earning WAC All-N ...

. In April 2014, Charlotte changed their name to the Hornets. On December 12, 2014, he had his best game since the 2012–13 season with the Spurs when he scored 25 points in the Hornets' 107–113 double-overtime loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2015)

On February 10, 2015, Neal was traded, along with Miami's 2019 second-round draft pick, to the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

in exchange for Mo Williams, Troy Daniels and cash considerations.

Washington Wizards (2015–2016)

On July 9, 2015, Neal signed with the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

. During the 2015–16 season, he missed 23 games due to injury, forcing the Wizards to waive him on March 9, 2016.

Westchester Knicks (2016–2017)

On December 16, 2016, Neal was acquired by the

Westchester Knicks The Westchester Knicks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in White Plains, New York, and are affiliated with the New York Knicks. The Knicks typically play their home games at Westchester County Center in Whit ...

of the

. Ten days later, he made his debut with Westchester in a 118–114 loss to the

Long Island Nets The Long Island Nets are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Uniondale, New York, and are affiliated with the Brooklyn Nets. The team plays its home games at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Nassau County ...

, recording four points, one rebound and one steal in 13 minutes off the bench.

Texas Legends (2017)

On January 2, 2017, Neal was traded to the

Texas Legends The Texas Legends are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Frisco, Texas, and are affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team began as the Colorado ...

in exchange for a 2017 third-round draft pick. Four days later, he made his debut for the Legends in a 148–122 loss to 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 ...

, recording 18 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal in 26 minutes off the bench.

Atlanta Hawks (2017)

On January 18, 2017, Neal signed a 10-day contract with the

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

. On January 28, 2017, after his 10-day contract expired, he parted ways with the Hawks and re-joined the Legends.

Reno Bighorns (2017)

On January 30, 2017, Neal was traded to the

Reno Bighorns Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

in exchange for a 2017 fourth-round draft pick.

Tecnyconta Zaragoza (2017–2018)

On September 23, 2017, Neal signed with Spanish club Tecnyconta Zaragoza for the 2017–18 ACB season. He was named Player of the Month of November after averaging 22.7 points and four assists in the three matches played during the month. On 24 May 2018, he finished in third place in voting for the Liga ACB

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

Banvit (2018–2019)

On December 14, 2018, Neal signed with Turkish club

Banvit Banvit is a feed and poultry producer based in Bandırma, Turkey. Business and activities Starting as a feed producer in 1968, Banvit gradually moved into the production of broiler chickens. Today Banvit has the country's largest single broiler ...

Coaching career

Towson Tigers (2019–2021)

On August 27, 2019, Neal joined the Towson coaching staff for the 2019–20 season.

Calvert Hall Cardinals (2021-present)

Since 2021, Neal became the head coach of the Calvert Hall varsity basketball team, the high school he attended. He also works as a social studies teacher at the school.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, 80 , , 1 , , 21.1 , , .451 , , .419 , , .808 , , 2.5 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , .1 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 56 , , 7 , , 21.5 , , .436 , , .419 , , .781 , , 2.1 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .0 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , 17 , , 21.8 , , .412 , , .355 , , .865 , , 2.1 , , 1.9 , , .4 , , .0 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, 30 , , 2 , , 20.2 , , .390 , , .360 , , .833 , , 1.7 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , .0 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, 22 , , 1 , , 23.0 , , .438 , , .406 , , .961 , , 1.8 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , .0 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 43 , , 0 , , 21.7 , , .359 , , .293 , , .863 , , 2.2 , , 1.9 , , .4 , , .0 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, 11 , , 1 , , 23.8 , , .429 , , .355 , , .879 , , 3.2 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .0 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 40 , , 2 , , 20.2 , , .465 , , .410 , , .855 , , 2.1 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .0 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, 2 , , 0 , , 9.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .5 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 352 , , 31 , , 21.3 , , .422 , , .382 , , .850 , , 2.2 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .0 , , 9.9

Playoffs

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2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

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

, 6 , , 0 , , 18.5 , , .370 , , .263 , , 1.000 , , 3.0 , , .8 , , .2 , , .2 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

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, 14 , , 0 , , 15.5 , , .476 , , .444 , , .846 , , 1.3 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , .0 , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

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

, 21 , , 0 , , 18.6 , , .385 , , .348 , , 1.000, , 2.1 , , .7 , , .1 , , .0 , , 6.8 , - , align="left" ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 26.0 , , .353 , , .222 , , .714 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 11.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 41 , , 0 , , 17.5 , , .411 , , .364 , , .944 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , .0 , , 7.2

High school career

College career

Professional career

Pinar Karsiyaka (2007–2008)

FC Barcelona, Benetton Treviso, and Unicaja Málaga (2008–2010)

San Antonio Spurs (2010–2013)

Milwaukee Bucks (2013–2014)

Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets (2014–2015)

Minnesota Timberwolves (2015)

Washington Wizards (2015–2016)

Westchester Knicks (2016–2017)

Texas Legends (2017)

Atlanta Hawks (2017)

Reno Bighorns (2017)

Tecnyconta Zaragoza (2017–2018)

Banvit (2018–2019)

Coaching career

Towson Tigers (2019–2021)

Calvert Hall Cardinals (2021-present)

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links