Torrey Craig (born December 19, 1990) 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 ...

player for the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

of the

National Basketball Association 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 S ...

(NBA). 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 ...

for the

USC Upstate Spartans The USC Upstate Spartans are the athletic teams that represent the University of South Carolina Upstate, located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in intercollegiate sports at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N ...

, where he was named an honorable mention All-American and Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year in 2012. After graduating from USC Upstate in 2014, Craig spent his first three professional seasons in Australia and New Zealand. He was named New Zealand NBL MVP and won a New Zealand NBL championship with the

Wellington Saints The Wellington Saints are a New Zealand basketball team based in Wellington. The Saints compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at TSB Bank Arena. Team history The Wellington Saints were founded in 1981. In 1 ...

, and earned NBL Best Defensive Player honors with the

Brisbane Bullets The Brisbane Bullets are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) based in Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland. They competed from 1979 to 2008, and returned to th ...

. In 2017, he began his NBA career with the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

College career

Craig went to the

University of South Carolina Upstate The University of South Carolina Upstate (USC Upstate) is a public university in Valley Falls, South Carolina, near Spartanburg and with a Spartanburg postal address.Compare to: (shows the university is not in the Spartanburg city limits)

from Great Falls High School in Great Falls, South Carolina, after winning 1A state Player of the Year honors in his senior season. As a freshman, Craig entered the starting lineup and quickly made an impact, averaging 14.4 points and 7.2

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 ...

en route to winning

Atlantic Sun Conference The ASUN Conference, formerly the Atlantic Sun Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference operating mostly in the Southeastern United States. The league participates at the NCAA Division I level, and began sponsoring football at the Divisi ...

Freshman of the Year honors. In his sophomore season, Craig led the A-Sun in scoring at 16.4 points per game and helped the Spartans win 21 games. Craig was named the conference Player of the Year and an honorable mention All-American by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

. As a junior, Craig once again led the A-Sun in scoring at 17.2 points per game. He was named first team All-Atlantic Sun. Prior to the start of his senior season, Craig was named preseason Player of the Year in the Atlantic Sun. On February 10, 2014, Craig reached the 2,000 career point milestone with a 22-point game against East Tennessee State.

Professional career

Cairns Taipans and Wellington Saints (2014–2016)

On August 6, 2014, Craig signed with the

Cairns Taipans The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Conventio ...

in Australia for the

2014–15 NBL season The 2014–15 NBL season was the 37th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between 10 October 2014 and 22 February 2015, followed by a post-season featu ...

. He was named NBL Player of the Week for Round 9 after recording 19 points and 10 rebounds against the

Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...

on December 6. On December 19, he scored a season-high 28 points in a 90–86 loss to the 36ers. He helped the Taipans finish the season in first place with a 21–7 record before going on to reach the grand final series, where they lost 2–0 to the

New Zealand Breakers The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Sky Sport Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at ...

. In 32 games, he averaged 8.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Following the 2014–15 NBL season, Craig joined the

for the 2015 New Zealand NBL season. On April 17, he scored 41 points against the

Taranaki Mountainairs The Taranaki Airs are a New Zealand basketball team based in New Plymouth. The Airs compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at TSB Stadium. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Steelformers Airs. Te ...

, ending the game one point shy of the all-time Saints scoring record, held by

Mike Efevberha Michael James Efevberha (born August 22, 1984) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League. He played college basketball for the University of California, Irvine and California State University, Nort ...

with 42. He was named Player of the Week for Round 3 after also recording 25 points and 14 rebounds against the

Southland Sharks The Southland Sharks are a New Zealand basketball team based in Invercargill. The Sharks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Stadium Southland. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the SBS Bank So ...

on April 18. He was again named Player of the Week for Round 11. He missed the end of the regular season with a knee injury. He helped the Saints reach the grand final, where they lost to the Sharks 72–68. For the season, he was named the NZNBL MVP and was named to the NZNBL All-Star Five. In 17 games, he averaged 20.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. On August 7, 2015, Craig re-signed with the Taipans for the

2015–16 NBL season The 2015–16 NBL season was the 38th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between 7 October 2015 and 14 February 2016, followed by a post-season featuri ...

. On October 24, 2015, he recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to

Melbourne United Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena. The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 as ...

. On January 13, 2016, in another loss to United, Craig became the first Taipans player to have at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a game since

Nathan Jawai Nathan Leon Jawai (born 10 October 1986) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Darwin Salties of the NBL1 North. Standing at 209 cm, he plays at the power forward and centre positions. Early life Born at the Royal Hospi ...

did so in 2008. The Taipans missed the playoffs in 2015–16 with a 12–16 record. Craig appeared in all 28 games, averaging 11.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. Following the 2015–16 NBL season, Craig re-joined the Saints for the

2016 New Zealand NBL season The 2016 NBL season was the 35th season of the National Basketball League. The league's team total dropped to an all-time low for the 2016 season, with the departure of the Manawatu Jets leaving the competition with seven teams. The 2016 pre-se ...

. He was twice named Player of the Week. He helped the Saints reach the grand final, where they defeated the Super City Rangers 94–82 to win the

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

, with Craig scoring 15 points. He appeared in all 20 games for the Saints in 2016, averaging 20.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He subsequently earned NZNBL All-Star Five honors for the second straight year.

Brisbane Bullets and Gold Coast Rollers (2016–2017)

On May 9, 2016, Craig signed a two-year deal with the

, a team re-joining the NBL for the 2016–17 season after an eight-year hiatus. He made his debut for the Bullets in their season opener on October 6, scoring a team-high 16 points in a 72–65 win over the

Perth Wildcats The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at RAC Arena, known colloquially as "The Jungle". Afte ...

. Two days later, he had 17 rebounds in a 77–73 win over the

Sydney Kings The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The Kings were formed from a merger between the West Sydney Westars and the ...

. On November 19, he scored a career-high 34 points in a 105–87 win over the

. In the Bullets' season finale on February 11, 2017, Craig had 30 points and 18 rebounds in a 106–79 loss to the

Illawarra Hawks The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games ...

. He became just the second player in eight years to have 30 points and 18 rebounds in a game. The Bullets finished the season at the bottom of the ladder with a 10–18 record. For the season, Craig was named the NBL Best Defensive Player and earned All-NBL Second Team honors. Craig appeared in all 28 games for the Bullets in 2016–17, averaging 15.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Following the 2016–17 NBL season, Craig joined the Gold Coast Rollers of the

Queensland Basketball League NBL1 North, formerly the Queensland Basketball League (QBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Queensland partnered wit ...

. He scored 30 points or more five times, including two 40-point games. He was named Player of the Week for Round 3. In 10 games for the Rollers, he averaged 28.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.

Denver Nuggets (2017–2020)

In June 2017, Craig returned to the United States to join the

for

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season competition organized by the National Basketball Association. NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups ...

. On July 19, 2017, he signed a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...

with the Nuggets. On the two-way deal, Craig spent most of the season in the

NBA G 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 ...

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 ...

due to the 45-day limit he could spend with the Nuggets. Craig made his NBA debut on November 28, 2017, in the Nuggets' 106–77 loss to the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

, joining Mike Gibson as the only players in Upstate history to play in an NBA game. Craig made his first career start on December 15, 2017, against the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

, scoring six points in a 117–111 overtime win. Three days later, he scored a season-high 14 points in a 95–94 loss to the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. On April 1, 2018, he recorded seven points and a season-high eight rebounds in a 128–125 overtime win over 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 ...

. On July 10, 2018, Craig signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Nuggets. On February 1, 2019, he scored a then career-high 22 points in a 136–122 win over 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 game four of the Nuggets' first-round playoff series against 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 ( ...

, Craig scored 18 points with five 3-pointers in a 117–103 win. On March 1, 2020, Craig scored a season-high 17 points against the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

. In the

COVID Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

affected

2019–20 NBA season The 2019–20 NBA season was the 74th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 22, 2019, and originally was supposed to end on April 15, 2020. However, the season was suspended on March 11 as a resul ...

, Craig averaged 5.4 points and 3.3 rebounds during the regular season and once again proved his worth while checking some of the NBA's best wings during the postseason. On November 17, 2020, the Nuggets extended Craig a $2.5 million qualifying offer to make him a

restricted free agent A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...

. They withdrew the qualifying offer four days later, thus making him an unrestricted free agent.

Milwaukee Bucks (2020–2021)

On November 26, 2020, Craig signed with the

Phoenix Suns (2021)

On March 18, 2021, Craig was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. On April 25, 2021, he had 20 points and 14 rebounds off the bench against 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 the

2021 NBA Finals The 2021 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2020–21 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Eastern Conference champion Milwaukee Bucks d ...

against his former team the

, he averaged 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds across the six games. The Suns lost the series 4–2.

Indiana Pacers (2021–2022)

On August 20, 2021, Craig signed with the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

. On October 29, 2021, he scored a career-high 28 points, to go with 11 rebounds, in a loss to the

Return to Phoenix (2022–present)

On February 10, 2022, Craig was traded back to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for

Jalen Smith Jalen Rasheed Smith (born March 16, 2000) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association. Nicknamed "Stix", he played college basketball for the Maryland Terrapins. Smith w ...

and a 2022 second-round draft pick.

Personal life

Craig's son, Braylon, was born on June 4, 2014.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

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, 75 , , 37 , , 20.0 , , .442 , , .324 , , .700 , , 3.5 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .6 , , 5.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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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 ...

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Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

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Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, 51 , , 14 , , 20.3 , , .456 , , .333 , , .771 , , 3.8 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .4 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 27 , , 2 , , 20.8 , , .450 , , .323 , , .706 , , 4.3 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , .6 , , 6.9 , - class="sortbottom" , colspan=2 style="text-align:center", Career , 300 , , 93 , , 18.7 , , .456 , , .330 , , .693 , , 3.6 , , .9 , , .5 , , .5 , , 5.7

Playoffs

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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 ...

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2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

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2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

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2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

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References

External links

Brisbane Bullets profile

USC Upstate Spartans bio

"Aussie Craig"
at nbl.com.au
"Gold Coast Rollers’ signing Torrey Craig Torrey has dream of representing Australia"
at goldcoastbulletin.com.au
"Craig gives up on NBA dream, finds Nugget of hope in Summer League"
at couriermail.com.au * {{DEFAULTSORT:Craig, Torrey 1990 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Australia American expatriate basketball people in New Zealand American men's basketball players Basketball players from Columbia, South Carolina Brisbane Bullets players Cairns Taipans players Denver Nuggets players Indiana Pacers players Milwaukee Bucks players Phoenix Suns players Sioux Falls Skyforce players Small forwards Undrafted National Basketball Association players USC Upstate Spartans men's basketball players Wellington Saints players