Greivis Josué Vásquez Rodríguez (born January 16, 1987) is a former Venezuelan professional

basketball 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 h ...

player, who spent six seasons in the NBA. He is currently a coach, most recently working as the associate head coach for the Erie BayHawks of the

NBA G 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 ...

. Vásquez also represented the Venezuela national team in international competitions, as he was born in Caracas and moved to the United States to attend high school at Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Maryland in 2004. During his senior year at Montrose he committed to the University of Maryland to play under head coach

Gary Williams Gary Bruce Williams (born March 4, 1945) is an American university administrator and former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Maryland, the Ohio State University, Boston College, and American University. I ...

. He was drafted in 2010 after a U.S.

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 offerin ...

career with the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

men's basketball team, where Vásquez finished second on the Terrapins' all-time scoring list, with 2,171 career points.Greivis Vásquez stats
/ref> In 2007, Vásquez played on the Venezuela national basketball team in the FIBA America Championships. In his final college season of 2009–10, he was one of three Venezuelans playing in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

men's basketball, with the others being

David Cubillan David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

of the

Marquette Golden Eagles The Marquette Golden Eagles, formerly known as the Marquette Warriors, Blue and Gold, Gold, Hilltoppers, and Golden Avalanche (football only), are the athletic teams representing Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They ...

and Gregory Echenique of the

Creighton Bluejays The Creighton Bluejays, or Jays, are the athletic teams that represent Creighton University, a Jesuit/Catholic University in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. They compete in NCAA Division I in the Big East Conference. Sports sponsored Baseba ...

Early life

Vásquez grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, where he lived with his parents, Ivis Rodriguez and Gregorio Vásquez, and brother, Ingerman Sanoya. His first name is a portmanteau of his parents' first names. After an impressive youth career in his country where he also led the Venezuelan U-15 National Team to the FIBA U-15 South American Championship title in 2003, he was selected to participate at the NBA

Basketball Without Borders Basketball Without Borders is a basketball instructional camp organized by the NBA in conjunction with FIBA. It presents itself as a “basketball development and community outreach program that unites young basketball players to promote the sport ...

camp (2004) being a headliner at the event. He started to garner international attention and accepted a scholarship to continue his development in Maryland. At Montrose Christian, Vásquez played under head coach Stu Vetter, and helped the Mustangs post a 43–5 record over his junior and senior seasons. While at Montrose Christian he played for coach Stu Vetter with future NBA star

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...

College career

Freshman year (2006–07)

In the beginning of his freshman year (2006–07), Vásquez did not start for the Terps, but still played solid minutes. Midway through the season, he began starting at the 2 guard position, alongside fellow freshman Eric Hayes at the starting point guard position. He remained a starter for the rest of the season. He heavily contributed to the Terrapins' six-game winning streak at the end of the season, giving Maryland a #4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Vásquez averaged 9.8 points, 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game during his freshman season, and shooting percentages of 44.4 for field goals, 31.6 for three-pointers and 79.8 for free throws.

Sophomore year (2007–08)

Vásquez had per-game averages of 17 points, 6.8 assists and 5.7 rebounds, and shooting percentages of 43.2 for field goals, 30.9 for three-pointers and 78.2 for free throws.

Junior year (2008–09)

As a junior, Vásquez led the Terrapins in scoring (17.5), rebounds (5.4), assists (5.0), steals (1.4), and minutes (34.6) per game. He became the first Terrapin basketball player to ever lead the team in points, rebounds and assists in a single season, and only the sixth to accomplish that task in the ACC. On February 21, 2009, Vásquez registered a then career-high 35 points, and 11 rebounds and 10 assists—Maryland's third

triple-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

in history and the first since 1987—in a come-from-behind 88–85 overtime win over

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. At the end of his junior year, Vásquez ranked seventh in scoring, third in free throw percentage (.867), third in assists per game, third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.80) and fifth in minutes per game in the ACC. He reached double figures in scoring in 57 of his last 61 games, including each of his last 17. In Maryland's final ten games, he recorded five 20-point games. Vásquez was named to the All-ACC second team at the close of the regular season. After the season, Vásquez participated in NBA workouts, where he received mostly positive feedback from professional scouts. He twice met with coach Gary Williams and his Montrose Christian coach, Stu Vetter, to discuss his future. Three hours before the deadline, Vásquez withdrew his name from the NBA Draft in order to return to Maryland for his senior season. Williams said, "He talked to about 14 or 15 teams and really got a good feel for his situation. I think he's made a great move. He returns as possibly the best guard in the ACC and one of the best guards in the country." Greivis 2009

Senior year (2009–10)

As a senior, Vásquez averaged 19.6 points, 6.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game over 33 games. Vásquez was the only player in the country to average more than 18 points and 6 assists per game. His honors included the 2010

Bob Cousy Award The Bob Cousy Award presented by The College of the Holy Cross (or Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award) is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate point guard. ...

given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the nation's best collegiate point guard, for which he edged out

Sherron Collins Sherron Marlon Collins (born March 18, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the Kansas City Tornados of the NAPB (NAPB). He formerly played for the Charlotte Bobcats of the National Basketball Associat ...

(Kansas), Scottie Reynolds (Villanova),

Jon Scheyer Jonathan James Scheyer (, born August 24, 1987) is an American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach for the Duke Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Scheyer led his high school team to an Illinois ...

(Duke),

Evan Turner Evan Marcel Turner (born October 27, 1988) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He was most recently an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted second overall ...

(Ohio State) and

John Wall Johnathan Hildred Wall Jr. (born September 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A Raleigh, North Carolina native, Wall was chosen with the first overa ...

(Kentucky). Against

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

on February 20, 2010, Vásquez scored the 2,000th point of his collegiate career, making him the only player in ACC history to compile at least 2,000 points, 700 assists and 600 rebounds. The following week, Vásquez set a new career scoring high with 41 points in the Terrapins' double-overtime victory at

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...

. Vásquez also scored 20 points in Maryland's home win over

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

on Senior Night, and made several critical baskets and assists in the final minutes to secure a victory. Vásquez helped lead Maryland to a 13–3 conference record to tie Duke for the regular season ACC championship. He was named a unanimous first-team All-ACC selection on March 8, 2010, and the ACC Player of the Year on March 9, 2010, beating out Duke's

and Virginia Tech's

Malcolm Delaney Malcolm Hakeem Delaney (born March 11, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He is from Baltimore, Maryland, and attended Towson Catholi ...

. Vásquez also won three ACC Player of the Week honors in his final season, which brought his career total to seven. Vásquez was named a consensus second-team All-American.

NCAA career statistics

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;",

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, 34 , , 22 , , 28.8 , , .444 , , .316 , , .798 , , 3.3 , , 4.6 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 37.0 , , .432 , , .309 , , .782 , , 5.7 , , 6.8 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , 17.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 35 , , 34.6 , , .405 , , .327 , , .867 , , 5.4 , , 5.0 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , 17.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 32 , , 33.9 , , .429 , , .359 , , .857 , , 4.6 , , 6.3 , , 1.7 , , .4 , , 19.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Career , 136 , , 123 , , 33.6 , , .425 , , .329 , , .828 , , 4.8 , , 5.7 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , 16.0

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2010–2011)

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 ...

selected Vásquez with the 28th pick in the first round of the

2010 NBA draft The 2010 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2010, at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National ...

, using one of the picks traded from the Los Angeles Lakers via the

Pau Gasol Pau Gasol Sáez (, ; born July 6, 1980) is a Spanish former professional basketball player. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a four-time All-NBA team selection, twice on the second team and twice on the third team. Gasol won two NBA champion ...

trade. Throughout the regular season of his rookie year, Vásquez received spot minutes and scored in double digits only twice, but he gained extensive playing time in the

2011 NBA Playoffs The 2011 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks defeating the Eastern Conference champion Miami He ...

.Without shimmies, Vásquez shines on big stage
''The Baltimore Sun'', April 30, 2011. Memphis faced the first-seeded

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 Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

in the first round, where the Grizzlies won their first postseason game in franchise history. In Game Four, Vásquez substituted for starting point guard Mike Conley, who had gotten into foul trouble. During his 13 minutes of playing time, he had nine points and two assists as Memphis won, 104–86. Memphis advanced to meet the four-seeded

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 ...

in the Conference Semifinals, where Vásquez faced off with his former Montrose Christian classmate,

.Kevin Durant, Greivis Vásquez will play their roles — against each other — in NBA playoffs
''The Washington Post'', April 30, 2011. The Thunder would win the series. In the 2011 offseason, Vásquez took part in a

United States State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nat ...

sponsored trip to his native Venezuela to hold clinics and meet with sports officials.

New Orleans Hornets (2011–2013)

On December 24, 2011, Vásquez was traded to the

New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

in exchange for Quincy Pondexter. On February 1, 2012 against the Phoenix Suns, Vasquez recorded 20 points and 12 assists off the bench. Vasquez received his first set of starts for the Hornets after a sore knee injury to Hornets guard Jarrett Jack. Vasquez received the starting job as point guard for the Hornets in the

2012–13 NBA season 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length&nb ...

. On November 23, 2012, Vasquez tallied 25 points and 14 assists (both career highs) in a loss to the Phoenix Suns. On January 1, 2013, Vasquez earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors. On February 8, 2013, in the game against 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 Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

, Vasquez scored 21 points, along with 12 assists and 11 rebounds to secure his first career NBA

. Vasquez finished the 2012–13 season as the league leader in total assists, with 704, and finished second in voting for the

NBA Most Improved Player award The NBA's Most Improved Player Award (MIP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons. The winner is selected by a panel of s ...

Sacramento Kings (2013)

On July 10, 2013, Vasquez was traded to the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

in a three-team deal that also involved the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

Toronto Raptors (2013–2015)

On December 9, 2013, the Kings traded Vásquez, along with Patrick Patterson, John Salmons, and Chuck Hayes to 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 ...

for

Rudy Gay Rudy Carlton Gay Jr. (born August 17, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6'8" forward played college basketball for the University of Connecticut before being d ...

, Quincy Acy, and

Aaron Gray Aaron Michael Gray (born December 7, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player who played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A heart condition forced him into early retirement in 2015. High school care ...

. On July 17, 2014, Vásquez re-signed with the Raptors to a reported two-year, $13 million contract. On April 18, 2015, Vásquez hit a game tying three-pointer with 25 seconds left in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarter-finals.

Milwaukee Bucks (2015–2016)

On June 25, 2015, Vásquez was traded to 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 ...

in exchange for the draft rights to Norman Powell and a protected 2017 first-round pick. He made his debut for the Bucks in the team's season opener against the New York Knicks on October 28, recording 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in a 122–97 loss. On December 15, he underwent successful surgery to remove a bone spur and loose bodies from his right ankle. He was subsequently ruled out for three to four months.

Brooklyn Nets (2016)

On July 13, 2016, Vásquez signed with 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 ...

. On November 9, 2016, he was waived by the Nets after appearing in three games.

Venezuela's National Team career

After winning at the U-15 level in 2003, Vásquez was called up for the U-21 Venezuelan NT for the 2004 U-21 Americas Tournament being four years under the tournament's age. Those were his only appearances on the youth national team setup. Vásquez made his Senior National Team debut in 2007 during the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship in Las Vegas while being a sophomore at the

. He was the second leading scorer of his squad averaging 12.1 points per game, third in rebounds with 4.1 per game and second best in assists with 3.3 Ast per contest. Venezuela finished 8th (2-6 record) out of 10 ten participating teams. His ascent was headlined during the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship, where he carried the Venezuelan team to a 5th-place finish. Already an NBA player, Vásquez was the second best scorer of the tournament with 19.3 PPG and first in assists with 5.8 APG.

Coaching career

On August 15, 2019, the New Orleans Pelicans announced that Vásquez would serve as the associate head coach for the Erie BayHawks.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, 70 , , 1 , , 12.3 , , .408 , , .291 , , .733 , , 1.0 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, 66 , , 26 , , 25.8 , , .430 , , .319 , , .821 , , 2.6 , , 5.4 , , .9 , , .1 , , 8.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, 78 , , 78 , , 34.4 , , .433 , , .342 , , .805 , , 4.3 , , 9.0 , , .8 , , .1 , , 13.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 18 , , 18 , , 25.8 , , .433 , , .320 , , .938 , , 1.9 , , 5.3 , , .3 , , .1 , , 9.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, 61 , , 5 , , 21.5 , , .417 , , .389 , , .855 , , 2.3 , , 3.7 , , .4 , , .1 , , 9.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 29 , , 24.3 , , .408 , , .379 , , .758 , , 2.6 , , 3.7 , , .6 , , .1 , , 9.5 , - , align="left" , , 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 ...

, 23 , , 0 , , 20.0 , , .326 , , .247 , , .846 , , 2.0 , , 4.0 , , .4 , , .0 , , 5.7 , - , align="left" , , 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 ...

, 3 , , 0 , , 13.0 , , .250 , , .333 , , .667 , , .7 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , .3 , , 2.3 , - , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 401 , , 157 , , 23.7 , , .418 , , .349 , , .817 , , 2.5 , , 4.8 , , .6 , , .1 , , 9.0

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 2011 , align="left" ,

, 13 , , 0 , , 10.9 , , .512 , , .364 , , .769 , , 1.5 , , 1.9 , , .4 , , .2 , , 4.3 , - , 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" ,

, 7 , , 0 , , 27.1 , , .422 , , .370 , , .778 , , 3.7 , , 5.1 , , .6 , , .1 , , 10.1 , - , align="left" , 2015 , align="left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 25.3 , , .379 , , .357 , , 1.000 , , 1.8 , , 3.0 , , .5 , , .0 , , 7.5 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 24 , , 0 , , 18.0 , , .440 , , .365 , , .800 , , 2.2, , 3.0 , , .5 , , .1 , , 6.5

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasquez, Greivis 1987 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players Basketball players at the 2015 Pan American Games Brooklyn Nets players Erie BayHawks (2019–2021) coaches Maryland Terrapins men's basketball players Memphis Grizzlies draft picks Memphis Grizzlies players Milwaukee Bucks players National Basketball Association players from Venezuela New Orleans Hornets players Point guards Sacramento Kings players Shooting guards Sportspeople from Caracas Toronto Raptors players Venezuelan expatriate basketball people in the United States Venezuelan men's basketball players Pan American Games competitors for Venezuela