Joshua Colton Owens (born December 7, 1988) 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

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

Stanford University 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 consider ...

before playing professionally 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 ...

, Israel, Italy, Greece and Turkey.

High school & college career

Owens was named 2007 New Hampshire

Gatorade Player of the Year The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine playe ...

while playing

high school 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 ...

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

. Owens played

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 ...

, playing in the

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

of the

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

, from 2007 to 2012. He had a discreet freshman season, averaging 1.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.8 minutes per game. For his sophomore season he increased his averages to 6.9 points and 3.6 rebounds, adding a team-best 0.8 blocks in 20.7 minutes per game. He had to sit out the 2009–10 season for a serious medical condition that was undisclosed that threatened his playing career. After undergoing examinations and consulting medical experts he was cleared to return the next year. In his junior season, he started all 31 games, averaging 11.6 points, team-bests of 6.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks, adding 0.8 steals in more than 27 minutes per game, including a career-high 31 points (along with 11 rebounds and 4 blocks) in a 26 February game against

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. He received an All-Pac-10 honorable mention and All-Pac-10 academic honours. After posting 11.6 points and team-firsts 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals, he was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection, adding a

2012 National Invitation Tournament The 2012 National Invitation Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 32 NCAA Division I teams that were not selected to participate in the 2012 NCAA tournament. The annual tournament began on March 13 on campus sites and ended on Marc ...

All-Tournament team selection as Stanford won the tournament.

Professional career

Charlotte Bobcats and Idaho Stampede (2012–2013)

Considered a low profile player (who wasn't invited to the Portsmouth Invitational), Owens worked out with a number of

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 ...

sides. His athleticism impressed but doubts were expressed about his output judging from his unremarkable numbers during his college career. After going undrafted in the

2012 NBA draft The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Asso ...

, he joined 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 the Orlando leg of the

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 ...

from 9 to 13 July. Owens joined 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 populous ...

for the Las Vegas Summer League from 15 to 20 July 2012, playing in 4 games for 5 points and 2.3 rebounds in nearly 10 minutes per game. He was signed by the Bobcats in September to take part in their training camp, after not playing in any pre-season games, Owens was released in October. In December, Owens was acquired by the

Idaho Stampede Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

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 ...

. He averaged 5.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in the league.

Hapoel Tel Aviv (2013–2014)

Owens joined 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 ...

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 ...

in July. He then spent the preseason with Italian side

Montepaschi Siena Mens Sana 1871 Basket is an Italian professional basketball club based in Siena. It is a section of the sports club Polisportiva Mens Sana, founded in 1871. Under the name Montepaschi Siena, derived from sponsor Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, t ...

before signing with Israeli team

Hapoel Tel Aviv Hapoel Tel Aviv ( he, הפועל תל אביב) is a sports club in Israel, founded in the 1920s, and part of the Hapoel association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, suc ...

in September. On February 25, 2014, Owens participated in the 2014 Israeli League All-Star Game and the Slam Dunk Contest during the same event. Owens helped Hapoel reach the 2014 Israeli League Playoffs as the fourth seed, but they eventually were eliminated by Hapoel Eilat in the Quarterfinals. In 32 games played for Hapoel, he averaged 10.1 points and 7 rebounds per game.

Dolomiti Energa Trento (2014–2015)

After a

2014 NBA Summer League The 2014 NBA Summer League consists of two pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA and the Orlando Magic just after the 2014 NBA Draft. Ten teams took part in the week-long summer league at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, from July 5 t ...

participation with 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 which he had little playing time, On July 28, 2014, Owens joined 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 ...

side Dolomiti Energa Trento for the 2014–15 season. On December 15, 2014, Owens recorded a career high 24 points, shooting 12-of-13 from the field, along with nine rebounds, three assists and three steals in a 104–82 win over

Dinamo Sassari Polisportiva Dinamo, commonly known as Dinamo Sassari and currently known as Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari for sponsorship reasons, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Sassari, Sardinia. They are the current European Cu ...

. Owens averaged 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in 33 games as newly promoted Trento reached the Serie A playoffs.

Umana Reyer Venezia (2015–2016)

On June 25, 2015, Owens signed with fellow Serie A team

Umana Reyer Venezia S.S.P. Reyer Venezia Mestre, commonly known as Reyer Venezia or simply Reyer, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Venice, Veneto. The club currently plays in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the highest tier of basketball in ...

for the 2015–16 season. Owens helped Venezia reach the 2016 Serie A Semifinals, where they eventually lost to

EA7 Emporio Armani 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 ...

AEK / Pınar Karşıyaka (2016–2017)

On June 18, 2016, Owens signed with

AEK Athens A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greece, Greek multi-sport club based in Nea ...

of the Greek League. However, on October 10, 2016, he parted ways with AEK after appearing in one game. On the same day, he signed with the Turkish team

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 ...

for the rest of the season. Owens helped Karşıyaka reach the 2017 Champions League Quarterfinals, where they eventually lost to his former team

Reyer Venezia S.S.P. Reyer Venezia Mestre, commonly known as Reyer Venezia or simply Reyer, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Venice, Veneto. The club currently plays in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the highest tier of basketball in ...

Tofaş (2017–2018)

On July 1, 2017, Owens signed with

Tofaş Tofaş (acronym for ''Türk Otomobil Fabrikası Anonim Şirketi''; ''Turkish Automobile Factory Joint-Stock Company'' pronounced ) is a Turkish automobile manufacturer which was established in 1968 by Vehbi Koç, who was the founder of Koç Hold ...

for the 2017–18 season. Owens helped Tofaş reach the 2018 Turkish League Finals, where they eventually lost to Fenerbahçe. In 54 games played during the 2017–18 season, he averaged 7.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Hapoel Jerusalem (2018–2019)

On July 18, 2018, Owens signed a 1+1 deal with the Israeli team

Hapoel Jerusalem Hapoel Jerusalem is a sport organization in Jerusalem as a local branch of the Hapoel movement. The branch was established in the 1920s and represents the city in more sports than any other sport organization in Jerusalem. Today, the club's leadi ...

, joining his former teammate

J'Covan Brown J'Covan Marquis Brown (born February 14, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for the University of Texas before playing professionally in ...

. On December 22, 2018, Owens recorded a career-high 16 rebounds, along with a season-high 17 points in an 87–64 win over

Maccabi Ashdod Maccabi Ashdod B.C. ( he, מכבי אשדוד) is a professional basketball team based in the port city of Ashdod, Israel. The team currently plays in the Israeli National League. History The team was founded in 1961 by "Maccabi Ashdod Sports ...

. Owens went on to win the 2019 Israeli State Cup with Jerusalem.

Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia (2019–2020)

On August 10, 2019, Owens returned to Italy for a second stint, signing with

Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia Pallacanestro Reggiana, also known for sponsorship reasons as UnaHotels Reggio Emilia, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna. It plays in the LBA as of the 2022-23 season. History 1970s Pallacanestro ...

for the 2019–20 season.

Bahçeşehir Koleji (2020–2021)

On June 30, 2020, he has signed with Bahçeşehir Koleji of the

Turkish Basketball Super League Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

(BSL).

Metropolitans 92 (2021)

On February 2, 2021, he has signed with

Levallois Metropolitans Metropolitans 92 is a French professional basketball club that is based in Levallois-Perret, in the Paris metropolitan area. The club currently plays in the LNB Pro A, the highest-tier level in French basketball. The club was established in 200 ...

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. ...

Ionikos Nikaias (2021)

On September 13, 2021, Owens returned to Greece, signing with

FIBA Europe Cup The FIBA Europe Cup (FEC) is an annual professional club basketball competition organised by FIBA for eligible European clubs. It is FIBA's European-wide second level. Clubs mainly qualify for the competition based on their performance in nation ...

club

Ionikos Nikaias Ionikos Nikaias (full name Athlitikos Omilos Ionikos Nikaias, A.O. Ionikos Nikaias / el, Α.Ο. Ιωνικός Νικαίας) is a Greek multi-sports club that is based in Nikaia, Piraeus. It was founded in 1965, and it has teams in football, b ...

. He averaged 6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks, before moving to

on November 21 of the same year.

Hapoel Tel Aviv (2021–2022)

On November 21, 2021, Owens signed with Israel club

for the rest of the season. On October 16, 2022, he has announced his retirement from professional basketball.

Personal life

Owens is the son of Darrell and Tanna Owens. His brother, Jerryck, played professional basketball in Portugal.

References

External links

Stanford bioRealGM profileSerie A profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owens, Josh 1988 births Living people AEK B.C. players American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Turkey Aquila Basket Trento players American men's basketball players Bahçeşehir Koleji S.K. players Basketball players from New Hampshire Centers (basketball) Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. players Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. players Idaho Stampede players Ionikos Nikaias B.C. players Karşıyaka basketball players Lega Basket Serie A players Metropolitans 92 players Pallacanestro Reggiana players People from Portsmouth, New Hampshire Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Power forwards (basketball) Reyer Venezia players Sportspeople from Rockingham County, New Hampshire Stanford Cardinal men's basketball players Tofaş S.K. players