Andray Blatche facts for kids
Blatche with the Brooklyn Nets in 2014
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | August 22, 1986 Syracuse, New York, U.S. |
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| Nationality | American / Filipino | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Henninger (Syracuse, New York) South Kent School (South Kent, Connecticut) |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 260 lb (118 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2005 / Round: 2 / Pick: 49th overall | |||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Washington Wizards | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2005–2019 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2012 | Washington Wizards | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | →Roanoke Dazzle | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Brooklyn Nets | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2018 | Xinjiang Flying Tigers | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Tianjin Gold Lions | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Andray Maurice Blatche (born August 22, 1986) is an American-Filipino former professional basketball player. He played nine seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2005 to 2014. After his time in the NBA, he played for teams overseas.
Blatche played high school basketball at Henninger High School and South Kent School. He was chosen in the second round of the 2005 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards.
Born in New York, Blatche became a citizen of the Philippines in June 2014. This allowed him to join the country's national basketball team.
Contents
High School Basketball Journey
Blatche spent four years at Henninger High School in Syracuse, New York. He then spent an extra year at the South Kent School in South Kent, Connecticut. During his final year in 2004–05, he averaged 27.5 points, 16.0 rebounds, and 6.0 blocks per game. He helped South Kent achieve a strong 32–9 record.
Experts considered Blatche a top player in 2005. He was ranked as the No. 2 power forward and the No. 4 player in the nation. He decided to enter the 2005 NBA draft right after high school. Although many thought he would be picked in the first round, he was chosen by the Washington Wizards as the 49th overall pick in the second round.
Professional Basketball Career
Playing for the Washington Wizards (2005–2012)
Blatche was injured in an incident on September 25, 2005. Because of this, he missed the team's training camp. He recovered well and played his first game for Washington on November 11, 2005. He scored five points in a big win against Seattle.
On December 14, 2005, he was sent to the Roanoke Dazzle in the NBA Development League. He was called back by the Wizards on January 2, 2006. In the 2005–06 NBA season, he played in 29 games, averaging 2.3 points and 1.3 rebounds.
During the 2006–07 NBA season, Blatche played more due to injuries to other Wizards centers. He continued to improve in the 2007–08 NBA season. He played in every game for the Wizards that season, starting 15 of them. He averaged 8.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks.
On February 28, 2010, Blatche scored a career-high 36 points. This helped the Wizards win 89–85 against the New Jersey Nets. He continued to be a starter, and his statistics got much better. On April 4, he nearly achieved a triple-double with 20 points, 13 assists, and nine rebounds. The 2010–11 NBA season was his best year for stats. He started 63 of 64 games, averaging 16.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.5 steals.
On March 20, 2012, the Wizards decided to keep Blatche off the court. They said it was due to his fitness. On July 16, he was released from the team.
Time with the Brooklyn Nets (2012–2014)
On September 12, 2012, Blatche joined the Brooklyn Nets. He chose to wear number 0. He said, "Zero reminds of me how everybody gave up on me." When teammate Brook Lopez was injured, Blatche got a chance to start. He played well, averaging 18.1 points and 8.8 rebounds.
On January 4, 2013, Blatche played against his former team, the Washington Wizards. Fans booed him when he entered the game. He still played well, scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in 19 minutes.
Blatche played in all 82 regular season games in the 2012–13 season. He averaged 10.3 points and 5.1 rebounds. He also had his best field goal percentage at 51.2%. He played in seven playoff games for the Nets, averaging 10.3 points and 4.9 rebounds.
On July 11, 2013, Blatche signed again with the Nets. In December 2013, starting center Brook Lopez had a season-ending injury. This meant Blatche played more minutes. On June 20, 2014, Blatche chose to leave his contract with the Nets. He became a free agent, meaning he could sign with any team.
Playing in China (2014–2019)
On September 20, 2014, Blatche signed a one-year contract with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in China. He played 38 games, averaging 31.1 points, 14.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.8 steals. In March 2015, he signed a new three-year contract with Xinjiang.
In November 2016, Blatche was injured. He returned in late December and helped Xinjiang win the CBA Finals. They swept the series 4–0 to claim the championship. In January 2018, another player took his spot on the team. Blatche returned in March 2018 for the playoffs.
In December 2018, Blatche signed with the Tianjin Gold Lions in China. In 19 games, he averaged 20.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.8 blocks.
Later Career and Retirement (2020–2025)
Blatche played in the 2020 Dubai Basketball International Championship. He helped the Philippine-based team Mighty Sports win the title. In 2021, he showed interest in joining the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Even though he was a Filipino citizen, he would still be considered an "import" player.
Blatche joined Strong Group Athletics (SGA) for the Dubai International Basketball Championship in 2024. He played for SGA again in the 2025 tournament. Andray Blatche announced his retirement from basketball in February 2025.
Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | Washington | 29 | 0 | 6.0 | .388 | .231 | .833 | 1.3 | .3 | .2 | .2 | 2.2 |
| 2006–07 | Washington | 56 | 13 | 12.2 | .437 | .148 | .612 | 3.4 | .7 | .3 | .6 | 3.7 |
| 2007–08 | Washington | 82* | 15 | 20.4 | .474 | .231 | .695 | 5.2 | 1.1 | .6 | 1.4 | 7.5 |
| 2008–09 | Washington | 71 | 36 | 24.0 | .471 | .238 | .704 | 5.3 | 1.7 | .7 | 1.0 | 10.0 |
| 2009–10 | Washington | 81 | 36 | 27.9 | .478 | .295 | .744 | 6.3 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .9 | 14.1 |
| 2010–11 | Washington | 64 | 63 | 33.9 | .445 | .222 | .777 | 8.2 | 2.3 | 1.5 | .8 | 16.8 |
| 2011–12 | Washington | 26 | 13 | 24.1 | .380 | .286 | .673 | 5.8 | 1.1 | .8 | .7 | 8.5 |
| 2012–13 | Brooklyn | 82* | 8 | 19.0 | .512 | .136 | .685 | 5.1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .7 | 10.3 |
| 2013–14 | Brooklyn | 73 | 7 | 22.2 | .476 | .278 | .742 | 5.3 | 1.5 | 1.0 | .5 | 11.2 |
| Career | 564 | 191 | 22.1 | .467 | .237 | .725 | 5.4 | 1.4 | .9 | .8 | 10.1 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Washington | 2 | 0 | 12.5 | .667 | .000 | 1.000 | 3.5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 4.5 |
| 2008 | Washington | 6 | 0 | 14.8 | .429 | .000 | .333 | 3.3 | .2 | .3 | 1.0 | 3.7 |
| 2013 | Brooklyn | 7 | 0 | 19.7 | .500 | .000 | .824 | 4.9 | 1.3 | .3 | .4 | 10.3 |
| 2014 | Brooklyn | 12 | 0 | 14.3 | .448 | .000 | .833 | 5.0 | .3 | .5 | .2 | 6.4 |
| Career | 27 | 0 | 15.7 | .476 | .000 | .733 | 4.5 | .5 | .4 | .4 | 6.7 | |
CBA
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Xinjiang | 38 | 38.8 | .558 | .372 | .777 | 14.6 | 5.1 | 2.8 | .9 | 31.1 |
| 2015–16 | Xinjiang | 42 | 31.8 | .545 | .401 | .726 | 10.4 | 4.0 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 23.3 |
| 2016–17 | Xinjiang | 37 | 29.6 | .532 | .361 | .719 | 10.4 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 22.5 |
| Career | 117 | 33.4 | .546 | .378 | .743 | 10.91 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 25.6 | |
National Team Career
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In January 2014, the Gilas Pilipinas asked Blatche to join them. He would play as a naturalized player for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2014 Asian Games. On May 26, 2014, the Philippine Senate approved a bill making him a Filipino citizen. On June 11, 2014, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III signed the bill. This officially made Blatche a Filipino citizen.
In August 2014, Blatche was part of the Philippine team for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He was not allowed to play in the 2014 Asian Games. This was because he did not meet the rule of living in the Philippines for three years. At the World Cup, he averaged 21.2 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. Blatche helped the Philippines win their first World Cup game in 40 years. They beat Senegal 81–79 in overtime.
In 2015, Blatche played for the Philippines at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship. He averaged 17.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. The next year, the team played in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Blatche scored a total of 51 points in two games.
Blatche was expected to play in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup. However, he decided not to go due to safety concerns in the host country, Lebanon. Christian Standhardinger took his place as the naturalized player for the Philippine team.
In January 2020, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas announced they were looking for a new naturalized player. This meant they were moving on from Blatche for the national team.
Personal Life
On September 25, 2005, Blatche was involved in an incident near his home in Alexandria, Virginia. He was injured but released from the hospital two days later. He missed the Wizards' training camp due to his injuries.
In June 2011, Blatche started the Andray Blatche Foundation. He went on a charity trip to Jamaica. There, he donated sneakers, basketballs, and gave $50,000 to Jamaican schools.
See also
In Spanish: Andray Blatche para niños
