Billy Preston (basketball) facts for kids
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Preston with the Cavs in the 2018 preseason
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| No. 24 – Tijuana Zonkeys | |
|---|---|
| Power forward | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 26, 1997 Redondo Beach, California, USA |
| High school |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA Draft | 2018 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | 2018–present |
| League | CIBACOPA |
| Career history | |
| 2018 | Igokea |
| 2018 | Canton Charge |
| 2018–2019 | Erie BayHawks |
| 2019 | Texas Legends |
| 2019 | Illawarra Hawks |
| 2020 | Metropolitanos de Mauricio Baez |
| 2021–2022 | Cape Town Tigers |
| 2024 | Cape Town Tigers |
| 2025–present | Tijuana Zonkeys |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Billy Dewon Preston Jr. (born October 26, 1997) is an American professional basketball player. He plays as a power forward for the Tijuana Zonkeys team. This team is part of the CIBACOPA league.
Billy went to four different high schools. He was considered one of the best young players in his class. He even earned a special honor called McDonald's All-American.
After high school, Billy planned to play college basketball at the University of Kansas. However, he was involved in a car accident. No one was hurt, but the university needed to investigate. Because of this, Billy could not play any games. After waiting for over two months, he decided to start his professional basketball career instead.
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High School Basketball Journey
Billy Preston was born in Santa Ana, California. He started his high school basketball journey at St. John Bosco High School. Then he moved to Redondo Union High School. After that, he played at Prime Prep in Dallas, Texas.
In 2016, Billy transferred to Oak Hill Academy. This school is famous for its basketball program. In his senior year at Oak Hill, Billy was a star player. He scored about 15.3 points and grabbed 9.2 rebounds per game.
In November 2016, Billy decided to play college basketball for Kansas. He had also considered other big schools like Syracuse and Indiana.
Billy was chosen to play in two important games for top high school players. He played in the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. In that game, he scored ten points and got three rebounds. He also played in the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic, where he scored seven points.
College Plans and Challenges
Billy Preston was ready to play for the Kansas Jayhawks. But on November 8, 2017, he was in a car accident on campus. No one was injured in the accident. However, the university needed to look into the car's ownership.
Because of this investigation, Billy was not allowed to play. He waited for a long time, but the investigation continued. On January 20, 2018, Billy decided to leave Kansas. He was frustrated because he couldn't play. Even though he played in some practice games, he never played in a regular season game for the team.
Starting a Professional Career
Playing in Europe: Igokea (2018)
After leaving college, Billy Preston signed his first professional contract. On January 20, 2018, he joined Igokea Laktaši. This team plays in the ABA League and the Bosnian League.
Billy played his first professional game nine days later. He scored 2 points and helped his team win. However, he only played three games with Igokea. He left the team on March 4, 2018, because of a sore shoulder.
Later that year, Billy decided to enter the 2018 NBA draft. He was one of many young players hoping to join the NBA. He was also invited to the NBA Draft Combine, where players show off their skills.
NBA G League Teams (2018–2019)
Billy was not chosen in the 2018 NBA draft. But he still got a chance with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played for their team in the 2018 NBA Summer League.
On July 7, Billy signed a special contract with the Cavaliers. This was a "two-way contract." It meant he would play for both the Cavaliers and their minor league team, the Canton Charge. He would split his time between the two teams. However, Billy did not play any games for the Cavaliers. He was later released from his contract on December 2, 2018.
After leaving the Cavaliers, Billy joined the Erie BayHawks in the NBA G League. This happened on December 16, 2018. He played for them for a few months. Then, on February 8, 2019, he was traded to the Texas Legends.
Billy played for the Texas Legends for just over a month. After that, he decided to play basketball in Australia.
Playing in Australia and Dominican Republic (2019–2020)
On December 9, 2019, Billy signed with the Illawarra Hawks in Australia. This team plays in the National Basketball League (NBL). However, he only played three games for the Hawks before leaving the team.
In 2019, Billy also played in the Dominican Republic. He joined a team called Metropolitanos de Mauricio Baez.
Cape Town Tigers (2021–2022, 2024)
In September 2021, Billy Preston signed with the Cape Town Tigers. This team is from South Africa and plays in the Basketball Africa League (BAL). He helped the Tigers qualify for the 2022 BAL season. During the qualifying games, he averaged 16.6 points and 9.4 rebounds.
On April 12, 2022, Billy made his debut in the BAL. He scored 26 points in his first game, which was the most on his team.
In September 2023, Billy signed with the New Taipei Kings in Taiwan. He played in two preseason games for them. However, he left the team in October 2023.
Billy returned to the Cape Town Tigers in March 2024. He played for them again in the 2024 BAL season.
See also
In Spanish: Billy Preston (baloncestista) para niños
