Greg Floyd Jr. facts for kids

Gregory Floyd Jr. (born May 10, 1999) is an American professional basketball player. He used to play for the Los Angeles Ballers in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA).

Greg played for three different high schools. He became a highly-rated player in Nevada while at Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas. Even though many top colleges wanted him, his grades dropped after a sad family event. This meant he couldn't go to a top college right away. He then played at Antelope Valley College before joining the JBA.

Greg Floyd Jr.'s High School Journey

Greg started his high school basketball career at Ed W. Clark High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. As a freshman, he didn't play much. But he helped his team win the Division I-A state championship. In January 2014, he scored 10 points in one game.

He still didn't play much in his second year at Clark. So, he moved to Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas. However, he couldn't play for his new school that year. He quickly became a much better player during his junior year at Desert Pines.

Rising Star in High School Basketball

In April 2015, Greg played with his travel team, the Las Vegas Knicks. He averaged 15.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. This made many colleges interested in him. Schools like Seton Hall and USC offered him scholarships.

By July, a sports website called Rivals.com named Greg one of the top "breakout players." For the 2015–16 season, the Las Vegas Sun thought Desert Pines, led by Greg, would win the state championship.

Before his junior year, Greg had over 20 scholarship offers. This was amazing, especially since he hadn't played much varsity basketball. In December 2015, he scored 25 points and got 13 rebounds in one game. By February 2016, he was averaging 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. More colleges like Georgia and Pittsburgh offered him scholarships. In September 2016, Greg, who was a four-star recruit, decided to play college basketball at Long Beach State.

A Change in Plans

In June 2016, Greg decided to move to the class of 2018. This meant he would graduate later. He also transferred to Middlebrooks Academy in Los Angeles, California. After that season, he received more scholarship offers from top college programs. He committed to join Long Beach State.

However, Greg lost his scholarship offers from these top colleges. This happened because his grades dropped a lot. This was a difficult time for him after his sister passed away.

College Basketball Experience

For his first year of college, Greg played at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, California. He played in the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA). In December 2017, he scored 32 points in a game against El Camino College. He made 13 out of 16 shots!

During that season, Greg averaged 15.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game. He played about 18.5 minutes in each game.

Professional Basketball Career

Playing for the Los Angeles Ballers (2018)

In April 2018, Greg was chosen to play for the Los Angeles Ballers. This team was part of the new Junior Basketball Association (JBA). In his first professional game, Greg scored 34 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. His team won against the New York Ballers.

Just three days later, he had an amazing game. He scored 31 points and set a league record with 33 rebounds! His team won a close game against the Seattle Ballers. In July 2018, Greg scored 32 points and had 19 rebounds in another high-scoring game.

He was later picked to be on the West team for the JBA All-Star Game. Greg helped his team, the Los Angeles Ballers, win the championship game against the Seattle Ballers. He scored 8 points and got 8 rebounds in that game.

After the JBA season, Greg was chosen for the JBA USA Team. This team played 28 exhibition games against professional teams in Europe and Asia. In his first game overseas, he scored 7 points and got 7 rebounds. He even made the winning shot with only 0.3 seconds left! After playing three games on the overseas tour, he left the JBA in October 2018.

Personal Life and Inspiration

Greg has shared that his sister, Monique Gittens, inspires him on the basketball court. She passed away in December 2014 when she was 24 years old.

He said that he doesn't let this sadness bring him down during games. Instead, he uses it as motivation. He plays for her and for his family.