Oliver Lafayette facts for kids
Lafayette with Žalgiris Kaunas in 2013
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 6, 1984 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Nationality | American / Croatian |
| High school | Capitol (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College |
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| NBA Draft | 2007 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | 2007–2019 |
| Career history | |
| 2007–2008 | Correcaminos UAT Victoria |
| 2008–2009 | Erie BayHawks |
| 2009–2010 | Fort Wayne Mad Ants |
| 2010 | Boston Celtics |
| 2010 | Partizan Belgrade |
| 2010–2011 | Fort Wayne Mad Ants |
| 2011 | Maccabi Ashdod |
| 2011–2012 | Asseco Prokom Gdynia |
| 2012 | Anadolu Efes Istanbul |
| 2012–2013 | Žalgiris Kaunas |
| 2013–2014 | Valencia Basket |
| 2014–2015 | Olympiacos |
| 2015–2016 | EA7 Emporio Armani Milano |
| 2016–2017 | Unicaja |
| 2017–2018 | Virtus Bologna |
| 2018–2019 | Igokea |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Oliver Lafayette (born May 6, 1984) is a former professional basketball player. He was born in America but also played for Croatia. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall. Oliver played as a point guard and shooting guard. He won the EuroCup twice and also won championships in Greece and Lithuania.
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Oliver's Early Basketball Journey
Lafayette went to Capitol High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He helped his basketball team achieve an amazing 29 wins and only 3 losses in his final year.
After high school, Oliver attended Blinn College and Brown Mackie College. He then transferred to the University of Houston. During his junior year at Houston, he started 30 out of 31 games. He was named to the second team all-Conference USA. He was also third in scoring in Conference USA, averaging 15.7 points per game. In his senior year (2006–07), Lafayette averaged 14.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. He studied sociology in college.
Oliver's Professional Basketball Career
Playing in the NBA Development League
Lafayette played for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the NBA Development League during the 2009–10 season. He started 42 out of 48 games for the Mad Ants. He averaged 17.1 points, 6.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.
A Short Time with the Boston Celtics
On April 14, 2010, Lafayette signed with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in one game for the team and scored 7 points. By playing with the Celtics, Oliver became the 23rd player from the University of Houston to play in the NBA.
Playing in Europe and Beyond
After his time in the NBA, Oliver Lafayette played for many different teams around the world.
- In October 2010, he signed with Partizan Belgrade in Serbia.
- In December 2010, he returned to practice with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. He later signed a four-month contract with the Turkish team Beşiktaş. However, his contract ended early due to health issues.
- In February 2011, Lafayette signed with Maccabi Ashdod in Israel.
- On October 5, 2011, he signed a one-year contract with Asseco Prokom Gdynia in Poland.
- In January 2012, Lafayette signed with Anadolu Efes Istanbul for the rest of the 2011–12 season.
- Later in 2012, he joined Žalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania.
- In 2013, he signed with Valencia Basket in Spain.
- On June 22, 2014, he signed a two-year deal with Olympiacos Piraeus in Greece. He left Olympiacos on June 29, 2015.
- On July 9, 2015, he signed with the Italian club Emporio Armani Milano.
- On July 18, 2016, Lafayette signed with the Spanish team Unicaja. In April 2017, he won his second EuroCup with Unicaja. They beat Valencia BC in the finals.
- On July 31, 2017, Lafayette signed with the Italian club Virtus Bologna.
- On November 13, 2018, Lafayette signed with the Bosnian club Igokea. He finished his professional career in 2019.
Playing for His Country: Croatia
The Croatian Basketball Federation asked for permission to give Oliver Lafayette Croatian citizenship. This was for sports reasons. The Croatian Olympic Committee agreed. Lafayette received a Croatian passport. He then played for the Croatian national team in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
The Basketball Tournament
In the summer of 2017, Lafayette joined a team called Overseas Elite. This team had won The Basketball Tournament twice before. On August 3, 2017, Overseas Elite won their third straight championship. They beat Team Challenge ALS 86–83 in a game shown on ESPN.
Career Statistics
Oliver Lafayette played in many games throughout his career. Here are some of his statistics from the NBA and Euroleague.
NBA Statistics
Regular Season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | Boston | 1 | 0 | 22.0 | .500 | .500 | .000 | 4.0 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | 7.0 |
| Career | 1 | 0 | 22.0 | .500 | .500 | .000 | 4.0 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | 7.0 |
Euroleague Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Partizan Belgrade | 6 | 3 | 25.8 | .221 | .154 | .654 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 1.3 | .0 | 8.5 | 6.3 |
| 2011–12 | Asseco Prokom | 10 | 0 | 24.5 | .411 | .381 | .708 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 1.4 | .0 | 10.7 | 11.0 |
| 2011–12 | Anadolu Efes | 6 | 2 | 23.0 | .419 | .313 | .917 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 1.5 | .0 | 8.7 | 11.7 |
| 2012–13 | Zalgiris | 23 | 11 | 21.2 | .361 | .323 | .900 | 2.1 | 2.8 | .9 | .0 | 7.9 | 7.3 |
| 2014–15 | Olympiacos | 29 | 1 | 18.3 | .386 | .404 | .606 | 2.1 | 2.6 | .5 | .0 | 6.8 | 6.9 |
| 2015–16 | Milano | 10 | 3 | 22.5 | .435 | .259 | .846 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 1 | .2 | 7.3 | 5.4 |
| Career | 74 | 17 | 21.1 | .364 | .346 | .736 | 2.4 | 2.8 | .9 | .0 | 7.9 | 8.0 |
See also
In Spanish: Oliver Lafayette para niños
- List of foreign basketball players in Serbia
