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 is American-born but also has Croatian citizenship. Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall, he played as a point guard and shooting guard. Oliver Lafayette won the EuroCup twice. He also won national championships in Greece and Lithuania.
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Oliver Lafayette's Early Basketball Days
Oliver Lafayette went to Capitol High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He helped his high school basketball team achieve an amazing 29 wins and only 3 losses in his final year.
After high school, Oliver attended Blinn College and then Brown Mackie College. He later transferred to the University of Houston. During his junior year at Houston, Oliver started 30 out of 31 games. He was named to the second team All-Conference USA. He finished third in scoring in C-USA, averaging 15.7 points per game.
In his senior year (2006–07), Oliver Lafayette averaged 14.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. He studied sociology in college.
Oliver Lafayette's Professional Basketball Career
Oliver Lafayette started his professional journey with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the NBA Development League during the 2009–10 season. He was a key player, starting 42 of 48 games. He averaged 17.1 points, 6.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.
On April 14, 2010, Oliver signed with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in one game for the Celtics, scoring 7 points. By playing for the Celtics, he became the 23rd player from the University of Houston to play in the NBA.
In October 2010, Oliver Lafayette signed with Partizan Belgrade in Serbia. However, his contract ended in November of that year. He later returned to practice with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. After averaging 16.4 points per game with the Mad Ants, he signed a short contract with the Turkish team Beşiktaş. His contract was later canceled due to health issues.
In February 2011, Oliver 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, Oliver Lafayette joined Anadolu Efes Istanbul for the rest of the 2011–12 season. Later that year, he moved to Žalgiris Kaunas. He then signed with Valencia Basket in 2013.
On June 22, 2014, he signed a two-year deal with Olympiacos Piraeus in Greece. He left Olympiacos in June 2015. On July 9, 2015, he signed with the Italian club Emporio Armani Milano.
On July 18, 2016, Oliver Lafayette signed with the Spanish team Unicaja. In April 2017, he won his second EuroCup championship with Unicaja. They beat Valencia BC in the finals.
On July 31, 2017, Oliver Lafayette signed with the Italian club Virtus Bologna. His last professional team was Igokea in Bosnia, which he joined on November 13, 2018.
Oliver Lafayette's International Play
The Croatian Basketball Federation asked for permission to give Oliver Lafayette Croatian citizenship. This was for sports reasons, and the Croatian Olympic Committee agreed. Oliver received a Croatian passport. He proudly represented Croatia at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Overseas Elite Team
In the summer of 2017, Oliver Lafayette joined a team called Overseas Elite. This team had won The Basketball Tournament championship 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.
