Quincy Pondexter facts for kids
Pondexter with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013, wearing a protective mask
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| Washington Huskies | ||||||||||||||
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| Assistant coach | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Born | March 10, 1988 Fresno, California, U.S. |
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| High school | San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno, California) |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Washington (2006–2010) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 26th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2010–2019 | |||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2021–present | |||||||||||||
| League | Big Ten Conference | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | New Orleans Hornets | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | Memphis Grizzlies | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | New Orleans Pelicans | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Chicago Bulls | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | San Antonio Spurs | |||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Washington (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | USC (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 2025–present | Washington (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Quincy Coe Pondexter was born on March 10, 1988. He is an American basketball coach and a former professional player. He currently works as an assistant coach for the Washington Huskies men’s basketball team.
Quincy played high school basketball in Fresno, California. He then played four years of college basketball for the Washington Huskies. In his final college year, he was named to the first-team All-Pac-10. He also received an honorable mention as an All-American.
Contents
Early Life and High School Basketball
Quincy Pondexter was born in Fresno, California. When he was a senior in high school, many colleges wanted him to play for their basketball teams. Experts rated him as a five-star recruit. He was also considered the 16th best player in his class in 2006.
Quincy chose to play for the University of Washington. He had also received offers from other big schools like Arizona and Connecticut. His recruiting class at Washington was highly ranked. It was considered one of the best in the country. In his senior year of high school, he averaged 21.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
College Basketball Career
Freshman Year at Washington
Quincy started his first college game for Washington. He scored 21 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. This helped his team win against Pepperdine. After a strong start, Quincy faced some challenges. His playing time decreased for a while.
However, he started playing more towards the end of the season. The Huskies won three of their last four games. These wins included victories over ranked teams like USC and UCLA. Quincy was named an honorable mention on the Pac-10 All-Freshman team. His average of 10.7 points per game was one of the highest for a Washington freshman.
Sophomore Year Challenges
Quincy started his sophomore season in the starting lineup again. But after seven games, he lost his starting spot. Other players from his recruiting class left the team. This made his sophomore year tough.
Quincy's scoring average dropped to 9.9 points per game. However, he showed improvement at the end of the season. He averaged 15.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in his final five games. After the season, he won the "Industrial Award" for being the hardest worker on the team.
Junior Year Success
Before his junior season, Quincy was chosen as a team captain. The season started with a loss, but Quincy steadily improved. The Huskies began to climb to the top of the Pac-10 conference. Quincy led Washington to a big win over USC. He scored 22 points and had 5 rebounds in that game.
In a key game against Arizona State, Quincy had 10 points and 12 rebounds. This helped Washington win in overtime. This victory put Washington in a great position. They were able to win their first Pac-10 conference title since 1953. Quincy led the team with 16 points in the game that clinched the title.
Washington finished the season ranked 10th. They earned a 4 seed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Quincy helped his team win their first-round game. They were eliminated in the second round by Purdue. In that loss, Quincy scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Senior Year Highlights
Before his senior season, Quincy played in the World University Games. He helped the USA team win a bronze medal. He was again elected captain of the Huskies. Quincy was expected to take on a bigger role after a key player graduated.
He started his senior season strong. He scored 25 points and had 11 rebounds in the first game. In another game, he scored 30 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Quincy had a very successful senior season. He averaged 19.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
Quincy won the Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week award five times. This was a record for the Pac-10 at the time. He led Washington to win the 2010 Pac-10 Tournament Championship. This win earned Washington an automatic spot in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
In the NCAA Tournament, Washington was an #11 seed. Quincy made a game-winning shot with 1.7 seconds left. This led the Huskies to an upset victory over Marquette. He scored 18 points and had 11 rebounds in that game. Washington then upset New Mexico. Quincy scored 18 points, helping the Huskies reach the Sweet 16.
Quincy finished his college career as Washington's all-time leader in games played. He also had the most home wins. He is the third-highest scoring player in school history with 1,786 points.
College Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Washington | 32 | 22 | 23.9 | .498 | .375 | .760 | 4.0 | 1.5 | .7 | .2 | 10.7 |
| 2007–08 | Washington | 33 | 9 | 24.4 | .452 | .288 | .685 | 4.8 | 1.9 | .5 | .2 | 9.9 |
| 2008–09 | Washington | 35 | 35 | 28.1 | .511 | .214 | .742 | 5.9 | 1.6 | .7 | .4 | 12.1 |
| 2009–10 | Washington | 36 | 36 | 32.3 | .528 | .353 | .827 | 7.4 | 1.8 | 1.3 | .6 | 19.3 |
| Career | 136 | 102 | 27.3 | .503 | .327 | .768 | 5.6 | 1.7 | .8 | .3 | 13.1 | |
College Honors and Awards
- First Team All-Pac 10
- Pac-10 Player of the Week five times in 2009–10 (a Pac-10 Record)
- NABC All-District 24 First Team
- Pac-10 All Tournament Team
- FoxSports.com All-American Fourth Team
- USBWA All-District Team
- Member of Team USA's 2009 Team World University Games bronze medal team
Professional Basketball Career
Early NBA Years (2010–2017)
On June 24, 2010, the Oklahoma City Thunder picked Quincy Pondexter in the NBA draft. He was the 26th overall pick. Soon after, his rights were traded to the New Orleans Hornets.
In December 2011, the Hornets traded Quincy to the Memphis Grizzlies. He played for the Grizzlies for several seasons. In October 2013, he signed a four-year contract extension with the team.
Dealing with Injuries
Quincy played in many games during his first three NBA seasons. However, he faced injuries during the 2013–14 season. He had a foot injury that kept him out for the rest of that season.
He returned for the 2014–15 season and played for Memphis. In January 2015, he was traded back to New Orleans. The team was now called the Pelicans. He had a great time with the Pelicans in the second half of that season. He averaged 9.0 points per game. He also scored a career-high 25 points in one game.
After the 2015 playoffs, Quincy faced more injuries. He had several surgeries on his left knee. These injuries kept him from playing for the entire 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons. He worked hard to recover from these setbacks.
Chicago Bulls (2017–2018)
On September 1, 2017, Quincy was traded to the Chicago Bulls. He played his first game since April 2015 on October 19, 2017. He was waived by the Bulls in February 2018.
San Antonio Spurs (2018–2019)
On August 29, 2018, Quincy signed a one-year contract with the San Antonio Spurs. He played for coach Gregg Popovich. Quincy considered Popovich to be "the greatest coach of all time."
Coaching Career
On May 3, 2021, Quincy Pondexter returned to the Washington Huskies. He became an assistant coach under head coach Mike Hopkins.
On May 16, 2024, Quincy was announced as an assistant coach for the USC Trojans. He worked under their new head coach, Eric Musselman. He rejoined the coaching staff at Washington before the start of the 2025-26 season.
NBA 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 |
Regular Season Games
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | New Orleans | 66 | 6 | 11.1 | .406 | .360 | .706 | 1.3 | .4 | .3 | .2 | 2.8 |
| 2011–12 | Memphis | 64 | 8 | 15.7 | .452 | .301 | .623 | 2.0 | .4 | .4 | .1 | 4.2 |
| 2012–13 | Memphis | 59 | 1 | 21.1 | .428 | .395 | .787 | 2.2 | 1.0 | .6 | .1 | 6.4 |
| 2013–14 | Memphis | 15 | 2 | 18.0 | .392 | .324 | .808 | 1.7 | 1.3 | .3 | .1 | 6.3 |
| 2014–15 | Memphis | 30 | 2 | 18.0 | .356 | .233 | .700 | 1.9 | .9 | .2 | .2 | 4.5 |
| 2014–15 | New Orleans | 45 | 28 | 27.8 | .449 | .433 | .758 | 3.1 | 1.5 | .3 | .4 | 9.0 |
| 2017–18 | Chicago | 23 | 1 | 8.5 | .286 | .136 | .824 | 1.2 | .4 | .3 | .1 | 2.0 |
| 2018–19 | San Antonio | 53 | 0 | 5.5 | .500 | .333 | .810 | .9 | .5 | .2 | .0 | 1.8 |
| Career | 355 | 48 | 15.6 | .423 | .356 | .746 | 1.8 | .7 | .3 | .1 | 4.5 | |
Playoff Games
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | New Orleans | 3 | 0 | 3.0 | .167 | .000 | – | .3 | .3 | .0 | .0 | .7 |
| 2012 | Memphis | 7 | 0 | 16.3 | .667 | .500 | .778 | 2.3 | .3 | .6 | .0 | 4.7 |
| 2013 | Memphis | 15 | 0 | 23.8 | .489 | .453 | .607 | 2.5 | .7 | .7 | .1 | 8.9 |
| 2015 | New Orleans | 4 | 4 | 31.0 | .357 | .300 | .857 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 1.8 | .0 | 7.3 |
| 2019 | San Antonio | 5 | 0 | 2.4 | .000 | .000 | – | .2 | .4 | .2 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 34 | 4 | 18.1 | .466 | .408 | .682 | 2.2 | .8 | .7 | .1 | 5.8 | |
Personal Life and Family
Quincy's father, Roscoe, was also a basketball player. He was picked by the Boston Celtics in the 1974 NBA draft. He played professional basketball overseas. Quincy's uncle, Cliff Pondexter, also played for the Chicago Bulls.
Quincy has a cousin, Deshon Taylor, who has played basketball professionally overseas. Another cousin, Wesley Yates III, played for the Washington Huskies when Quincy was an assistant coach. Wesley later followed Quincy to USC.
Quincy holds a basketball camp every year in the San Joaquin valley. This camp is for boys and girls from kindergarten through 12th grade.
See also
In Spanish: Quincy Pondexter para niños
