Renaldo Woolridge facts for kids
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| Small forward | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 22, 1990 Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| High school | Harvard-Westlake (Los Angeles, California) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College |
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| NBA Draft | 2013 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | 2013–2015 |
| Career history | |
| 2014 | Metalac Valjevo |
| 2014–2015 | Grand Rapids Drive |
Renaldo James Woolridge, born on March 22, 1990, is an American who used to play professional basketball. He is also a talented music artist known as "Swiperboy." Renaldo played college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers and the USC Trojans. After college, he played basketball professionally in the NBA Development League and in Serbia.
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High School Basketball Star
Renaldo went to Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles. He was a fantastic player there! He was named the most valuable player (MVP) of his league two times. He also earned "first-team all-state" honors in his junior and senior years. This means he was one of the best players in the entire state. In his senior year (2007–08), he scored about 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds per game.
College Basketball Journey
Renaldo played college basketball for two different teams. First, he played for the Tennessee Volunteers. Later, he played for the USC Trojans.
Playing for Tennessee
- Freshman Year (2008-2009): Renaldo played in 32 out of 34 games for Tennessee. He mostly played as a backup small forward. He averaged about 2.6 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.
- Sophomore Year (2009-2010): He played in 28 games and started 10 of them. He averaged 3.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Renaldo scored 14 points and had 8 rebounds in a huge upset win. His team beat the number one ranked Kansas Jayhawks! This exciting game was shown on CBS.
- Junior Year (2010-2011): This year was tough for Renaldo. He only played in eight games because of an ankle injury. He then took a "redshirt" year, which means he didn't play for the rest of the season but still kept his college eligibility.
- Redshirt Junior Year (2011-2012): After his injury, Renaldo played in 25 games. He started four games and averaged 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds. He had his best game of the season against the 2012 NCAA Champion Kentucky Wildcats. He scored 17 points, including five three-pointers in a row! In May 2012, he graduated from Tennessee. He earned a degree in Sociology.
Playing for USC
After graduating from Tennessee, Renaldo went to graduate school at the University of Southern California in 2012. He played his final year of college basketball there as a "redshirt senior."
Professional Basketball Career
After college, Renaldo hoped to join the NBA.
Starting His Pro Career
- In 2013, Renaldo was not chosen in the 2013 NBA draft. However, he joined the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2013 NBA Summer League.
- Later that year, he signed with a team called Bilbao Basket in Spain.
- In January 2014, he moved to Serbia and signed with Metalac Valjevo for the rest of the season.
Playing in the NBA Development League
- In July 2014, Renaldo played for the Los Angeles Lakers again in the 2014 NBA Summer League.
- On November 1, 2014, he was picked by the Grand Rapids Drive team. This team is part of the NBA Development League, which is now called the G League.
- He was reacquired by the Grand Rapids Drive in October 2015. But he was waived (released) in November due to an injury.
- In April 2016, Renaldo joined the Westchester Knicks. However, he left the team before playing any games for them.
Renaldo's Personal Life
Renaldo is the middle child of three. His mom is Pat Jackson Woolridge. His dad was Orlando Woolridge, who was also a famous basketball player. Orlando played college basketball at Notre Dame and was an All-American. He then played in the NBA for 13 years, including two seasons with the Lakers.
Renaldo's brother, Zach, also played basketball at Princeton University. His sister, Tiana, played college volleyball at Princeton too. She is now studying to become a doctor.
Musical Career as "Swiperboy"
Besides basketball, Renaldo is a talented hip hop artist, writer, and producer. He performs under the name "Swiperboy" or "SB Babyy."
Music in College
- While in college, Renaldo started his own music company called Swiperboy Entertainment.
- In 2009, he created a special song for the University of Tennessee football team. The song became very popular online. It was played at every home football game in Neyland Stadium during the 2009 season.
- In 2010, the TV show "Race to March Madness" on ABC featured Renaldo. They highlighted him as the first college basketball player who was also a recording artist.
- He wrote and performed songs for both the University of Tennessee and the University of Southern California.
- In 2011, his song "USA Troops" got national attention on Yahoo. It praised the hard work of American soldiers.
- In 2013, his song "Fight On (We Play to Rise)" was played at USC sports events. This included games at the Galen Center and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for USC Football. He even performed this song at USC's Spring Festival, where famous artist Big Sean was also performing.
Music in Pro Basketball
- In 2014, Renaldo created the team song for his NBA Development League team, the Grand Rapids Drive. This song was played when the team entered the court for home games during the 2014–15 season.
- You can find many of his songs and mixtapes online. He also has music available for purchase on iTunes. His newest music is an EP (a short album) called "Any Volunteers?" You can find it on iTunes, Spotify, Rhapsody, and other music platforms.
