Rodney Purvis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Rodney Purvis

Purvis with UConn in January 2015
No. 5 – Spartak
Shooting guard
Personal information
Born	(1994-02-14) February 14, 1994 (age 31) Plymouth, North Carolina, U.S.
High school	Upper Room Christian Academy (Raleigh, North Carolina)
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
College	NC State (2012–2013) UConn (2014–2017)
NBA Draft	2017 / Undrafted
Pro career	2017–present
League	Bulgarian National Basketball League
Career history
2017–2018	Lakeland Magic
2018	Orlando Magic
2018–2019	Sioux Falls Skyforce
2019–2020	Hapoel Tel Aviv
2020	Pallacanestro Cantù
2020–2021	Bergamo Basket 2014
2021	Wilki Morskie Szczecin
2021–2022	Cherkaski Mavpy
2022	Hebraica Macabi
2022	Trepça
2022–2023	Peja
2023	BC Gargždai
2023–present	Spartak
Career highlights and awards
NBA G League All-Rookie Team (2018) First-team Parade All-American (2012) North Carolina Mr. Basketball (2012)
Medals Men's basketball Representing the  United States FIBA Americas U18 Championship Gold 2012 Brazil Team

Rodney O'Keith Purvis (born February 14, 1994) is an American professional basketball player. He plays as a shooting guard for Spartak in the Bulgarian National Basketball League. Before becoming a pro, he played college basketball for the NC State Wolfpack and the UConn Huskies.

High School Basketball Journey

In October 2010, Rodney Purvis decided to finish high school a year early. He moved from the class of 2013 to the class of 2012. He was excited to start college sooner. In 2011, he first planned to play for Louisville. But he changed his mind and later chose to play for N.C. State. He picked N.C. State over other top schools like Connecticut and Duke.

Rodney was a top player in high school. He was named the 2012 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year. This award goes to the best high school athlete in a state. He also played in the 2012 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, which features the best high school basketball players in the country. In another big game, the Jordan Brand Classic, he scored 22 points. He was even named the co-MVP of that game.

Experts praised Rodney's skills. One analyst said he was "athletic, strong, and a scoring threat." He was known for being hard to guard because he could drive to the basket and finish strong. Some people compared him to famous player John Wall. Rodney was ranked among the top recruits in his class by major sports networks.

College Basketball Years

Rodney played one year at N.C. State. He played in 35 games, averaging 8.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He shot well, making 44% of his shots and 38.2% of his three-pointers. He was even named the ACC Rookie of the Week once. After this season, he decided to transfer to the University of Connecticut (UConn) in April 2013. He felt UConn was a better fit for him.

When he transferred, he had to sit out one season. This is called a redshirt year. During this time, he trained with his new teammates. He also had surgery on his shoulder in December 2013 to fix an injury.

In his second year of college, which was his first playing season at UConn, he played well. He was named the AAC Player of the Week in March 2015. He scored 28 points in a big win against SMU. He also made the All-AAC Tournament Team. That season, he was second on his team in points per game (11.6).

As a junior, Rodney led his team in scoring with 12.8 points per game. He helped the UConn Huskies reach the NCAA Tournament. They won their first game but then lost in the second round. After this season, he thought about entering the 2016 NBA draft. But he decided to return to UConn for his final year of college.

Professional Basketball Career

After college, Rodney Purvis was not chosen in the 2017 NBA draft. But he still got a chance to play professionally.

Lakeland Magic (2017–2018)

He joined the Utah Jazz for the NBA Summer League. Then, in October 2017, he signed a contract with the Orlando Magic. However, he was later released before the season started. He then joined the Lakeland Magic, which is a team in the NBA G League.

Orlando Magic (2018)

On March 8, 2018, Rodney signed a 10-day contract with the Orlando Magic. This meant he would play for 10 days to see how he fit with the team. He made his NBA debut the next day. He later signed another 10-day contract and then a contract for the rest of the season.

In July 2018, Rodney was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. A few days later, he was traded again to the Boston Celtics. However, the Celtics released him shortly after.

Sioux Falls Skyforce (2018–2019)

Rodney then signed with the Miami Heat in October 2018, but was released soon after. He then joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce, another NBA G League team. He played 49 games for them, averaging 14.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.

Playing Overseas (2019–Present)

Since 2019, Rodney has played for several teams outside the United States:

• Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel, 2019)
• Pallacanestro Cantù (Italy, 2020)
• Bergamo Basket 2014 (Italy, 2020–2021)
• Wilki Morskie Szczecin (Poland, 2021)
• Cherkaski Mavpy (Ukraine, 2021–2022)
• Hebraica Macabi (Uruguay, 2022)
• KB Trepça (Kosovo, 2022)
• KB Peja (Kosovo, 2022–2023)
• BC Gargždai (Lithuania, 2023)
• Spartak (Bulgaria, 2023–present)

Career Statistics

NBA

Regular season

College

National Team Experience

In February 2018, Rodney Purvis was chosen to train with the USA World Cup Qualifying Team. This shows he was considered one of the top players in the country.

About Rodney's Life

Rodney's godfather is basketball coach LeVelle Moton. His mother is Shanda McNair. Rodney is an only child, but his mother adopted Tyrek Coger when Tyrek was in eighth grade.

See also

In Spanish: Rodney Purvis para niños