Semaj Christon facts for kids

Semaj Rakim Christon, born on November 1, 1992, is an American professional basketball player. He recently played for Vanoli Cremona in Italy's top basketball league. Before turning pro, he played college basketball for Xavier.

High School Basketball Journey

Semaj Christon grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He went to Winton Woods High School. In his senior year, he was the top scorer in his conference. He averaged 21 points and 5.2 assists per game. He won several awards, including District Player of the Year.

In July 2011, Christon decided to play for Xavier. This college team is part of the NCAA Division I. Before joining Xavier in 2012, he attended Brewster Academy, a special prep school. At Brewster, he played with future NBA stars like T. J. Warren. His team had an amazing 32–1 record and won a national championship.

College Basketball Career

Playing for Xavier Musketeers

Christon started playing for Xavier in the 2012–13 season. He missed his first game due to an elbow injury. But he quickly became a key player. He led Xavier in points (15.2), assists (4.6), and steals (1.5) per game. He was named Rookie of the Year for the Atlantic 10 conference. He also made the All-Conference Second Team.

Big East Conference Success

In the 2013–14 season, Xavier joined the Big East Conference. Christon continued to shine, improving his scoring to 17 points per game. He was ranked fourth in the conference for scoring. He also averaged 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals. He was chosen for the All-Big East First Team.

During the Big East tournament, Christon reached 1,000 career points. He was only the second Xavier player to do this as a sophomore. After the season, he decided to enter the NBA draft early. He finished his college career with 1,034 points in 64 games.

Professional Basketball Career

Starting in the D-League (2014–2015)

In the 2014 NBA draft, the Miami Heat picked Christon as the 55th overall player. His draft rights were later traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He joined the Thunder for the 2014 NBA Summer League.

Christon then played for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder's team in the NBA Development League. In his first game, he scored 32 points. He played so well that he was chosen for the D-League All-Star Game in 2015. He finished the 2014–15 season averaging 18.6 points and 5.7 assists. He also earned a spot on the NBA Development League All-Rookie Third Team.

Playing in Italy (2015–2016)

In July 2015, Christon played for the Thunder again in the 2015 NBA Summer League. Even though he played well, he didn't get a contract with the Thunder right away. So, in August 2015, he moved to Italy. He signed with Consultinvest Pesaro in the Italian Serie A league. He averaged 14.3 points and 3.7 assists in 30 games.

Time with Oklahoma City Thunder (2016–2017)

In July 2016, Christon rejoined the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On August 20, 2016, he officially signed with the Thunder. He made his NBA debut on October 26, 2016. He scored a season-high 11 points in a game on January 2, 2017. During his time with the Thunder, he also played for their D-League team, the Oklahoma City Blue. The Thunder waived him in October 2017.

Playing Overseas (2017–Present)

After leaving the Thunder, Christon played for several teams around the world:

• China (2017–2018): He signed with the Guangzhou Long-Lions in China. He had an amazing game where he scored a career-high 45 points.
• Puerto Rico (2018): He played for Santeros de Aguada in Puerto Rico.
• Israel (2018–2019): He joined Hapoel Be'er Sheva in Israel. He helped his team reach the Israeli Basketball League Cup Final.
• France (2019–2020): He signed with Limoges CSP in France.
• Spain (2020): He played for Kirolbet Baskonia in Spain and the EuroLeague.
• Turkey (2020–2021): He joined Tofaş in Turkey.
• Germany (2021–2022): He signed with ratiopharm Ulm in Germany.
• Italy (2022–Present):
  • Derthona Basket (2022–2023)
  • Pallacanestro Brescia (2023–2024)
  • Pistoia Basket 2000 (2024–2025)
  • Vanoli Cremona (2025)

National Team Experience

On November 14, 2017, Semaj Christon was chosen to play for the United States national team. He helped the team win two games during the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualification. He averaged 6.5 points and 2.5 assists per game in those matches.

Career Statistics

NBA Regular Season

NBA Playoffs

Domestic Leagues (Selected)

Year	Team	League	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2014–15	Oklahoma City Blue	D-League	46	35.2	.448	.259	.778	3.6	5.8	1.6	.2	18.8
2016–17	Consultinvest Pesaro	LBA	30	33.2	.469	.190	.664	3.3	3.7	1.6	.2	14.3
2017–18	Guangzhou Long-Lions	CBA	16	42.9	.474	.230	.835	4.3	5.7	1.8	.3	27.7
2018	Santeros de Aguada	BSN	3	33.5	.500	.389	.812	2.0	4.3	2.0	1.0	18.6
2018–19	Hapoel Be'er Sheva	IBPL	8	28.6	.442	.395	.786	2.1	4.0	1.6	.1	18.7

College Statistics

See also

In Spanish: Semaj Christon para niños