Taurean Prince facts for kids
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Prince with the Atlanta Hawks in 2017
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| No. 12 – Los Angeles Lakers | |||||||||||
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| Small forward / power forward | |||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | March 22, 1994 San Marcos, Texas, U.S. |
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| High school | Earl Warren (San Antonio, Texas) | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 218 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| College | Baylor (2012–2016) | ||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2016 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12th overall | ||||||||||
| Selected by the Utah Jazz | |||||||||||
| Pro career | 2016–present | ||||||||||
| League | NBA | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| 2016–2019 | Atlanta Hawks | ||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | →Long Island Nets | ||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Brooklyn Nets | ||||||||||
| 2021 | Cleveland Cavaliers | ||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Minnesota Timberwolves | ||||||||||
| 2023–present | Los Angeles Lakers | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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Medals
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Taurean Waller-Prince (born March 22, 1994) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before joining the NBA, he played college basketball for the Baylor Bears.
Taurean was picked 12th in the 2016 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. However, he was soon traded to the Atlanta Hawks. He played for the Hawks for three seasons. After that, he moved to the Brooklyn Nets in 2019. In 2021, he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers, and later that year, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Contents
Early Basketball Journey
High School Years
Taurean Prince played high school basketball for three seasons. He attended Earl Warren High School in San Antonio, Texas. In his final year, he helped his team reach the state semifinals.
He first planned to play college basketball for LIU-Brooklyn. But he changed his mind and chose Baylor instead. This happened because of a coaching change at LIU-Brooklyn.
College Success at Baylor
In his first year at Baylor, Taurean played in 24 games. He usually came off the bench as a substitute. He averaged about 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
Before his second year, he was honored on the Big 12 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll. He played in all 38 games for Baylor that season. He averaged 6.2 points and 2.8 rebounds. He also won the Big 12 Sixth Man Award. This award goes to the best player who usually comes off the bench.
By his fourth season, many experts thought he could be the Big 12 Player of the Year.
Professional Basketball Career
Atlanta Hawks (2016–2019)
On June 23, 2016, the Utah Jazz chose Taurean Prince as the 12th overall pick in the NBA draft. A few weeks later, on July 7, he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks. This trade also involved the Indiana Pacers. He officially signed his first NBA contract with the Hawks on July 15.
In his first season, on March 11, 2017, he scored 17 points against the Memphis Grizzlies. On April 6, he set a new career high with 20 points against the Boston Celtics. In the playoffs, he scored double-figures in his first four games. This made him the first Hawks rookie to do so since 1971. During this time, he also played some games for the Long Island Nets. This was part of a special rule for new players.
The next season, on December 12, 2017, Prince scored 24 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He kept improving, scoring 30 points and grabbing 10 rebounds on December 29. He also made five three-pointers in that game. On February 2, 2018, he scored 31 points against the Boston Celtics. His career high became 38 points on March 11 against the Chicago Bulls. He scored 38 points again six days later against the Milwaukee Bucks. On April 8, he made seven three-pointers and scored 33 points against the Celtics.
In the 2018-2019 season, he scored 28 points in the second game of the season. He later missed 18 games because of an ankle injury.
Brooklyn Nets (2019–2021)
On July 6, 2019, Taurean Prince was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets also received a future draft pick in this deal. He signed a two-year contract extension with the Nets on October 21.
During his time with the Nets, he tested positive for COVID-19. This meant he had to sit out some games.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2021)
On January 14, 2021, Prince was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. This was a big trade involving four teams. In April, he had surgery on his left ankle. He had missed a few games because of ankle soreness.
Minnesota Timberwolves (2021–2023)
On August 3, 2021, Taurean Prince was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played his first game for the Timberwolves on October 20. He scored five points in a win against the Houston Rockets.
On February 1, 2022, he scored a season-high 23 points. He also grabbed nine rebounds in that game. Two days later, he scored 23 points again. The Timberwolves made it to the playoffs in 2022. It was their first time since 2018. They lost in the first round to the Memphis Grizzlies.
On June 30, 2022, Prince signed a new two-year contract with the Timberwolves.
Los Angeles Lakers (2023–Present)
On July 6, 2023, Prince signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. On December 9, 2023, he and the Lakers won the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament. This was a new tournament for NBA teams.
Playing for Team USA
In the summer of 2015, Taurean Prince played for the United States men's national basketball team. He helped the team win a bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American Games. He was part of a team that included other talented players.
Images for kids
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Taurean Prince playing for the Atlanta Hawks.
