Xavier Thames facts for kids
Thames (left) during his college tenure with San Diego State
|
|
| Point guard / shooting guard | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 9, 1991 Sacramento, California, United States |
| High school | Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove, California) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College |
|
| NBA Draft | 2014 / Round: 2 / Pick: 59th overall |
| Selected by the Toronto Raptors | |
| Pro career | 2014–2022 |
| Career history | |
| 2014–2015 | Sevilla |
| 2015–2016 | Fort Wayne Mad Ants |
| 2016–2017 | MZT Skopje |
| 2017 | Bnei Herzliya |
| 2017–2018 | Trikala Aries |
| 2018 | Canterbury Rams |
| 2018–2019 | Egis Körmend |
| 2019–2020 | VEF Rīga |
| 2020–2021 | Egis Körmend |
| 2021–2022 | DEAC |
| 2022 | CBet Jonava |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
Xavier Raynard Thames (born January 9, 1991) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Washington State University and San Diego State University. Xavier is known for playing as a Point guard or shooting guard.
Contents
- High School Basketball Journey
- College Basketball Career
- Professional Basketball Career
- Starting in Spain (2014–2015)
- Playing in the NBA Development League (2015–2016)
- Moving to North Macedonia (2016–2017)
- Playing in Israel (2017)
- Time in Greece (2017–2018)
- Playing in New Zealand (2018)
- Joining a Hungarian Team (2018–2019)
- Playing in Latvia (2019–2020)
- Second Time with Egis Körmend (2020–2021)
- Playing for DEAC (2021–2022)
- Final Team in Lithuania (2022)
- See also
High School Basketball Journey
Xavier Thames went to Pleasant Grove High School in Elk Grove, California. When he was a sophomore (second year), he scored about 20 points per game. He also got four assists, five rebounds, and four steals per game. This earned him a spot on the first team for the All-Delta River League.
As a junior, he improved even more, averaging 26 points, six assists, five rebounds, and three steals per game. He helped his team achieve a 16–14 record. He was again named to the first team all-league and second team all-city.
On November 12, 2008, Xavier signed a special paper called a National Letter of Intent. This meant he officially committed to play college basketball at Washington State University. In his senior year, he continued to shine, averaging 21 points, six assists, six rebounds, and three steals per game. He led Pleasant Grove to an impressive 25–6 record and received the same honors as his junior year.
College Basketball Career
Playing for Washington State
In his first year at Washington State, Xavier Thames scored 10 or more points in four different games. His first big scoring game was on December 2, 2009, when he scored 11 points against Gonzaga. Before that, he helped his team win the 2009 Great Alaska Shootout tournament. He played in 31 games, starting four of them. On average, he scored 4.6 points, grabbed 1.5 rebounds, and made 1.2 assists in about 17.6 minutes per game.
Transferring to San Diego State
In May 2010, Thames decided to transfer to San Diego State. Because of NCAA transfer rules, he had to sit out the entire 2010–11 season. This means he couldn't play in games for a year.
In his sophomore season at San Diego State, he was recognized as one of the best players in the Mountain West Conference. He played in 31 games, starting 30 of them. He averaged 10.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.0 steals in about 33.8 minutes per game.
During his junior season, Xavier scored 10 or more points in 15 games. He was the team's top scorer three times and led in assists seven times. He also played 32 or more minutes in six games in a row, which was a season best for him. In 30 games (25 starts), he averaged 9.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.0 steals in about 28.7 minutes per game.
Senior Year Success
In his senior season, Xavier had an amazing year. He was named the 2014 Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year. This award goes to the best player in the entire conference. He was also chosen for the All-MWC first team and the MWC All-Defensive team, showing he was great at both offense and defense. In 36 games, he averaged 17.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.6 steals in about 31.3 minutes per game.
Professional Basketball Career
Starting in Spain (2014–2015)
On June 26, 2014, Xavier Thames was chosen by the Toronto Raptors as the 59th pick in the 2014 NBA draft. This is a big step for college players hoping to play in the NBA. Later that night, he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets for a fee. In July 2014, he played for the Nets in the 2014 NBA Summer League, which is a chance for new players to show their skills.
On August 6, 2014, Thames signed a one-year contract with Baloncesto Sevilla, a team in Spain's top basketball league, Liga ACB. However, on January 23, 2015, he left the team.
Playing in the NBA Development League (2015–2016)
On February 11, 2015, Xavier joined the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the NBA Development League. This league helps players improve and get a chance to play in the NBA. Six days later, he played his first game with the Mad Ants.
In July 2015, Thames played for the Brooklyn Nets again in the 2015 NBA Summer League. On October 29, 2015, he rejoined the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
Moving to North Macedonia (2016–2017)
On August 20, 2016, Thames signed a two-year contract with MZT Skopje, a team in North Macedonia. Xavier helped his team win the Macedonian League title in 2017.
Playing in Israel (2017)
On July 27, 2017, Thames signed a two-year deal with Bnei Herzliya, an Israeli team. But on December 17, 2017, he left the team after playing in 19 games. He averaged 8.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game during his time there.
Time in Greece (2017–2018)
On December 23, 2017, Xavier signed with Trikala Aries, a team in Greece.
Playing in New Zealand (2018)
On April 13, 2018, Thames signed with the Canterbury Rams for the 2018 New Zealand NBL season.
Joining a Hungarian Team (2018–2019)
In December 2018, Thames joined Egis Körmend, a team in Hungary.
Playing in Latvia (2019–2020)
On November 1, 2019, Thames joined VEF Rīga in the Latvian Basketball League (LBL). He averaged 10.3 points and 3.7 assists per game over 29 games.
Second Time with Egis Körmend (2020–2021)
On June 17, 2020, Thames returned to play for Egis Körmend in Hungary. He averaged 15.7 points, 5.0 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game in his second time with the team.
Playing for DEAC (2021–2022)
On July 21, 2021, Thames signed with DEAC, another team in Hungary's top league.
Final Team in Lithuania (2022)
In 2022, Xavier Thames played for CBet Jonava in Lithuania, which was his last professional team.
See also
In Spanish: Xavier Thames para niños
