Anthony Black (born January 20, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class.
 Black with the Arkansas Razorbacks in 2023 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 0 – Orlando Magic | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | January 20, 2004 Duncanville, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school |
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| College | Arkansas (2022–2023) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2023: 1st round, 6th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Orlando Magic | |||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2023–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2023–present | Orlando Magic | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Early life
editBlack was born in Duncanville, Texas, to parents Terry and Jennifer.[1] His mother played soccer for the Texas Longhorns and Baylor Bears while his father played college basketball for the Baylor Bears and professionally overseas.[1] When Black was 10 months old, he moved with his family to Germany where his father was playing.[2] He became fluent in German by the age of three.[2] Black moved back to the United States with his mother when it was time for him to begin kindergarten.[2] His parents split during his childhood and Black was raised by his mother.[2]
Black grew up in Coppell, Texas, and initially attended Coppell High School.[2] He averaged 16.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and two steals per game as a junior and was named second-team all-area.[3] Black also played football at Coppell as a wide receiver and caught 78 passes for 1,327 yards and 16 touchdowns over two varsity seasons.[2] He transferred to Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas before the start of his senior year.[4] Black played in only 15 games during his season due to eligibility issues and averaged 13.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, four assists, and 2.2 steals per game.[5]
Black was rated a five-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for Arkansas after considering offers from Gonzaga, Oklahoma State, and TCU.[6] He also considered playing professionally in the NBA G League.[7] Additionally, Black was considered a high-level football recruit and received scholarship offers from Texas, Baylor, and Arkansas.[1]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Black PG / SG |
Duncanville, TX | Duncanville (TX) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Mar 28, 2022 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 92
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| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 20 247Sports: 15 ESPN: 15 | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
editBlack entered his freshman season at Arkansas as a starter at guard.[8] He also entered the season as a potential first-round selection in the 2023 NBA draft.[9] Black averaged 22 points over three games during the 2022 Maui Invitational Tournament and was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Week.[10] He was named to the SEC All-Freshman team at the end of the regular season.[11] Black averaged 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.1 steals per game on the year. After the season, he announced that he would forgo the remainder of his college eligibility and enter the 2023 NBA draft.[12]
Professional career
editThe Orlando Magic selected Black with the sixth overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft.[13]
National team career
editBlack played for the United States under-18 basketball team at the 2022 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship.[14] He averaged 4.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, helping his team win the gold medal.
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
editRegular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | Orlando | 69 | 33 | 16.9 | .466 | .394 | .613 | 2.0 | 1.3 | .5 | .3 | 4.6 |
| Career | 69 | 33 | 16.9 | .466 | .394 | .613 | 2.0 | 1.3 | .5 | .3 | 4.6 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Orlando | 2 | 0 | 5.4 | .429 | .000 | — | 1.0 | 1.0 | .5 | .0 | 3.0 |
| Career | 2 | 0 | 5.4 | .429 | .000 | — | 1.0 | 1.0 | .5 | .0 | 3.0 | |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Arkansas | 36 | 36 | 34.9 | .453 | .301 | .705 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 2.1 | .6 | 12.8 |
References
edit- ^ a b c Feldman, Bruce (June 23, 2023). "Orlando Magic's Anthony Black 'could out-athlete everybody' as a football prospect". The Athletic. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Norlander, Matt (June 22, 2023). "2023 NBA Draft: Inside Anthony Black's winding journey from bright football future to top-10 pick". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- ^ "Five-star basketball phenom Anthony Black is ruled ineligible by DEC after transfer to Duncanville from Coppell". Dallas Morning News. October 8, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "Defending 6A state champion Duncanville adds 4-star basketball recruit Anthony Black from Coppell". Dallas Morning News. August 18, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Borzello, Jeff; Biancardi, Paul (March 28, 2022). "Anthony Black becomes third 2022 five-star prospect to commit to Arkansas men's basketball team". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "Anthony Black, 5-star PG, commits to Arkansas". The Athletic. March 28, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Meehan, Jim (February 10, 2022). "Five-star guard Anthony Black trims list to NBA G-League and five schools, including Gonzaga". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Boone, David; Cobb, David (November 22, 2022). "Ranking college basketball's best freshmen: Arkansas' Anthony Black is first Freshman of the Week for 2022-23". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Ellis, Andrew (November 27, 2022). "Anthony Black has arrived for Arkansas". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Acosta, Jonathan (November 28, 2022). "Arkansas guard Anthony Black named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week". 5NewsOnline.com. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "Anthony Black, Ricky Council IV, Devo Davis earn SEC Honors". 5NewsOnline.com. March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
- ^ Givony, Jonathan (April 12, 2023). "Arkansas' Anthony Black, projected top-10 pick, enters NBA draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ Siegel, Brett (June 22, 2023). "Anthony Black: Meet the Magic's No. 6 pick in 2023 NBA Draft". ClutchPoints. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ Wilkerson, Curtis (June 13, 2022). "Anthony Black, Team USA win gold at FIBA U18 Americas Championships". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 1, 2022.