Jordan Bruner (born December 31, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for Tachikawa Dice of the B.League. He played college basketball for the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Yale Bulldogs.

Jordan Bruner
No. 2 – Tachikawa Dice
PositionPower forward
LeagueB.League
Personal information
Born (1997-12-31) December 31, 1997 (age 26)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolSpring Valley
(Columbia, South Carolina)
College
NBA draft2021: undrafted
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2022Imortal Basket
2022–2023SK Slavia Prague
2023BK Děčín
2023–2024Antranik
2024–presentTachikawa Dice
Career highlights and awards

Early life and high school career

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Bruner was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma but moved to South Carolina at the age of 11.[1] He attended Spring Valley High School, where he was coached by Perry Dozier. As a sophomore, he averaged 12 points per game. Bruner missed most of his junior season with injuries.[2] As a senior, he averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks per game.[3] Bruner was a three-time All-State performer.[4] He was regarded as a three-star prospect, ranked the second-best South Carolina player in his class by 247 Sports. Bruner committed to Yale in November 2015 over an offer from Clemson.[2]

College career

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Bruner missed the first four games of his freshman season with a knee injury and wore a brace for the rest of the year.[5] On January 2, 2017, he scored a career-high 25 points in an 88–72 win over Hartford.[6] He averaged 8.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, finishing second in the Ivy League in blocks with 55. On November 4, 2017, Bruner tore his meniscus during a scrimmage against Boston University, forcing him to miss his sophomore season.[5] Bruner averaged 10.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game as a junior.[7] He helped Yale finish with a 22–8 record and reach the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to LSU 79–74. Coming into his senior season, he was the only returning starter.[8] Bruner posted 17 points and 15 rebounds against North Carolina on December 30, 2019.[9] On February 21, 2020, he recorded the first triple-double in Yale history with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in an 81–80 double-overtime win against Cornell.[10] As a senior, Bruner averaged 10.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game and had 48 blocked shots and 29 steals. He was named to the First Team All-Ivy League.[11] Following the season, Bruner declared for the 2020 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[12] He ultimately transferred to Alabama for his final season of eligibility, choosing the Crimson Tide over Baylor and Maryland.[11] Bruner suffered a knee injury against Kentucky on January 13, 2021, missing a month.[13] He averaged 5.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game in his only season at Alabama.[14]

Professional career

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On August 14, 2021, Bruner signed his first professional contract with Imortal Basket of the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol.[14] He averaged 8.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. On August 17, 2022, Bruner signed with SK Slavia Prague of the National Basketball League.[15] In 20 games he averaged 9.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. On February 1, 2023, Bruner signed with fellow Czech club BK Děčín.[16] He joined Antranik of the Lebanese Basketball League for the 2023-24 season.[17] On July 11, 2024, Bruner signed with the Tachikawa Dice of the B.League.[18]

Career statistics

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Legend
  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

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Yale 25 0 22.4 .513 .300 .652 5.6 1.2 .4 2.2 8.4
2017–18 Yale   Injured
2018–19 Yale 30 30 28.0 .511 .278 .734 8.3 3.0 1.0 1.5 10.4
2019–20 Yale 28 28 32.4 .443 .323 .766 9.2 3.7 1.0 1.7 10.9
2020–21 Alabama 24 23 18.1 .434 .328 .710 3.9 1.3 1.2 .9 5.6
Career 107 81 25.6 .477 .309 .716 6.9 2.4 .9 1.6 9.0

Personal life

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Bruner's sister Ashley played basketball at South Carolina and is retired from playing professionally overseas.[2] His younger brother Tommy also plays professional basketball.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Unruh, Jacob (November 17, 2019). "OSU vs. Yale men's basketball: Lineups, tip-off time and TV info". The Oklahoman. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Bezjak, Lou (November 13, 2015). "Spring Valley Jordan Bruner picks Yale over Clemson". The State. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  3. ^ "At Wisconsin - 2017 Hall Of Fame Classic" (PDF). Yale Bulldogs. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Abelson, Michael (March 3, 2020). "Jordan Bruner's star shines bright for Yale: 'He's the glue that keeps us together'". The State. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Borges, David (November 11, 2017). "Jordan Bruner out for season, Makai Mason out six weeks for Yale men". New Haven Register. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  6. ^ "Bruner's 25 points leads Yale to 88–72 win over Hartford". ESPN. Associated Press. January 2, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  7. ^ Daniels, Evan (March 19, 2020). "Elite schools calling on graduate transfer Jordan Bruner". 247 Sports. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  8. ^ McCormack, William (October 29, 2019). "MEN'S BASKETBALL: Elis prepare for 2019–20 campaign". Yale Daily News. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  9. ^ Amore, Dom (March 26, 2020). "Yale's Jordan Bruner, his pro plans stalled by the coronavirus, now among most sought-after transfers in college basketball". Hartford Courant. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  10. ^ "Mahoney gives Yale 81–80 double-overtime victory at Cornell". ESPN. Associated Press. February 21, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Borzello, Jeff (April 10, 2020). "Jordan Bruner joining Alabama as graduate transfer". ESPN. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  12. ^ Fuller, Jim (March 13, 2020). "Yale's Jordan Bruner will enter NBA Draft". New Haven Register. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  13. ^ "Alabama Crimson Tide basketball player Jordan Bruner out indefinitely with knee injury". Associated Press. January 13, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  14. ^ a b Xufre, Ricardo (August 14, 2021). "Bruner's pro career starts at Imortal". Eurobasket. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  15. ^ Roopnarine, Surujh (August 17, 2022). "Slavia inks Jordan Bruner". Eurobasket. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  16. ^ Roopnarine, Surujh (February 1, 2023). "Decin signs Jordan Bruner away from Slavia". Eurobasket. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  17. ^ "Best players of Lebanese LBL round 7 (by Hoops Agents)". Asia Basket. December 11, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  18. ^ "ドンテ・ジョーダン・ブルーナー選手B3リーグ2024-25シーズン 選手契約合意(新規)のお知らせ". 立川ダイス公式サイト. 11 July 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
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