Wikipedia

Taurean Prince

Taurean Waller-Prince (/ˈtɔːriən/ TOR-ee-ən;[1] born March 22, 1994)[2] is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Baylor Bears. He was drafted by the Utah Jazz with the 12th pick in the 2016 NBA draft but was traded to the Atlanta Hawks where he played for three seasons before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets in the 2019 off-season. In January 2021, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers and was then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in August of the same year. He has also played for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Taurean Prince
Prince with the Atlanta Hawks in 2017
No. 12 – Milwaukee Bucks
PositionPower forward / small forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1994-03-22) March 22, 1994 (age 30)
San Marcos, Texas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High schoolEarl Warren (San Antonio, Texas)
CollegeBaylor (2012–2016)
NBA draft2016: 1st round, 12th overall pick
Selected by the Utah Jazz
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–2019Atlanta Hawks
2016–2017→Long Island Nets
2019–2021Brooklyn Nets
2021Cleveland Cavaliers
2021–2023Minnesota Timberwolves
2023–2024Los Angeles Lakers
2024–presentMilwaukee Bucks
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Representing the  United States
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Toronto National team

High school career

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Prince played three seasons of high school basketball under head coach Jim Weaver at Earl Warren High School in San Antonio, Texas. As a senior, he led the team to the state semifinals. He originally chose to play college basketball with the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds, but switched to Baylor due to a coaching change within the former program.[3]

College career

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Prince played 24 games off the bench in his freshman season. He finished the year averaging 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 6.4 minutes per game. In the spring prior to his sophomore season, Prince was on the Big 12 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll. After averaging 6.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game and appearing in all 38 of Baylor's games, he won the Big 12 Sixth Man Award and earned all-conference honors.[3] Entering his fourth season, Fran Fraschilla labeled him as a strong candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year in 2015–16.[4]

Professional career

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Atlanta Hawks (2016–2019)

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On June 23, 2016, Prince was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 12th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. His rights were later traded to the Atlanta Hawks on July 7 in a three-team deal also involving the Indiana Pacers the Jazz received George Hill and the Pacers received Jeff Teague.[5] On July 15, he signed his rookie-scale contract with the Hawks.[6] On March 11, 2017, he had a then season-best 17 points in a 107–90 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.[7] On April 6, he scored a career-high 20 points in a 123–116 win over the Boston Celtics.[8] With 11 points in Game 4 of the Hawks' first-round playoff series against the Washington Wizards, Prince became the first Hawks rookie to reach double-figures in his first four playoff games since Pete Maravich did it in five straight in 1971.[9] During his rookie season, Prince had multiple assignments with the Long Island Nets of the NBA Development League, pursuant to the flexible assignment rule.[10]

On December 12, 2017, Prince scored a career-high 24 points in a 123–114 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[11] Three days later, he made a career-high five 3-pointers and had 17 points in a 96–94 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.[12] On December 29, he had a career-high 30 points and 10 rebounds in a 111–98 loss to the Toronto Raptors. Prince matched a career high with five 3-pointers and extended his career-high streak of games with at least one 3-pointer to 17.[13] On February 2, 2018, he set a new career high with 31 points in a 119–110 loss to the Boston Celtics.[14] On March 11, he set a new career high with 38 points in a 129–122 loss to the Chicago Bulls.[15] Six days later, he had another 38-point effort in a 122–117 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.[16] On April 8, he made seven of eight 3-pointers to score 33 points in a 112–106 win over the Celtics.[17]

On October 19, in just the second game of the season, Prince scored a season-high 28 points against the Grizzlies.[18] On January 13, 2019, against the Bucks, Prince returned to action after missing 18 games with a left ankle sprain.[19]

Brooklyn Nets (2019–2021)

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On July 6, 2019, Prince, alongside a 2021 second-round pick, was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Allen Crabbe, the draft rights to Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and a protected 2020 first-round pick.[20] On October 21, Prince, signed a two-year, $29 million contract extension with the Nets.[21] He made his Nets debut two days later, recording 15 points, eleven rebounds, two assists and two steals in a 127–126 overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.[22] On November 1, Prince scored a season-high 27 points, alongside twelve rebounds, in a 123–116 win over the Houston Rockets.[23] In March 2020, the NBA season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the game on November 12, 2019 against the Utah Jazz, Prince traded jerseys with former Baylor Bears teammate Royce O'Neale. In July, Prince tested positive for COVID-19 and sat out for the restart of the season in the NBA Bubble.[24]

Cleveland Cavaliers (2021)

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On January 14, 2021, Prince and center Jarrett Allen were traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a multi-player, four-team deal with the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers that sent James Harden to Brooklyn.[25] Prince made his Cavaliers debut on January 20, recording 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a 147–135 double-overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets.[26] On April 14, he scored a season-high 25 points, alongside four rebounds and three assists, in a 103–90 win over the Charlotte Hornets.[27] On April 27, Prince underwent a successful left ankle arthroscopic surgery after missing three games with left ankle soreness. The surgery subsequently ended his season.[28]

Minnesota Timberwolves (2021–2023)

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On August 3, 2021, Prince, alongside a 2022 second-round pick and cash considerations, was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Ricky Rubio.[29] Prince made his Timberwolves debut on October 20, recording five points, three rebounds and two assists in a 124–106 win over the Houston Rockets.[30] On February 1, 2022, he scored a season-high 23 points, alongside nine rebounds, two assists and two steals, in a 130–115 win over the Denver Nuggets.[31] Two days later, Prince again scored 23 points, alongside six rebounds, in a 128–117 win over the Detroit Pistons.[32] After a play-in tournament win over the Los Angeles Clippers, the Timberwolves qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2018. However, they fell to the Memphis Grizzlies in six games during the first round.[33]

On June 30, 2022, Prince signed a two-year, $16 million contract extension with the Timberwolves.[34][35]

Los Angeles Lakers (2023–2024)

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On July 6, 2023, Prince signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.[36] On December 9, 2023, Prince and the Lakers won the inaugural season of the NBA In-Season Tournament.[37]

Milwaukee Bucks (2024–present)

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On July 9, 2024, Prince signed with the Milwaukee Bucks.[38]

National team career

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In the summer of 2015, following his junior season, Prince helped the United States men's national basketball team win the bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American Games. He was on a team led by Bobby Brown and Anthony Randolph.[4]

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
 *  Led the league

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Atlanta 59 10 16.6 .400 .324 .787 2.7 .9 .7 .5 5.7
2017–18 Atlanta 82* 82* 30.0 .426 .385 .844 4.7 2.6 1.0 .5 14.1
2018–19 Atlanta 55 47 28.2 .441 .390 .819 3.6 2.1 1.0 .3 13.5
2019–20 Brooklyn 64 61 29.0 .376 .339 .798 6.0 1.8 .9 .4 12.1
2020–21 Brooklyn 12 4 18.1 .405 .351 .889 2.8 .6 .7 .7 8.1
Cleveland 29 6 23.7 .399 .415 .837 3.7 2.4 .7 .5 10.1
2021–22 Minnesota 69 8 17.1 .454 .376 .756 2.5 1.0 .7 .3 7.3
2022–23 Minnesota 54 4 22.1 .467 .381 .844 2.4 1.6 .5 .3 9.1
2023–24 L.A. Lakers 78 49 27.0 .442 .396 .735 2.9 1.5 .7 .4 8.9
Career 502 271 24.4 .424 .376 .811 3.6 1.7 .8 .4 10.1

Play-in

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023 Minnesota 2 1 31.7 .368 .500 — 1.5 2.0 2.0 .0 10.0
2024 L.A. Lakers 1 0 22.4 .286 .333 — 4.0 .0 1.0 1.0 6.0
Career 3 1 28.6 .346 .444 — 2.3 1.3 1.7 .3 8.7

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017 Atlanta 6 6 31.2 .558 .286 1.000 5.3 1.3 .3 .2 11.2
2022 Minnesota 5 0 13.1 .370 .286 .857 1.6 1.2 .4 .2 6.0
2023 Minnesota 5 1 20.0 .364 .381 .778 1.4 .8 .6 .2 7.8
2024 L.A. Lakers 5 0 22.2 .414 .294 1.000 2.4 .6 .2 .4 7.4
Career 21 7 22.1 .447 .318 .897 2.8 1.0 .4 .2 8.2

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 Baylor 24 0 6.4 .583 .3 .727 2.2 .1 .4 .1 3.7
2013–14 Baylor 38 2 14.3 .465 .366 .709 2.8 .6 .5 .2 6.2
2014–15 Baylor 33 6 26.3 .472 .395 .644 5.6 1.3 1.5 .9 13.9
2015–16 Baylor 34 34 30.6 .432 .361 .774 6.1 2.3 1.3 .7 15.9
Career 129 42 20.2 .460 .376 .718 4.2 1.1 .9 .5 10.2

Personal life

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On August 25, 2022, Prince was arrested on a "fugitive warrant-out-of-state extradite" at Miami International Airport on account of a "dangerous drugs" charge from Texas.[39] On November 19, 2022, it was announced that Prince would not face charges despite the arrest.[40]

Prince is a Muslim and talked about fasting for Ramadan in a post-game interview.[41]

Prince honored his mother, Tamiyko, by wearing her maiden name, Waller, on the back of his jersey as Waller-Prince while playing for the Baylor Bears.[42]

References

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  1. ^ "2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide". NBA.com (Press release). October 24, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  2. ^ "Taurean Prince Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Taurean Prince bio". BaylorBears.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Hodge, Ashley (July 5, 2015). "Taurean Waller-Prince helps lead USA to bronze medal at PanAm". 247Sports.com. Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  5. ^ Taylor, Jessica (July 5, 2016). "Hawks Acquire Draft Rights To Taurean Prince". NBA.com. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  6. ^ Wilson, Jaryd (July 15, 2016). "Hawks Sign First Round Picks Taurean Prince & DeAndre' Bembry". NBA.com. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  7. ^ "Prince scores 17 as Hawks rout Grizzlies 107-90". ESPN.com. March 11, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  8. ^ "Millsap, Hardaway boost Hawks past Celtics". ESPN.com. April 6, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  9. ^ "Balanced Hawks hold off Wizards 111-101, even series 2-all". ESPN.com. April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  10. ^ "2016-17 NBA Assignments". NBA.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  11. ^ "James scores 25 has 17 assists, as Cavs beat Hawks 123-114". ESPN.com. December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  12. ^ "Evans scores 22 to lead Grizzlies over Hawks, 96-94". ESPN.com. December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  13. ^ "DeRozan scores 25 as Raptors beat Hawks 111-98". ESPN.com. December 29, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  14. ^ "Super sub: Rozier powers Celtics past Hawks, 119-110". ESPN.com. February 2, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  15. ^ "LaVine, Portis lead Bulls past short-handed Hawks, 129-122". ESPN.com. March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  16. ^ "Giannis' double-double helps Bucks hold on to beat Hawks". ESPN.com. March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  17. ^ "Prince scores 33, Hawks beat resting Celtics, win 112-106". ESPN.com. April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  18. ^ "Taurean Waller-Prince 2018-19 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  19. ^ "Antetokounmpo leads the way, Bucks win Budenholzer's return". ESPN.com. January 13, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  20. ^ Sapp, Demetris (July 6, 2019). "Brooklyn Nets Acquire Taurean Prince and 2021 Second Round Draft Pick From Atlanta". NBA.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  21. ^ Wojnarowski, Adrian and Andrews, Malika (October 21, 2019). "Nets extend Taurean Prince on 2-year, $29 million deal". ESPN. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  22. ^ Mahoney, Brian (October 23, 2019). "IRVING SCORES 50 BUT MISSES LAST SHOT, WOLVES TOP NETS IN OT". NBA.com. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  23. ^ Mahoney, Brian (November 1, 2019). "NETS SLOW DOWN HARDEN, ROCKETS IN 123-116 VICTORY". NBA.com. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  24. ^ Wojnarowski, Adrian (July 7, 2020). "Sources: Nets' Taurean Prince declared out of restart after positive coronavirus test". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  25. ^ "Brooklyn Nets Acquire James Harden". NBA.com. January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  26. ^ Withers, Tom (January 21, 2021). "IRVING RETURNS, BUT NEW-LOOK NETS BEATEN BY CAVS IN 2 OTS". NBA.com. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  27. ^ Reed, Steve (April 14, 2021). "ALLEN SCORES 15 IN RETURN, CAVALIERS BEAT HORNETS 103-90". NBA.com. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  28. ^ Adams, Nick (April 28, 2021). "Taurean Prince Status Update". NBA.com. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  29. ^ Gold, Matthew (August 3, 2021). "Cavaliers Acquire Ricky Rubio from the Minnesota Timberwolves". NBA.com. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  30. ^ Campbell, Dave (October 21, 2021). "EDWARDS ENERGIZES WOLVES IN OPENING 124-106 WIN OVER ROCKETS". NBA.com. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  31. ^ Hall, Brian (February 1, 2022). "WOLVES' BENCH LEADS THE WAY IN 130-115 WIN AGAINST NUGGETS". NBA.com. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  32. ^ "EDWARDS, TOWNS LEAD TIMBERWOLVES PAST PISTONS, 128-117". NBA.com. February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  33. ^ Campbell, Dave (April 30, 2022). "GRIZZLIES RALLY AGAIN PAST WOLVES 114-106 TO REACH 2ND ROUND". NBA.com. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  34. ^ Wojnarowski, Adrian (June 29, 2022). "Minnesota Timberwolves, Taurean Prince agree to 2-year, $16 million contract extension, sources say". ESPN. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  35. ^ Manzano, Francisco (June 30, 2022). "Timberwolves Sign Taurean Prince to Contract Extension". NBA. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  36. ^ "Los Angeles Lakers Sign Taurean Prince". NBA. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  37. ^ Bontemps, Tim (December 10, 2023). "Lakers win in-season tournament final behind Anthony Davis' 41-20". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  38. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks Sign Taurean Prince". NBA.com. July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  39. ^ Polacek, Scott. "Timberwolves' Taurean Prince Arrested on Fugitive Warrant at Miami Airport". Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  40. ^ "NBA's Taurean Prince Won't Face Charges Over Drug Arrest". TMZ. November 19, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  41. ^ Taurean Prince walk-off interview after the Lakers win over the Cavaliers. Retrieved April 19, 2024 – via youtube.com.
  42. ^ Werner, John (March 5, 2016). "Taurean Prince's tough upbringing gave him unique perspective on court". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
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