Billy Preston (basketball)

Billy Preston
No. 20 – Cleveland Cavaliers
Position Power forward
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1997-10-26) October 26, 1997
Redondo Beach, California
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight 240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school
NBA draft 2018 / Undrafted
Playing career 2018–present
Career history
2018 Igokea
2018–present Cleveland Cavaliers
2018–present →Canton Charge
Career highlights and awards

Billy Preston (born October 26, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Canton Charge of the NBA G League. He most recently played for Igokea of the ABA League and the Bosnian League. A power forward, he attended four high schools: St. John Bosco High School, Redondo Union High School, Prime Prep Academy, and Oak Hill Academy. He was ranked among the top recruits of his class, earning McDonald's All-American honors while at Oak Hill.

Following high school, Preston enrolled at the University of Kansas and had signed to play basketball for the Jayhawks. In November 2017, he was involved in an on-campus car accident that resulted in no injuries. Preston, without having played any games, was sidelined until the completion of a university investigation into the incident. After being barred for over two months, he opted to play at the professional level instead.

High school career

A Santa Ana, California native, Preston attended St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California and Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, California, followed by a stint at Prime Prep in Dallas, Texas.[1] In 2016, he transferred to Oak Hill Academy.[2] He had per-game averages of 15.3 points and 9.2 rebounds as a senior at Oak Hill.[3]

In November 2016, he committed to Kansas, after he had also visited Syracuse, Indiana and the University of Southern California during the recruiting process.[4]

Preston played in the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, scoring ten points and grabbing three rebounds.[5] In the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic, he tallied seven points in 15 minutes of play.[6]

College career

Preston was held out of the Kansas Jayhawks lineup indefinitely due to a car accident on KU campus on November 8, 2017.[7] The accident, which resulted in no personal injuries, triggered an NCAA investigation into the “financial picture” of the vehicle.[8] On January 20, 2018, Preston left Kansas in the middle of the 2017–18 season due to frustration over the investigation. Although he played in Jayhawks exhibition games before the accident, he played no regular-season games for the team.[9]

Professional career

KK Igokea (2018)

On January 20, 2018, Preston signed with Igokea Laktaši of the ABA League and Bosnian League.[10] He made his professional debut 9 days later, recording 2 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, and 1 steal in 6 minutes of play in a win against Zadar.[11] On March 4, 2018, after playing in only three ABA League games with Igokea, Preston left Igokea due to a sore shoulder that's persistently hurt him during the last two weeks.[12] His name would officially pop up as one of a record-high 236 underclassmen to declare entry for the 2018 NBA Draft on April 24, 2018.[13] Ten days later, Preston was announced as one of a record-high 69 invites for the NBA Draft Combine that year.[14]

Cleveland Cavaliers (2018–present)

Ultimately, Preston went undrafted that year. However, he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers on June 23rd, 2018 as a member of their 2018 NBA Summer League team.[15] On July 7th, Preston signed a two-way contract with the Cavaliers, meaning he would split his playing time between them and their NBA G League affiliate, the Canton Charge, for the 2018–19 season, with the contract also going into the 2019-2020 season.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "After two transfers, rising top 10 prospect Billy Preston settling in Dallas". USA Today High School Sports. 2015-08-23. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  2. ↑ "Billy Preston transfer may help with UK". A Sea Of Blue. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  3. ↑ "Versatile Billy Preston gearing up for McDonald's All-American Game". KUsports.com. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  4. ↑ "Preston commits to Kansas; No. 20 in ESPN 100". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  5. ↑ "2017 McDonald's All-American Game box score". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  6. ↑ "Official Basketball Box Score -- Game Totals -- Final Statistics East Team vs West Team" (PDF). jordanbrandclassic.com. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  7. ↑ "KU seeking 'clearer financial picture' on Billy Preston-driven vehicle". Topeka Capital-Journal. November 14, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Billy Preston situation now out of KU basketball's hands, Bill Self says". Topeka Capital-Journal. December 20, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Billy Preston signs with Bosnian professional team, leaves KU without playing a game". kansascity. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
  10. ↑ Borzello, Jeff (January 20, 2018). "Kansas freshman Billy Preston signs with European team BC Igokea". ESPN.com.
  11. ↑ j.t.d., ABA liga. "IGO - ZAD > Match : ABA League". ABA Liga. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
  12. ↑ http://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article203479564.html
  13. ↑ http://www.nba.com/article/2018/04/24/nba-announces-early-entry-candidates-2018-nba-draft
  14. ↑ https://sports.yahoo.com/complete-2018-nba-draft-combine-list-211843026.html
  15. ↑ "Bill Self: Intangibles the key now for undrafted Jayhawk Billy Preston | Tale of the Tait". KUsports.com. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  16. ↑ "Cavaliers Sign Billy Preston to Two-Way Contract | Cleveland Cavaliers". Cleveland Cavaliers. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
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