Top Longhorns of All-Time in the NBA No. 4 - Avery Bradley

Bradley finds himself on a championship contender this season as a member of the Lakers

After three years playing in Tacoma, Washington, Bradley enrolled at Findlay College Prep his Senior year, leading the elite basketball program to its first national championship and cementing himself as the ESPN’s top recruit for the class of 2009 (ahead of future all-stars John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Kawhi Leaonard).

Before moving to Tacoma in the eighth grade, however, Bradley grew up in Arlington, Texas with a T.J. Ford poster on his wall. Following in the former Naismith Player of the Year’s footsteps, the talented combo guard took his talents to the 40 Acres in 2009 to play under Rick Barnes. As a freshman, Bradley averaged 11.6 points and established himself as one of the top defensive guards in the country. After just one season in Austin, Bradley went after his dream and declared for the 2010 NBA Draft.

With the No. 19 pick in the draft, the Boston Celtics selected Avery Bradley. Not living up to the expectations set, the 19-year-old rookie only managed to average 1.7 points per game. Highlighted by his defensive tenacity, though, Bradley slowly started making his mark in the league. In the 2016-2017 season, Bradley averaged a career-high 16.3 points, was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, and, as the second-leading scorer, led the Celtics to the top seed in the East and the Eastern Conference Finals. Just as he was settling into his new meaningful role with the Celtics, they traded him to the Detroit Pistons for forward Marcus Morris in 2017 to clear salary-cap space for free-agent forward Grodon Hayward and his four-year, $128 million contract.

After getting bounced around between multiple teams including the Grizzlies, Clippers, and Pistons, Bradley has finally found himself back on a championship contender. This past summer, the 28-year-old agreed to a two year, $9.7 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. Playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers are currently in first place in the Western Conference. While the quest for an NBA Championship has taken a break, it is clear to see that the longevity and success of Avery Bradley surely earns him a spot on this list.

This is a five-part series: Be sure to check out our previous entries. 

No. 5: Tristan Thompson 

Come back to check out who will come at No. 3.