Rodney McGruder left the 2013 National Basketball Association (NBA) as an undrafted free agent. Always ready to pursue a career in basketball, he played in a few summer leagues after which he got a look at the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, it was lifted just a month after signing with the team.
Rodney was looking for career progression overseas but soon returned to fight for a spot in the NBA, he started again in the summer leagues until his professional league debut; get 6 points in 24 minutes. This singular heroic act left people wondering who he was. Here you will find answers to that and more.
Who is Rodney McGruder?
Rodney Christian McGruder is a professional basketball shooting guard/small forward born July 29, 1991 in Landover, Maryland to Rodney (father) and Rudine (mother) McGruder. He is of American nationality and belongs to the American black ethnicity.
The basketball player schooled at Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, DC for three years before transferring to Arlington Country Day School located in Jacksonville, Florida. After high school, Rodney McGruder went to Kansas State University where he began studying in 2009 and graduated in 2013 with a degree in human ecology.
After graduation, the young shooter/small forward was not picked by any team in the 2013 NBA Draft. Despite this, he sought to kickstart his career by playing for different teams in the summer leagues that followed. . Fortune smiled on Rodney when the Miami Heat found him fit into their team after his impressive performances in the 2016 NBA Summer League. Since joining the Florida-based team, Christian McGruder has done everything he could to be at the top of his game.
Facts you need to know about the NBA Star
College Career Stats
When McGruder was with the Kansas State Wildcats men’s basketball team, he played a total of 135 games of which he started 100. Of those, the Landover, Maryland-born hoops player recorded 27.4 minutes per game, .452 field goal percentage, .381 3-point field goal, .759 free throw with 4.8 rebounds per game, 1.4 assists, .9 steals, .3 blocks and points per game of 11.7.
Carrier start
Rodney didn’t have it rosy early in his career, not that he’s made it to the top now, but he’s a lot better in his games now than he was in the cradle of his career.
After his sterile NBA project, Christian joined the Orlando Magic and the Charlotte Bobcats for the Orlando Summer League and the Las Vegas Summer League respectively. After his stint with both teams, the young baller signed with Oklahoma City Thunder but was waived almost after a month in October 2013. The following month he started playing for Atomerőmű SE of Hungary for the 2013–14 season, after which he returned to America to play for the Golden State Warriors in the 2014 NBA Summer League.
Boston Celtics signed Rodney McGruder in September 2014 but waived him after a month as the Maine redclaws secured his services until March 2015 when he was waived again. The Sioux Falls Skyforce became his interim team until joining the Miami Heat for the 2015 NBA Summer League.
First contract
Rodney McGruder signed a 3-year contract with the Heats on July 7, 2016, worth over $3.4 million. He earns over $1.1 million a year.
NBA Highlights
He made his debut on October 26, 2016 against Orlando Magic in his team’s 108-96 win. So far, the shooting guard has recorded a career-best 25.2 minutes per game in the 2016-17 season, a .493 goal and a .429 3-point percentage both over the course of the season. of the 2017-2018 season. He also recorded a free throw of 0.620, rebounds per game of 3.3, assist of 1.6, steals of 0.6, blocks of 0.2 and points per game of 6.4, as much of career highs he recorded during the 2016-2017 season..
Net value
Since the start of his career, Rodney McGruder has worked hard to be where he is today and has been well rewarded. The player is worth around $5 million.
Body Stats
The NBA shooting guard/small forward stands at a tall 6ft 4in (1.93m) with a weight of 200lbs (91kg). At this height, he is one inch above the required 6ft 3in (1.91m) for shooting guards and 2in below the 6ft 6in (1.98m) for small attackers.