D. J. Strawberry

Darryl Eugene "D. J." Strawberry Jr. (born June 15, 1985) is an American-Cameroonian[1] professional basketball player for UCAM Murcia of the Liga ACB. He is the son of former Major League Baseball player Darryl Strawberry.

D. J. Strawberry
Strawberry with Gran Canaria in 2019
No. 24 – UCAM Murcia
PositionShooting guard / Small forward
LeagueLiga ACB
Personal information
Born (1985-06-15) June 15, 1985
New York City, New York
NationalityAmerican / Cameroonian
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight207 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High schoolMater Dei (Santa Ana, California)
CollegeMaryland (2003–2007)
NBA draft2007 / Round: 2 / Pick: 59th overall
Selected by the Phoenix Suns
Playing career2007–present
Career history
2007–2008Phoenix Suns
2007–2008Albuquerque Thunderbirds
2008–2009Fortitudo Bologna
2010–2011Reno Bighorns
2011Lietuvos rytas
2011–2012Hapoel Jerusalem
2012–2013Cibona
2013Capitanes de Arecibo
2013Cibona
2013–2014Élan Béarnais
2014Piratas de Quebradillas
2014–2015Pınar Karşıyaka
2015–2016Olympiacos
2016–2018Beşiktaş
2018–2019Gran Canaria
2019–2020Orléans
2020–presentMurcia
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

High school career

While living in Corona, California, Strawberry attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.[2] During Strawberry's senior year at Mater Dei, he defended future NBA superstar LeBron James in a nationally televised matchup against St. Vincent–St. Mary High School of Akron, Ohio. Strawberry was lauded for his efforts,[3] which included holding James to a 33% shooting performance (0-for-8 from beyond the three-point line) and forcing him into seven turnovers.

Considered a four-star recruit by 247Sports.com, Strawberry was listed as the No. 15 shooting guard and the No. 84 player in the nation in 2003.[4]

College career

Strawberry assumed the role of a swingman for the Maryland Terrapins, and he was much valued for his on-the-ball defense. He averaged nearly 2 steals per game, leading his team in that category. He was also valued for his off-the-bench intensity; it is felt that Maryland's absence from the 2005 NCAA Tournament was due in no small part to a season-ending ACL injury Strawberry suffered in mid-January of that year.

While he was primarily a swingman, a lack of depth pressed Strawberry into the role of point guard during his junior year. He had various degrees of success in this new role, leading the team in both assists (4.0) and turnovers per game (2.9).

Strawberry received Honorable Mention All-ACC Freshman honors. During his junior year, he received Honorable Mention All-ACC Defensive Team honors, becoming the eighth player in Maryland history to lead the team in both steals and assists. In his senior season, Strawberry was voted to second team All-ACC.

Professional career

Strawberry was drafted by the Phoenix Suns with the 59th selection in the 2007 NBA draft. He was signed on August 28, 2007 to a two-year contract.[5]

NBA D-League

On December 18, 2007, it was announced he was assigned to the Albuquerque Thunderbirds of the NBA D-League.[6] He was named Performer of the Week for the week ending January 6. Strawberry was recalled to the Suns in place of another rookie, Alando Tucker, on January 10, 2008.[7]

2008–09 season

On August 25, 2008, he was traded to the Houston Rockets for Sean Singletary,[8] but was waived on October 24.[9] Six days later, he signed with the Italian club Fortitudo Bologna for the rest of the season.[10]

In April, 2009, he suffered a meniscus injury to his left knee, ending his season in Italy.[11] He then returned to the United States for surgery, and in July, 2009 he began a 6-month program in Los Angeles.

2009–present

In January 2010, Strawberry joined the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League.[12]

In July 2010, Strawberry joined the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2010 NBA summer league.[13] On September 17, 2010, he was signed by the New Orleans Hornets to a non-guaranteed one-year deal.[14] However, he was later waived by the Hornets on October 20.[15] Afterwards, Strawberry re-signed with the Reno Bighorns.[16] On January 18, 2011, he signed with Lietuvos rytas of Lithuania until the end of the 2010–11 season.[17]

On August 26, 2011, Strawberry signed a two-year deal with the Israeli club Hapoel Migdal.[18] After one season in which he averaged 15.6 points in the Israeli League, he parted ways with Hapoel on June 25, 2012.[19]

On September 20, 2012, Strawberry signed with the Croatian club Cibona.[20] On June 22, 2013, Strawberry signed with the Capitanes de Arecibo of Puerto Rico for the 2013 BSN season.[21] On July 12, 2013, he re-signed with Cibona.[22] On December 25, 2013, he was released by Cibona due to financial problems of the club.[23] Two days later, he signed with Pau-Lacq-Orthez of France for the rest of the season.[24]

On June 27, 2014, he signed with Piratas de Quebradillas of Puerto Rico for the 2014 BSN season.[25] On July 2, 2014, he signed a one-year deal with Pınar Karşıyaka of the Turkish Basketball League.[26] On July 2, 2015, he signed a two-year contract with the Greek club and EuroLeague powerhouse Olympiacos.[27] After one season, he parted ways with Olympiacos.[28] On July 22, 2016, Strawberry signed with Turkish club Beşiktaş for the 2016–17 season.[29] On July 3, 2017, he re-signed with Beşiktaş for one more season.[30]

On July 29, 2018, Strawberry signed a one-year deal with Herbalife Gran Canaria of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.[31]

On October 31, 2019, he has signed with Orléans Loiret Basket of the French Pro A. [32]

In June 2020 he signed for one term at Liga ACB team UCAM Murcia.[33]

Cameroon national team

In 2017, Strawberry was cleared to play with the senior men's Cameroon national basketball team.[34]

NBA career statistics
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

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2007–08 Phoenix 3308.2.315.240.474.8.9.4.22.2
Career 3308.2.315.240.474.8.9.4.12.2

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2007–08 Phoenix 105.0.000.000.0001.0.0.0.0.0
Career 105.0.000.000.0001.0.0.0.0.0

References
  1. D.J. STRAWBERRY basketball profile Nationality: USA-Cameroonian.
  2. "D.J. Strawberry". University of Maryland. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  3. "ESPN.com: NBA - LeBron James good enough as top-ranked Irish roll". www.espn.com. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  4. D. J. Strawberry Recruiting Profile
  5. Suns sign D.J. Strawberry.
  6. Phoenix recalls D-League performer of the week Tucker.
  7. Tucker heads to D-League, Strawberry is recalled.
  8. Suns trade Strawberry to Rockets for rookie guard Singletary.
  9. Rockets waive DJ Strawberry
  10. Fortitudo Bologna lands D.J. Strawberry.
  11. Fortitudo, Strawberry to undero surgery
  12. Reno Bighorns announce they have acquired two new players
  13. Lakers 2010 Summer League Schedule and Roster | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS
  14. HORNETS SIGN D.J. STRAWBERRY AND DARRYL WATKINS
  15. New Orleans Hornets waive guard D.J. Strawberry, roster now stands at 15
  16. "Bighorns Re-Sign D.J. Strawberry". KOLOTV.com. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  17. Lietuvos Rytas tops backcourt with Strawberry
  18. Hapoel Migdal lands DJ Strawberry for two years
  19. Strawberry, Randle, Bradley and Thomas leave Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem
  20. "Cibona officially pens a deal with DJ Strawberry". Sportando. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  21. "Capitanes de Arecibo sign DJ Strawberry". Sportando. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  22. "Cibona keep DJ Strawberry". Sportando.com. July 12, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  23. "Cibona otpustila američki dvojac" (in Croatian). Crosarka.com. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  24. "Pau-Orthez announced DJ Strawberry". Sportando.net. 27 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  25. "DJ Strawberry signs with Piratas de Quebradillas". Sportando.com. June 27, 2014. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  26. "Pinar Karsiyaka lands DJ Strwarberry". Sportando.com. July 2, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  27. "Olympiacos adds Strawberry flavor to roster". Euroleague.net. July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  28. "Strawberry won't continue in Olympiacos". Eurohoops.net. June 6, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  29. "Besiktas announced D.J Strawberry". Eurohoops.net. July 22, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  30. Besiktas re-signs DJ Strawberry
  31. "Herbalife Gran Canaria tabs DJ Strawberry - Club Baloncesto Gran Canaria". Club Baloncesto Gran Canaria. 29 July 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  32. "Orleans ink D.J. Strawberry". Sportando. October 31, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  33. "DJ Strawberry es la primera pieza del nuevo proyecto del UCAM Murcia". Marca (in Spanish). 6 June 2020.
  34. DJ Strawberry can play for Cameroon at AfroBasket
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