R. J. Hampton

R. J. Hampton
Roderick Deon "R. J." Hampton Jr. (born February 7, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League. He played for the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League (NBL) before applying for the NBA draft. He was a five-star recruit at Little Elm High School in Little Elm, Texas. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks as the 24th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
High school career
Since his freshman season, Hampton played varsity basketball for Little Elm High School in Little Elm, Texas. In his first high school game on November 17, 2016, he led all scorers with 33 points in a 78–52 win over Naaman Forest High School. As a freshman, Hampton averaged 23.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 3.5 steals per game, leading Little Elm to a 29–5 record and the District 14-5A title. He was named to the MaxPreps Freshman All-American first team and earned Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Class 5A All-State and Dallas Morning News All-Area Newcomer of the Year honors.
In May 2017, Hampton announced that he was transferring to the nationally ranked basketball program of Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, before deciding to return to Little Elm. In the 2017–18 season, Hampton averaged 30.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, six assists, 4.4 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game, guiding Little Elm to a 28–8 record. He garnered MaxPreps Sophomore All-American first team, USA Today All-Texas first team, and TABC 5A All-State recognition.
On December 14, 2018, Hampton scored 33 points in an 80–66 victory over South Garland High School, matching up against fellow coveted recruit Tyrese Maxey. On December 29, he posted a career-high 50 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, and six steals in an 86–62 win over Coppell High School. In February 2019, Hampton had another 50-point game in an 83–80 loss to Northwest High School. As a junior, Hampton averaged 32 points, 9.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 3.9 steals per game, helping Little Elm achieve a 24–10 record. On March 15, he was named Texas Gatorade Player of the Year, becoming the first non-senior to win the award since Justise Winslow in 2013. He also earned USA Today All-USA first team and MaxPreps All-American second team distinction. On April 30, Hampton reclassified to the 2019 class, forgoing his senior year and graduating from high school after about three weeks of online classes.
Recruiting
Hampton was a consensus five-star recruit and ranked among the top six players in the 2019 recruiting class. On September 5, 2017, Christian Dawkins, an agent later indicted in the NCAA basketball corruption scandal, expressed a desire to pay Hampton in emails sent to business partners. When the emails surfaced in 2019, Hampton's father denied ever meeting Dawkins. Before reclassifying on April 30, 2019, Hampton had been considered one of the best prospects in the 2020 class. He narrowed down his potential college destinations to Kansas, Memphis, and Texas Tech.
Professional career
New Zealand Breakers (2019–2020)
On May 28, 2019, Hampton signed a multi-year deal with the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League (NBL), which is based in Australia, with the option to leave for the National Basketball Association (NBA). He said that he skipped college basketball because he wanted to "live like a pro and to play with grown men and not have to juggle books and basketball." Hampton joined the Breakers through the NBL Next Stars program, which aims to develop NBA draft prospects. On September 20, he made his professional debut in a win over Melbourne United, recording 11 points, three rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes. Two days later, he posted a season-high 20 points, five rebounds and three steals in a loss to the South East Melbourne Phoenix. On November 9, Hampton was ejected four minutes into a game against South East Melbourne after attempting to put his arm around the neck of opposing guard John Roberson during a scuffle. On December 11, it was announced that he would miss about four weeks of action with a hip injury. On January 5, 2020, Hampton returned, scoring 11 points in a win over South East Melbourne. He parted ways with the Breakers on February 4 to return to the United States and prepare for the 2020 NBA draft. Through 15 NBL games, Hampton averaged 8.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, shooting 40.7 percent from the field. Hampton was projected as a top 5 pick for the 2020 NBA draft heading into the season.
Denver Nuggets (2020–2021)
Hampton was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks as the 24th pick in the 2020 NBA draft, but his draft rights were later traded to the Denver Nuggets in a four-team trade involving the New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder on November 24, 2020. On December 1, 2020, the Denver Nuggets announced that they had signed Hampton. He played 25 games for the Nuggets, averaging 2.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per game.
Orlando Magic (2021–2023)
On March 25, 2021, Hampton, Gary Harris, and a future first round pick were traded to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Aaron Gordon and Gary Clark. On April 4, Hampton was named in the starting lineup for the first time in his career against Denver Nuggets. He recorded 16 points, four rebounds, and three assists in 33 minutes. On May 17, he was named Eastern Conference rookie of the month for the month of May.
On December 29, 2022, Hampton was suspended by the NBA for one game without pay due to coming off the bench during an altercation in a game against the Detroit Pistons the day before.
On February 21, 2023, Hampton was waived by the Magic.
Detroit Pistons (2023)
On February 23, 2023, Hampton signed with the Detroit Pistons. He was waived by the Pistons on June 24.
Miami Heat (2023–present)
On September 27, 2023, Hampton signed a two-way contract with the Miami Heat.
National team career
Hampton won the gold medal at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship with the United States national under-16 team. In five games, he averaged nine points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He won another gold medal with the national under-17 team at the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup but was limited to two games by a foot injury. Hampton averaged 7.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
Career statistics
NBA
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Denver
| 25 || 0 || 9.3 || .417 || .278 || .750 || 2.0 || .6 || .2 || .1 || 2.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Orlando
| 26 || 1 || 25.2 || .439 || .319 || .657 || 5.0 || 2.8 || .6 || .3 || 11.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Orlando
| 64 || 14 || 21.9 || .383 || .350 || .641 || 3.0 || 2.5 || .7 || .2 || 7.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Orlando
| 26 || 0 || 13.9 || .439 || .340 || .838 || 1.5 || 1.3 || .6 || .2 || 5.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Detroit
| 21 || 3 || 18.5 || .423 || .365 || .667 || 2.3 || 1.0 || .5 || .2 || 7.3
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 162 || 18 || 18.8 || .410 || .342 || .680 || 2.8 || 1.8 || .6 || .2 || 7.1
NBL
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20
| style="text-align:left;"| New Zealand
| 15 || 12 || 20.6 || .407 || .295 || .679 || 3.9 || 2.4 || 1.1 || .3 || 8.8
Personal life
Hampton's father Rod Hampton played college basketball for SMU from 1987 to 1991. His grandfather Richard Evans served in the Vietnam War.
References
External links
NBL profile
USA Basketball bio
2001 births
Living people
21st-century African-American sportspeople
African-American basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in New Zealand
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Dallas
Denver Nuggets players
Detroit Pistons players
Lakeland Magic players
Miami Heat players
Milwaukee Bucks draft picks
New Zealand Breakers players
Orlando Magic players
Point guards
Shooting guards