Gregory Derayle Buckner (born September 16, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who is an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He had previously served as an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Greg Buckner
Milwaukee Bucks
PositionAssistant coach
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1976-09-16) September 16, 1976 (age 48)
Hopkinsville, Kentucky, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolUniversity Heights Academy
(Hopkinsville, Kentucky)
CollegeClemson (1994–1998)
NBA draft1998: 2nd round, 53rd overall pick
Selected by the Dallas Mavericks
Playing career1998–2009
PositionShooting guard
Number21, 7, 1
Coaching career2011–present
Career history
As player:
1998–1999Grand Rapids Hoops
19992002Dallas Mavericks
20022004Philadelphia 76ers
20042006Denver Nuggets
2006–2007Dallas Mavericks
2007–2008Minnesota Timberwolves
2008–2009Memphis Grizzlies
As coach:
20172019Memphis Grizzlies (assistant)
20202022Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant)
20222024Cleveland Cavaliers (associate HC)
2024–presentMilwaukee Bucks (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As a player:

As assistant coach:

Career NBA statistics
Points2,878 (5.0 ppg)
Rebounds1,593 (2.8 rpg)
Assists719 (1.3 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's Basketball
Representing  United States
Summer Universiade
Gold medal – first place 1997 Trapani Team competition

Selected in the second round (53rd pick overall) of the 1998 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks after playing college basketball at Clemson, he played for the Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Grizzlies. Buckner's first professional experience came with the Grand Rapids Hoops of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), where he averaged 8.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in the 1998–99 season.[1]

Playing career

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College career

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During his time with the Clemson Tigers, he started all 122 games of his career while guiding the team to three NCAA tournaments. Buckner led the team in scoring all four years becoming the first Clemson Tiger to do so.[citation needed] In 1995, Buckner was named ACC Rookie of the Year. He was entered into the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

Professional career

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After playing with the Dallas Mavericks from 1999 to 2002, Buckner signed with the Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent.[2][3] Then he signed with the Denver Nuggets. In 2006, he re-signed with the Dallas Mavericks, but after one season,[4][5] he was traded to the Timberwolves for Trenton Hassell on September 28, 2007.[6] On June 27, 2008, the Timberwolves traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies with O. J. Mayo, Marko Jarić, and Antoine Walker for Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, and Jason Collins.[7][8]

On July 9, 2009, Buckner was traded to the Dallas Mavericks as a part of the four-team deal among Grizzlies, Mavericks, Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors.[9][10]

Coaching career

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On July 29, 2011, he joined the Houston Rockets as a player development coach,[11] serving for five seasons. Buckner reached the playoffs three times with the team as part of the coaching staff. He would later become an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies,[12] and in November 2020, became an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers.[13] On April 21, 2021, Buckner got his first NBA head coaching victory when he temporarily replaced head coach J. B. Bickerstaff as the Cavaliers won 121–105 against the Chicago Bulls.[14][15] On June 13, 2022, the Cavaliers promoted Buckner to associate head coach position.[16]

Career statistics

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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

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1999–00 Dallas 48 1 19.2 .476 .385 .683 3.6 1.1 .8 .4 5.7
2000–01 Dallas 37 9 22.2 .438 .286 .728 4.2 1.3 .9 .2 6.2
2001–02 Dallas 44 16 20.1 .525 .313 .690 3.9 1.1 .7 .4 5.8
2002–03 Philadelphia 75 5 20.2 .465 .273 .802 2.9 1.3 1.0 .2 6.0
2003–04 Philadelphia 53 3 13.3 .377 .273 .741 1.9 .8 .4 .1 3.1
2004–05 Denver 70 41 21.7 .528 .405 .778 3.0 1.9 1.1 .1 6.2
2005–06 Denver 73 27 24.1 .434 .354 .782 2.9 1.7 1.2 .3 6.7
2006–07 Dallas 76 11 18.1 .411 .311 .794 2.1 .9 .6 .1 4.0
2007–08 Minnesota 31 4 16.8 .385 .300 .864 2.1 1.3 .7 .1 4.0
2008–09 Memphis 63 0 13.9 .384 .255 .800 2.1 .9 .5 .1 2.5
Career 570 117 19.1 .450 .334 .757 2.8 1.3 .8 .2 5.0

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2001 Dallas 5 0 15.0 .478 .333 .700 4.2 .6 1.0 .0 6.0
2002 Dallas 7 0 15.0 .480 .000 .750 3.7 .6 .4 .1 3.9
2003 Philadelphia 10 0 11.2 .323 .222 1.000 1.7 .3 .1 .2 2.6
2005 Denver 5 2 20.0 .222 .222 3.2 1.0 .4 .2 2.0
2006 Denver 5 4 27.4 .418 .313 .875 2.8 1.2 .6 .2 12.6
2007 Dallas 6 0 7.3 .000 .000 .500 1.0 .3 .3 .2 .2
Career 38 6 15.1 .377 .259 .786 2.6 .6 .4 .2 4.1

References

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  1. ^ 1999–2000 Official CBA Guide and Register, page 250
  2. ^ Ford, Chad (July 25, 2002). "Buckner agrees to deal with 76ers". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  3. ^ "Philadelphia 76ers sign two free agents". UPI. July 25, 2002. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  4. ^ Thompson, Adam; Spears, Marc J. (July 12, 2006). "Nuggets lose Buckner to Mavs". The Denver Post. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  5. ^ "Greg Buckner Signed by the Dallas Mavericks". Clemson Tigers. July 14, 2006. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  6. ^ "Minnesota trades Hassell to Mavericks for Buckner". ESPN.com. September 28, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  7. ^ "Grizzlies acquire Mayo and three players from Minnesota". NBA.com. June 27, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  8. ^ Ford, Chad (June 27, 2008). "Mayo heads to Memphis, Love to Minnesota in blockbuster trade". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  9. ^ "Mavericks acquire four-time All-Star Shawn Marion". NBA.com. July 9, 2009. Archived from the original on July 12, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  10. ^ Stein, Marc (July 9, 2009). "Four-team trade gets league OK". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  11. ^ "Rockets Add Greg Buckner to Coaching Staff". NBA.com. July 29, 2011. Archived from the original on April 24, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  12. ^ "Grizzlies hire Greg Buckner as assistant coach". NBA.com. December 8, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  13. ^ Fedor, Chris (November 30, 2020). "Cleveland Cavaliers hire Greg Buckner as assistant coach, sources say". cleveland. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  14. ^ "Collin Sexton scores 30 points, Cavs beat Bulls 121-105". ESPN.com. April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  15. ^ Fedor, Chris (April 21, 2021). "Cleveland Cavaliers get Greg Buckner first NBA head-coaching win in J.B. Bickerstaff's absence, avenge loss to Chicago Bulls 121-105". cleveland. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  16. ^ "Cleveland Cavaliers Promote Greg Buckner to Associate Head Coach". NBA.com. June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
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