Rudy Gay
Personal Data...
Birthdate: 8/17/86 | Birthplace: Baltimore, MD | Height: 6'8" | Weight: 222 | College: University of Connecticut | www.rudygay22.com | Twitter: @rudygay22 |
Career Highlights...
Signed a five-year max contract extension with the Grizzlies in July 2010 | 2010 FIBA World Champion as part of Team USA | Averaged 19.6 ppg and 5.9 rpg in the 09-10 season | Led the Grizzlies in scoring during the 2008-09 season, averaging 18.9 ppg | Participated in the 2008 Sprite Slam Dunk Competition during All-Star Weekend | Garnered NBA All-Rookie first team honors and finished third in 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year voting after averaging 10.9 ppg | Selected as the eight overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft | 2006 First-Team All-American and First-Team All-Big East | Finalist for 2006 Naismith Player of the Year Award | Averaged 15.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game during the 2005- 06 season while leading the Huskies to a 30-3 record and an Elite 8 appearance | Named the National Freshman of the Year by The Sporting News in 2005 | Big East Rookie of the Year in 2005 |
Gold Medal Glow…
The smile on Gay's face following Team USA's undefeated run to the 2010 FIBA World Championships is unforgettable | Gay proved to be a key offensive weapon in helping USA win their first World Championship since 1996 |
Top of His Game…
Off to a tremendous start in the 2010-11 NBA season, Gay is averaging career highs of 20.7 points, 47.7% FG shooting, 41.7% three-point shooting and 6.0 rebounds | Gay is second in the NBA in minutes played and ranks in the top 20 in several statistical categories including points, points- per-game, steals and minutes-per-game |
An Interesting Angle…
Always willing to showcase his personality, Gay spoofed the popular Dos Equis commercial as he became the "Most Interesting Man in the NBA" to encourage fans to vote for him for the NBA All-Star Game | The video has gained major traction online and has been featured on numerous outlets including ESPN, USA Today, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sportsline and Dime among others |
Lending a Helping Hand…
During the 09-10 NBA season, Rudy was the leader of the Hoops For St. Jude team that helped raise money for the children's research hospital | All told, Gay donated a fitting $22,222.222 to St. Jude and participated in many special projects and fundraisers throughout the season to showcase his support |
TV Time Out…
During the 2008 offseason, Gay ventured out to Hollywood to film a cameo in the season premiere of the CW network show “The Game" | Star Power… Gay showcased his skills on another type of hardwood, the bowling lanes, as he starred along with fellow NBA stars Chris Paul, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Kevin Durant in the first ever Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational (2009) | This official PBA event paired the five NBA players with five pro bowlers in a celebrity pro-am that aired nationally on ESPN |
YouTube Favorite …
Rudy took a unique approach to the 2008 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, and it turned out to be a viral video favorite on YouTube and served as the catalyst for the competition | For the first-time ever, Gay sought out direct fan input in his dunk selection, asked basketball fans from across the globe to submit their themselves demonstrating their best dunk and upload it to Rudy's YouTube page | Rudy would pick his favorite dunk from the submissions and replicate it during the competition | The video garnered over 2 million page views on YouTube and the unprecedented promotion received widespread attention in publications including ESPN.com, Yahoo.com and Sports Illustrated among others |
Baseball Fanatic…
Away from basketball, Gay has always had a strong passion for America's pastime | He idolized Ken Griffey Jr. growing up and roots for his hometown Baltimore Orioles | Gay also took batting practice prior to a minor-league Memphis Redbirds game © Octagon 1/11