Pat Connaughton

Pat Connaughton
Connaughton with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2018
No. 24 – Milwaukee Bucks
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1993-01-06) January 6, 1993 (age 31)
Arlington, Massachusetts, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight209 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolSt. John's Prep
(Danvers, Massachusetts)
CollegeNotre Dame (2011–2015)
NBA draft2015: 2nd round, 41st overall pick
Selected by the Brooklyn Nets
Playing career2015–present
Career history
2015–2018Portland Trail Blazers
2018–presentMilwaukee Bucks
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Patrick Bergin Connaughton (/ˈkɒnətən/ KON-ə-tən;[1] born January 6, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he primarily plays as a shooting guard.

Connaughton previously played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball and men's basketball teams. He was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth round of the 2014 MLB Draft. The Brooklyn Nets selected him in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft and traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers. In 2021, during his sixth season in the NBA, he won his first championship with the Bucks.[2]

High school career

Connaughton attended St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts, where he starred in three sports, playing quarterback in football and multiple positions in both baseball and basketball.[3] He received major interest in baseball from schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, with Boston College (BC), the University of Virginia, and his original first choice, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who all made him scholarship offers.[3]

Connaughton's sporting trajectory changed during the summer between his junior and senior years. At that time, he had only received a basketball offer from home-state Bentley University, in NCAA's Division II. He suddenly emerged as a major basketball prospect after what ESPN.com writer Jeff Goodman called "one spectacular week" at the Amateur Athletic Union national tournament in Orlando, Florida, including a game where he had 33 points and 20 rebounds. Connaughton himself would later say, "That week completely changed my entire life." He then began receiving multiple offers in basketball as well as baseball, with many schools willing to let him play both sports. He eventually chose the University of Notre Dame over BC, the University of Miami, the University of California, Los Angeles, and Vanderbilt University.[3]

In 2011, Connaughton's senior year, he was named the Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Basketball Player of the Year.[4] As a pitcher for the baseball team, he had an 11–2 win–loss record with a 1.75 earned run average (ERA) and 160 strikeouts in 90 innings pitched as a senior.[5] According to the baseball scouting site Perfect Game, Connaughton was rated as the 33rd-best player in that year's Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, but he fell to the 4th round, where he was selected by the San Diego Padres, when he made it clear he planned to attend college.[3] He followed through on his commitment to Notre Dame, choosing not to sign with the Padres.[6]

College career

At Notre Dame, Connaughton played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as a member of their college baseball and college basketball teams. In his freshman year for the basketball team, Connaughton was one of three players to appear in all of Notre Dame's 34 games. He averaged 7.0 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, and 0.9 assists per game while playing 24.1 minutes per game. The Fighting Irish appeared in the 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, but lost to Xavier University in the second round. Connaughton scored 10 points with two assists and two rebounds in 34 minutes of play during the loss. He then joined the baseball team as a relief pitcher.[5]

Connaughton warming up before a game with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball team in 2013

As a sophomore, in 2013, Connaughton averaged 8.9 points per game for the basketball team, and had a 1.71 ERA for the baseball team.[7][8] In the summer of 2013, he pitched in collegiate summer baseball for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[9][10] In his junior year, he averaged 13.8 PPG for the basketball team and had a 3.92 ERA in ten games started, which included two complete games, for the baseball team.[3][11]

After his junior year, he was forthright about his intent to return to Notre Dame for his senior basketball season, despite warnings that it would impact his prospects for the upcoming baseball draft.[12] He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the fourth round, with the 121st overall selection, of the 2014 MLB Draft.[6][13] One high-ranking MLB executive believed that Connaughton would have been drafted in the first two rounds had he not been committed to returning to Notre Dame for his senior basketball season, telling Goodman, "He definitely cost himself some money," as he expected Connaughton could have earned $1 million if he was willing to quit basketball.[3] He agreed to terms with the Orioles, receiving a signing bonus of over $400,000,[3] with the Orioles permitting Connaughton to play basketball for the Irish in his senior year.[14][15]

As a senior, Notre Dame's basketball team won its first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship.[12] He took part in a 2015 tournament game against Kentucky for a Final Four berth, narrowly lost by his team after having sustained a lead until the six-second mark. Connaughton was determined to finish his degree at Notre Dame, and had a 3.0 grade point average with the university's Mendoza College of Business.[3] He ultimately graduated from Notre Dame in spring 2015.

Professional baseball career

Connaughton made his professional baseball debut with the Aberdeen IronBirds of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League, in which he registered a 96 miles per hour (154 km/h) fastball.[16] At the end of July 2014, he left the IronBirds to return to the Fighting Irish basketball team.[17] Even though the Orioles allowed him to pursue an NBA career, they never made any attempts to recoup the $428,000 signing bonus. As a result, the ballclub continued to control his contractual baseball rights through 2020, which could have been extended for six additional years if Baltimore placed him on its major league roster.[18] The Orioles did not add him to their major league roster in that span, meaning Connaughton would be free to sign with any team if he decided to return to baseball.

Professional basketball career

Portland Trail Blazers (2015–2018)

Connaughton was drafted with the 41st pick by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2015 NBA draft. His draft rights, along with Mason Plumlee, were then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Steve Blake and the draft rights to the 23rd pick in the draft, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.[19] He signed a three-year deal with the Trail Blazers on July 9.[20] The first two years of the contract were guaranteed, with the stipulation that Connaughton would not be allowed to play professional baseball during that timespan.[18][21] He made his debut for the Trail Blazers on October 30, 2015, scoring five points in a loss to the Phoenix Suns.[22] He appeared in 34 games for the Trail Blazers as a rookie.[23]

On April 13, 2017, in the Blazers' 2016–17 season finale, Connaughton scored a career-high 19 points in a 103–100 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.[24]

In the Trail Blazers' 2017–18 season opener on October 18, 2017, Connaughton scored a career-high 24 points while making 4 of 6 3-pointers in a 124–76 win over the Phoenix Suns.[25]

Milwaukee Bucks (2018–present)

On August 1, 2018, Connaughton signed with the Milwaukee Bucks.[26] He competed in the Slam Dunk Contest at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, dunking over Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich and finishing third in the tournament.[27]

On August 20, 2020, Connaughton scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 111–96 Game 2 win during the Bucks' first round postseason matchup against the Orlando Magic.[28]

Connaughton won his first NBA championship on July 20, 2021, averaging 9.2 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 44.1% from three-point range in six games in the NBA Finals as the Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns.[29]

On November 10, 2021, Connaughton scored a season-high 23 points and made a career-high seven three-point shots during a 112-100 win over the New York Knicks.[30] On February 14, 2022, he underwent right hand surgery and was ruled out for at least a month.[31] On April 27, during the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Connaughton scored 20 points in just 23 minutes of playing time in a decisive 116–100 Game 5 win over the Chicago Bulls.[32]

On June 22, 2022, Connaughton opted into his $5.7M player option to remain with the Bucks.[33] Later, on July 13, 2022, Connaughton signed a three-year, $28.5M extension with the Bucks.[34] On January 26, 2023, Connaughton scored 19 points and recorded a season-high 12 rebounds during a 107–99 win over the Denver Nuggets.[35]

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
 †  Won an NBA championship  *  Led the league

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Portland 34 0 4.2 .265 .238 1.000 .9 .3 .1 .0 1.1
2016–17 Portland 39 1 8.1 .514 .515 .778 1.3 .7 .2 .1 2.5
2017–18 Portland 82* 5 18.1 .423 .352 .841 2.0 1.1 .3 .3 5.4
2018–19 Milwaukee 61 2 20.7 .466 .330 .725 4.2 2.0 .5 .4 6.9
2019–20 Milwaukee 67 4 18.6 .455 .331 .775 4.2 1.6 .4 .5 5.4
2020–21† Milwaukee 69 4 22.8 .434 .371 .775 4.8 1.6 .2 .7 6.8
2021–22 Milwaukee 65 19 26.0 .458 .395 .833 4.2 1.3 .9 .2 9.9
2022–23 Milwaukee 61 33 23.7 .392 .339 .659 4.6 1.3 .6 .2 7.6
2023–24 Milwaukee 76 3 22.1 .435 .345 .759 3.1 2.1 .5 .3 5.6
Career 554 71 19.6 .436 .358 .773 3.5 1.4 .5 .3 6.1

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016 Portland 6 0 1.3 .600 .667 .000 .2 .0 .0 .0 1.3
2017 Portland 3 0 8.0 .222 .000 1.000 2.3 1.3 .0 .0 2.3
2018 Portland 4 0 14.8 .400 .200 1.000 1.0 1.5 .3 .3 4.0
2019 Milwaukee 15 0 21.6 .481 .357 .500 6.2 1.4 .4 .9 6.2
2020 Milwaukee 10 0 17.1 .429 .348 1.000 3.8 1.1 .2 .2 4.0
2021† Milwaukee 23* 1 23.7 .462 .389 .846 4.4 1.4 .4 .3 7.5
2022 Milwaukee 12 0 26.5 .477 .391 1.000 4.3 .9 .4 .3 9.5
2023 Milwaukee 4 0 22.1 .567 .478 .750 5.0 1.8 1.0 .3 12.0
2024 Milwaukee 6 0 20.7 .440 .273 1.000 3.8 2.2 1.0 .2 4.5
Career 83 1 20.0 .467 .372 .821 4.1 1.1 .4 .3 6.2

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011–12 Notre Dame 34 18 24.1 .423 .342 .757 4.4 .9 .5 .1 7.0
2012–13 Notre Dame 35 35 32.1 .445 .377 .708 4.7 2.1 .5 .3 8.9
2013–14 Notre Dame 32 32 37.2 .452 .378 .833 7.1 3.0 1.0 .6 13.8
2014–15 Notre Dame 38 38 35.6 .466 .423 .781 7.4 1.5 .7 .9 12.5
Career 139 123 32.3 .450 .386 .777 5.9 1.8 .7 .5 10.5

Personal life

In Goodman's 2015 story on Connaughton and his decision between two sports, many key individuals in his life testified to his character. His father Len noted, "Patrick is of high moral character and wasn't going to lie to people. That eliminated a bunch of [MLB] teams from taking him at all."[3] Notre Dame head basketball coach Mike Brey added, "In my 15 years here, no one has been more responsible than Pat Connaughton. He's an unbelievable ambassador for us and has shown tremendous loyalty."[3] Family adviser Sam Samardzija, brother of former San Francisco Giants pitcher and former Notre Dame baseball and football star Jeff Samardzija, said about Connaughton, "He's not common—kind of like Jeff and [NFL quarterback] Russell Wilson. Not a lot of guys like him come around. He's just wired differently."[3]

Connaughton said he only allowed himself one luxury with his signing bonus, buying a new Jeep Wrangler. He told Goodman, "The signing bonus is a ton of money, especially for a 21-year-old. But I'm not going to live off that money. At some point, I'm going to live off a college degree."[3]

Connaughton is the president of a development firm. In March 2020, Connaughton and the firm drew criticism for razing a historic building to make way for a new apartment complex in Milwaukee.[36][37] He has invested in Bitcoin.[38]

Connaughton and professional soccer player Ryan Gareis announced their relationship in June 2023.[39] In January 2024, they announced Gareis was pregnant with their child,[40] and in February 2024, the couple announced their engagement.[41] Their son was born in May 2024.[42]

See also

References

  1. ^ Zuniga, Alejandro. "For Aberdeen's Pat Connaughton, baseball to take back seat this week," The Baltimore Sun, Tuesday, July 29, 2014.
  2. ^ "Pat Connaughton". NBA.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Goodman, Jeff (January 9, 2015). "Connaughton's dual-sport decision". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  4. ^ Kourikchi, Ayoub (March 18, 2011). "Pat Connaughton is the Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Basketball Player of the Year". Boston Globe. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Noie, Tom (March 20, 2012). "Notre Dame baseball: Connaughton brings the heat". South Bend Tribune. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Norlander, Matt (June 6, 2014). "Notre Dame G Pat Connaughton taken by Baltimore Orioles in MLB Draft". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  7. ^ Krausz, Tony (March 25, 2013). "New league will bring new challenges for Irish". The Journal Gazette. Archived from the original on January 17, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  8. ^ Phillips, Scott (May 29, 2014). "Will Pat Connaughton finish basketball career at Notre Dame, even if MLB Draft calls". CollegeBasketballTalk. NBC Sports. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  9. ^ "Patrick Connaughton". pointstreak.com. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "Notre Dame baseball: Connaughton makes debut". South Bend Tribune. June 13, 2013. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  11. ^ "Notre Dame two-sport athlete Connaughton reaches deal with Orioles". South Bend Tribune. June 10, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  12. ^ a b Benbow, Julian (March 26, 2015). "Pat Connaughton chose to stay at Notre Dame". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015.
  13. ^ Hine, Chris (June 6, 2014). "Orioles draft Pat Connaughton". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 7, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  14. ^ "Orioles to allow Pat Connaughton to play basketball for Notre Dame". Sports Illustrated. June 9, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014 – via Associated Press.
  15. ^ "Notre Dame's Pat Connaughton will play two sports". Indianapolis Star. Associated Press. June 9, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  16. ^ "Pro baseball: Connaughton makes professional debut". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  17. ^ Zuniga, Alejandro (July 29, 2014). "For Aberdeen's Pat Connaughton, baseball to take backseat this week". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  18. ^ a b Encina, Eduardo A. "NBA's Pat Connaughton, an Orioles draft pick, believes he will eventually return to baseball," Monday, January, 18, 2016.
  19. ^ "Trail Blazers Acquire Mason Plumlee, Draft Rights to Pat Connaughton from Brooklyn". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 25, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  20. ^ "Trail Blazers Sign Pat Connaughton". NBA.com. July 8, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  21. ^ Waldstein, David. "Being Paid to Play Basketball, Pat Connaughton Is Dreaming of Diamonds," The New York Times, Monday, March 7, 2016.
  22. ^ "Bledsoe, Knight lead Suns to 110–92 win over Portland". NBA.com. October 30, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  23. ^ Trail Blazers' Pat Connaughton wants to prove he is more than just a great athlete
  24. ^ "Pelicans end the season with a 103–100 win over the Blazers". ESPN.com. April 12, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  25. ^ "Blazers hand Suns worst loss ever in season opener, 124–76". ESPN.com. October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  26. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks Sign Pat Connaughton". NBA.com. August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  27. ^ "NBA Dunk Contest: Pat Connaughton clears Christian Yelich, imitates Billy Hoyle from 'White Men Can't Jump'". February 16, 2020.
  28. ^ "Orlando Magic at Milwaukee Bucks Box Score, August 20, 2020".
  29. ^ "Pat Connaughton Game by Game Stats and Performance".
  30. ^ Connaughton helps Bucks recover, top Knicks after blown lead
  31. ^ "Medical Update on Pat Connaughton". NBA. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  32. ^ Bucks vs. Bulls score: Defending champions oust Chicago in Game 5, advance to face Celtics in East semifinals
  33. ^ "Sources: Connaughton opts in, stays with Bucks". ESPN.com. June 22, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  34. ^ "Bucks, Connaughton agree to 3-year extension". ESPN.com. July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  35. ^ Bucks' Pat Connaughton: Efficient against Denver
  36. ^ "Pat Connaughton's downtown apartment plan hits historic designation snag". October 30, 2019.
  37. ^ "The Official Brew Hoop 2020–21 Milwaukee Bucks Prediction Roundtable". December 21, 2020.
  38. ^ "Has Spencer Dinwiddie Got a Deal for You". Bleacher Report.
  39. ^ @patconnaughton (June 13, 2023). "And if you don't know, now you know 🤞🏼" – via Instagram.
  40. ^ @ryangareis (January 2, 2024). "Life is so good.. adding a mini 24 this '24 🩵" – via Instagram.
  41. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks' Pat Connaughton engaged to Houston Dash's Ryan Gareis".
  42. ^ @ryangareis (May 6, 2024). "Crew Leo Connaughton 5.3.2024 🩵 We could not possibly love you more big guy!!!" – via Instagram.