RJ Nembhard

Ruben R. "RJ" Nembhard Jr. (born March 22, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the TCU Horned Frogs.

RJ Nembhard
Nembhard with TCU in 2019
No. 5 – Cleveland Cavaliers
PositionPoint guard / Shooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1999-03-22) March 22, 1999
Keller, Texas
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High schoolKeller (Keller, Texas)
CollegeTCU (2017–2021)
NBA draft2021 / Undrafted
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–presentCleveland Cavaliers
2021–present→Cleveland Charge
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life and high school career

Nembhard grew up playing football and started playing basketball at age 10.[1] He attended Keller High School in Keller, Texas. Nembhard averaged 21 points as a junior, earning District 5-6A MVP honors. In his senior season, he averaged 25.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Nembhard was named Star-Telegram Super Team Player of the Year and District 3-6A MVP.[2] A four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for TCU over offers from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas State and Baylor.[3]

College career

Nembhard redshirted his first season at TCU after receiving limited playing time through six games and suffering a knee injury.[4] As a freshman, he came off the bench, averaging 4.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.[5] On January 4, 2020, he scored a career-high 31 points in an 81–79 overtime win over Iowa State.[6] As a sophomore, Nembhard averaged 12.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.[7] As a junior, he averaged 15.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and four assists per game, earning Third Team All-Big 12 honors. On March 29, 2021, Nembhard declared for the 2021 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[8] He later decided to remain in the draft.

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Nembhard joined the Miami Heat for the 2021 NBA Summer League.[9] On September 27, 2021, he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.[10] On October 16, his deal was converted to a two-way contract with the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League.[11] On March 31, 2022, he signed a standard contract with the Cavaliers.[12] On April 7, he was waived by the Cavaliers[13] and three days later, he signed another two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.[14]

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

NBA
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Cleveland 1404.5.333.000.750.5.9.1.01.1
Career 1404.5.333.000.750.5.9.1.01.1

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 TCU 605.5.286.000.2501.0.8.0.21.5
2018–19 TCU 36817.2.351.299.6152.1.9.5.44.4
2019–20 TCU 292832.1.366.313.7403.83.51.0.212.1
2020–21 TCU 242434.9.400.339.7784.34.01.1.215.7
Career 956025.5.375.314.7243.12.5.8.39.4

Personal life

Son of Ruben & Terri Nembhard. Nembhard's father, Ruben, played one season in the NBA/15 seasons overseas and works as a trainer and skills development coach.[15] His grandfather, Joe Beauchamp played 10 seasons with the San Diego Chargers and his sister, Jayden, plays volleyball for Long Beach State.[16]

References
  1. Post, Colin (February 28, 2020). "Mamba Mentality: Nembhard looks to take game, TCU to new heights as he mimics late idol". TCU 360. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  2. Gosset, Brian (March 24, 2017). "Keller star leads Indians to state, adds Star-Telegram honor". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  3. Riddle, Greg (June 30, 2016). "Keller 4-star recruit R.J. Nembhard commits to TCU for basketball". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  4. Mendez, Carlos (December 19, 2017). "TCU freshman Nembhard, one of Frogs' top signees, likely to redshirt". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  5. Davison, Drew (November 19, 2019). "RJ Nembhard scored at will for Keller. Now he wants to be an all-around threat for TCU". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  6. Clark, Jeremy (January 4, 2020). "TCU defeats Iowa State 81-79 behind Nembhard's 31 points". 247Sports. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  7. Davison, Drew (November 3, 2020). "Who's TCU's point guard this season? Keller product RJ Nembhard making strong case". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  8. Davison, Drew (March 29, 2021). "RJ Nembhard declares for the NBA Draft, but he could still return to TCU". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  9. Davison, Drew (July 30, 2021). "TCU basketball's RJ Nembhard lands with Miami Heat". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  10. "Cavaliers Add Four to Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  11. "Cavaliers Convert the Contracts of Tacko Fall and RJ Nembhard into Two-way Contracts". NBA.com. October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  12. "Cavaliers Convert RJ Nembhard to Standard NBA Contract and Sign Moses Brown to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  13. "Cavaliers Waive RJ Nembhard". NBA.com. April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  14. "Cavaliers Convert Moses Brown to Standard NBA Contract and Sign RJ Nembhard to a Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  15. Podell, Garrett (January 5, 2021). "Nembhard looks to lead Horned Frogs through 2021 gauntlet". Frogs O' War. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  16. Siegel, Austin (October 8, 2020). "SE: Consistent, Ready and Reliable – Jayden Nembhard Shines for K-State Volleyball". Kansas State University Athletics. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
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