Christopher Albert McCullough (born February 5, 1995[1]) is an American professional basketball player for Pelita Jaya Bakrie of the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL).[2] He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange.

Chris McCullough
McCullough in 2014
No. 24 – Pelita Jaya
PositionPower forward
LeagueIBL
Personal information
Born (1995-02-05) February 5, 1995 (age 29)
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight224 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeSyracuse (2014–2015)
NBA draft2015: 1st round, 29th overall pick
Selected by the Brooklyn Nets
Playing career2015–present
Career history
20152017Brooklyn Nets
2016–2017Long Island Nets
20172018Washington Wizards
2017–2018Northern Arizona Suns
2018Wisconsin Herd
2018Erie BayHawks
2018Shanxi Brave Dragons
2019Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2019Brujos de Guayama
2019San Miguel Beermen
2019–2020Anyang KGC
2020Rytas Vilnius
2020–2021Anyang KGC
2021Gigantes de Carolina
2021–2022New Taipei Kings
2023–2024Formosa Dreamers
2024-presentPelita Jaya
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

High school career

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McCullough attended Salisbury School for his freshman and sophomore years. During his sophomore season, he led the Salisbury varsity basketball team to its first ever NEPSAC Class A championship. In the championship game, McCullough scored 26 points, while also adding eight rebounds and two blocked shots.[3] At Salisbury, McCullough was coached by Jeff Ruskin. Following his sophomore year at Salisbury, McCullough transferred to Brewster Academy and then, later on, to IMG Academy.

College career

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As a freshman at Syracuse in 2014–15, McCullough started in the team's first 16 games of the season before a knee injury suffered against Florida State on January 11 required surgery and ended his campaign.[4] In those 16 games, he averaged 9.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.1 blocks in 28.1 minutes per game.[5][6]

Professional career

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Brooklyn Nets (2015–2017)

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In April 2015, McCullough declared for the 2015 NBA draft, while still recovering from an ACL injury.[7][8] Despite that, on June 25, he was selected with the 29th overall pick by the Brooklyn Nets.[9] On July 1, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Nets.[10] He missed the first half of the 2015–16 season with the ACL injury he sustained as a freshman at Syracuse.[11] On February 5, 2016, he was activated for the first time, but did not play for the Nets against the Sacramento Kings.[12] Four days later, he made his NBA debut, recording 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in just under 11 minutes off the bench in the Nets' 105–104 win over the Denver Nuggets.[13]

On April 6, 2016, McCullough scored 10 points against the Washington Wizards, reaching double-digits for the first time in his career. He was subsequently elevated to the starting line-up the following game, scoring 12 points on April 8 against the Charlotte Hornets.[14] In his third straight start for the Nets on April 11, he had another 12-point game in a loss to the Wizards.[15]

During his second season with Brooklyn, McCullough had multiple assignments with the Long Island Nets of the NBA Development League.[16]

Washington Wizards (2017–2018)

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On February 22, 2017, McCullough was traded, along with Bojan Bogdanović, to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Andrew Nicholson, Marcus Thornton and a 2017 protected first-round draft pick.[17] On March 1, 2017, he made his debut for the Wizards, making just one free throw in 1:39 of action during a win over the Toronto Raptors.[18] Two days later, he was assigned to the Northern Arizona Suns of the NBA Development League, pursuant to the flexible assignment rule.[19] He remained with Northern Arizona until the end of the 2016–17 D-League season.

McCullough signed with the Detroit Pistons to a training camp contract but was waived on October 7, 2018.[20]

Shanxi Brave Dragons (2018–2019)

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On October 8, 2018, McCullough signed with Shanxi Brave Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association.[21] On October 21, 2018, he made his debut for Shanxi, contributed twenty six points and eight rebounds in a win over the Sichuan Blue Whales.[22]

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2019)

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On January 28, 2019, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers welcomed McCullough via Twitter.[23]

Brujos de Guayama (2019)

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On May 14, 2019, McCullough joined the Brujos de Guayama of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional in Puerto Rico.[24]

San Miguel Beermen (2019)

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On July 2, 2019, McCullough signed with the San Miguel Beermen as a replacement for Charles Rhodes as the team's import for the 2019 PBA Commissioner's Cup.[25][26] On his PBA debut, McCullough exploded for a professional then-career-high 47 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 6 3-pointers made to lead the Beermen towards the win against the NLEX Road Warriors.[27] On July 10, McCullough recorded 37 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists in a 128–108 win over the Phoenix Fuel Masters.[28] Two days after, McCullough again led the Beermen towards a win over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 89–87. In that game, McCullough recorded 24 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 blocks.[29] Four days after, McCullough recorded 27 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks but in a 91–95 loss to the Meralco Bolts, in the last game of the elimination round.[30] On July 31, 2019, McCullough again put on a show for a new career-high 51 points in a loss against Rain or Shine. He ended the series 2 days later with 35 points.

McCullough and the Beermen eventually won the 2019 PBA Commissioner's Cup championship, his first as a professional, in six games of a best-of-seven series. McCullough scored the team high of 35 points, 19 rebounds, and 4 assists against the TNT KaTropa.

Anyang KGC (2019–2020)

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In 2019, McCullough signed with the Anyang KGC of the Korean Basketball League.

Rytas Vilnius (2020)

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On August 28, 2020, McCullough signed with Rytas Vilnius.[2] On October 3, McCullough was suspended by Rytas Vilnius because he was suspected of escaping from a car accident after the Lithuanian Police found abandoned and damaged Jeep Renegade, which was given to McCullough by the club, in a parking lot and launched an investigation.[31] The Rytas allowed McCullough to return to the team on 12 October as he deeply regretted the incident of violating the club's internal rules and convinced head coach Donaldas Kairys that he is motivated to play.[32] He played his first game after the suspension on 17 October and scored 13 points, while the Rytas achieved a 60–98 victory versus the Neptūnas Klaipėda.[33] On November 10, it was reported that Rytas was parting ways with McCullough.[34]

Gigantes de Carolina (2021)

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On June 2, 2021, McCullough was reported to have signed with Al-Ahli of the Bahraini Premier League,[35] he didn't play any games for the team.

On August 27, 2021, McCullough signed with Gigantes de Carolina of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional.[36]

New Taipei Kings (2021–2022)

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On November 17, 2021, McCullough signed with the New Taipei Kings of the P. League+.[37] On March 8, 2022, McCullough tore his left ACL during New Taipei Kings’s game against Taoyuan Pauian Pilots in the 2021-22 P.League+ tournament held at Taoyuan Arena.[38]

Formosa Taishin Dreamers (2023–2024)

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On February 27, 2023, McCullough signed with the Formosa Taishin Dreamers of the P. League+.[39] He had a brief stint with Philippine team Strong Group Athletics (SGA) at the 2024 William Jones Cup tournament in Taiwan.[40][41]

Indonesia (2024–)

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After his stint with SGA, McCullough received an offer to play for a team in Indonesia. A potential return to the PBA in the Philippines was averted with negotiations of Converge FiberXers to sign him as an import for the 2024–25 Commissioner's Cup reportedly failed.[42]

National team

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McCullough has expressed interest to play for the Philippine national team in 2019, but as a non-Filipino citizen he has to be given citizenship through naturalization to be eligible.[43][44][45] By 2024, McCullough has lost hope but after his performance at the 2024 William Jones Cup with Strong Group Athletics he has received offers for Taiwanese citizenship to be able to play for the Chinese Taipei national team.[41]

NBA 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
2015–16 Brooklyn 24 4 15.1 .404 .382 .478 2.8 .4 1.2 .5 4.7
2016–17 Brooklyn 14 0 5.1 .516 .167 .667 1.2 .1 .1 .1 2.5
2016–17 Washington 2 0 4.0 .000 .000 .500 1.0 .0 .5 .0 .5
2017–18 Washington 19 0 4.7 .429 .125 .643 1.3 .2 .0 .3 2.4
Career 59 4 9.0 .426 .306 .548 1.9 .3 .5 .3 3.3

International career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played  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     Led the league

As of the end of the 2023 PLG regular season.[46][47]

Year Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Brujos de Guayama BSN 8 27.1 46.1% 25.0% 81.6% 9.0 1.5 1.1 0.8 16.3
2018–19 Shanxi Zhongyu CBA 3 26.2 47.2% 37.5% 83.3% 8.0 2.0 0.3 0.3 15.7
2019 San Miguel Beermen PBA 16 43.0 46.6% 33.6% 74.8% 15.1 3.5 1.3 2.4 32.4
2021–22 New Taipei Kings PLG 7 32.19 35.53% 42.11% 58.82% 8.57 1.71 0.86 1.14 20.86
2022–23 Formosa Taishin Dreamers PLG 8 30.49 44.66% 15.38% 63.64% 12.5 1.88 2.38 0.75 18.88

References

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  1. ^ "Chris McCullough - Player Profile". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Pulkovskis, Edgaras (August 28, 2020). ""Rytas" pasirašė sutartį su NBA patirties turinčiu aukštaūgiu". Krepsinis.net (in Lithuanian). Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  3. ^ "Salisbury School Claims First New England Class A Basketball Championship". NEPSAC.org. March 6, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  4. ^ Eisenberg, Jeff (January 11, 2015). "Chris McCullough's knee injury mars Syracuse's win". Yahoo.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  5. ^ "Syracuse University Athletics – Chris McCullough". Cuse.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  6. ^ "Chris McCullough Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  7. ^ Vecenie, Sam (April 2, 2015). "Syracuse forward Chris McCullough to declare for NBA Draft". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  8. ^ "Syracuse University Athletics – Chris McCullough". Cuse.com. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  9. ^ "Nets Acquire Four New Players on Draft Night". NBA.com. June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  10. ^ "Nets Sign Chris McCullough". NBA.com. July 1, 2015. Archived from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  11. ^ Lewis, Brian (January 1, 2016). "Chris McCullough, one of last reasons to watch Nets, takes big step". NYPost.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  12. ^ "Johnson, Nets have season-best night in beating Kings". NBA.com. February 5, 2016. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  13. ^ "Johnson hits 3-pointer at buzzer, Nets beat Nuggets 105–104". NBA.com. February 8, 2016. Archived from the original on February 10, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  14. ^ "Chris McCullough 2015–16 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  15. ^ "Wizards score first 20, pull away late to beat Nets 120–111". NBA.com. April 11, 2016. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  16. ^ "2016–17 NBA Assignments". NBA.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  17. ^ "Wizards Acquire Bojan Bogdanovic and Chris McCullough". monumentalsportsnetwork.com. February 22, 2017. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  18. ^ "Chris McCullough 2016–17 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  19. ^ "Wizards Assign McCullough to Northern Arizona Suns". monumentalsportsnetwork.com. March 3, 2017. Archived from the original on March 6, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  20. ^ "Chris McCullough: Waived by Pistons". CBS Sports. October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  21. ^ "Chris McCullough: Signs with Chinese club". CBS Sports. October 8, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  22. ^ "Regular Season Round 1: Sichuan BW – Shanxi Z. 91–97". eurobasket.com. October 21, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  23. ^ "Welcome to the team, Chris McCullough". RGV Vipers on Twitter. January 28, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  24. ^ "Brujos se refuerzan con Chris McCullough". bsnpr.com (in Spanish). May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  25. ^ "SMB replaces import Charles Rhodes with ex-NBA player Chris McCullough". Spin.ph. July 2, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  26. ^ "San Miguel decides it's end of the Rhodes, taps NBA first rounder". July 2, 2019.
  27. ^ "Chris McCullough announces PBA arrival with smashing 47-point night". Inquirer Sports. July 6, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  28. ^ "McCullough leads San Miguel's attack in rout of Phoenix". ESPN.com. July 11, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  29. ^ Dioquino, Delfin (July 13, 2019). "San Miguel nips Rain or Shine in CDO to punch playoff ticket". Rappler. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  30. ^ Lising, Charmie (July 18, 2019). "Meralco stays alive, scrapes past San Miguel". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  31. ^ "Paaiškėjo daugiau detalių apie nušalintą nuo mačų "Ryto" amerikietį: po avarijos pabėgo iš įvykio vietos". lrytas.lt (in Lithuanian). October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  32. ^ ""Ryto" vidaus taisykles pažeidusiam McCulloughui leista sugrįžti į komandą". DELFI (in Lithuanian). Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  33. ^ ""Rytas" ir toliau pirmas – Klaipėdoje skaudžiai nuliūdino "Neptūną"". DELFI (in Lithuanian). Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  34. ^ Lupo, Nicola (November 10, 2020). "Chris McCullough, Rytas Vilnius reportedly parting ways". Sportando. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  35. ^ Madwar, Ahmad (June 2, 2021). "Chris McCullough (ex Anyang KGC) agreed terms with Al-Ahli for GCC!!". asia-basket.com. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  36. ^ "Carolina adds McCullough to their roster, ex Al-Ahli". Latinbasket. August 27, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  37. ^ "林書豪前隊友加盟新北國王 曾在PBA狂砍51分". CTWANT. November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  38. ^ "Chris McCullough tears ACL in P.League+". Tiebreaker Times. March 14, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  39. ^ "Chris McCullough joins the P.League+ Dreamers". Taipei Times. February 28, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  40. ^ "Chris McCullough returns to play for Strong Group in Jones Cup". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. May 28, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  41. ^ a b "Chris McCullough now eyed by Taiwan for naturalization". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  42. ^ Ramos, Gerry (October 20, 2024). "Converge plan to sign Chris McCullough as import falls through". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  43. ^ Ramos, Gerry (August 13, 2022). "McCullough reveals being left out as Gilas naturalized player option". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  44. ^ Bacnis, Justine (April 6, 2020). "Chris McCullough posts cryptic tweet on possible naturalization". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  45. ^ Li, Matthew (March 1, 2022). "Chris McCullough wonders to Gilas: 'What we waiting on?'". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  46. ^ [1] at RealGM!
  47. ^ [2] at P. LEAGUE+
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