Andray Blatche

Andray Maurice Blatche (born August 22, 1986) is an American-Filipino former professional basketball player.

He averaged 27.5 points, 16.0 rebounds and 6.0 blocks per game during his fifth-year campaign in 2004–05 as he guided South Kent to a 32–9 record.

He played nine seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) between 2005 and 2014 before playing overseas.

He played high school basketball at Henninger High School and South Kent School before he was drafted in the second round of the 2005 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards.

Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Blatche was listed as the No. 2 power forward and the No. 4 player in the nation in 2005.

He declared for the 2005 NBA draft out of high school, and while originally thought of as a first-round prospect, he slipped to the second round and was taken by the Washington Wizards with the 49th overall pick.

Blatche was shot in a carjacking on September 25, 2005, and as a result missed training camp.

He recovered successfully and played his first game with Washington versus Seattle on November 11, 2005, scoring five points in a 137–96 Wizards victory.

On December 14, 2005, he was assigned to the Roanoke Dazzle of the NBA Development League.

He finished the 2005–06 season only playing in 29 games for the Wizards, averaging 2.3 points and 1.3 rebounds.

On January 2, 2006, he was recalled by the Wizards.

With the injuries to Wizards' centers Etan Thomas and Michael Ruffin, Blatche was occasionally pressed into service as a backup center in the 2006–07 season.

On August 17, 2007, Blatche re-signed with the Wizards to a multi-year deal.

During the 2007–08 season, Blatche continued showing improvement, and with center Etan Thomas out with a season-ending heart condition, his minutes increased.

At the end of the season, Blatche played in every game for the Wizards, starting 15, averaging 8.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

On January 9, 2010, Blatche was fined $10,000 by the Wizards for participating in Gilbert Arenas' mimicking Gunplay before a game on January 5, 2010 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Arenas was being investigated for a prior incident involving guns in the Wizards' locker room, but made light of the accusations by pointing his finger at his teammates, as if he were shooting them.

His teammates were photographed smiling and laughing with him.

On February 28, 2010, he scored a career high 36 points on 17–31 shooting during the Wizards' 89–85 victory against the New Jersey Nets.

Blatche continued to be the starter on the team, and his stats significantly improved.

Blatche just missed a triple-double as he had 20 points, a career-high 13 assists, nine rebounds and two steals in the Wizards' 109–99 victory over the New Jersey Nets on April 4.

In September 2010, he signed a veteran extension with the Wizards.

The 2010–11 NBA season was a career year for Blatche, with 63 starts in 64 games played, and career highs in points (16.8), rebounds (8.2), assists (2.3) and steals (1.5).

On March 20, 2012, the Wizards announced that they were benching Blatche indefinitely due to lack of conditioning, and on July 16, he was waived via the amnesty clause.

Blatche would later be vocal about his treatment by the Wizards organization, stating, "When things weren't starting well, they used me as an excuse."

He also claimed that the management deliberately tried to ruin his career: "For them to say, ‘Oh, he's a bad teammate. He's a cancer in the locker room.’ He's this and that. All that was a bunch of lies! A bunch of lies. That's what really made me mad. That showed me, they tried to end me."

Coach Randy Wittman responded to the allegations by saying, "I’m not going to get into that. We did everything we could to help him, as we will with every player that ever comes here."

On September 12, 2012, Blatche signed with the Brooklyn Nets.

After Blatche signed with the Nets, he decided to wear number 0.

"Zero reminds of me how everybody gave up on me", he said.

When Brook Lopez injured his foot, Blatche was given the chance to start in his absence.

Without Lopez, the Nets struggled with a 2–5 record.

Despite the Nets' struggles without Lopez, Blatche played well, averaging 18.1 points and 8.8 rebounds.

Blatche played in all 82 regular season games in 2012–13, averaging 10.3 points and 5.1 rebounds and set a career high in field goal percentage (51.2%).

Blatche also played in seven playoff games for the Nets and averaged 10.3 points and 4.9 rebounds.

On January 4, 2013, Blatche made his return to the Verizon Center and was playing the Washington Wizards.

When Blatche entered that game in the first quarter, he was booed heartily by the fans in attendance.

In 19 minutes of game action, Blatche had 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Born in New York and an American by birth, Blatche became a naturalized citizen of the Philippines in June 2014, enabling him to join the country's national basketball team.

Blatche spent four years at Henninger High School in Syracuse, New York and then an extra year at the South Kent School in South Kent, Connecticut.