Eric Bledsoe

Eric Bledsoe (born December 9, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

He plays the point guard position.

As a senior in 2008–09, he averaged 20.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 11.5 assists per game, and helped lead Parker to a 5A state championship runner-up finish.

Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Bledsoe was listed as the No. 3 point guard and the No. 23 player in the nation in 2009.

Bledsoe played one season at Kentucky in 2009–10, and averaged 11.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 37 games (35 starts) to help the Wildcats to a 35–3 record and Elite Eight appearance.

He was named to the Sporting News SEC All-Freshman Team and was a CollegeInsider.com Freshman All-American.

He scored in double digits 20 times, including four games with at least 20 points.

In four NCAA tournament games, he averaged 15.3 points and set a Kentucky school record of eight made three-pointers in an NCAA tournament game against East Tennessee State in scoring a career-high 29 points (9–11 FG, 8–9 3 FG).

Despite being a natural point guard, Bledsoe often filled the shooting guard role playing alongside fellow freshman John Wall.

After a season of college basketball with the Kentucky Wildcats, he was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 18th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft and subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.

On April 7, 2010, Bledsoe declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three seasons of collegiate eligibility.

In September 2010, it was reported that Bledsoe may have been ineligible to play his one season for Kentucky when discrepancies were found in his high school transcripts.

The Alabama Public School System hired the independent law firm of White Arnold & Dowd to investigate claims that one of Bledsoe's grades was improperly changed.

His algebra grade had been changed from a C to an A, thus raising his GPA high enough that he was eligible for the NCAA.

Though the investigators concluded that the instructor's reasons for changing the grade were "not credible", and that a significant number of his high school grades were written over to reflect higher grades, the school board voted to allow the grade to stand, and the NCAA declared its investigation of Bledsoe's eligibility closed the following week.

During pre-draft workout, Bledsoe was touted for his quickness, ball handling ability, and ability to make three-point field goals.

He was subsequently selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder, but was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.

In his first season, he averaged 6.7 points and 3.6 assists and started 25 games.

As a result, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

In his second season, due to the Clippers' acquisition of Chris Paul, he played only an average of 11 minutes per game, with only one start, and his stats dropped.

In fact, during that season, he ended up being assigned to the Clippers' NBA Development League affiliate team, the Bakersfield Jam.

However, during his third season, his statistics ended up rising in spite of still being behind Chris Paul for most of the games that he played.

Bledsoe had a four-year tenure with the Phoenix Suns between 2013 and 2017, before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Bledsoe attended Parker High School in Birmingham, Alabama.

Bledsoe also participated in the 2013 All-Star Game's Slam Dunk Contest.

On July 10, 2013, Bledsoe was traded to the Phoenix Suns alongside teammate Caron Butler in a three-way trade with the L.A. Clippers and the Milwaukee Bucks that sent the Suns' Jared Dudley and the Bucks' JJ Redick to the Clippers with two different second round picks going to the Bucks.

On his opening night debut with the Suns, Bledsoe helped the team by getting 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists in a 104–91 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

In his second game with the Suns, Bledsoe hit his first ever game-winning shot in an 87–84 home victory over the Utah Jazz.

Before the November 19, 2013, game against the Sacramento Kings, Bledsoe's shin collided with teammate P. J. Tucker during practice.

He would miss six games before returning with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals in a 112–101 victory against the Jazz on November 29, 2013.

Bledsoe scored a then-career-high 28 points in a 116–107 victory against the Sacramento Kings on December 13, 2013.

Bledsoe also got his first double-double with the Suns by scoring 16 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and putting up 7 assists in a blowout 117–90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on December 23, 2013.

During the third quarter of the Suns' last game of 2013 against the Clippers, Bledsoe injured his left shin.

What began as a shin injury eventually turned into a meniscus injury that would leave him sidelined for nearly two and a half months.

His injury was a leading factor in the Suns signing former player Leandro Barbosa back onto the team for the rest of that season.

Bledsoe returned to action on March 12, 2014 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He started for the Suns again and racked up 17 points and 10 rebounds two days later in an 87–80 victory against the Boston Celtics.

He continued to start for the team throughout the rest of the season.

On June 27, 2014, the Suns extended a qualifying offer to Bledsoe, thus making him a restricted free agent.

On November 14, 2019, Bledsoe scored 31 points, setting a new NBA career high, in a 124–115 victory over the Chicago Bulls.