D. J. Funderburk
Free agent
PositionCenter / power forward
Personal information
Born (1997-04-12) April 12, 1997 (age 26)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2021: undrafted
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2022Avtodor
2022Paris Basketball
2022–2023Reggio Emilia
2023Hapoel Eilat

Derek Funderburk Jr. (born April 12, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Hapoel Eilat of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for the Northwest Florida State Raiders and the NC State Wolfpack. He has also participated in the NBA Summer League with the Utah Jazz.[1]

High school career

Funderburk attended St. Edward High School. As a junior, he averaged 14.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game to help lead St. Edwards to the 2015 Division I State Final Four.[2] He transferred to Hargrave Military Academy for his senior season, playing under coach A. W. Hamilton and alongside future NC State teammate Braxton Beverly.[3] Funderburk averaged 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists per game and helped the Tigers to a Prep School National Championship and a 47–1 record.[2] Funderburk was ranked the No. 77 overall recruit in the class of 2016. He committed to Ohio State.[3]

College career

Funderburk redshirted his freshman season at Ohio State. He transferred to Northwest Florida State College and averaged 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game as a redshirt freshman, shooting 51.1 percent from the field. Funderburk transferred to NC State.[3] Funderburk averaged 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game as a redshirt sophomore. He was suspended for violating team policy in September 2019.[4] Funderburk was charged with larceny property damage by university police after driving off with two car boots, damaging the boots and the concrete surface in the parking lot.[5] On December 29, 2019, he scored a career-high 22 points in a 72–60 win against Appalachian State.[6] As a redshirt junior, Funderburk averaged 12.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Following the season, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft, but ultimately opted to return to NC State.[7] Funderburk missed a game against Syracuse on January 31, 2021, due to a violation of university policy.[8] As a senior, he averaged 12.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.[9] Following the season, Funderburk declared for the 2021 NBA draft and signed with an agent, forgoing the additional season of eligibility the NCAA granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Funderburk signed with the Utah Jazz for Summer League play.[11]

On August 27, 2021, Funderburk signed his first professional contract with the Russian team Avtodor of the VTB United League.[12] He left the team after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[13] Funderburk averaged 10.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. On March 16, 2022, Funderburk signed with Paris Basketball of the LNB Pro A for the rest of the season.[14]

On July 12, 2022, Funderburk signed with Promitheas Patras of the Greek Basket League and the EuroCup.[15] On September 3, 2022, Funderburk mutually parted ways with the Greek club without appearing in a single official game with the team.[16] On the same day, he signed with Reggio Emilia of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).[17]

On November 14, 2022, he signed with Hapoel Eilat of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.[18]

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

College

NCAA Division I

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Ohio State Redshirt Redshirt
2018–19 NC State 36 1 19.9 .552 .269 .785 4.2 .4 .5 1.1 8.8
2019–20 NC State 30 15 26.0 .609 .222 .760 6.1 .3 .9 .8 12.8
2020–21 NC State 21 13 26.2 .562 .200 .792 5.6 .3 .7 .5 12.6
Career 87 29 23.5 .577 .237 .778 5.2 .4 .7 .8 11.1

JUCO

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Northwest Florida State 34 33 27.5 .511 .279 .743 5.0 1.7 1.2 .5 11.5

References

  1. ^ "Jazz Announce 2022 Summer League Roster". NBA. July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "NC State basketball signs junior college post Derek Funderburk". Rivals.com. November 14, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Zembal, Jacey (October 19, 2018). "DJ Funderburk's journey leads him to NC State". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  4. ^ "DJ Funderburk suspended for breaking NC State Wolfpack policy". ESPN. Associated Press. September 30, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  5. ^ Giglio, Joe (October 10, 2019). "N.C. State's Funderburk involved in parking incident before his suspension". The News & Observer. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  6. ^ "Funderburk, Daniels spark Wolfpack win in Bryce's absence". ESPN. Associated Press. December 29, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  7. ^ Williams, Justin (July 31, 2020). "DJ Funderburk officially returns to NC State". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  8. ^ Carter, Matt (February 1, 2021). "What they're saying about NC State basketball's loss at Syracuse". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  9. ^ Alexander, Jonathan (July 7, 2021). "Hornets invite NC State's Funderburk for pre-draft workout". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  10. ^ Williams, Justin (April 27, 2021). "DJ Funderburk signs with Athletes Sports Management, ending NC State career". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  11. ^ Smith, R. Cory (July 31, 2021). "DJ Funderburk set to join Utah Jazz in NBA Summer League". 247 Sports. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  12. ^ Yahyabeyoglu, Fersu (August 27, 2021). "DJ Funderburk joins Avtodor". Eurobasket. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  13. ^ "Leave or stay: American players in Russia". basketnews.com.
  14. ^ "Le Paris Basketball recrute DJ Funderburk". parisbasketball.paris (in French). March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  15. ^ "Προμηθέας Πάτρας - "Πατρινός" ο D.J Funderburk". www.promitheasbc.gr. Archived from the original on 2022-07-12. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  16. ^ "ΑΝΑΚΟΊΝΩΣΗ ΚΑΕ ΠΡΟΜΗΘΈΑ". www.promitheasbc.gr. Archived from the original on 2022-09-03. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  17. ^ "DJ Funderburk joins Pallacanestro Reggiana". Sportando. September 3, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  18. ^ "D.J. Funderburk et Manu Lecomte ensemble à l'Hapoel Eilat". bebasket.fr (in French). November 14, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2023.

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