Matt Ryan
Ryan with the United States national team during the qualifiers for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup
No. 37 – New Orleans Pelicans
PositionSmall forward / power forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1997-04-17) April 17, 1997 (age 26)
White Plains, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolIona Prep
(New Rochelle, New York)
College
NBA draft2020: undrafted
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2021–2022Grand Rapids Gold
2022Boston Celtics
2022→Maine Celtics
2022Los Angeles Lakers
2022–2023Minnesota Timberwolves
2022–2023→Iowa Wolves
2023–presentNew Orleans Pelicans
2023–present→Birmingham Squadron
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Matthew Richard Ryan (born April 17, 1997)[1][2] is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Chattanooga.[3] He began his pro career in the NBA G League, before signing a two-way contract with the Boston Celtics.

High school career

Ryan attended Iona Prep where he led the Gaels to a 22–6 record en route to the program’s first Class AA Archdiocesan Championship while averaging 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game as a senior while also being named Mr. New York Basketball. [4] He was also named a first-team Parade All-American.[5]

College career

Ryan began his college career at Notre Dame, where he played sparingly before transferring to Vanderbilt after his sophomore season.[6] As a junior, he averaged 8.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. Following the season, Ryan transferred to Chattanooga.[7] As a senior, he had his best season, playing 33 games and averaging 15.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 30.6 minutes per game, while shooting 42.3 percent from the field, 35.9 percent from three-point range and 87.9 percent from the free-throw line.[8]

Professional career

Ryan went undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft.[9] His prospects were limited by the COVID-19 pandemic,[9] and he did not land a spot in the G League's bubble in 2020–21.[10] He resorted to working for DoorDash and UberEats while coaching a grassroots basketball team. He also worked at a cemetery in Yonkers, New York.[9]

Grand Rapids Gold (2021–2022)

Ryan joined the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2021 NBA Summer League and spent preseason with the Denver Nuggets.[11][12][13][14] He subsequently joined the Grand Rapids Gold of the G League for the 2021–22 season.[15] He averaged 15.8 points in 28 games for the Gold.[16]

Boston Celtics (2022)

On February 28, 2022, Ryan signed a two-way contract with the Boston Celtics.[8] He averaged 20.4 points in 14 games for the Maine Red Claws to finish the 2021–22 NBA G League season.[16] He made his first and only appearance for the Celtics on April 10, 2022, against the Memphis Grizzlies, scoring three points in five minutes.[17] The Celtics made it to the 2022 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games.[18]

Ryan joined the Celtics for the 2022 NBA Summer League.[16]

Los Angeles Lakers (2022)

On September 26, 2022, Ryan signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.[19] He made 37.5% of his 3-pointers in the preseason and earned the final spot on the team's 15-man roster out of training camp.[10][20] On November 2, he hit a corner 3-pointer to tie the game at the regulation buzzer against the New Orleans Pelicans, with the Lakers going on to win 120–117 in overtime. He had missed six of his first seven 3-point attempts against the Pelicans and finished the game with 11 points.[21] Ryan was waived by the Lakers on December 1.[22]

Minnesota Timberwolves / Iowa Wolves (2022–2023)

On December 8, 2022, Ryan signed a two-way contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves.[23]

On September 28, 2023, Ryan re-signed with the Timberwolves on another two-way contract,[24] but was waived on October 20.[25]

New Orleans Pelicans (2023–present)

On October 22, 2023, Ryan was claimed off waivers by the New Orleans Pelicans and subsequently signed to a two-way contract.[26] On November 2, Ryan had his first NBA start against the Pistons.

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 Boston 1 0 5.0 .200 .200 — .0 .0 1.0 .0 3.0
2022–23 L.A. Lakers 12 0 10.8 .306 .371 .800 1.2 .3 .2 .0 3.9
2022–23 Minnesota 22 0 8.2 .424 .388 .857 .5 .5 .1 .0 3.4
Career 34 0 9.0 .363 .371 .833 .7 .5 .2 .0 3.6

Personal life

He is the son of Richard and Laurie Ryan and has two siblings, Mikela and Michael. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics at Vanderbilt and worked on his MBA at Chattanooga.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Matt Ryan - 2016-17 MEN'S BASKETBALL ROSTER". UND.com. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  2. ^ "Matt Ryan - Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Matt Ryan - 2019-20 Men's Basketball Roster". GoMocs.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  4. ^ Fallor, Evan (March 19, 2015). "Iona Prep's Matt Ryan named New York's Mr. Basketball". lohud. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  5. ^ McLaughlin, Brian (May 29, 2015). "Meet Parade's 2015 All-America Basketball Teams". Parade. Archived from the original on May 30, 2015.
  6. ^ Johnson, Jesse (April 25, 2017). "Vanderbilt gains Notre Dame transfer Matt Ryan". 247 Sports. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  7. ^ Sparks, Adam (May 2, 2019). "Vanderbilt basketball: Matt Ryan transfers to Chattanooga, trims Jerry Stackhouse's first team". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Celtics Sign Matt Ryan To Two-Way Contract". NBA. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Baer, Jack (November 3, 2022). "Lakers' Matt Ryan goes from DoorDash driver to buzzer-beater hero in much-needed win over Pelicans". Yahoo.com. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Goon, Kyle (October 15, 2022). "Matt Ryan survives cuts, makes Lakers' roster". The Orange County Register. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  11. ^ Maher, Rory (September 27, 2021). "Nuggets Sign Matt Ryan, Set 20-Man Camp Roster". HoopsRumors.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  12. ^ "Denver Nuggets Announce 2021-22 Training Camp Roster and Schedule". NBA.com. September 27, 2021. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  13. ^ Adams, Luke (October 11, 2021). "Nuggets Waive Matt Ryan". HoopsRumors.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  14. ^ Denver Nuggets [@nuggets] (October 11, 2021). "OFFICIAL: We have signed Giorgi Bezhanishvili to an Exhibit 10 contract and have waived Matt Ryan. #MileHighBasketball" (Tweet). Retrieved November 26, 2021 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "Grand Rapids Gold Announce 2021-22 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 28, 2021. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  16. ^ a b c "Matt Ryan". realgm.com. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  17. ^ "Matt Ryan 2021-22 Game Log". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  18. ^ "Celtics take bitter with sweet after losing in NBA Finals". NBA.com. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  19. ^ "Lakers Sign Dwayne Bacon and Matt Ryan". NBA.com. September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  20. ^ Woike, Dan (November 30, 2022). "LeBron James, Austin Reaves power Lakers over Trail Blazers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 1, 2022. The team also will waive wing Matt Ryan, who made the team as the 15th player out of training camp.
  21. ^ "Ryan forces OT, Lakers rally for 120-117 win over Pelicans". ESPN.com. November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  22. ^ "Lakers Waive Matt Ryan". NBA.com. December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  23. ^ "Timberwolves Sign Matt Ryan to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  24. ^ Stanton, Matt (September 28, 2023). "Timberwolves Announce Training Camp Roster and Information". NBA.com. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  25. ^ "Timberwolves Waive Four Players". NBA.com. October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  26. ^ "Pelicans Add Matt Ryan On Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.

External links

New Orleans Pelicans roster
Birmingham Squadron current roster
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