Andray Blatche
Andray Blatche | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 22, 1986 New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player (former) |
| Years active | 2005–2025 |
Andray Maurice Blatche (born August 22, 1986) is a former professional basketball player with dual American and Filipino nationality. His NBA career spanned nine seasons from 2005 until 2014, after which he extended his playing tenure internationally. Blatche entered the NBA when the Washington Wizards selected him in the second round of the 2005 NBA draft, following his high school basketball years at Henninger High School and South Kent School.
Originally from New York, Blatche obtained Philippine citizenship through naturalization in June 2014, enabling him to represent the Philippine national team.
High school career
Blatche completed four years at Henninger High School located in Syracuse, New York, and then spent an additional year at the South Kent School in South Kent, Connecticut. In his fifth year (2004–05), he posted averages of 27.5 points, 16.0 rebounds, and 6.0 blocks per contest, guiding South Kent to a 32–9 season record.
Rated as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was ranked as the second-best power forward and fourth overall player nationwide in 2005. Opting to enter the 2005 NBA draft straight out of high school, Blatche was picked 49th overall in the second round by the Washington Wizards.
Washington Wizards (2005–2012)
Blatche missed the training camp after sustaining a gunshot wound during a carjacking incident on September 25, 2005. He recovered and made his NBA debut on November 11, contributing five points in a victory against the Seattle. In December 2005, he was briefly assigned to the Roanoke Dazzle of the NBA Development League before returning to Washington. Throughout his rookie campaign, he appeared in 29 games, averaging 2.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.
The following season (2006–07), injuries to the Wizards' frontcourt increased Blatche’s responsibilities as a backup center. On August 17, 2007, he secured a multi-year contract extension with the team. With starter Etan Thomas sidelined during the 2007–08 season, Blatche saw an uptick in playing time; he started in 15 of 82 games and averaged 8.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.
In January 2010, Blatche was fined $10,000 for taking part in teammate Gilbert Arenas' controversial pregame gunplay imitation. On February 28 of that year, he achieved a personal best by scoring 36 points in a victory over the New Jersey Nets. His performance steadily improved throughout the season; notably on April 4, he nearly recorded a triple-double with 20 points, a career-high of 13 assists, and nine rebounds.
Blatche signed a veteran contract extension in September 2010 and reached career-best statistics during the 2010–11 NBA season, posting averages of 16.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists across 64 games (63 starts).
On March 20, 2012, due to conditioning concerns, the Wizards indefinitely suspended Blatche; he was subsequently released under the amnesty provision on July 16. Following his departure, Blatche criticized Wizards management for harming his professional trajectory and falsely accusing him of poor locker room conduct. Coach Randy Wittman responded by stating that the organization had done everything possible to support him.
Brooklyn Nets (2012–2014)
Blatche inked a deal with the Brooklyn Nets on September 12, 2012, choosing jersey number 0 as a symbol of feeling abandoned by others. When starting center Brook Lopez suffered a foot injury, Blatche stepped into the starting lineup. Despite the team’s struggles with a 2–5 record during Lopez’s absence, Blatche delivered strong performances averaging 18.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
Returning to face his former team on January 4, 2013 against the Washington Wizards, Blatche received boos from fans but contributed efficiently with 13 points and 12 rebounds in just 19 minutes.
In the full span of the 2012–13 season, Blatche played all 82 regular-season games, averaging career-high field goal accuracy at 51.2%, alongside averages of 10.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He also participated in seven playoff contests that year, maintaining averages of roughly 10.3 points and just under five rebounds.
Blatche re-signed with Brooklyn on July 11, 2013. After another season-ending injury to Lopez occurred in December of that year, Blatche’s minutes increased significantly; in his first game without Lopez available, he posted an effort of eleven points and seven rebounds during a loss to the Indiana Pacers.
On June 20, 2014, Blatche opted out of his contract with the Nets and became an unrestricted free agent.
Xinjiang Flying Tigers (2014–2018)
On September 20, 2014, Blatche inked a one-year deal worth $2.5 million with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association. He ended his contract on February 1, 2015, after the 2014–15 CBA regular season, having posted averages of 31.1 points, 14.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.8 steals across 38 games.
Blatche returned to Xinjiang in March 2015 by signing a three-year contract valued at $7.5 million. In November 2016, an injury sidelined him temporarily, leading to Ben Bentil stepping in as his replacement. Upon his late December comeback, Blatche propelled Xinjiang to a CBA Finals sweep against the Guangdong Southern Tigers, clinching the championship title.
On January 4, 2018, amid criticism for underwhelming performance and a negative demeanor during the early stages of the 2017–18 season, Blatche was replaced by Augusto Lima on the roster. His statistics over five games included averages of 12.8 points and 6.4 rebounds, coupled with a notably adverse defensive influence. He made a return in March 2018 for the playoff series facing Guangdong.
Tianjin Gold Lions (2018–2019)
In December 2018, Blatche joined the Tianjin Gold Lions competing in the Chinese Basketball Association. Over the course of 19 games, he averaged 20.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.8 blocks per contest.
Later years (2020–2025)
Blatche participated in the 2020 Dubai Basketball International Championship representing Philippine-based team Mighty Sports, contributing to their tournament victory in the UAE.
In 2021, he showed interest in entering the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Despite holding Filipino citizenship, naturalized players such as Blatche are considered imports and must adhere to height limitations.
By 2024, having abandoned aspirations to compete in the PBA, Blatche joined Strong Group Athletics (SGA), another Philippine squad, for participation in the Dubai International Basketball Championship. He returned with SGA for the tournament in 2025 and declared his retirement in February of that year.
Regular season
|- | align="left" | | align="left" | Washington | 29 || 0 || 6.0 || .388 || .231 || .833 || 1.3 || .3 || .2 || .2 || 2.2 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Washington | 56 || 13 || 12.2 || .437 || .148 || .612 || 3.4 || .7 || .3 || .6 || 3.7 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Washington | style="background:#cfecec;"| 82* || 15 || 20.4 || .474 || .231 || .695 || 5.2 || 1.1 || .6 || 1.4 || 7.5 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Washington | 71 || 36 || 24.0 || .471 || .238 || .704 || 5.3 || 1.7 || .7 || 1.0 || 10.0 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Washington | 81 || 36 || 27.9 || .478 || .295 || .744 || 6.3 || 2.1 || 1.0 || .9 || 14.1 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Washington | 64 || 63 || 33.9 || .445 || .222 || .777 || 8.2 || 2.3 || 1.5 || .8 || 16.8 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Washington | 26 || 13 || 24.1 || .380 || .286 || .673 || 5.8 || 1.1 || .8 || .7 || 8.5 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Brooklyn | style="background:#cfecec;"| 82* || 8 || 19.0 || .512 || .136 || .685 || 5.1||1.0||1.0|| .7||10.3 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Brooklyn |73||7||22.2||.476||.278||.742||5.3||1.5||1.0||.5||11.2 |- | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career |564||191||22.1||.467||.237||.725||5.4||1.4||.9||.8||10.1
Playoffs
|- | align="left" | 2007 | align="left" | Washington | 2 || 0 || 12.5 || .667 || .000 || 1.000 || 3.5 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 4.5 |- | align="left" | 2008 | align="left" | Washington | 6 || 0 || 14.8 || .429 || .000 || .333 || 3.3 || .2 || .3 || 1.0 || 3.7 |- | align="left" | 2013 | align="left" | Brooklyn | 7 || 0 || 19.7 || .500 || .000 || .824 || 4.9 || 1.3 || .3 || .4 || 10.3 |- | align="left" | 2014 | align="left" | Brooklyn | 12 || 0 || 14.3 || .448 || .000 || .833 || 5.0 || .3 || .5 || .2 || 6.4 |- | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 27 || 0 || 15.7 || .476 || .000 || .733 || 4.5 || .5 || .4 || .4 || 6.7
CBA
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Xinjiang | 38 | 38.8 | .558 | .372 | .777 | 14.6 | 5.1 | 2.8 | .9 | 31.1 |
| 2015–16 | Xinjiang | 42 | 31.8 | .545 | .401 | .726 | 10.4 | 4.0 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 23.3 |
| 2016–17 | Xinjiang | 37 | 29.6 | .532 | .361 | .719 | 10.4 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 22.5 |
| Career | 117 | 33.4 | .546 | .378 | .743 | 10.91 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 25.6 | |
National team career
In January 2014, Blatche received an invitation to join the Philippines men's national basketball team (Gilas Pilipinas) as a naturalized player for participation in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2014 Asian Games. Subsequently, on May 26, the Philippine Senate passed legislation granting him Filipino citizenship, which was officially enacted on June 11, formalizing his naturalization.
Blatche was selected for the Philippine roster for both the World Cup and Asian Games; however, eligibility complications tied to residency rules enforced by the Olympic Council of Asia resulted in his disqualification from the Asian Games.
During the World Cup, he posted averages of 21.2 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per contest, playing a pivotal role in securing the Philippines’ first World Cup victory in forty years with an overtime win against Senegal.
In the following year, under coach Tab Baldwin’s leadership, Blatche competed in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, where he averaged 17.8 points and 9.2 rebounds over nine matches, and delivered an impressive performance at the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, scoring a total of 51 points across two games.
Citing safety concerns in Lebanon, Blatche opted out of the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup, leading to Christian Standhardinger taking over as the naturalized player for the team.
On July 2, 2018, Blatche was involved in an altercation during a 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification match against Australia.
In January 2020, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas announced it would no longer include Blatche on the national team and began exploring alternative naturalized players for future lineups.
Personal life
On September 25, 2005, just three months following his selection as the 49th overall pick by the Wizards, Blatche was wounded during a failed carjacking attempt near his residence in Alexandria, Virginia. He suffered a gunshot wound to the chest but avoided damage to any critical organs and was discharged from the hospital after two days. This injury forced him to miss the Wizards' training camp; however, he regained the ability to walk unaided shortly thereafter.
In August 2007, Blatche encountered a charge related to sexual solicitation in Washington, D.C., which was subsequently dismissed after he fulfilled court requirements and participated in an educational program designed for men involved in soliciting prostitution.
In June 2008, Blatche was taken into custody in Virginia for reckless driving and operating a vehicle with a suspended license for the third time, having been recorded driving at 86 mph in a 70 mph zone. He was later released on bail.
By June 2011, Blatche had established the Andray Blatche Foundation and embarked on a philanthropic trip to Jamaica, where he contributed sports gear and $50,000 to support local educational institutions.