Andre Drummond

Andre Drummond
Andre Drummond
Born	August 10, 1993 (age 33); Mount Vernon, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2012–present
Known for	NBA All-Star (2016, 2018), NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2013)

Andre Jamal Drummond (born August 10, 1993) is an American professional basketball center currently playing for the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was chosen ninth overall by the Detroit Pistons during the first round of the 2012 NBA draft.

Recognized as one of the premier high school basketball talents in 2011, Drummond spent a single collegiate season with the UConn Huskies before entering the NBA draft. He earned a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2013 and was selected as an NBA All-Star in 2016. In 2020, Drummond was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and after reaching a buyout agreement in 2021, he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers to finish that season. His career also includes stints with the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls. Throughout his NBA tenure, Drummond has been consistently ranked among the league's elite rebounders. On the international stage, he secured a gold medal with the 2014 U.S. national team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Early life

Born in Mount Vernon, New York to Jamaican parents in 1993, Drummond relocated to Middletown, Connecticut when he was seven years old. He attended Woodrow Wilson Middle School before enrolling at Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford for high school. During his freshman year, he averaged 12.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 blocks per game. His sophomore campaign saw marked improvement with averages of 20.2 points, 16.6 rebounds, 7.2 blocks, and 4.5 steals per contest.

Following two years at Capital Prep, Drummond transferred to St. Thomas More in Oakdale, where he repeated his sophomore year while recovering from a foot injury and reclassified academically. At St. Thomas More, he emerged as one of high school basketball’s most formidable centers, guiding his team to a national prep championship in 2011 before graduating that spring.

In recruiting rankings, Drummond was rated No. 1 nationally in the class of 2011 by ESPN and NBADraft.net, while receiving No. 2 rankings from both Rivals.com and Scout.com. During summer 2010, he played a key role on the United States squad that captured gold at the 2010 FIBA Under-17 World Championship, contributing to Team USA’s decisive 111–80 victory over Poland in the final.

College career

Drummond initially intended to undertake a postgraduate year at Wilbraham & Monson Academy for the 2011–12 academic year. However, just two weeks later on August 26, 2011, he announced via Twitter his decision to reclassify and enroll at the University of Connecticut. This choice attracted considerable media attention. Other programs he considered included Kentucky, Louisville, Georgetown, and West Virginia.

As a freshman at UConn, Drummond appeared in 34 games with 30 starts, averaging 28.4 minutes per game along with 10.0 points and 7.6 rebounds. He led the team in rebounds, blocks (2.7 per game), and field goal percentage (.538). A highlight performance included scoring 24 points on an efficient 11-of-12 shooting against Holy Cross. His collegiate season concluded with a first-round exit from the 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, where UConn fell to Iowa State; Drummond contributed two points before fouling out after playing 26 minutes. One month later, he declared for the 2012 NBA draft.

2012–15: Early years and initial double-double achievements

Drummond was picked ninth overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2012 NBA draft. During his debut season, he averaged 7.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.0 steal, and 1.6 blocks across 20.7 minutes per contest. On May 14, 2013, he earned a spot on the 2012–13 NBA All-Rookie Second Team and placed fourth in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting.

On January 24, 2014, Drummond posted a then career-best with 20 rebounds alongside 20 points in a defeat against the New Orleans Pelicans. He set a new NBA Rising Stars Challenge record with 25 rebounds and scored 30 points on February 14, which earned him MVP honors for the event. On March 3, he recorded 17 points and a personal best of 26 rebounds during a victory over the New York Knicks.

By March 11, 2015, Drummond had tallied 22 points and a season-high 25 rebounds in a loss to the Golden State Warriors. This marked his fourth game with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds over two seasons—the highest total in the league during that timeframe. Later that month, on March 29, he achieved a then career-high of 32 points in a loss to the Miami Heat.

2015–17: First All-Star appearance and leading rebounder

At the start of the 2015–16 campaign, Drummond posted double-doubles in each of Detroit's opening three contests, contributing to a 3–0 start—the franchise’s best since the 2008–09 season. He became the first Piston since Ben Wallace in 2004–05 to begin a season with three straight double-doubles. Additionally, Drummond was honored as Eastern Conference Player of the Week for both of the first two weeks—a first for any Piston and the earliest since LeBron James achieved it in 2011–12.

On November 3, he scored 25 points and grabbed a career-high 29 rebounds, achieving consecutive games with at least 20 points and rebounds—the first Piston to do so since 1985. Five days later, on November 8, Drummond posted 29 points and collected 27 rebounds, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to have three games with at least twenty points and rebounds within their first six games of a season. His streak of eleven straight double-doubles to open the season concluded on November 21; this was Detroit's longest such run since Dave DeBusschere's thirteen double-doubles in the 1966–67 season.

On December 18, Drummond scored a career-best 33 points along with 21 boards during a quadruple-overtime victory against the Chicago Bulls. This made him the first Piston to reach at least thirty points and twenty rebounds in one game since Dennis Rodman achieved it in the 1990–91 season. On January 20, 2016, he set an NBA record by missing twenty-three free throws while attempting a franchise-record thirty-six attempts from the line.

Drummond received his inaugural NBA All-Star nod as an Eastern Conference reserve on January 28, 2016, also competing in the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend. By February 27, he accumulated his league-leading fiftieth double-double of that season. His consecutive double-double streak ended at thirteen games on March 2. The Pistons closed out the regular season at 44–38, clinching their first playoff appearance since 2009 but were swept in the opening round by eventual champions Cleveland Cavaliers.

On July 15, 2016, Drummond agreed to a five-year contract extension with Detroit worth $130 million. On October 30, he recorded his tenth career game with at least twenty points and twenty rebounds during a win over Milwaukee. By November 19, he had amassed four thousand career rebounds at just twenty-three years and one hundred one days old, becoming second youngest behind Dwight Howard to reach this mark. On December 7, Drummond posted a season-high twenty-six points alongside twenty rebounds in a loss against Charlotte. On March 17, 2017, he secured twenty-two rebounds versus Toronto—his seventh such performance that year and thirty-fourth career game with at least twenty boards.

2017–20: Second All-Star nod and back-to-back rebounding crowns

On October 23, 2017, Drummond tallied 14 points alongside 14 rebounds in a defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers, propelling him to sixth place on Detroit’s all-time rebounding leaderboard, surpassing Walter Dukes. Just two days later, he secured his 5,000th career rebound, becoming the sixth player in Pistons history to reach this milestone and the second-youngest after Dwight Howard. By November 10, Drummond contributed 16 points, 20 rebounds, and a career-best seven assists in a victory over the Atlanta Hawks, helping Detroit achieve its strongest start since the 2005–06 season. He was the first player since Dennis Rodman to accumulate at least 200 rebounds within the first 13 games of two separate seasons. On November 27, Drummond set season highs with 26 points and 22 rebounds versus the Boston Celtics, adding six assists and four steals—marking the first time a player combined those figures since Charles Barkley in 1990.

On December 14, he delivered 12 points, 19 rebounds, and a personal record eight assists in a win against the Hawks. On January 24, 2018, Drummond posted an impressive line of 30 points, 24 rebounds, six blocks, four assists, and three steals during an overtime loss to the Utah Jazz, achieving a stat line unseen since blocks and steals began being tracked in the 1973–74 season. At age 24, he also became the youngest player to reach 2,000 offensive rebounds, surpassing Howard’s mark. On January 30, he was selected as a replacement for John Wall in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game. On February 3, Drummond recorded 23 points, 20 rebounds, along with four steals and four blocks in a victory over the Miami Heat, becoming the first player since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1989 to post such numbers. Four days later, he grabbed a season-high 27 rebounds against the Brooklyn Nets. On March 29, he achieved his twentieth career game with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds—the most among active players since his NBA debut. He closed the season averaging 16 rebounds per contest, matching a feat last accomplished by Rodman in 1997.

On November 5, 2018, Drummond notched 25 points and secured 24 rebounds in an overtime defeat to the Miami Heat. By January 31, he had become Detroit’s all-time leader in offensive rebounds with his 2,431st during a win over the Dallas Mavericks. On February 8, Drummond posted his ninth game of the season with at least 20 points and rebounds by scoring 29 points and pulling down 20 boards against the New York Knicks. Three days later, he reached a season-high of 32 points facing the Washington Wizards. On March 8, Drummond spearheaded Detroit’s comeback from a large deficit by delivering a performance of 20 points and a league-leading eleventh game with at least twenty points and rebounds that season—earning him Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors. His streak of nineteen straight double-doubles on March 11 tied a franchise record previously set by Bob Lanier. Later that month, he became the first player since official recording began to register four seasons with at least 1,000 points and rebounds plus over one hundred combined blocks and steals. In April, Drummond surpassed his own franchise record by posting his sixty-seventh double-double for the campaign.

Drummond opened the 2019–20 season impressively with a debut performance of 32 points and 23 rebounds against the Indiana Pacers, joining Charles Barkley (1992) and George McGinnis (1977) as only players since the NBA merger to start their season with such numbers.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2020–2021)

On February 6, 2020, the Pistons completed a trade sending Drummond to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Brandon Knight, John Henson, and a second-round draft pick for 2023. The Cavaliers and Drummond agreed to a contract buyout on March 26, 2021.

Los Angeles Lakers (2021)

Drummond inked a one-year deal worth $794,536 with the Los Angeles Lakers on March 28, 2021, stepping in to bolster the offense during the absences of key players LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Over 21 games—all as a starter—he averaged 11.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while playing around 24 minutes per contest. Although fully healthy, he was sidelined for Game 6 of the first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, in which the Lakers were eliminated in six games.

Philadelphia 76ers (2021–2022)

Drummond signed a veteran minimum contract for one year valued at $2.4 million with the Philadelphia 76ers on August 4, 2021.

Brooklyn Nets (2022)

On February 10, 2022, Drummond was part of a trade package including Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and two future first-round selections sent to the Brooklyn Nets in return for James Harden and Paul Millsap. In his first appearance with Brooklyn on February 14, he contributed 11 points and nine rebounds during a 109–85 victory over the Sacramento Kings, snapping an 11-game losing streak for the Nets. Following the release of Jevon Carter, Drummond switched his jersey number from 4 to 0 on February 23.

Chicago Bulls (2022–2024)

Drummond agreed to a two-year contract worth $6.6 million with the Chicago Bulls on July 6, 2022. He opted into his player option for the 2023–24 season on June 29, 2023.

On November 6, 2023, Drummond achieved his milestone of securing his 10,000th rebound during a game versus the Utah Jazz. Later, on December 26, substituting for an injured Nikola Vučević, he posted an impressive double-double with 24 points and 25 rebounds in a narrow 118–113 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

The NBA imposed a $15,000 fine on Drummond on February 8, 2024, due to an inappropriate gesture.

Second stint with 76ers (2024–present)

Drummond rejoined the Philadelphia 76ers by signing a two-year contract valued at $10 million on July 7, 2024. On March 3, 2025, he recorded 25 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in a loss against the Portland Trail Blazers, with a final score of 102–119.

National team career

Drummond was included in the 2014 U.S. national team roster that won gold at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, contributing averages of 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds across eight games.

Personal life

Drummond is a father of three children: two daughters and one son. During his rookie season, he briefly dated former iCarly actress Jennette McCurdy.

Since 2016, he has served as an Ambassador for Special Olympics. He currently resides in Lindenwold, New Jersey and owns a summer residence in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit |60||10||20.7||.608|| .500 ||.371||7.6||.5||1.0||1.6||7.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit |81||81||32.3|| .623 ||.000||.418||13.2||.4||1.2||1.6||13.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit |82||style="background:#cfecec;"|82*||30.5||.514||.000||.389||13.5||.7||.9||1.9||13.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit |81||81||32.9||.521||.333||.355||style="background:#cfecec;"|14.8*||.8||1.5||1.4||16.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit |81||81||29.7||.530||.286||.386||13.8||1.1||1.5||1.1||13.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit |78||78|||33.7||| .529 || .000 || .605 || style="background:#cfecec;" |16.0* || 3.0 ||1.5 ||1.6 ||15.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;" |Detroit |79 ||79 ||33.5 || .533 || .132 || .590 || style="background:#cfecec;" |15.6* ||1.4 ||1.7 ||1.7 ||17.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 |

| style="text-align:left;" |Detroit
|49 ||48 || 33.7 || .530 || .048 || .584 || style="background:#cfecec;" |15.8* ||2.8 || 2.0 ||1.7 || 17.8

|-

|style="text-align:left;" |Cleveland
|8 ||8 ||28.1 || .552 || .286 || .513 || style="background:#cfecec;" |11.1* ||1..8 ||1..5 ||1..4 ||17..5

|-

|style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 |
|style="text-align:left;" |Cleveland
|25 ||25 ||28..9 || .474 || .000 || .597 ||13..5 ||2..6 ||1..6 ||1..2 ||17..5

|-

|style="text-align:left;" |L.A.Lakers
|21 ||21 ||24..8 || .531||| —||| .605|||10..2|||1..4|||1..1|||1..0|||11..9

|-

|style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 |
|style="text-align:left;" |Philadelphia
|49 ||12 ||18..4 || .538||| .000||| .512|||8..8|||2..0|||1..1|||0..9|||6..1

|-

|style="text-align:left;" |Brooklyn
|24 ||24 ||22..3 || .610||| .000||| .537|||10..3|||1..4|||0..9|||1..0|||11..8

|-

|style="text-align:left;" |
|style="text-align:left;" |Chicago
|67 ||0 ||12..7 || .606||| .000||| .536|||6..6|||0..5|||0..7|||0..4|||6

|-

|style="text-align:left;" |
|style="text-align:left;" |Chicago
|79 ||10 ||17..1||||556||||000||||592||||9..0||||05||||09||||84

|-

|style="text-align:left;" |
|style="text-align:left;" |Philadelphia
|40 ||23 ||18..8||||500||||150||||622||||7..8||||09||||10||||05||||73

|- class="sortbottom"

|style="text-align:center;" colspan= "2"|Career
|904||663||||26..8||||542||||129||||486||||12..1||||12||||13||||13||||12..5

|- class= "sortbottom"

|style= "text-align:center" colspan= "2"|All-Star
|2||||18..0||||833||||000||||—||||08..0||||00||||10||||05||||15

Playoff Performance

|- | style="text-align:left"|2016 | style="text-align:left"|Detroit | 4 || 4 || 32.8 || .519 || .000 || .324 || 9.0 || .0 || .3 || 1.5 || 16.8 |- | style="text-align:left"|2019 | style="text-align:left"|Detroit | 4 || 4 || 31.8 || .444 || .000 || .429 || 13.0 || 2.3 || 1.5 || 1.3 || 14.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2021 | style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Lakers | 5 || 5 || 21.0 || .594 || — || .700 || 11.0 || .0 || .8 || .6 || 9.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2022 | style="text-align:left;"|Brooklyn | 4 || 4 || 15.0 || .545 || — || .600 || 3.0 || .8 || 1.3 || .8 || 3.8 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Overall Playoff Stats | 17 || 17 || 24.9 || .510 || .000 || .429 || 9.1 || .7 || .9 || 1.0 || 10.8

Collegiate Career

|- | style="text-align:left;"|2011–12 | style="text-align:left"|Connecticut | 34 || 30 || 28.4 || .538 || .000 || .295 || 7.6 || .4 || .8 || 2.7 || 10.0

External links

UConn Huskies biography