Casper Ware
Casper Ware Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 17, 1990 |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Known for | Playing for CSKA Moscow in the VTB United League |
Casper Ware Jr. (born January 17, 1990) is a professional American basketball athlete currently playing for CSKA Moscow in the VTB United League. During his collegiate years, he competed with the Long Beach State 49ers.
College career
Prior to his final collegiate season, Ware was included in the preseason top 50 list for the Wooden Award. In the championship game of the 2012 Big West tournament, he tallied 33 points against UC Santa Barbara, propelling Long Beach State into the NCAA tournament. As a senior, his averages were 17.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.7 steals per contest. Ware received the Big West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year accolade and was recognized as an AP Honorable Mention All-American in both 2011 and 2012.
A.S. Junior Casale (2012–2013)
Following the 2012 NBA draft, where he was not selected, Ware participated in the 2012 NBA Summer League representing the Detroit Pistons. In August 2012, he inked a one-year contract with A.S. Junior Casale competing in Italy’s second-tier league, Legadue Basket. He distinguished himself by earning the Italian 2nd Division MVP title while averaging 20.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.
Virtus Bologna (2013–2014)
After playing for the Houston Rockets during the 2013 NBA Summer League, Ware signed a one-year contract with Virtus Bologna in August 2013. He parted ways with Virtus on March 10, 2014. Over 22 appearances, he posted averages of 11.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and one steal per game.
Philadelphia 76ers (2014)
Ware agreed to a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on March 24, 2014. In just his second appearance, he recorded his first NBA points: scoring seven points along with two assists, two steals, and one rebound in slightly more than 22 minutes during a defeat to the Houston Rockets. He signed a second consecutive 10-day deal on April 4 and secured a contract for the remainder of that season on April 15.
During July 2014, Ware took part in the 2014 NBA Summer League as a member of the Sixers. On October 24, he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Marquis Teague and a future second-round draft pick in 2019 but was released by Brooklyn the following day.
EWE Baskets Oldenburg (2014–2015)
On November 1, 2014, Ware joined Germany’s EWE Baskets Oldenburg for the rest of the 2014–15 campaign. Throughout 27 contests, he averaged 13.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per outing.
Tianjin Ronggang (2015–2016)
Ware signed with Tianjin Ronggang of the Chinese Basketball Association on September 6, 2015. In a span of twelve games, he delivered averages of 20.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, four assists, and 1.3 steals per game.
ASVEL Basket and Melbourne United (2016–2019)
On March 27, 2016, Ware committed to ASVEL Basket in France’s top-tier league, LNB Pro A, where he averaged 11.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists over eight games.
Following a preseason stint with the Washington Wizards, Ware signed with Australia’s Melbourne United for the remainder of the 2016–17 NBL season on November 14, 2016. In his second appearance for Melbourne United, he scored a game-high of 28 points including a clutch three-pointer to secure victory against the Sydney Kings. He then posted an impressive performance with a career-high of 38 points featuring eight three-pointers versus the Perth Wildcats, later adding a decisive two-point shot to clinch a win over the Cairns Taipans. Across eighteen games that season, Ware averaged an impressive 22.1 points alongside four and a half assists per game.
Ware returned to ASVEL Basket on March 11, 2017 to finish out the remainder of the 2016–17 Pro A season.
He re-signed with Melbourne United for the following season (2017–18 NBL season) on August 22, 2017. Participating in all thirty-five matches that year, Ware posted averages of 16.7 points, nearly three rebounds per game (2.9), and contributed approximately four and a half assists (4.4), playing an instrumental role in Melbourne capturing the championship while earning All-NBL First Team recognition for his second consecutive year.
On August 14, 2018, Ware extended his contract with Melbourne United ahead of the 2018–19 NBL season. He helped guide Melbourne to their second straight grand final appearance and secured All-NBL First Team honors for a third consecutive season after averaging across thirty-four games: nearly nineteen points (18.8), just over three rebounds (3.1), and approximately four and a half assists (4.4) per contest.
Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski and Sydney Kings (2019–2021)
In March 2019, Ware signed with Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski competing in the Polish Basketball League, where he averaged 18.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.3 steals across nine games.
On April 11, 2019, he secured a multi-year deal with the Sydney Kings of the NBL, subsequently earning a place on the Second Team All-NBL. Due to contract adjustments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ware opted out in May 2020 but returned to re-sign with the Kings in August of the same year. On April 18, 2021, he achieved a personal best by scoring 40 points in an 89–84 win against the Cairns Taipans.
BC Enisey (2021–2022)
Ware committed to BC Enisey of the VTB United League on August 6, 2021, where he posted averages of 16.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per contest.
CSKA Moscow (2022–present)
On March 12, 2022, Ware joined CSKA Moscow, continuing his professional journey within the VTB United League.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 9 || 0 || 12.9 || .429 || .333 || .833 || 1.0 || 1.1 || .9 || .0 || 5.3 |- | style="text-align:center" colspan="2"| Career | 9 || 0 || 12.9 || .429 || .333 || .833 || 1.0 || 1.1 || .9 || .0 || 5.3
Regular season
|- | align="left" | 2016–17 | align="left" | Melbourne | 18 || 18 || 31.8 || .425 || .327 || .830 || 2.6 || 4.5 || 1.3 || .1 || 22.1 |- | align="left" | 2017–18 | align="left" | Melbourne | 28 || 28|| 32.2 || .368 || .328 || .878 || 3.0 || 4.8 || 1.0 || .1 || 16.1 |- | align="left" | 2018–19 | align="left" | Melbourne | 28 || 28 || 34.0 || .403 || .355 || .837 || 3.1 || 4.5 || .9 || .1 || 18.9 |- | align="left" | 2019–20 | align="left" | Sydney | 28 || 28 || 30.2 || .385 || .302 || .788 || 2.5 || 3.9 || .6 || .1 || 19.6 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 102 || 102 || 33.0 || .395 || .328 || .833 || 2.8 || 4.4 || .9 || .1 || 18.8