Greg Monroe
Greg Monroe | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gregory Keith Monroe Jr. June 4, 1990 Harvey, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Former professional basketball player, player development coach |
| Years active | 2010–2024 (player), 2024–present (coach) |
| Known for | NBA player, player development coach for the New Orleans Pelicans |
Gregory Keith Monroe Jr. (born June 4, 1990) is a former American professional basketball athlete who currently serves as a player development coach for the New Orleans Pelicans in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Chosen seventh overall in the 2010 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons, Monroe was the final Pistons player to don the number 10 jersey before it was retired in honor of Dennis Rodman in 2011. During his initial year playing at Georgetown University, he was recognized as the Big East Rookie of the Year.
High school career
Monroe attended Helen Cox High School located in Harvey, Louisiana. In his senior year (2007–08), he earned distinction as a McDonald's All-American and was named to the first team of the Parade All-America, after averaging 21.0 points and 14.0 rebounds per game.
Ranked a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Monroe was positioned as the nation's top power forward and eighth overall player in the class of 2008.
Freshman season (2008–2009)
While playing for Georgetown, Monroe secured the title of Big East Rookie of the Year and was included on both the Big East All-Rookie team and CBSSports.com NCAA Freshman All-American first team. Over 31 games, he averaged 12.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks per contest.
Sophomore season (2009–2010)
Monroe accumulated numerous accolades such as All-Big East first team, Big East All-Tournament team, USBWA All-District II team, NABC Division I All-District 5 first team, AP NCAA All-America third team, and NABC Division I All-America third team honors. In 34 appearances, his averages were 16.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game.
On April 17, 2010, Monroe announced his decision to enter the NBA draft, foregoing his remaining two years of collegiate eligibility.
Detroit Pistons (2010–2015)
Monroe was drafted seventh overall in the first round of the 2010 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons, officially signing with them on July 6, 2010.
He made his professional debut on October 30, 2010, facing the Chicago Bulls, initially coming off the bench before securing a starting position by December. During his rookie season, Monroe's contributions grew notably; on February 23, 2011, he achieved a season-high with 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against the Indiana Pacers. He concluded the season ranked sixth in NBA Rookie of the Year voting.
In the 2011–12 season, Monroe started all 66 games for Detroit and participated in the NBA All-Star Weekend Rising Stars Challenge alongside teammate Brandon Knight.
By the time of the 2013–14 season, Monroe had accomplished three consecutive seasons surpassing both 1,000 points and 600 rebounds, joining Grant Hill as only Pistons players to do so since the 1994–95 campaign.
On June 30, 2014, Detroit extended a qualifying offer to Monroe to maintain their restricted free agent rights; he accepted this offer on September 8, which set him up to become an unrestricted free agent in 2015. The next day, Monroe faced a two-game suspension without pay related to a February DUI incident.
During the course of the 2014–15 season, Monroe recorded a personal best of 29 points on December 3 during an overtime defeat to the Boston Celtics. After missing eleven games due to a knee injury, he returned on April 8, 2015, posting 19 points and securing 10 rebounds in another loss against Boston.
Milwaukee Bucks (2015–2017)
On July 9, 2015, Monroe agreed to a three-year deal worth $50 million with the Milwaukee Bucks. He made his debut on October 28, 2015, contributing 22 points and 14 rebounds in the season opener, which ended in a loss to the New York Knicks. During February and March of 2016, Monroe was sidelined for 12 games as coach Jason Kidd experimented with different lineups. Returning off the bench, he posted a season-best 29 points and 12 rebounds in a victory against the Boston Celtics. He was reinstated to the starting lineup on March 9 in a matchup versus the Miami Heat.
In the 2016–17 season, Monroe was designated a full-time reserve. On January 25, 2017, he led the Bucks by scoring a season-high 28 points during a defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Phoenix Suns (2017–2018)
Monroe was traded to the Phoenix Suns on November 7, 2017, along with rights to future draft selections, in exchange for Eric Bledsoe. Arriving while recovering from a left calf strain, he debuted on November 16 with 20 points and 11 rebounds in a loss to the Houston Rockets. Despite ongoing trade and buyout rumors, Monroe delivered strong performances including a game with 22 points and 15 rebounds in an overtime loss facing his former team, the Bucks. On January 24, 2018, he posted 16 points and a season-high 17 rebounds against the Indiana Pacers. The Suns waived Monroe on February 1, 2018.
Boston Celtics (2018)
Monroe inked a contract with the Boston Celtics on February 8, 2018. On April 6, he achieved his second career triple-double off the bench with totals of 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists during a 111–104 win over the Chicago Bulls, becoming the first Celtics center to record a triple-double since Robert Parish in 1987.
Toronto Raptors (2018–2019)
On August 10, 2018, Monroe signed with the Toronto Raptors. He was traded on February 7, 2019, along with a second-round pick in the 2021 draft to the Brooklyn Nets for cash considerations but was promptly waived by Brooklyn.
Boston Celtics (2019)
Monroe returned to the Boston Celtics on March 24, 2019, signing a 10-day contract. The organization opted not to renew his contract after its expiration.
Philadelphia 76ers (2019)
On April 4, 2019, Monroe signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Bayern Munich (2019–2020)
Monroe joined Bayern Munich of Germany's Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and competed in the EuroLeague for the 2019–20 season after signing on July 25, 2019.
Khimki (2020–2021)
On July 30, 2020, Monroe committed to Russian club BC Khimki, participating in both the VTB United League and EuroLeague during the 2020–21 campaign. He earned player of the week honors on November 11 after delivering a performance of 28 points and ten rebounds in an 86–78 victory over PBC CSKA Moscow. Khimki terminated his contract on January 23, 2021.
2021–22 season
Monroe signed with the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League on November 5, 2021, where he averaged averages of 10.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest. On December 27, he secured a 10-day contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, debuting with an impressive stat line of 11 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in a win against the Boston Celtics.
He then signed a short-term contract with the Washington Wizards on January 6, 2022, appearing in two games before returning to Capital City. On February 5, Monroe inked another 10-day deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, scoring six points and collecting six rebounds in his first game during a victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Ten days later he rejoined Capital City once more.
On March 28, Monroe signed yet another brief contract with the Utah Jazz. Subsequently, he returned to finish out the season with the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 7.
Shanxi Loongs (2022–2023)
Monroe inked a contract with the Shanxi Loongs of the Chinese Basketball Association on December 10, 2022. His tenure with the team concluded on January 21, 2023.
Osos de Manatí (2023)
On March 18, 2023, Monroe joined Osos de Manatí, competing in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN).
Coaching career
Monroe announced his retirement from professional basketball on September 26, 2024, subsequently accepting a role as a player development coach with the New Orleans Pelicans.
NBA
| * | Denotes league leader |
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit | 80 || 48 || 27.8 || .551 || .000 || .622 || 7.5 || 1.3 || 1.2 || .6 || 9.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit | style="background:#cfecec;"|66* || style="background:#cfecec;"|66* || 31.5 || .521 || .000 || .739 || 9.7 || 2.3 || 1.3 || .7 || 15.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit | 81 || 81 || 33.2 || .486 || .000 || .689 || 9.6 || 3.5 || 1.3 || .7 || 16.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit | 82 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 82* || 32.8 || .497 || .000 || .657 || 9.3 || 2.1 || 1.1 || .6 || 15.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit | 69 || 57 || 31.0 || .496 || || .750 || 10.2 || 2.1 || 1.1 || .5 || 15.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 79 || 67 || 29.3 || .522 || .000 || .740 || 8.8 || 2.3 || .9 || .8 || 15.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 81 || 0 || 22.5 || .534 || .000|| .741|| 6.6|| 2.3||1.1|| .5||11.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"rowspan=3 |
| style="text-align:left;" |Milwaukee |5||0||15.8||.485||||.500||5.0||1.0||0||0||6.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |Phoenix |20||14||23.3||.626||||.674||8.0||2.5||.8||.3||11.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |Boston |26||0||19.1||.530||||.797||6.3||2.3||1.1||.7||10.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"rowspan=3 | | style="text-align:left;" |Toronto |38||2||11.1||.460||.000||.574||4.1||.4||.3||.2||4..8
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |Boston |2||0||2..5||..600||||||1..5||..5||0||0|||3..0
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |Philadelphia |3|||0|||17..3|||..653|||1..000|||0..909|||4..3|||2..3|||0..3|||0|||13..7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"rowspan=4 | | style="text-align:left;" |Minnesota |4|||0|||20..3|||.591||||.429|||6..0|||.4|||1..0|||.5|||7..3
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |Washington |2|||0|||9..0|||.500||||||||5..0|||.5|||.5|||.5|||4..0
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |Milwaukee |5|||0|||17..3|||.500||||.556|||4..2|||.4|||.6|||.4|||5..4
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |Utah |3|||0|||8..3|||.800||||.571|||3..0|||1..0|||0..0|||.3|||4..0
|- class="sortbottom" ! colspan=2 style="text-align:center"|Career !646!!417!!27..4!!.514!!.059!!.703!!8..2!!2..1!!1..1!!.6!!13..0
Playoffs
|- | style="text-align:left;"|2017 | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 6 || 0 || 23.5 || .529 || || .833 || 7.3 || 1.7 || 1.3 || .5 || 13.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2018 | style="text-align:left;"|Boston | 11 || 0 || 9.5 || .500 || || .682 || 3.2 || .5 || .2 || .2 || 4.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2019 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 10 || 1 || 9.0 || .400 || .250 || .788 || 3.1 || .4 || .5 || .4 || 4.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2022 | style="text-align:left;"|Minnesota | 2 || 0 || 3.6 || .400 || || || 1.0 || .5 || 1.0 || .0 || 2.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 29 || 1 || 11.8 || .478 || .250 || .770 || 3.9 || .7 || .6 || .3 || 6.1
EuroLeague
| * | Led the league |
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20 | style="text-align:left;"| Bayern Munich | style="background:#CFECEC;"|28* || 24 || 24.1 || .523 || || .747 || 6.8 || 2.5 || 1.3 || .6 || 12.9 || 16.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21 | style="text-align:left;"| Khimki | 9 || 5 || 20.1 || .500 || .000 || .711 || 6.0 || 1.4 || .6 || .7|| 10.3||12.8 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center" colspan=2 |Career | 37||29||23.2||.519||.000||.737||6.6||2.3||1.1||.6||12.3||15.8
College
|- | style="text-align:left;" |2008–09
|style="text-align:left"|Georgetown |31||31||30.9||.570||.333||.700||6.6||2.6||.18||1.4||12.7 |- |style="text-align:left" |2009–10 |style="text-align:left"|Georgetown |34||33||34.2||'.525'||'.259'||'.660'||9.7||3.7||1.2||1.5||16.2
|- class="sortbottom"
|style="text-align:center" colspan=2 |Career |65||64||32.6||'.542'||'.273'||'.677'||8.2||3.2||1.5||1.5||14.5