Jordan McRae

Jordan McRae
Jordan McRae
Born	March 28, 1991 (age 35); United States
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2014–present
Known for	NBA player, 2016 NBA champion with Cleveland Cavaliers

Jordan Tyler McRae (born March 28, 1991) is an American professional basketball athlete who most recently competed for Scafati Basket in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played collegiate basketball with the Tennessee Volunteers and was selected 58th overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs. Measuring , McRae operates primarily as a shooting guard and small forward. He was part of the Cleveland Cavaliers team that secured the NBA championship in 2016.

McRae once held the NBA G League single-game scoring record by putting up 61 points. After stints in both the G League and overseas competitions, he inked a deal with the Washington Wizards in 2018. His most recent NBA affiliation was with the Detroit Pistons, joining them in March 2020.

High school career

Attending Liberty County High School in Hinesville, Georgia, McRae led the Panthers to several quarter-final appearances, garnered All-State recognition, and was nominated for the prestigious 2010 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. His high school tenure culminated with a remarkable performance featuring 37 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists. During his senior year (2009–10), he posted averages of 24 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and four blocks per contest.

He also competed with the Atlanta Celtics within the Amateur Athletic Union, a program previously guided by notable talents such as Josh Smith and Jordan Adams.

Ranked as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, McRae was positioned as the No. 10 shooting guard and No. 38 overall player nationally in his 2010 recruiting class.

College career

After limited playing time as a freshman, McRae appeared in all 34 games during his sophomore season (2011–12), starting 15 contests and elevating his scoring average from 1.8 to 8.6 points per game. He distinguished himself as one of the Southeastern Conference’s premier sixth men, recording double-digit points in six of Tennessee’s final 14 games.

In his junior campaign (2012–13), McRae started in 22 out of 33 games and led Tennessee in scoring with an average of 15.7 points per game. He also logged team-high minutes at 33.6 per game and topped three-point field goals made (60) and attempts (169), shooting .355 from beyond the arc. Additionally, he ranked second on the squad in assists, blocks, and steals, earning first-team All-SEC recognition along with USBWA All-District IV accolades.

During his senior year (2013–14), McRae started every one of Tennessee’s 37 games, averaging 18.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and one steal per game. His performance earned him first-team All-SEC honors and second-team NABC Division I All-District 21 recognition. In Tennessee’s four NCAA Tournament contests that season, he led the team with averages of 19.8 points and 1.5 blocks per game.

Across his entire collegiate career at Tennessee, McRae participated in 114 games with 74 starts, posting averages of 13.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists over 27.1 minutes per contest while shooting a field goal percentage of 41.7%.

Melbourne United (2014–2015)

McRae was chosen as the No. 58 pick overall by the San Antonio Spurs during the 2014 NBA draft on June 26, 2014; however, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers on draft night. He joined Philadelphia for the 2014 NBA Summer League, where he averaged 21 points, 2.5 rebounds, one assist, and 1.8 steals across four games.

On August 29, 2014, McRae signed with Melbourne United for the duration of the 2014–15 NBL season. He earned Player of the Week honors for Round 11 on December 24 after recording two separate games scoring 30 points in victories against the Wollongong and Sydney. Additionally, he was named Player of the Month for December. Throughout his tenure spanning 27 games with Melbourne United, McRae averaged nearly 20 points per game alongside contributions of 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and one steal per contest — ranking third in scoring league-wide while placing among the top fifteen players in steals, blocks, and assists categories.

Delaware 87ers (2015–2016)

On March 5, 2015, McRae was traded to the Delaware 87ers, the NBA Development League team affiliated with the Philadelphia 76ers. He made his first appearance the following day, contributing 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in a victory against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. On March 22, he achieved career-best numbers with 39 points and 13 rebounds during an overtime defeat to the Oklahoma City Blue.

In July 2015, McRae participated with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2015 NBA Summer League, where he averaged 12.5 points and 3.0 rebounds across four contests. He signed with the 76ers on September 27 but was released on October 26 after featuring in seven preseason games. He returned to the Delaware 87ers on November 2.

On January 26, 2016, McRae set a D-League single-game scoring record by pouring in 61 points, along with grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out 7 assists, guiding his team to an overtime victory over the Canton Charge. As of March 2022, this performance remains the second-highest scoring output in D-League history. Additionally, he earned selection to the East squad for the 2016 NBA Development League All-Star Game.

Phoenix Suns (2016)

McRae inked a 10-day contract with the Phoenix Suns on January 29, 2016, making his debut that evening by scoring 12 points while adding 4 assists, 2 rebounds, and a steal in 25 minutes off the bench during a 102–84 loss to the New York Knicks. He secured a second consecutive 10-day deal on February 8. On February 11, McRae was assigned to the Bakersfield Jam for participation in the D-League All-Star Game, where he posted seven points and five assists in just 14 minutes before being recalled by Phoenix on February 16. He contributed eight points in a limited role against the Houston Rockets on February 19. Following expiration of his contract, McRae returned to Delaware on February 23.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2016–2017)

On February 28, McRae signed a short-term deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, making his debut that same day by scoring eight points in seven minutes off the bench during a 113–99 loss to the Washington Wizards. He earned a multi-year contract on March 9. In April, McRae was briefly assigned to the Canton Charge for additional training and to assist their D-League Eastern Conference Finals efforts before being recalled.

On April 13, he recorded an NBA career-high of 36 points along with four rebounds and seven assists over a span of 47 minutes against the Detroit Pistons, including a pivotal three-pointer that forced overtime. Despite missing two critical free throws late due to cramps, his team advanced and ultimately won the 2016 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors in seven games, marking the first championship clinched after overcoming a 3–1 series deficit.

The Cavaliers exercised their option for McRae's contract for the 2016–17 season on June 28, 2016. He took part in the 2016 NBA Summer League, where he averaged an impressive 24.3 points per game and was named to the All-Summer League First Team. On December 31, McRae started in place of injured Kyrie Irving, delivering a season-best performance of 20 points during a 121–109 win over the Charlotte Hornets. The Cavaliers waived him on March 1, 2017.

Baskonia (2017)

On August 20, 2017, McRae committed to a one-year contract with Baskonia. However, on January 6, 2018, he and the club mutually agreed to part ways following left shoulder surgery performed in Vitoria-Gasteiz, which sidelined him for approximately five months and prematurely ended his season. During his tenure, he appeared in only four contests, three of which were in the EuroLeague, posting an average of five points per game.

Washington Wizards (2018–2020)

McRae inked a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards on September 20, 2018, aligning him also with their G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go. On January 18, 2019, he delivered a standout performance by scoring a season-high 54 points in a G League matchup against the Maine Red Claws. Throughout that season, he averaged 30.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, while maintaining an .849 free throw shooting percentage. His efforts led to the Wizards converting his deal into a standard NBA contract on April 9, 2019.

Denver Nuggets (2020)

On February 6, 2020, McRae was traded to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Shabazz Napier. Following a contract buyout, he was waived by Denver on March 1.

Detroit Pistons (2020)

McRae was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Pistons on March 4, 2020.

Beijing Ducks (2020–2021)

McRae signed a $1.5 million contract with the Beijing Ducks on December 27, 2020, intended for a span of 25 games. He participated in seven games during this period and averaged 11.3 points per outing.

Metropolitans 92 (2021–2022)

On August 22, 2021, McRae joined Metropolitans 92 competing in the LNB Pro A, where he posted averages of 13.8 points and 2.6 assists per game.

Hapoel Tel Aviv (2022–2023)

He signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League on September 23, 2022.

AEK Athens (2023–2024)

McRae secured a one-year agreement with Greek Basket League (GBL) team AEK Athens on July 14, 2023.

Scafati Basket (2024)

On October 28, 2024, he committed to play for Scafati Basket in Italy’s top division, the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Phoenix | 7 || 0 || 11.7 || .423 || .273 || .800 || 1.1 || 1.4 || .4 || .0 || 5.3 |- | style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland | 15 || 1 || 7.5 || .442 || .636 || .692 || .8 || 1.0 || .0 || .1 || 4.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland | 37 || 4 || 10.4 || .387 || .353 || .794 || 1.1 || .5 || .2 || .2 || 4.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Washington | 27 || 0 || 12.3 || .469 || .286 || .784 || 1.5 || 1.1 || .5 || .3 || 5.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Washington | 29 || 4 || 22.6 || .420 || .377 || .771 || 3.6 || 2.8 || .7 || .5 || 12.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Denver | 4 || 0 || 8.0 || .333 || .500 || .750 || 1.3 || 1.0 || .5 || .3 || 2.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit | 4 || 0 || 24.5 || .326 || .188 || .727 || 3.8 || 1.8 || .0 || .0 || 11.8 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 123 || 9 || 13.8 || .417 || .355 || .772 || 1.8 || 1.4 || .4 || .2 || 6.9

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"|2016 | style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland | 2 || 0 || 2.0 || 1.000 || 1.000 || || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 4.5 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 2 || 0 || 2.0 || 1.000 || 1.000 || || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 4.5

College

|- | style="text-align:left;"|2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"|Tennessee | 10 || 0 || 5.3 || .316 || .111 || .455 || .8 || .0 || .2 || .4 || 1.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2011–12 | style="text-align:left;"|Tennessee | 34 || 15 || 21.7 || .377 || .328 || .759 || 2.9 || 1.5 || .6 || .8 || 8.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2012–13 | style="text-align:left;"|Tennessee | 33 || 22 || 33.5 || .423 || .355 || .771 || 4.1 || 2.0 || .8 || .9 || 15.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2013–14 | style="text-align:left;"|Tennessee | 37 || 37 || 32.2 || .436 || .351 || .788 || 3.5 || 2.5 || .7 || 1.0 || 18.7 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 114 || 74 || 27.1 || .417 || .343 || .769 || 3.3 || 1.8 || .6 || .9 || 13.3

External links