Rodney Purvis

Rodney Purvis
Born	(1994-02-14) February 14, 1994 Plymouth, North Carolina, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2012–present
Known for	Playing for NC State Wolfpack, UConn Huskies, and professional teams including Orlando Magic and Kožuv

Rodney O'Keith Purvis (born February 14, 1994) is a professional American basketball athlete currently signed with Kožuv competing in the Macedonian League. Originating from Plymouth, North Carolina, Purvis plays as a shooting guard and played collegiate basketball representing the NC State Wolfpack and later the UConn Huskies.

High school career

In October 2010, Purvis accelerated his academic progression by reclassifying from the high school class of 2013 to 2012, thus advancing his entry into college basketball. Initially, he committed to Louisville during spring 2011; however, following a coaching transition, he reopened his recruitment process. On September 30, 2011, Purvis opted to join Mark Gottfried at N.C. State, selecting the Wolfpack over offers from programs such as Connecticut, Memphis, Duke, Missouri, and Ohio State.

Purvis earned the title of 2012 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year and was selected to compete in the esteemed 2012 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. On April 14, 2012, he delivered a standout performance at the Jordan Brand Classic, scoring 22 points along with three steals, which led to him sharing co-MVP honors with Shabazz Muhammad.

ESPN analyst Dave Telep praised Purvis as an explosive athlete with a potent scoring ability and exceptional finishing skills, ranking him among the premier offensive talents of his class. ESPN positioned him as the 15th best recruit nationally, while Rivals.com placed him at number 12. Comparisons were often made between Purvis and fellow Raleigh native John Wall.

College career

During his freshman year at N.C. State, Purvis appeared in 35 games, posting averages of 8.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per contest while shooting 44% overall and converting 38.2% from beyond the arc. He received ACC Rookie of the Week honors on November 12 and recorded a season-high 21 points against Boston College on February 27. However, after coach Gottfried began starting T. J. Warren, Purvis’s playing time diminished significantly, culminating in averages of just 12.8 minutes and 12 points over his final four games. On April 5, 2013, he announced his transfer to Connecticut, citing a mismatch with N.C. State’s system and a desire for greater autonomy. During his redshirt year at UConn, he trained alongside Shabazz Napier but underwent surgery for a left labral tear in December 2013. He prepared for his initial active season at Connecticut in conjunction with teammate Ryan Boatright.

In his sophomore campaign, Purvis missed one game due to participation in two summer leagues. On March 2, 2015, he earned AAC Player of the Week honors after delivering a 28-point effort complemented by three assists and three steals during an 81–73 victory over SMU. His strong showing continued as he was named to the All-AAC Tournament Team following a 29-point performance in the championship game against SMU. He finished second on the team with an average of 11.6 points per game and totaled 54 three-pointers made while contributing 2.4 rebounds per game.

As a junior, Purvis posted a season-high of 28 points in a December 20 win against UMass Lowell and led UConn with an average of 12.8 points per game across 36 contests, along with accumulating 72 assists and recording 32 steals. He played a key role in guiding the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament where they secured a win over Colorado before being eliminated by Kansas in the second round. Following this season, Purvis declared for the 2016 NBA draft but chose not to hire an agent, maintaining eligibility to return for his senior year at Connecticut. During that summer, he participated in Chris Paul's guard camp to further refine his abilities.

Lakeland Magic (2017–2018)

Following the 2017 NBA draft, in which he was not selected, Purvis participated with the Utah Jazz during the 2017 NBA Summer League. On October 9, 2017, he inked a non-guaranteed deal with the Orlando Magic but was released prior to the commencement of the regular season. Subsequently, on October 23, 2017, Purvis was added to the Lakeland Magic’s training camp roster.

Orlando Magic (2018)

Purvis secured a 10-day contract with the Orlando Magic on March 8, 2018. He debuted in the NBA the following day, logging 10 minutes in a defeat against the Sacramento Kings. After signing a second 10-day contract on March 18, he was signed for the remainder of the season on March 28.

On July 20, 2018, Purvis was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Dakari Johnson and cash considerations. Just three days later, Oklahoma City traded him to the Boston Celtics for Abdel Nader while also receiving cash considerations. The Celtics waived Purvis on July 30, 2018.

Sioux Falls Skyforce (2018–2019)

Purvis signed with the Miami Heat on October 11, 2018, but was waived two days later. He then joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate team. Over 49 games, he averaged 14.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per contest.

Hapoel Tel Aviv (2019)

On July 27, 2019, Purvis agreed to a one-year contract with Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He parted ways with the club on September 29 after participating in one pre-season tournament game.

Pallacanestro Cantù (2020)

Purvis signed with Pallacanestro Cantù of Italy’s top-flight Lega Basket Serie A on February 25, 2020.

Bergamo Basket (2020–2021)

On August 9, 2020, Purvis joined Bergamo Basket 2014 to compete in Italy’s second division Serie A2 league.

King Wilki Morskie Szczecin (2021)

Purvis inked a deal with Wilki Morskie Szczecin of the Polish Basketball League on February 23, 2021. He averaged 7.8 points, 2.9 assists, and 1.1 rebounds per game during his tenure.

Cherkaski Mavpy (2021–2022)

On August 27, 2021, Purvis signed with Cherkaski Mavpy in Ukraine’s Basketball SuperLeague. Before departing from the team on January 4, 2022, he posted averages of 10.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per contest.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando | 16 || 2 || 18.1 || .327 || .250 || .867 || 1.7 || 1.1 || .2 || .2 || 6.0 |- | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 16 || 2 || 18.1 || .327 || .250 || .867 || 1.7 || 1.1 || .2 || .2 || 6.0

College

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2012–13 | style="text-align:left;"| NC State | 34 || 23 || 26.0 || .444 || .395 || .512 || 2.4 || 1.3 || .6 || .1 || 8.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2014–15 | style="text-align:left;"| Connecticut | 33 || 24 || 28.7 || .429 || .360 || .538 || 2.4 || 1.2 || .8 || .2 || 11.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2015–16 | style="text-align:left;"| Connecticut | 36 || 21 || 28.8 || .434 || .385 || .657 || 3.0 || 2.1 || .9 || .1 || 12.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17 | style="text-align:left;"| Connecticut | 33 || 32 || 36.9 || .372 || .341 || .811 || 4.2 || 2.5 || 1.0 || .2 || 13.8 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 136 || 100 || 29.9 || .416 || .363 || .638 || 3.0 || 1.8 || .8 || .1|| 11.6

National team career

Purvis received an invitation to join the USA World Cup Qualifying Team training camp on February 8, 2018.

Personal life

LeVelle Moton, the coach at N.C. Central, serves as Purvis's godfather. His mother, Shanda McNair, became the adoptive parent of Tyrek Coger during Coger’s eighth-grade year. Tragically, Coger died following a workout session at Oklahoma State University on July 21, 2016.

External links

• Rodney Purvis profile at NBADraft.net
• Rodney Purvis profile at RealGM.com
• UConn Huskies biography