Sean Singletary

Sean Singletary
Sean Singletary
Born	Sean Michael-Eli Singletary; September 6, 1985 (age 41); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player (retired)
Years active	2008–2014
Known for	Basketball career in NBA and overseas; Virginia Cavaliers standout

Sean Michael-Eli Singletary (born September 6, 1985) is a retired American professional basketball athlete who competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as well as overseas leagues. He played collegiate basketball with the Virginia Cavaliers, who honored him by retiring his jersey number.

Early life

Singletary was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and began his education at C. W. Henry Elementary School in Mount Airy. He attended The Haverford School and The Perkiomen School during his freshman and sophomore years before graduating from William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia. Originally excelling as a wide receiver in football, he eventually committed solely to basketball.

Rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Singletary was positioned as the No. 10 point guard and ranked No. 56 nationally in the class of 2004.

College career

Starting with All-ACC Freshman recognition in 2004–05, Singletary progressed to averaging 17.7 points per game and earning first-team all-ACC honors during his sophomore season, highlighted by an impressive 35-point performance against an Adam Morrison-led Gonzaga squad.

During the crucial 2006–07 campaign, Singletary served as Virginia’s floor general, coinciding with the team's transition to the newly built $130 million John Paul Jones Arena. Alongside senior J.R. Reynolds, he formed one of the most formidable backcourts in Cavalier history, guiding Virginia to its most successful season since 1994–95.

On March 9, 2008, Singletary reached a milestone by scoring his 2,000th career point and finished his tenure with a total of 2,079 points, placing him fifth on Virginia’s all-time scoring list. He joined ACC luminaries Greivis Vasquéz, Johnny Dawkins, and Danny Ferry as one of the few players to amass at least 2,000 points, 500 assists, and 400 rebounds; additionally, with over 200 steals, he holds a unique distinction in ACC history. Named to the All-ACC team three times, he stands alongside Bryant Stith and Ralph Sampson as the only Cavaliers to achieve this feat. His number 44 jersey was officially retired by Virginia on February 15, 2009.

As a freshman, Singletary started every contest, averaging 10.5 points and distributing 3.9 assists per game. He led all ACC freshmen in assists and steals and earned Freshmen All-America accolades from CollegeInsider.com and Rivals.com.

In his sophomore year, he secured first-team All-ACC honors—the first UVA player since Bryant Stith in 1992—posting averages of 17.7 points (fifth in the ACC), third in free throw percentage (.845), fifth in steals (1.86), and sixth in assists (4.17). On December 17, 2005, he recorded a career-high 35 points versus Gonzaga, earning ACC Player of the Week recognition. During the ACC Tournament against North Carolina, he notched his inaugural double-double with 29 points and 10 rebounds and received several team awards for leadership and excellence.

By his junior season, Singletary had established himself as one of the nation’s premier point guards, scoring double figures in every game but one. He led Virginia and ranked third within the ACC with an average of 19.0 points per game. His leadership contributed to Virginia sharing the ACC regular season championship with an 11–5 conference record. On January 3, 2007, he set a new personal best with 37 points against Gonzaga and gained national acclaim for a buzzer-beating game-winner against Duke on February 1. He earned first-team All-ACC honors for a second consecutive year along with third-team All-American status from the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Together with Reynolds, Singletary propelled UVA to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2001; he posted 23 points and nine assists in a first-round victory over Albany but fell short in the second round versus Tennessee.

Shortly before the deadline to withdraw from the draft, Singletary announced his intention to return for his senior year.

In the 2007–08 season, Singletary was Virginia’s primary offensive threat and served as co-captain alongside Adrian Joseph. He ranked among the top ACC players in assists (second), scoring (third), steals (ninth), and free throw percentage (third). On March 1, he achieved a career-high of 41 points against Miami. For the third straight year, he received first-team All-ACC honors. His collegiate journey concluded with a home loss to Bradley in the College Basketball Invitational Tournament where he scored 17 points and was honored by fans with a standing ovation recognizing his legendary impact on Cavalier basketball.

Professional career

Following offseason hip surgery, Sean Singletary was chosen 42nd overall in the second round of the 2008 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings. In August 2008, he was included in a trade to the Houston Rockets alongside Patrick Ewing Jr. and Ron Artest (currently known as Metta World Peace), before being traded again to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for D. J. Strawberry. On December 10, 2008, Singletary was traded once more to the Charlotte Bobcats, along with Boris Diaw and Raja Bell, in return for Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley. The Bobcats assigned Singletary and Alexis Ajinça to the NBA D-League's Sioux Falls Skyforce on March 9, 2009.

After the conclusion of the 2008–09 season, Charlotte opted not to exercise his team option, rendering him a free agent. He subsequently signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in September 2009 but was released in October.

On November 10, 2009, Singletary inked a deal with Spanish Liga ACB club Caja Laboral, where he competed until April 2010. That season, Caja Laboral secured the ACB championship title.

During the 2011–12 season, he played for Belgian League squad Dexia Mons-Hainaut.

Singletary was selected by the Texas Legends in the second round of the NBA D-League Draft on November 2, 2012; however, he was waived in April 2013 due to injury. He then completed the season with Belgium's Telenet Oostende.

Rejoining the Texas Legends in November 2013, Singletary was traded to the Erie BayHawks in January 2014. He was waived in March after suffering a season-ending injury and subsequently retired following the 2013–14 campaign.

Awards and accomplishments

Three-time First Team All-ACC (2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08)
Freshman All-ACC honors (2004–05)
Third Team All-American recognition (2006–07)
Honorable Mention All-American (2007–08)

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 13 || 1 || 9.4 || .324 || .400 || 1.000 || 1.2 || .9 || .5 || .0 || 2.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte | 24 || 1 || 7.5 || .396 || .400 || .800 || .8 || .7 || .2 || .0 || 2.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 37 || 2 || 8.2 || .365 || .400 || .857 || .9 || .8 || .3 || .0 || 2.4

External links