T. J. McConnell
Timothy John McConnell Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 25, 1992 Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Known for | Playing for Indiana Pacers in the NBA |
Timothy John McConnell Jr. (born March 25, 1992) is a professional American basketball athlete currently playing for the Indiana Pacers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). His collegiate basketball tenure included stints with the Duquesne Dukes and the Arizona Wildcats. After not being selected in the NBA draft, McConnell signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2015, where he spent four seasons before joining the Pacers in 2019.
High school career
McConnell attended Chartiers Valley High School located in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, where he played under the guidance of his father, Tim. Serving as team captain during his senior year, he averaged 34.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game. His outstanding performance earned him first-team all-state recognition, the title of Pennsylvania Class 3A Player of the Year by the Associated Press, and male athlete of the year honors from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He led Chartiers Valley to an impressive 29–2 record, securing a WPIAL championship and advancing to the Class 3A state championship game, where they were narrowly defeated by Philadelphia’s Neumann-Goretti.
College career
During his freshman season at Duquesne in 2010–11, McConnell appeared in 32 games (starting 30), averaging 10.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.8 steals per contest. His performance earned him Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Year accolades.
In his sophomore year (2011–12), he elevated his statistics to 11.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and maintained 2.8 steals per game, contributing to a 16–15 team record. His efforts garnered third-team All-Atlantic 10 honors as well as a spot on the A-10 All-Defensive Team.
McConnell transferred to Arizona in April 2012 with aspirations of competing for a national championship but was required to sit out the 2012–13 season due to NCAA transfer regulations.
In the 2013–14 campaign, McConnell played a key role as Arizona began with a remarkable 21–0 run before an injury to teammate Brandon Ashley affected their momentum; the team ultimately reached the Elite Eight. As a senior, he was recognized on both the first-team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Defensive Team while leading Arizona to another Elite Eight appearance, falling again to Wisconsin. On December 18, 2024, following a decade-long NBA career, McConnell was inducted into the Arizona Basketball Ring of Honor.
Philadelphia 76ers (2015–2019)
After not being drafted in the 2015 NBA draft, McConnell joined his home state franchise, the Philadelphia 76ers, for the 2015 NBA Summer League. He signed with Philadelphia on September 27, 2015. During preseason action, he averaged 6.2 points and 4.8 assists across five games, earning a place on the team’s opening night roster. McConnell made his NBA debut on October 28 against the Boston Celtics, contributing four points, four assists, and three steals over 27 minutes. On February 6, 2016, stepping in as starting point guard due to injury within the squad, he matched his season-high by scoring 17 points in a victory over the Brooklyn Nets. He reached this scoring mark three additional times during that season and received two votes in consideration for the 2016 NBA All-Rookie Team.
Returning for the 2016 NBA Summer League in July, McConnell continued to showcase his abilities. On December 11, he nearly recorded a triple-double with totals of 12 points, ten rebounds, and nine assists during a win against the Detroit Pistons. On January 6, 2017, he set a personal best by distributing 17 assists versus the Boston Celtics—becoming only the fourth player in franchise history to reach this figure. Five days later, he secured a game-winning buzzer-beater against the New York Knicks.
On November 25, 2017, McConnell delivered a strong performance with 15 points and 13 assists in a triumph over the Orlando Magic. He achieved a career-high of 18 points on January 15, 2018, facing off against the Toronto Raptors. On February 12 of that year, he recorded his first triple-double—comprising ten points, ten rebounds, and eleven assists—in a victory over New York; this milestone also marked him as the first player in franchise history to accomplish a triple-double coming off the bench. In Game 4 of Philadelphia’s second-round playoff series against Boston, McConnell posted career-best numbers with nineteen points alongside seven rebounds and five assists to help reduce their series deficit to three games to one. The franchise exercised its fourth-year option on McConnell’s contract on June 13, 2018.
Indiana Pacers (2019–present)
McConnell inked a two-year contract worth $7 million with the Indiana Pacers on July 3, 2019. On March 3, 2021, he set an NBA record by securing 9 steals in a single half and became the first reserve player since 1998 to record a triple-double with points, steals, and assists. In August 2021, he agreed to a four-year contract extension valued at $35 million with the Pacers.
He sustained a right wrist injury on December 1, 2021, which required surgery on December 7 and resulted in a recovery period of approximately 10 to 12 weeks.
On January 16, 2023, McConnell achieved a personal best by scoring 29 points during a defeat against the Milwaukee Bucks. Just five days afterward, he notched his third career triple-double with totals of 18 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds.
During the 2024 NBA playoffs, McConnell delivered a playoff career-high performance with 20 points and 9 rebounds in the decisive Game 6 victory over the Bucks. On August 30, 2024, he signed another contract extension with Indiana for four years worth $45 million. Later that year, on December 8, he surpassed his previous scoring record by posting 30 points in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
In Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals on June 11, McConnell became the first bench player to accumulate at least 10 points, 5 assists, and 5 steals in an NBA Finals contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 81 || 17 || 19.8 || .470 || .348 || .634 || 3.1 || 4.5 || 1.2 || .1 || 6.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 81 || 51 || 26.3 || .461 || .200 || .811 || 3.1 || 6.6 || 1.7 || .1 || 6.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 76 || 1 || 22.5 || .499 || .435 || .795 || 3.0 || 4.0 || 1.2 || .2 || 6.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 76 || 3 || 19.3 || .525 || .333 || .784 || 2.3 || 3.4 || 1.0 || .2 || 6.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 71 || 3 || 18.7 || .516 || .294 || .833 || 2.7 || 5.0 || .8 || .2 || 6.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 69 || 3 || 26.0 || .559 || .313 || .688 || 3.7 || 6.6 || 1.9 || .3 || 8.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 27 || 8 || 24.2 || .481 || .303 || .826 || 3.3 || 4.9 || 1.1 || .4|| 8.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 75 || 6 || 20.4 || .543 || .441|| .853||3.1||5.3||1.1||.1||8.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana |71||4||18.2||.556||.409||.790||2.7||5.5||1.0||.1||10.2 |- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;" |Indiana
|79||1||17.9||.519||.306||.740||2.4||4.4||1.1||.3||9.1
|- class="sortbottom"
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career |706||97||21.1||.516||.345||.778||2.9||5.0||1.2||.2||7.6
Playoffs
|- |style="text-align:left;" |2018 |style="text-align:left;" |Philadelphia |10||2||15.5||.694||.667||.600||2.6||2.3||0.6||0.0||5.5 |- |style="text-align:left;" |2019 |style="text-align:left;" |Philadelphia |9||0||8.3||0.444|||—|||—|||0.7|||1.2|||0.2|||.1|||2.7 |- |style="text-align:left;" |2020 |style="text-align:left;" |Indiana |3||0||9.3||0.375|||—|||0.500|||2)||67|||0)||67|||2)||3 |- |style="text-align:left;" |2024 |style="text-align:left;" |Indiana |17||0|||20.5|||.486|||.269|||.867|||3.1|||.5|||.9|||.1|||.11.8 |- |style="text-align:left;" |2025 |style="text-align:left;" |Indiana |>23*|||0|||17.5||||537||||421||||815||||3.2'||||4.0'||||.9'||||.1'||||9.5 |- class="sortbottom"
College
Template:NBA player statistics start |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| Duquesne | 32 || 30 || 30.6 || .498 || .402 || .683 || 3.8 || 4.4 || 2.8 || .2 || 10.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2011–12 | style="text-align:left;"| Duquesne | 31 || 31 || 34.3 || .509 || .432 || .836 || 4.4 || 5.5 || 2.8 || .3 || 11.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2013–14 | style="text-align:left;"| Arizona | 38 || 38 || 32.3 || .454 || .360 || .620 || 3.6 || 5.3 || 1.7 || .2 || 8.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2014–15 | style="text-align:left;"| Arizona | 38 || 38 || 30.5 || .498 || .321 || .829 || 3.8 || 6.3 || 2.2 || .1 || 10.4 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 139 || 137 || 31.8 || .490 || .380 || .749 || 3.9 || 5.4 || 2.3 || .2 || 10.2
Franchise records
- Holds the franchise record for the Indiana Pacers with the highest number of steals in a single game (10).
- Became the inaugural player in Philadelphia 76ers history to achieve a triple-double coming off the bench during the 2017–18 campaign; this feat was later equaled by teammate Markelle Fultz within the same season.
NBA records
- Established the NBA benchmark for the most steals recorded in one half (9).
Personal life
Tim McConnell Sr., T.J.'s father, is a distinguished basketball coach in Western Pennsylvania, having led programs at Chartiers Valley High School and later at Bishop Canevin High School, where he took over from Gino Palmosina, who was T.J.'s college roommate. Tim Sr. competed collegiately at Waynesburg College between 1984 and 1986.
Among T.J.'s siblings is Matthew, who played collegiate basketball at Robert Morris University and, alongside T.J., is one of only two athletes from Chartiers Valley High School to exceed 2,000 career points. His sister Megan excelled as a guard at Duquesne University before pursuing a professional career with the Phoenix Mercury.
His aunt, Suzie McConnell-Serio, boasts a decorated career as an All-American at Penn State, Olympic gold medalist, WNBA star, and inductee into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. She commenced her coaching tenure at Duquesne.
In 2017, T.J. wed his high school girlfriend, Valerie, in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania. The wedding featured prominent teammates as groomsmen, underscoring his close-knit personal and professional relationships.
Awards and honors
- High school
- Earned AP first-team all-state recognition
- Named AP Pennsylvania Class 3A Player of the Year
- College
- Selected to NCAA Tournament West Region All-Tournament Team (2015)
- Chosen for District IX All-District Team by USBWA (2015)
- Included on Pac-12 Tournament All-Tournament Team (2015)
- Awarded First-team All-Pac-12 honors (2015)
- Received Second-team All-Pac-12 distinction (2014)
- Two-time member of Pac-12 All-Defensive Team (2014, 2015)
- Third-team Atlantic 10 selection (2012)
- Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team honoree (2012)
- Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year recipient (2011)
- Named to Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team (2011)
- ECAC Rookie of the Year (2011)
- CollegeInsider.com Freshman All-America selection (2011)