Willie Reed

Willie Reed Jr.
Willie Reed Jr.
Born	May 16, 1990 (age 36); Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2011–present
Known for	Playing in the NBA and international basketball leagues

Willie Reed Jr. (born May 16, 1990) is a professional basketball athlete from the United States currently playing for the Cocodrilos de Caracas in the Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto (SPB). He competed at the collegiate level representing Saint Louis University.

College career

Reed spent two seasons competing for Saint Louis University during the 2008–09 and 2009–10 campaigns. In the fall semester of the 2010–11 academic year, he faced suspension due to his involvement in a contentious incident alongside other teammates. Although he was reinstated for the spring semester, Reed was subsequently "administratively withdrawn" after failing to satisfy the conditions required for his return.

In April 2011, Reed opted to enter the NBA draft, thereby relinquishing his remaining two years of college eligibility.

2011–12 season

After not being selected in the 2011 NBA draft, Reed signed a two-year contract with Spanish club CB Sant Josep in August 2011 but departed prior to the start of their regular season.

2012–13 season

Reed inked a deal with the Sacramento Kings on September 21, 2012, but was released on October 26 before the season commenced. The following month, he joined the Springfield Armor of the NBA D-League, where his performance earned him Honorable Mention All-Development League recognition, averaging 14.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest.

On April 17, 2013, Reed secured a contract for the remainder of the season with the Memphis Grizzlies.

2013–14 season

During July 2013, Reed participated in the 2013 NBA Summer League as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies but was waived on October 26 without appearing in any regular season games. He returned to Springfield Armor on November 1.

On March 28, 2014, Reed signed with the Sacramento Kings for the rest of that season and spent time assigned to their D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns. Throughout this period, he experienced multiple recalls and reassignments before being waived by Sacramento on June 29, 2014 without making an official game appearance.

2014–15 season

Reed competed with the Indiana Pacers during the 2014 NBA Summer League in July 2014. Later that year, on September 25, he signed with the Brooklyn Nets but was waived less than a month later on October 23. Subsequently, he briefly played for Israeli Super League team Hapoel Eilat, participating in only one match.

On November 21, 2014, Reed joined the Grand Rapids Drive. His strong play earned him a selection to the Futures All-Star roster for the 2015 NBA Development League All-Star Game on February 4. Shortly thereafter, on February 26, he was traded to the Iowa Energy in exchange for Diante Garrett.

Reed signed with Metros de Santiago of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto on April 28, 2015, appearing in ten games from May 20 through June 15.

2015–16 season

On July 1, 2015, Reed took part in the 2015 NBA Summer League representing the Miami Heat, but departed shortly after on July 9 to agree to a one-year deal worth $500,000 with the Brooklyn Nets. On October 14 during a preseason matchup against the Boston Celtics, he sustained a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb requiring surgery and resulting in an estimated six to eight weeks away from competition. Reed made his NBA debut on December 4 against the New York Knicks, contributing eight points over eleven minutes. On January 22, 2016, he recorded a season-best twelve points during a game versus the Utah Jazz. He exited from Brooklyn on April 6 due to personal matters, concluding his season prematurely.

2016–17 season

Reed joined the Miami Heat on July 13, 2016. He made his first appearance on October 26 against the Orlando Magic, coming off the bench to contribute 10 points and six rebounds in a 108–96 victory. On January 3, 2017, he achieved personal bests by scoring 22 points and grabbing 18 rebounds during a loss to the Phoenix Suns. Just three days later, he equaled his scoring high with another 22-point effort in a defeat against the Los Angeles Lakers.

2017–18 season

On August 3, 2017, Reed agreed to a one-year contract worth $1.5 million with the Los Angeles Clippers. Mid-season, on January 29, 2018, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons alongside Blake Griffin and Brice Johnson in exchange for Avery Bradley, Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanović, and future draft selections. Following this, Reed received a six-game suspension without pay on February 6, 2018, related to a domestic violence incident from August 2017. Two days afterward, he was traded again to the Chicago Bulls along with future second-round picks for Jameer Nelson, but was promptly waived by Chicago.

2018–19 season

Selected first overall in the 2018 NBA G League draft by the Salt Lake City Stars on October 20, 2018, Reed appeared in 21 games. During this period, he averaged 20.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per contest before a shoulder injury on January 16, 2019, ended his season and led to his release from the team.

2019–20 season

Reed signed with Greek EuroLeague club Olympiacos on October 26, 2019. After participating in 11 games and averaging 6.5 points alongside 2.8 rebounds, he was released on January 10, 2020. Shortly thereafter, on January 22, he returned to the Salt Lake City Stars for a second tenure.

2020–21 season

On September 17, 2020, Reed secured a contract with Budućnost, competing in the Montenegrin Basketball League. His performance earned him recognition by being named to the All-EuroCup First Team.

2021–22 season

Reed extended his commitment to Budućnost by re-signing on August 26, 2021.

2022–23 season

On January 27, 2023, Reed inked a deal with Fuenlabrada of the Liga ACB. However, he did not participate in any official games for the club.

2023–24 season

Reed joined the Tainan TSG GhostHawks of the T1 League on January 26, 2024. His contract was terminated by the team on February 5, 2024, due to concerns regarding his health.

2024–25 season

For the upcoming season of 2025, Reed signed with the Cocodrilos de Caracas competing in the Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto (SPB) on March 14, 2025.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Brooklyn | 39 || 2 || 10.9 || .571 || .000 || .545 || 3.1 || .3 || .2 || .8 || 4.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 71 || 5 || 14.5 || .568 || .200 || .557 || 4.7 || .4 || .3 || .7 || 5.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers | 39 || 5 || 14.5 || .667 || .500 || .582 || 3.1 || .2 || .2 || .6 || 4.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Detroit | 3 || 0 || 3.0 || 1.000 || .000 || .000 || .3 || .3 || .0 || .0 || 0.7 |- | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 152 || 12 || 12.4 || .592 || .333 || .561 || 3.8 || .3 || .2 || .7 || 4.9

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