Xavier Munford
Xavier Munford | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 1, 1992 United States |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Known for | Playing for Reyer Venezia in Italy's Lega Basket Serie A; NBA career with Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks |
Xavier Tyler Jerome Munford (born June 1, 1992) is a professional basketball athlete from the United States currently playing for Reyer Venezia in Italy's top-tier league, the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He competed in collegiate basketball for two seasons with the Rhode Island Rams.
High school career
Munford was a student at Saint Benedict's Preparatory School located in Newark, New Jersey. During his senior year in 2009–10, he contributed to the Grey Bees achieving a remarkable 26–1 record and securing the No. 2 spot in national rankings, while averaging 12 points per contest.
College career
In the 2010–11 season, Munford played as a freshman at Miami Dade College, where across 32 games he posted averages of 17.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 steals. His performance earned him recognition as the FCSAA Newcomer of the Year and a place on the First Team All-NJCAA Region 8.
The following year, Munford transferred to Iowa Western Community College, where he led the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference by scoring an average of 16.6 points per game during the 2011–12 season. He played a key role in guiding Iowa Western to the NJCAA Region 11 finals and was honored as a NJCAA Division I All-American.
Subsequently, Munford committed to the University of Rhode Island. As a junior in the 2012–13 season, he ranked third in scoring within the Atlantic 10 Conference with an average of 17.4 points per game, alongside 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists over 29 contests. His achievements earned him a spot on the USBWA All-District I team.
During his senior season (2013–14), Munford became the quickest player in Rhode Island history to accumulate 1,000 career points. He maintained averages of 16.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists across 32 games.
Bakersfield Jam (2014–2016)
After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, Munford was selected on November 1, 2014, by the Maine Red Claws in the third round of the 2014 NBA Development League Draft, but was immediately traded to the Bakersfield Jam on draft night. He made his professional debut on November 14, scoring seven points with two rebounds, two assists, and one steal in just ten minutes during a narrow 127–125 defeat against the Texas Legends. Throughout the 2014–15 season with Bakersfield, Munford appeared in 51 games and averaged 11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and one steal each game.
Los Angeles Lakers (2015)
Munford participated with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2015 NBA Summer League held in July of that year before returning to Bakersfield Jam on November 2. On January 29, 2016, he earned selection to represent the West All-Star team at the NBA D-League All-Star Game. In that season’s campaign for Bakersfield, spanning 42 games, he posted impressive numbers: averaging 20.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and one steal per contest.
Memphis Grizzlies (2016)
On March 16, 2016, Munford signed a short-term ten-day contract with the Memphis Grizzlies under an NBA hardship exception triggered by multiple injuries within their roster that temporarily expanded it to eighteen players. He made his NBA debut on March 17 by contributing two points, one rebound, and two steals across eleven minutes during a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Following this stint, he secured a second ten-day contract on March 27 and notably scored twelve points against the Toronto Raptors on April 1. On April 7, Munford inked a multi-year agreement with Memphis; however, on June 25, the franchise opted not to extend his contract for the following season (2016–17), concluding his time with the team.
Greensboro Swarm (2016–2017)
In July 2016, Munford took part in the 2016 NBA Summer League representing the Los Angeles Lakers. He later inked a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers on September 26 but was released following two preseason appearances on October 12. Subsequently, on November 12, Munford joined the Greensboro Swarm in the NBA Development League, continuing his professional journey within the league.
Barcelona Lassa (2017)
Munford signed with FC Barcelona Lassa on February 3, 2017, to provide support amid the team's injury challenges for the remainder of that season. The club announced the end of their contract with Munford on June 8, 2017.
Wisconsin Herd (2017–2018)
During the 2017 NBA Summer League, Munford appeared in two games for the Golden State Warriors. He secured a contract with the Milwaukee Bucks on October 5, 2017, but was waived within a week. Shortly after, on October 15, 2017, the Greensboro Swarm traded Munford along with a 2018 second-round draft pick to the Bucks’ affiliate team, the Wisconsin Herd, in return for first-round picks in both 2017 and 2018.
Milwaukee Bucks (2018)
On January 7, 2018, Munford agreed to a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, dividing his playing time between the Bucks and their G League affiliate, Wisconsin Herd. This signing prompted roster changes including converting Sean Kilpatrick’s deal to a standard contract and releasing Joel Bolomboy.
Fujian Sturgeons (2018)
Munford joined the Fujian Sturgeons on December 23, 2018, making an impactful debut by recording a double-double: 28 points, ten rebounds, five assists, and one block during a 106–95 victory over the Shanghai Sharks. Despite this strong start, he was replaced by Eugene Jeter just five days later.
Return to Wisconsin Herd (2019)
Munford returned to the Wisconsin Herd when he was signed by the team on January 28, 2019.
Delaware Blue Coats (2019–2020)
On October 26, 2019, Munford was added to the Delaware Blue Coats’ training camp roster competing in the NBA G League. He posted impressive stats throughout the season including a 34-point performance with seven rebounds and four assists against the Erie BayHawks on January 25, 2020, and scored 36 points along with six rebounds and four assists in a March 4 game versus the Long Island Nets. Across the entire 2019–20 campaign, he averaged 17.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and one steal per contest.
Bursaspor (2020–2021)
Expanding his international career, Munford signed with Frutti Extra Bursaspor of Turkey’s Super League (BSL) on August 2, 2020.
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix (2021–2022)
Continuing his global basketball journey, Munford committed to South East Melbourne Phoenix for Australia’s NBL during the 2021–22 season by signing on September 1, 2021.
Hapoel Tel Aviv (2022–2023)
On July 18, 2022, Munford further broadened his professional experience by joining Hapoel Tel Aviv competing in Israel’s Basketball Premier League.
Umana Reyer Venezia (2024–present)
Munford expanded his European basketball footprint by signing with Reyer Venezia of Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A on July 26, 2024.
National team career
Munford played a role in securing the gold medal for the United States national team at the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup, demonstrating his experience on the international stage.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Memphis | 14 || 0 || 17.4 || .416 || .391 || .500 || 2.2 || 1.6 || .9 || .2 || 5.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee | 6 || 0 || 3.5 || .167 || .000 || .500 || .2 || .7 || .2 || .0 || .5 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 20 || 0 || 13.3 || .398 || .360 || .500 || 1.6 || 1.3 || .7 || .2 || 4.2
Playoffs
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2016 | style="text-align:left;"| Memphis | 4 || 0 || 22.3 || .321 || .125 || .000 || 2.3 || 2.5 || 1.5 || .8 || 4.8 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 4 || 0 || 22.3 || .321 || .125 || .000 || 2.3 || 2.5 || 1.5 || .8 || 4.8
Domestic leagues
| Season | Team | League | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | Bakersfield Jam | D-League | 51 | 22.2 | .523 | .321 | .779 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 1.0 | .3 | 11.5 |
| 2015-16 | 41 | 33.2 | .520 | .414 | .811 | 4.2 | 6.5 | 1.0 | .4 | 20.4 | ||
| 2016-17 | Greensboro Swarm | D-League | 30 | 37.2 | .421 | .316 | .806 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 18.5 |
Personal life
Xavier Munford is the son of Zamora and Darren Munford and has a younger sibling named Elijah.