Braxton Key (born February 14, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Virginia Cavaliers.
![]() Key in February 2019 | |
No. 8 – Detroit Pistons | |
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Position | Small forward |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | (1997-02-14) February 14, 1997 (age 25) Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
Career information | |
High school |
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College |
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NBA draft | 2020 / Undrafted |
Playing career | 2021–present |
Career history | |
2021–2022 | Delaware Blue Coats |
2022 | Philadelphia 76ers |
2022–present | Detroit Pistons |
2022–present | →Motor City Cruise |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Stats ![]() | |
Stats ![]() | |
Key is the nephew of NBA player Ralph Sampson, who starred at the University of Virginia.[1][2] Key's father Eric Key played at Radford. Key played three seasons for Christ Presbyterian Academy.[3] He transferred to Oak Hill Academy, where he led the team to a 45–1 record and national championship.[4]
Key averaged a team-high 12 points and 5.7 rebounds per game as a freshman at Alabama. He scored a season-high 26 points against Georgia and was named to the All-SEC Freshman team.[4] As a sophomore, Key averaged 7.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.4 blocks per game. He was hobbled by a knee injury that forced him to miss some playing time.[5]
After the season, Key transferred to Virginia and was granted an immediate eligibility waiver by the NCAA.[5] In the 2018–19 season, Key won a national championship at Virginia, scoring six points, pulling down 10 rebounds and blocking one shot in the title game against Texas Tech.[6] Key averaged 5.7 points and 5.3 rebounds as a junior, starting six games.[7] Key had surgery for a wrist injury in November 2019 and missed several games.[8] He returned to action on December 18 against Stony Brook.[9] At the conclusion of the regular season, Key was named All-ACC Honorable Mention.[10] As a senior, Key averaged 9.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.[11]
After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft, Key joined the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League in January 2021, after being selected in the G League draft.[12] On March 2, he posted a season-high 19 points to go with five rebounds, two assists, two steals two blocks in a 120-92 win over the NBA G League Ignite.[13]
On October 13, 2021, Key signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, but was waived the same day.[14] On October 25, he re-signed with Delaware.[15] In 43 career NBA G League games, he averaged 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks in 23.7 minutes.[16]
On January 5, 2022, Key signed a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.[17] Key appeared in two games for the 76ers, scoring two points in six total minutes. After his 10-day contract expired, Key was reacquired by the Delaware Blue Coats.[18]
On March 24, 2022, Key signed a 10-day contract with the Detroit Pistons.[19] On April 3, he signed a two-way contract.[16]
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
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2021–22 | Philadelphia | 2 | 0 | 3.0 | .500 | .000 | — | 1.0 | .5 | .5 | .0 | 1.0 |
2021–22 | Detroit | 9 | 0 | 21.2 | .457 | .300 | .538 | 5.3 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 8.6 |
Career | 11 | 0 | 17.9 | .458 | .286 | .538 | 4.5 | 1.0 | .9 | 1.0 | 7.2 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
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2016–17 | Alabama | 34 | 30 | 29.8 | .433 | .330 | .634 | 5.7 | 2.5 | .6 | .6 | 12.0 |
2017–18 | Alabama | 26 | 17 | 25.2 | .409 | .250 | .667 | 5.3 | 1.8 | 1.0 | .4 | 7.0 |
2018–19 | Virginia | 38 | 6 | 19.8 | .433 | .305 | .731 | 5.3 | 1.0 | .9 | .6 | 5.7 |
2019–20 | Virginia | 27 | 25 | 33.6 | .435 | .185 | .584 | 7.4 | 1.8 | 1.2 | .6 | 9.9 |
Career | 125 | 78 | 26.6 | .429 | .274 | .645 | 5.8 | 1.8 | .9 | .6 | 8.6 |
Detroit Pistons roster | |
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Motor City Cruise current roster | |
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Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball 2018–19 NCAA champions | |
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