Америкалық баскетболшы және скаут Рональд Прайс туралы

American basketball player and scout

Ronald D'Wayne Price (born June 21, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player and current scout for the Phoenix Suns. Price grew up in Friendswood, Texas and played college basketball for one year at Nicholls State and three years at Utah Valley State (now Utah Valley). Price went undrafted in the 2005 NBA draft and played for the Sacramento Kings from to Price then played for the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Orlando Magic, and Los Angeles Lakers before returning to Phoenix for a second and final playing stint.

Price was born and raised in Friendswood, Texas and graduated from Clear Brook High School in 2001 as an honor roll student with a 3.4 grade point average. At 5 foot 7, Price was considered undersized as a senior and was not offered any basketball scholarships out of high school. In 2001, Price enrolled at Nicholls State University of Thibodaux, Louisiana and walked on to the Colonels basketball team. He grew to 6 feet by the beginning of his freshman season and averaged 11.3 points per game. At 6 foot 1 by the end of his freshman year, Price transferred to Utah Valley State College (now Utah Valley University) in Orem, Utah. As a sophomore (2002–03), Price averaged 15.3 points per game, earning Honorable Mention honors in the NJCAA Region 18. UVSC became a four year institution the following year, and Price decided to stay as the school transitioned to NCAA Division I basketball. He improved his scoring average to 20.2 points per game as a junior (2003–04), leading the Wolverines to the so called Division I Provisional Championship, meaning the team beat other schools transitioning to Division I. The Wolverines finished the season with a 23–5 record. Price scored a career high 37 points in a game twice during the season. In his senior season (2004–05), Price averaged 24.3 points per game, ranking third in the nation in that category albeit unofficially due to Utah Valley's status as a provisional Division I member. For his efforts, he was named Division I Independent Player of the Year. He finished his senior year with a terrific performance, scoring a season high 36 points (27 in the second half) in a 71–52 victory over Northern Colorado.

Price worked out for the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons after going undrafted in the 2005 NBA draft. On August 3, 2005, Price signed a guaranteed two year contract with the Sacramento Kings. Price became the first player to enter the NBA directly from Utah Valley University. He played sporadically in his rookie season: in 29 games, Price averaged 5.2 minutes and 2.1 points. On December 22 against the Dallas Mavericks, Price had his only game that season in double figures, with 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in 18 minutes. Price started his first NBA game on December 5 against the Phoenix Suns and scored 2 points in 13 minutes. Starting 8 of 36 games, Price averaged 3.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 0.9 steals.

On July 18, 2012, Price signed with the Portland Trail Blazers. Price played 39 games in the season for Portland and averaged 2.7 points, 1.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 0.7 steals. On February 21, 2013, Price was released by the Trail Blazers to create roster space for Eric Maynor after the team traded draft rights to Georgios Printezis to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

On July 25, 2013, Price signed with the Orlando Magic. On July 2, 2014, he was waived by the Magic.

On September 24, 2014, Price signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. On December 7, 2014, Price was moved into the starting line up in place of Jeremy Lin. On February 24, 2015, Price was ruled out for the rest of the 2014–15 season after undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow. During his time with the Lakers, Price recorded career best numbers in points (5.1), assists (3.8), and steals (1.6). In a pre season game that year, he was ejected after his shoe came off and he threw it at the ball.

On July 17, 2015, Price signed a one year deal with the Phoenix Suns, returning to the franchise for a second stint. Entering his second stint with the team, Price accepted a third string point guard role behind young guards Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, and embraced a part time role in order to be more of a mentor. On December 23, 2015, Price made a career high six three pointers and scored a career high 20 points in a loss to the Denver Nuggets. On January 15, 2016, he was ruled out for a month after undergoing surgery on his right big toe. He returned to action on February 19 against the Houston Rockets. Price played in a career high 62 games for the Suns in 2015–16, and recorded a career high 5.3 points per game. On August 14, 2016, Price signed a two year deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, he was waived by the Thunder on October 24, 2016 after appearing in five preseason games. On January 27, 2017, Price returned to the Suns on a 10 day contract. On February 6, 2017, he signed a second 10 day contract with the Suns, despite having not appeared in a game during his first 10 day contract. He made his season debut four days later, playing two minutes in a 115–97 win over the Chicago Bulls. On February 24, 2017, he signed with the Suns for the rest of the season.

During the 2018 19 NBA season, the Suns hired Price as a part of the team's new scouting department, after having previously firing a majority of their old staff prior to the start of the season. The move essentially confirmed Price's retirement from professional basketball.