Brandon Roy had a quick first step that would make his defenders weep.
The sixth overall pick in the 2006 draft out of Washington, Roy was acquired by the Blazers in a draft-day trade and made immediate impact with the team.
The Portland Trail Blazers legend was crowned the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2007.
A native of Seattle, Washington, Roy was the talk of the town.
There were a lot of stars from Seattle too!
Names like: Zach LaVine, Jamal Crawford, DeJounte Murray, Jason Terry, Isaiah Thomas, Doug Christie, Marvin Williams, Spencer Hawes, Tony Wroten Jr, Aaron Brooks, and Allonzo Trier easily come to mind.
Speaking of Doug Christie, he spoke glowingly of Roy.
”His explosive athleticism was downplayed because he did not depend on it,” Christie told NBA reporter, Landon Buford.
“But the ability to knock down shots, the herky-jerkiness to create like IT [Isaiah Thomas], but as big as me and the ability for the moment. Also, a four-year guy that went to school all four years. So, when he got here he was ready to play.”
Huge co-sign there!
Roy was a high school standout of Garfield in Seattle, Washington. He was considered a four-star recruit per Scout.com and was listed as the sixth best at his position, which was the shooting guard position and 36th in the nation back in 2002. He would then go on to play four years at the University of Washington, which featured future NBA players Nate Robinson, Will Conroy, Bobby Jones, and Justin Dentmon.
More per Buford:
After the 2006 season at Washington, Roy declared for the NBA Draft and the Minnesota Timberwolves selected him with the sixth pick in the 2006 draft. The Timberwolves, however, would trade his draft rights immediate to Portland for Randy Foye.
During Roy’s 2006- 2007 rookie campaign, he became an immediate impact for the Blazers as he went on to capture the Rookie of the year award in nearly-unanimous fashion.
He also made the All-NBA Team twice in his career would average 18.8 points 4.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. Roy only played six seasons in the NBA from 2006- 2013 due to a series of leg injuries, which forced him to retire early.
In 2016, Brandon Roy coached Nathan Hale High School boys basketball to a 29-0 record, which featured Michael Porter Jr., Jontay Porter, and P. J. Fuller. Roy was also named, High School Coach of the Year. After Michael Porter Jr., Jontay Porter, and P. J. Fuller all left high school. Roy took over his high school alma mater Garfield as their head coach in May of 2017.