Rayan Rupert
| No. 21 – Portland Trail Blazers | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard / small forward | ||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | 31 May 2004 Strasbourg, France | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2023: 2nd round, 43rd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Portland Trail Blazers | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2019–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Centre Fédéral | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Pôle France | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | New Zealand Breakers | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–present | Portland Trail Blazers | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | →Rip City Remix | ||||||||||||||
| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Rayan Rupert (/ˈraɪ.ən ruːˈpɛər/ RYE-ən roo-PAIR;[1] born 31 May 2004) is a French professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for the New Zealand Breakers.
Early life
Rupert is a graduate of the INSEP Academy in France.[2] He is of Martiniquais[3] and Moroccan[4] descent.
Professional career
Between 2019 and 2021, Rupert played for Centre Fédéral in the French NM1.[5] He continued in the NM1 in the 2021–22 season with Pôle France.[5]
On 10 June 2022, Rupert signed with the New Zealand Breakers for the 2022–23 NBL season as part of the league's Next Stars program.[2] The Breakers had previously seen fellow Frenchmen Hugo Besson and Ousmane Dieng selected in the 2022 NBA draft.
Portland Trail Blazers / Rip City Remix (2023–present)
Rupert was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft with the 43rd overall pick and on 4 July 2023, he signed with the Blazers. He made his blazers debut but didn't put up any points. In a game against the Thunder, Rupert put up 14 points. In a game against the Jazz, he put up 7 points. And in a game against the Hornets, he put up 2 points.[6] Throughout his rookie and sophomore seasons, he has been assigned several times to the Rip City Remix.[7][8]
Career statistics
| 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 |
NBA
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | Portland | 39 | 12 | 16.2 | .335 | .359 | .760 | 2.4 | 1.6 | .3 | .1 | 4.0 |
| 2024–25 | Portland | 52 | 0 | 8.8 | .408 | .271 | .767 | 1.3 | .5 | .3 | .1 | 3.0 |
| Career | 91 | 12 | 12.0 | .370 | .321 | .764 | 1.8 | 1.0 | .3 | .1 | 3.4 | |
Personal life
Rupert's father, Thierry, was a EuroLeague player and captain of the French national team while his sister, Iliana, was the 12th overall pick in the 2021 WNBA draft. His cousin, Kameron Jones, a cancer survivor, is a chemistry major at Boston University.[9]
References
- ^ "2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide". NBA.com (Press release). 24 October 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ a b "French Phenom Rayan Rupert the Latest NBL Next Star". NBL.com.au. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ "À 18 ans, le basketteur martiniquais Rayan Rupert conquiert l'Australie et se rapproche de la NBA". Outre-mer la 1ère. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ AlmarssadPro [@ProsMarocains] (23 June 2023). "Rayan Rupert with his Moroccan mother ❤️🇲🇦. #NBADraft2023 We apologise for the previous post" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 January 2025 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b "Rayan Rupert". AustraliaBasket.com. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ "Trail Blazers Sign Rayan Rupert". NBA.com. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ "2023-2024 Rip City Remix Transaction History". RealGM.com. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "2024-2025 Rip City Remix Transaction History". RealGM.com. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Basketball: New Zealand Breakers sign French teenager Rayan Rupert". NZHerald.co.nz. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2023.