Eric Gaines

Eric Gaines

Windy City Bulls
Position	Point guard
League	NBA G League
Personal information
Born	(2001-01-19) January 19, 2001 (age 24) New Jersey, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High school	Lithonia (Stonecrest, Georgia)
College	LSU (2020–2022) UAB (2022–2024)
NBA draft	2024: undrafted
Playing career	2024–present
Career history
2024–2025	Maine Celtics
2025–present	Windy City Bulls

Eric T. Gaines (born January 19, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Windy City Bulls of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the LSU Tigers and UAB Blazers.

Early life and high school career

Gaines was born in New Jersey and moved to Lithonia, Georgia, as a child.[1] He first played football but transitioned into basketball.[1] Gaines was taller than his teammates and primarily played as a center but utilised his speed for a playstyle that involved him grabbing a defensive rebound and beating defenders up the court with his dribble.[1]

Gaines attended Lithonia High School where he did not receive much scouting attention during his first two seasons.[1] He developed a reputation for his dunking abilities during his senior year and received comparisons to Ja Morant which Gaines attributes to increasing his recruitment offers.[1] He averaged 18.6 points, 4 assists, and 2.7 steals per game during his senior season.[2] Gaines was selected as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution All-Metro DeKalb County Player of the Year.[3][4] He was a four-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for LSU.[1]

College career

Gaines averaged 2.5 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game during his freshman season with the LSU Tigers.[5] He improved his output to nine points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game during his sophomore season while his 2.1 steals per game led the Southeastern Conference.[4][5] Gaines was primarily utilised as a distributor and defender with the Tigers.[1] He decided to transfer from the team when head coach Will Wade was fired after the 2021–22 season.[1]

On April 12, 2022, Gaines committed to play for UAB.[2][5] He averaged 11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game during the 2022–23 season.[6] Gaines declared for the 2023 NBA draft but withdrew on May 30, 2023.[7]

Professional career

Maine Celtics (2024–2025)

On April 5, 2024, Gaines declared for the 2024 NBA draft,[8] but went undrafted.[9] On October 26, 2024, Gaines was selected by the Maine Celtics in the 2024 NBA G League draft.[10]

Windy City Bulls (2025–present)

On January 24, 2025, Gaines was traded to the Windy City Bulls.[11]

Career statistics

Legend

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

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2020–21	LSU	29	1	13.4	.222	.172	.727	1.4	1.2	1.0	.2	2.5
2021–22	LSU	34	8	26.9	.391	.250	.793	3.3	2.9	2.1	.5	9.0
2022–23	UAB	39	29	29.1	.394	.343	.793	3.4	4.3	1.8	.6	11.5
2023–24	UAB	35	33	33.7	.393	.269	.750	3.9	5.5	2.3	.5	12.3
Career		137	71	26.4	.380	.279	.773	3.1	3.6	1.9	.5	9.2

References

1. Irvine, Steve (September 12, 2022). "Point guard Eric Gaines brings his 'high risk, high reward' style to UAB basketball". 1819 News. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
2. "UAB Adds LSU Transfer Eric Gaines to Roster". The University of Alabama at Birmingham. April 12, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
3. Holcomb, Todd (March 26, 2020). "2019-20 High school basketball All-Metro boys team". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
4. Richburg, Jason (April 6, 2022). "Top College Hoopers out of Atlanta". The Signal. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
5. Dudley, Evan (April 12, 2022). "UAB basketball adds LSU transfer Eric Gaines". Advance Local. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
6. Almanza, Clemente (May 23, 2023). "Report: Eric Gaines worked out for the Thunder in pre-draft visit". USA Today. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
7. Dudley, Evan (May 30, 2023). "UAB's Eric Gaines withdraws from NBA Draft". Advance Local. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
8. Dudley, Evan (April 5, 2024). "UAB basketball's Eric Gaines declares for NBA draft". AL.com. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
9. Inabinett, Mark (June 27, 2024). "Alabama prospects shut out in 78th annual NBA Draft". AL.com. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
10. Martin, Spencer (October 26, 2024). "Celtics Select Three In G League Draft". NBA.com. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
11. "NBA Veteran Jawun Evans Joins Maine Celtics". OurSportsCentral.com. January 24, 2025. Retrieved January 24, 2025.

External links

• UAB Blazers bio
• LSU Tigers bio