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Tommy Bruner
Tommy Bruner (born April 22, 2001) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Texas Legends of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Denver Pioneers, the USC Upstate Spartans and the Jacksonville Dolphins. High school careerBruner attended Gray Collegiate Academy in Columbia, South Carolina.[1] He led Gray to back-to-back South Carolina Class AA state championships.[2] As a senior, he averaged 16.2 points per game and was named the Class AA Player of the Year.[2] College careerUSC Upstate (2019–2021)Bruner committed to play college basketball at the University of South Carolina Upstate (USC Upstate).[3] As a freshman in 2019–20 he averaged 14 points per game, good for second-best on the team, and was named a freshman All-American.[4] He was the Big South Conference's player of the week twice and later selected to the Big South All-Freshman Team.[2] In 2020–21, Bruner's sophomore season, he led USC Upstate in points per game (13.6) and total assists (85).[2] At the end of the season he was named as an honorable mention to the All-Big South Team.[2] Jacksonville (2021–2022)Bruner transferred to Jacksonville prior to the start of his redshirt sophomore season.[5] He appeared in just 13 games before suffering a season-ending foot injury.[6] He averaged 8.8 points per game.[5] Denver (2022–2024)After spending just one season at Jacksonville, Bruner looked to transfer. He felt an instant connection with Denver; he said "It was such a family vibe. That’s when I really knew I was in the right place."[7] During his redshirt junior year of 2022–23, Bruner averaged then-career highs of 15.9 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game.[8] He helped the Pioneers start the season with an 8–1 record, which is a program record through the first nine games.[8] While the team success was not sustained over the course of the season, Bruner's personal production was, and he was voted to the Summit League's All-Newcomer team.[8] He received an honorable mention nod on the All-Summit League Team.[8] Bruner also surpassed the career 1,000-point milestone on December 7, 2022 against Sacramento State.[2] In 2023–24, Bruner was named to the All-Summit League First Team on March 7, 2024.[9] Professional careerSanta Cruz Warriors (2024)After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Bruner joined the Rip City Remix on October 28, 2024,[10] but was waived on November 5.[11] Six days later, he signed with the Santa Cruz Warriors[12] and was later waived on November 25.[12] Texas Legends (2024–2025)On December 28, 2024, Bruner joined the Texas Legends.[13] However, he was waived on January 6.[14] Career statistics
College
Personal lifeBruner's sister Ashley played basketball at South Carolina and is retired from playing professionally overseas.[15] His older brother Jordan plays professional basketball.[16] Bruner is also the founder and CEO of a nonprofit organization he named "Be Different."[7] The name is an homage to a slogan he once used on t-shirts in high school to encourage kids to stand out.[7] Bruner said that his long-term plan for Be Different will focus on funding preschools to establish an encouraging base for kids.[7] References
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