Grand Rapids is fast becoming a basketball hot bed. Another former GR star has set a rookie record.

Pro basketball players from Grand Rapids have been doing quite well lately.

Last year Devon Booker, who played at Grandville High, led his Phoenix Suns to the NBA Championship Series, and this week Duane Washington Jr, who prepped at Grand Rapids Christian had his day in the sun.

Washington, whose dad played professionally in Europe, played at Christian for three seasons before moving to California and graduating from Sierra Canyon High.

He transferred to go to his uncle Derek Fisher's basketball camp and live with Fisher.

Washington played his college ball in the Big Ten for Ohio State and went undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, before being signed by the Indiana Pacers and spending some time at their G League affiliate in Fort Wayne.

He was brought up to the Pacers recently and responded by hitting seven three point shots, to lead the team with 21 points. Those seven threes set a Pacers franchise record for three pointers by a rookie, and was only the 36th time in NBA history that a rookie player notched that many threes.

Duane and the Pacers were wearing their old school throwbacks uniforms last night, so in a way, Duane was paying tribute to some great shooters in Pacers history, like Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson. But even they never hit seven threes as a rookie.

That's some pretty great company to be in with.

 

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