Morris Almond

College career

Almond played college basketball at Rice University and was a member of Martel residential college. His scoring average rose from 7.2 points per game as a sophomore to 21.9 points per game as a junior, leading Conference USA. As a senior, he averaged 26.4 points per game, third in the nation, and was named Conference USA Player of the Year and AP All-America Honorable Mention. He finished his Rice career with 121 games played and a 15.1 points-per-game average, and was the first Rice basketball player on the cover of a national publication.

Professional career

Almond played 9 games in his rookie season with the Utah Jazz, averaging 4.3 minutes. His NBA career high of 12 points came at Sacramento on December 2, 2008. He scored his first NBA points on January 8, 2008, against the Indiana Pacers, with 2 points on 1-of-5 shooting. Most of that season he spent with the Utah Flash of the D-League, where he led the league in scoring at 25.6 points per game.

In his fifth game with the Flash on December 21, 2007, he tied a league record with 51 points in a 118–116 win over the Austin Toros, then broke it with 53 points against the Bakersfield Jam in a 102–87 win. The record was later tied by Will Conroy in 2009 and surpassed by Pierre Jackson in 2014 (58). On September 18, 2009, he signed with the Orlando Magic but was waived on October 21, 2009. He later played for the Maine Red Claws and Springfield Armor of the D-League, then signed with Real Madrid Baloncesto of the Spanish ACB.

In July 2010 he left Real Madrid and joined Italian club Scavolini Pesaro. In January 2012 he returned to the United States and signed again with the Maine Red Claws.

At season's end he was named to the All NBA D-League Third Team after averaging 23.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game for the Red Claws. He briefly played for Crvena zvezda during the 2012–13 season, then returned to the Red Claws, who traded him to the Iowa Energy. On January 30, 2013, he and Mike Taylor were traded to the Los Angeles D-Fenders in exchange for Jarrid Famous.

Did You Know?

• Almond attended McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia, where he was a teammate of Josh Smith.
• He was the first basketball player in McEachern school history to have his #22 jersey retired.