University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Coffey Makes NBA Debut With Los Angeles Clippers
12/31/2019 8:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Former Minnesota Golden Gopher guard Amir Coffey made his National Basketball Association debut Tuesday night, appearing for the Los Angeles Clippers in their 105-87 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Coffey, who starred for the Gophers for three seasons before signing a two-way contract with the Clippers this past summer, checked into the game at the 56-second mark in the fourth quarter. He becomes the 42nd Gopher player to play in the NBA, and the first since Kris Humphries last did so in 2017.
The Hopkins, Minn., native was an All-Big Ten selection twice for the Maroon and Gold, earning third team honors last season and All-Freshman accolades in 2017. He helped lead the Gophers to two NCAA Tournament berth, including last season's second-round appearance. Coffey finished his college career scoring 1,255 points while appearing in 87 games, all as a starter, while also totaling 277 assists and 331 rebounds along with 81 steals.
Besides Coffey, who has averaged 6.3 points per game with the Agua Caliente Clippers in the NBA G League this season, two other former Gophers in Jordan Murphy (Iowa Wolves) and Nate Mason (Texas Legends) have competed in the G League this season.