DeAndre Liggins

DeAndre Desmond Liggins (born March 31, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Kentucky.

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Liggins was listed as the No. 6 point guard and the No. 28 player in the nation in 2008.

Liggins played three years at the University of Kentucky. He spent his first two years mostly coming off the bench, but in his junior year, coach John Calipari decided to start him. After his junior season, he elected to enter the 2011 NBA draft.

College statistics

Orlando Magic (2011–2012)

On June 24, 2011, Liggins was selected with the 53rd overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. Liggins made his NBA debut for Orlando on February 20, 2012 in a road game against the Milwaukee Bucks where he recorded three points and two rebounds in 10 minutes on the court. In July 2012, he joined the Magic for the 2012 NBA Summer League.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2012–2013)

On September 12, 2012, Liggins signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder. During the 2012–13 season, he had multiple assignments with the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League. On January 13, 2013, Liggins started his first NBA game for the Thunder against the Portland Trail Blazers in Portland. He recorded 11 points and nine rebounds as the Thunder defeated the Trail Blazers, 87-83. In July 2013, he joined the Thunder for the 2013 NBA Summer League. On September 6, 2013, Liggins was waived by the Thunder.

Sioux Falls Skyforce and Miami Heat (2013–2014)

In November 2013, Liggins was acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce. On February 3, 2014, he was named to the Futures All-Star roster for the 2014 NBA D-League All-Star Game.

On February 25, 2014, Liggins signed a 10-day contract with the Miami Heat. On March 8, 2014, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Heat. The next day, he was assigned to the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He was recalled a day later. On March 14, 2014, he was waived by the Heat. He managed only one game for the Heat, recording 2 points and 1 rebound. On March 18, 2014, he was re-acquired by the Skyforce. On April 21, he was named the 2014 D-League Defensive Player of the Year.

Russia and Germany (2014–2015)

In July 2014, Liggins joined the Detroit Pistons for the Orlando Summer League and the Los Angeles Clippers for the Las Vegas Summer League. On October 15, 2014, he signed with Krasny Oktyabr of Russia for the 2014–15 season. On January 20, 2015, he parted ways with Krasny Oktyabr. On February 27, 2015, he signed with Eisbären Bremerhaven of Germany for the rest of the season.

Second Sioux Falls Skyforce stint (2015–2016)

On November 2, 2015, Liggins was reacquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce. On January 29, he was named in the East All-Star team for the 2016 NBA D-League All-Star Game, earning his second All-Star nod in three years. However, he was ruled out of the All-Star game due to a right plantar fascia injury suffered on January 9, and was replaced in the East team by Quinn Cook. On April 13, he earned D-League Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second time in three years. He helped the Skyforce finish with a D-League-best 40–10 record in 2015–16, and went on to help the team win the league championship with a 2–1 Finals series win over the Los Angeles D-Fenders. At the season's end, he was named to the All-NBA D-League Second Team and All-NBA D-League All-Defensive First Team for the second time in his career.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2016–present)

On September 26, 2016, Liggins signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made his debut for the Cavaliers in the team's season opener on October 25 against the New York Knicks. In 12 minutes off the bench, he recorded four points, three rebounds, three assists and one block in a 117–88 win.

Regular season

Playoffs