Anthony Black

Anthony Black (born January 20, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class.

Early life Black was born in Duncanville, Texas, to parents Terry and Jennifer. His mother played soccer for the Texas Longhorns and Baylor Bears while his father played college basketball for the Baylor Bears and professionally overseas. He became fluent in German by the age of three. His younger brother, Beckham Black, is a five-star recruit in the class of 2027 and was the first high school boys basketball player to sign a merchandising deal with ESPN.

High school career Black grew up in Coppell, Texas, and initially attended Coppell High School, alongside players such as Ryan Agarwal. Black also played football at Coppell as a wide receiver and caught 78 passes for 1,327 yards and 16 touchdowns over two varsity seasons. Black played in only 15 games during his season due to eligibility issues and averaged 13.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, four assists and 2.2 steals per game.

Black was rated a five-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for Arkansas after considering offers from Gonzaga, Oklahoma State and TCU. He also considered playing professionally in the NBA G League. Additionally, Black was considered a high-level football recruit and received scholarship offers from Texas, Baylor and Arkansas. He also entered the season as a potential first-round selection in the 2023 NBA draft. Black averaged 22 points over three games during the 2022 Maui Invitational Tournament and was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Week. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman team at the end of the regular season. Black averaged 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.1 steals per game on the year. After the season, he announced that he would forgo the remainder of his college eligibility and enter the 2023 NBA draft.

Professional career The Orlando Magic selected Black with the sixth overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. He was tied for the second-highest draft pick by an Arkansas Razorbacks player since the NBA was established in 1949, alongside Joe Kleine, and trailing only former 2x DPOY winner Sidney Moncrief. He was the highest draft pick for a Duncanville High School player, surpassing Greg Ostertag, who was selected 28th overall in the 1995 NBA Draft, a record that stood until Ron Holland was selected 5th overall by the Detroit the following year.

On December 26, 2023, Black recorded a career-high 23 points and 4 steals in a win against the Washington Wizards. On April 15, 2025, Black recorded 16 points off the bench and shot 3-3 from three point range in a play-in tournament victory against the Atlanta Hawks to secure the Magic a spot in the playoffs.

On November 25, 2025, Black recorded a new career-high 31 points, along with 3 assists off the bench in an Emirates NBA Cup win over the Philadelphia 76ers. On December 27, he recorded his new and current career high of 38 points in a comeback win against the Denver Nuggets.

National team career Black played for the United States under-18 basketball team at the 2022 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship. He averaged 4.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, helping his team win the gold medal.

Career statistics

NBA Regular season

Playoffs

College

Personal life Black has two brothers who also play basketball: his younger brother, Beckham, and his stepbrother, Micah Peavy, who plays for the New Orleans Pelicans.