Eric Maynor

Eric Demarqua Maynor (born June 11, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for Virginia Commonwealth University. As a senior, he averaged 22.4 points, 6.2 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in the 2008–09 season.

Maynor was drafted by the Utah Jazz of the NBA in 2009. He has also played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers.

Early years Eric Demarqua Maynor was born June 11, 1987, in Raeford, North Carolina, the third of four children of George Maynor and Barbara Robinson. Maynor's father was a former collegiate basketball player at East Carolina University and was a fourth-round selection of the Chicago Bulls in the 1979 NBA draft. Maynor led the team to the North Carolina state championship game, scoring 25 points in a loss to North Mecklenburg High School on March 14, 2005. For his outstanding performance during the season Maynor was named to the 2004/05 North Carolina All State Basketball team by the sports website NCPreps.com.

College career

Eric Maynor was a four-year player in the men's basketball program at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). He graduated from VCU with a degree in Sports Management. The Rams failed to reach the NCAA Tournament and went on to play in the NIT, where they lost in the first round against the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Senior season (2008–09) During the 2008–09 season, Eric Maynor became VCU's all-time leader in assists and in made free throws. He became the first VCU player ever selected in the first round of the NBA draft. Although he was to back up Deron Williams, Maynor had a positive outlook on the situation. When asked in an interview with RealCollegeBasketball.com what he thought about coming off the bench in Utah, Maynor replied, "Feel real good about it... I'm getting a chance to learn from some of the best".

Oklahoma City Thunder (2009–2013)

On December 22, 2009, Maynor, along with Matt Harpring, was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the rights to Peter Fehse. According to a statement made by Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor at the time of the deal, the trade of Maynor along with the $6.5 million contract of the injured power forward Harpring was made for financial reasons, in an effort to reduce the team's liability under the NBA's punitive "luxury tax" on teams with excessive salaries.

"Trading Eric was a difficult decision," O'Connor acknowledged, while noting that the team remained strong at the point guard position with star Deron Williams and Ronnie Price as a capable and proven reserve player. Maynor was averaging just 2.8 points and 2.0 assists in an average of about 10.6 minutes per game playing for the Thunder and had fallen to number three on the team's depth chart for point guards, with second-year player Reggie Jackson emerging to capture most of the team's backup PG minutes. The Blazers were forced to waive reserve point guard Ronnie Price to make room on the team's 15-man roster for Maynor.

Philadelphia 76ers (2014) On February 20, 2014, Maynor was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in a three-team trade involving the Nuggets and the Wizards. On March 17, 2014, he was waived by the 76ers.

Europe On January 14, 2015, Maynor signed a contract with Pallacanestro Varese of Italy for the rest of the 2014–15 Lega Basket Serie A season.

On July 23, 2015, he signed a one-year contract with the Russian club Nizhny Novgorod.

On July 27, 2016, Maynor returned to Pallacanestro Varese, signing a contract for the 2016–17 season.

On November 20, 2017, Maynor signed with Italian club Orlandina Basket for the rest of the 2017–18 season.

The Basketball Tournament In 2017, Maynor participated in The Basketball Tournament for Ram Nation, a team of VCU alumni. Maynor averaged 13.5 PPG, 7.3 APG, and 5.5 RPG to help Ram Nation reach the Elite 8. In the Elite 8, Ram Nation lost a close game to the eventual tournament champs, Overseas Elite. The Basketball Tournament is an annual $2 million winner-take-all tournament broadcast on ESPN.

Coaching career In September 2019, Maynor was named assistant coach of the Oklahoma City Blue.

In August 2021, Maynor was moved from the Blue staff to the Thunder as a player development coach.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs