Pat Connaughton

Patrick Bergin Connaughton ( ; born January 6, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he primarily plays as a shooting guard. He is also a former professional baseball player.

Connaughton previously played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball and men's basketball teams. He was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth round of the 2014 MLB draft. The Brooklyn Nets selected him in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft and traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers. In 2021, during his sixth season in the NBA, he won a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks.

High school career Connaughton attended St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts, where he starred in three sports, playing quarterback in football and multiple positions in both baseball and basketball. He received major interest in baseball from schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, with Boston College (BC), the University of Virginia, and his original first choice, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who all made him scholarship offers. As a pitcher for the baseball team, he had an 11–2 win–loss record with a 1.75 earned run average (ERA) and 160 strikeouts in 90 innings pitched as a senior.

As a sophomore, in 2013, Connaughton averaged 8.9 points per game for the basketball team, and had a 1.71 ERA for the baseball team. In the summer of 2013, he pitched in collegiate summer baseball for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League. In his junior year, he averaged 13.8 PPG for the basketball team and had a 3.92 ERA in ten games started, which included two complete games, for the baseball team.

After his junior year, he was forthright about his intent to return to Notre Dame for his senior basketball season, despite warnings that it would impact his prospects for the upcoming baseball draft. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the fourth round, with the 121st overall selection, of the 2014 MLB draft. One high-ranking MLB executive believed that Connaughton would have been drafted in the first two rounds had he not been committed to returning to Notre Dame for his senior basketball season, telling Goodman, "He definitely cost himself some money," as he expected Connaughton could have earned $1 million if he was willing to quit basketball.

As a senior, Notre Dame's basketball team won its first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship. At the end of July 2014, he left the IronBirds to return to the Fighting Irish basketball team. Even though the Orioles allowed him to pursue an NBA career, they never made any attempts to recoup the $428,000 signing bonus. As a result, the ballclub continued to control his contractual baseball rights through 2020, which could have been extended for six additional years if Baltimore placed him on its major league roster. The Orioles did not add him to their major league roster in that span, meaning Connaughton would be free to sign with any team if he decided to return to baseball.

Professional basketball career

Portland Trail Blazers (2015–2018) Connaughton was drafted with the 41st pick by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2015 NBA draft. His draft rights, along with Mason Plumlee, were then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Steve Blake and the draft rights to the 23rd pick in the draft, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. He signed a three-year deal with the Trail Blazers on July 9. The first two years of the contract were guaranteed, with the stipulation that Connaughton would not be allowed to play professional baseball during that timespan. He made his debut for the Trail Blazers on October 30, 2015, scoring five points in a loss to the Phoenix Suns. He appeared in 34 games for the Trail Blazers as a rookie.

On April 13, 2017, in the Blazers' 2016–17 season finale, Connaughton scored a then career-high 19 points in a 103–100 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

In the Trail Blazers' 2017–18 season opener on October 18, 2017, Connaughton scored a then career-high 24 points while making 4 of 6 3-pointers in a 124–76 win over the Phoenix Suns.

Milwaukee Bucks (2018–2025) On August 1, 2018, Connaughton signed a two-year, $3.3 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. He competed in the Slam Dunk Contest at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, dunking over Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich and finishing third in the tournament.

On August 20, 2020, Connaughton scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 111–96 Game 2 win during the Bucks' first round postseason matchup against the Orlando Magic. On November 23, Connaughton re-signed on a three-year, $16 million contract to stay in Milwaukee.

Connaughton won his first NBA championship on July 20, 2021, averaging 9.2 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 44.1% from three-point range in six games in the NBA Finals as the Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns.

On November 10, 2021, Connaughton scored a season-high 23 points and made a career-high seven three-point shots during a 112–100 win over the New York Knicks. On February 14, 2022, he underwent right hand surgery and was ruled out for at least a month. On April 27, during the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Connaughton scored 20 points in just 23 minutes of playing time in a decisive 116–100 Game 5 win over the Chicago Bulls.

On June 22, 2022, Connaughton opted into his $5.7M player option to remain with the Bucks. Later, on July 13, Connaughton signed a three-year, $28.5 million contract extension with the Bucks. On January 26, 2023, Connaughton scored 19 points and recorded a season-high 12 rebounds during a 107–99 win over the Denver Nuggets. He made 61 appearances (including 33 starts) for Charlotte during the 2022–23 NBA season, averaging 7.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. Connaughton played in 76 games (starting three) for the Hornets in the 2023–24 season, averaging 5.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.

On April 13, 2025, Connaughton scored a career-high 43 points in a 140–133 win over the Detroit Pistons. He made 41 appearances (including one start) for the Hornets during the 2024–25 season, recording averages of 5.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists.

Charlotte Hornets (2025–present) On July 6, 2025, Connaughton was traded to the Charlotte Hornets alongside two second-round picks in exchange for Vasilije Micić.

On February 4, 2026, Connaughton was waived by the Hornets. However, he was re-signed by the team on February 9 to a two-year, $5.1 million contract.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

Personal life In Goodman's 2015 story on Connaughton and his decision between two sports, many key individuals in his life testified to his character. His father Len noted, "Patrick is of high moral character and wasn't going to lie to people. That eliminated a bunch of [MLB] teams from taking him at all." He has invested in Bitcoin.

Connaughton and professional soccer player Ryan Gareis announced their relationship in June 2023. In January 2024, they announced Gareis was pregnant with their child, and in February 2024, the couple announced their engagement. Their son was born in May 2024. In June 2026, Pat and Gareis announced that they were married.