James William Nunnally[1] (born July 14, 1990) is an American professionalbasketball player forZhejiang Lions of theChinese Basketball Association (CBA). He playedcollege basketball for theUC Santa Barbara Gauchos.
Nunnally was born inSan Jose, California,[2] and attendedWeston Ranch High School inStockton, California. As a sophomore, he averaged 10 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. As a junior, he averaged 19 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as he was named Stockton Record Player of the Year, All-State, All-CIF Sac-Joaquin Section and All-Valley Oak League.[3]
In November 2007, Nunnally signed aNational Letter of Intent to playcollege basketball at theUniversity of California, Santa Barbara.[4]
As a senior, he averaged 22.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game as he helped Weston Ranch to a perfect 14–0 record in the Valley Oak League. He was named All-State, Valley Oak League Most Valuable Player, All-CIF Sac-Joaquin Section, first-team All-Valley Oak League, and Stockton Record Player of the Year. He was a McDonald's All-American nominee.[3]
In his freshman season atUC Santa Barbara, Nunnally was one of four Gauchos to play in all 31 games, starting seven midway through the season. In those 31 games, he averaged 7.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.[3][5]
In his sophomore season, he was a second-team All-Big West choice and a Big West All-Tournament team selection. In 29 games, he averaged 14.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 29.9 minutes per game.[3][5]
In his junior season, he was an Honorable Mention All-Big West choice and was selected to the All-Big West Tournament team after helping the Gauchos to their second straight title. In 32 games, he averaged 16.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 33.0 minutes per game.[3][5]
In his senior season, he was a second-team All-Big West choice for the second time in his career. He was also named to the All-Big West Tournament team for the third straight year. In 31 games, he averaged 16.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 33.7 minutes per game.[5]
After failing to be drafted in the2012 NBA draft, Nunnally joined theSacramento Kings for the2012 NBA Summer League. On August 19, 2012, he signed a one-year deal withKavala of Greece'sBasket League.[6] In October 2012, he left Kavala, after just three games.
On November 2, 2012, he was selected in the second round of the 2012 NBA D-League draft, by theBakersfield Jam.[7]
In July 2013, Nunnally joined theMiami Heat for the2013 NBA Summer League.[8] On September 28, 2013, he signed with the Phoenix Suns.[9] However, he was later waived by the Suns on October 24, 2013.[10]
In November 2013, he was re-acquired by the Bakersfield Jam.[11] On January 11, 2014, he signed a 10-day contract with the Atlanta Hawks.[12] On January 22, 2014, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Hawks.[13] On February 1, 2014, the Hawks did not offer him a rest of season contract after his second 10-day contract expired[14] and returned to the Bakersfield Jam. On February 13, 2014, he was named to the Prospects All-Star team for the 2014NBA D-League All-Star Game, as a replacement forChris Johnson.[15]
On February 20, 2014, he was traded to the Texas Legends.[16] On March 17, 2014, he signed a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.[17] On March 27, 2014, he signed a second 10-day contract with the 76ers.[18] On April 6, 2014, the 76ers did not offer him a contract for the remainder of the season after his second 10-day contract expired.[19]
On May 6, 2014, he signed withCangrejeros de Santurce of Puerto Rico for the rest of the 2014BSN season.[20] On May 26, 2014, he was waived by Cangrejeros after just six games.[21]
In July 2014, Nunnally joined theIndiana Pacers for the Orlando Summer League[22] and the Miami Heat for the Las Vegas Summer League. On September 17, 2014, he signed withTuenti Móvil Estudiantes of Spain for the 2014–15 season.[23] In November 2014, he left Estudiantes after appearing in seven games.[24][25] On December 1, 2014, he signed withMaccabi Ashdod of Israel for the rest of the season.[26]
In July 2015, Nunnally re-joined the Indiana Pacers for the2015 NBA Summer League. On August 22, 2015, he signed withSidigas Avellino of Italy for the2015–16 season.[27] He led the club to a 26–14 record and averaged 18.4 points (third highest scorer in the competition), 4.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 90.8% from the free throw line (tops in the league) over those 40 games.[28][29] He subsequently earnedItalian league MVP honors.[30][31]
In July 2016, Nunnally joined thePhiladelphia 76ers for theUtah Summer League[32] and theWashington Wizards for the Las Vegas Summer League. On July 28, 2016, Nunnally signed withFenerbahçe of Turkey for the2016–17 season.[33][34]
In the2017–18 EuroLeague season, Fenerbahçe made it to the2018 EuroLeague Final Four, its fourth consecutiveFinal Four appearance. Eventually, they lost toReal Madrid, by a score of 85–80, in the EuroLeague Final.[35] Over 29 EuroLeague games, he averaged 9.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, while shooting above 54% overall from the field, and 55.4% on three-point shot attempts.[36]
On August 8, 2018, Nunnally signed a two-year deal with theMinnesota Timberwolves.[37] On January 7, 2019, he was waived by the Timberwolves after appearing in only 13 games.[38]
On January 16, 2019, Nunnally signed a 10-day contract with theHouston Rockets.[39] Nunnally was waived on January 21 to make room forKenneth Faried.[40]
On January 27, 2019, Nunnally signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with theAX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan, of the ItalianSerie A andEuroLeague.[41] On August 12, 2019, Nunnally left the club on a mutual agreement.[42]
On August 12, 2019, Nunnally signed withShanghai Sharks of theChinese Basketball Association.[43] On December 3, he was replaced byRay McCallum Jr.[44] He averaged 22.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game.[45]
On January 3, 2020, Nunnally returned to Fenerbahçe.[45]
On April 12, 2021, Nunnally signed atwo-way contract with theNew Orleans Pelicans.[46]
On June 27, 2021, Nunnally signed a two (1+1) year contract withMaccabi Tel Aviv of theIsraeli Premier League and theEuroLeague.[47]
In the summer of 2022, Nunnally signed a contract with the Serbian teamPartizan. During the 2022–23 season, Partizan was eliminated from theReal Madrid in a tightplayoffs series. Over the season, Nunnally averaged 9.2 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. Partizan ended the 2022–23 season by lifting theABA League championship trophy, after a 3–2 score against Crvena Zvezda in the Finals series.[48]
Over the 2023–24 season, he averaged 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists over 32 EuroLeague games. The season was deemed unsuccessful for Partizan as they finished the season without lifting any trophy.[49]
In January 2025, Nunnally signed withZhejiang Lions of theChinese Basketball Association.[50]
Nunnally is the son of Deanna Johnson. Married to wife, Jen, the two recently celebrated their marriage with a vow renewal. They have two daughters and a son.[3]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance index rating |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Atlanta | 4 | 0 | 13.5 | .333 | .300 | .750 | 2.0 | .5 | .3 | .3 | 4.5 |
| Philadelphia | 9 | 0 | 12.3 | .321 | .333 | .600 | 1.2 | .7 | .6 | .1 | 2.9 | |
| 2018–19 | Minnesota | 13 | 0 | 4.9 | .429 | .385 | 1.000 | .3 | .4 | .1 | — | 2.1 |
| Houston | 2 | 0 | 19.0 | .231 | .250 | — | .5 | 1.0 | — | — | 4.5 | |
| 2020–21 | New Orleans | 9 | 0 | 5.3 | .385 | .333 | .500 | 1.0 | .3 | — | — | 1.7 |
| Career | 37 | 0 | 8.5 | .344 | .323 | .733 | .9 | .5 | .2 | .1 | 2.6 | |
| † | Denotes seasons in which Nunnally won theEuroLeague |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17† | Fenerbahçe | 34 | 11 | 17.9 | .440 | .451 | .870 | 2.0 | 1.7 | .4 | .2 | 5.6 | 5.1 |
| 2017–18 | 29 | 18 | 20.6 | .540 | .554 | .897 | 2.1 | 1.3 | .7 | .2 | 9.3 | 8.8 | |
| 2018–19 | Olimpia Milano | 10 | 7 | 26.9 | .484 | .421 | .917 | 2.9 | 2.2 | .4 | .0 | 14.1 | 14.5 |
| 2019–20 | Fenerbahçe | 9 | 1 | 13.2 | .458 | .417 | 1.000 | 1.4 | .7 | .2 | .1 | 4.2 | 4.1 |
| 2021–22 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 32 | 17 | 28.3 | .456 | .407 | .898 | 3.9 | 2.6 | .6 | .4 | 13.8 | 15.1 |
| 2022–23 | Partizan | 37 | 19 | 22.4 | .492 | .405 | .885 | 2.1 | 1.8 | .5 | .2 | 9.2 | 8.8 |
| 2023–24 | 32 | 13 | 27.8 | .524 | .433 | .870 | 3.2 | 2.6 | .6 | .1 | 12.3 | 13.0 | |
| Career | 183 | 86 | 23.1 | .489 | .439 | .893 | 2.6 | 1.9 | .5 | .2 | 9.9 | 10.0 | |
| Year | Team | League | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 |  Kavala | GBL | 2 | 28.8 | .353 | .400 | .800 | 6.5 | 1.5 | .5 | — | 9.0 |
| 2012–13 | Kavala | BIBL | 1 | 22.0 | .556 | 1.000 | — | 3.0 | 1.0 | — | — | 11.0 |
| 2012–13 |  Bakersfield Jam | D-League | 49 | 19.7 | .430 | .406 | .884 | 3.0 | 1.8 | .8 | .2 | 10.3 |
| 2013–14 | Bakersfield Jam | D-League | 25 | 33.6 | .457 | .429 | .848 | 4.6 | 4.1 | .9 | .1 | 18.4 |
| Texas Legends | D-League | 10 | 33.7 | .492 | .367 | .781 | 4.2 | 2.2 | 1.1 | .3 | 17.3 | |
| 2013–14 |  C. de Santurce | BSN | 6 | 31.4 | .451 | .412 | .875 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 1.3 | .2 | 18.2 |
| 2014–15 |  Estudiantes | ACB | 7 | 19.8 | .472 | .318 | .750 | 2.3 | 1.3 | .7 | .1 | 9.4 |
| 2014–15 |  Maccabi Ashdod | Ligat HaAl | 24 | 34.6 | .426 | .381 | .800 | 7.7 | 3.1 | 1.2 | .4 | 17.1 |
| 2015–16 |  Felice Scandone | LBA | 40 | 31.7 | .476 | .412 | .908 | 4.2 | 2.4 | .7 | .1 | 18.3 |
| 2016–17 |  Fenerbahçe | TBSL | 30 | 21.2 | .574 | .571 | .862 | 1.6 | 2.0 | .8 | .1 | 11.9 |
| 2017–18 | Fenerbahçe | TBSL | 27 | 23.0 | .521 | .488 | .885 | 2.3 | 2.3 | .9 | .1 | 11.3 |
| 2018–19 | Olimpia Milano | LBA | 19 | 27.8 | .469 | .440 | .960 | 2.3 | 2.9 | .6 | — | 14.7 |
| 2019–20 |  Shanghai Sharks | CBA | 12 | 32.5 | .489 | .500 | .846 | 5.5 | 3.3 | 1.2 | .1 | 22.3 |
| 2019–20 | Fenerbahçe | TBSL | 5 | 28.2 | .480 | .519 | .818 | 2.2 | 1.8 | .6 | — | 14.2 |
| 2021–22 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | Ligat HaAl | 22 | 25.9 | .381 | .315 | .942 | 3.3 | 2.5 | .6 | .1 | 10.5 |
| 2022–23 |  Partizan | ABA | 36 | 20.0 | .522 | .511 | .875 | 2.0 | 1.7 | .5 | .1 | 9.7 |
| 2023–24 | Partizan | ABA | 31 | 22.0 | .493 | .419 | .932 | 2.8 | 3.0 | .5 | .1 | 10.2 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | UC Santa Barbara | 31 | 6 | 21.0 | .464 | .361 | .770 | 3.3 | 1.5 | .5 | .2 | 7.9 |
| 2009–10 | UC Santa Barbara | 29 | 24 | 29.9 | .455 | .455 | .743 | 5.6 | 1.9 | .7 | .1 | 14.7 |
| 2010–11 | UC Santa Barbara | 32 | 31 | 33.0 | .466 | .369 | .827 | 5.7 | 1.8 | .4 | .3 | 16.3 |
| 2011–12 | UC Santa Barbara | 31 | 31 | 33.7 | .470 | .370 | .796 | 5.9 | 2.8 | .7 | .3 | 16.0 |
| Career | 123 | 93 | 29.4 | .465 | .386 | .784 | 5.1 | 2.0 | .6 | .2 | 13.7 | |
· Basketball Reference