Greg Whittington
Gregory Vernon Whittington is an American professional basketball player. After a tumultuous college career with Georgetown, Whittington began his professional career by helping the Sioux Falls Skyforce win the 2016 NBA D-League championship. He went on to play in Australia, Japan, Israel, Turkey, Russia and Spain. He made his NBA debut in 2021 with the Denver Nuggets.
High school career
Whittington attended Oakland Mills High School in Columbia, Maryland where he was a four-year letterwinner playing for the basketball team. As a senior in 2010–11, he averaged 23.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, 4.4 blocks, 3.0 steals and 2.7 assists per game, while earning All-Met Player of the Year and Howard County Player of the Year honors for leading his team to an undefeated season, finishing 25–0.College career
As a freshman at Georgetown in 2011–12, Whittington appeared in all 33 games while averaging 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game. His sophomore season was cut short in January 2013 after being suspended for academic deficiencies. He averaged 12.1 points and 7.0 rebounds in 13 games.Whittington failed to appear in any games for the Hoyas in the 2013–14 season due to a torn ACL suffered during the summer, as he was dismissed from the team on November 30, 2013. He subsequently transferred to Rutgers University, only to go back on his commitment by not enrolling for the spring semester with no comment given on his decision not to join the school. Whittington subsequently sat out the entire 2013–14 season.
Professional career
Sioux Falls Skyforce (2015–2016)
Whittington sat out the entire 2014–15 season while still recovering from his ACL injury. He spent time working out with the Westchester Knicks of the NBA Development League.In May and June 2015, Whittington took part in pre-draft workouts with the Indiana Pacers and the Boston Celtics. He ultimately went undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft and joined the Miami Heat for the 2015 NBA Summer League, playing in both Orlando and Las Vegas. In nine games, he averaged 9.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. He later joined the Heat for training camp and appeared in four preseason games.
On November 2, 2015, Whittington was acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Heat. He appeared in all 10 games for the Skyforce to begin the season, helping them to a 7–3 record while averaging 15.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game. However, a hand injury suffered in mid-December saw him miss two months of action. The Skyforce finished the regular season with a league-best 40–10 record, going on to reach the D-League Finals, where they defeated the Los Angeles D-Fenders 2–1 to claim their first D-League championship. In game two, Whittington scored a team-high 17 points. In 34 games for the Skyforce in 2015–16, he averaged 13.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. At the season's end, he earned NBA D-League All-Rookie Team honors.
In the 2016 off-season, Whittington decided against participating in Summer League activities and instead went home to Maryland to work out with his local counterparts. Such players included NBA stars Victor Oladipo and Jerami Grant.