Eric Bledsoe is a professional basketball player whose NBA career launch dates back to 2010. He was a first-round pick of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2010 NBA draft but was traded to the LA Clippers where he spent the first 3 years of his career. He equally had an over 4-year stint with the Phoenix Suns before joining the Milwaukee Bucks in November 2017.
Eric Bledsoe Biography
The baller was born on the 9th of December 1989 in Birmingham, Alabama. His parents are Maureen Reddick and Eric Bledsoe Sr. He was single-handedly raised by his mother and schooled at Parker High School in Birmingham, Alabama. Among other highlights of his high school basketball career, Bledsoe averaged 20.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 11.5 assists per game during his senior year which helped the school to a second-place finish in the 5A State Championship. He was widely considered a 5-star recruit and ranked as the No. 3 point guard in his high school class of 2009.
Bledsoe played one season of college basketball with the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team of the University of Kentucky. He finished his freshman season with an average of 11.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 37 appearances (35 starts). His performance earned him a Sporting News SEC All-Freshman Team selection among other recognitions. The talented player entered the NBA Draft in April 2010, forgoing his remaining 3 years of collegiate eligibility.
Career Stats, Injury
Eric Bledsoe was selected in the first round of the 2010 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder as the 18th overall pick. His drafting rights were traded to the Los Angeles Clippers where he began his professional career.
In his first season with the LA Clippers, Bledsoe played 81 games with 25 starts and averaged 6.7 points and 3.6 assists in 22.7 minutes per game. His performance earned him an NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection. However, his playing time was greatly reduced during his second season and his scoring average dipped to 3.3 points per game. He earned more playing time during his third and final season (2012-13) with the Clippers and averaged 8.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
Bledsoe was traded to the Phoenix Suns in July 2013 in a three-way multi-player deal which marked the beginning of his nearly 5-season stint with the team. Owing to multiple shin injuries, the NBA star was limited to only 43 games with 40 starts during the 2013-14 season and he averaged 17.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. He had a brilliant 2014-15 season with the Suns starting in all 81 appearances and averaging 17 points, a career-high 5.2 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game.
Despite starting off on a good note, Bledsoe’s 2015-16 NBA season got derailed when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in December 2015. He averaged 20.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 31 total appearances. He returned to action with the team at the start of the 2016-17 season and finished the season with career-highs of 21.1 points and 6.3 assists per game.
Bledsoe played only 3 games with the Phoenix Suns in the 2017-18 season before he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in November 2017. The NBA star earned regular playing time upon joining the Bucks and he featured in 71 games with the team for the remainder of the 2017-18 season, averaging 17.8 points and 3.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. He equally played 7 games with the Bucks during the 2018 NBA Playoffs during which he averaged 13.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
Wife, Kids
Eric Bledsoe is currently married to his high school sweetheart Morgan Poole. She is a licensed cosmetologist and hairstylist and equally has her own line of hair extensions ‘MORE by Morgan’.
After several years of dating, the duo announced their engagement in August 2016, and nearly a year later, they tied the knot. Theirs was a lavish wedding ceremony held on July 1, 2017, in Bledsoe’s hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. They have 2 children together. The couple welcomed their first child in 2012, a daughter named Ariana, and their second child was born in 2015, a son named Ethan.
Eric Bledsoe Salary
Back in 2014, Eric Bledsoe signed a 5-year $70 million contract with the Phoenix Suns which would run till 2019. Now with the Milwaukee Bucks, the NBA star is billed to earn a whopping $15 million for the 2018-19 season at the end of which he would become an unrestricted free agent.
Height And Other Body Measurements
Eric Bledsoe stands at a height of 6 feet 1 inch (185 cm). Known for his well-chiseled body frame, the NBA star maintains a body weight of 93 kg (205 lb). A natural point guard, he is known to possess a combination of speed, strength, and impressive ball-handling ability. He is equally known to be good on the defensive end of the court.
