by Ben Strong (Red Lake Nation) 32, joins the Phoenix Suns after spending the 2018-19 season in player development for the Philadelphia 76ers where he helped the Sixers reach the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Following a lengthy playing career in the NBA G League and overseas, Strong entered the coaching ranks as assistant coach with the men’s basketball program at Huntingdon College for two seasons from 2016-2018.
A 6-11 forward/center as a player, Strong played five seasons in the G League from 2011-2016, averaging 7.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 183 career games with the Iowa Energy, Delaware 87ers, Austin Toros and Westchester Knicks. He averaged career highs of 11.1 points and 7.3 rebounds with Westchester in 2014-15, then was a member of the New York Knicks’ team at NBA Summer League 2015. In addition to his time in the G League, Strong played professionally for Maccabi Haifa in the Israeli Premier League from 2008-2010, and also with clubs in the Netherlands, Uruguay and, most recently, New Zealand in 2016.
Before his professional career, he was the 2007 NABC Division III Co-Player of the Year at Guilford College. Strong was a two-time All-American, two-time Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Year and three-time all-conference selection at Guilford, leaving as the Quakers’ second all-time leading scorer. He led the ODAC by averaging 25.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks as a senior and, as a junior, set the single-game NCAA Division III tournament record with 59 points in a triple-overtime victory. Born in Manassas, Virginia, Strong grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He is of Native American descent as his father is a member of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians.
