SPECIAL DAY: Davon Reed celebrates after he helped Puerto Rico defeat Lithuania 79-68 in the FIBA (International Basketball Association) Olympic Qualifying Tournament final in San Juan, Puerto Rico last July to secure the final spot in the men’s hoops tournament in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Former Princeton Day School standout Reed, who starred at the University of Miami and played in the NBA before competing for Puerto Rico in the Olympics, will be hosting “Davon Reed Day” at Moody Park in Ewing on August 19. (Photo provided by Davon Reed)
By Bill Alden
Having initially honed his basketball skills on the courts in nearby Ewing, Davon Reed went to star at the Princeton Day School and the University of Miami, play in the NBA, and compete for Puerto Rico in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
On August 19, Reed will be coming home as “Davon Reed Day” is being held at Moody Park in Ewing from 5 to 8 p.m. The event is being hosted by the Right “Reed” Podcast.
In 2017, Ewing Township declared that Reed would be feted every August 19. This is the first celebration stemming from that pronouncement.
The event, which is free of charge, is geared to children with the first 50 kids to receive backpacks. It will feature basketball, refreshments, prizes and entertainment. The hoops focus will be on having fun, not instruction.
Reed, 30, who has previously run summer camps at PDS and Fisher School, has long been an inspiration to young players in the area.
During his career at PDS, star guard/forward Reed scored a program-record 2,102 points for the Panthers, becoming just the third high school player in Mercer County history to total 2,000 points.
Reed went on to play at the University of Miami in 2013, where he tallied 1,343 points for the Hurricanes over the next four years.
Following his stellar college career, Reed was chosen by the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft.
The 6’6, 220-pound Reed played one season for the Suns and then saw action with the Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Lakers. He has made a total of 122 NBA appearances, averaging 3.1 points and 1.7 rebounds a game.
Last summer, Reed averaged 4.5 points and 4.8 rebounds a game off the bench in the FIBA (International Basketball Association) qualifying tournament as Puerto Rico earned its first appearance in the Olympic men’s basketball tournament since 2004. The squad went on to go 0-3 in Group C action in Paris.
After the Olympics, Reed played in the NBA G League for Mexico City Capitanes (independent) and the Birmingham Squadron (New Orleans Pelicans affiliate) as he looks to work his way back into the league.