PHILADELPHIA – JAN. 5, 2022 – Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed Braxton Key to a 10-day contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Key most recently played for the 76ers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, playing a vital role in the team’s AT&T Winter Showcase title. In the championship game against the Oklahoma City Blue, Key led all scorers with 28 points (9-18 FG, 5-6 FT) along with 11 rebounds and three assists.
In 15 games this season with the Blue Coats, Key posted three double-doubles which ranks tied for second on the team, while posting averages of 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.2 blocks in 25.9 minutes per game. Among players that made at least 10 G League appearances, Key is one of three players to hold averages of at least 10 points, five rebounds and two steals, and each have now received an NBA GATORADE Call-Up this season. His 30 total steals rank second in the G League.
Key is in the midst of his second G League season with Delaware, which selected him in the 2021 NBA G League Draft, following the completion of his collegiate career at the University of Virginia in 2020. In 27 career G League games, Key holds averages of 9.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 20.0 minutes per game.
Prior to transferring to Virginia, he spent two seasons at the University of Alabama, where he earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors in 2016-17. Key was a crucial reserve for the 2018-19 national champion Virginia team, averaging nearly 20 minutes per contest off the bench. In his final collegiate season, he started 25 of the Cavaliers’ 27 games, as the team finished the 2019-20 campaign with a 23-7 record, second in the ACC.
He is the nephew of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson, who also starred at Virginia, earning National Player of the Year honors three times.
The Charlotte, North Carolina native will wear No. 17 with the 76ers.