Tahjere McCall
{{Short description|American basketball player (born 1994)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Tahjere McCall
| image = Tahjere McCall @ BC Lokomotiv–Kuban (2025-03-01)-0 2.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = McCall with the Lokomotiv Kuban in 2025
| number = 22
| league = VTB United League
| team = Lokomotiv Kuban
| position = Shooting guard
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|8|17}}
| birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| height_cm = 193
| weight_kg = 88
| high_school = Carver
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
| college =
- Niagara (2012–2014)
- Tennessee State (2015–2017)
| draft_year = 2017
| career_start = 2017
| years1 = 2017–2019
| team1 = Long Island Nets
| years2 = {{nbay|2018|end}}
| team2 = Brooklyn Nets
| years3 = 2019–2020
| team3 = College Park Skyhawks
| years4 = 2021
| team4 = Lakeland Magic
| years5 = 2021
| team5 = Orléans Loiret Basket
| years6 = 2021–2024
| team6 = Cairns Taipans
| years7 = 2022
| team7 = Otago Nuggets
| years8 = 2023
| team8 = Fos Provence Basket
| years9 = 2024
| team9 = Hapoel Holon
| years10 = 2024–2025
| team10 = Guangzhou Loong Lions
| years11 = 2025
| team11 = Lokomotiv Kuban
| highlights =
- NBA G League champion (2021)
- NBA G League All-Defensive Team (2021)
- 2× First-team All-OVC (2016, 2017)
- 2× OVC Defensive Player of the Year (2016, 2017)
}}
Tahjere McCall (born August 17, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League. He played college basketball for the Niagara Purple Eagles and Tennessee State Tigers.
Early life
McCall was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.{{cite news |title=For Philly native Tahjere McCall, working out for Sixers 'a dream' |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/philadelphia-76ers/philly-native-tahjere-mccall-working-out-sixers-dream |access-date=March 22, 2022 |work=NBC Sports |date=June 7, 2017}} His father is a locomotive engineer and his mother rehabilitates crack cocaine addicts.{{cite web |last1=Rexrode |first1=Joe |title=Tahjere McCall is TSU's free spirit, NCAA Tournament hope |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/2017/01/20/rexrode-tsus-tahjere-mccall-true-original/96844488/ |website=The Tennessean |access-date=November 28, 2023 |date=January 20, 2017}}
McCall attended Carver High School where he did not play on the basketball team until his junior season.{{cite web |last1=Hunt |first1=Donald |title=Former E&S and Tennessee State star Tahjere McCall works out for the Sixers |url=https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-tennessee-tahjere-mccall-3c7c8fbfc20d47b0a3f741fdd2a1c19b |website=Associated Press |access-date=November 28, 2023 |date=June 6, 2017}} He was preparing to play NCAA Division II basketball at Holy Family University when Niagara University presented him with a scholarship offer.
College career
McCall began his college basketball career with the Niagara Purple Eagles. He served as a starter during his freshman season under head coach Joe Mihalich in 2012–13.{{cite web |last1=Meiler |first1=Mike |title=NU's McCall receives transfer release |url=https://www.niagara-gazette.com/sports/nus-mccall-receives-transfer-release/article_c80ea36a-0c65-5e90-b405-e6c685540157.html |website=Niagara Gazette |access-date=August 26, 2022 |date=March 26, 2014}} McCall was moved to a bench role for his sophomore season by new head coach Chris Casey. He chose to transfer from the team at the end of the season and joined the Tennessee State Tigers under head coach Dana Ford.{{cite news |author1=Joe Rexrode |title=A true original |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98169295/a-true-original/ |access-date=March 22, 2022 |work=The Tennessean |date=January 21, 2017 |pages=C1, C3|via =Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} Ford discovered him through a recommendation from Anthony Mason whose son, Antoine, played alongside McCall at Niagara. McCall was selected as the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-OVC honors during his two seasons at Tennessee State.
Professional career
File:Josh Magette and Tahjere McCall (cropped).jpg in 2020]]
After going undrafted in 2017 NBA draft, McCall joined the Brooklyn Nets for the 2017 NBA Summer League and would join them for training camp. McCall played two seasons with the Nets NBA G League affiliate in Long Island. On February 26, 2019, he signed a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets.{{cite web |title="BROOKLYN NETS SIGN TAHJERE MCCALL TO 10-DAY CONTRACT" |url=https://www.nba.com/nets/news/brooklyn-nets-sign-tahjere-mccall-10-day-contract |website=NBA.com |publisher=NBA |accessdate=February 27, 2019}} McCall re-joined the Long Island Nets after the conclusion of his 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets.{{cite web|title=Tahjere McCall Rejoins Long Island Nets|url=https://longisland.gleague.nba.com/news/tahjere-mccall-rejoins-long-island-nets/|date=March 8, 2019|work=NBA.com|accessdate=March 8, 2019}}
On September 20, 2019, McCall signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Atlanta Hawks.{{cite web|title=Atlanta Hawks Sign Tahjere McCall|url=https://www.nba.com/hawks/news/atlanta-hawks-sign-tahjere-mccall|website=NBA.com|accessdate=September 20, 2019|date=September 20, 2019}} On October 18, 2019, the Hawks waived McCall.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/hawks/atlanta-hawks-request-waivers-brooks-derrickson-mccall-and-sibert|title = Atlanta Hawks Request Waivers on Brooks, Derrickson, McCall and Sibert|website = NBA.com}} He was then added to the roster of the Hawks’ G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks.{{cite web |title=College Park Skyhawks Announce Training Camp Roster |url=https://cpskyhawks.gleague.nba.com/news/college-park-skyhawks-announce-training-camp-roster/ |website=NBA.com |accessdate=November 17, 2019 |date=October 29, 2019}} On December 27, 2019, McCall had 28 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block in a win against the Delaware Blue Coats.{{cite news |title=Tahjere McCall: Leads scoring charge off bench |url=https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/basketball/news/tahjere-mccall-leads-scoring-charge-off-bench/ |accessdate=June 20, 2020 |work=CBS Sports |date=December 28, 2019}} McCall had two triple-doubles. He averaged 12.7 points on 46 percent shooting, 4.7 assists, 1.9 steals, and 6.1 rebounds per game.{{cite web |last1=Duffy |first1=Dallin |title=Reviewing the College Park Skyhawks Debut Season |url=https://soaringdownsouth.com/2020/06/10/college-park-skyhawks-debut-season/ |website=Soaring Down South |publisher=FanSided |accessdate=June 21, 2020 |date=June 10, 2020}}
On January 11, 2021, McCall was selected by the Lakeland Magic as the 5th overall pick of the month's 2021 NBA G League draft{{cite web |title=NBA G League 2020-21 Draft Results |url=https://gleague.nba.com/nba-g-league-2020-21-draft-order/ |website=NBA G League |access-date=January 12, 2021 |date=January 11, 2021}} and averaged 11.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists through the season.{{cite news |title=Tahjere McCall joins Orleans |url=https://sportando.basketball/en/tahjere-mccall-joins-orleans/ |newspaper=Sportando |access-date=March 29, 2021 |date=March 29, 2021}}
On March 29, 2021, McCall signed with Orléans Loiret Basket of the French Jeep Élite.
On August 6, 2021, McCall signed with the Cairns Taipans for the 2021–22 NBL season.{{cite web |title=Taipans Sign NBA G-League Champion, Tahjere McCall |url=https://nbl.com.au/news/taipans-sign-nba-g-league-champion-tahjere-mccall |website=NBL.com.au |access-date=August 6, 2021 |date=August 6, 2021}}{{cite news |author1=Kane Pitman |title=Not just a great defender: Tahjere McCall on turning the Taipans around |url=https://www.espn.com/nbl/story/_/id/32927562/not-just-great-defender-tahjere-mccall-turning-taipans-around |access-date=March 22, 2022 |work=ESPN |date=December 23, 2021}}
On April 23, 2022, McCall signed with the Otago Nuggets for the 2022 New Zealand NBL season.{{cite web |last=Cheshire |first=Jeff |title=Nuggets announce their third US import |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/sport/basketball/nuggets-announce-their-third-us-import |website=Otago Daily Times |access-date=April 23, 2022 |date=April 23, 2022}} He left the team in mid June after being invited to an NBA summer training camp.{{cite web |last=Cheshire |first=Jeff |title=Join us in wishing Tahjere all the best as he heads to the US after being invited to a NBA summer training camp |url=https://www.facebook.com/otagonuggetsnbl/posts/pfbid02TPD3JZ7EPSp6LpsxgECGCzM3T5iXyPZyz7bMtPM9zBp5dQmcQM8PpxFtxFbSSJKl |website=facebook.com/otagonuggetsnbl |access-date=June 16, 2022 |date=June 13, 2022}}
On May 31, 2022, McCall re-signed with the Taipans on a two-year deal.{{cite web |title=Taipans re-sign Tahjere McCall |url=https://www.taipans.com/news/taipans-re-sign-tahjere-mccall |website=Taipans.com |access-date=May 31, 2022 |date=May 31, 2022}} Following the 2022–23 NBL season, he joined Fos Provence Basket of the LNB Pro A.{{Cite web|url=https://sportando.basketball/en/tahjere-mccall-joins-fos-provence/|title=Tahjere McCall joins Fos Provence|last=|first=|date=March 19, 2023|website=|publisher=Sportando|language=En|access-date=March 20, 2023}} On December 9, 2023, he had 19 points and 15 assists in a 116–101 win over the Adelaide 36ers.{{cite web |title=Taipans produce late rally to defeat 36ers |url=https://nbl.com.au/news/taipans-produce-late-rally-to-defeat-36ers |website=NBL.com.au |access-date=June 16, 2023 |date=December 9, 2023}} Following the 2023–24 NBL season, he joined Hapoel Holon in Israel.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eurohoops.net/en/fiba-champions-league/1634578/tahjere-mccall-signs-with-hapoel-holon-basketball-champions-league/|title=Tahjere McCall moves to Israel for the rest of the season|date=February 25, 2024|website=eurohoops.net|access-date=April 23, 2024}}
On November 26, 2024, McCall signed with the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association.{{cite web |title=广州龙狮官宣外援麦考尔加盟球队，将身披22号球衣，曾入选NBA G联赛最佳防守阵容 |url=https://www.sohu.com/a/830577874_121019331/ |website=九派新闻 |access-date=December 5, 2024 |date=November 26, 2024}}
On February 7, 2025, McCall signed with the Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League.{{cite web |title=Добро пожаловать, Таджер! |url=https://lokobasket.com/news/308591/ |website=ПБК Локомотив-Кубань |access-date=February 7, 2025 |date=February 7, 2025}}
Career statistics
{{NBA player statistics legend}}
=NBA=
==Regular season==
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| align="left"| {{Nbay|2018}}
| align="left"| Brooklyn
| 1 || 0 || 8.0 || .667 || .000 || .000 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 4.0
|-
{{S-end}}
=College=
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2012–13
| style="text-align:left;"| Niagara
| 32 || 23 || 19.8 || .369 || .000 || .436 || 3.3 || 2.4 || 1.2 || .0 || 4.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2013–14
| style="text-align:left;"| Niagara
| 27 || 14 || 22.7 || .413 || .083 || .734 || 3.0 || 2.0 || 1.3 || .3 || 7.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2015–16
| style="text-align:left;"| Tennessee State
| 31 || 28 || 30.1 || .455 || .278 || .756 || 5.1 || 3.0 || 2.3 || .4 || 14.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17
| style="text-align:left;"| Tennessee State
| 27 || 27 || 32.1 || .435 || .243 || .637 || 5.0 || 5.1 || 2.8 || .5 || 14.3
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 117 || 92 || 26.0 || .427 || .230 || .677 || 4.1 || 3.1 || 1.9 || .3 || 10.0
{{S-end}}
Personal life
McCall's first child was born in the United States in October 2023.{{cite web|url=https://nbl.com.au/news/taipans-waiting-on-player-availability|title=Taipans waiting on player availability|work=NBL.com.au|date=October 19, 2023|access-date=October 19, 2023}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
{{basketball stats}}
- [https://gleague.nba.com/player/tahjere-mccall/ NBA G League profile]
- [https://tsutigers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/tahjere-mccall/2616 Tennessee State Tigers bio]
- [https://purpleeagles.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/tahjere--mccall/4166 Niagara Purple Eagles bio]
- [https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/tahjere-mccall-1.html College statistics]
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCall, Tahjere}}
Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen
Category:21st-century American sportsmen
Category:American expatriate basketball people in Australia
Category:American expatriate basketball people in China
Category:American expatriate basketball people in France
Category:American expatriate basketball people in Israel
Category:American expatriate basketball people in New Zealand
Category:American expatriate basketball people in Russia
Category:American men's basketball players
Category:Basketball players from Philadelphia
Category:Brooklyn Nets players
Category:Cairns Taipans players
Category:College Park Skyhawks players
Category:Fos Provence Basket players
Category:Guangzhou Loong Lions players
Category:Hapoel Holon B.C. players
Category:Lakeland Magic players
Category:Long Island Nets players
Category:Niagara Purple Eagles men's basketball players
Category:Orléans Loiret Basket players
Category:Otago Nuggets players
Category:PBC Lokomotiv-Kuban players