Tony Bradley (basketball)

Tony Lee Bradley Jr. (born January 8, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of North Carolina (UNC). A 6'10 center, Bradley was a primary substitute for the Tar Heels' 2017 NCAA championship team.

Bradley was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 28th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, but was traded to the Utah Jazz on draft night. After three seasons with the Jazz, Bradley was ultimately traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2020 before being traded midseason to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He signed with the Chicago Bulls in the 2021 offseason and spent two seasons with the team. After a two-season stint in the NBA G League, Bradley signed with the Indiana Pacers, with whom he reached the 2025 NBA Finals.

Born and raised in Bartow, Florida, Bradley played high school basketball for Bartow High School. He was named a McDonald's All-American in his senior year. Bradley chose North Carolina over Kansas, Florida, Florida State, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Miami and NC State. Bradley was rated as a five-star recruit and was ranked 17th in the ESPN 100 for the Class of 2016.

In his freshman season, Bradley served as the primary substitute for senior Kennedy Meeks, averaging 7.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game and providing strong offensive rebounding for the Tar Heels.

Following the Tar Heels' championship win over Gonzaga, Bradley announced that he would declare his eligibility for the 2017 NBA draft without signing an agent, leaving open the opportunity to return to UNC for his sophomore season. Bradley ultimately chose to remain in the NBA Draft, becoming the third "one-and-done" player during Williams' tenure at UNC and the second among those to have won a national championship.

Bradley was selected 28th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 NBA Draft with his draft rights traded to the Utah Jazz. On July 5, 2017, Bradley signed with the Jazz. He made his NBA debut on November 5 against the Houston Rockets. He was assigned to the Jazz' G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars on November 7, and made his G League debut the next night, scoring 20 points in a loss to the Wisconsin Herd. Bradley made nine appearances for Utah during his rookie campaign, averaging 0.9 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.1 assists.

Bradley made only three appearances for the Jazz during the 2018–19 NBA season, averaging 5.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 0.3 assists. He entered the rotation for the 2019–20 NBA season, playing in 58 total games (including three starts), in which he averaged 4.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists.

On November 22, 2020, Bradley and the draft rights to Saben Lee were traded to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for cash considerations. A day later, Bradley was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Zhaire Smith. He made 20 appearances (eight starts) for Philadelphia during the 2020–21 NBA season, averaging 5.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists.

On March 25, 2021, Bradley was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a three-way trade involving the New York Knicks. He made 22 appearances for the Thunder, averaging 8.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists.

On August 19, 2021, Bradley signed with the Chicago Bulls. He made 55 appearances (seven starts) for Chicago during the 2021–22 NBA season, averaging 3.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 0.5 assists.

Bradley made 12 appearances for the Bulls in the 2022–23 NBA season, logging averages of 1.6 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.1 assists. On February 21, 2023, Bradley was waived by the Bulls.

On October 20, 2023, Bradley signed with the Dallas Mavericks, but was waived the same day. On October 29, he joined the Texas Legends.

On October 7, 2024, Bradley signed with the Atlanta Hawks, but was waived the next day. On October 26, he joined the College Park Skyhawks.

On March 2, 2025, Bradley signed a 10-day contract with the Indiana Pacers. On March 13, he signed a second 10-day contract with the team. On March 23, the Pacers signed Bradley for the rest of the 2024–25 NBA season. In 14 appearances for Indiana, he averaged 4.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.4 assists.

On January 5, 2026, Bradley was waived by the Pacers, but on January 8, he was re-signed to another 10-day contract. On January 19, Bradley re-signed with the Pacers on a second 10-day contract.

On April 6, 2026, Bradley signed a rest-of-season contract with the Atlanta Hawks.

• North Carolina Tar Heels bio