Elijah Bryant Returned To Europe After Playing One Game in the NBA

Published on November 5th, 2024 9:52 am EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


The NBA has had dozens and dozens of players who played in just a single game and then left the league without playing again. There are many reasons for this: injuries, short-term contracts to replace injured players, etc.

Elijah Bryant, however, stands out at the top of the list if you search for players who appeared in just one NBA game.

In his first and only regular season NBA game, Bryant had 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a blocked shot in 32 minutes of play.

Bryant had played in Israel after going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft. After joining the 76ers and Bucks on their Summer League teams, Bryant got the chance to play in the NBA on May 13th, 2021, when he signed with the Milwaukee Bucks.

In the final regular game of the season, the Bucks were resting players and Bryant got the call, putting up 16 points in his only regular season appearance ever in the NBA.

Bryant played a bit in the playoffs that year, though eventually the team decided to waive him at the start of the next season.

Bryant signed with Anadolu Efes of the Basketbol Super Ligi in Turkey, where he went on to achieve a great amount of success.

In fact, Bryant was named the Turkish Super Cup MVP in 2024.

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The amusing thing about Elijah Bryant's brief stint in the NBA is that he actually ended up earning a NBA title ring, as he was part of the Bucks team that won the title in 2021.

As a result, Bryant has the rare distinction of being both a NBA champion and a Basketbol Super Ligi champion.