Michael Qualls

Michael Qualls (born January 20, 1994) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the TaiwanBeer HeroBears of the T1 League. He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks and is most notably remembered for his go-ahead slam dunk with 0.2 seconds left in overtime against Kentucky in 2014.

Michael Qualls
Free agent
PositionShooting guard
Personal information
Born (1994-01-20) January 20, 1994
Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight202 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High schoolHuntington (Shreveport, Louisiana)
CollegeArkansas (2012–2015)
NBA draft2015: undrafted
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–2017Hapoel Gilboa Galil
2017Pallacanestro Cantù
2017–2018Salt Lake City Stars
2018Texas Legends
2018–2019Wisconsin Herd
2019NorthPort Batang Pier
2020Al-Fateh
2021–2022SCM U Craiova
2022Al Riyadi Club Beirut
2023Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
2023TaiwanBeer HeroBears
Career highlights and awards
  • Second-team All-SEC (2015)
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

High school career

Qualls attended Huntington High School where he led them to four district championships, including a senior season in which he averaged 17.8 points per game, guiding Huntington to 33 wins, making him the third-ranked player in the state of Louisiana in the class of 2012, with an ESPN.com scout grade of 89.[1]

College career

After graduating high school, Qualls attended Arkansas, where he appeared in 100 games (56 starts) and averaged 11.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 23.8 minutes per game. Conference|SEC]] after averaging 15.9 points per game. He decided to forgo his final year of college eligibility and declared for the 2015 NBA draft. Qualls is perhaps best known for his slam dunk at the buzzer to beat Kentucky 87–85 in overtime at Bud Walton Arena on January 14, 2014. It was the #1 play on the ESPN Sportscenter Top 10 plays of the day, and is considered one of the greatest moments in Razorbacks basketball history.[1][2]

Professional career

During a workout with the Phoenix Suns prior to the 2015 draft, Qualls tore his ACL and was ruled out for six to 12 months.[3] Despite the injury, Qualls managed to land an NBA training camp deal, signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder on September 29, 2015.[2] He was later waived by the Thunder on October 22 prior to the start of the regular season.[4] On November 3, he was acquired by the Oklahoma City Blue as an affiliate player from the Thunder.[5] On November 11, he was waived by the Blue.[6]

On August 7, 2016, Qualls signed with Hapoel Gilboa Galil of the Israeli League.[7] On October 10, 2016, he made his professional debut in a 77–61 loss to Hapoel Holon, recording 15 points, five rebounds and one assist in 25 minutes off the bench.[8]

On September 23, 2017, Qualls signed with the Italian team Pallacanestro Cantù for the 2017–18 season.[9] On October 25, 2017, he parted ways with Cantù after appearing in two games.[10] On December 13, 2017, he was acquired by the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League.[11] On March 5, 2018, he was waived by the Stars after averaging 8.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 19.4 minutes in 18 games.[12] Three days later, he was acquired by the Texas Legends.[13]

Qualls was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 NBA G League draft by the Wisconsin Herd.[14]

In October 2019, he signed with the NorthPort Batang Pier of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) to replace Mychal Ammons as the team's import for the 2019 PBA Governors' Cup.[15]

On February 23, 2020, Qualls signed with Al-Fateh of the Saudi Basketball League.[16] On August 18, 2021, Qualls signed with SCM U Craiova of the Liga Națională.[17]

On December 22, 2022, Qualls returned to the Philippines as he signed with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) as the team's import for the 2023 PBA Governors' Cup.[18]

On March 3, 2023, Qualls signed with TaiwanBeer HeroBears of the T1 League.[19]

The Basketball Tournament

Michael Qualls played for Team Arkansas in the 2018 edition of The Basketball Tournament. In 2 games, he averaged 22.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. Team Arkansas reached the second round before falling to the Talladega Knights.

Personal life

The son of Anthony and grandson of Vera Thrash, Qualls has a son named Michael Jr. He majored in recreation and sports management.[1]

References
  1. "#24 Michael Qualls". ArkansasRazorbacks.com. April 24, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  2. "Thunder Adds Qualls to Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. September 29, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  3. Goodman, Jeff (June 15, 2015). "Former Arkansas forward Michael Qualls tears ACL in workout". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  4. "Thunder Waives Qualls, Stone, Wells and Zanna". NBA.com. October 22, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  5. "Oklahoma City Blue Announces Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. November 3, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  6. "Oklahoma City Blue Finalizes Opening Night Roster". NBA.com. November 11, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  7. "Gilboa Galil signs Michael Qualls and Murphy Holloway". Sportando.com. August 7, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  8. "Regular Season Round 1: Hapoel Holon - Galil Gilboa 77-61". Eurobasket.com. October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  9. "Cantù signs Michael Qualls". Sportando.com. September 23, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  10. "Pallacanestro Cantù cut Michael Qualls". Sportando.com. October 25, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  11. "Stars Acquire Michael Qualls". NBA.com. December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  12. Rueckert, Daniel (March 5, 2018). "Salt Lake City Acquires Shonn Miller". NBA.com. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  13. "Legends Acquire Michael Qualls". NBA.com. March 8, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  14. McGee, Adam (October 21, 2018). "Wisconsin Herd add to roster via G League draft, trade". Behind the Bucks Pass. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  15. Ramos, Gerry (October 21, 2019). "NorthPort brings in new import Michael Qualls to replace Mychal Ammons". spin.ph. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  16. "Michael Qualls (ex North Port) signs at Al Fateh". EuroBasket News. February 23, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  17. Beres, Arnold (August 18, 2021). "Michael Qualls (ex Al Fateh) is a newcomer at Craiova". Eurobasket. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  18. "Rain or Shine brings in ex-Northport import Qualls for Govs' Cup". Tiebreaker Times. December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  19. "台啤英熊補火力 網羅原效力PBA平均得分30分的柯歐斯". Liberty Times Net. March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
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