T.J. McConnell

BIOGRAPHY

T.J. McConnell was born on March 25, 1992, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a point guard in the NBA.

McConnell attended Chartiers Valley High School in the Pittsburgh-area borough of Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, where he played for his father, Tim. As the team captain his senior year, he earned first-team all-state honors, was named the Associated Press's Pennsylvania Class 3A Player of the Year, and also named the male athlete of the year for all sports by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

In April 2012, he transferred to Arizona from Duquesne, desiring to compete for a National Championship. The season culminated in an Elite 8 appearance for the Wildcats. As a senior, McConnell was voted first-team All-Pac-12 and named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team, and he helped lead Arizona to another appearance in the Elite Eight.

After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft, McConnell joined the Philadelphia 76ers for the 2015 NBA Summer League. On September 27, 2015, he signed with the 76ers. He made his debut against the Boston Celtics. In January 2017, he had a career high 17 assists against the Celtics, he became the fourth player in franchise history to hit that mark in a single contest. In 2018, the 76ers exercised the fourth-year option on their contract with McConnell. 

On July 29th, 2019, McConnell signed with the Indiana Pacers.

His father, Tim, is one of the most successful coaches in WPIAL history and played at Waynesburg College (now Waynesburg University) from 1984 to 1986.

His aunt, Suzie McConnell-Serio, was an All-American at Penn State (1985–1988), Olympic gold medalist and WNBA standout prior to being inducted to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. She started her college coaching career at Duquesne and is currently the head women's basketball coach at the University of Pittsburgh.