Andre Drummond is a popular NBA player currently playing for Detroit Pistons and who was named an NBA All-Star in 2016.
Early years
He was born as Andre Jamal Drummond on August 10, 1993, in Mount Vernon in New York State. Both of his parents are from Jamaica, but his father left the family when he was just a small kid.
When he was seven years old, he relocated to Middletown in Connecticut with his mother and sister. He started attending Woodrow Wilson Middle School. His mother’s name is Christine Cameron, and his sister is Ariana.
He went to Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford where he joined the school’s basketball team. After being a part of their team for two years, he transferred to St. Thomas More High School in Oakdale. He was one of the best centers that school ever had. He graduated in 2011 after he led his team to National Championship.
Because of his height, he always had problems at school since students were either scared of him or thought he was weird. So it was hard for him to make friends although he tried very hard to blend: he even walked hunched just to look smaller.
He wanted to fit in, and he was raised in a Christian spirit, so he served as a resident adviser at his school, who helped homesick first-year students to fit in.
In 2010 he was a member of the US team at 2010 FIBA WC for players under 17. His team won the gold medal.
He joined the University of Connecticut and became one of the most valuable players in their team. His coach on UConn saw his talent but realized that Andre didn’t feel comfortable in his body and that it was what blocked him from being an even greater player.
He encouraged him and forced him to train, and gave him a role to play. He even gave him a job of supervising rookies because he saw that Andre loved to be near the courtyard and that he loves the game.
Career development
In 2012 he announced that he is becoming available for the 2012 NBA draft.
He was chosen by the Detroit Pistons as their ninth pick. Even in the first season, he became one of the Top players for the club, and in 2012/13 NBA season, he was named to the All-Rodae Second Team.
After he was selected by Detroit, he moved to Rochester Hills with Christine (mother). She chauffeured him to practice every day.
He was and still is very grateful to his mum who encouraged him to pursue his dream. She was a Jamaican immigrant who had to raise two children on her own. She worked as a nurse at Middlesex Hospital on nightshifts and staying long hours, but she always had time for her children.
When he wanted to give up on basketball because of his many gaffes and problems in the courtyard she was there to tell him not to give up and to have faith.
Some people, especially basketball managers, confused Andre’s inconsistency with indifference thinking he had a lousy work ethic and didn’t have any competitive spirit.
In 2015/16 he had three double-doubles which were the first time for a Piston’s player to achieve that in the last ten years.
He made an admirable 11 consecutive double-doubles which were the 2nd longest streak for a Piston since 1960’s.
In summer 2016 he signed a new contract with the Detroit Pistons, worth $130 million for a five-year long period.
In 2014 he was the member of the USA team, he won the gold medal on FIBA World Cup held in Spain.
Personal life
He is a big car fan, so he has a collection of them which includes Mercedes Benz, Rolls Royce, and Range Rover.
He dated Jannette McCurdy in 2013, and after two years he was seen with Candice Brooks.
He is known for wearing Air Jordan snickers, for which he is the brand ambassador. He is also sponsored by Kroger and Panini.
He is currently single and lives in Michigan. His agent is Jeff Schwartz from Excel Sports Management.
In summer 2013 he pursued Jennette who was an early TV star via social media until she agreed to date him, but she knew at the beginning it wouldn’t last long. It only lasted for one week. It ended with Jennette dissing him in the media for being a bad kisser.
He also dated a model Candice Brooks for three months in 2015 but after they were separated there was no bad blood between them.
He is a big fan of dogs and has one himself; his name is Duke, and he sometimes takes him on a drive.
He is of the Christian religion, and he often puts posts related to his beliefs on his social media accounts.
For example, this is one of his Facebook statuses: “Everything will happen for u at the right time in unexpected ways & you’ll be thankful that you didn’t give up on yourself.”
He has just a few tattoos but one of the biggest is the word “Faith” in his right arm. He claims that he wouldn’t become a basketball player if there weren’t faith forcing him to move forward.
Andre wears glasses, but in the courtyard, he uses contact lenses.
Quick summary
Full name: Andre Jamal Drummond
Date of birth: August 10, 1993
Birthplace: Mount Vernon
Age: 24
Profession: NBA basketball player
Height: 2, 11 m
Weight: 137 kgs
Net Worth: $30 million
