Ryan Arcidiacono

2.1. Early Life and Background

Ryan Curran Arcidiacono was born on March 26, 1994, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is one of six children, having three older siblings, Sabrina, Nicole, and Michael, as well as younger twin siblings, Christopher and Courtney. His parents, Joe and Patti Arcidiacono, met at Villanova University, where his father Joe was an offensive lineman for the football team.

His father fostered Ryan's early interest in basketball by installing a 6 ft plastic hoop in their living room, where young Arcidiacono frequently practiced jump shots and layups. His talent became evident early on, as he once scored 50 points in an AAU game and hit eight consecutive three-pointers in another. By the time he was in 7th grade, Villanova coach Jay Wright foresaw his future with the Wildcats. Growing up, his favorite athletes were Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers and Brian Dawkins of the Philadelphia Eagles. In eighth grade, he trained with former Penn State player Ben Luber.

2.2. High School Career

Arcidiacono attended Neshaminy High School where he played under coach Jerry Devine. As a sophomore, he led the Neshaminy Redskins to a PIAA Class AAAA tournament. In a playoff game against Bartram High School, he achieved a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. He averaged 18 points per game that season and was named to the Class AAAA second team. After his sophomore year, while playing for his AAU team, the PA Playaz, at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in North Carolina, he sustained a face injury requiring eight stitches. Despite medical advice, he played in the next game, scoring 35 points, and continued his high-scoring pace throughout the tournament, attracting attention from major college programs. He received recruiting offers from Syracuse, Florida, Texas, and Villanova, eventually committing to Villanova in October 2010 after attending their Hoops Mania event.

In his junior year, Arcidiacono led Neshaminy to a 22-7 record, averaging 20.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.2 steals. He surpassed the 1,000-point career mark in a game against Pennsbury, scoring 29 points in an 83-52 victory. The Neshaminy Redskins reached the state quarterfinals in 2011 before being defeated by Penn Wood. Following this season, he was recognized as the Bucks County Courier Times player of the year and was selected to the first-team all-Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Shortly after his junior season, Arcidiacono began experiencing lower back pain. In May 2011, at a basketball camp in Chicago, he reported poor mobility and soreness. He was diagnosed with a herniated disk and underwent surgery on December 21, forcing him to miss his entire senior season. Despite the injury, Arcidiacono concluded his high school career as Neshaminy High School's all-time leading scorer with 1,498 points, 449 rebounds, 378 assists, 178 steals, and 160 three-pointers. Even with missing his senior season, ESPNU ranked him among the top 50 seniors nationally.

3.1. Freshman Season (2012-2013)

Arcidiacono began his freshman season not fully recovered from his back injury. He made his college debut scoring 11 points against the University of the District of Columbia. In the subsequent game against Marshall, he became the first Villanova freshman to score 25 points since Scottie Reynolds.

He earned his first Big East rookie of the week honors on November 18, following an 18-point, six-assist performance in an overtime victory against Purdue. He was again named Big East rookie of the week on December 31 after scoring 17 points against the NJIT. On January 2, 2013, he achieved a career-high 32 points, leading Villanova to a 98-86 overtime win over St. John's, which earned him another Big East rookie of the week honor for the week of January 6. In a January 26 contest against third-ranked Syracuse, Arcidiacono hit a three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left to tie the game at 61, ultimately leading to a 75-71 overtime victory for the Wildcats. He earned his fourth rookie of the week honors in the final week of the regular season.

With Arcidiacono's contributions, Villanova finished the season with a 20-14 record and qualified for the NCAA tournament as a ninth seed. They faced eighth-seed North Carolina in the first round, where Arcidiacono scored 10 points, but Villanova lost 78-71. For the season, he averaged 11.9 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game, starting all 34 games and leading the team in average minutes played with 34.0 minutes per game. He was named Philadelphia Big 5 rookie of the year and was selected to the Big East All-Rookie team.

3.2. Sophomore Season (2013-2014)

Entering his sophomore year, Arcidiacono focused on refining his footwork and shooting mechanics. On November 29, he made a crucial three-pointer with 10.1 seconds remaining against Kansas, despite not having made a shot until that point, helping Villanova upset the second-ranked Jayhawks 63-59. On January 25, 2014, he recorded his first career double-double with 20 points and 11 assists in a 94-85 overtime win against Marquette. His season-high was 21 points in a February 18 game against Providence, where he completed a three-point play with 3.1 seconds left in double overtime to secure an 82-79 victory for the Wildcats.

Following the regular season, Arcidiacono received an honorable mention as an all-Big East selection and was named to the All-Big 5 Second Team alongside teammate Darrun Hilliard. He finished the season averaging 9.9 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per contest. He started 33 games and again led the team in average minutes per game with 31.1 minutes.

3.3. Junior Season (2014-2015)

Prior to his junior season, Arcidiacono was selected to the preseason second team All-Big East and was ranked #84 by ESPN in its preseason top 100 college basketball player rankings. He was also included on the 36-man Bob Cousy Award preseason watch list. In his season debut on November 14, Arcidiacono scored 16 points in a 77-66 victory over Lehigh. On February 17, 2015, he scored 10 points in an 80-54 victory over Seton Hall; during this game, he was hit in the nose by an forearm from Seton Hall guard Sterling Gibbs, who was later suspended and apologized for the incident. On March 3, Arcidiacono scored 23 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer, in a 76-72 win over Creighton. In the semifinals of the Big East tournament, Villanova defeated Providence 63-61, with Arcidiacono hitting two crucial free throws with 3.1 seconds remaining.

After overcoming a nagging right wrist injury in December, Arcidiacono averaged 12.9 points and 3.6 assists in Big East conference play, shooting 45.5% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc. He was named co-winner of the Big East Player of the Year award, sharing the honor with Providence guard Kris Dunn, an announcement that he admitted left him "kind of shocked." Arcidiacono was also selected to the 2014-15 Men's All-District II Team by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, the Second Team All-District V by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and the All-Big 5 First Team.

3.4. Senior Season (2015-2016)

Entering his final year at Villanova, Arcidiacono was named to the Preseason First Team All-Big East. He was also listed on the Oscar Robertson Award and Naismith College Player of the Year preseason watch lists. In his season debut on November 13, he scored 12 points in a 91-54 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson. On December 31, he had a standout performance in a 95-64 victory over sixth-ranked Xavier, connecting on seven three-pointers and scoring 27 points.

Arcidiacono was named one of the ten finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. At the end of the regular season, he was selected to the Second Team All-Big East. He played a pivotal role in leading Villanova to the 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship. In the championship game against North Carolina, he made the game-winning assist to Kris Jenkins as time expired, securing Villanova's national title. For his outstanding performance in the tournament, Arcidiacono was named its Most Outstanding Player. As a senior, he averaged 12.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 39.4%. On February 12, 2020, his number 15 jersey was retired at Villanova, a testament to his legacy.

4.1. Austin Spurs (2016-2017)

After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Arcidiacono joined the San Antonio Spurs for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On July 14, 2016, he signed with the Spurs, but was waived on October 22 after appearing in three preseason games. Seven days later, on October 29, he was acquired by the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League (now NBA G League) as an affiliate player of San Antonio, marking his first step into professional basketball.

For the 2017-18 season, Arcidiacono initially signed a two-year contract with the Italian Serie A team Juvecaserta Basket on July 5, 2017. However, the contract was voided on July 14, 2017, after Juvecaserta was not accepted into Serie A due to financial issues, as rejected by Com.Tec. (Commission of control on the companies' financial statements).

4.2. Chicago Bulls (2017-2021)

On July 25, 2017, Arcidiacono signed a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls, after having played with them in the 2017 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. This contract made him the first player in Bulls franchise history to sign a two-way deal, allowing him to split time between Chicago and their G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, for most of the season. While playing sparingly with Chicago, he averaged 13.8 points, 5 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game with Windy City. In the 2018 NBA Summer League with Chicago, he posted averages of 7.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4 assists per game.

On July 31, 2018, Arcidiacono signed a standard contract with the Bulls. On October 18, he recorded eight points, four rebounds, and a career-high eight assists in the season-opener against the Philadelphia 76ers. With three starters injured early in the season, his playing time increased significantly. On November 26, 2018, Arcidiacono scored a career-high 22 points, along with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals, in a narrow 107-108 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. On July 2, 2019, Arcidiacono signed a three-year, 9.00 M USD contract with the Bulls.

4.3. Maine Celtics (2021-2022)

On September 28, 2021, Arcidiacono signed with the Boston Celtics, but he was subsequently waived on October 16. On October 23, he signed with the Maine Celtics as an affiliate player. On January 6, 2022, Arcidiacono signed a 10-day contract with the New York Knicks. However, he was waived by the Knicks on January 13 without appearing in a game. On January 19, Arcidiacono signed another standard 10-day contract with the Knicks but again did not play a game for them. On January 31, 2022, Arcidiacono was reacquired by the Maine Celtics.

4.4. New York Knicks (2022-2023)

On February 13, 2022, Arcidiacono was signed by the New York Knicks for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. He later re-signed with the Knicks on September 17, 2022, continuing his tenure with the team.

4.5. Portland Trail Blazers (2023)

On February 9, 2023, the Knicks reached an agreement to trade Arcidiacono, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Cam Reddish, and draft considerations to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Josh Hart, who was Arcidiacono's former teammate at Villanova. This transaction was part of a larger four-team trade that also involved the Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers. In this complex deal, the Hornets received Mykhailiuk, the 76ers acquired Jalen McDaniels, the Knicks received Hart, and the Trail Blazers obtained Arcidiacono, Reddish, and Matisse Thybulle. Arcidiacono's time with the Trail Blazers was brief, as he was waived by the team on April 1.

4.6. Later Career (2023-present)

7.1. NBA Statistics

7.2. College Statistics