Anthony Black (basketball)

Anthony Black (born January 20, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class.

Early life and high school career
Black was born in Duncanville, Texas, to parents Terry and Jennifer. His mother played soccer for the Texas Longhorns and Baylor Bears while his father played college basketball for the Baylor Bears and professionally overseas. When Black was 10 months old, he moved with his family to Germany where his father was playing. He became fluent in German by the age of three. Black moved back to the United States with his mother when it was time for him to begin kindergarten. His parents split during his childhood and Black was raised by his mother.

Black grew up in Coppell, Texas, and initially attended Coppell High School. He averaged 16.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and two steals per game as a junior and was named second-team all-area. Black also played football at Coppell as a wide receiver and caught 78 passes for 1,327 yards and 16 touchdowns over two varsity seasons. He transferred to Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas before the start of his senior year. Black played in only 15 games during his season due to eligibility issues and averaged 13.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, four assists, and 2.2 steals per game.

Recruiting
Black was rated a five-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for Arkansas after considering offers from Gonzaga, Oklahoma State, and TCU. He also considered playing professionally in the NBA G League. Additionally, Black was considered a high-level football recruit and received scholarship offers from Texas, Baylor, and Arkansas.

College career
Black entered his freshman season at Arkansas as a starter at guard. He also entered the season as a potential first-round selection in the 2023 NBA draft. Black averaged 22 points over three games during the 2022 Maui Invitational Tournament and was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Week. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman team at the end of the regular season. Black averaged 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.1 steals per game on the year. After the season, he announced that he would forgo the remainder of his college eligibility and enter the 2023 NBA draft.

Professional career
The Orlando Magic selected Black with the sixth overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft.

National team career
Black played for the United States under-18 basketball team at the 2022 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship. He averaged 4.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, helping his team win the gold medal.