Ronnie Price: Undrafted and Employed

Some 10 years and change ago, Ronnie Price sat and watched the 2005 NBA Draft begin with the first overall selection of Andrew Bogut.

Price had seen and heard plenty of Bogut in previous years. The Australian big man made himself into a top prospect at the University of Utah, which is roughly a 45-minute drive up the I-15 from where Price played his own college ball. Despite the close proximity between them, scouts weren’t exactly going out of their way to make an extra stop at Utah Valley State College (now Utah Valley University).

“Bogut was probably more secure than I was,” Price laughed.

What he doesn’t laugh about are the 59 draft picks that followed Bogut that night. Price had worked out for several NBA teams in the weeks leading up to the draft. He says more than one promised they would pick him in the second round if he was still available.

None did.

“I felt like I played well in pre-draft camp,” Price admits. “I felt like I did well in my workouts. I had a lot of teams that showed a lot of interest. To not hear my name called, absolutely it was tough.”

Ten years later, the undrafted guard and number one overall pick share an uncommon bullet point on their resumes: both have been employed by NBA teams every season since that late June evening.

Of the 30 second-round picks from the 2005 draft, only eight played in the class’s 10-year anniversary season (2014-15).

It is now Year 11 for that group. Price, whose NBA bio still reads “undrafted,” maintains a razor-sharp memory of every team that overlooked him and player that was deemed better than him.

“There’s been a chip on my shoulder since day one,” Price said. “I think about that every time I get ready for a new season when I’m training. Every once in a while when I play against those teams that I know passed up on me, that promised me they were going to draft me, stuff like that always comes across my mind.”

Vengeance is tempered with humility. Unlike many of his peers wearing the security of a guaranteed contract, Price’s offseasons are yet another platform on which he must prove himself every year. Slip just once, and he might keep sliding right out of the NBA.

His first test came after that fateful draft night. Teams, eager to scoop up the talent they had overlooked just days earlier, brought him in for workouts. He played in the NBA Summer League. Once again, Price earned interest. This time, it came backed up by offers. He ultimately signed with Sacramento, which needed backup help behind veteran guard Mike Bibby.

The NBA unofficially met Ronnie Price on Nov. 23, 2006. Now an NBA sophomore but still a seldom-used reserve, Price watched as Bibby crumpled to the floor late in the first half. The long-time Kings guard later left the game for good with a thigh contusion.

Suddenly it was up to Price to lead the offense for extended minutes. In that time, three specific seconds stand out, a span in which he caught a pass beyond the three-point arc, drove hard to his right and dunked all over the grizzled grill of Utah forward Carlos Boozer.

Fans and teammates alike lost their collective minds, a forgivable reaction since his days at Utah Valley never caught a whiff of prime time television.

“I probably caught a lot of people off-guard with my athleticism because a lot of guys didn’t get a chance to see me in college,” Price said. “If I wasn’t heavily scouted by a certain team or I didn’t go to those teams’ pre-draft workouts, they didn’t have a chance to see me play in college. They had no idea who I was, no idea what I could do.”

There have been NBA equivalents of one-hit wonders. Players who live on the life of one good highlight, season or playoff series often die by the same means. Their credentials grow stale after lack of renewal. Once lost, respect is hard to win back.

ESPN-worthy highlights were few and far between after that long-ago night in Sacramento. Instead, he made his own highlight reel behind the scenes, which players and coaches remember long after the most recent Top 10 list. He earned tenure on the practice court, where some of the league’s best guards learned that undrafted does not mean unqualified.

Suns Head Coach Jeff Hornacek remembers marveling at Price in Utah, where he pestered former All-Star Deron Williams the same way he hounds Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight today.

“He’s a competitor,” Hornacek said. “You get around this league, you see a lot of guys who go through the motions. They may want to try to turn it on in the games. It doesn’t matter if it’s a game or practice, Ronnie wants to win that particular drill. Guys feed off that.”

They also respect it. Price’s in-practice intensity doesn’t come across the wrong way, no matter how many irritated turnovers he causes.

“I let them know beforehand that I’m here to get them better,” Price said. “I’m here to push the guy that I’m playing against so that when we play against other guards on other teams, it’s an easy matter.”

Such a role is often thankless and among the least visible in the league. Stars can be reluctant to give credit to their backups, but Price’s resume sports an impressive list of talented starters, every one of them an eager reference on Price's behalf. Mike Bibby in Sacramento. Deron Williams. Steve Nash. Damian Lillard. Victor Oladipo. Eric Bledsoe.

Price’s childhood dream was to be one of them. Now, he readily and happily swaps those dreams for the reality of a steady NBA job.

“I had to find a niche in order to stick,” Price said. “I’ve transitioned to become more of a defensive guy, more of a locker room guy. I’m just trying to be the ultimate professional.”

Price rarely lets himself rest on his hard-earned laurels, but he did allow himself a smile after the 2014-15 campaign. That season saw him hold the same position as Hall-of-Fame legend Magic Johnson: starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The unexpected promotion came after a slew of injuries and poor play slammed the Lakers’ season. Much like the night Bibby’s injury opened a door, Price was able to parlay another unfortunate circumstance into yet another blip on his NBA-rate monitor.

“I’ve been in so many funny situations in my career,” he laughed. “It didn’t really hit me until this summer until I had time to think, ‘Man, I had a chance to start for the Lakers.’”

Los Angeles and other teams restocked during the offseason. Once again without a guaranteed contract, Price simply worked and waited for the call he feels more and more confident will come every summer.

For the second time in his career, it was Phoenix on the other line.

“Ronnie’s always been on our list,” Hornacek said. “He’s that veteran guy who understands what his role is. He plays hard in practice. You put him in the game, he’ll be the guy that’s picking guys up full-court. I like that energy.”

Price earned respect right away during informal workouts, but playing time has followed more quickly than usual. Through the first week of the season, he’s averaging over 14 minutes per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three, an efficiency he credits to offseason elbow surgery.

His greatest source of pride, however, comes away from the spotlight, when every day he walks into the office no one wanted to give him 10 years ago.

“Every time I step between these lines, I don’t know if it’s going to be my last game or last time playing,” Price said. “The game has funny ways of injuries and all the nasty things that can occur. You just never know if tomorrow’s promised.”