At age 26, point guard Josh Gray has already checked off two of the biggest boxes for any basketball player from Louisiana. LSU scholarship? Gray started 29 games over two seasons for the Tigers, who finished in the top half of the SEC in both 2014-15 and ’15-16. Suiting up for the state’s NBA franchise? He signed a two-way contract with New Orleans last summer and appeared in a pair of regular season games for the Pelicans, when he wasn’t dominating the G League (No. 5 scorer at 22.5 points per game, topping the Erie Bayhawks).
Another of Gray’s unique achievements as a Pelican State native has as much to do with his background and ability to overcome adversity as his feats on the basketball court. During an August 2019 ceremony, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser officially named the Lake Charles native an ambassador for Louisiana, in recognition of the 6-foot, 180-pounder’s difficult path to success.
“It’s about sharing inspiration and giving kids in a poverty-stricken environment – the way I grew up – hope,” Gray said of one purpose of the honor. “Telling them they have an opportunity to be whatever they want to be, coming from the circumstances I came from, because I was one of them.”
The ambassador role has no official responsibilities, but helps to highlight Gray’s life story, one that includes him playing Division I basketball, graduating from LSU, then making it to the NBA (he also played five games for Phoenix in ’17-18).
“I want to inspire kids in Louisiana,” Gray said of being an ambassador. “I’m pretty sure if you went around Louisiana and asked them if they wanted to play for the Pelicans, they’d die for that opportunity. I was one of those kids. I grew up less fortunate, but was one of those who made it out. If I can give a little inspiration and motivation, I feel like I’ve done my job of giving back to the youth.”
It’s something Gray plans to continue to do throughout his career. For obvious reasons, he relishes any trips he gets to make to home during the offseason.
“Everywhere I go at home, someone is congratulating me, thanking me for staying focused and accomplishing my goals,” Gray said of visiting Lake Charles. “If I go to Baton Rouge, it’s the same thing. Even when I’m playing in summer league, there are a lot of LSU fans putting out my information (on social media), how many points I had. They definitely keep up with it. It’s great to see.”
