Eastern Michigan Athletics
Photo by: RVG Vipers Media Relations
Former Eagle Tim Bond Celebrates Second NBA G League Title
4/18/2022 2:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bond earned the title as a member of the RGV Vipers, affiliate of the Houston Rockets
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – One of Eastern Michigan University's own is celebrating championship success, as 2018 EMU graduate and men's basketball alumnus Tim Bond helped the Rio Grande Valley Vipers clinch their fourth NBA G League title over the Easter Holiday Weekend. The team finished with a 24-10 overall record and defeated the Delaware Blue Coats in the championship series.
The NBA G League is the National Basketball Association's official minor league, preparing players, coaches, officials, trainers, and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the league's research and development laboratory. Featuring 26 teams — all with one-to-one affiliations with NBA franchises — in the 2021-22 season, the league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. The RGV Vipers are associated with the Houston Rockets.
A Baltimore, Md. native, Bond was the 2018 Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year, was named to the conference all-defensive team three times, and is a member of the 1,000 point club at EMU, having finished his EMU career with 1,056 points, 490 rebounds, 373 assists, and 238 steals. Bond still holds the all-time steals record at Eastern (238), and also tops the single-season steals performances with 85 swipes over 35 games during the 2017-18 season.
Prior to joining the Vipers mid-season, Bond had been playing professionally overseas, most recently signing a contract with Al Fateh in the Saudi Arabian League. Bond previously played in the G League with the Westchester Knicks (2019-20), and won a championship the year prior (2018-19) with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The former Eagle originally signed with the Delaware Blue Coats in 2018 after graduating from Eastern Michigan.
Bond played in 17 total G League games this season, averaging 15.1 minutes per contest. The former MAC standout recorded 5.4 points per game and shot nearly 40 percent from the floor.
Bond is not the only member of the EMU men's basketball family to have NBA G League success. Current men's basketball Head Coach Stan Heath arrived at Eastern after an impressive four-year stint as the head man for the Lakeland Magic, the Orlando Magic's G League affiliate. Heath led that organization to the 2021 G League title before returning to his alma mater.
The NBA G League is the National Basketball Association's official minor league, preparing players, coaches, officials, trainers, and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the league's research and development laboratory. Featuring 26 teams — all with one-to-one affiliations with NBA franchises — in the 2021-22 season, the league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. The RGV Vipers are associated with the Houston Rockets.
A Baltimore, Md. native, Bond was the 2018 Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year, was named to the conference all-defensive team three times, and is a member of the 1,000 point club at EMU, having finished his EMU career with 1,056 points, 490 rebounds, 373 assists, and 238 steals. Bond still holds the all-time steals record at Eastern (238), and also tops the single-season steals performances with 85 swipes over 35 games during the 2017-18 season.
Prior to joining the Vipers mid-season, Bond had been playing professionally overseas, most recently signing a contract with Al Fateh in the Saudi Arabian League. Bond previously played in the G League with the Westchester Knicks (2019-20), and won a championship the year prior (2018-19) with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The former Eagle originally signed with the Delaware Blue Coats in 2018 after graduating from Eastern Michigan.
Bond played in 17 total G League games this season, averaging 15.1 minutes per contest. The former MAC standout recorded 5.4 points per game and shot nearly 40 percent from the floor.
Bond is not the only member of the EMU men's basketball family to have NBA G League success. Current men's basketball Head Coach Stan Heath arrived at Eastern after an impressive four-year stint as the head man for the Lakeland Magic, the Orlando Magic's G League affiliate. Heath led that organization to the 2021 G League title before returning to his alma mater.
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