Julian Strawther

Julian Lee Strawther-Cordero was born on April 18, 2002, and has since made his mark more demonstratively on the basketball court. He is a professional basketball player hailing from Puerto Rico and currently playing for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A significant part of his career was spent showcasing his skills on the hardcourt for the Gonzaga Bulldogs during his college years.

Born and raised in Las Vegas, Strawther blossomed into a promising athlete during his high school years at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada. During his junior year, he turned heads averaging an impressive 27.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. His performance accelerated in his senior season, with him averaging 31.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, earning him the prestigious honor of Southeast League’s co-MVP.

He also set an event record by scoring an unprecedented 51 points against Apollo High School during the HoopHall West Invitational. An indelible mark was made by Strawther at Liberty High School, where he holds the all-time record for points and rebounds. He was a consensus four-star recruit, and ultimately chose to continue his promising career at Gonzaga instead of taking offers from Marquette, Florida, and UNLV.

As a freshman at Gonzaga, he served as support to Corey Kispert, averaging 3.4 points per game. He was an integral part of the team that reached the national championship game. On November 15, 2021, Strawther made strides in his career by scoring 18 points in an 84-57 win against Alcorn State. In his sophomore year, he demonstrated consistent growth, averaging 11.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

By the end of his sophomore season, Julian had declared for the 2022 NBA draft before choosing to return to Gonzaga. This decision was followed by a triumphant moment on January 28, 2023, when he scored a career-high 40 points in a victory over Portland. During the 2023 NCAA tournament, he made a notable 35-foot basket against UCLA with just six seconds remaining, helping Gonzaga secure a win and advance to the quarterfinals.

In the international arena, despite being a Las Vegas native, Strawther represented Puerto Rico due to his late mother’s Puerto Rican lineage. He stood out at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, averaging 22 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, contributing to his team’s sixth-place finish. His tenacity was evident when he recorded 40 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists in a game against Russia.

Strawther’s personal life has been marked with numerous challenges. He lost his mother, Lourdes, to breast cancer when he was just nine years old. His older sister, Paris, herself is a college basketball player for UNLV. Strawther’s paternal grandfather, Edward, was an accomplished man, serving as a lieutenant colonel during World War II and going on to found the Las Vegas Sentinel, one of the only two African-American newspapers in Nevada. Through it all, Strawther has become a beacon of resilience, making tremendous strides both professionally and personally.