Adrian Banks


Adrian Gerard Banks is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for Fortitudo Bologna of the Lega Basket Serie A. He played college basketball for Northwest Mississippi Community College and Arkansas State University.

College career

Banks played junior college basketball at Northwest Mississippi Community College before moving to Arkansas State University, where he became the seventh player in the history of college to score more than 1000 points.

Professional career

Banks moved to Belgium in 2008, signing his first professional contract with 2008, signing with Pepinster, where he played 31 games, averaging 16.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
The following year, he moved to Liège where he played in EuroChallenge.
In 2010, he moved to Israeli side Barak Netanya. He closed the year as the top scorer of the League with more than 21.5 points and 3.2 assists per game and he won the dunk contest at the 2012 All Star game.
On July 25, 2012, Banks signed a one-year contract with Cimberio Varese. In Italy he won the regular season with his team and led the team to the playoffs.
In August 2013, he signed with Hapoel Gilboa Galil. He was waived on November 8, 2013. On November 22, he returned to Cimberio Varese signing a contract for the rest of the season.
On July 1, 2014, he signed with Sidigas Avellino.
The next year, in July 2015, Banks joined fellow Serie A side Enel Brindisi. On March 6, 2016, Banks recorded a career-high 33 points, shooting 12-of-18 from the field, along with three rebounds and four assists in an 81–76 win over Pesaro.
On August 2, 2016, Banks returned for a third stint in Israel, signing a two-year deal with Hapoel Tel Aviv. In his second season with the team, Banks helped Hapoel to reach the 2018 Israeli League Final Four, where they eventually lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv. In 38 games played during the 2017–18 season, Banks averaged 11.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. On June 8, 2018, Banks was named 2018 Israeli League Sixth Man of the Year.
On July 17, 2018, Banks returned to Enel Brindisi for a second stint, signing a two-year deal. In September 2018, he was named team captain for the 2018–19 season. On June 11, 2020, he signed with Fortitudo Bologna.

Personal life

Banks married his American-Jewish girlfriend, Rachel Colburn. On April 24, 2017, Banks received an Israeli passport.