Spalding is the son of Raymond Brooks and Gerri Spalding. He grew up playing soccer, kickball, and basketball. He attended Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was coached by Mike Szabo. Spalding began to receive college looks after scoring 34 points in an AAU tournament the summer before his senior year of high school. He committed to Louisville because he wanted to become a household name in his hometown.
College career
Coming into Louisville, former head coach Rick Pitino raved about Spalding, claiming he has the most potential of any player he has coached. Spalding came off the bench his first two years at Louisville. He averaged 5.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore. After the season, Spalding noticed the work teammate Donovan Mitchell put in to become an NBA player and resolved to do the same. He pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds to go with 21 points in a win versus Grand Canyon in December 2017. Spalding had a career-high 23 points to go with 12 rebounds in an 82–78 double overtime win over Notre Dame on January 16, 2018. He moved into the starting lineup as a junior, averaging 12.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. Spalding led the team to a 22–14 season and the quarterfinals of the NIT. He was an Honorable Mention All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection. After the season, Spalding entered the 2018 NBA draft and hired an agent, thus forgoing his final season at Louisville.
On June 21, 2018, Spalding was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 56th pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He was subsequently traded to the Dallas Mavericks alongside the last pick of the draft, Kostas Antetokounmpo for the rights to the 54th pick, Shake Milton. He signed his rookie contract on July 20, 2018. He made his NBA debut on October 17, 2018, playing one minute, in a 121–100 loss against the Phoenix Suns. It was the only game he played with Dallas. The rest of his tenure was spent being assigned to the affiliate Texas Legends in the NBA G League. On January 31, 2019, Spalding was waived by the Mavericks.
Phoenix Suns (2019)
On February 20, 2019, Spalding signed to a 10-day contract with the Phoenix Suns. While he never played during the proper contract, he was given a two-year partially guaranteed contract on March 3. Spalding eventually recorded his first rebound on March 9, playing in only 3 minutes in a 127–120 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. A week later, Spalding would have his best game of the season in the NBA at that point against the New Orleans Pelicans, recording 8 points on 4/5 shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 assists in 14 minutes of action in a 138–136 overtime win. On April 5, Spalding had his first start in the league, putting up a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds in a 133–126 overtime win over the Pelicans.
On July 31, 2019, Spalding signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Atlanta Hawks. On October 8, 2019, Spalding was waived by the Hawks. On October 10, 2019, Spalding signed with the Houston Rockets. Spalding was waived by the Rockets on October 19, 2019. Following his release, he was added to the roster of the Rockets’ G League affiliate the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Spalding was suspended one game without pay after leaving the bench during an altercation in a 132-109 loss to the Memphis Hustle on December 17.
Charlotte Hornets (2020–present)
On January 15, 2020, the Charlotte Hornets announced that they had signed with Spalding to a two-way contract. He scored 15 points in his G League debut for the Greensboro Swarm in a win over the Iowa Wolves.
