Michael Edward Tobey (born October 10, 1994) is an American–born naturalized Slovenian professional basketball player for Crvena zvezda of the Serbian KLS, the Adriatic League and the EuroLeague.
High school career
After attending Monroe-Woodbury Middle School, Tobey attended Blair Academy where he averaged 21 points and nine rebounds. He was a Top 100 Recruit by ESPN and Rivals.com.
College career
Tobey committed to UVA over schools such as Maryland, Pittsburgh, and Xavier. During his time at Virginia, he split time between being a starter and being one of the first substitutes off the bench. His play off the bench earned him the ACC Sixth Man of the Year award in 2015. Tobey was on the United States national under-19 basketball team that won the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship. Tobey ended his collegiate career as Virginia's all-time leader in games played, appearing in 138 games over his four years.
Professional career
Charlotte Hornets and Greensboro Swarm (2016–2017) After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Tobey joined the Charlotte Hornets for the Orlando Summer League and the Utah Jazz for the Las Vegas Summer League. On July 25, 2016, he signed with the Hornets, but was waived on October 22, 2016, after appearing in two preseason games. On October 31, 2016, he was acquired by the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Hornets. On February 3, 2017, he returned to the Hornets on a 10-day contract. On February 13, 2017, he signed a second 10-day contract with Charlotte, despite having not appeared in a game during his first 10-day contract. He made his NBA debut two days later, recording two points and three rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench in a 90–85 loss to the Toronto Raptors. On February 24, 2017, after the second 10-day contract expired, Tobey returned to the Swarm.
Valencia Basket (2017) On March 16, 2017, Tobey signed with Spanish club Valencia for the rest of the 2016–17 ACB season. He won the Liga ACB that year, albeit being injured for some time before the playoffs, which hindered his performance and limited his minutes during the playoffs. On June 30, 2017, Valencia announced that they did not renew their contract with Tobey. In his first season at Valencia, he averaged 5.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists in the 2016–17 ACB season.
Iberostar Tenerife (2017–2018) On July 24, 2017, Tobey signed with Iberostar Tenerife for the 2017–18 ACB season.
On September 24, 2017, Tobey won the FIBA Intercontinental Cup with Tenerife after beating Guaros de Lara 76–71. Tobey was named Most Valuable Player of the game after recording 21 points and 9 rebounds.
On December 23, 2017, Tobey scored a career-high of 24 points in one game against Urbas Fuenlabrada in the Liga ACB. He posted three double-doubles in the 2017–18 ACB season, on October 1, 2017, against San Pablo Burgos, on March 11, 2018, against Zaragoza, and on April 15, 2018, against Baskonia. He also posted a double-double of 18 points and 16 rebounds against Real Madrid, in the 2018 ACB Playoffs. Tobey recorded two double-doubles in the 2017–18 Basketball Champions League, on January 10, 2018, against Gaziantep and on March 14, 2018, against UCAM Murcia. He averaged 10.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in the 2017–18 ACB season.
Return to Valencia (2018–2022) On July 9, 2018, Tobey signed a two-year deal with Valencia Basket after Iberostar Tenerife did not match the Valencian offer for the restricted free agent. On October 1, it was announced that Tobey would miss three weeks of action due to a sprained right shoulder.
Tobey posted one double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds in the 2018–19 ACB season. He recorded it against Zaragoza on December 29, 2018. In the 2018–19 ACB he averaged 8.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 0.5 assists, while he averaged 7.9 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist in the 2018–19 EuroCup.