Jaylen Tairique Adams (born May 4, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Sydney Kings of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the St. Bonaventure Bonnies, earning co-Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year honors as a senior in 2018.

Jaylen Adams
Adams with the Wisconsin Herd in 2019
No. 2 – Sydney Kings
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (1996-05-04) May 4, 1996 (age 28)
Hanover, Maryland, U.S.
Listed height183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Listed weight84 kg (185 lb)
Career information
High schoolMount St. Joseph
(Baltimore, Maryland)
CollegeSt. Bonaventure (2014–2018)
NBA draft2018: undrafted
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–2019Atlanta Hawks
2018–2019Erie BayHawks
2019–2020Wisconsin Herd
2020Portland Trail Blazers
2020–2021Milwaukee Bucks
2021–2022Sydney Kings
2022Crvena zvezda
2022–2023Qingdao Eagles
2023–presentSydney Kings
2024Liaoning Flying Leopards
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

High school and college career

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Adams with St. Bonaventure in 2015

Adams played high school ball for Mount St. Joseph where he was a three-time MIAA A Conference champion. He committed to play in college for St. Bonaventure, averaging 17.9 points, 5.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore and was named a first-team All-Atlantic 10 player.[1] In his junior season, Adams finished second in the Atlantic 10 Conference in scoring (20.6 points per game), first in assists (6.5 per game) and second in steals (2.1 per game). He was named to the First Team All-Atlantic 10 for the second straight year.[2]

Adams missed the first six games of his senior season.[3] In February 2018, Adams scored, respectively, 40- and 44-point games against Duquesne and St. Louis.[4] As a senior, Adams was the fourth-leading scorer in the Atlantic 10 with 19.1 points per game to go with 5.2 assists per game. He led St. Bonaventure to a 26–8 record and upset of UCLA in the NCAA tournament.[5] He was named conference co-Player of the Year with Peyton Aldridge.[6] After the season, Adams was invited to the Reese's College All-Star Game but missed it with an ankle injury and instead played in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.[7]

Professional career

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Atlanta Hawks (2018–2019)

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After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Adams was signed by the Atlanta Hawks to a two-way contract. Under the terms of the deal he will split time between the Hawks and their NBA G League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks.[8] Adams made his NBA debut on October 17, 2018, recording 1 rebound and 1 assist in 4 minutes of action in a blowout 127–106 loss to the New York Knicks.[9] He scored 23 points in his G League debut in a win over the Grand Rapids Drive.[10] On February 20, 2019, the Atlanta Hawks announced they had re-signed Adams to a multi-year contract.[11] On July 13, 2019, Adams was waived by the Hawks.[12]

Wisconsin Herd (2019–2020)

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On August 20, 2019, Adams signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.[13] He was cut in training camp and assigned to the Bucks' G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.[14] Adams scored a season-high 39 points including 6 three-pointers in a 122–115 win over the Grand Rapids Drive.[15] On March 4, 2020, Adams dished out a career-high 14 assists to go along with his 19 points in a 106–108 loss to the Canton Charge.[16] He averaged 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game for the Herd.[17]

Portland Trail Blazers (2020)

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After the G League season, Adams was signed by the Portland Trail Blazers during the COVID-19 NBA restart to replace veteran forward Trevor Ariza, who opted out of returning to the NBA in Orlando due to child custody reasons.[18] Adams missed several games with a lower back injury.[19]

Milwaukee Bucks (2020–2021)

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On November 24, 2020, the Milwaukee Bucks announced that they had signed Adams to two-way contract.[20] On March 4, 2021, Adams was reported to have been waived by the Bucks after he appeared in seven games.[21]

Sydney Kings (2021–2022)

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On August 22, 2021, Adams signed with the Sydney Kings for the 2021–22 NBL season.[22] He was named league MVP[23] and helped lead the Kings to the NBL championship.[24]

Crvena zvezda (2022)

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On July 29, 2022, Adams signed with Crvena zvezda of the ABA League.[25] He parted ways with the team on November 3, 2022.[26]

Qingdao Eagles (2022–2023)

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In December 2022, Adams joined the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played nine games for Qingdao between December 18 and January 9.[27]

Sydney Kings and Liaoning Flying Leopards (2023–present)

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On July 12, 2023, Adams signed with the Sydney Kings for the 2023–24 NBL season, returning to the franchise for a second stint.[28][29]

In March 2024, Adams had a five-game stint with Liaoning Flying Leopards of the CBA.[27]

On July 1, 2024, Adams re-signed with the Kings for the 2024–25 NBL season.[30] He was sidelined in October 2024 due to a back injury.[31]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Atlanta 34 1 12.6 .345 .338 .778 1.8 1.9 .4 .1 3.2
2020–21 Milwaukee 7 0 2.6 .125 .000 .4 .3 .0 .0 .3
Career 41 1 10.9 .331 .329 .778 1.5 1.6 .3 .1 2.7

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020 Portland 3 0 7.0 .333 .000 .000 1.0 .7 .3 .0 2.0
Career 3 0 7.0 .333 .000 .000 1.0 .7 .3 .0 2.0
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Sydney 21 21 31.7 .430 .401 .815 5.1 6.1 1.2 .3 20.1
Career 21 21 31.7 .430 .401 .815 5.1 6.1 1.2 .3 20.1

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2014–15 St. Bonaventure 22 22 32.5 .386 .324 .783 2.5 4.5 1.1 .0 10.0
2015–16 St. Bonaventure 30 30 37.5 .445 .438 .874 3.7 5.0 1.3 .3 17.9
2016–17 St. Bonaventure 30 29 37.4 .419 .356 .821 3.7 6.5 2.1 .2 20.6
2017–18 St. Bonaventure 28 27 37.0 .437 .436 .851 3.4 5.2 1.5 .3 19.1
Career 110 108 36.3 .427 .394 .838 3.4 5.4 1.5 .2 17.4

Personal life

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Adams' father, Darryl, played for the Maryland Terrapins football team.[32] His mother, Yalonda, played basketball at Wesley College in Delaware.[33] Adams' younger brother, Brendan, played basketball for the UConn Huskies and George Washington Revolutionaries.[34]

References

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  1. ^ "Jaylen Adams, St. Bonaventure". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  2. ^ Shaffer, Jonas (November 24, 2017). "St. Bonaventure star Jaylen Adams (Mount Saint Joseph) reportedly to miss game vs. Terps". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  3. ^ Butler, J.P. (December 3, 2017). "Jaylen Adams makes long-awaited season debut for Bonnies". Olean Times-Herald. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  4. ^ Pollock, Chuck (February 11, 2018). "Adams reaffirms guard dominance for the Bonnies". Olean Times-Herald. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  5. ^ "Bonnies' Adams To Play In Senior All-Star Game". The Post-Journal. March 27, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  6. ^ "Aldridge, Adams Named Atlantic 10 Co-Players of Year, Rhode Island's Hurley Voted as Coach of the Year" (Press release). Atlantic 10 Conference. March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  7. ^ Butler, J.P. (May 10, 2018). "His SBU legacy in place, Adams focuses on NBA". Olean Times-Herald. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  8. ^ Bryant, Wayne (July 1, 2018). "Hawks Sign Jaylen Adams To Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  9. ^ "Archived copy". NBA.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^ Fernandes, Victor (November 2, 2018). "Hunter, BayHawks race past Drive in opener". Erie Times-News. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  11. ^ Bower, Annabelle (February 20, 2019). "Atlanta Hawks Sign Jaylen Adams To Multi-Year Contract". NBA.com. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  12. ^ Bell, Nic (July 13, 2019). "Atlanta Hawks Request Waivers On Jaylen Adams". NBA.com. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  13. ^ "Bucks Sign Jaylen Adams And Rayjon Tucker". NBA.com. August 20, 2019. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  14. ^ Rushkin, Jerell (November 7, 2019). "New-look Wisconsin Herd opens NBA G League season at home". Oshkosh Northwestern. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  15. ^ "Grand Rapids Drive 115 - Wisconsin Herd 122". gleague.nba.com. January 22, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  16. ^ "Wisconsin Herd 106 - Canton Charge 108". gleague.nba.com. March 4, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  17. ^ "Jaylen Adams". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  18. ^ Hudson, Jamie (June 29, 2020). "Report: Trail Blazers to sign G-League MVP runner-up Jaylen Adams". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  19. ^ "Trail Blazers' Jaylen Adams: Expected to play Tuesday". CBS Sports. August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  20. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks Sign Jaylen Adams And Mamadi Diakite To Two-Way Contracts". NBA.com. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  21. ^ "Bucks Waive Jaylen Adams". realgm.com. March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  22. ^ "Kings Add Jaylen Adams for NBL22". NBL.com.au. August 22, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  23. ^ "Jaylen Adams Named NBL MVP". NBL.com.au. April 27, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  24. ^ "Kings Win First Championship in 17 Years with Record Crowd". NBL.com.au. May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  25. ^ Maggi, Alessandro (July 29, 2022). "KK Crvena Zvezda officially signs Jaylen Adams". sportando.basketball. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  26. ^ Maggi, Alessandro (November 3, 2022). "Crvena Zvezda, Jaylen Adams officially part ways". sportando.basketball. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  27. ^ a b "Jaylen Adams". asia-basket.com. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  28. ^ "NBL22 MVP Adams returns home to Sydney". sydneykings.com. July 12, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  29. ^ Uluc, Olgun (July 12, 2023). "Jaylen Adams returning to Sydney Kings for NBL24". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  30. ^ "Jaylen Adams returns to Sydney for the NBL25 season". sydneykings.com. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  31. ^ "Injury Update: Worrying signs for star King". National Basketball League | NBL Australia | Australia's Basketball League. October 28, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  32. ^ Fominykh, Katherine (June 19, 2018). "Jaylen Adams (Mount Saint Joseph) might be just days away from his NBA dream". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  33. ^ Borges, David (April 15, 2018). "Dan Hurley lands first UConn commitments". Stamford Advocate. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  34. ^ Borges, David (March 31, 2021). "UConn's Brendan Adams transfers to George Washington University". New Haven Register. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
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