Keyonte George

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Keyonte George
No. 3 – Utah Jazz
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2003-11-08) November 8, 2003 (age 20)
Lewisville, Texas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight194 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeBaylor (2022–2023)
NBA draft2023: 1st round, 16th overall pick
Selected by the Utah Jazz
Playing career2023–present
Career history
2023–presentUtah Jazz
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's 3x3 basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA Under-18 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2021 Hungary Team

Keyonte Darnell George (born November 8, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Baylor Bears. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class.

High school career

George began playing high school basketball for Lewisville High School in Lewisville, Texas.[1] As a freshman, he averaged 21 points, four rebounds and 1.9 steals per game, and was named District 6-6A Offensive Player of the Year.[2] George averaged 23.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game as a sophomore, earning District 6-6A MVP honors. For his junior season, he transferred to iSchool of Lewisville.[3] George averaged 24.8 points per game as a junior.[4] He moved to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for his senior season,[5] where he averaged 17.8 points per game and shot 41% from three-point range. He was the highest-ranked recruit in program history when he committed to Baylor University for the 2023 college basketball season.[6]

Recruiting

George was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class, according to major recruiting services. On August 8, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for Baylor over offers from Texas, Texas Tech, Kansas and Kentucky.[4]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Keyonte George
SG
Lewisville, TX IMG Academy (FL) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Aug 8, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 93
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 9  247Sports: 9  ESPN: 6
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Baylor 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  • "2022 Baylor Bears Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 13, 2022.

College career

On January 11, 2023, George scored 32 points in an 83–78 victory over West Virginia.[7] He was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year as well as Second Team All-Big 12.[8] George scored 506 points as a freshman at Baylor, the second most in school history, and holds the program record for the most 20-point games in program history with 20.[9]

Professional career

Utah Jazz (2023–present)

The Utah Jazz selected George with the sixteenth overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft.[10] After playing shooting guard as a prep and in college, George began playing as a point guard under head coach Will Hardy.[11]

On October 25, 2023, George made his NBA regular season debut against the Sacramento Kings, putting up eight points, two rebounds, and two assists off the bench in a 130–114 loss.[12] On December 2, George scored a then career high 21 points against the Portland Trail Blazers, adding six rebounds and six assists in the game.[13] On December 12th 2023, George scored a new career-high 30 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder.[14] On February 4, 2024, George recorded his first career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds in a 123-108 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.[15]

National team career

In 3x3 basketball, George represented the United States at the 2021 FIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Cup in Hungary. He was named MVP after averaging a tournament-high 8.2 points per game and leading his team to a gold medal.[16]

Career statistics

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

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Baylor 33 33 28.6 .376 .338 .793 4.2 2.8 1.1 .2 15.3

References

  1. ^ Bossi, Eric (December 6, 2019). "Class of 2022 Keyonte George has KU, Texas, others on radar". Rivals. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  2. ^ Thomas, Justin (March 13, 2019). "The best on the basketball court: Locals named to 6-6A all-district team". Carrollton Leader. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  3. ^ Riddle, Greg (May 1, 2020). "Five-star basketball recruit Keyonte George is transferring from Lewisville to iSchool of Lewisville". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Borzello, Jeff and Biancardi, Paul (August 8, 2021). "Top-five 2022 prospect Keyonte George commits to Baylor Bears". ESPN. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  5. ^ Divens, Jordan (September 2, 2021). "High school basketball: Keyonte George, Dior Johnson and Mikey Williams among impact transfers". MaxPreps. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  6. ^ "IMG Academy Sets Basketball Program Record After Three Alumni Selected in the First Round of the 2023 NBA Draft". IMG Academy. 2023-06-23. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  7. ^ "George scores 32, Baylor beats West Virginia 83–78". ESPN. Associated Press. January 11, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  8. ^ "Flagler named first-team all-Big 12". Waco Tribune-Herald. March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "IMG Academy Sets Basketball Program Record After Three Alumni Selected in the First Round of the 2023 NBA Draft". IMG Academy. 2023-06-23. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  10. ^ Larsen, Andy (June 22, 2023). "Utah Jazz select Baylor guard Keyonte George at No. 16". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  11. ^ Todd, Sarah (2024-03-03). "Utah Jazz: Keyonte George continuing to find his voice". Deseret News. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
  12. ^ Kostecka, Ryan (2023-10-26). ""I Feel Like I Belong" — Confidence And Preparation Led To A Successful NBA Debut For George". nba.com. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  13. ^ Keyonte George Posts Stellar Season-High Performance vs. Trail Blazers, si.com, 3 December 2023
  14. ^ "Jazz's Keyonte George: Delivers career-high 30 points". CBSSports.com. 2023-12-12. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  15. ^ "Jazz's Keyonte George: Posts double-double off bench". CBSSports.com. 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  16. ^ "USA Men Claim First Back-to-Back Gold at FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup". USA Basketball. August 29, 2021. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.

External links