Jalen Wilson

Jalen Derale Wilson (born November 4, 2000)^[1] is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks. He was named a consensus first-team All-American his junior year.^[2]

Jalen Wilson

Wilson with Kansas in 2022
No. 22 – Brooklyn Nets
Position	Small forward / power forward
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(2000-11-04) November 4, 2000 (age 24) Arlington, Texas, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school	John H. Guyer (Denton, Texas)
College	Kansas (2019–2023)
NBA draft	2023: 2nd round, 51st overall pick
Drafted by	Brooklyn Nets
Playing career	2023–present
Career history
2023–present	Brooklyn Nets
2023–2024	→Long Island Nets
Career highlights
NCAA champion (2022) Consensus first-team All-American (2023) Julius Erving Award (2023) Big 12 Player of the Year (2023) First-team All-Big 12 (2023) Third-team All-Big 12 (2022) Big 12 All-Newcomer Team (2021) Big 12 All-Freshman Team (2021)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

High school career

Wilson attended John H. Guyer High School in Denton, Texas. As a junior, he averaged 16.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. As a senior, he averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and three assists per game, earning Class 6A All-State honors.^[3]

Recruiting

Wilson was a consensus four-star recruit and was considered the 46th-best player in the 2019 class by 247Sports. He originally committed to playing college basketball for Michigan but reopened his recruitment with the departure of head coach John Beilein.^[4] He later committed to Kansas over an offer from North Carolina, among others.^[5]

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jalen Wilson SF	Denton, TX	John H. Guyer (TX)	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Jun 12, 2019
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (85)
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: 47    247Sports: 46    ESPN: 73
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, 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: "Kansas 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved December 8, 2020. "2019 Kansas Jayhawks Recruiting Class". ESPN. Retrieved December 8, 2020. "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved December 8, 2020.

College career

On November 8, 2019, Wilson suffered a broken ankle against UNC Greensboro in his second career game. He missed the remainder of the season and was granted a medical redshirt after undergoing surgery.^[6] On December 8, 2020, Wilson recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds, making a go-ahead three-pointer with 42 seconds remaining, in a 73–72 win over eighth-ranked Creighton.^[7] As a freshman, Wilson averaged 11.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, earning Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors. On April 9, 2021, he declared for the 2021 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.^[8] Wilson ultimately returned to Kansas. On November 2, he was suspended for three games due to an arrest on suspicion of DUI.^[9] Wilson was named to the third-team All-Big 12 as a sophomore.^[10] He averaged 11.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, helping the Jayhawks win a national title. Following the season Wilson declared for the 2022 NBA draft but ultimately withdrew from the draft.^[11] As a junior, Wilson was named Big 12 Player of the Year.^[12]

Professional career

Brooklyn / Long Island Nets (2023–present)

Wilson was selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the 51st overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft.^[13] On July 5, 2023, Wilson signed a two-way contract with the Nets.^[14]

On March 1, 2024, the Brooklyn Nets converted Wilson's two-way contract to a standard multi-year NBA contract.^[15]

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

NBA

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2023–24	Brooklyn	43	3	15.5	.425	.324	.826	3.0	1.0	.3	.1	5.0
2024–25	Brooklyn	79	22	25.7	.397	.337	.818	3.4	1.8	.5	.1	9.5
Career		122	25	22.1	.403	.335	.820	3.3	1.6	.4	.1	7.9

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2019–20	Kansas	2	0	1.0	.000	.000	.000	.0	.0	.0	.0	.0
2020–21	Kansas	29	26	28.3	.414	.333	.630	7.9	2.0	.4	.3	11.8
2021–22	Kansas	37	27	29.4	.461	.263	.722	7.4	1.8	.9	.4	11.1
2022–23	Kansas	36	36	35.4	.430	.337	.799	8.3	2.2	.9	.5	20.1
Career		75	60	28.7	.435	.298	.690	7.6	2.0	.7	.3	12.2

Personal life

Wilson's father, Derale, played college basketball for TCU and professionally overseas.^[16]