Jaden Shackelford (born February 14, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Valley Suns of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
 Shackelford with Alabama in 2022 | |
| No. 23 – Valley Suns | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard / shooting guard |
| League | NBA G League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 14, 2001 Hesperia, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College | Alabama (2019–2022) |
| NBA draft | 2022: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| 2022–2024 | Oklahoma City Blue |
| 2024–present | Valley Suns |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
High school career
editIn his first two years of high school, Shackelford attended Oak Hills High School in Oak Hills, California.[1] For his junior season, he transferred to Hesperia High School in Hesperia, California.[2] Shackelford averaged 34 points, 11 rebounds, 5.5 assists and four steals per game as a senior.[1] He was named Mojave River League MVP and Daily Press Basketball Athlete of the Year.[3] He committed to playing college basketball for Alabama over offers from Kansas State, Pepperdine and UNLV, among others.[4]
College career
editOn February 12, 2020, Shackelford matched his freshman season-high of 28 points, with eight rebounds and seven three-pointers, in a 95–91 loss to Auburn in overtime.[5] Six days later, he was named USBWA National Freshman of the Week.[6] As a freshman, Shackelford averaged 15 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, earning SEC All-Freshman Team honors.[1] He averaged 14 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2 assists per game as a sophomore. Shackelford was named to the Second Team All-SEC. Following the season he entered the 2021 NBA draft without hiring an agent, and also entered the transfer portal.[7] Shackelford decided to return to Alabama in July 2021.[8] On February 9, 2022, he posted career-highs of 30 points and eight 3-pointers in a 97–83 win over Ole Miss.[9] Shackelford was named to the Second Team All-SEC as a junior after averaging 16.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.[10]
On April 3, 2022, Shackelford declared for the 2022 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[11]
Professional career
editOklahoma City Blue (2022–2024)
editAfter going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, Shackelford signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder on June 24, 2022.[12] On November 3, 2022, Shackelford was named to the opening night roster for the Oklahoma City Blue.[13]
On October 20, 2023, Shackelford signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but was waived the same day.[14] On October 31, he re-joined the Oklahoma City Blue.[15] During his second season with them, Shackelford would win the 2024 NBA G League championship while with the Blue.
Valley Suns (2024–present)
editOn September 19, 2024, Shackelford signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Phoenix Suns,[16] but was waived on September 26.[17] On October 27, he joined the Valley Suns.[18]
Career statistics
edit| 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 |
| * | Led NCAA Division I |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Alabama | 31 | 19 | 29.4 | .413 | .357 | .768 | 4.5 | 1.4 | .5 | .2 | 15.0 |
| 2020–21 | Alabama | 33* | 32 | 29.3 | .410 | .342 | .756 | 3.8 | 2.0 | .8 | .1 | 14.0 |
| Career | 64 | 51 | 29.4 | .411 | .351 | .762 | 4.1 | 1.7 | .7 | .1 | 14.5 | |
Personal life
editShackelford's father, Anthony, a youth mentor at Abundant Living Family Church. Shackelford is of African American and Dutch descent.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c Hall, Erik (January 16, 2021). "Jaden Shackelford: 3 things to know about the Alabama men's basketball guard". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ a b Murphy, John (November 13, 2018). "Inland Boys Basketball Preview: Jaden Shackelford ready to roll at Hesperia". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Quintero, Jose (March 13, 2020). "Hesperia's Jaden Shackelford, Alabama teammates 'bummed' about canceled season". Daily Press. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ "Jaden Shackelford commits to Alabama men's basketball". The Tuscaloosa News. September 30, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Goodman, Joseph (March 3, 2020). "Stunning Jaden Shackelford pointing Alabama basketball in right direction". AL.com. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Martin, Tyler (February 18, 2020). "Jaden Shackelford Earns National Freshman of the Week Honors". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ Potter, Charlie (June 30, 2021). "Alabama's Jaden Shackelford plans to enter transfer portal, per report". 247 Sports. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ Rodak, Mike (July 20, 2021). "Jaden Shackelford returning to Alabama after exploring transfer". AL.com. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ "Shackelford has 8 of Tide's 14 3s in 97-83 win over Ole Miss". ESPN. Associated Press. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
- ^ Montgomery, Charles (March 8, 2022). "Four Alabama men's basketball players earn SEC All-Conference honors". WAFF. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
- ^ Potter, Charlie (April 3, 2022). "Alabama junior guard Jaden Shackelford declares for 2022 NBA Draft". Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ Windham, Katie (June 24, 2022). "Jaden Shackelford Signs Deal with Oklahoma City Thunder". SI.com. FanNation. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
- ^ "Oklahoma City Blue Roster 2022-23". NBA.com. November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ Adams, Luke (October 20, 2023). "Thunder Sign, Waive Jahmi'us Ramsey, Jaden Shackelford". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ OKC BLUE [@okcblue] (October 31, 2023). "Let's work 🫡 2023-24 #OKCBlue Training Camp Roster🔵" (Tweet). Retrieved November 21, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Maher, Rory (September 19, 2024). "Suns Sign Jaden Shackelford To Exhibit 10 Deal". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ Kirschenbaum, Alex (September 26, 2024). "Suns Cut Tyrese Samuel, Jaden Shackelford". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
- ^ "Valley Suns Announce 2024-25 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 27, 2024. Retrieved October 31, 2024.