Anfernee Simons

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Anfernee Simons
AnferneeSimons (cropped).jpg
Simons with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019
No. 1 – Portland Trail Blazers
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1999-06-08) June 8, 1999 (age 22)
Altamonte Springs, Florida
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight181 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school
NBA draft2018 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24th overall
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–presentPortland Trail Blazers
2019→Agua Caliente Clippers
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion (2021)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Anfernee Tyrik Simons (born June 8, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played prep basketball for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He is the first American to enter and be selected in an NBA draft directly after graduation from high school since the league first implemented age restriction rules in 2005.[1] Simons won the Slam Dunk Contest during the 2021 NBA All-Star Game event by a 3-2 judges decision.

High school career[]

Simons first attended Edgewater High School in Orlando, Florida, where during his sophomore year he averaged 17.8 points, 4.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1 steal per game in 30 games.[2] During his junior year he transferred to Montverde Academy in Montverde,[3] but after being a bench player, returned to Edgewater with the intention of holding his name back from college consideration for a year.[4] He graduated from Edgewater in 2017, averaging 23.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in 20 games played in his last year there.[2] Then, because of his reclassification in the Class of 2018, he attended the IMG Academy in Bradenton for a postgraduate year, although he had previously expressed interest in spending that year at the West Oaks Academy in Orlando instead.[5] During the summer of 2017, he also played for the United States men's national under-19 basketball team.[6]

Simons was rated as a five-star recruit and was ranked as the 7th best player in the 2018 class by 247Sports.com.[7] Originally, he planned to enter the University of Louisville,[8] but as a result of the basketball sex scandal of 2015 at the university and its involvement in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal, he ultimately decommitted from Louisville, saying that he was most interested in the University of South Carolina, North Carolina State University, the University of Tennessee, and the University of Florida.[9] In January 2018, he then said that he was "most likely" going to bypass college and enter the 2018 NBA Draft, albeit without hiring an agent.[10] In March 2018 he confirmed his decision,[11] and later removed his name from the 2018 Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic.[12] On March 20, 2018, ESPN ranked him as the 19th best prospect in the draft.[13] Simons was later named one of the 69 players invited to the 2018 NBA Draft Combine that year.[citation needed]

Professional career[]

Portland Trail Blazers (2018–present)[]

Simons was selected 24th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2018 NBA draft.[14] He would be the third high school player since 2015 to be drafted in the NBA, behind Thon Maker and Satnam Singh Bhamara. On July 2, 2018, the Trail Blazers announced that they had signed Simons.[15]

On January 21, 2019, the Blazers assigned Simons to the Agua Caliente Clippers for an NBA G League assignment.[16]

On April 10, 2019, Simons had his first career start against the Sacramento Kings while the Trail Blazers rested Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum for the final game of the regular season. Simons put up career highs across the board with 37 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists, becoming the first Trail Blazers rookie to score 30+ points since Lillard.

In the championship round of the Slam Dunk Contest during halftime of the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, Simons attempted to kiss the rim, but failed and still completed the dunk. Despite his failed attempt, he won the 2021 Slam Dunk Champion in a 3-2 decision.[17]

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[]

Regular season[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Portland 20 1 7.1 .444 .345 .563 .7 .7 .1 .0 3.8
2019–20 Portland 70 4 20.7 .399 .332 .826 2.2 1.4 .4 .1 8.3
2020–21 Portland 64 0 17.3 .419 .426 .807 2.2 1.4 .3 .1 7.8
Career 154 5 17.5 .410 .382 .794 2.0 1.3 .3 .1 7.5

Playoffs[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019 Portland 5 0 2.4 .000 .000 .800 .0 .0 .2 .0 .8
2020 Portland 4 0 20.5 .305 .429 .833 2.8 2.5 1.5 .0 6.8
2021 Portland 6 0 17.8 .560 .611 .000 2.7 .8 .3 .2 6.5
Career 15 0 13.4 .379 .500 .818 1.8 1.0 .6 .1 4.7

NBA G League[]

Regular season[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Agua Caliente 4 0 22.8 .433 .455 .875 2.8 1.0 .0 .3 17.3
Career 4 0 22.8 .433 .455 .875 2.8 1.0 .0 .3 17.3

Personal life[]

Simons was given the name Anfernee due to his parents, Charles and Tameka, being fans of the Orlando Magic and naming him after former player Penny Hardaway.[18][19] Hardaway coached Simons during a Team USA Basketball training camp.[13]

References[]

  1. ^ https://fansided.com/2018/06/22/anfernee-simons-nontraditional-successful-route-nba/
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Anfernee Simons' High School Basketball Stats". MaxPreps.com.
  3. ^ Collings, Buddy. "Anfernee Simons back to Edgewater with bigger game".
  4. ^ "Who is Anfernee Simons, the top-10 recruit who will enter the 2018 NBA Draft through a loophole?".
  5. ^ Collings, Buddy. "Former Edgewater star Anfernee Simons headed to IMG Academy".
  6. ^ "Duke-bound Cam Reddish and his crazy summer | Mike Jensen". philly.com. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  7. ^ "Westtown star Cameron Reddish ascends to No. 1 in recruiting service's rankings". PennLive.com. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  8. ^ Wells, Adam. "Anfernee Simons, Courtney Ramey Decommit from Louisville Amid Scandal".
  9. ^ "Anfernee Simons to consider NBA Draft, but likely headed to college".
  10. ^ "Anfernee Simons's big draft decision is imminent".
  11. ^ "Simons declares for NBA draft, forgoes college".
  12. ^ "Anfernee Simons withdraws his name from Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic". Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b Roberts, Ben (March 22, 2018). "One of the top basketball recruits in the country is jumping straight to the NBA". Lexington Herald-Leader.
  14. ^ "TRAIL BLAZERS SELECT ANFERNEE SIMONS IN FIRST ROUND OF NBA DRAFT". NBA.com. June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  15. ^ "TRAIL BLAZERS SIGN ROOKIE ANFERNEE SIMONS". NBA.com. July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  16. ^ "Portland Trail Blazers Assign Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent Jr to G-League". FanSided. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  17. ^ https://www.nba.com/news/2021-att-slam-dunk
  18. ^ Adams, Jonathan (March 22, 2018). "Anfernee Simons Is the NBA Draft's Man of Mystery". Heavy.com.
  19. ^ King, Jason. "HS Star Anfernee Simons Decides CBB Isn't for Him, but Is He Ready for the NBA?". Bleacher Report.

External links[]

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