Anfernee Simons

Anfernee Simons
No. 24 – Portland Trail Blazers
Position Shooting guard
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1999-06-08) June 8, 1999
Altamonte Springs, Florida
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight 183 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school
NBA draft 2018 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24th overall
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career 2018–present
Career history
2018–present Portland Trail Blazers

Anfernee 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.

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.[1] During his junior year he transferred to Montverde Academy in Montverde,[2] but after being a bench player, returned to Edgewater with the intention of holding his name back from college consideration for a year.[3] 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.[1] 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.[4] During the summer of 2017, he also played for the United States men's national under-19 basketball team.[5]

Simons was rated as a five-star recruit and was ranked as the 7th best player in the 2018 class by 247Sports.com.[6] Originally, he planned to enter the University of Louisville,[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] In March 2018 he confirmed his decision,[10] and later removed his name from the 2018 Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic.[11] On March 20, 2018, ESPN ranked him as the 19th likeliest draft pick overall.[12] Simons was later named one of the 69 players invited to the 2018 NBA Draft Combine that year.

Professional career

Portland Trail Blazers (2018–present)

Simons was selected 24th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2018 NBA draft. He would be the third high school player since 2015 to be drafted in the NBA, behind Thon Maker and Satnam Singh Bhamara.

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 Anfernee Hardaway.[13][14] Hardaway coached Simons during a Team USA Basketball training camp.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 "Anfernee Simons' High School Basketball Stats". MaxPreps.com.
  2. ↑ Collings, Buddy. "Anfernee Simons back to Edgewater with bigger game".
  3. ↑ "Who is Anfernee Simons, the top-10 recruit who will enter the 2018 NBA Draft through a loophole?".
  4. ↑ Collings, Buddy. "Former Edgewater star Anfernee Simons headed to IMG Academy".
  5. ↑ "Duke-bound Cam Reddish and his crazy summer | Mike Jensen". philly.com. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
  6. ↑ "Westtown star Cameron Reddish ascends to No. 1 in recruiting service's rankings". PennLive.com. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
  7. ↑ Wells, Adam. "Anfernee Simons, Courtney Ramey Decommit from Louisville Amid Scandal".
  8. ↑ "Anfernee Simons to consider NBA Draft, but likely headed to college".
  9. ↑ "Anfernee Simons's big draft decision is imminent".
  10. ↑ "Simons declares for NBA draft, forgoes college".
  11. ↑ "Anfernee Simons withdraws his name from Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic".
  12. 1 2 Roberts, Ben (March 22, 2018). "One of the top basketball recruits in the country is jumping straight to the NBA". Lexington Herald-Leader.
  13. ↑ Adams, Jonathan (22 March 2018). "Anfernee Simons Is the NBA Draft's Man of Mystery". Heavy.com.
  14. ↑ King, Jason. "HS Star Anfernee Simons Decides CBB Isn't for Him, but Is He Ready for the NBA?". Bleacher Report.
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