Tyreke Evans

On March 31, 2009, Evans declared himself eligible for the 2009 NBA draft, opting to forgo his remaining three seasons of collegiate eligibility. He was selected on June 25, 2009, by the Sacramento Kings with the fourth overall pick.

On December 1, 2009, Evans was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played from the beginning of the season through November.[10] Over that period, he put up averages of 18.8 points, 5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals in 36.1 minutes per game. Also notably, on December 21, he led the Kings back from a 35-point deficit to defeat the Chicago Bulls 102–98;[11] by scoring 9 of the Kings' last 11 points, he single-handedly outscored the Bulls in the fourth quarter, with his 11 points besting the Bull's 10 points scored.

Evans with the Kings in December 2012

On January 4, 2010, Evans was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for the second month straight.[12] On February 12, Evans won the 2010 Rookie and Sophomore Game MVP award after recording 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals on 11-of-15 shooting. In an act of sportsmanship, Evans opted to share the award with DeJuan Blair, who had put up 22 points and pulled down 23 rebounds. In a victory over the Toronto Raptors on March 11, Evans recorded his first career triple-double with his 19 points to go along with 10 assists and as many rebounds.[13] Evans became just the fourth rookie in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists after Oscar Robertson (1960–61), Michael Jordan (1984–85), and LeBron James (2003–04).[14] On April 27, 2010, Evans was recognized for his accomplishments by being awarded the 2009–10 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.[15]

On December 29, 2010, O. J. Mayo hit an off-balance shot to put the Memphis Grizzlies up by one point with only seconds remaining in the game; with no timeouts left, DeMarcus Cousins inbounded the ball to Evans, who dribbled to half court and nailed a three-pointer to secure a two-point win for Sacramento. Though it came in a loss to the Golden State Warriors, Evans tallied a then career-high 35 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals on January 21, 2011. He later missed 19 season games on account of plantar fasciitis in his left foot and thus did not play in that year's NBA Rookie Challenge.

On November 24, 2011, Evans agreed to a deal to play for Virtus Roma in Italy during the NBA lockout; the deal had an NBA out-clause allowing him to return to the Sacramento Kings when the lockout ceased.[16] In December, he returned to the Kings after the 2011 NBA lockout had ended. On January 28, 2012, he scored a season-high 31 points in a 96–93 loss to the Utah Jazz.[17]

In 2012–13, Evans missed 16 out of 20 games between November 30 and January 5 due to a left knee injury. He finished the season with averages of 15.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.[18]

Evans with the Pelicans in February 2014, being defended by Trevor Ariza.

Evans was acquired by the New Orleans Pelicans on July 10, 2013, in a sign-and-trade deal involving three teams; the deal sent Robin Lopez to the Portland Trail Blazers and Greivis Vásquez to the Kings.[19] On December 30 that year, Evans hit the game-clinching shot with 1.2 seconds remaining in a victory over the Trail Blazers.[20] On April 14, 2014, he scored a career-high 41 points during a 101–89 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.[21]

In a 101–95 win over his former team, the Sacramento Kings, Evans tallied a near triple-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists.[22]

On December 1, 2015, he played his first game of the 2015–16 season after having missed the Pelicans' first 17 games while recovering from right knee surgery. In 31 minutes as a starter, Evans recorded 20 points and 10 assists in the loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.[23] On the 11th of that same month, he scored 27 points and hit a career-high 5 three-pointers in a 105–103 win versus the Washington Wizards.[24] On February 11, 2016, he underwent another round of surgery to his right knee and was ruled out for the rest of the season.[25]

On December 15, 2016, being his first game since January 25, Evans played 11 minutes and posted 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists during a 102–95 victory over the Indiana Pacers.[26] On January 12, 2017, Evans scored a season-high 29 points in a 104–95 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.[27]

On February 20, 2017, Evans was traded along with Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway, and 2017 first and second round draft picks to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi.[28] Three days later, in his first game for the Kings since 2013, Evans scored 15 points off the bench in a 116–100 win over the Denver Nuggets.[29] On March 8, 2017, he scored a season-high 26 points in a 114–104 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.[30]

Evans signed with the Memphis Grizzlies on July 10, 2017.[31] On November 1 of that year, he led the team with 32 points in a 101–99 loss to the Orlando Magic; it was his first 30-point performance since December 2014.[32] Midway through the season, Evans filled in for the injured Mike Conley to become the team's starting point guard.[33] On December 27, he accumulated 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists in a 109–99 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.[34] After being put on the trade block leading up to the trade deadline, Evans missed time in late January and early February.[35][36] In his first game back for the Grizzlies on February 11, Evans recorded 12 points and 5 rebounds in a 110–92 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.[37] On February 23, he put up 15 points and 10 assists in a 112–89 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the contest, Evans went 3 for 7 from outside the arc to make his 28th straight game with at least one 3-pointer, breaking the franchise record of 27 previously held by Mike Miller.[38] On March 15 against the Chicago Bulls, Evans returned to the lineup following a 10-game absence because of a rib injury.[39]

On July 6, 2018, Evans signed with the Indiana Pacers.[40] In the season-opener on October 17, he posted 14 points and 5 assists to debut for his new franchise and help defeat his former team, the Memphis Grizzlies, 111–83.[41] On November 16, he hit five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 23 points off the bench in a 99–91 win over the Miami Heat.[42] In game four of the Pacers' first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, he scored a playoff career-high 21 points in a 110–106 series-ending loss.[43]

On May 17, 2019, Evans was banned from the NBA for violating the terms of its Anti-Drug Program that prohibits drug abuse.[44] He is eligible to apply for reinstatement in 2021.[45]