Jalen Bridges
 | |
| No. 15 – Phoenix Suns | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | May 14, 2001 Fairmont, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Fairmont Senior (Fairmont, West Virginia) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2024: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2024–present |
| Career history | |
| 2024—present | Phoenix Suns |
| 2024—present | →Valley Suns |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Jalen Lashaun Bridges (born May 14, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Valley Suns of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Baylor Bears.
High school career
Bridges played basketball for Fairmont Senior High School in Fairmont, West Virginia. He helped his team win back-to-back Class AA state titles in his first two years.[1][2] As a senior, he averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, leading his team to its fourth straight state title game.[3] He won the Bill Evans Award as the top high school player in the state of West Virginia.[4] A consensus four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for West Virginia over offers from Miami (Florida), Indiana, Xavier and Alabama.[5]
College career
After initially planning to play a postgraduate season, Bridges joined West Virginia for his first season as a redshirt.[6] On March 4, 2021, he recorded freshman season-highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds in a 76–67 win over TCU.[7] As a freshman, Bridges averaged 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, earning Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors.[8] He averaged 8.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Following the season, Bridges transferred to Baylor.[9] He averaged 10.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game as a junior. Bridges declared for the 2023 NBA draft before withdrawing to return to Baylor.[10] He averaged 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 blocks per game and was named to the Third Team All-Big 12.[11]
Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Bridges signed a two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns on July 4, 2024.[12]
Career statistics
| 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 |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | West Virginia |  Redshirt
| ||||||||||
| 2020–21 | West Virginia | 28 | 19 | 18.1 | .496 | .409 | .714 | 3.6 | .3 | .5 | .4 | 5.9 |
| 2021–22 | West Virginia | 33 | 33 | 26.8 | .428 | .325 | .823 | 4.8 | .8 | 1.0 | .7 | 8.4 |
| 2022–23 | Baylor | 34 | 34 | 27.3 | .506 | .324 | .778 | 5.6 | 1.0 | .9 | 1.0 | 10.3 |
| 2023–24 | Baylor | 35 | 35 | 31.7 | .466 | .412 | .823 | 5.7 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .6 | 12.2 |
| Career | 130 | 121 | 26.4 | .472 | .370 | .796 | 5.0 | .9 | .9 | .7 | 9.4 | |
References
- ^ Welch, Matt (March 19, 2021). "'All About Basketball': Jalen Bridges' Basketball Career Has Always Been About Learning". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ Brocato, Joe (October 30, 2020). "Fairmont Senior grad Jalen Bridges finds new shooting form, expanded game at WVU". West Virginia MetroNews. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ Hunter, Greg (November 9, 2020). "Jalen Bridges Ready For His Mountaineer Debut". Blue Gold News. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ Hertzel, Bradley (March 24, 2019). "Fairmont Senior's Jalen Bridges wins Evans Award". The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ "Jalen Bridges commits to WVU basketball". Charleston Gazette-Mail. September 2, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ Hertzel, Bob (October 31, 2020). "Fairmont's Jalen Bridges adjusts his game for college play". Times West Virginian. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ "Jalen Bridges has a career-best game in leading No. 6 West Virginia past TCU". The Dominion Post. Associated Press. March 4, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ Callihan, Schuyler (May 19, 2021). "Jalen Bridges Switches Jersey Number". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ Watkins, Tim (April 20, 2022). "BREAKING: WVU Transfer Jalen Bridges commits to Baylor". 247 Sports. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
- ^ Peery, Wade (May 31, 2023). "Baylor small forward Jalen Bridges will withdraw his name from the 2023 NBA Draft". On3.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ Taylor, Cody (June 1, 2024). "Projected second-round pick Jalen Bridges 'forever grateful' to enter NBA draft". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ "SUNS SIGN JALEN BRIDGES TO TWO-WAY CONTRACT". NBA.com. July 4, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.