Joël Ayayi
No. 11 – JL Bourg | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Position | Shooting guard | ||||||||||||||||||||
League | LNB Pro A | ||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Bordeaux, France | 5 March 2000||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | French | ||||||||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
High school | INSEP (Paris, France) | ||||||||||||||||||||
College | Gonzaga (2018–2021) | ||||||||||||||||||||
NBA draft | 2021: undrafted | ||||||||||||||||||||
Playing career | 2021–present | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||
2021–2022 | Washington Wizards | ||||||||||||||||||||
2021–2022 | →Capital City Go-Go | ||||||||||||||||||||
2022–2023 | Lakeland Magic | ||||||||||||||||||||
2023–2024 | Nanterre 92 | ||||||||||||||||||||
2024–present | JL Bourg | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Joël Ayayi (born 5 March 2000) is a French professional basketball player for JL Bourg of the LNB Pro A. He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Early life and career
[edit]Ayayi was born and raised in Bordeaux, France. Growing up, he idolized National Basketball Association (NBA) player and Bordeaux native Boris Diaw.[1] Ayayi attended INSEP, a sports institute in Paris, and played for affiliated club Centre Fédéral.[2]
Recruiting
[edit]He was considered a four-star recruit by Rivals and received NCAA Division I offers from Baylor, Georgia Tech, and Gonzaga.[3] On 27 April 2017, Ayayi committed to play college basketball for Gonzaga.[4]
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
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Joël Ayayi SG |
Bordeaux, France | INSEP (FR) | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 28 April 2017 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:![]() ![]() | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
[edit]Ayayi joined the Gonzaga basketball team at age 17 and redshirted his first season to train with the team.[5] In his redshirt freshman season, he averaged 5.6 minutes per game through 23 contests.[6] On 27 November 2019, early in his sophomore season, Ayayi posted 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in a win over Southern Miss.[7] He had 20 points in a 94–50 win over San Diego on 9 January 2020.[8] At the conclusion of the regular season, Ayayi was named Honorable Mention All-West Coast Conference (WCC).[9] On 10 March, he helped Gonzaga win the WCC tournament and was named Most Outstanding Player after scoring 17 points in the final against Saint Mary's.[10] He averaged 10.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.2 per game for the Bulldogs and was All-WCC honorable mention. Following the season he declared for the 2020 NBA draft but did not hire an agent.[11] On 1 August, Ayayi announced he was withdrawing from the draft and returning for his junior season.[12]
Coming into his junior season, Ayayi was named to the Preseason All-WCC team.[13] On 9 January 2021, he recorded the first triple-double in program history, with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists in a 116–88 win over Portland. He also tallied the second-most assists for a Gonzaga player in a single game.[14] As a junior, he averaged 12 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game and was named to the First Team All-West Coast Conference. Following the season, Ayayi declared for the 2021 NBA draft and forgo his remaining college eligibility.[15]
Professional career
[edit]Washington Wizards (2021–2022)
[edit]After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Ayayi signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on 3 August 2021. Under the terms of the deal he was to split time between the Lakers and their NBA G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.[16] On 15 October, he was waived by Los Angeles[17] and two days later, he signed a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards.[18] Ayayi was then later waived on 8 March 2022.[19]
Capital City Go-Go (2022)
[edit]On 11 March 2022 Ayayi was reacquired by the Capital City Go-Go.[20]
Ayayi joined the Atlanta Hawks for the 2022 NBA Summer League.[21]
Lakeland Magic (2022–2023)
[edit]On 3 November 2022 Ayayi was named to the opening night roster for the Lakeland Magic.[22]
Nanterre 92 (2023–2024)
[edit]On 23 July 2023 Ayayi signed with Nanterre 92 of the LNB Pro A.[23]
JL Bourg (2024–present)
[edit]On May 31, 2024, he signed with JL Bourg of the LNB Pro A.[24]
National team career
[edit]Ayayi holds dual citizenship to France and his parents' home country of Benin, but he plays basketball for the French national teams.[25] At the 2016 FIBA U16 European Championship in Radom, Poland, he averaged 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game for France.[26] Ayayi led his team to a bronze medal at the 2018 FIBA U18 European Championship in Latvia. After averaging 15.7 points per game, he was named to the All-Star Five.[27] Ayayi helped France win bronze at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Heraklion, Greece, where he earned All-Star Five honors. He averaged 20.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game and led all scorers with 33 points in a bronze medal game against Lithuania.[28]
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 |
NBA
[edit]Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021–22 | Washington | 7 | 0 | 2.9 | .167 | .000 | – | .4 | .6 | .0 | .0 | .3 |
Career | 7 | 0 | 2.9 | .167 | .000 | – | .4 | .6 | .0 | .0 | .3 |
College
[edit]Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017–18 | Gonzaga | ![]() | ||||||||||
2018–19 | Gonzaga | 23 | 0 | 5.6 | .531 | .273 | .286 | 1.4 | .5 | .3 | 0 | 1.7 |
2019–20 | Gonzaga | 33 | 23 | 29.3 | .483 | .345 | .825 | 6.3 | 3.2 | 1.3 | .2 | 10.6 |
2020–21 | Gonzaga | 32 | 31 | 31.3 | .575 | .389 | .781 | 6.9 | 2.7 | 1.1 | .2 | 12.0 |
Career | 88 | 54 | 23.8 | .529 | .360 | .776 | 5.2 | 2.3 | .9 | .2 | 8.8 |
Personal life
[edit]Both of Ayayi's parents are from Benin.[29] His father stands 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) and played basketball professionally in France and for the Beninese national team.[25] Ayayi's older sister Valériane plays for the French women's national team, medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics, and with a season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[30][31] His younger brother Gérald plays professional basketball in France.[25]
References
[edit]- ^ Lawson, Theo (23 March 2019). "Gonzaga's Killian Tillie and Joel Ayayi meet French icon, idol Boris Diaw after Baylor win". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ Hein, David (27 April 2017). "CFBB's Ayayi learns from big sister". Adidas Next Generation tournament. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ "Joel Ayayi, 2017 Point guard". Rivals.com. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ Woodburn, Peter (27 April 2017). "2017 Recruiting: French guard Joel Ayayi commits to Gonzaga". The Slipper Still Fits. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ Laurin, Emmanuel (2 December 2017). "Joël Ayayi, ou la découverte de la NCAA à 17 ans" (in French). Basket USA. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ "Joel Ayayi". Gonzaga University Athletics. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ Beard, Aaron (28 November 2019). "Kispert, No. 8 Gonzaga top Southern Miss 94-69 at Atlantis". Associated Press. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ Hines, Travis (10 January 2020). "Filip Petrusev, No. 1 Gonzaga race past San Diego 94–50". NBC Sports. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ "WCC Announces 2019-20 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team" (Press release). West Coast Conference. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- ^ "Zags Crowned WCC Tournament Champs". Gonzaga University Athletics. Associated Press. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ Meehan, Jim (25 April 2020). "Joel Ayayi declares for NBA draft but indicates No. 1 option is returning to Gonzaga". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ "Gonzaga's Joel Ayayi withdraws from NBA draft, will return to school for junior season". ESPN. Associated Press. 1 August 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
- ^ "Gonzaga Picked to Win Ninth Straight WCC Championship". West Coast Conference. 26 October 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ Greene, Brenna (9 January 2021). "Joel Ayayi becomes first Gonzaga player ever to record a triple-double in Gonzaga win". KREM (TV). Retrieved 10 January 2021.
- ^ Coleman, Madeline (9 April 2021). "Gonzaga Star Joel Ayayi Declares for 2021 NBA Draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "Lakers Sign Joel Ayayi and Austin Reaves to Two-Way Contracts". Los Angeles Lakers. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ "Lakers Make Training Camp Cuts". NBA.com. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
- ^ "Wizards claim Joel Ayayi". NBA.com. 17 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
- ^ "NBA Transactions". nba.com. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ "2021-22 NBA G League Transactions". gleague.nba.com. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
- ^ "Atlanta Hawks 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- ^ "Lakeland Magic Announce 2022-23 Opening Night Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- ^ Skerletic, Dario (23 July 2023). "Nanterre 92 lands Joel Ayayi". Sportando.basketball. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ "Joël Ayayi, une saison à la JL Bourg". jlbourg-basket.com (in French). 31 May 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ a b c Meehan, Jim (13 October 2018). "Gonzaga redshirt sophomore Joel Ayayi tries to carve out role among deep roster". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ Woodburn, Peter (26 July 2018). "Joel Ayayi playing for France in the FIBA U18 European Championships". The Slipper Still Fits. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ "Ayayi and Petrusev Shine at FIBA U18 European Championship". Gonzaga University Athletics. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ "Gonzaga's Oumar Ballo and Joel Ayayi make All-Star Five at FIBA World Cup". The Spokesman-Review. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ Givony, Jonathan; Schmitz, Mike (11 June 2016). "2016 adidas Eurocamp: Day Two". DraftExpress. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ "Joel Ayayi following his sister on the path to success". FIBA. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ Meehan, Jim (27 April 2017). "French guard Joel Ayayi signs with Gonzaga". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
External links
[edit]- 2000 births
- Living people
- Black French sportspeople
- Capital City Go-Go players
- Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball players
- French expatriate basketball people in the United States
- French men's basketball players
- French sportspeople of Beninese descent
- Sportspeople of Beninese descent
- Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball players
- Lakeland Magic players
- Nanterre 92 players
- NBA players from France
- Shooting guards
- Sportspeople from Bordeaux
- Undrafted NBA players
- Washington Wizards players