# Jaden Springer

Jaden Tyree Springer (born September 25, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers. Springer was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2021. As a reserve with the 2023–24 Boston Celtics, Springer won an NBA championship.

## Early life

While in eighth grade, Springer played varsity basketball for Lighthouse Christian School in Antioch, Tennessee, averaging a team-high 19 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. In his first two years of high school, he played for Rocky River High School in Mint Hill, North Carolina, being drawn by head basketball coach Jermaine Walker despite academic and disciplinary concerns about the school. In his freshman season, Springer averaged 21.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and five assists per game and led his team to its first state tournament appearance. As a sophomore, he averaged 24.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.4 blocks per game, helping Rocky River reach the Class 4A state semifinals. He was named Southwestern 4A Player of the Year.
Entering his junior and senior seasons, Springer transferred to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He joined one of the best teams in the country and became teammates with top recruits Armando Bacot, Josh Green and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. As a junior, Springer averaged 15.6 points, four rebounds and four assists, helping his team win GEICO High School Nationals. He scored 26 points in a 74–73 semifinal win over Montverde Academy. In his senior season, Springer averaged 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game for IMG. He played through an ankle injury throughout the season and was in turn sidelined from some games. Springer was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

### Recruiting

Springer began receiving scholarship offers from NCAA Division I basketball programs during his freshman season in high school. As a sophomore, he emerged as one of the best players in the 2020 class. On October 23, 2019, he committed to play college basketball for Tennessee over offers from Memphis and Michigan, among others.
College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jaden Springer SG | Charlotte, NC | IMG Academy (FL) | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Oct 23, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 94 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 16 247Sports: 16 ESPN: 17 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Tennessee 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020. "2020 Tennessee Volunteers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020. ||||||

## College career

On December 18, 2020, Springer recorded 21 points, six rebounds and six assists in a 103–49 win against Tennessee Tech. On February 10, 2021, he scored a career-high 30 points in an 89–81 win over Georgia. As a freshman, Springer averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, earning Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Freshman Team honors. Following the season, he declared for the 2021 NBA draft and signed with an agent.

## Professional career
### Philadelphia 76ers (2021–2024)

Springer was selected with the 28th pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. On August 4, 2021, Springer was signed by the Sixers. On October 24, 2021, Springer was assigned to the Sixers G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. Springer would spend the majority of his rookie year with the Blue Coats, playing only 2 regular season games for the 76ers.
In his sophomore season, Springer won the NBA G League title with the Blue Coats and was named the championship game most valuable player.

### Boston Celtics (2024–2025)

On February 8, 2024, Springer was traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for a second-round pick. Springer became an NBA champion when the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in 5 games in the NBA Finals.
Springer had an impressive performance in the 2024 NBA Summer League, showcasing his skills and potential to secure a more significant role with the Boston Celtics. In the Celtics' first game against the Miami Heat, Springer led the team with 23 points, demonstrating his scoring ability and potential to play lockdown defense. Springer only played one game before the Celtics shut him down.
On January 22, 2025, Springer scored 8 points and had 4 steals (tying his career high) in a 117–113 overtime win against the Los Angeles Clippers. Although Springer had only played 76 minutes in the season coming into the game, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla brought Springer off the bench late in the third quarter and kept him in the game for 20 of the final 21 minutes. Springer played lock-down defense and hit a clutch 3-pointer to put the Celtics ahead 115–110 with 34 seconds left in the game.

### Utah Jazz (2025–present)

On February 6, 2025, Springer, along with a 2030 second-round pick and a protected second-round pick in 2027, was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for a protected 2031 second-round pick. Later that day, Springer was waived by the Rockets. On February 20, 2025, Springer signed a 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz.

## Career statistics
### NBA
#### Regular season

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2021–22 | Philadelphia | 2 | 0 | 2.8 | 1.000 | — | — | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| 2022–23 | Philadelphia | 16 | 2 | 5.6 | .486 | .400 | .750 | .9 | .5 | .4 | .2 | 2.6 |
| 2023–24 | Philadelphia | 32 | 1 | 11.8 | .390 | .216 | .824 | 1.8 | 1.1 | .8 | .3 | 4.0 |
| 2023–24† | Boston | 17 | 1 | 7.6 | .433 | .182 | .875 | 1.2 | .5 | .6 | .2 | 2.1 |
| 2024–25 | Boston | 26 | 0 | 5.4 | .353 | .316 | .714 | .9 | .4 | .5 | .0 | 1.7 |
| Career | Career | 93 | 4 | 8.0 | .408 | .250 | .789 | 1.3 | .7 | .6 | .2 | 2.7 |

#### Playoffs

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2022 | Philadelphia | 5 | 0 | 2.6 | .500 | .000 | — | .8 | .4 | .0 | .0 | 1.2 |
| 2023 | Philadelphia | 4 | 0 | 4.2 | 1.000 | — | .500 | .0 | .0 | .3 | .0 | 2.3 |
| 2024† | Boston | 4 | 0 | 5.5 | .667 | — | — | .8 | .3 | .0 | .3 | 1.0 |
| Career | Career | 13 | 0 | 4.0 | .692 | .000 | .500 | .5 | .2 | .1 | .1 | 1.5 |

### College

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2020–21 | Tennessee | 25 | 15 | 25.9 | .467 | .435 | .810 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 1.2 | .4 | 12.5 |

## Personal life

Springer's father, Gary, was a McDonald's All-American basketball player and played college basketball for Iona. Gary was a sixth-round selection in the 1984 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers but did not play professionally due to a lingering knee injury. Both of Springer's older brothers played college basketball: Gary Jr. for Iona and Jordan for Army. His cousin is former NBA player DeAndre' Bembry.