Jarred Vanderbilt
Jarred Vanderbilt (born April 3, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. In January 2017 Vanderbilt was selected as a McDonald's All-American. Vanderbilt is known for his great vertical jumping ability and his hustle. Early life. Vanderbilt was born in Houston, Texas. He is the son of Gwendolyn and Robert Vanderbilt. He has two older brothers, Jamal and Robert, and three older sisters, Rean, Jenae, and Tasha. His father played basketball at Wiley College. His mother played at  Xavier of Louisiana. His brother, Jamal, played at Texas-Tyler and sister, Jenae, played at UTSA. Vanderbilt attended Victory Prep Academy in Houston, Texas. As his team began to play more city-wide tournaments during his junior and senior year, his recruit status skyrocketed as his high-flying dunks and incredible athleticism moved him from being renowned mainly in the state of Texas to nationwide highlight reels within a three month span. As a senior, he averaged 28.5 points, 13.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game. Recruiting. Vanderbilt was considered one of the best players in the 2017 recruiting class  by Scout.com, Rivals.com and ESPN. On December 23, 2016 Jarred committed to the Kentucky Wildcats. College career. Despite being highly regarded coming out of high school, Vanderbilt was marred by two injuries and only played 14 games for the Kentucky Wildcats. He averaged 5.9 points and 7.9 rebounds in 17.0 minutes per game. Following the season he declared for the 2018 NBA draft. Professional career. Denver Nuggets (2018–2020). On June 21, 2018, Vanderbilt was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 41st overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He was subsequently traded to the Denver Nuggets. On July 11 , 2018, Vanderbilt signed with the Denver Nuggets. Vanderbilt made his NBA debut on January 25, 2019 in a 132–95 win over the Phoenix Suns, playing four minutes and scoring one point with three rebounds, an assist, and one steal. On November 20, 2019, Vanderbilt was assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Minnesota Timberwolves (2020–present). On February 5, 2020, Vanderbilt was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Vanderbilt made his 2020 debut on December 27, 2020 in a 127-91 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, playing fifteen minutes and scoring two points, seven rebounds, six assists, three steals, and  a block. On January 23, 2021, Vanderbilt scored a career-high sixteen points along with eleven rebounds in a win against the New Orleans Pelicans. On September 15, 2021, Vanderbilt re-signed with the Timberwolves. He started 67 games for the Timberwolves during the 2021-22 season, averaging career-highs of 6.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. On April 12, 2022, Vanderbilt grabbed 10 rebounds and scored 3 points during Minnesota’s 109-104 play-in game victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. National team career. He won a gold medal with the 2015 USA U16 National  Team at the 2015 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship. He scored 19 points in 19 minutes of play at the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit, as Team USA defeated the World Select Team 98–87.