Jaden Amere Hardy (born July 5, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2021 class.

Jaden Hardy
Hardy in 2019
No. 1 – Dallas Mavericks
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2002-07-05) July 5, 2002 (age 22)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High schoolCoronado
(Henderson, Nevada)
NBA draft2022: 2nd round, 37th overall pick
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2022NBA G League Ignite
2022–presentDallas Mavericks
2022Texas Legends
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Early life

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Hardy and his family moved to Henderson, Nevada from Detroit, before high school.[1] He attended Coronado High School in Henderson, Nevada. As a junior, Hardy averaged 30.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game, earning Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year and Las Vegas Review-Journal Boys Athlete of the Year honors.[2][3] On January 8, 2021, he opted out from the remainder of his senior season.[4] He was named to the rosters for the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit.[5]

Hardy was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2021 class. Most recruiting analysts predicted that he would play professionally instead of attending college, with Kentucky and UCLA being his most likely college destinations.[6] On May 15, 2021, he announced that he would join the NBA G League, forgoing college basketball. He chose the G League over offers from Kentucky and UCLA, among others.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jaden Hardy
SG
Detroit, MI Coronado (NV) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) — 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 97
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 5  247Sports: 3  ESPN: 2
  • 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:

  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 4, 2021.

Professional career

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NBA G League Ignite (2021–2022)

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On June 9, 2021, Hardy signed with the NBA G League Ignite, a developmental team affiliated with the NBA G League.[7] He averaged 17.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, shooting 35.1 percent from the field.[8]

Dallas Mavericks (2022–present)

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Hardy was drafted 37th in the 2022 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings and traded on draft night to the Dallas Mavericks.[9] He joined the Mavericks for the 2022 NBA Summer League. On July 7, 2022, Hardy made his Summer League debut against the Chicago Bulls with 28 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal in a 100–99 loss.[10] On February 6, 2023, he scored a career-high 29 points in a 124–111 win over the Utah Jazz.[11] On March 11, Hardy started his first game in the NBA, recording 22 points, two rebounds and three assists in a 112–108 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.[12] Hardy reached the 2024 NBA Finals where the Mavericks lost to the Boston Celtics in five games.[13]

Career statistics

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Legend
  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

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Dallas 48 5 14.8 .438 .404 .823 1.9 1.4 .4 .1 8.8
2023–24 Dallas 73 7 13.6 .407 .362 .776 1.8 1.5 .3 .1 7.3
Career 121 12 14.0 .420 .379 .800 1.8 1.4 .3 .1 7.9

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2024 Dallas 19 0 6.8 .426 .407 .733 .8 .9 .2 .0 4.2
Career 19 0 6.8 .426 .407 .733 .8 .9 .2 .0 4.2

Personal life

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Hardy's older brother, Amauri, played college basketball for UNLV and the University of Oregon.[14] His father, Ramsey, was on Tuskegee University's basketball team.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Richey, Scott (May 7, 2018). "Las Vegas to C-U connection? Underwood all in on Hardy". The News-Gazette. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  2. ^ Grimala, Mike (May 24, 2020). "Two prep athletes who dominated the competition". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  3. ^ Orts, Jason (May 29, 2020). "Nevada Preps awards – Boys Athlete of the Year". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  4. ^ Jordan, Jason (January 8, 2021). "SI99 No. 1 SG Jaden Hardy No Longer Playing This Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  5. ^ Brewer, Ray (February 23, 2021). "Even without season, Coronado's Jaden Hardy named McDonald's All-American". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  6. ^ Roberts, Ben (March 23, 2021). "More buzz indicating a top Kentucky basketball target will skip college for the pros". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  7. ^ "Five-Star Prospect Jaden Hardy Signs With NBA G League Ignite". gleague.nba.com. June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  8. ^ Pompey, Keith (June 20, 2022). "Sixers work out G League Ignite guard Jaden Hardy ahead of Thursday's NBA draft". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  9. ^ "Kings Acquire Two Future Second-Round Draft Picks From Dallas". NBA.com. June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  10. ^ Guinhawa, Angelo (July 8, 2022). "Jaden Hardy's stern message after setting NBA Summer League on fire with 28-point debut for Mavs". ClutchPoints. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  11. ^ Sefko, Eddie (February 6, 2023). "MAVERICKS, FEELING DISRESPECTED, STUN JAZZ WITH MAKESHIFT LINEUP, 124–111". Dallas Mavericks. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  12. ^ Bailey, Clay (March 11, 2023). "RODDY LEADS FOURTH-QUARTER RALLY AS GRIZZLIES BEAT MAVERICKS". NBA.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  13. ^ "Boston Celtics defeat Dallas Mavericks to win 2024 NBA Finals". cbsnews.com. June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  14. ^ Gordon, Sam (November 28, 2017). "Coronado's Jaden Hardy emerges as one of nation's top 9th-grade players". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  15. ^ Bennett, Brian (July 31, 2020). "Recruiting notebook: Jaden Hardy has his sights set on being No. 1 in '21". The Athletic. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
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