Jordan Clarkson

BIOGRAPHY

Jordan Taylor Clarkson was born on June 7th, 1992, in Tampa, Florida. He is a point guard in the NBA.

Clarkson played college basketball for two seasons with Tulsa before transferring to Missouri, where he earned second-team all-conference honors in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). After foregoing his senior year in college to enter the 2014 NBA draft, Clarkson was selected by the Washington Wizards in the second round with the 46th overall pick and was immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. In his first year, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, a rarity for a second-round pick. 

Clarkson was born in Tampa, Florida, and moved to San Antonio, Texas around the age of six. He attended Karen Wagner High School in San Antonio. As a sophomore, he averaged 10 points per game while earning honorable mention all-district accolades. As a junior, he averaged 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists per game, leading his team to a 32-8 record and the Class 5A state semi-finals.

Clarkson signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball at the University of Tulsa. In his redshirt junior season, he was named to the 2014 All-SEC second team. He was also named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list in January 2014 and won three Southeastern Conference Player of the Week honors. Clarkson declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final year of college eligibility.

In the 2014 NBA Draft, Clarkson was picked by the Washington Wizards but was later traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He played for the Lakers in the 2014 NBA Summer League. In August he signed with the Lakers. Clarkson averaged 15.8 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.2 rebounds as a starter. In 2015, he was the NBA All-Rookie First Team. On July 7th, 2016, Clarkson resigned with the Lakers on a four-year, $50 million contract. In a season opener game against the Houston Rockets, he scored a team-high 25 points off the bench in a 120-114 win. 

On February 8, 2018, Clarkson was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made his debut and scored 17 points in a 121-99 win over the Boston Celtics. The Cavaliers reached the 2018 NBA Finals but lost to the Golden State Warriors. 

On December 24, 2019, Clarkson was traded to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Dante Exum and two future second-round draft picks. On January 30, 2020, Clarkson scored a season-high 37 points in a 100–106 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

On November 21, 2020, Clarkson re-signed with the Jazz on a four-year, $52 million contract. On February 15, 2021, Clarkson scored a season-high 40 points in a 134–123 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He is now one of the favorites to win the 6th Man of the Year Award