Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Paul Jamaine Washington Jr. was born on August 23, 1998, in Louisville, Kentucky. He is a forward in the NBA.

He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. After being selected by the Hornets in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft with the 12th overall pick, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2020. Washington is the son of Sherry and Paul Washington Sr. He has two brothers Tyler and Spencer, and one sister Alexandria. Both of his parents played basketball at Middle Tennessee State. He wears number 25 because his father wore 25 in college.

Throughout most of his freshman season at Kentucky, Washington played through a pinkie injury that required surgery in the summer. In the NCAA Tournament loss to Kansas State, Washington led Kentucky with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Washington averaged 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game as a freshman. After the season, he declared for the NBA draft, but announced his return on May 30, 2018.

Following Kentucky's loss in the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, Washington announced his intention to forgo his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility and declare for the 2019 NBA Draft, where he was projected to be a first-round selection.

Washington was selected as the 12th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2019 NBA draft. n October 23, 2019, Washington made his debut in NBA, started in a 126–125 win over the Chicago Bulls with 27 points, 4 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. He also made 7 three-pointers, the most in an NBA debut in NBA history.