Cliff Alexander facts for kids
Alexander in the 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
|
||||||||||||||
| Free agent | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Born | November 16, 1995 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
|||||||||||||
| High school | Curie (Chicago, Illinois) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Kansas (2014–2015) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2015 / Undrafted | |||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2015–present | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Portland Trail Blazers | |||||||||||||
| 2016 | →Santa Cruz Warriors | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Erie BayHawks | |||||||||||||
| 2017 | Long Island Nets | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Wisconsin Herd | |||||||||||||
| 2018 | ASVEL | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Brose Bamberg | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Le Mans Sarthe | |||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Busan KT Sonicboom | |||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Daegu KOGAS Pegasus | |||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Sagesse Club | |||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Beirut Club | |||||||||||||
| 2024 | Guangxi Rhinos | |||||||||||||
| 2024 | Al-Ahli | |||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
Medals
|
||||||||||||||
Cliffton Nirgel Alexander (born November 16, 1995) is an American professional basketball player. He recently played for the Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters in the Korean Basketball League (KBL). Cliff played one year of college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks. After college, he joined the 2015 NBA draft but was not chosen. He played for the Portland Trail Blazers for one season.
Cliff played high school basketball at Curie High School in Chicago. There, he earned national awards like Naismith and Mr. Basketball USA. He didn't start playing organized basketball until eighth grade. However, he quickly became a key player for his high school team. By his senior year, many experts thought he was one of the top players in the country.
In 2013, Cliff played for USA Basketball in international games. Scouts often praised his strong playing style. As a high school player, he was often compared to famous players like Amar'e Stoudemire. He also had exciting matchups with another top player from Chicago, Jahlil Okafor. Cliff was wanted by many top college basketball teams. He played in several important high school games, including the 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. He even helped Curie win the Chicago Public High School League city championship in a thrilling four-overtime game.
Contents
High School Basketball Journey
Starting Out: Freshman and Sophomore Years
Cliff Alexander was also a talented football player. He only started playing organized basketball in eighth grade. In his freshman year at Curie, he joined the varsity team. He missed some early games due to a heart murmur. But by late in the season, he started getting attention. He helped Curie finish with a great 28–3 record. Local experts began to see him as a future national star.
By his sophomore year, Cliff was recognized as one of the top young players in the country. He was ranked highly by major scouting services like ESPN.com and Rivals.com. He played in big games against other top teams. These included matchups against Jabari Parker's Simeon Career Academy and Jahlil Okafor's Whitney Young. Even though he sometimes struggled against strong defenses, he showed great potential.
Rising Star: Junior Year Highlights
In the summer before his junior year, Cliff was named the Most Outstanding Player at a big camp. He received offers from many top college teams. By this time, he was considered a top 5 recruit by some experts. The group of basketball players from Illinois in 2014, including Cliff, was thought to be one of the best ever.
Cliff continued to show his skills during his junior season. He had strong performances in tournaments. He even had a big game against Simeon, scoring 21 points. He also faced Jahlil Okafor in a highly anticipated state playoff game. Cliff had more points and rebounds than Okafor in that game.
By the end of his junior year, Cliff received many awards. He was named to the All-City and All-State first teams. He was also selected as an All-American by HighSchoolHardwood.com.
Senior Year: National Recognition
Summer and Preseason Buzz
Cliff joined the Mac Irvin Fire AAU team with Jahlil Okafor. He impressed many, including NBA star LeBron James, at summer events. Rivals.com called him "perhaps the most powerful player in the high school ranks."
Cliff planned to choose his college in November. Many thought Kansas was a favorite. On November 15, he announced his commitment to Kansas basketball on ESPNU. Before his senior season, USA Today named him to its preseason All-USA team.
Dominating the Season
.JPG)
Cliff had an amazing start to his senior year. He recorded a triple double with 30 points, 24 rebounds, and 15 blocked shots in one game. He also led Curie to win the Pontiac Holiday Tournament, earning MVP honors. His impressive stats sometimes seemed unbelievable to reporters.
In January, Cliff led Curie to a big win over Montverde Academy, the top-ranked team in the country. He scored 13 of his 30 points in the final minutes to lead the comeback. This performance made many experts consider him the best high school player in the nation. It also pushed Curie to the number one ranking.
Postseason and Awards
Cliff and Curie reached the city championship game against Jahlil Okafor's Young team. It was a highly anticipated matchup. Curie won the championship in a thrilling quadruple overtime game. Cliff had 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks. The game was so exciting it was the lead story on SportsCenter. However, Curie later had to forfeit all its wins, including the championship.
.JPG)
Cliff played in the 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, getting 9 points and 11 rebounds. He was also co-MVP of the Jordan Brand Classic, with 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 blocks.
He received many honors, including the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year. He also won the Naismith Player of the Year award. Cliff was named a Parade All-American and a first-team All-USA player by USA Today. He also earned the Mr. Basketball USA award.
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cliff Alexander C/PF |
Chicago, IL | Curie (IL) | 6 ft 8.5 in (2.04 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | Nov 15, 2013 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |
||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 6, 4 (C) Rivals: 4, 1 (PF) ESPN: 3, 2 (IL), 1 (PF) | ||||||
Sources: |
||||||
College Career at Kansas
Cliff Alexander started his college career at the University of Kansas. He was named the Big 12 Conference Preseason Co-Freshman of the Year. ESPN ranked him among the top 100 players before the season began.
He started the season coming off the bench. On November 24, he scored 10 points, his first double-digit game. He had 16 points in a game against Tennessee. On December 5, he achieved his first college double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. He later became a starter for some games. On January 19, he had a career-high 13 rebounds against Oklahoma. He was named Big 12 newcomer of the week on January 26, 2015. Cliff did not play in the last part of the season.
Professional Basketball Journey
NBA and G League Teams
Cliff decided to enter the 2015 NBA draft. He was not chosen by any team. He then joined the Brooklyn Nets for the 2015 NBA Summer League. On July 24, 2015, he signed a contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. He missed the preseason due to a knee injury. He played his first NBA game on November 15, scoring 4 points and grabbing 4 rebounds.
In March 2016, Cliff was sent to the Santa Cruz Warriors, a team in the D-League. He was later called back by Portland. In July 2016, the Trail Blazers released him.
He then signed with the Orlando Magic but was later released. In October 2016, he joined the Erie BayHawks in the D-League. He averaged 11.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. In January 2017, he was traded to the Long Island Nets. He briefly signed a contract with the Brooklyn Nets in April 2017.
In September 2017, Cliff signed with the New Orleans Pelicans but was released before the season. He then joined the Wisconsin Herd.
Playing Overseas
Cliff Alexander has played for several teams outside the United States.
- In March 2018, he signed with ASVEL Basket in France.
- From 2018 to 2019, he played for Brose Bamberg in Germany.
- From 2019 to 2020, he played for Le Mans Sarthe in France.
- From 2020 to 2021, he played for the Busan KT Sonicboom in South Korea.
- From 2021 to 2022, he played for the Daegu KOGAS Pegasus in South Korea.
- From 2022 to 2023, he joined Sagesse Club in Lebanon. During one game, Cliff accidentally broke a backboard, causing a delay!
- From 2023 to 2024, he played for Beirut Club in Lebanon.
- In June 2024, he joined Guangxi Rhinos in China.
- In August 2024, he signed with Al-Ahli in Bahrain.
- In December 2024, he joined the Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters in South Korea.
National Team Experience
Cliff Alexander was chosen to play for USA Basketball in 2013. He represented Team USA in the first-ever FIBA Americas 3x3 U18 Championship. He helped his team win the gold medal. Later that year, he also played in the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championship in Indonesia. Team USA finished 9th in that tournament.
NBA Career Stats
| 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
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Portland | 8 | 0 | 4.5 | .500 | .000 | .000 | .8 | .0 | .1 | .3 | 1.3 |
| Career | 8 | 0 | 4.5 | .500 | .000 | .000 | .8 | .0 | .1 | .3 | 1.3 | |
Personal Life
Cliff Alexander's father, Clifton Terry, was also a basketball player. He played in college and later in the NBA Development League. Cliff started playing basketball a bit later than some. This was because it was hard to find safe courts in his Chicago neighborhood.
Images for kids
-
Alexander in the 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
-
Alexander at Kenwood Academy
-
Alexander against Jahlil Okafor
-
Alexander dunking
-
Pregame
-
Alexander attempts a dunk
-
Emmanuel Mudiay
-
Alexander (left) and Jahlil Okafor (right)
See also
In Spanish: Cliff Alexander para niños
