Cliff Alexander facts for kids
Alexander in the 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
|
||||||||||||||
| No. 22 – Guaiqueries de Margarita | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |||||||||||||
| League | SPB | |||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||
| 2025–present | Guaiqueríes de Margarita | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
Medals
|
||||||||||||||
Cliffton Nirgel Alexander (born November 16, 1995) is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Guaiqueríes de Margarita team in the Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto (SPB).
Cliff Alexander played college basketball for the Jayhawks at the University of Kansas. He joined the 2015 NBA draft but was not chosen by any team. He later played one season for the Portland Trail Blazers.
He went to Curie High School in Chicago. There, he won major awards like Naismith and Mr. Basketball USA. These awards recognized him as the best high school player in the country. Cliff did not start playing organized basketball until he was in eighth grade. However, he quickly became a key player for his high school team.
By his junior year, he was one of the top 10 players in his age group. Many experts thought he was one of the best players in the country by his senior year. In 2013, he played for USA Basketball in international games. Scouts often praised his strong style of play.
Cliff Alexander was compared to famous players like Amar'e Stoudemire. He also had a friendly rivalry with Jahlil Okafor, another top player from Chicago. Many top college teams wanted him to play for them. He played in several big high school games, including the 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. He also won co-MVP at the 2014 Jordan Brand Classic.
Cliff led Curie High School to win the 2014 Chicago Public High School League city championship. This game was a thrilling quadruple-overtime match against Okafor's team. It was even the main story on SportsCenter. However, the championship title was later taken away because some players on his team were not eligible to play.
Contents
Cliff Alexander's High School Journey
Starting Basketball: Freshman Year
Cliff Alexander was also a talented football player. He did not start playing organized basketball until he was in eighth grade. In his freshman year (2010–11), he joined Curie's varsity team. He missed some early games because of a heart murmur. By late December, people in Chicago started noticing him as Curie stayed undefeated.
He played a big role in the playoffs. In one game, he scored 9 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and had 2 blocks. Curie finished the season with a great record of 28 wins and 3 losses. After this season, experts began to see him as a top national recruit.
Growing as a Player: Sophomore Year
At the start of his sophomore year, Cliff was one of the top 25 players in the country for his age group. He was ranked 13th by ESPN.com and 9th by Rivals.com. He played against Jahlil Okafor in a high school game where Curie won. Cliff had 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks in that game.
He also played against Jabari Parker's team, Simeon, in the city championship game. Curie lost, but Cliff continued to improve. After the season, he received an honorable mention for the Associated Press all-state team.
Becoming an All-American: Junior Year
In June 2012, Cliff Alexander was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Pangos All-American Camp. He was already considered a top 5 recruit by some. He received an offer from Kentucky and was wanted by many other big college teams.
During his junior year, the group of basketball players from Illinois was considered one of the best ever. Many thought three players from this group, including Cliff, would become McDonald's All-Americans. Cliff had some amazing games, including one where he scored 26 points.
He also played against Okafor again in a state playoff game. This game was highly anticipated because it featured two of the best big players. Young defeated Curie, but Cliff still had a great game.
Cliff was named to the All-City first team by the Chicago Sun-Times. He was also selected for the Associated Press All-State first team. HighSchoolHardwood.com named him an All-American.
Senior Year: National Recognition
.JPG)
In the summer before his senior year, Cliff played for the Mac Irvin Fire AAU team with Okafor. He also played in summer leagues where even LeBron James noticed his talent. By September 2013, he was still ranked number 4 by Rivals.com. Experts called him "perhaps the most powerful player in the high school ranks."
Cliff decided to commit to a college in November 2013. Many thought Kansas was a favorite. On November 15, he announced on ESPNU that he would play for Kansas. Before his senior season, USA Today named him to its preseason All-USA team.
Amazing Performances in Senior Year
Cliff had an incredible start to his senior season. In one game, he had 22 points, 20 rebounds, and 5 blocks. In another, he achieved a triple double with 30 points, 24 rebounds, and 15 blocked shots! He won the Pontiac Holiday Tournament MVP award.
His performances were so impressive that some people found them hard to believe. In January, he was a top contender for national player of the year. He led Curie to a big win over Montverde Academy, the number one team in the country. Cliff scored 13 of his 30 points in the last few minutes to lead the comeback. This win made Curie the number one team in the nation.
City Championship and Postseason
In February 2014, Cliff led Curie to the city championship game against Okafor's team. This game was one of the most anticipated in years. Curie won the championship 69–66 in a quadruple-overtime thriller! Cliff had 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks. The game was so exciting that the Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel attended, and it was the main story on SportsCenter.
However, a week later, Curie had to give up all its wins and the championship title. This was because seven of its players were not eligible to play due to academic reasons.
Cliff and Okafor competed for many national player of the year awards. Cliff won the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year and the Naismith Player of the Year. He was also named Mr. Basketball USA. He was selected for the 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game and the Jordan Brand Classic.
College Basketball Career
Cliff Alexander started his college career at the University of Kansas as the Big 12 Conference Preseason Co-Freshman of the Year. ESPN ranked him as the 27th best player in the country before the season began.
He started the season coming off the bench. In November, he scored 10 points in a game. He had 16 points in a tournament semifinal game. In December, he got his first college double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Cliff made his first start for Kansas in December. In January, he had a career-high 13 rebounds in a game. He was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on January 26, 2015. However, he stopped playing after February 23 because of an investigation into his eligibility.
Professional Basketball Career
Starting in the NBA: Portland Trail Blazers (2015–2016)
On April 7, 2015, Cliff Alexander decided to enter the 2015 NBA draft. He was not chosen by any team, which was surprising for a top college recruit. He then joined the Brooklyn Nets for the 2015 NBA Summer League.
On July 24, 2015, Cliff signed a two-year contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. He missed the entire preseason due to a knee injury. He played his first NBA game on November 8. On March 10, 2016, he was sent to the Santa Cruz Warriors, a team in the NBA's minor league (D-League). He was called back to Portland on March 20.
The Trail Blazers later released him on July 7, 2016.
Playing in the G-League and Overseas
After leaving the Trail Blazers, Cliff played for several teams in the NBA G-League (now called the G League). He played for the Erie BayHawks from 2016 to 2017. He averaged 11.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game there.
In January 2017, he was traded to the Long Island Nets. He briefly signed a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets in April 2017, which helped him earn a year of service in the NBA.
He later joined the Wisconsin Herd in 2017. Since then, Cliff Alexander has played for many teams around the world. He played for ASVEL in France in 2018, Brose Bamberg in Germany from 2018 to 2019, and Le Mans Sarthe in France from 2019 to 2020.
He also played in the Korean Basketball League for the Busan KT Sonicboom (2020–2021) and the Daegu KOGAS Pegasus (2021–2022). From 2022 to 2023, he played for Sagesse Club in Lebanon. During one game, he famously broke a backboard! In October 2023, he joined Beirut Club, also in Lebanon.
In June 2024, Cliff played for the Guangxi Rhinos in China. He then signed with Al-Ahli in Bahrain in August 2024. In December 2024, he returned to Korea to play for the Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters. As of March 2025, he plays for the Guaiqueríes de Margarita in Venezuela.
Playing for Team USA
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 in that tournament. He also played in the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championship in Indonesia, where Team USA finished 9th.
NBA Career Stats
Cliff Alexander played in 8 NBA games during his career.
- Games Played: 8
- Minutes Per Game: 4.5
- Field Goal Percentage: 50.0%
- Rebounds Per Game: 0.8
- Blocks Per Game: 0.3
- Points Per Game: 1.3
About Cliff's Family
Cliff Alexander's father, Clifton Terry, was also a basketball player. He was 6 feet 7 inches tall and played in college. He even tried to join the NBA in 2001. Cliff started playing basketball later than some kids because it was hard to find safe courts in his neighborhood in Chicago.
See also
In Spanish: Cliff Alexander para niños
