Ian Clark (basketball) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ian Clark

Clark playing for Golden State in 2017
No. 21 – Melbourne United
Shooting guard
Personal information
Born	(1991-03-07) March 7, 1991 (age 34) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
High school	Germantown (Germantown, Tennessee)
Listed weight	79 kg (174 lb)
Career information
College	Belmont (2009–2013)
NBA Draft	2013 / Undrafted
Pro career	2013–present
League	NBL
Career history
2013–2015	Utah Jazz
2013–2014	→Bakersfield Jam
2015	→Idaho Stampede
2015	Denver Nuggets
2015–2017	Golden State Warriors
2017–2019	New Orleans Pelicans
2019–2021	Xinjiang Flying Tigers
2022	Sydney Kings
2022–2023	Adelaide 36ers
2023–present	Melbourne United
Career highlights and awards
NBL champion (2022) NBA champion (2017) NBL Best Sixth Man (2024) AP Honorable Mention All-American (2013) OVC co-Player of the Year (2013) OVC Defensive Player of the Year (2013) First-team All-OVC (2013) 2× First-team All-Atlantic Sun (2011, 2012) Second-team All-Atlantic Sun (2010) Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year (2010) No. 21 retired by Belmont Bruins

Ian Patrick Clark (born March 7, 1991) is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays for Melbourne United in Australia's NBL.

Clark played college basketball at Belmont University. In his final year, he was named the Ohio Valley Conference Co-Player of the Year. He was also one of the best three-point shooters in the country. In 2017, Clark won an NBA Championship with the Golden State Warriors.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Ian Clark grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. He played basketball at Germantown High School. He was a key player for four years.

In his last three years, Clark was the top scorer for his team. As a senior, he averaged 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. He was chosen as an "all-metro" player three times. People described him as a strong guard who could help his team on both offense and defense.

College Basketball Career

Clark started playing college basketball at Belmont University in 2009. At that time, Belmont was part of the Atlantic Sun Conference (A-Sun).

Freshman Year Success

In his first year, Clark made a big impact. He was named the A-Sun Freshman of the Year. He also made the A-Sun Second Team. He averaged nearly 15 points per game. A website called CollegeInsider.com even named him a Mid-Major Freshman All-American.

Conference Championships and NCAA Tournaments

The next year, Clark was named to the A-Sun First Team. His team, the Belmont Bruins, had a great record, winning 19 out of 20 conference games. They won the A-Sun regular season and tournament championships. This earned them a spot in the NCAA Tournament. However, they lost in the first round to Wisconsin.

In 2011–12, Clark again made the A-Sun First Team. The Bruins won both the regular season and tournament championships again. They went to the NCAA Tournament for the second time but lost in the first round.

For his final college season in 2012–13, Belmont moved to the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). Clark led the team to their third straight regular season and conference championships. This meant another trip to the NCAA Tournament.

In the OVC championship game, Clark played very well against another top player, Isaiah Canaan. Belmont won a close game in overtime. But in the NCAA Tournament, they lost to Arizona in the first round.

That year, Clark averaged 18.2 points per game. He was also third in the country for three-point shooting. He was named the Co-OVC Player of the Year and the OVC Defensive Player of the Year.

Jersey Retirement

In 2025, Belmont University announced that they would retire Clark's No. 21 jersey. This is a special honor, meaning no other player at Belmont will wear that number. He is only the third men's basketball player at Belmont to receive this recognition.

Professional Basketball Career

After college, Ian Clark was not chosen in the 2013 NBA draft. However, he played well in the NBA Summer Leagues. He even won the Most Valuable Player award in the Las Vegas Summer League championship game.

NBA Career (2013–2019)

His strong performance led to a two-year contract with the Utah Jazz in July 2013. During his time with the Jazz, he also played some games in the NBA Development League (now called the G League) for the Bakersfield Jam and Idaho Stampede.

In March 2015, Clark joined the Denver Nuggets for a short time.

On September 25, 2015, Clark signed with the Golden State Warriors. On December 30, 2015, he scored a career-high 21 points in a game. The Warriors had an amazing season in 2015–16, winning 73 games, which was a new NBA record. They reached the 2016 NBA Finals but lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Clark re-signed with the Warriors in 2016. He continued to improve, scoring a new career-high of 22 points in November 2016. Later, in March 2017, he scored an even higher 36 points in a game. The Warriors had another great season, finishing as the top team in their conference. They made it to the 2017 NBA Finals again. This time, the Warriors defeated the Cavaliers in five games, and Clark won his first NBA Championship. The Warriors also set a record for the best playoff winning percentage in NBA history.

In August 2017, Clark signed with the New Orleans Pelicans. He played two seasons with them, scoring a season-high 20 points in January 2018.

International and Australian NBL Career

In 2019, Clark moved to China to play for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. He played for them during the 2020 season.

In February 2022, Clark joined the Sydney Kings in Australia's NBL. He helped the Kings win the NBL championship in May 2022.

In December 2022, Clark signed with the Adelaide 36ers for the rest of the 2022–23 NBL season.

On August 4, 2023, Clark signed with Melbourne United. He re-signed with them in July 2024 for the 2024–25 NBL season.

NBA Career Statistics

These tables show Ian Clark's performance in the NBA regular season and playoffs.

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

In Spanish: Ian Clark para niños