Jordan Adams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jordan Adams

Adams with the UCLA Bruins in 2014
No. 7 – Dewa United Banten
Shooting guard / small forward
Personal information
Born	(1994-07-08) July 8, 1994 (age 31) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
High school	Central Gwinnett (Lawrenceville, Georgia) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia)
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
College	UCLA (2012–2014)
NBA Draft	2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 22nd overall
Selected by the Memphis Grizzlies
Pro career	2014–present
League	IBL
Career history
2014–2016	Memphis Grizzlies
2014–2015	→Iowa Energy
2019	Al Wahda
2019	Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2020	Venados de Mazatlán
2020	Libertadores de Querétaro
2020–2022	Club Comunicaciones
2022	Libertadores de Querétaro
2022	Club Atlético Aguada
2023	Gladiadores de Anzoátegui
2023–2024	Dewa United Banten
2024	San Miguel Beermen
2024–present	Dewa United Banten
Career highlights and awards
All-IBL Indonesia First Team (2024) IBL All-Star (2024) IBL Three-Point Contest champion (2024) SPB champion (2022) First-team All-Pac-12 (2014)

Jordan LaVell Adams (born July 8, 1994) is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Dewa United Banten team in the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL).

Jordan Adams played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He was the first freshman at UCLA to score 20 or more points in his first four games. In his second year, he was chosen for the all-conference first-team in the Pac-12 Conference.

After college, Adams decided to join the 2014 NBA draft. The Memphis Grizzlies picked him in the first round as the 22nd player overall. He played two seasons with Memphis. Later, he left the team after having several knee surgeries.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Jordan Adams was born in Atlanta, Georgia. His father, John Adams, was a nutrition manager, and his mother, Sabrina Robinson Johnson, was a dental hygienist. When Jordan was in fourth grade, he moved to his father's house. This was when his life started to focus on American football and basketball. His father was often his coach from age six until he was 16.

High School Journey

Adams first went to Central Gwinnett High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia. He played there for two years. For his last two years of high school, he moved to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. He became the ninth player in Oak Hill Academy's basketball history to score 1,000 career points.

ESPN.com rated Adams as a four-star recruit. In 2012, he was listed as the 9th best small forward and the 41st best player in the country.

He also played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball with the Atlanta Celtics. When the Celtics' coach, Korey McCray, became an assistant coach at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Adams accepted a scholarship to play for the UCLA Bruins.

College Basketball Career

In 2012, Jordan Adams joined UCLA with other talented freshmen like Shabazz Muhammad, Kyle Anderson, and Tony Parker. This group was considered the best new recruiting class in the nation. Adams was the first of these four players to sign with UCLA. He was also the only one who was not a McDonald's All-American in high school. Even with all the competition, he stayed committed to playing for UCLA.

Freshman Year Success (2012-2013)

Adams started the 2012–13 season by scoring 20 or more points in his first four games. He was the first UCLA freshman to do this. He was also the first UCLA player in any class to start a season with four straight 20-point games since Don MacLean in 1990–91.

Even though he didn't start every game at first, Adams was the second-highest scorer on the team. He played in 33 games and started 27 of them. He ranked eighth in the Pac-12 Conference for scoring, with 15.3 points per game. He also led the conference with 73 steals and was fourth in free throw percentage at 84.3%.

Some coaches were surprised that Adams was not named to the conference's all-freshman team. In the semifinals of the 2013 Pac-12 tournament, Adams scored 11 points in the last six minutes to help UCLA win a comeback game. However, he broke his right foot on the final play. He had broken the same foot in high school. Without Adams, the Bruins lost their next two games, including their final game of the season.

Sophomore Season Highlights (2013-2014)

Adams with UCLA against USC in 2014

In his second season, 2013–14, Adams enjoyed playing under the new coach, Steve Alford. Coaches gave Adams the nickname 'Spider-Man' because he was so good at getting steals. He shot well early in the season. On February 27, he and another player missed a game because they broke team rules.

On March 6, Adams scored a career-high 31 points. This helped UCLA secure a high seed in the upcoming 2014 Pac-12 tournament. The Bruins went on to win the tournament. Adams hit a three-point field goal that broke a tie with only 45 seconds left in the championship game.

For the season, he led the team in scoring with almost 18 points per game. He also led the conference in steals with 2.8 per game. He broke the school record for steals in a season, which was previously set in 1997. Adams was chosen for the All-Pac-12 first team. He was also named UCLA's most outstanding team player.

In April 2014, Adams decided to leave college early for the NBA draft. He gave up his last two years of college eligibility. Many experts thought he had a good chance to be picked in the first round. He finished his college career having played 69 games. He averaged 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He also set a school record with 2.43 steals per game.

Professional Basketball Career

Memphis Grizzlies (2014–2016)

On June 26, 2014, the Memphis Grizzlies picked Jordan Adams in the first round of the 2014 NBA draft. He was the 22nd player chosen overall. The Grizzlies' general manager said Adams was highly rated in basketball analytics. The team's vice president praised his ability to score without always needing the ball.

After playing in two Summer League games, Adams signed with the Grizzlies on July 7. During the 2014–15 season, he didn't play much with the Grizzlies. He was often sent to the Iowa Energy in the NBA Development League. He played in 30 games for Memphis, usually when the team was far behind. Even with limited time, he shot 40% from three-point range. His active defense also led to many steals.

During the offseason, Adams had a minor surgery on his right knee. He had averaged 16 points in four games, helping the Grizzlies win the Orlando Summer League. However, he missed most of the 2015–16 exhibition season because of soreness in his knee. He played in only two regular season games before being sidelined again. On January 12, 2016, he had another knee surgery and missed the rest of the season. In June, he had more surgery on his right knee. The next month, he was seen with a crutch and a knee brace. In October, the Grizzlies waived Adams because he was expected to miss the entire season.

Recent Teams

After his time with the Grizzlies, Adams joined the Portland Trail Blazers for the 2017 NBA Summer League. He also played in The Basketball Tournament 2018. In 2019, he played for Al Wadha in Syria. In February 2019, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA G League acquired Adams. He played in two games before being waived in March.

In March 2020, Adams joined Venados de Mazatlán in Mexico. In two games, he averaged 23.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.

On July 17, 2020, Adams signed with Libertadores de Querétaro in Mexico. He scored 34 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in one game, earning him the player of the week award on October 25. He averaged 25.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.2 steals per game.

On November 19, 2020, Adams signed with Club Comunicaciones in Argentina. He played with this team until April 2022.

After playing for Libertadores de Querétaro again in July and August 2022, Adams played for Club Atlético Aguada in Uruguay in October and November 2022.

In February 2023, Adams joined Gladiadores de Anzoátegui in Venezuela.

In December 2023, Adams signed with the Dewa United Banten team in the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL).

In August 2024, Adams signed with San Miguel Beermen in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He played as the team's import for the 2024 PBA Governors' Cup.

In December 2024, Adams returned to the Dewa United Banten team for the 2025 IBL season.

Career Statistics

NBA Statistics

Regular Season

Playoffs

College Statistics

See also

In Spanish: Jordan Adams para niños