Tyler Ulis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tyler Ulis

Ulis with the Phoenix Suns in 2016
Arkansas Razorbacks
Basketball assistant
Personal information
Born	(1996-01-05) January 5, 1996 (age 29) Southfield, Michigan, U.S.
High school	Marian Catholic (Chicago Heights, Illinois)
Listed height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight	160 lb (73 kg)
Career information
College	Kentucky (2014–2016)
NBA Draft	2016 / Round: 2 / Pick: 34th overall
Selected by the Phoenix Suns
Pro career	2016–2020
Coaching career	2014–present
League	Southeastern Conference
Career history
As player:
2016–2018	Phoenix Suns
2016	→Northern Arizona Suns
2018	Chicago Bulls
2018	→Windy City Bulls
2019–2020	Stockton Kings
As coach:
2022–2024	Kentucky (student assistant)
2024–present	Arkansas (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Consensus first-team All-American (2016) Bob Cousy Award (2016) SEC Player of the Year (2016) SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2016) First-team All-SEC (2016) SEC All-Freshman Team (2015) SEC tournament MVP (2016) McDonald's All-American (2014)

Tyler Ulis (born January 5, 1996) is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas. Ulis played college basketball for the University of Kentucky.

In 2015, he was a key player for Kentucky. He led his team in assists. He was also named to the 2015 SEC All-Freshman Team. His team, the 2014–15 Kentucky team, won its first 38 games. They lost to Wisconsin in the Final Four of the 2015 NCAA tournament.

As a sophomore, Ulis was recognized as a top player. He was a Consensus first-team All-American. He also won the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year award. Additionally, he was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

Ulis played high school basketball at Marian Catholic High School. He was chosen to play in the 2014 McDonald's All-American Game. He also played in the 2014 Jordan Brand Classic.

Early Life and Family

Tyler Ulis was born in Southfield, Michigan. This city is a suburb of Detroit. He lived in Lima, Ohio, with his mother and younger brother, Ahron. As a child, he competed in track events. He trained for basketball with his cousin, Travis Walton. Travis was a great defensive player in college. Another cousin, Shareese Ulis, also played college basketball. During middle school, Tyler became good friends with Devin Booker. Devin later became his teammate on the Phoenix Suns.

High School Basketball Journey

For high school, Ulis moved to Matteson, Illinois. He lived there with his father, James. When he started at Marian Catholic, he was only about 5 feet 3 inches tall. He was still being recruited by other high schools. By the end of his second year, he grew to 5 feet 8 inches. College teams then started to notice him. By his junior year, Marian Catholic became a strong team because of Ulis.

Because of his height, many top basketball schools did not notice Ulis at first. He was not highly recruited until his senior year in 2013–14. Only a few major college programs offered him a scholarship during his junior year. These included Iowa and DePaul.

During his junior season, Ulis's skills became very clear. Marian Catholic started winning many games. They set a school record with 29 wins and only 4 losses. They also won their first sectional title. Ulis was a first-team All-state player.

On September 13, 2013, Ulis decided to play for Kentucky. He chose Kentucky over other top schools.

In his senior year, Ulis was one of the top players in Illinois. He scored a career-high 42 points in one game. He also had 6 steals, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Marian Catholic finished with a great record of 28 wins and 3 losses.

High School Awards

Ulis at the 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game

Ulis was chosen for the 2014 McDonald's All-American Game. This is a game for the best high school players in the country. He was also selected for the 2014 Jordan Brand Classic. He was named a first-team All-state player by the Associated Press. Ulis was also a 2014 USA Today third-team All-USA Boys Basketball Team selection.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Tyler Ulis PG	Chicago Heights, IL	Marian Catholic (IL)	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	150 lb (68 kg)	Sep 13, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 20, 3 (PG)   Rivals: 21  ESPN: 25, 4 (IL), 4 (PG)
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

College Basketball at Kentucky

Freshman Year (2014–15)

Ulis at the Kentucky Blue-White Scrimmage in 2014

Tyler Ulis quickly became known as a player who made a big difference. His impact was not always seen in the stats. On December 27, he scored a season-high 14 points against Louisville. This was a big rivalry game. He earned the MVP award for that game.

Ulis did not start any games in his freshman year. However, he played about 24 minutes per game. After the season, he was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. Kentucky had an amazing season, winning their first 38 games. They lost in the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. Ulis led the team in assists per game.

Sophomore Year (2015–16)

Ulis in March 2016

Ulis was named to several important watchlists before his sophomore season. These included the Bob Cousy Award and Lute Olson Award watchlists. He was also a preseason first-team All-conference selection.

Ulis started the season strong. On November 17, he scored a career-high 18 points. He also had 6 assists with no turnovers against the defending champions, Duke. On November 21, he scored another career-high of 21 points. He also had 5 assists. This earned him the SEC Co-Player of the Week award.

On January 2, Ulis had his first college double-double. He scored 20 points and had 10 assists against Ole Miss. This was the first time a Kentucky player had done this since John Wall in 2009. On January 5, Ulis scored a career-high 23 points. On January 30, he scored a career-high 26 points and had 8 assists against #4-ranked Kansas.

On February 13, Ulis had new career highs with 27 points and 12 assists. He led his team to a big win. He was named SEC Player of the Week again. On March 5, Ulis finished the regular season with a career-high 14 assists and 14 points.

After the season, Ulis was named the SEC Player of the Year. He was also named SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He was the second player ever to win both awards in the same season. Ulis was recognized as a first-team All-American by many groups. He won the Bob Cousy Award, given to the best point guard in college basketball.

In the 2016 SEC men's basketball tournament, Ulis scored 25 points in the semifinal. In the finals, he scored a career-high 30 points. He played all 45 minutes of the overtime game. Ulis was named the tournament MVP.

Professional Basketball Career

Phoenix Suns (2016–2018)

After his sophomore season, Ulis decided to enter the 2016 NBA draft. He was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the second round. He was the 34th pick overall. This reunited him with his good friend and former college teammate, Devin Booker. Ulis signed with the Suns on July 7. He joined the team for the 2016 NBA Summer League. He played very well in the Summer League. He averaged 14.5 points and 6.3 assists per game. He was named to the All-NBA Summer League Second Team.

2016–17 Season

Ulis played his first NBA game on October 26, 2016. He quickly earned a role coming off the bench. On November 18, he scored a season-high 10 points and had 4 steals. On December 14, he was sent to the Northern Arizona Suns in the NBA Development League for a short time.

After the 2017 NBA All-Star Game, Ulis started playing more. He set new career highs in assists and points. On March 5, he scored 20 points. He also made a buzzer-beating, game-winning three-point shot. Ulis got his first NBA start on March 15. He recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 13 assists.

On April 2, he had an amazing game. He scored a career-high 34 points. He also had nine rebounds and nine assists. These 34 points were the most scored by any NBA rookie in a single game that season. Ulis was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for April. He led all rookies in points (20.7) and assists (6.8) that month.

2017–18 Season

Ulis had surgery on his right ankle in May 2017. He missed the 2017 NBA Summer League but was ready for training camp. He made his first start of the season on November 11, 2017. On December 4, he had his first double-double of the season. He scored 12 points and had 12 assists. On January 29, he had a career-high 5 steals.

On March 26, he scored a season-high 19 points. Two days later, he scored 23 points. On June 30, 2018, Ulis was waived by the Suns. He later signed with the Golden State Warriors but was waived before the season started.

Chicago Bulls (2018)

On October 15, 2018, Ulis was picked up by the Chicago Bulls. He joined the team on a two-way contract. This meant he could play for both the Bulls and their G League team, the Windy City Bulls. On November 2, Ulis scored 25 points and had 7 assists for the Windy City Bulls. He was waived by the Bulls on December 27, 2018.

Stockton Kings (2019–2020)

On September 24, 2019, Ulis signed with the Sacramento Kings. He was later waived by the Kings. He then joined their G League team, the Stockton Kings. Ulis averaged 6.8 points and 3.8 assists per game with Stockton.

Return to Kentucky and Coaching Career

In February 2022, Ulis was in a car accident. While recovering, he went back to the University of Kentucky as a full-time student. This allowed him to become a student assistant coach for the basketball team in late December 2022.

On September 20, 2024, Tyler Ulis joined the Arkansas Razorbacks as a basketball assistant coach.

Career Statistics

NBA

College

Personal Life

In February 2022, Tyler Ulis was involved in a car crash.

See also

In Spanish: Tyler Ulis para niños