Byron James "B. J." Mullens (born February 14, 1989) is a British-American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player for the
New Taipei Kings
New Taipei Kings ( Chinese: 新北國王) is a professional basketball team based in New Taipei, Taiwan. They have been part of the P. League+ since the 2021–22 season.
Facilities Home arenas
Training facilities
The Kings' training facility ...
of P. League+. He also holds British nationality due to his English mother. He was drafted 24th overall by the Dallas Mavericks and immediately traded to the
Thunder
Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...
in the
2009 NBA draft
The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other e ...
.
High school career
Mullens played competitively at
Canal Winchester High School
Canal Winchester is a public high school located in Canal Winchester, Ohio. The town is located 25 minutes South-East of downtown Columbus and is about 30 minutes away from historic Lancaster. It is the only high school in the Canal Winchester Sch ...
and was ranked as one of the top college recruits in the nation from the class of 2008. He was ranked No. 1 in the nation by
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
and No. 3 by Scout.com.
Mullens was offered and accepted a scholarship to
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
by the Buckeyes' head basketball coach,
Thad Matta
Thad Michael Matta (born July 11, 1967) is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team. From 2004 to 2017, Matta led the Ohio State Buckeyes to five Big Ten Conference regular seas ...
, in 2004, which was the summer between Mullens' 8th and 9th grade year.
In his senior year of high school, he averaged 26 points and 15 rebounds, including 29 points and 18 rebounds in his final high school game.
He was a member of the 2008
McDonald's All-American Team
The McDonald's All-American Game is the all-star basketball game played each year for American and Canadian boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the concl ...
and he was a part of the 2008 Jordan Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden, where he had 12 points.
College career
In November 2007, Mullens signed a
letter of intent
A letter of intent (LOI or LoI, or Letter of Intent) is a document outlining the understanding between two or more parties which they intend to formalize in a legally binding agreement. The concept is similar to a heads of agreement, term sh ...
to play basketball at
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
. Mullens averaged 8.8 points a game at a 64.2 shooting percentage during his freshman year with Ohio State. Mullens was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team and earned the Big Ten's Sixth Man of the Year award. Mullens only played one year for the Buckeyes before declaring eligibility for the NBA draft.
College statistics
Professional career
Coming out of Ohio State, Yahoo! Sports' Rivals 150 projected Mullens to be a clear first pick in the draft, "Size, athleticism and skill are the big three that separate Mullens from the rest of this class."
Mullens was drafted 24th overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the
2009 NBA draft
The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other e ...
. His draft rights were traded to the
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...
for Rodrigue Beaubois, the 25th overall pick, and a future 2nd-round draft pick. In mid-2009, Mullens requested that all media personnel refer to him as "Byron" rather than by his prior nickname "B. J."
During the 2011 NBA lockout, Mullens signed with
Panionios B.C.
Panionios B.C. ( Greek: Πανιώνιος KAE), known in European competitions as Panionios Athens is the Greek professional basketball club that is based in Nea Smyrni, Athens, and that plays its home games in Palaio Faliro, Athens, Greece. ...
However, he left the team after a month in Greece, saying that he wanted to join his Oklahoma City teammates for their voluntary practice sessions.
On December 19, 2011, Mullens was traded to the
Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populou ...
for a 2013 second-round draft pick. In his first game as a Bobcat, Mullens set a new career high with 10 points against the
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
on December 26, 2011.
Mullens had what appeared to be a breakthrough game against the
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...
on January 6, 2012, when he scored 17 points on 8–13 from the floor (.615 FG%), collected five rebounds and had one blocked shot in 24 minutes off the bench.
He made his first career start on January 12, 2012 against the Atlanta Hawks. He played in a career-high 33 minutes, going 8–16 from the floor scoring 21 points and collecting 4 rebounds. On April 6, 2012, Mullens set new career highs by scoring 31 points (on 14–23 shooting) and grabbing 14 rebounds (9 offensive) in 43 minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Entering the 2012–13 season, Mullens played as Charlotte's starting power forward. The acquisition of center
Brendan Haywood
Brendan Todd Haywood (born November 27, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who was a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. Following his playing ...
was part of the decision to play Mullens primarily at power forward instead of center.
On July 22, 2013, Mullens signed with the
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
.
On February 20, 2014, Mullens was traded, along with a 2018 second-round draft pick, to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for a top-55-protected 2014 second-round draft pick.
In July 2014, Mullens joined the
Shaanxi Wolves
The Shaanxi Xinda Wolves are a Chinese professional men's basketball club based in Weinan, Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province ...
of the Chinese National Basketball League where he played four games for the club. On August 11, 2014, he signed with
Shanxi Zhongyu
The Shanxi Loongs, also known as Shanxi SDIC Raptors Club or Shanxi Fenjiu Shares are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Taiyuan, Shanxi, which plays in the Northern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The Shanxi Fe ...
of the
Chinese Basketball Association
The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China.
The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...
but later left the club before appearing in a game for them.
On February 14, 2015, Mullens was acquired by the
Sioux Falls Skyforce
The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team plays their home games in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have call ...
of the NBA Development League, and reacquired as a returning player on November 2.
On March 1, 2016, Mullens signed a deal with Turkish club Torku Konyaspor until the end of the 2016–17 season. At the end of the 2015–16 season he left Konyaspor.
In October 2016, Mullens signed with Al Wasl Dubai of the
Iranian Basketball Super League
The Iranian Basketball Super League (IBSL) is a professional men's basketball league in Iran. It was founded in 1998. The current champions is Shahrdari Gorgan. The league follows the promotion and relegation system in which the worst two tea ...
.
On February 22, 2018, the
Sioux Falls Skyforce
The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team plays their home games in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have call ...
acquired a 2018 second round draft pick from
Lakeland Magic
The Lakeland Magic are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Lakeland, Florida, and are affiliated with the Orlando Magic. The Magic began play in the 2017–18 season and play their home games at the RP Fundi ...
for Mullens and Sioux Falls' 2018 fourth round draft pick.
On December 23, 2018,
Levanga Hokkaido
Levanga Hokkaido is a Japanese professional basketball team based in the city of Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido.
The club was founded in 2006 as ''Rera Kamuy Hokkaido'', this name comes from the language of the Ainu, an ethnic group indigenou ...
announced that they had signed Mullens.
He signed with KT Sonicboom of the Korean Basketball League for the 2019-20 season.
On March 2, 2020, he signed with Movistar Estudiantes of the Spanish Liga ACB.
On August 20, 2020, Mullens signed with the London Lions in Great Britain for the 2020–21 BBL season.
On April 1, 2022, Mullens signed with the
New Taipei Kings
New Taipei Kings ( Chinese: 新北國王) is a professional basketball team based in New Taipei, Taiwan. They have been part of the P. League+ since the 2021–22 season.
Facilities Home arenas
Training facilities
The Kings' training facility ...
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...