Derrick JaVaughn Byars (born April 25, 1984) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and entrepreneur. Collegiately, he played for

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, and later for Vanderbilt. He was drafted 42nd overall in the 2007 NBA draft.

High school career

Byars attended Ridgeway High School in Memphis, where he played for head coach Wesley Henning and won two

Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA), along with the affiliated Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association (TMSAA), is an organization which administers junior and senior high school sporting events in Tennessee. The TSSAA ...

(

TSSAA The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA), along with the affiliated Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association (TMSAA), is an organization which administers junior and senior high school sporting events in Tennessee. The TSSAA ...

) Class AA State Championships. As a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

(1999–2000), Byars was an honorable-mention All-State selection and led the Roadrunners to the Class AA State Championship. He averaged 16.4 points, 6.5

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

and 5.4 assists per game. As a

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

, he again earned honorable mention All-State honors and was named Ridgeway's Most Valuable Player and District 15-AA MVP. He averaged 20.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5 assists. As a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

(2001–02), he averaged 23.2 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 assists and led Ridgeway to its second TSSAA Class AA State Championship in three years. He was a fourth-team

Parade All-America ''Parade'' was an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 700 newspapers in the United States until 2022. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., ''Parade'' had a circulation of 32 million and a readership of 5 ...

selection, the Gatorade Player of the Year in Tennessee, the TSSAA Class AA Tournament Most Valuable Player and first-team All-State. As impressive as he was on the court, Byars also excelled in the classroom, finishing

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

with a 3.9

GPA Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...

Collegiate career

Virginia

Byars played for two seasons under then-head coach

Pete Gillen Peter Joseph Gillen (born June 20, 1947) is an American former college basketball head coach of the Division I, Providence Friars and Virginia Cavaliers and is a member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. Gillen is currently a college b ...

. He started 16 of Virginia's 31 games his freshman season (2002–03) and averaged 6.5 points per game. In his sophomore season (2003–04), he started 18 of Virginia's 31 games and averaged 7.5 points per game. Disappointed by his lack of playing time, Byars decided to transfer from Virginia. Vanderbilt emerged as a leading candidate due to Byars' friendships with players on the team and the Commodores' recent run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, but the Commodores had no scholarship positions available. Days before Byars was due to announce his transfer to

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, Vanderbilt reserve guard Adam Payton decided to transfer to William & Mary, freeing up a scholarship for Byars. He sat out the 2004–05 season as mandated by NCAA rules.

Vanderbilt

In his junior season (2005–06), Byars started all 30 games and finished second on the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game. He started a handful of games at the point guard position and led the team with 3.2 assists per game. He was named SEC Player of the Week (November 28 – December 4) after scoring 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting against

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

on November 30, 2005. A week later, he scored a season-high 25 points (including five 3-pointers) against

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

on December 10, 2005. In his senior season (2006–07), Byars was named

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

Player of the Year by the league's coaches, who also unanimously selected him to their All-SEC first team. He led Vanderbilt to a 22–12 record ( SEC East: 10–6, 2nd) and the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, because Jeff Green's travel was not called, ending the season at least one game early. He led the Commodores in scoring with 17.0 points per game and was ranked among the SEC's top 10 in four other statistical categories. During SEC play, Byars averaged 19.1 points per game, second-best in the SEC. He scored 20 points or more eight different times, including a career-high 32 points against

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

on February 14, 2007. He followed that performance with 24 points in Vanderbilt's 83–70 victory over then-No. 1

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, which earned him SEC player of the week honors for the second time that season. Byars graduated from Vanderbilt on May 11, 2007, with a degree in sociology.

Professional career

NBA

Byars was chosen 42nd overall in the 2007 NBA draft in the second round by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. His rights were then traded to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

. He was waived by the 76ers on October 22, 2007. He was on the

New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

and

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

rosters for the 2008 Summer League. Byars return to the NBA Summer League was successful, as he led the Magic in scoring in their first game against the New Jersey Nets with 15 points on 6 of 13 shootin

In late September, Byars was signed by 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 ...

where he averaged 4.1 points and 14.8 minutes per game in the preseason. Byars was invited to the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

' training camp in 2009 but was waived on the opening day of the season, October 28, 2009. He played for the Bulls in the

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season competition organized by the National Basketball Association. NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups ...

in 2010.

Germany

In December 2007, Byars played in eight games for the

Köln 99ers Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...

, a

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season ...

team based in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

, Germany, having arrived at the end of October with a foot injury that had to be cured first. He averaged 6.3 points and 18 minutes per game in four games in the ULEB Cup and 3.5 points in another 4 games in the Bundesliga. He was cut from the team again on December 21, 2007. On November 2, 2009, Byars was introduced as the new small forward for

ALBA Berlin Alba Berlin is a German professional basketball club that is based in Berlin, Germany. The club was founded in 1991, and is today the largest German national basketball club by membership figures. Alba Berlin hosts its home games at the Mercedes ...

France

On January 24, 2008, he was subsequently signed by

Chorale Roanne Basket Chorale Roanne Basket is a professional basketball club that is based in Roanne, France. The club plays in the first division LNB Pro A. Their home arena is Halle André Vacheresse. The club was founded in 1937 and the team's colors are blue an ...

of the

Ligue Nationale de Basketball The Ligue nationale de basket (LNB; English: National Basketball League) is the governing body of men's professional club basketball in France. The LNB organises the first-tier Pro A and the second-tier Pro B. Additionally, the federation annu ...

(LNB) in France. His club finished fourth in the 2007/08 regular season, and lost in the 2008 LNB final against Nancy after beating regular season winner Le Mans in the semi-final. Byars averaged 8 points and 3 rebounds in 24 minutes of playing time.

NBA Development League

Derrick Byars was drafted in the 2008 NBA Developmental League Draft with the 5th overall pick by the

Bakersfield Jam Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

. While averaging 18 points per game on the season, he was named to the 2009 NBA D-League All-Star Game and led all players in scoring with 18 points. He returned to the team briefly in 2011, claiming another NBA Developmental League Player of the Week award after scoring a career-high 45 points versus Springfield Armor.

Greece

In September 2010, he signed a one-year deal with the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

club

Panellinios Basket Panellinios B.C. ( el, Πανελλήνιος K.A.E., link=no) or Panellinios Basket, is a professional basketball club that is located in Athens, Greece. The club was founded in 1929. The name Panellinios can be translated as Pan-Hellenic in ...

Return to France

In August 2011 he signed a one-year contract with

Cholet Basket Cholet Basket is a professional basketball club that is based in Cholet, France. The club plays in the French League. Their home arena is La Meilleraie. Established in 1975, Cholet won its first French championship in the 2009–10 season. In 1 ...

in France. However, he left the club in November, having played only two games, one in Pro A and one in the Euroleague qualifying round.

Return to the NBA

On December 10, 2011, Byars signed with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

. He was however waived before the start of the season. He was then signed by the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

on April 25, 2012. On August 21, 2012, he was waived by the Spurs after scoring ten points in two games.

Return to Germany

In November 2012, Byars re-signed with Alba Berlin.

Memphis Grizzlies

In September 2013, Byars joined the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

. He was waived by the team on October 6, 2013.

Russia / D-League

In January 2014, Byars signed with BC Krasny Oktyabr of Russia for the rest of the 2013–14 season. He left before playing in a game for them. On March 4, 2014, he was re-acquired by the Bakersfield Jam.

Belgium

On April 12, 2014, Byars signed with

Belfius Mons-Hainaut Belfius Mons-Hainaut is a Belgian professional basketball club that is based in Mons, Wallonia. The club competes in the highest division of the country, the BNXT League. The club's home arena is the Mons Arena. Founded as Quaregnon in 1959, the c ...

of the

Basketball League Belgium The Basketball League Belgium is a governing body for basketball in Belgium. It directs the ten professional Belgian basketball sports clubs of the top-tier Basketball League Belgium Division I. See also *Basketball League Belgium Division I R ...

for the rest of the 2013–14 season.

Israel

On September 15, 2015, Byars signed with Maccabi Rishon LeZion from the Israel Super League.The roster is complete
Derrick Byars signed with Rishon LeZion

Puerto Rico

On January 6, 2016, Byars signed with

Santeros de Aguada Santeros de Aguada was a Puerto Rican professional basketball team of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. The team was based in Aguada, Puerto Rico. The team moved to Fajardo in 2021, changing their name and re-branding to Cariduros de Fajardo with ...

of the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. T ...

France

On August 20, 2016, Byars signed with

JA Vichy Jeanne d'Arc de Vichy-Clermont Métropole was a professional basketball club based in Vichy, France. The club played their home games at both Maison des Sports de Clermont-Ferrand and Palais des Sports de Vichy. In 2015, JA Vichy and Stade Clermo ...

of the

LNB Pro B The LNB Pro B, commonly known as Pro B, is the French basketball league system, 2nd-tier level men's professional basketball league in France. It is the second division of the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB), which has organized the league since t ...

. In 16 games, he averaged 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal.

D-League

On February 27, 2017, he was acquired by the

Delaware 87ers Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

Awards and accomplishments

* All- SEC First Team: (2007) * SEC Co-Player of the Year: (2007) *

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 ...

Second Team All-American: (2007) * SEC Legend: (2019)

References

External links

LNB Pro B profile

Euroleague.net Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byars, Derrick 1984 births Living people Alba Berlin players American expatriate basketball people in Belgium American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Bakersfield Jam players Basketball players from Memphis, Tennessee Belfius Mons-Hainaut players Big3 players Caciques de Humacao players Cholet Basket players Delaware 87ers players JA Vichy-Clermont Métropole players Köln 99ers players Liga ACB players Maccabi Rishon LeZion basketball players Panellinios B.C. players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Real Betis Baloncesto players San Antonio Spurs players Santeros de Aguada basketball players Shooting guards Small forwards Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball players Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball players American men's 3x3 basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Russia