Derrick Bernard Favors (born July 15, 1991) 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 who is currently a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. Favors played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Rambl ...

for one season before being selected by the

New Jersey Nets 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, ...

with the third overall pick of the

2010 NBA draft The 2010 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2010, at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National ...

. After playing a season with the Nets, Favors was traded to the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

in 2011, where he played for eight seasons. In the 2019 offseason, he was traded to the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

. He then returned to the Jazz in the 2020–2021 season after playing a year with the Pelicans. During his second stint with the Utah Jazz, Favors became the franchise's 10th all-time leading scorer when he passed

Mehmet Okur Mehmet Murat Okur (born 26 May 1979) is a Turkish former professional basketball player. Listed at , he played as a power forward and center. Okur is known for his three-point shooting and ability to space the floor. In his seven seasons with ...

with 7,255 points.

High school career

Favors played

high school 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 ...

South Atlanta High School South Atlanta High School is a public high school located in the southeast corner of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is located on the site of former George High School, and it formed as the result of the merger of George and nearby Fulton High ...

, where he was ranked as one of the best high school basketball players in the class of 2009.

Scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...

rated him the #1 player in the country, #2 in the

ESPNU ESPNU is an American multinational digital cable and satellite sports television channel owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and the Hears ...

100, and #4 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 ...

. On March 14, 2009, he led South Atlanta to the Georgia Class AAA state championship. He scored 38 points and had 21 rebounds in the championship game against Westover High School. He was named to the 2009

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 ...

. He led the East to a 113–110 victory and was named the

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of the game. He scored 19 points and had 8 rebounds. Favors was selected to participate in the 2009

Nike Hoop Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international men's basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year since 1995, except from 2001–2003, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of internationa ...

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

but pulled out due to personal reasons and he was also selected to play in the 2009

Jordan Brand Classic The Jordan Brand Classic is a high school All-Star basketball game played annually in April. The game's rosters feature the best and most highly recruited high school boys in the senior class including alumns like Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Bl ...

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

where he scored a game-high 21 points and was named

for the black team, while

Renardo Sidney Renardo Sidney, Jr. (born December 6, 1989) is an American professional basketball player. An All-American in high school, he played college basketball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs from 2009 to 2012. High school In Sidney's sophomore year ...

was named MVP for the white team. He finished his senior season averaging 28.1 points, 13.3 rebounds, 5.0 blocks, 3.0 steals and 2.0 assists per game and holds the career records in points (2,341), rebounds (1,511) and blocked shots (741).

College career

Favors committed to

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

in January 2009, which he chose over

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and

North Carolina State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

. Favors played both power forward and center for

Paul Hewitt Paul Harrington Hewitt (born May 4, 1963) is an American college basketball coach and the former head coach at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and George Mason University. He grew up in Westbury, New York. In 2021, he was named ...

's Yellow Jackets. The frontcourt consisted of a three-man rotation of Favors,

Gani Lawal Gani Oladimeji Lawal Jr. (born November 7, 1988) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for Trotamundos in the Venezuelan SuperLiga. He played college basketball for Georgia Tech. High school career During his time at Norcross Hig ...

and Zach Peacock. In ACC games, he averaged 11.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and shot 62.5% from the field. He also helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the ACC tournament finals against

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

. During the tournament, he posted 17 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. Favors was named ACC Rookie of the Year and to the ACC All-Freshman Team.

Professional career

New Jersey Nets (2010–2011)

On April 9, 2010, Favors announced he would forgo his final three years of college eligibility to enter the

where he was subsequently selected with the third overall pick by the

. Favors was 19 years 104 days when he made his NBA debut, thus becoming the youngest player ever to set foot on court for the Nets. In just his third game with the Nets on October 31, 2010 against Miami, he recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds (10 offensive) in a 101–78 loss.

Utah Jazz (2011–2019)

On February 23, 2011, Favors was traded, along with

Devin Harris Devin Lamar Harris (born February 27, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. Harris attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Harris was selected with the fifth pick in the 2004 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. E ...

, two future first-round picks, and cash considerations to the

in exchange for

Deron Williams Deron Michael Williams ( ; born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini before being drafted third overall in the 2005 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. A thre ...

. He went on to score a season-high 17 points on April 9 against San Antonio. On October 19, 2013, Favors signed a four-year contract extension with the Jazz. On November 1, 2014, Favors scored a then career-high 32 points in a 118–91 win over the Phoenix Suns. On November 12, 2015, he recorded 25 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 7 blocks in a loss to the Miami Heat. On December 5, 2015, he scored a career-high 35 points in a 122–119 overtime win over the Indiana Pacers. On January 25, 2016, Favors returned to the floor after a 16-game absence due to a back problem. He played 19 minutes off the bench and recorded 14 points and 5 rebounds in a loss to the Detroit Pistons. On March 13, 2018, in a 110–79 win over the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

, Favors climbed to 10th place on Utah's all-time rebounding list with 3,602 rebounds. He passed former Utah center

, who pulled down 3,599 rebounds with the Jazz. On April 11, 2018, in a 102–93 win over 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 ...

, Favors played in his 500th game with the Jazz, becoming the 12th player in franchise history to reach the milestone. In Game 2 of the Jazz's first-round playoff series against 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 ...

, Favors had career playoff bests of 20 points and 16 rebounds in a 102–95 win. On July 6, 2018, Favors re-signed with the Jazz. On January 11, 2019, he had a then season-high 13 rebounds in a 113–95 win over the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, thus passing Greg Ostertag (3,978) for fourth place on the franchise's all-time rebounding list. On March 2, 2019, he had 23 points and tied a career best with 18 rebounds in a 115–111 win over 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 ...

New Orleans Pelicans (2019–2020)

On July 7, 2019, Favors was traded to the

in exchange for two second-round picks previously acquired from the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

Return to Utah (2020–2021)

On November 25, 2020, Favors signed a three-year, $27 million contract that reunited him with the

in free agency. On April 8, 2021, Favors moved into 10th place on the Utah Jazz's all-time scoring list, passing

with 7,257 points.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2021–2022)

On July 30, 2021, Favors was traded, along with a future first-round pick, to the

in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and cash considerations. On March 31, 2022, Favors was ruled out for the remainder of the season with lower back soreness. On September 30, 2022, Favors was traded, along with

Ty Jerome Ty Jeremy Jerome (born July 8, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League. He played coll ...

, Maurice Harkless,

Théo Maledon Théo Louis Maledon (born 12 June 2001; pronounced ) is a French professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League. He plays ...

and a future second-round pick, to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

in exchange for

David Nwaba David Ugochukwu Nwaba (born January 14, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for Santa Monica College and Cal Poly. High school career Nwaba attended ...

, Sterling Brown,

Trey Burke Alfonso Clark "Trey" Burke III (born November 12, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines where in the 2012–13 season, he earn ...

, and

Marquese Chriss Marquese De'Shawn Chriss (born July 2, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies and was sel ...

. On October 14, 2022, the Rockets officially waived Favors.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, 56 , , 23 , , 19.5 , , .511 , , , , .612 , , 5.3 , , .4 , , .3 , , .7 , , 6.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, 22 , , 4 , , 20.2 , , .529 , , , , .561 , , 5.2 , , .8 , , .5 , , 1.2 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , 9 , , 21.2 , , .499 , , , , .649 , , 6.5 , , .7 , , .6 , , 1.0 , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 8 , , 23.2 , , .482 , , .000 , , .688 , , 7.1 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , 1.7 , , 9.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 73 , , 30.2 , , .522 , , .000 , , .669 , , 8.7 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 1.5 , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , 74 , , 30.8 , , .525 , , .167 , , .669 , , 8.2 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 1.7 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 62 , , 59 , , 32.0 , , .515 , , .000 , , .709 , , 8.1 , , 1.5 , , 1.2 , , 1.5 , , 16.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 50 , , 39 , , 23.7 , , .487 , , .300 , , .615 , , 6.1 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , .8 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 77 , , 28.0 , , .563 , , .222 , , .651 , , 7.2 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , 1.1 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 70 , , 23.2 , , .586 , , .218 , , .675 , , 7.4 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , 1.4 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, 51 , , 49 , , 24.4 , , .617 , , .143 , , .563 , , 9.8 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .9 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , 0 , , 15.3 , , .638 , , .000 , , .738 , , 5.5 , , .6 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

, 39 , , 18 , , 16.7 , , .516 , , .125 , , .640 , , 4.7 , , .6 , , .4 , , .3 , , 5.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 790 , , 503 , , 24.3 , , .534 , , .198 , , .663 , , 7.1 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , 1.2 , , 10.6

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 1 , , 29.0 , , .417 , , , , .586 , , 9.5 , , .5 , , 1.3 , , 1.5 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 2 , , 20.5 , , .581 , , , , .478 , , 5.5 , , .9 , , .7 , , .5 , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 9 , , 26.0 , , .618 , , .400 , , .485 , , 5.2 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , 1.0 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 2 , , 20.6 , , .639 , , .000 , , .684 , , 7.4 , , .8 , , .8 , , 1.8 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 0 , , 13.2 , , .696 , , , , .556 , , 4.2 , , .3 , , .2 , , .9 , , 3.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 42 , , 14 , , 20.8 , , .587 , , .250 , , .549 , , 5.7 , , .8 , , .6 , , 1.0 , , 7.8

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 35 , , 27.5 , , .611 , , .000 , , .629 , , 8.4 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , 2.1 , , 12.4

Endorsements

Favors signed a shoe deal with

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...

just before the 2010 NBA Draft. Favors has been loyal to Adidas since he was 15, when he was playing for his AAU team, the Atlanta Celtics.Loyal To The Game
. Slamonline.com (July 2, 2010). Retrieved on 2011-06-14.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Favors, Derrick 1991 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Atlanta Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans New Jersey Nets draft picks New Jersey Nets players New Orleans Pelicans players Oklahoma City Thunder players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards (basketball) Utah Jazz players