Isaiah Maurice Livers (born July 28, 1998) 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 for 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 ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). He 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

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

. He attended

Kalamazoo Central High School Kalamazoo Central High School is a public high school in Kalamazoo, Michigan serving students from ninth through twelfth grades. It was the first public high school in Michigan. It began operating in 1858 and graduated its first class of five men a ...

where he won the

Mr. Basketball of Michigan Each year the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best Secondary education, high school senior boys basketball player in the U.S. state of Michigan. The award is named in honor of the late Hal Schram, a sports writ ...

. He was part of the 2017–18 team that won the

2018 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament The 2018 Big Ten men's basketball tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Big Ten Conference of the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was held from February 28 through March 4, 2018 at Madison Square ...

and reached the

championship game In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

of the 2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

Early life and high school career

Livers was born on July 28, 1998, in

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

, to Angela and Morris Livers. He started playing basketball at the age of five with his father in the driveway. Michigan began recruiting Livers in May 2016 and he made his official visit on July 28, earning an offer. At the end of his recruitment, he was considering visiting

Cal Cal or CAL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Cal'' (novel), a 1983 novel by Bernard MacLaverty * "Cal" (short story), a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov * ''Cal'' (1984 film), an Irish drama starring John Lynch and Helen Mir ...

, but decided to cancel the visit and commit to Michigan. On August 7, 2016, Livers committed to Michigan over contenders Michigan State, Butler, Minnesota, California, and Boston College. Livers signed his

National Letter of Intent National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

to Michigan as part of a three-scholarship player incoming class with

Jordan Poole Jordan Anthony Poole (born June 19, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Rufus King High School in Milwaukee and La Lumiere School in La Porte, ...

and Eli Brooks. He was named 2017 Michigan

Gatorade Player of the Year The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine playe ...

and

. Livers edged out second-place finisher

Xavier Tillman Xavier Justis Tillman Sr. (born January 12, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. Early life In h ...

by a 2,811–2,739 vote margin, although Tillman received three more first-place ballots. It was the closest vote in Mr. Basketball of Michigan history. Livers was Michigan's 11th Mr. Basketball of Michigan, but the first since

Manny Harris Corperryale L'Adorable "Manny" Harris (born September 21, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He has previously played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Clevel ...

in 2007.

College career

Freshman season (2017–2018)

On January 2, 2018, Michigan defeated

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

75–68 with Livers contributing a career-best 13 points, which was considered a breakout performance. It was the first of three consecutive double-digit efforts off the bench for Livers. This resulted in Livers replacing Duncan Robinson in the starting lineup for Michigan when they faced

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

in their

rivalry game Pairs of schools, colleges and universities, especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization, often establish a college rivalry with each other over the years. This rivalry can extend to both ...

on January 13. Michigan defeated the fourth-ranked Spartans for their first victory on the road against a top-five ranked team since January 25, 2014, ushering their way into the 2017–18 basketball rankings. Livers rolled his ankle in the second minute of the game against Northwestern on February 6 sidelining him for the rest of the game, which Michigan went on to lose. He missed the next game against

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

before returning to the starting lineup on February 14 against

. The team lost in the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game to second-ranked Villanova.

Sophomore season (2018–2019)

On January 13, the 2018–19 Wolverines team defeated Northwestern to establish a school record for best start at 17–0 and tied the school's record 17-game win streak. On February 28, 2019, Michigan defeated

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

82–53. Livers made his first start of the season, replacing an injured Charles Matthews, and posted 12 points and 10 assists, for his first career double-double. On March 14, Michigan defeated

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

76-49 in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament, as Livers posted a career-high 21 points. Livers' 42.6% (52/122) three point shooting percentage led the Big Ten Conference.

Junior season (2019–2020)

On November 12, Michigan defeated Creighton 79–69 in the Gavitt Tipoff Games behind a then career-high 22 points from Livers. On November 22, Michigan defeated Houston Baptist 111–68 behind a career-high 24 points by Livers. Michigan's 111 points were the most points scored in a game since a 112–64 victory over

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

. He suffered a groin injury on December 21 in a win over

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

. He missed nine of the next 10 games before facing

on February 8. On February 16, Livers suffered an ankle injury against

and missed the following game against

Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...

. In his return versus

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

, Livers had 19 points, six rebounds, two blocks and a steal in a 71–63 victory. On March 5, Michigan defeated

82–58, as Livers posted 18 points and ten rebounds, for his second career double-double. At the close of the regular season, Livers was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by the media. Livers started 21 games and averaged 12.9 points per game while shooting 40 percent from behind the arc. He missed only two free-throws the entire season, making 44-for-46 (.957) from the line. Following the season, he declared for the

2020 NBA draft The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead conducted at ESPN's facilities in Bristol, Connecti ...

, but did not hire an agent and left the door open to return for his senior season. On July 17, 2020, Livers announced that he would return to Michigan for his senior season.

Senior season (2020–2021)

During his senior season, Livers posted 16 double-figure games with a team-high five 20+ point games, and averaged 13.9 points per game. Livers made a team-high 50 three-pointers, reaching 50+ in a season for the second time in his career. He averaged a career-best 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists, and he added a pair of double-doubles. Following the season, he was named second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media. On March 13, 2021, Livers suffered a stress injury to his right foot during a quarterfinal game against

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

in the 2021 Big Ten tournament, which sidelined him indefinitely. On April 2, 2021, Livers underwent successful surgery on his foot, with his recovery time expected to be a minimum of six months. On April 16, 2021, Livers declared for the

2021 NBA draft The 2021 NBA draft, the 75th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual draft, was held on July 29, 2021, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. With the first overall pick, the Detroit Pistons selected Cade Cunningham. The NBA us ...

Professional career

Detroit Pistons (2021–present)

Livers was selected in the second round of the

with the 42nd pick by his hometown team the

. On August 8, he signed with the Pistons. On June 29, 2023, the

exercised Livers’ team option for the 2023–24 NBA season.

Career statistics

NBA

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Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, 19 , , 5 , , 20.2 , , .456 , , .422 , , .857 , , 3.0 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .4 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 52 , , 22 , , 23.1 , , .417 , , .365 , , .821 , , 2.8 , , .8 , , .5 , , .5 , , 6.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 71 , , 27 , , 22.3 , , .426 , , .378 , , .830 , , 2.8 , , .9 , , .6 , , .5 , , 6.6

College

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Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, 40 , , 22 , , 15.1 , , .474 , , .362 , , .667 , , 2.3 , , .4 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 3 , , 22.6 , , .487 , , .426 , , .780 , , 3.9 , , .7 , , .7 , , .5 , , 7.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

, 21 , , 21 , , 31.5 , , .447 , , .402 , , .957 , , 4.0 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .7 , , 12.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 23 , , 23 , , 31.6 , , .457 , , .431 , , .870 , , 6.0 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , .7 , , 13.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 119 , , 69 , , 23.4 , , .465 , , .412 , , .856 , , 3.8 , , .9 , , .5 , , .5 , , 8.3

References

External links

Michigan Wolverines bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Livers, Isaiah 1998 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Michigan Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons players Michigan Wolverines men's basketball players Motor City Cruise players Power forwards (basketball) Small forwards Sportspeople from Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo Central High School alumni