Justin D'John Simon (born May 6, 1996) 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

Scaligera Verona Scaligera Basket Verona, known for sponsorship reasons as Tezenis Verona, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Verona, Italy. It competes in the LBA. History 1951–1982: Decades within the minor leagues Scaligera Basket was found ...

of the LBA. He played college basketball for St. John's.

High school career

Simon spent the first three years of his high school career at

Temecula Valley High School Temecula Valley High School, known by locals as TV, is a public high school for grades 9 to 12 in Temecula, California. The school opened in 1985 as the city's first high school. When it was built, it was a part of the Elsinore Union High School ...

in his hometown of

Temecula, California Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a t ...

. In his junior season, Simon averaged 17.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, which earned him spots on the all-state underclass and the Division II all-state first teams, in addition to being named the Southwestern League MVP. He also received an invitation to the Men's U-18 National Team training camp. Simon spent his senior season at

Brewster Academy ) , established = , type = Independent boarding school , gender = Co-educational , head_name = Head of School , head = Kristy Kerin , chair_label = Chair of Trustees , chair = R C Ballentine Esq , city = ...

Wolfeboro, New Hampshire Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,416 at the 2020 census. A resort area situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro includes the village of Wolfeboro Falls. History The town was granted ...

, where he blossomed into a consensus top-40 national recruit in the class of 2015. In leading the team to a 34–1 record, the NEPSAC Class AAA title and the National Prep Championship, Simon averaged 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.

Recruiting

Simon finished high school as a four-star recruit and the 37th ranked player in the class of 2015, according to ESPN. Simon received over 20 Division I scholarship offers from the likes of

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 ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, and

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

, but ended up selecting

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

College career

Arizona

In his freshman season at

, Simon struggled to find playing time. Early in the season, Simon received an increased amount of minutes due to

Allonzo Trier Allonzo Brian Trier (born January 17, 1996) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. As a sophomore in 2016–17, he earned sec ...

being injured, but his time on the court soon fell off as he failed to see the court in seven of the team's last 11 games. Simon did not start in a game all season and saw action in just 24 contests. In 7.5 minutes per game, Simon averaged 2.3 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. After the season, Simon announced his intention to transfer. He had interest from several programs, including

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

, and

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, but ended up choosing St. John's.

St. John's

Simon sat out the 2016-17 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Simon had a breakout sophomore season, tallying 20 double-digit scoring performances and nine double-doubles in 33 games, all of which he started. He averaged 12.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.5 steals per game, and was the only player in the

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

to rank in the top five in rebounding, assists, and steals. Simon ranked eighth nationally in steals with 82. In his junior season, Simon's offensive production declined slightly but he developed into one of the nation's best defenders. In 34 games, 33 of which he started, Simon averaged 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds all while leading the team in blocked shots with 22 and ranking third on the team in steals with 50. After the season, Simon was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year. On April 9, 2019, Simon announced he was forgoing his senior season to declare for the

2019 NBA Draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...

Statistics

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 24 , , 0 , , 7.5 , , .500 , , .333 , , .429 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , .3 , , .3 , , 2.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;", St. John's , 33 , , 33 , , 36.1 , , .473 , , .417 , , .661 , , 7.1 , , 5.1 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;", St. John's , 34 , , 33 , , 32.9 , , .462 , , .289 , , .608 , , 5.1 , , 3.2 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , 10.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 91 , , 66 , , 27.3 , , .470 , , .351 , , .620 , , 4.8 , , 3.1 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , 8.9

Professional career

Windy City Bulls (2019–2020)

Simon was not selected in the draft, but was invited to play for 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 ...

' Summer League team. In five games, he averaged 6.8 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes per game. On September 12, 2019, Simon signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Bulls and was added to the team's training camp roster. On October 21, Simon was waived from the Bulls' roster and was subsequently assigned to the team's

G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

affiliate, the

Windy City Bulls The Windy City Bulls are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and are affiliated with the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls play their home games at Now Arena, from Chicago. It became the thirte ...

. He averaged 12.8 points per game in the G League.

Illawarra Hawks (2020–2021)

On August 14, 2020, Simon signed a one-year deal with the

Illawarra Hawks The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games ...

of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).

Ratiopharm Ulm (2021)

On August 19, 2021, Simon signed a six-week contract with

ratiopharm Ulm Ratiopharm Ulm, officially stylized as ratiopharm Ulm, is a professional basketball club based in Ulm, Germany. The club has two teams, one professional team, which plays in the Basketball Bundesliga, the major German professional league and one ...

of the German

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 ...

(BBL) as an injury replacement for

Karim Jallow Karim Johannes Jallow (born April 13, 1997) is a German professional basketball player for Ratiopharm Ulm of the German Basketball Bundesliga. Early life Jallow was born in Munich, Germany as the first child of a German mother and a Gambian f ...

Riesen Ludwigsburg (2021–2022)

On October 3, 2021, Simon signed with

MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg Riesen Ludwigsburg ( en, Giants Ludwigsburg), for sponsorship reasons MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, is a professional basketball club that is based in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The club currently plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the first tier of ...

of the BBL. On May 8, 2022, he helped Riesen finish third in the

2021–22 Basketball Champions League The 2021–22 Basketball Champions League was the 6th season of the Basketball Champions League (BCL), the premier European professional basketball competition for clubs launched by FIBA. The season began on 5 October 2021 and ended on 15 May 20 ...

when he recorded 27 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals against

Hapoel Holon Hapoel Holon Basketball Club ( he, מועדון הכדורסל הפועל חולון), known for sponsorship reasons as Hapoel Atsmon Playgrounds Holon (), is a professional basketball club based in Holon, Israel. The team plays in the Israeli B ...

, becoming the first player in BCL history to record more than 25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. He also set a new record for points in a BCL Final Four game.

Sydney Kings (2022–2023)

On July 18, 2022, Simon signed with the

Sydney Kings The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The Kings were formed from a merger between the West Sydney Westars and the ...

in Australia for the

2022–23 NBL season The 2022–23 NBL season was the 45th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams contested in the 2022–23 season. Australian broadcast rights to the season are held by ESPN in the second sea ...

Scaligera Verona (2023–present)

On March 20, 2023, Simon signed with

of the LBA.

Personal life

Simon's father Ken played football at

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

and his mother Felicia played basketball and ran track at

UC Irvine UC may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''University Challenge'', a popular British quiz programme airing on BBC Two ** '' University Challenge (New Zealand)'', the New Zealand version of the British programme * Universal Century, one of the ti ...

. Simon has two brothers and a sister.

References

External links

St. John's Red Storm bio

G League Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Justin 1996 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Australia American expatriate basketball people in Germany American men's basketball players Basketball players from California Brewster Academy alumni Illawarra Hawks players People from Temecula, California Ratiopharm Ulm players Riesen Ludwigsburg players Shooting guards Sportspeople from Riverside County, California St. John's Red Storm men's basketball players Sydney Kings players Windy City Bulls players