Leroy Jevon Carter ( ; born September 14, 1995) 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 (appro ...

player 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 Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

of the

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

(NBA). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

West Virginia Mountaineers The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. The Mountaineers have been a membe ...

. A

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

for the Mountaineers, Carter was known as one of the top defensive players in college basketball, winning the

NABC Defensive Player of the Year The NABC Defensive Player of the Year is a college basketball award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to recognize the top men's defensive player in NCAA Division I competition. It has been given since 1987 a ...

and the

Lefty Driesell Award The Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's college basketball defender in NCAA Division I competition. The award was established in 2010 and is named after head coach Lefty Dries ...

after both his junior and senior seasons, and winning the inaugural Naismith Defensive Player of the Year in his final season.

High school career

Carter played basketball at

Proviso East High School Proviso East High School is a public secondary school in Maywood, Illinois which serves the educational needs of Maywood and three other villages within Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois: Broadview, Forest Park and Melrose Park. It is t ...

Maywood, Illinois Maywood is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, in the Chicago metropolitan area. It was founded on April 6, 1869, and organized October 22, 1881. The population was 23,512 at the 2020 census. History There was limited European-Am ...

. He played mostly off the ball in high school. From 2011 to 2012 he played for Team NLP in AAU competition, where one of his teammates was Jalen Brunson. Carter was a three-star recruit and was the No. 299 player in the 2014 class according to 247Sports.com. He received scholarship offers from

Akron Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 census. The Akron metropolitan area, covering Summit and Portage counties, had ...

, Dartmouth, Kent State, Lehigh, Toledo, Valparaiso, UW-Green Bay and Illinois State, but committed to West Virginia.

College career

He converted to the

position at West Virginia, making his name as one of the top defensive players in the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...

. He was one of the architects of "Press Virginia", coach

Bob Huggins Robert Edward Huggins (born September 21, 1953), nicknamed "Huggy Bear", is an American college basketball coach. He was the head coach at Walsh, Akron, Cincinnati, Kansas State, and West Virginia. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial ...

's defensive scheme that forces many turnovers. Carter became a starter as a sophomore and averaged 9.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. In Carter's junior season in 2016–17, he averaged 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He received many accolades for his defensive prowess, earning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, as well as the

and the

as the top defensive player in the country. Following his junior season, Carter declared for the

2017 NBA draft The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

, but did not hire an agent. Ultimately he decided to return to the Mountaineers for his senior season. Before the start of the 2017–18 season, Carter was unanimously named to the preseason All-Big 12 team. On November 30, 2017, Carter became WVU's all-time leader in steals, surpassing Greg Jones' mark of 252 in a win over

NJIT New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a Public university, public research university in Newark, New Jersey, United States, with a graduate-degree-granting satellite campus in Jersey City. Founded in 1881 with the support of local indust ...

. On March 3, 2018, against Iowa State, he became the first major conference player to reach 1500 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 300 steals in a career. On March 12, 2018, Carter was named Academic All-American of the Year for Division I men's basketball. For the 2017–18 season, Carter was named a second-team All-American by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. He was also named to the

Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

second team, and the

National Association of Basketball Coaches The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the men's basketball head coach for the Univ ...

(NABC) third team, resulting in consensus second-team All-America honors. Later that same week, he was added to the 2018 John R. Wooden Award All American Team. He was also named the 2018 Senior CLASS Award winner. This award (''Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School''), given annually, is for the most outstanding senior student athlete in Men's Basketball. Carter is the second player in West Virginia University history to win this award, the first being Da'Sean Butler, who won it in 2010. For his senior season, Jevon Carter won many postseason awards for his defensive play, including Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, the NABC Defensive Player of the Year, the Lefty Driesell Player of the Year and the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. Carter became the first player to win the Lefty Driesell Player of the Year more than once and only the 7th player to win the NABC Defensive Player of the Year more than once, the first since

Hasheem Thabeet Hasheem Thabeet (born Hashim Thabit Manka; 16 February 1987) is a Tanzanian professional basketball player who currently plays for Dar City. He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies before being drafted second overall in the 2009 NBA ...

won in the 2007–08 season and the 2008–09 season. He won the inaugural Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award.

Records

* WVU career steal leader (330) * WVU single-season steal leader (112, 2018) * WVU single-season assist leader (246, 2018) * Sole 4x Big 12 All-Defensive Team Member

College statistics

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2018–2019)

On June 21, 2018, Carter was selected by 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 Southwest Division of the ...

in the second round of the

2018 NBA draft The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including internationa ...

with the 32nd overall pick. On July 12, 2018, the

announced that they had officially signed with Carter. During his rookie season, he has had multiple assignments to the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies' G League affiliate. Carter made his NBA debut on December 15, 2018, coming off the bench in a 97–105 loss 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 of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

with eleven points, two steals, a rebound and a block. On April 10, 2019, Carter scored a then-career-high 32 points along with four rebounds, two assists and a steal in a 132–117 win over 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 Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

Phoenix Suns (2019–2021)

On July 7, 2019, the Grizzlies traded Carter to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

. On August 8 in the 2020 NBA Bubble, Carter scored a season-high 20 points on 7–10 shooting, including 6–9 from the three-point line in a 119–112 win over 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

. His previous season-highs both had him scoring 15 points before the season's suspension began. On November 21, 2020, as a restricted free agent, Carter signed a 3-year, $11.5 million contract to remain with the Suns. Carter made it to the 2021 NBA Finals, but the Suns were defeated in 6 games by 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

Brooklyn Nets (2021–2022)

On August 6, 2021, Carter and the draft rights to

Day'Ron Sharpe Day'Ron Yusha Sharpe (born November 6, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Early life Sharpe began ...

were traded to the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...

in exchange for Landry Shamet. He was waived on February 22, 2022, when the Nets signed

Goran Dragić Goran Dragić (born 6 May 1986) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Dragon", he played professional basketball in Slovenia and Spain before entering the NBA in 2008. Dragić also played for the Phoenix Suns, Miam ...

Milwaukee Bucks (2022–2023)

On February 24, 2022, Carter signed with the

. On April 1, in his first start for the Bucks, Carter scored 18 points and recorded a season-high 8 assists. On July 6, 2022, Carter re-signed with the Bucks. On November 9, 2022, Carter set a career high with 36 points and added 12 assists in a 136–132 double-overtime win against the Thunder.

Chicago Bulls (2023–present)

On July 10, 2023, Carter signed a 3-year, $20 million contract with the

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 39 , , 3 , , 14.8 , , .303 , , .333 , , .813 , , 1.7 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .3 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 58 , , 2 , , 16.3 , , .416 , , .425 , , .852 , , 2.0 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , .3 , , 4.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 60 , , 1 , , 11.9 , , .422 , , .371 , , .571 , , 1.5 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .2 , , 4.1 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;",

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, 46 , , 1 , , 12.0 , , .333 , , .331 , , .700 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .2 , , 3.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 20 , , 2 , , 17.7 , , .506 , , .558 , , 1.000 , , 2.2 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , .2 , , 5.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 39 , , 22.4 , , .423 , , .421 , , .816 , , 2.5 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .4 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 72 , , 0 , , 13.9 , , .378 , , .329 , , .571 , , .8 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .2 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 1 , , 8.9 , , .377 , , .333 , , .800 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .1 , , 4.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 412 , , 49 , , 15.2 , , .394 , , .379 , , .799 , , 1.7 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .2 , , 5.2

Playoffs

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

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 7 , , 0 , , 3.1 , , .375 , , .000 , , .000 , , .3 , , .6 , , .0 , , .0 , , .9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

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

, 11 , , 0 , , 11.4 , , .474 , , .429 , , 1.000 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .7 , , .0 , , 2.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

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

, 4 , , 0 , , 12.3 , , .222 , , .143 , , , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 1.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 22 , , 0 , , 9.0 , , .389 , , .250 , , .500 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , .4 , , .0 , , 1.5

Endorsements

On August 3, 2018, Carter and And1 announced via

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

that Carter had signed to become an And1 brand ambassador.

References

External links

West Virginia Mountaineers bio
– college basketball player statistics at

Sports Reference Sports Reference, LLC is an American sports statistics company that operates databases of several sports. They include Pro Football Reference for American football, Baseball Reference for baseball, Basketball Reference for basketball, Hockey ...

NBA stats @ basketball-reference.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Jevon 1995 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Illinois Brooklyn Nets players Chicago Bulls players Memphis Grizzlies draft picks Memphis Grizzlies players Memphis Hustle players Milwaukee Bucks players Phoenix Suns players Point guards Sportspeople from Maywood, Illinois West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball players