 Huff in February 2020 | |
| No. 30 – Memphis Grizzlies | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1997-08-25)August 25, 1997 (age 27) Durham, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Listed height | 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Voyager Academy (Durham, North Carolina) |
| College | Virginia (2017–2021) |
| NBA draft | 2021:undrafted |
| Playing career | 2021–present |
| Career history | |
| 2021–2022 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2021–2022 | →South Bay Lakers |
| 2022–2023 | South Bay Lakers |
| 2023 | Washington Wizards |
| 2023 | →Capital City Go-Go |
| 2023–2024 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2023–2024 | →Grand Rapids Gold |
| 2024–present | Memphis Grizzlies |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
James Matthew Huff (born August 25, 1997) is an American professionalbasketball player for theMemphis Grizzlies of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He playedcollege basketball for theVirginia Cavaliers.
Huff was a four-year varsity basketball player forVoyager Academy inDurham, North Carolina, where he was coached by his father, Mike.[1] On January 21, 2016, as a senior, he became his school's all-time leading scorer.[2] Huff led his team to the Class 1A state title, earningmost valuable player honors after recording atriple-double of 14 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks in the final.[3] He finished the season averaging 16.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.[4] A four-starrecruit, Huff committed to play college basketball forVirginia.[5]
Huffredshirted his first year to improve his strength and weight. He gained about 30 pounds (14 kg) by the time his redshirt freshman season began.[4] Huff averaged 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game as a freshman.[6] On April 4, 2018, after his freshman season, it was announced that Huff would miss three to four months after undergoing surgery for a tornlabrum.[7] As a sophomore, he averaged 4.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per game on the national champion team.[8] On January 18, 2020, Huff scored 17 points and six blocks in a 63–58 win overGeorgia Tech.[9] On February 29, Huff recorded 15 points, 10 blocks and nine rebounds in a 52–50 win overDuke. He joinedRalph Sampson as the only players in program history with at least 10 blocks in a game.[10] As a junior, Huff averaged 8.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and two blocks per game, all of which were career-highs.[8] Following the season, he declared for the2020 NBA draft.[11] After evaluating his decision, he announced he would return to UVA for his senior season on August 1, 2020.[12]
Following the 2020–21 season, Huff declared for the2021 NBA draft.
After going undrafted in the2021 NBA draft, Huff joined theWashington Wizards for the2021 NBA Summer League.[13] On September 21, 2021, he signed with the Wizards,[14] but was waived on October 13.[15]
On October 18, 2021, Huff signed a two-way contract with theLos Angeles Lakers.[16] On January 12, 2022, he was waived.[17]
On January 16, 2022, Huff was re-acquired by theSouth Bay Lakers.[18]
Huff joined theLos Angeles Lakers'2022 NBA Summer League roster.[19] In his Summer League debut for the Lakers, Huff scored nine points and seven rebounds in a 100–66 win against theMiami Heat.[20]
On July 27, 2022, Huff signed an Exhibit 10 contract with theLos Angeles Lakers.[21] He was waived on October 15, 2022.[22] He subsequently re-joined South Bay.
On March 2, 2023, Huff signed a two-way contract with theWashington Wizards.[23] On April 4, he was namedNBA G League Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league with 4.0 blocks per game.[24]
On July 3, 2023, Huff joined theHouston Rockets Summer League team.[25]
On July 18, 2023, Huff signed a two-way contract with theDenver Nuggets.[26]
.jpg)
On July 24, 2024, Huff signed a two-way contract with theMemphis Grizzlies.[27] On October 26, he obtained a career high eighteen points in a home victory against theOrlando Magic and two days later, he signed a multi-year contract with the Grizzlies.[28]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | L.A. Lakers | 4 | 0 | 5.1 | .000 | .000 | — | 1.0 | .3 | .3 | .3 | .0 |
| 2022–23 | Washington | 7 | 0 | 13.6 | .600 | .500 | .938 | 3.0 | 1.4 | .4 | .6 | 7.3 |
| 2023–24 | Denver | 20 | 0 | 2.5 | .600 | .333 | 1.000 | .6 | .1 | .1 | .2 | 1.2 |
| Career | 31 | 0 | 5.3 | .558 | .391 | .944 | 1.2 | .4 | .2 | .3 | 2.4 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Virginia |  Redshirt | ||||||||||
| 2017–18 | Virginia | 12 | 0 | 8.8 | .680 | .286 | .625 | 1.9 | .3 | .1 | 1.2 | 3.4 |
| 2018–19 | Virginia | 34 | 0 | 9.3 | .604 | .452 | .667 | 2.1 | .2 | .2 | .7 | 4.4 |
| 2019–20 | Virginia | 30 | 18 | 25.0 | .571 | .358 | .540 | 6.2 | .8 | .4 | 2.0 | 8.5 |
| 2020–21 | Virginia | 25 | 25 | 27.0 | .585 | .387 | .837 | 7.1 | 1.0 | .5 | 2.6 | 13.0 |
| Career | 101 | 43 | 18.3 | .588 | .386 | .679 | 4.5 | .6 | .3 | 1.6 | 7.6 | |
Both of Huff's parents are formercollege basketball players. His father, Mike, played forPacific Lutheran University, and his mother, Kathy, played forWest Virginia.[4] Mike was the director of the Michael W. Krzyzewski Human Performance Laboratory atDuke University.[29]
Huff is a member of theChi Alpha Christian fellowship at theUniversity of Virginia and aspires to become a minister when he retires from basketball.[29]