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| No. 0 – New Orleans Pelicans | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Point guard /shooting guard | ||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (2006-10-14)October 14, 2006 (age 19) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school |
| ||||||||||||||
| College | Oklahoma (2024–2025) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2025: 1st round, 7th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | New Orleans Pelicans | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2025–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2025–present | New Orleans Pelicans | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Jeremiah Fears (born October 14, 2006) is an American professionalbasketball player for theNew Orleans Pelicans of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He playedcollege basketball for theOklahoma Sooners. Fears was selected seventh overall by the Pelicans in the2025 NBA draft.
Fears played basketball atJoliet West High School inJoliet, Illinois as a sophomore with his older brother,Jeremy, prior to transferring to AZ Compass Prep for his junior year.[1] As a junior, he averaged a team-high 14.2 points along with 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.5 steals per game.[2]
Fears became a consensus four-starrecruit and was tabbed as a top-25 guard in the 2025 ESPN 100. On January 22, 2024, he committed toIllinois in 2025 over offers fromProvidence,Kansas,Michigan, andOle Miss.[3] However on July 1, Fears decommitted fromIllinois and then committed toOklahoma and reclassified into the 2024 class. With his commitment, Fears became the first Oklahoma prospect to be ranked in the top 40 by ESPN sinceTrae Young.[4]
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah Fears PG /SG | Joliet, IL | Arizona Compass Prep (AZ) | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 182 lb (83 kg) | Jul 20, 2024 | |
Recruit ratings:Rivals:  247Sports: On3: ESPN: (88) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Rivals: 44 247Sports: 65 On3: 57 ESPN: 40 | ||||||
Sources:
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Described as an effective ball handler and a dynamic scorer, Fears joined an empty2024–25 Oklahoma Sooners backcourt following the transfers of starters Javian McCollum, Otega Oweh, and Milos Uzan.[4]
On November 4, 2024, Fears debuted forOklahoma, recording 16 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals off the bench againstLindenwood.[5] He continued to come off the bench until the Sooners' fourth game againstEast Texas A&M on November 21 where he tallied a game-high 20 points.[6] In the 3-game November 27–292024 Battle 4 Atlantis, Fears led Oklahoma to an upset win over No. 24Arizona in the semifinals, posting a then season-high 26 points, along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists.[7] Fears, alongside teammate Jalon Moore, led Oklahoma to the championship, averaging 18.7 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.7 steals, earning himself all-tournament team honors and being named on December 2 as the SEC Freshman of the Week.[8] On December 14, Fears posted 17 points and 5 assists in an 80–65 victory overrivalOklahoma State.[9] On December 18 against No. 24Michigan in the2024 Jumpman Invitational, Fears posted a career-high 30 points, including a game-winning four-point play after being fouled on a made three-pointer with 11.5 seconds remaining.[10] He became the first Oklahoma true freshman sinceTrae Young in 2018 to score 30-plus points. Fears would later earn his second Freshman of the Week award following his performance againstMichigan andCentral Arkansas.[11] On January 7, 2025, Fears was named as one of 25 midseason finalists for theWooden Award.[12] After going scoreless againstTexas A&M, Fears scored a team-high 21 points on February 1, notching his sixth game of at least 20 points, in a 97–67 victory over No. 24Vanderbilt.[13] On February 22 against No. 21Mississippi State, Oklahoma snapped a five-game losing streak behind Fears' first career double-double, with 27 points and 10 assists.[14]
Following the season, Fears declared for the2025 NBA draft.[15]
On June 25, 2025, Fears was selected with the seventh overall pick by theNew Orleans Pelicans in the2025 NBA draft.[16] He became Oklahoma's fourth top-seven pick in the last 16 years, joiningBlake Griffin,Buddy Hield, andTrae Young. He joins Hield as the second Sooner to be drafted by the Pelicans.[17] On July 5, 2025, Fears signed his rookie contract.[18]
On October 22, Fears made his NBA regular season debut, putting up 17 points in a 128–122 loss to theMemphis Grizzlies.[19]
Fears was named to theUnited States Under-18 basketball team at the2024 FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup, marking his first national team debut.[20] He averaged 6.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a team-high three steals per game as Team USA won the gold medal.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | Oklahoma | 34 | 31 | 30.2 | .434 | .284 | .851 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 1.6 | .1 | 17.1 |
Fears was born inChicago, Illinois.[16] His father, Jeremy Fears Sr., played college basketball atOhio and earned Mid-American Conference All-Freshman accolades in 2005 before transferring toBradley. His older brother,Jeremy Fears Jr., plays college basketball forMichigan State.[21]
· Basketball Reference 
