 Evans with theNew Orleans Pelicans in 2013 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1989-09-19)September 19, 1989 (age 36) Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | American Christian Academy (Aston, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Memphis (2008–2009) |
| NBA draft | 2009: 1st round, 4th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Sacramento Kings |
| Playing career | 2009–2019; 2022–2023 |
| Position | Small forward /shooting guard |
| Number | 13, 1, 32, 12 |
| Career history | |
| 2009–2013 | Sacramento Kings |
| 2013–2017 | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2017 | Sacramento Kings |
| 2017–2018 | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 2018–2019 | Indiana Pacers |
| 2022 | Wisconsin Herd |
| 2022–2023 | Indios de Mayagüez |
| 2023 | Broncos de Caracas |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Tyreke Jamir Evans (born September 19, 1989) is an American former professionalbasketball player who last played for theBroncos de Caracas of theSuperliga Profesional de Baloncesto (SPB).[1] After playingcollege basketball for theMemphis Tigers, he was selected with the fourth overall pick in the2009 NBA draft by theSacramento Kings.[2] Evans went on to win the 2010NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He was traded to theNew Orleans Pelicans in 2013 before being traded back to the Kings in 2017. After successive stints with theMemphis Grizzlies andIndiana Pacers, Evans, who would have become a free agent at the end of the 2019 season, was dismissed and disqualified from the NBA in May for violating the terms of the league's anti-drug program, but was reinstated in February 2022.
Tyreke Evans was born inChester, Pennsylvania, where he was chiefly raised by his three older brothers.[2] For high school, Evans attended American Christian Academy inAston, Pennsylvania.[3] There, he quickly proved an impressive talent on the basketball court, and by his sophomore season, began drawing comparisons to no less than Hall of FamerTracy McGrady.[4] In his senior campaign, he put up averages of 32.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 4.3 steals per game.[5] He was selected as the MVP of theMcDonald's High School All-American Game and, together withBrandon Jennings, was named co-MVP of theJordan Brand Classic. He was also named to the first-teamParade All-American.[5] He was featured in the documentaryGunning for That #1 Spot directed byAdam "MCA" Yauch of theBeastie Boys when he was only sixteen years of age.[6] Evans was chosen to be the keeper of theSlam High School Diary for the 2008 season.[7]
Considered a five-star recruit byRivals.com, Evans was listed as the No. 3 point guard and the No. 6 player in the nation in 2008.[8]
In April 2008, after also consideringVillanova University and theUniversity of Texas, Evans announced his commitment to theMemphis Tigers.[9]
After playingsmall forward throughout high school, Evans initially struggled with his transition toshooting guard at Memphis. But as soon as coachJohn Calipari had him start at thepoint guard position for the eleventh game of the season, Evans flourished in a 60–45 win overCincinnati; he played 33 minutes and tallied 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists, the latter two being season highs. With Evans at the helm, Memphis would not lose another game until theNCAA tournament, falling to theMissouri Tigers.[10]
Evans wonConference USA Rookie of the Week as many as eight times.[11] He was also the only freshman among theUnited States Basketball Writers Association's 2009 finalists for theNational Player of the Year award that is named in honor ofOscar Robertson.
On March 31, 2009, Evans declared himself eligible for the2009 NBA draft, opting to forgo his remaining three seasons of collegiate eligibility. He was selected on June 25, 2009, by theSacramento Kings with the fourth overall pick.
On December 1, 2009, Evans was named theWestern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played from the beginning of the season through November.[12] Over that period, he put up averages of 18.8 points, 5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals in 36.1 minutes per game. Also notably, on December 21, he led the Kings back from a 35-point deficit to defeat theChicago Bulls 102–98;[13] by scoring 9 of the Kings' last 11 points, he single-handedly outscored the Bulls in the fourth quarter, with his 11 points besting the Bulls' 10 points scored.
On January 4, 2010, Evans was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for the second month straight.[14] On February 12, Evans won the 2010Rookie and Sophomore Game MVP award after recording 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals on 11-of-15 shooting. In an act of sportsmanship, Evans opted to share the award withDeJuan Blair, who had put up 22 points and pulled down 23 rebounds. In a victory over theToronto Raptors on March 11, Evans recorded his first careertriple-double with his 19 points to go along with 10 assists and as many rebounds.[15] Evans became just the fourth rookie in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists afterOscar Robertson (1960–61),Michael Jordan (1984–85), andLeBron James (2003–04).[16] On April 27, 2010, Evans was recognized for his accomplishments by being awarded the 2009–10NBA Rookie of the Year Award.[17]
On December 29, 2010,O. J. Mayo hit an off-balance shot to put theMemphis Grizzlies up by one point with only seconds remaining in the game; with no timeouts left,DeMarcus Cousins inbounded the ball to Evans, who dribbled to half court and nailed a three-pointer to secure a two-point win for Sacramento. Though it came in a loss to theGolden State Warriors, Evans tallied a then career-high 35 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals on January 21, 2011. He later missed 19 regular season games on account ofplantar fasciitis in his left foot and thus did not play in that year's NBA Rookie Challenge.
On November 24, 2011, Evans agreed to a deal to play forVirtus Roma in Italy during the NBA lockout; the deal had an NBA out-clause allowing him to return to the Sacramento Kings when the lockout ceased.[18] In December, he returned to the Kings after the2011 NBA lockout had ended. On January 28, 2012, he scored a season-high 31 points in a 96–93 loss to the Utah Jazz.[19]
In2012–13, Evans missed 16 out of 20 games between November 30 and January 5 due to a left knee injury. He finished the season with averages of 15.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.[20]
Evans was acquired by theNew Orleans Pelicans on July 10, 2013, in a sign-and-trade deal involving three teams; the deal sentRobin Lopez to thePortland Trail Blazers andGreivis Vásquez to the Kings.[21] On December 30 that year, Evans hit the game-clinching shot with 1.2 seconds remaining in a victory over the Trail Blazers.[22] On April 14, 2014, he scored a career-high 41 points during a 101–89 win over theOklahoma City Thunder.[23]
In a 101–95 win over his former team, the Sacramento Kings, Evans tallied a near triple-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists.[24]
On December 1, 2015, he played his first game of the 2015–16 season after having missed the Pelicans' first 17 games while recovering from right knee surgery. In 31 minutes as a starter, Evans recorded 20 points and 10 assists in the loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.[25] On the 11th of that same month, he scored 27 points and hit a career-high 5 three-pointers in a 105–103 win versus theWashington Wizards.[26] On February 11, 2016, he underwent another round of surgery to his right knee and was ruled out for the rest of the season.[27]
On December 15, 2016, being his first game since January 25, Evans played 11 minutes and posted 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists during a 102–95 victory over theIndiana Pacers.[28] On January 12, 2017, Evans scored a season-high 29 points in a 104–95 victory over theBrooklyn Nets.[29]
On February 20, 2017, Evans was traded along withBuddy Hield,Langston Galloway, and 2017 first and second round draft picks to theSacramento Kings in exchange forDeMarcus Cousins andOmri Casspi.[30] Three days later, in his first game for the Kings since 2013, Evans scored 15 points off the bench in a 116–100 win over theDenver Nuggets.[31] On March 8, 2017, he scored a season-high 26 points in a 114–104 loss to theSan Antonio Spurs.[32]
Evans signed with theMemphis Grizzlies on July 10, 2017.[33] On November 1 of that year, he led the team with 32 points in a 101–99 loss to theOrlando Magic; it was his first 30-point performance since December 2014.[34] Midway through the season, Evans filled in for the injuredMike Conley to become the team's starting point guard.[35] On December 27, he accumulated 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists in a 109–99 victory over theLos Angeles Lakers.[36] After being put on the trade block leading up to the trade deadline, Evans missed time in late January and early February.[37][38] In his first game back for the Grizzlies on February 11, Evans recorded 12 points and 5 rebounds in a 110–92 loss to theOklahoma City Thunder.[39] On February 23, he put up 15 points and 10 assists in a 112–89 loss to theCleveland Cavaliers. In the contest, Evans went 3 for 7 from outside the arc to make his 28th straight game with at least one 3-pointer, breaking the franchise record of 27 previously held byMike Miller.[40] On March 15 against theChicago Bulls, Evans returned to the lineup following a 10-game absence because of a rib injury.[41]
On July 6, 2018, Evans signed with theIndiana Pacers.[42] In the season-opener on October 17, he posted 14 points and 5 assists to debut for his new franchise and help defeat his former team, theMemphis Grizzlies, 111–83.[43] On November 16, he hit five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 23 points off the bench in a 99–91 win over theMiami Heat.[44] In game four of the Pacers' first-round playoff series against theBoston Celtics, he scored a playoff career-high 21 points in a 110–106 series-ending loss.[45]
On May 17, 2019, Evans wasbanned from the NBA for violating the terms of its Anti-Drug Program that prohibitsdrug abuse.[46] He became eligible to apply for reinstatement in 2021,[47] and was officially reinstated on February 14, 2022.[48]
On March 16, 2022, Evans signed with theWisconsin Herd of theNBA G League.[49] On March 23, he was waived.[50]
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | Sacramento | 72 | 72 | 37.2 | .458 | .255 | .748 | 5.3 | 5.8 | 1.5 | .4 | 20.1 |
| 2010–11 | Sacramento | 57 | 53 | 37.0 | .409 | .291 | .771 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 1.5 | .5 | 17.8 |
| 2011–12 | Sacramento | 63 | 61 | 34.3 | .453 | .202 | .779 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 1.3 | .5 | 16.5 |
| 2012–13 | Sacramento | 65 | 61 | 31.0 | .478 | .338 | .775 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 1.4 | .4 | 15.2 |
| 2013–14 | New Orleans | 72 | 22 | 28.2 | .436 | .221 | .771 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 1.2 | .3 | 14.5 |
| 2014–15 | New Orleans | 79 | 76 | 34.1 | .447 | .304 | .694 | 5.3 | 6.6 | 1.3 | .5 | 16.6 |
| 2015–16 | New Orleans | 25 | 25 | 30.6 | .433 | .388 | .796 | 5.2 | 6.6 | 1.3 | .3 | 15.2 |
| 2016–17 | New Orleans | 26 | 0 | 18.2 | .401 | .300 | .776 | 3.3 | 3.5 | .9 | .2 | 9.5 |
| 2016–17 | Sacramento | 14 | 6 | 22.4 | .413 | .408 | .706 | 3.6 | 2.4 | .9 | .4 | 11.6 |
| 2017–18 | Memphis | 52 | 32 | 30.9 | .452 | .381 | .785 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 1.1 | .3 | 19.4 |
| 2018–19 | Indiana | 69 | 18 | 20.3 | .389 | .356 | .719 | 2.9 | 2.4 | .8 | .3 | 10.2 |
| Career | 594 | 426 | 30.7 | .440 | .323 | .757 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 1.2 | .4 | 15.7 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | New Orleans | 4 | 4 | 31.3 | .326 | .182 | .588 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.3 | .3 | 10.0 |
| 2019 | Indiana | 4 | 0 | 21.0 | .438 | .550 | .571 | 4.3 | .8 | .5 | .3 | 15.3 |
| Career | 8 | 4 | 26.1 | .385 | .419 | .581 | 4.6 | 2.9 | .9 | .3 | 12.6 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Memphis | 37 | 35 | 29.0 | .455 | .274 | .711 | 5.4 | 3.9 | 2.1 | .8 | 17.1 |
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