 Ayton with theBahamas in 2023 | |
| No. 5 – Los Angeles Lakers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1998-07-23)July 23, 1998 (age 27) |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 252 lb (114 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College | Arizona (2017–2018) |
| NBA draft | 2018: 1st round,1st overall pick |
| Drafted by | Phoenix Suns |
| Playing career | 2018–present |
| Career history | |
| 2018–2023 | Phoenix Suns |
| 2023–2025 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2025–present | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Deandre Edoneille Ayton (/diˈɑːndreɪˈeɪtən/dee-AHN-drayAY-tən;[1] born July 23, 1998) is a Bahamian professionalbasketball player for theLos Angeles Lakers of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). A consensus five-star prospect in the Class of 2017 and aMcDonald's All-American, he played one season ofcollege basketball for theArizona Wildcats, earningPac-12 Player of the Year honors.[2] Ayton was selected with thefirst overall pick in the2018 NBA draft by thePhoenix Suns and was named to theNBA All-Rookie First Team in 2019. In 2021, he helped lead the Suns to their firstNBA Finals appearance since1993.
Ayton's father is Nigerian and his mother is of Jamaican heritage.[3] He began playing basketball in the fourth grade.[4] By age 12, he was 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m).[4] Ayton moved from The Bahamas toSan Diego, California, to play high school basketball.
Ayton attended Balboa School in California and started on the varsity basketball team for two years. As a sophomore in 2014–15, Ayton led Balboa to a 17–14 record, averaging 21 points, 16 rebounds and 6.9 blocks per game. He racked up double-doubles in 21 of 22 regular season games. That summer, he averaged 16.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks a game for Supreme Court AAU (California) on the Under Armour circuit.[5]
Ayton in 2015–16, his junior year, transferred to Hillcrest Prep Academy inPhoenix, Arizona to play out his last two years.[6][7][8] During this high school year, he became teammates with another top-tier Class of 2017 player in 2018's #2 pickMarvin Bagley III. Throughout his junior year, Ayton averaged 29.2 points, 16.7 rebounds, 3.8 blocks per game.
As a senior in 2016–17, Ayton led Hillcrest to a 33–6 record and national rankings across multiple outlets while averaging 26 points, 15 rebounds and 3.5 blocks. He led Hillcrest to a Grind Session World Championship, earning Finals MVP and season MVP. While representing the World Select team, Ayton played at the 2016Nike Hoop Summit, chipping in with eight points to go along with seven rebounds.[9]
Ayton was considered one of the top prospects in the 2017 recruiting class byScout.com,Rivals.com, andESPN.[10][11][12][13] He was rated as a five-star recruit and the No. 3 overall recruit and No. 1 center in the 2017 high school class.[14] In 2015, he was ranked by Scout as the top prospect in all of high school in their "Ultimate 100" list.[15] Ayton had narrowed his choices between three schools: Arizona, Kansas and Kentucky. On September 6, 2016, he committed to play for theArizona Wildcats,[16][17] and signed his letter of intent.
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deandre Ayton C | Phoenix, Arizona | Hillcrest Prep Academy (AZ) | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Sep 6, 2016 | |
Recruit ratings:Scout:  Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (97) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Scout: 5 Rivals: 3 247Sports: 4 ESPN: 3 | ||||||
Sources:
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Ayton made his debut with theUniversity of Arizona on November 10, 2017, recording 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks in a 101–67 win over theNorthern Arizona Lumberjacks. His 19 points was 7th most for a freshman in an Arizona debut.[citation needed] Throughout his college career, he was used as a power forward instead of center;Dušan Ristić was Arizona's starting center instead. On December 9, 2017, Ayton recorded what was, at the time, a season-high 29 points and 18 rebounds in an 88–82 win over theAlabama Crimson Tide. On December 30, 2017, against the in-state rivalArizona State Sun Devils, he recorded 19 rebounds, which would be a season-high at the time. On January 20, 2018, againstStanford, he blocked six shots, which tied him for most in Arizona freshman single game history. He had also recorded 17 20-point games and 23 double-doubles through 34 games.[18] However, while Ayton had some great successes during his freshman season, there were also controversies mired during his last few months there.
On February 23, 2018, a reportedFBI wiretap revealed Arizona's head coach,Sean Miller, allegedly talked withChristian Dawkins (a key figure involved in the2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal) to discuss paying Ayton $100,000 to allow him to enter the university, with the monetary situation being dealt with directly to him.[19] While Miller would not be coaching the next game a day later againstOregon (assistant coachLorenzo Romar would replace Miller that night), Ayton would still be allowed to play that day as the starting center. In that game, Ayton would record 28 points, 18 rebounds, and 4 blocks in the overtime loss to Oregon. The wiretapped conversation reportedly occurred in 2016, when Ayton was still attending the Hillcrest Prep Academy.[20][21][22] Later on October 11, 2018, a government official revealed a now-formerAdidas consultant namedT.J. Gassnola paid a currently unknown amount of money to Ayton's family via Christian Dawkins in order to attend some Adidas sponsored programs.[23] On May 2, 2019, federal prosecutors played a wiretapped call from June 20, 2017, between Dawkins and former assistant coachEmanuel Richardson that Miller was paying Ayton $10,000 per month while enrolled at Arizona.[24]
On March 3, 2018, after their last regular season home game against California, where he'd record 26 points and a career-high 20 rebounds in a 66–54 win overCalifornia, head coachSean Miller honored Ayton, as well as underclassmenRawle Alkins andAllonzo Trier, with confirmations that they'd all be entering the2018 NBA draft at the end of this season.[25] On March 9, Ayton would record a career-high 32 points with 14 rebounds in a 78–67 overtime win against UCLA. He'd tie that career high for points the next day alongside grabbing 18 rebounds in the Pac-12 Championship game against USC, where the Wildcats won 75–61. Ayton would be named the Pac-12 Tournament's Most Outstanding Player during the event. At the end of the regular season, Ayton was named both thePac-12's Player of the Year andFreshman of the Year, as well as become a member of theAll-Pac-12 first team (in terms of both regular voting and voting through the Associated Press) and be named the winner of theKarl Malone Award.[26] He was also voted a consensus first-teamAll-American. Furthermore, Ayton was one of three freshman to be a part of the All-American First Team, joiningMarvin Bagley III andTrae Young for the most consensus freshmen First Team members in a season.[citation needed]
Following Arizona's upset loss to theUniversity at Buffalo in the Round of 64 of the2018 NCAA men's basketball tournament, Ayton announced his intention to forgo his final three seasons of collegiate eligibility and declare for the2018 NBA draft, where he was expected to be a top-tierlottery selection, if not the potential #1 draft pick.[27] On April 26, 2018, Ayton announced he signed with agent Nima Namakian.
On June 21, 2018, thePhoenix Suns selected Ayton with thefirst overall pick in the2018 NBA draft. He was the franchise's first No. 1 pick in their history.[28] Never before had the player picked with the first overall selection gone to a team from the state where he played in high school and college before entering the NBA.[29] Ayton joined the2018 NBA Summer League Suns squad on July 1, 2018, signing his rookie-scale contract five days later.[30][31] In his Summer League debut on July 6, Ayton recorded 10 points and 8 rebounds in a 92–85 win over theDallas Mavericks. At the end of the event, Ayton averaged a double-double of 14.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in four games played and named a member of the All-Summer League Second Team. He also averaged 18.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 1.4 assists, and 0.8 steals per game in five games during the 2018 preseason with the Suns.[32] Near the end of the preseason, he led all NBA players in points, rebounds, blocks, free-throws, and field goal attempts.[33]
Ayton made his NBA debut in the season opener on October 17, 2018, and earned a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, as well as a season-high 6 assists, a steal, and a block with 36 minutes played as a starter in a 121–100 win over theDallas Mavericks.[34] It made Ayton the first player to record these stats in their debut game sinceLew Alcindor in 1969, as well as the third player sinceOscar Robertson in 1960.[35] Five days later, Ayton recorded a double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds (alongside five assists) in a 123–103 loss to theGolden State Warriors. On October 27, he recorded 24 points on near-perfect shooting (12/13 shots made) alongside 5 assists in a loss to theMemphis Grizzlies. He became the second rookie in 40 seasons (first beingAdam Keefe) to score at least 12 shots with a 90% or higher field goal percentage.[36] Six days later, Ayton recorded a double-double of 17 points and a season-high 18 rebounds in a 107–98 loss to theToronto Raptors. Ayton later recorded a new career high of 33 points, alongside 14 rebounds, in a 122–118 loss to theDenver Nuggets on December 29.[37] Through the first half of the season, Ayton started in every game for the Suns when he was healthy, save for one. On January 29, 2019, Ayton was named a member of the World Team for theRising Stars Challenge in the2019 NBA All-Star Weekend.[38] On March 27, Ayton brokeAlvan Adams' rookie record for most double-doubles recorded by a rookie in franchise history.[35] However, Ayton sprained his left ankle three days later against theMemphis Grizzlies, ending his rookie season early.[39] He became the third rookie in a decade to average a double-double in their rookie season, joiningBlake Griffin andKarl-Anthony Towns.[40] At the conclusion of the season, Ayton was named as one of three finalists for theNBA Rookie of the Year Award in the2019 NBA Awards show.[41] On May 21, Ayton was selected to the2019 All-Rookie First Team.[42]
On October 24, 2019, after the2019–20 season opener, Ayton was suspended for 25 games after testing positive for adiuretic, violating the league's anti-drug policy.[43][44] He returned from his suspension on December 17 against theLos Angeles Clippers, putting up 18 points and 12 rebounds in a 120–99 loss.[45][46] Ayton was later immediately sidelined for the next five games due to a sprained right ankle before returning again, this time coming off the bench, on December 30 in a 122–116 win over thePortland Trail Blazers.[47] He returned as a starter proper, albeit as a power forward, on January 3, 2020, in a 120–112 win over theNew York Knicks.[48] After a few more games, Ayton became the team's starting center again on January 16. That night, he scored 26 points and grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds in a 121–98 win over the Knicks.[49] He became the first Suns player sinceSteve Nash to put up a 20/20 kind of game for the team (first player sinceAmar'e Stoudemire in terms of points and rebounds specifically), as well as the youngest player to have 25+ points and 20+ rebounds in theMadison Square Garden.[50] On January 28, Ayton scored a season-high 31 points in a 133–104 win over theDallas Mavericks.[51] Two days later, Ayton was announced to return to theRising Stars Challenge for the World Team; he joined onlyAmar'e Stoudemire andDevin Booker as announced participants in the event for the Suns as both a rookie and sophomore, though he would not play due to a left ankle injury, eventually being replaced byNicolò Melli.[52][53] On February 8, Ayton scored 28 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in a loss to theDenver Nuggets. He became the quickest player in franchise history to reach 1,000 rebounds at 94 games, as well as the fourth-quickest player to reach 1,000 since 1992.[54] Ayton later matched his performance of 28 points and 19 rebounds on February 22 in a 112–104 win over theChicago Bulls.[55] After getting an ankle injury on March 3 against theToronto Raptors,[56] Ayton returned to play in the resumed season's bubble games on July 31, getting 24 points (including 2-for-3 three-point shooting for his first professional three-pointers made) and 12 rebounds in a 125–112 win over theWashington Wizards.[57] He started in seven of the team's eight games in the2020 NBA Bubble to give them a perfect 8–0 record there, giving the Suns their first eight-game winning streak since the2009–10 season, ending their regular season with a 34–39 record.[58]
After struggling on the offensive end earlier on in the season (focusing more on defense instead), Ayton would return from the team's three-game suspension (due toCOVID-19 protocols in the middle of January) with back-to-back nights as the team's leading rebounder and scorer on January 18 and 20, 2021. In the January 20 game against theHouston Rockets, Ayton had 26 points, 17 rebounds, and a career-high 5 blocks in a 109–103 win on the road.[59] He became the first Suns player sinceShawn Marion in 2007 to put up at least 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a single game, as well as the only other Suns player to do it in the last 30 seasons.[60] Ayton would help Phoenix clinch their first playoff berth since2010.[61]
On May 23, Ayton made his NBA playoff debut, scoring 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting, to go along with 16 rebounds, in a 99–90 victory in Game 1 of the first round over thedefending championLos Angeles Lakers.[62] In Game 2 of the Conference Finals, Ayton put up 24 points, alongside abuzzer-beating, game-winning alley-oop dunk, and 14 rebounds, in a 104–103 victory over theLos Angeles Clippers to take a 2–0 series lead.[63] In Game 4 of the Conference Finals, Ayton put up 19 points, 22 rebounds and 4 blocks in a 84–80 victory over the Clippers.[64] In Game 6 of the Conference Finals, Ayton put up 16 points and 17 rebounds in a 130–103 victory over the Clippers, to lead the Suns to theNBA Finals for the first time since1993.[65] In Game 1 of the NBA Finals against theMilwaukee Bucks, Ayton put up 22 points and 19 rebounds in a 118–105 win.[66] The Suns went on to take a 2–0 series lead, but lost the series in six games.
Ayton and thePhoenix Suns were unable to agree to arookie extension before the season.[67] On March 23, 2022, Ayton scored a career-high 35 points on 15-of-24 shooting from the field and grabbed 14 rebounds in a 125–116 win over theMinnesota Timberwolves.[68] Ayton and the Suns finished the regular season with the league's best overall record at 64–18.[69] On April 22, Ayton scored a playoff career-high 28 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and tied his playoff career-high with three steals in a 114–111 Game 3 win against theNew Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs.[70] On May 2, in Game 1 of theWestern Conference Semifinals, Ayton logged 25 points and eight rebounds in a 121–114 win over theDallas Mavericks.[71] The Suns jumped to a 2–0 lead in the series before losing in seven games.[72]
Unable to agree on a contract extension with thePhoenix Suns, Ayton became arestricted free agent in the offseason.[73] On July 14, 2022, he signed a four-year, $133 million offer sheet with theIndiana Pacers, the largest in league history.[73] The Suns quickly matched the Pacers offer.[74][75] On July 18, 2022, Ayton signed the Suns' multi-year contract.[76] On November 25, Ayton scored 28 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the field and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 108–102 win over theDetroit Pistons.[77] In the next game, Ayton recorded 29 points and a season-high 21 rebounds in an 113–112 win over theUtah Jazz. He became the first player to have at least 28 points and 20 rebounds in a game for the Suns sinceAmar'e Stoudemire in 2007.[78] On November 29, Ayton was named the NBA Western ConferencePlayer of the Week for Week 6 (November 21–27), his first careerNBA Player of the Week award. He helped Phoenix secure an undefeated 3–0 week with averages of 23.7 points and 16.0 rebounds on 67.4% shooting from the field.[79] The next day, Ayton scored 30 points along with 14 rebounds in a 132–113 win over theChicago Bulls.[80] On December 28, Ayton scored a season-high 31 points in a 127–108 loss against theWashington Wizards.[81]
On February 4, 2023, Ayton tied his season-high with 31 points on 13-of-15 shooting from the field and grabbed 16 rebounds in a 116–110 win over theDetroit Pistons.[82] In the next game, Ayton tied his career-high with 35 points on 14-of-18 shooting from the field and grabbed 15 rebounds (including a clutch, game-clinching rebound and two game-clinching free-throws) in a 116–112 win over theBrooklyn Nets.[83]
On September 27, 2023, Ayton,Toumani Camara, and a 2029 first-round draft pick were traded to thePortland Trail Blazers alongsideJrue Holiday, as part of a three-team trade that sentDamian Lillard to theMilwaukee Bucks andGrayson Allen,Jusuf Nurkić,Nassir Little, andKeon Johnson to the Phoenix Suns.[84]
On October 30, Ayton recorded 10 points and a career-high 23 rebounds in a 99–91 win over theToronto Raptors.[85] On January 17, 2024, he missed a game against theBrooklyn Nets due to icy conditions in his neighborhood preventing him from being able to travel to theModa Center.[86] Despite his absence, Portland defeated Brooklyn, 105–103.[87] On March 9, Ayton posted 30 points and 19 rebounds in a 128–118 overtime win over the Toronto Raptors.[88] On March 13, he scored 33 points and grabbed 19 rebounds on 15-of-20 shooting from the field in a 106–102 win over theAtlanta Hawks.[89] On March 18, it was revealed Ayton had finished second in voting for NBA Western ConferencePlayer of the Week for Week 21 (March 11–17), averaging 26.5 points and 14.0 rebounds while leading Portland to a 2–2 record.[90] On April 5, he scored a season-high 34 points, along with 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in a 108–102 win over theWashington Wizards.[91]
On June 29, 2025, the Trail Blazers and Ayton reached a buyout agreement, making him a free agent.[92] According to Jason Quick ofThe Athletic, behind the scenes, the Blazers had grown tired of Ayton's bad habits. Ayton was reportedly late to practices and flights, and would skip rehab appointments.[93]
On July 6, 2025, Ayton signed with theLos Angeles Lakers.[94]The Athletic reported that the deal is for two years and $16.6 million, with a player option for the second season, according to league sources.[95]
In December 2025, the NBA and theNational Basketball Players Association announced that Ayton was theNBA CaresBob Lanier Community Assist Award winner for November. He was being recognized for his leadership in hurricane relief efforts forJamaica afterHurricane Melissa and created programs that promoted food access and cultural equity among underrepresented youth in Los Angeles. They donated $20,000 to the Ayton Family Foundation in recognition of his efforts.[96]
On January 18, 2026, Ayton scored 25 points on 10-for-10 shooting and added 13 rebounds in the Lakers’ 110–93 victory over theToronto Raptors. He became the 34th player in NBA history to make at least 10 shots without a miss while also grabbing at least 10 boards. He joinedWilt Chamberlain (March 11, 1969) andMitch Kupchak (Nov. 20, 1981) as the only ones to do it in Lakers history.[97]
Ayton is known for being a strong and athletic center at 7 feet 1 inch (2.16 m) in shoes, with a weight of 250 pounds (110 kg) being reported during his rookie season with Phoenix. His wingspan has been projected to be at 7 feet 5 inches (2.26 m),[98] while his vertical leap is slated to be at 43.5 inches (1,100 mm).[99] He sees his game as something akin toHakeem Olajuwon's (primarily with his footwork, which allows him to keep up with smaller players) with the competitive mentality ofKevin Garnett.[100] Prior to his draft in 2018,ESPN analystJay Williams compared him toDavid Robinson andAnthony Davis.[101]
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Phoenix | 71 | 70 | 30.7 | .585 | .000 | .746 | 10.3 | 1.8 | .9 | .9 | 16.3 |
| 2019–20 | Phoenix | 38 | 32 | 32.5 | .546 | .331 | .753 | 11.5 | 1.9 | .7 | 1.5 | 18.2 |
| 2020–21 | Phoenix | 69 | 69 | 30.6 | .626 | .200 | .769 | 10.5 | 1.4 | .6 | 1.2 | 14.4 |
| 2021–22 | Phoenix | 58 | 58 | 29.5 | .634 | .368 | .746 | 10.2 | 1.4 | .7 | .7 | 17.2 |
| 2022–23 | Phoenix | 67 | 67 | 30.4 | .589 | .292 | .760 | 10.0 | 1.7 | .6 | .8 | 18.0 |
| 2023–24 | Portland | 55 | 55 | 32.4 | .570 | .100 | .823 | 11.1 | 1.6 | 1.0 | .8 | 16.7 |
| 2024–25 | Portland | 40 | 40 | 30.2 | .566 | .188 | .667 | 10.2 | 1.6 | .8 | 1.0 | 14.4 |
| Career | 398 | 391 | 30.8 | .590 | .230 | .755 | 10.5 | 1.6 | .7 | 1.0 | 16.4 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Phoenix | 22 | 22 | 36.4 | .658 | — | .736 | 11.8 | 1.1 | .8 | 1.1 | 15.8 |
| 2022 | Phoenix | 13 | 13 | 30.5 | .640 | .500 | .636 | 8.9 | 1.7 | .4 | .8 | 17.9 |
| 2023 | Phoenix | 10 | 10 | 31.9 | .550 | — | .522 | 9.7 | 1.0 | .6 | .7 | 13.4 |
| Career | 45 | 45 | 33.7 | .629 | .500 | .661 | 10.5 | 1.3 | .6 | .9 | 15.9 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Arizona | 35 | 35 | 33.5 | .612 | .343 | .733 | 11.6 | 1.6 | .6 | 1.9 | 20.1 |
Ayton representedThe Bahamas in the2016 Centrobasket, the regionalbasketball championship ofFIBA Americas for the Central American and Caribbean subzone where he averaged a tournament-leading 11.1 rebounds per game.[112] At age 18, he also averaged 16 points and 3.5 blocks per game.[113] Seven years later, in 2023, Ayton joined theBahamas national team for the2024 Olympics Pre-Qualifying Tournament.[114]
In June 2018, Puma announced they would sponsor Ayton after the German company announced that they would be returning to the basketball market.[115]
In the days afterHurricane Dorian struck The Bahamas, Ayton donated $100,000 to various relief efforts and held a relief drive on September 10, 2019, to collect further supplies and donations to give to those affected by the hurricane.[116]
On March 6, 2021, Ayton welcomed his first son, Deandre Ayton Jr.[117]
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