Charles Jenkins (basketball)

Charles T. Jenkins
Born	(1989-02-28) February 28, 1989 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player (retired)
Known for	Basketball career with Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Crvena zvezda, and others

Charles T. Jenkins (born February 28, 1989) is a retired American professional basketball athlete. Selected by the Golden State Warriors during the 2011 NBA draft, Jenkins concluded a notable four-year tenure with the Hofstra Pride at the collegiate level. He possesses citizenship in both the United States and Serbia.

While playing as a guard at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, Jenkins amassed totals of 1,767 points, 440 rebounds, 331 assists, and 156 steals over his initial three seasons. He ultimately became Hofstra's all-time leading scorer with an impressive 2,463 points, surpassing Antoine Agudio’s previous record of 2,286 points. In addition, Jenkins ranked second in scoring in Colonial Athletic Association history, trailing only Hall of Famer David Robinson, who tallied 2,669 points representing Navy. Prior to his final home game, he was honored with a jersey retirement—making him the fourth player in Hofstra’s history to receive this distinction during an active playing career.

Early life

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Jenkins grew up in the Brownsville neighborhood before relocating to Rosedale, Queens. His early development in basketball was influenced by his father, a former collegiate player for both the Navy and Virginia Western Community College, as well as by his older brother. Jenkins attended Holy Cross High School initially but transferred to Springfield Gardens High School, where he competed in three seasons of high school basketball. During his senior year (2005–06), he averaged 21.1 points, 7.2 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game, earning a place on the New York Post All-New York City Team.

Freshman

Following a redshirt year in 2006–07, Jenkins began his playing career with the Hofstra University Pride during the 2007–08 season. Participating in 29 games, he averaged 15.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest. He led his team with a free throw accuracy of 78.0% and ranked tenth overall in scoring within the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), standing out among freshmen players. His accomplishments that season included being named CAA Rookie of the Year, Metropolitan New York Rookie of the Year, and earning Third Team All-Metropolitan New York recognition.

Sophomore

In the 2008–09 campaign, Jenkins elevated his performance to average 19.7 points and 4.8 rebounds across 32 games. He surpassed the milestone of 1,000 career points late in the season, joining teammate Agudio as only two sophomores from Hofstra to achieve this before entering their junior year. At this point in his career, Jenkins had accumulated 1,065 points—47 more than Agudio had at the same stage. His accolades included receiving the distinguished Haggerty Award, which honors the top Division I men’s basketball player within the greater New York Metropolitan area. Notably, Jenkins became just the fifth sophomore—and first since Ron Artest in 1998–99—to be bestowed this award throughout its 73-year history.

Junior

During his junior year (2009–10), Jenkins further enhanced his statistics by averaging 20.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game while shooting an efficient 40.9% from beyond the three-point arc. On November 30, 2009, he recorded a career-best performance with 38 points against Fairfield, converting 12 of 17 shots and maintaining perfect accuracy from the free-throw line. Although Hofstra finished with a 19–15 record that season, Jenkins earned recognition as the Colonial Athletic Association Men's Basketball Player of the Year and became only the ninth player to win the Haggerty Award twice consecutively.

Senior

Jenkins joined an elite group by becoming only the third player to earn the Haggerty Award three times, alongside Jim McMillian and Chris Mullin, both of whom later achieved success in the NBA and/or Olympics.

NBA: Golden State Warriors

Chosen as the 44th pick in the second round of the 2011 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, Jenkins initially signed with Italy's Teramo Basket during the 2011 NBA lockout. However, he departed without playing once the lockout concluded.

Jenkins officially inked his contract with Golden State on December 9, 2011. He made his debut on December 25, 2011, primarily serving as a backup to starting point guard Stephen Curry. Injuries sidelining Curry late in the lockout-shortened season provided Jenkins with increased court time. Although he faced early competition for backup minutes from Nate Robinson, Jenkins frequently started when Curry was unavailable. His responsibilities grew further after Curry was ruled out for the season and following the trade of Monta Ellis. On March 24, 2012, Jenkins posted a career-best 27 points during a defeat to Portland. He completed his rookie year averaging 5.8 points and 3.3 assists across 51 games (28 starts). The Warriors failed to reach the playoffs and replaced GM Larry Riley with former agent Bob Myers.

In July 2012, Jenkins showcased strong performances in the NBA Summer League alongside rookies such as Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson. Prior to Summer League action, Golden State signed point guard Jarrett Jack, intensifying competition for the backup spot behind Curry between Jack and Jenkins.

Throughout the 2012–13 season, Jenkins saw a notable reduction in playing time as Jack secured most backup minutes behind a healthy Curry. On February 21, 2013, Jenkins was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for a second-round draft pick.

Philadelphia 76ers

Upon joining the struggling Sixers, a franchise distant from playoff contention and leaning toward tanking to improve draft positioning, Jenkins experienced limited bench opportunities behind guards preferred by coach Doug Collins, including Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Nick Young, Damien Wilkins, and later addition Justin Holiday. With no firm NBA offers beyond training camp invitations, Jenkins instructed his agent to investigate options in Europe. He acknowledged fellow Sixers reserve Jeremy Pargo for introducing him to European professional basketball and advising him against settling for an NBA journeyman path, emphasizing Europe's attractive basketball market.

Moving to Europe: KK Crvena zvezda

On July 30, 2013, Jenkins agreed to a one-year deal with Serbian team Crvena zvezda, opting for their more lucrative offer over interest from both Maccabi Tel Aviv and Olimpia Milano. Under coach Dejan Radonjić, Jenkins joined a roster strengthened by key acquisitions such as center Boban Marjanović, small forward Blake Schilb, shooting guard Jaka Blažič, and power forward Ivan Radenović. The club aimed to reinforce every position ahead of its return to the Euroleague after a 14-year absence and sought its first-ever Adriatic League championship. Alongside seasoned players like point guard DeMarcus Nelson, small forward Marko Simonović, and center Raško Katić, Schilb was initially expected to lead the Euroleague campaign.

Starting off primarily as a reserve sharing minutes at guard spots behind Schilb and Blažič—and occasionally backing up Nelson—Jenkins competed in a Euroleague group featuring teams such as Lokomotiv Kuban, Maccabi Tel Aviv, and Panathinaikos. Crvena zvezda finished with a 4–6 record, missing out on the Top 16 but advancing to the second-tier Eurocup Last 32 phase. After Schilb’s reduced role due to tactical mismatch led to his mid-season exit, Jenkins’ playing time increased markedly, highlighted by a team-high 16 points in a Eurocup victory over Bilbao Basket. In January 2014, Jenkins extended his contract for an additional year with an opt-out option should NBA opportunities arise.

During the 2014–15 campaign, Crvena zvezda captured the Adriatic League championship, secured the Serbian League title, and won the Radivoj Korać Cup, marking one of the most successful stretches in club history.

European Tenures

On July 8, 2015, Jenkins inked a contract with the Italian squad Emporio Armani Milano for the 2015–16 campaign.

A year later, on July 15, 2016, he rejoined Crvena zvezda, agreeing to a two-year contract. During the 2016–17 season, Jenkins topped the EuroLeague charts in steals, averaging 2.1 per game. His outstanding performance earned him the 2017 ABA League Playoffs MVP title, where he posted averages of 12.3 points, 5.3 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals, alongside a Performance Index Rating of 15.2.

On June 29, 2017, Jenkins committed to a two-year deal with Russian outfit Khimki. He also took part in the 2018 edition of The Basketball Tournament, representing HBC Sicklerville and contributing modestly during their first-round exit. Throughout the 2018–19 EuroLeague season, he averaged 6.9 points on an efficient 42.0% from beyond the arc, complemented by 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 steal across 29 appearances.

Jenkins returned to Crvena zvezda for a third tenure by signing a two-year agreement on July 5, 2019.

Subsequently, on June 20, 2020, he joined Greek powerhouse Olympiacos competing in the EuroLeague.

Personal Background

Jenkins is one of three siblings, having a brother and a sister. He regards Dwayne Washington as his favorite sportsman. Prior to selecting Hofstra University for his collegiate career, he had recruitment interest from both St. John's and Liberty programs.

Regular Season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Golden State | 51 || 28 || 17.5 || .447 || .150 || .872 || 1.3 || 3.3 || .6 || .1 || 5.8 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| | style="text-align:left;"| Golden State | 47 || 0 || 6.2 || .422 || .500 || .556 || .4 || .6 || .2 || .0 || 1.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 12 || 1 || 12.5 || .368 || .000 || .500 || .9 || 1.3 || .5 || .1 || 2.5 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan=2| Career | 110 || 29 || 12.1 || .434 || .182 || .754 || .9 || 1.9 || .4 || .1 || 3.7 |}

EuroLeague

*	Led the league

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2013–14 | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| Crvena zvezda | 10 || 0 || 22.8 || .436 || .565 || .765 || 1.3 || 1.7 || 1.9 || .2 || 9.4 || 5.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2014–15 | 24 || 4 || 19.1 || .356 || .310 || .800 || 1.3 || 1.3 || .9 || .2||6.6||3.7 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2015–16 | style="text-align:left;" | Milano |10||8||26.1|| .472|| .583|| .500||1.6||1.8||1.5||||6.7||5.6 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2016–17 | style="text-align:left;" | Crvena zvezda |30||29||26.1|| .444|| .425|| .848||1.9||2.7||style="background:#CFECEC;" |2.1*|| .1|| 9.4|| 9.5 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2017–18

| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| Khimki
| 34||22||21.4||.455||.451||.769||1.7||1.7||0.9||0..1||5..5||4..4
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 2018–19
|29||25||24..4||0..490||0..420||0..828|||2..8|||1..2|||1..0|||.2|||6..9|||7..1
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 2019–20
| style="text-align:left;" | Crvena zvezda
|23|||0|||18..7|||0..366|||0..074|||.941|||2..2|||1..8|||0..8|||0..2|||3..4|||3..4
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 2020–21
| style="text-align:left;" | Olympiacos
|34|||21|||15..9|||.535|||0..425|||0..667|||1..2|||0..9|||0..8|||0..0|||2..9|||2..2

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 | Career
|194|||109|||21..3|||0..438|||0..407|||0..808|||1..8|||1..6|||1..2|||0..1|||6..0|||5..1

See also

• List of KK Crvena zvezda players with 100 games played

External links

• EuroLeague profile