Jacob Pullen
Jacob Pullen | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 10, 1989 United States |
| Nationality | American / Georgian |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Known for | Basketball career at Kansas State University, professional career in Europe and NBA |
Jacob Everse Pullen (born November 10, 1989) is a professional basketball athlete holding American and Georgian nationality, currently competing for Napoli Basket in Italy’s top-tier league, the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball at Kansas State University. Pullen possesses dual citizenship from the United States and Georgia and has represented the Georgian national basketball team in international competitions.
College career
In his collegiate debut facing Sacramento State, Pullen tallied 18 points, shooting 7-of-11 from the field, and reached double-digit scoring in eight of his initial ten contests. As a freshman, he was instrumental in revitalizing Kansas State's basketball program, participating in all 33 games. Alongside teammate Michael Beasley, Pullen contributed significantly to an upset victory over the #2 ranked Kansas, scoring a season-high 20 points and maintaining flawless free-throw accuracy.
During the 2008–09 season, Pullen was one of just two Wildcats to start every one of their 34 games. He achieved a personal best of 38 points against Kansas on February 14, 2011, while consistently delivering steals and three-point shots throughout the campaign.
In his junior year (2009–10), Pullen led Kansas State to an impressive 29–8 overall record with an 11–5 mark in Big 12 play. The team secured notable victories over Dayton, UNLV, Alabama, Xavier, and then-undefeated top-ranked Texas. Under head coach Frank Martin, he averaged 19.3 points per game on a shooting percentage of 41.9%. Teaming up with Denis Clemente, the pair combined for nearly 35 points per game—the third-highest scoring guard combination in school history—driving the Wildcats to the NCAA Elite Eight before being eliminated by Butler. That season, Pullen earned All Big-12 Team recognition.
As a senior, he guided Kansas State to the third round of the NCAA tournament where they fell to Wisconsin. He was honored as a Fourth Team All-American by Fox Sports. Pullen holds the distinction of being Kansas State University's all-time leading scorer with a total of 2,132 points amassed over his collegiate career.
2011–12 season
After going undrafted in the 2011 NBA draft, Pullen signed with Italian club Angelico Biella on July 12, 2011, to compete in the Lega Basket Serie A for the 2011–12 season.
2012–13 season
In July 2012, Pullen participated with the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2012 NBA Summer League. Subsequently, on August 31, 2012, he inked a deal with Israeli side Hapoel Jerusalem for the 2012–13 campaign. On March 13, 2013, he transitioned back to Italy by signing with Virtus Bologna for the remainder of that season.
2013–14 season
On August 13, 2013, Pullen joined Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona for the 2013–14 season. Notably, on March 8, 2014, he broke the Liga ACB single-game record by sinking twelve three-point field goals during a commanding 111–66 victory against CB Valladolid, surpassing the previous record held by Oscar Schmidt.
2014–15 season
Pullen initially signed with China’s Liaoning Flying Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association in August 2014 but departed prior to the start of the season. On September 28, he returned to Spain to play for Baloncesto Sevilla, leaving that team on November 7. Shortly thereafter, on November 14, he secured a contract with Italian club New Basket Brindisi for the remainder of that season.
2015–16 season
On August 8, 2015, Pullen agreed to terms with Croatian team Cedevita Zagreb for the 2015–16 campaign.
2016–17 season
Pullen inked a one-month contract with Russian outfit Khimki on September 29, 2016. His deal was later extended on October 31 to cover the entire season. He parted ways with Khimki on July 4, 2017.
2017–18 season
Pullen joined the Philadelphia 76ers on September 22, 2017. On October 14, his contract was converted into a two-way agreement, allowing him to split his time between the 76ers and their G League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers. After appearing in three NBA games, he was waived on January 4, 2018.
Shortly after, on January 7, 2018, Pullen signed with Mahram Tehran competing in the Iranian Super League for the remainder of that season.
On February 20, 2018, he moved to Turkish side Afyon Belediye, competing in the second-tier Turkish Basketball First League (TBL). During his tenure there, he helped secure promotion to the top-tier Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) by winning the playoff finals.
2018–19 season
Pullen returned to Cedevita Zagreb on November 1, 2018, marking his second spell with the club.
Mornar (2019–2021)
On July 12, 2019, he signed with Montenegrin team Mornar Bar, participating in the ABA League. Throughout the 2020–21 season with Mornar Bar, he averaged 16 points and three assists per game.
2021–22 season
Pullen committed to KK Cedevita Olimpija of the Slovenian Basketball League on August 9, 2021.
2023–24 season
He agreed to terms with Italian club Napoli Basket, competing in the Italian top division Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), on August 26, 2023.
National team career
In August 2012, Pullen obtained citizenship from Georgia, broadening his opportunities within European basketball and permitting him to represent the Georgian national team at EuroBasket 2013. His debut for Georgia came during the EuroBasket 2013 qualification matches held in 2012.
NBA statistics
|- | align="left" | 2017–18 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 3 || 0 || 2.0 || .500 || .000 || N/A || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .7 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 3 || 0 || 2.0 || .500 || .000 || N/A || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .7
See also
External links
- Jacob Pullen at eurobasket.com
- Jacob Pullen at euroleague.net
- Jacob Pullen at fiba.com
- Jacob Pullen at fiba.com (Archive)
- Jacob Pullen at legabasket.it (Italian)