Ty Jerome
Ty Jerome | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 8, 1997 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Known for | NBA player for Memphis Grizzlies; 2019 NCAA champion with Virginia Cavaliers |
Ty Jeremy Jerome (born July 8, 1997) is a professional American basketball athlete currently with the Memphis Grizzlies in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He competed in college basketball for the Virginia Cavaliers, serving as the starting shooting guard on their 2019 national title-winning squad. Jerome was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2019 NBA draft but was subsequently traded to the Phoenix Suns. His NBA career has also included stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Early years
Jerome played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for Riverside Church, where he teamed up with Donovan Mitchell. His middle school education took place at The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and he competed at the varsity level all four years at Iona Prep in New Rochelle, New York. Following his junior year, Jerome earned first-team honors in All-Conference, All-Metropolitan, and All-State categories. Unfortunately, a hip injury curtailed his senior season. On September 2, 2014, he committed to the University of Virginia to continue his basketball career.
College career
In his freshman season at Virginia, Jerome served as the backup point guard behind London Perrantes, contributing averages of 4.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists off the bench.
Elevated to starting point guard during his sophomore year, Jerome achieved a personal best by scoring 31 points on December 30, 2017, versus Boston College. This standout game helped him secure a position on the All-ACC Third Team.
Ahead of the 2018–2019 season, he was selected for the pre-season all-ACC Second Team. On February 4, 2019, Jerome was named among ten finalists for the prestigious Bob Cousy Award, which honors the nation's top collegiate point guard. Forecasted as an early second-round pick in the upcoming 2019 NBA draft, he averaged 13.6 points and 5.5 assists per game while helping Virginia earn a #1 seed in the 2019 NCAA tournament. In the championship contest, Virginia triumphed 85–77, with Jerome contributing 16 points, eight assists, and six rebounds.
Following this successful season, Jerome declared for the 2019 NBA draft, choosing to forgo his remaining collegiate eligibility and engaging an agent.
Phoenix Suns (2019–2020)
Jerome was chosen 24th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2019 NBA draft on June 20, 2019. His draft rights were first traded to the Boston Celtics along with Philadelphia’s 33rd pick in exchange for Matisse Thybulle’s rights before being moved to the Phoenix Suns as part of a deal including Aron Baynes in return for a future first-round selection. Both Baynes and Jerome had connections to coach Tony Bennett, who coached Baynes at Washington State and Jerome at Virginia. The Suns officially signed Jerome on July 6.
On October 21, Jerome suffered a right ankle sprain that sidelined him indefinitely. He was assigned to the G League's Northern Arizona Suns on November 25, appearing in one game before being recalled by Phoenix two days later on November 27. He experienced brief subsequent assignments back to Northern Arizona before returning fully to Phoenix.
Jerome made his NBA debut on December 2, 2019, recording four points, four assists, three rebounds, and three steals during a victory over the Charlotte Hornets. On December 21, he posted a season-high of 15 points against the Houston Rockets. Another assignment to Northern Arizona occurred on March 4 before he rejoined Phoenix on March 5.
Oklahoma City Thunder (2020–2022)
On November 16, 2020, Jerome was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder alongside Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Jalen Lecque, and a 2022 first-round draft pick in exchange for Chris Paul and Abdel Nader. While recovering from a significant left ankle sprain sustained the previous year, Jerome was assigned to the Thunder's G League team, the Oklahoma City Blue. He made his debut for the Blue on February 11, 2021.
Jerome's first appearance for the Thunder came on February 26, 2021, versus the Atlanta Hawks, where he contributed nine points, five rebounds, and seven assists in 22 minutes during a 118–109 victory. His seven assists established a new franchise record for most assists in a debut game.
On March 8, 2022, Jerome underwent groin surgery that ended his season prematurely.
On September 30, 2022, Jerome was traded to the Houston Rockets along with Derrick Favors, Maurice Harkless, Théo Maledon, and a future second-round pick in exchange for David Nwaba, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, and Marquese Chriss. The Rockets waived him the next day.
Golden State Warriors (2022–2023)
Jerome signed with the Golden State Warriors on October 4, 2022, initially joining for preseason activities before earning a two-way contract to split time between the Warriors and their NBA G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2023–2025)
On July 6, 2023, Jerome signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played only 15 minutes across two games before suffering a right ankle impingement during an October 27 contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which sidelined him. On January 25, 2024, Jerome successfully underwent ankle surgery, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
Jerome made a strong comeback on November 20, 2024, scoring 27 of his season-best 29 points in the first half of a commanding 128–100 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. On January 24, 2025, he achieved a new personal best by scoring 33 points off the bench—highlighted by an impeccable 8-for-8 three-point shooting performance—in a closely contested 129–132 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. This feat made him the first player in Cavaliers history to convert eight three-pointers without a miss.
He debuted in the playoffs on April 19, 2025, delivering an impressive performance with 28 points, five rebounds, and three assists in a dominant 121–100 Game 1 win against the Miami Heat.
Memphis Grizzlies (2025–present)
On July 14, 2025, Jerome agreed to a three-year contract worth $28 million with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 31 || 0 || 10.6 || .336 || .280 || .750 || 1.5 || 1.4 || .5 || .1 || 3.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Oklahoma City | 33 || 1 || 23.9 || .446 || .423 || .765 || 2.8 || 3.6 || .6 || .2 || 10.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Oklahoma City | 48 || 4 || 16.7 || .378 || .290 || .809 || 1.6 || 2.3 || .6 || .1 || 7.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Golden State | 45 || 2 || 18.1 || .488 || .389 || .927 || 1.7 || 3.0 || .5 || .1 || 6.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 2 || 0 || 7.4 || .500 || .000 || — || .5 || 1.5 || .0 || .0 || 2.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 70 || 3 || 19.9 || .516 || .439 || .872 || 2.5 || 3.4 || 1.1 || .0 || 12.5 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 229 || 10 || 18.1 || .458 || .381 || .850 || 2.0 || 2.8 || .7 || .1 || 8.7
Playoffs
|- | style="text-align:left;"|2025 | style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland | 9 || 1 || 21.2 || .402 || .389 || .850 || 2.4 || 3.6 || .6 || .1 || 11.7 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career |9||1||21.2||.402||.389||.850||2.4||3.6||.6||.1||11.7
College
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17 | style="text-align:left;"| Virginia |34||5||13.9||.473||.397||.778||1.6||1.5||.4||.1||4.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2017–18
| style="text-align:left;" | Virginia |34||34||30.8||.421||.379||.905||3.1||3.9||.16||0||10.6 |- |style="text-align:left;" | 2018–19 |style="text-align:left;" | Virginia |37|||37|||33.9|||0.435|||.399|||0,736|||4,2|||5,5|||1,5|||0|||13,6 |- class="sortbottom" |style="text-align:center;" colspan= "2"| Career |105|||76|||26,4|||0,435|||0,392|||0,788|||3,0|||3,7|||1,2|||0|||9,6
Personal life
Jerome is the son of Mark Jerome and Melanie Walker and has two brothers along with two sisters. Among his siblings is Kobe, who competed in collegiate basketball at UC Riverside from 2021 to 2023 and then at Delaware between 2023 and 2025. His mother is Caucasian, while his father is of mixed heritage—half African American and half Caucasian—and both parents played college basketball; his mother represented Brandeis University and his father played for Lafayette College. On his paternal side, his grandmother was involved with the Civil Rights Movement through the Congress of Racial Equality, while her husband Fred documented the movement as a photographer.
At the University of Virginia, Jerome pursued a major in American Studies. During his youth, Steve Nash was the NBA player he admired most.
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1997 births
- Living people
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball players from New York City
- Basketball players from Westchester County, New York
- Cleveland Cavaliers players
- Golden State Warriors players
- Northern Arizona Suns players
- Oklahoma City Blue players
- Oklahoma City Thunder players
- Philadelphia 76ers draft picks
- Phoenix Suns players
- Point guards
- Santa Cruz Warriors players
- Shooting guards
- Small forwards
- Sportspeople from New Rochelle, New York
- Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball players