Ja'Kobi Gillespie
 | |
| No. 17 – San Antonio Spurs | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 10, 2004 Greeneville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 186 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Greeneville (Greeneville, Tennessee) |
| College | |
| NBA draft | 2026: 2nd round, 42nd overall pick |
| Drafted by | San Antonio Spurs |
| Playing career | 2026–present |
| Career history | |
| 2026–present | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2026–present | →Austin Spurs |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Ja'Kobi Broderick Gillespie (born March 10, 2004) is an American basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Belmont Bruins, Maryland Terrapins and Tennessee Volunteers.
Early life and high school
Gillespie attended Greeneville High School in Greeneville, Tennessee. He committed to play college basketball for the Belmont Bruins over from schools such as Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Eastern Kentucky.[1]
College career
Belmont
As a freshman in 2022-23, Gillespie averaged 9.6 points and 3.3 assists per game and was named to the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) All-Freshman Team.[2] In 2023-24, he averaged 17.2 points, 4.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game and earned second-team all-MVC honors, MVC All-Defensive Team honors, while also being named to the MVC Most Improved Team.[3] After the season, Gillespie entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[4]
Maryland
Gillespie transferred to play for the Maryland Terrapins.[3] On December 4, 2024, he recorded 23 points and four assists in victory over Ohio State.[5] On December 21, Gillespie recorded 17 points, 11 assists and five rebounds in a victory against Syracuse.[6] On January 10, 2025, he notched a career-high 27 points, four assists, and four steals in a win over UCLA.[7] On January 19, Gillespie notched 1,000 career points after scoring 22 in victory over Nebraska.[8] On January 26, he posted 18 points, nine assists, three rebounds, one steal, and one block versus Indiana.[9] For his performance during the 2024-25 season, Gillespie was named third-team All-Big Ten Conference.[10]
Tennessee
Gillespie transferred to play for the Tennessee Volunteers. He averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game in his only season for the team.[11]
Professional career
On June 24, 2026, the San Antonio Spurs selected Gillespie with the 42nd overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft.[12] He signed a two-way contract with Spurs on 3 July, 2026.[13]
References
- ↑ Woodroof, Cory. "5 things to know about Maryland star Ja'Kobi Gillespie". USA Today. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ↑ Sampson, Joshua. "For Maryland's Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Basketball Was Always The Path". PressBox Online. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- 1 2 Smith, Kaiden. "Former Belmont guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie commits to Maryland". On3.com. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ↑ Johnson, Cole. "Former Mr. Basketball and Greeneville standout Ja'Kobi Gillespie commits to Maryland". WCYB.com. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ↑ Lee, Edward. "Maryland's Ja'Kobi Gillespie rises to Kevin Willard's challenge vs. Ohio State". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ↑ Rich, Harrison. "Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Selton Miguel help Maryland men's basketball pummel Syracuse, 87-60". The Diamondback. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ↑ Lee, Edward. "Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Terps' defense bounce back at the perfect time". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ↑ Gerbo, George. "Gillespie scores 22, reaches 1,000 point plateau as Maryland holds on to beat Nebraska". The Washington Times. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ↑ Breiler, Chris. "Maryland Basketball: Ja'Kobi Gillespie makes watchlist for prestigious award". Maryland Terrapins on SI. SI.com. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ↑ Rich, Harrison. "Behind Ja'Kobi Gillespie's quiet demeanor is a 'killer instinct'". The Diamondback. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ↑ Ramey, Grant (May 13, 2026). "Where Felix Okpara, Ja'Kobi Gillespie are projected in new ESPN NBA mock draft". On3.com. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- ↑ Douglas, Jacob (June 24, 2026). "San Antonio selects Ja'Kobi Gillespie with the 42nd pick". poundingtherock.com. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Spurs' four draft picks sign rookie deals". expressnews.com. July 3, 2026.