Jared Sullinger Sr. (born March 4, 1992) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Shenzhen Leopards The Shenzhen New Century Liebao Club, also known as Shenzhen Marco Polo or Shenzhen Leopards (previously Shenzhen Aviators) are a Chinese professional basketball team which plays in the Southern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CB ...

of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pub ...

before being drafted 21st overall by the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

in the

2012 NBA draft The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball A ...

High school career

Sullinger was rated as the #2 player in the class of 2010 in the

ESPNU ESPNU is an American multinational digital cable and satellite sports television channel owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and the He ...

100 the #4 player by Scout.com, and the #5 player by Rivals.com. In his senior year, Sullinger led Northland High School to a 21–0 season and a #1 national ranking. He averaged 24.5 points and 11.7 rebounds for the season. Sullinger played in the 4th annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic. Sullinger was selected to play in the 2010 McDonald's All-American Game in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

, where he was named co-MVP with Harrison Barnes. He was also selected to play in the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit at the Rose Garden in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

and the 2010 Jordan Brand Classic at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. On March 10, 2010, Sullinger won the James A. Naismith Award, which goes to the boys' basketball player of the year. Sullinger said he credits his longtime teammate and best friend Max Caubo for the skills he honed in order for him to be the recipient of this award.

College recruitment

Sullinger committed to Ohio State on May 10, 2007.

College career

Freshman

Sullinger had 19 points and 14 rebounds in his Ohio State debut. Sullinger's brother, J.J. Sullinger, also attended Ohio State and played for coach Thad Matta. For the 2010–11 season Jared Sullinger averaged 17.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 31.7 minutes per game for the Buckeyes. Ohio State finished the regular season at 32–2 and was selected as the 2011 NCAA tournament's number one overall seed. The Buckeyes made it to the "Sweet Sixteen" where they lost to

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

62–60. Sullinger was named a First Team All-American by

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...

Sophomore

In what would be his final year at Ohio State, Sullinger led the Buckeyes to a 31–8 overall record (13–5 Big Ten). He averaged 17.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game during the 2011–12 season. The Buckeyes advanced to the 'Final Four' of the 2012 NCAA tournament, where the team lost to the

Kansas Jayhawks The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as simply KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a mem ...

. Sullinger had 13 points in the game and was 5-of-19 shooting with 11 rebounds in the loss. Five days after the loss, the two-time AP All-American declared he was entering the 2012 draft, where he was widely expected to be a lottery pick, until he was reportedly flagged by several teams after the Chicago pre-draft camp due to back issues.

College statistics

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Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

, 37, , 37, , 31.7, , .541, , .250, , .704, , 10.2, , 1.2, , 1.0, , .5, , 17.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;",

, 37, , 36, , 30.4, , .519, , .400, , .768, , 9.2, , 1.2, , 1.2, , 1.1, , 17.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 74 , , 73 , , 31.0 , , .530 , , .365 , , .733 , , 9.7 , , 1.2 , , 1.1 , , 0.8 , , 17.3

Professional career

Boston Celtics (2012–2016)

2012–13 season

On June 29, 2012, Sullinger was selected with the 21st overall pick in the

by the

. On July 3, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Celtics. On November 17, he recorded his first double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in a 107–89 win over the Toronto Raptors. The following night, he scored a season-high 16 points in a loss to the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

. He tied that mark on December 25, recording 16 points and 7 rebounds in a 93–76 win over the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

. On February 1, 2013, Sullinger underwent successful lumbar disk surgery and was subsequently ruled out for the rest of the season.

2013–14 season

On January 15, 2014, in a win over the Toronto Raptors, Sullinger recorded 25 points and a career-high 20 rebounds. Sullinger's 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnett did so in 2007. On February 7, he scored a career-high 31 points in a 99–89 win over the Sacramento Kings.

2014–15 season

After averaging 14.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game up until the

2015 NBA All-Star Weekend The 2015 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 15, 2015, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2014–15 season. It was the 64th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Madiso ...

, Sullinger was ruled out indefinitely after X-rays on February 19 revealed a stress reaction in his left foot. Three days later, he was ruled out for the rest of the season after further medical evaluation determined that Sullinger had sustained a left metatarsal

stress fracture A stress fracture is a fatigue-induced bone fracture caused by repeated stress over time. Instead of resulting from a single severe impact, stress fractures are the result of accumulated injury from repeated submaximal loading, such as running or ...

. However, in a surprising move, Sullinger returned to action on April 3 against the Milwaukee Bucks. He entered the game four minutes into the third quarter, missed both his shots and didn't return as part of a gradual effort to improve his stamina.

2015–16 season

Sullinger began the 2015–16 season coming off the bench for the first three games. He started his first game of the season on November 4 against the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first estab ...

, replacing

Tyler Zeller Tyler Paul Zeller (born January 17, 1990) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the University of North Carolina, where as a freshman he played on their 2009 national championship team and as a seni ...

as the starting center. On December 7, 2015, Sullinger scored 11 points and tied a career high with 20 rebounds in a 111–93 win over the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

. On February 7, 2016, he tied his season high with 21 points in a 128–119 win over the Sacramento Kings. On June 29, 2016, the Celtics tendered a qualifying offer to make Sullinger a restricted free agent. The Celtics later withdrew their qualifying offer on July 8, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Toronto Raptors (2016–2017)

On July 14, 2016, Sullinger signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Toronto Raptors. On October 24, 2016, he had a screw inserted into the fifth metatarsal in his left foot. As a result, he missed the first half of the 2016–17 season. After missing half the season, Sullinger made his debut for the Raptors on January 18, 2017, scoring eight points in just under 14 minutes off the bench in a 94–89 loss to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

. On January 28, 2017, he was assigned to Toronto's

D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

affiliate, Raptors 905, on a rehab assignment. He was recalled by Toronto the next day. Three days later, he had a season-best game with 13 points and six rebounds in a 109–104 loss to the

. He was reassigned to Raptors 905 on February 10, and was recalled on February 12. On February 23, 2017, Sullinger was traded, along with cash considerations and Toronto's second-round draft picks in 2017 and 2018, to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

in exchange for P. J. Tucker. However, he was waived by the Suns the following day.

Shenzhen Aviators (2017–2018)

On September 12, 2017, Sullinger signed a one-year deal with the Shenzhen Aviators of the Chinese Basketball Association. He re-signed with the team on August 6, 2018. On January 16, 2018, Sullinger became one of the few players in the CBA to record 40 points and 30 rebounds in a single game as he posted 40 points and 31 rebounds in a 129–103 victory over the Shandong Golden Stars.

Anyang KGC (2021)

In February 2021, Sullinger joined

Anyang KGC The Anyang Korea Ginseng Corporation ( ko, 안양 KGC인삼공사), or Anyang KGC, is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League, based at Anyang Arena in the city of Anyang. The club has won three KBL championship titles, in ...

of the Korean league and helped the team capture the league championship. He averaged 27.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.

Return to the Aviators (2021–present)

On December 26, 2021, Sullinger returned to the Shenzhen Aviators of the Chinese Basketball Association.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

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, 74 , , 44 , , 27.6 , , .427 , , .269 , , .778 , , 8.1 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .7 , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 58 , , 49 , , 27.0 , , .439 , , .283 , , .744 , , 7.6 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .7 , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 73 , , 23.6 , , .435 , , .282 , , .640 , , 8.3 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , .6 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, 11 , , 1 , , 10.7 , , .319 , , .167 , , .500 , , 2.5 , , .3 , , .4 , , .1 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 269 , , 172 , , 24.3 , , .436 , , .272 , , .723 , , 7.5 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .6 , , 10.8

Playoffs

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2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

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, 6 , , 2 , , 13.5 , , .310 , , .500 , , .750 , , 4.5 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , .0 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 10 , , 2 , , 16.1 , , .425 , , .385 , , .636 , , 5.5 , , .8 , , .1 , , .3 , , 8.0

Awards and honors

NBA

*BBVA Rising Stars Challenge Contestant (2014) *Eastern Conference Player of the Week Award Winner (February 3–9, 2014)

College

*2011 Big Ten Tournament Most Valuable Player *2011 Big Ten Freshman Of the Year *2011 Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award

High school

*2010 James A. Naismith Award winner *2010

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is the all-star basketball game played each year for American and Canadian boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the concl ...

co-MVP *2010 McDonald's All-American team selection *2010 Jordan Brand High School All-American team selection * 2010 First-team ''Parade'' All-American

Personal life

On September 3, 2013, Sullinger turned himself in to police after an alleged domestic assault on his girlfriend. He was charged with assault and battery, intimidation of a witness, and destruction of property. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were later dropped.Charges dropped against Celtics’ Sullinger
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References

External links

NBADraft.net profileSullinger Proving To Be Steal of NBA Draft
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullinger, Jared 1992 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in South Korea American men's basketball players Anyang KGC players Basketball players from Columbus, Ohio Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics players Centers (basketball) McDonald's High School All-Americans Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards (basketball) Raptors 905 players Shenzhen Leopards players Toronto Raptors players