Derrick JaVaughn Byars (born April 25, 1984) is an American entrepreneur and former 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 (appro ...

player. Collegiately, he played for

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, and later for Vanderbilt. He was drafted 42nd overall in the 2007 NBA draft.

High school career

Byars attended Ridgeway High School in Memphis, where he played for head coach Wesley Henning and won two Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association ( TSSAA) Class AA State Championships. As a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...

(1999–2000), Byars was an honorable-mention All-State selection and led the Roadrunners to the Class AA State Championship. He averaged 16.4

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

, 6.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. As a junior, he again earned honorable mention All-State honors and was named Ridgeway's Most Valuable Player and District 15-AA MVP. He averaged 20.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5 assists. As a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

(2001–02), he averaged 23.2 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 assists and led Ridgeway to its second TSSAA Class AA State Championship in three years. He was a fourth-team Parade All-America selection, the Gatorade Player of the Year in Tennessee, the TSSAA Class AA Tournament Most Valuable Player and first-team All-State. Byars also excelled in the classroom, finishing

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

with a 3.9

GPA Grading in education is the application of standardized measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentages, or as num ...

Collegiate career

Virginia

Byars played for two seasons under then-head coach

Pete Gillen Peter Joseph Gillen (born June 20, 1947) is an American former college basketball head coach of the Division I Providence Friars and Virginia Cavaliers and is a member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. Gillen is currently a college ...

. He started 16 of Virginia's 31 games his freshman season (2002–03) and averaged 6.5 points per game. In his sophomore season (2003–04), he started 18 of Virginia's 31 games and averaged 7.5 points per game. Disappointed by his lack of playing time, Byars decided to transfer from Virginia. Vanderbilt emerged as a leading candidate due to Byars' friendships with players on the team and the Commodores' recent run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, but the Commodores had no scholarship positions available. Days before Byars was due to announce his transfer to

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, Vanderbilt reserve guard Adam Payton decided to transfer to William & Mary, freeing up a scholarship for Byars. He sat out the 2004–05 season as mandated by NCAA rules.

Vanderbilt

In his junior season (2005–06), Byars started all 30 games and finished second on the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game. He started a handful of games at the point guard position and led the team with 3.2 assists per game. He was named SEC Player of the Week (November 28 – December 4) after scoring 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting against

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

on November 30, 2005. A week later, he scored a season-high 25 points (including five 3-pointers) against

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

on December 10, 2005. In his senior season (2006–07), Byars was named

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

Player of the Year by the league's coaches, who also unanimously selected him to their All-SEC first team. He led Vanderbilt to a 22–12 record ( SEC East: 10–6, 2nd) and the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, because Jeff Green's travel was not called, ending the season at least one game early. He led the Commodores in scoring with 17.0 points per game and was ranked among the SEC's top 10 in four other statistical categories. During SEC play, Byars averaged 19.1 points per game, second-best in the SEC. He scored 20 points or more eight different times, including a career-high 32 points against

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

on February 14, 2007. He followed that performance with 24 points in Vanderbilt's 83–70 victory over then-No. 1

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, which earned him SEC player of the week honors for the second time that season. Byars graduated from Vanderbilt on May 11, 2007, with a degree in sociology.

Professional career

NBA

Byars was chosen 42nd overall in the 2007 NBA draft in the second round by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

. His rights were then traded to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially 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 Atlan ...

. He was waived by the 76ers on October 22, 2007. He was on the

New Orleans Hornets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

and

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

rosters for the 2008 Summer League. Byars return to the NBA Summer League was successful, as he led the Magic in scoring in their first game against the New Jersey Nets with 15 points on 6 of 13 shootin

In late September, Byars was signed by the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

where he averaged 4.1 points and 14.8 minutes per game in the preseason. Byars was invited to the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

' training camp in 2009 but was waived on the opening day of the season, October 28, 2009. He played for the Bulls in the

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season basketball competition organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regula ...

in 2010.

Germany

In December 2007, Byars played in eight games for the

Köln 99ers Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and over 3.1 million people in the Cologne Bonn urba ...

, a

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team based in

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, Germany, having arrived at the end of October with a foot injury that had to be cured first. He averaged 6.3 points and 18 minutes per game in four games in the

ULEB Cup EuroCup Basketball, commonly known as the EuroCup and currently called BKT EuroCup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual professional basketball club competition organized by Euroleague Basketball. The league is regarded as Euroleague Basketbal ...

and 3.5 points in another 4 games in the Bundesliga. He was cut from the team again on December 21, 2007. On November 2, 2009, Byars was introduced as the new small forward for

ALBA Berlin Alba Berlin is a professional basketball club that is based in Berlin, Germany. The club was founded in 1991, and is today the largest German national basketball club by membership figures. Alba Berlin hosts its home games at the Uber Arena and c ...

France

On January 24, 2008, he was subsequently signed by Chorale Roanne Basket of the Ligue Nationale de Basketball (LNB) in France. His club finished fourth in the 2007/08 regular season, and lost in the 2008 LNB final against Nancy after beating regular season winner Le Mans in the semi-final. Byars averaged 8 points and 3 rebounds in 24 minutes of playing time.

NBA Development League

Derrick Byars was drafted in the 2008 NBA Developmental League Draft with the 5th overall pick by the Bakersfield Jam. While averaging 18 points per game on the season, he was named to the 2009 NBA D-League All-Star Game and led all players in scoring with 18 points. He returned to the team briefly in 2011, claiming another NBA Developmental League Player of the Week award after scoring a career-high 45 points versus Springfield Armor.

Greece

In September 2010, he signed a one-year deal with the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

club Panellinios Basket.

Return to France

In August 2011 he signed a one-year contract with Cholet Basket in France. However, he left the club in November, having played only two games, one in Pro A and one in the Euroleague qualifying round.

Return to the NBA

On December 10, 2011, Byars signed with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

. He was however waived before the start of the season. He was then signed by the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

on April 25, 2012. On August 21, 2012, he was waived by the Spurs after scoring ten points in two games.

Return to Germany

In November 2012, Byars re-signed with Alba Berlin.

Memphis Grizzlies

In September 2013, Byars joined the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

. He was waived by the team on October 6, 2013.

Russia / D-League

In January 2014, Byars signed with BC Krasny Oktyabr of Russia for the rest of the 2013–14 season. He left before playing in a game for them. On March 4, 2014, he was re-acquired by the Bakersfield Jam.

Belgium

On April 12, 2014, Byars signed with Belfius Mons-Hainaut of the Basketball League Belgium for the rest of the 2013–14 season.

Israel

On September 15, 2015, Byars signed with Maccabi Rishon LeZion from the Israel Super League.The roster is complete
Derrick Byars signed with Rishon LeZion

Puerto Rico

On January 6, 2016, Byars signed with Santeros de Aguada of the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. T ...

France

On August 20, 2016, Byars signed with

JA Vichy Jeanne d'Arc de Vichy-Clermont Métropole was a professional basketball club based in Vichy, France. The club played their home games at both Maison des Sports de Clermont-Ferrand and Palais des Sports de Vichy. In 2015, JA Vichy and Stade Cler ...

of the

LNB Pro B The LNB Pro B, commonly known as Pro B, is the second-tier level men's professional basketball league in France. It is the second division of the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB), which has organized the league since the year 1987. The regular se ...

. In 16 games, he averaged 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal.

D-League

On February 27, 2017, he was acquired by the

Delaware 87ers Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey to its northeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state' ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

Career statistics

NBA

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San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

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Awards and accomplishments

* All- SEC First Team: (2007) * SEC Co-Player of the Year: (2007) * Rivals.com Second Team All-American: (2007) * SEC Legend: (2019)

References

External links

*
LNB Pro B profile

Euroleague.net Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byars, Derrick 1984 births Living people Alba Berlin players American expatriate basketball people in Belgium American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Bakersfield Jam players Basketball players from Memphis, Tennessee Belfius Mons-Hainaut players Big3 players Caciques de Humacao players Cholet Basket players Delaware 87ers players JA Vichy-Clermont Métropole players Köln 99ers players Liga ACB players Maccabi Rishon LeZion basketball players Panellinios B.C. players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Real Betis Baloncesto players San Antonio Spurs players Santeros de Aguada players Shooting guards Small forwards Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball players Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball players American men's 3x3 basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Russia