Jamaal Eric Franklin (born July 21, 1991) 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, who most recently played for the

Shanghai Sharks The Shanghai Sharks () are a Chinese Basketball Association team based in Shanghai. It is best known outside China as the club that developed Yao Ming before he entered the National Basketball Association. With Yao on the team, the Sharks made ...

of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He was selected with the 41st overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

, where he was the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year as well as an All-American in his junior season.

High school career

Franklin played four years at

Serrano High School Serrano High School is a public high school in the California High Desert community of Phelan, California. It serves students from Phelan, Wrightwood and Piñon Hills. It is part of the Snowline Joint Unified School District. The school is named ...

in Phelan, California, then played a prep season at Westwind Prep in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

. As a senior at Serrano, he led the state of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in scoring at 31.7

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by nu ...

and was a two-time All- California Interscholastic Federation selection. In his season at Westwind, he averaged 18.5 points and 6.3

rebounds per game 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

. Franklin was rated as the 24th-best shooting guard in the class of 2009 coming out of

and had an

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grade of 90. Out of high school, Franklin was offered to play basketball at

Long Beach State University California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

and San Diego State University. Franklin played three different sports at

: basketball, football (wide receiver and free safety), and track and field, where he was a state high jumper.

College career

Franklin enrolled at

to play for coach Steve Fisher. As a freshman, he was part of arguably the best season in school history, along with teammates

Kawhi Leonard Kawhi Anthony Leonard ( ; born June 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time NBA champion, he is a five-time All-Star with three All-NBA ...

and

Malcolm Thomas Malcolm Thomas may refer to: *Malcolm Thomas (basketball, born 1988), American professional basketball player *Malcolm Thomas (basketball, born 1963), American college basketball player *Malcolm Thomas (rugby union) (1929–2012), Welsh rugby player ...

, as the Aztecs went 34–3 and captured a #2 seed in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Franklin averaged 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 8.1 minutes per game. In his sophomore campaign, Franklin was thrust into the starting lineup as the Aztecs returned only one starter. He responded by averaging 17.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game and leading the Aztecs to an unexpected shared regular-season title and a #6 seed in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Franklin was named Mountain West player of the year and was recognized nationally as an All-American by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

. Franklin resisted the lure of the professional ranks and returned to San Diego State in

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

for his junior season. He went on to average 16.9 points and 9.5 rebounds in 32 games. On April 12, 2013, Franklin announced he would forgo his senior season to enter the NBA draft.

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2013–2014)

On June 27, 2013, Franklin was selected with the 41st overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013 NBA draft. On July 26, 2013, he signed with the Grizzlies despite not appearing for them in the

2013 NBA Summer League The 2013 NBA Summer League is a pro basketball league run by the NBA just after the 2013 NBA draft. It gives newly drafted players a chance to test their skills against each other, and to give them a feel for professional basketball. All 30 NBA ...

. During his rookie season, he had multiple assignments with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

. In July 2014, Franklin joined the Grizzlies for the

2014 NBA Summer League The 2014 NBA Summer League consists of two pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA and the Orlando Magic just after the 2014 NBA Draft. Ten teams took part in the week-long summer league at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, from July 5 t ...

. On August 31, 2014, he was waived by the Grizzlies.

Zhejiang Lions (2014–2015)

On October 7, 2014, Franklin signed a two-month contract with the Zhejiang Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association. On November 26, 2014, he signed a one-month contract extension with the Lions. Later that day, he scored 53 points on 19-of-29 shooting in Zhejiang's 120–112 win over the Chongqing Flying Dragons. On January 5, 2015, he left Zhejiang after appearing in 26 games. Over those 26 games, he averaged 28.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

Los Angeles D-Fenders (2015)

On January 21, 2015, Franklin was acquired by the

Los Angeles D-Fenders LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significance ...

of the NBA Development League. On February 21, he had a season-best game with 27 points and 13 rebounds in a loss to the Austin Spurs.

Denver Nuggets (2015)

On April 12, 2015, Franklin signed with the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. He made his debut for the team later that day, recording one rebound and one assist in a 122–111 win over the Sacramento Kings. On July 13, 2015, he was waived by the Nuggets.

Second stint in D-League (2015–2016)

On August 29, 2015, Franklin signed with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, but left the team before appearing in a game for them. On December 4, he was reacquired by the Los Angeles D-Fenders.

Shanxi Brave Dragons (2015–2016)

On December 18, Franklin parted ways with the D-Fenders and signed with the

Shanxi Brave Dragons The Shanxi Loongs, also known as Shanxi SDIC Raptors Club or Shanxi Fenjiu Shares are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Taiyuan, Shanxi, which plays in the Northern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The Shanxi Fen ...

(Shanxi Zhongyu) of the Chinese Basketball Association. On January 10, 2016, Franklin recorded 44 points, 10 rebounds and 20 assists in a 133–123 win over the Jilin Tigers. He dominated the Chinese Basketball Association, averaging incredible numbers during his time with Shanxi. In 19 games, he averaged a triple-double with 33.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 10.3 assists, in addition to 3.3 steals and 1.5 blocks.

Brujos de Guayama (2016)

On April 5, 2016, Franklin signed with Brujos de Guayama of the Puerto Rican Baloncesto Superior Nacional. He left the team later that month after appearing in just four games.

Third stint in China (2016–2017)

In May 2016, Franklin re-signed with the

for the 2016–17 season. On November 14, 2016, Franklin scored 61 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in a 125–104 win over the Beijing Ducks. Franklin's performance was the first 60-point triple double in the history of the CBA.

Sichuan Blue Whales (2017–2018)

On August 18, 2017, the Sichuan Blue Whales officially signed Jamaal Franklin. On August 11, 2018, Franklin re-signed with the Blue Whales.

Shanxi Loongs (2019–2021)

On July 29, 2019, Franklin agreed to a contract to re-join the Shanxi team, which had been renamed the Shanxi Loongs. On December 10, 2019, Franklin collected a quadruple-double with forty-two points, twelve rebounds, twelve assists and ten steals in a 110–114 loss to the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. He averaged 30.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. On September 12, 2020, Franklin re-signed with the team.

Shanghai Sharks (2021–present)

On October 17, 2021, Franklin joined

of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Career Statistics

, - , align=center , 2013–14 , align=left , Memphis Grizzlies ,

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

, 21 , , 7.7 , , .410 , , .456 , , 1.000 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .2 , , .0 , , 1.9 , - , align=center , 2014–15 , align=left ,

, 3 , , 4.3 , , .500 , , .500 , , .000 , , .7 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .3 , , 1.0 , - , align=center , 2014–15 , align=left ,

, NBA D-League , 21 , , 34.1 , , .483 , , .339 , , .793 , , 8.9 , , 6.5 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 19.2 , - , align=center , 2014–15 , align=left , Zhejiang Lions , CBA , 26 , , 33.6 , , .493 , , .361 , , .770 , , 6.2 , , 4.6 , , 1.9 , , .7 , , 28.5 , - , align=center , 2015–16 , align=left , Brujos de Guayama , BSN , 4 , , 26.8 , , .368 , , .278 , , .750 , , 6.8 , , 2.8 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , 21.5 , - , align=center , 2015–16 , align=left ,

, CBA , 19 , , 40.6 , , .489 , , .349 , , .813 , , 10.8 , , 10.3 , , 3.3 , , 1.5 , , 34.0 , - , align=center , 2016–17 , align=left ,

, CBA , 36 , , 40.7 , , .470 , , .304 , , .837 , , 10.3 , , 8.8 , , 3.3 , , 1.2 , , 33.6 , - , align=center , 2017–18 , align=left , Sichuan Blue Whales , CBA , 23 , , 34.3 , , .633 , , .368 , , .859 , , 9.4 , , 5.2 , , 2.4 , , 1.6 , , 31.5 , - , align=center , 2018–19 , align=left , Sichuan Blue Whales , CBA , 42 , , 39.6 , , .607 , , .304 , , .845 , , 9.2 , , 7.4 , , 2.3 , , 1.7 , , 30.0 , - , align=center , 2019–20 , align=left , Shanxi Loongs , CBA , 27 , , 39.0 , , .563 , , .341 , , .836 , , 9.5 , , 10.1 , , 2.3 , , 1.4 , , 30.2 , - , -class=sortbottom , align="center" colspan=2 , Career , All Leagues , 222 , , 34.3 , , .519 , , .343 , , .827 , , 8.3 , , 6.7 , , 2.2 , , 1.1 , , 27.0

Personal life

Franklin is the cousin of platinum music producer, Hit-Boy.

References

External links

SDSU bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Jamaal 1991 births Living people African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in China American men's basketball players Basketball players from California Denver Nuggets players Fort Wayne Mad Ants players Los Angeles D-Fenders players Memphis Grizzlies draft picks Memphis Grizzlies players People from Moreno Valley, California San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball players Shanxi Loongs players Shooting guards Sichuan Blue Whales players Sportspeople from Hawthorne, California Sportspeople from Riverside County, California Zhejiang Lions players 21st-century African-American sportspeople