Jarnell D'Marcus Stokes (born January 7, 1994) 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 (appro ...

player. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...

. He was one of the top rated high school players in the class of 2011. He was selected in with the 35th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

, and later traded to 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 ...

High school career

Stokes was ranked as the No. 11 overall prospect by Rivals.com and No. 18 by ESPN.com. As a junior at Central High School, he averaged 17.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Stokes chose Tennessee over offers from Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Memphis, and Ole Miss.

College career

Stokes played three collegiate seasons at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

, averaging 13.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.08 blocks on .530 shooting in 29.7 minutes in 87 games. He left the

Volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

ranked fourth in school history in double-doubles (40), eighth in total rebounds (836) and 14th in blocks (94). He also led the SEC in offensive rebounding in 2013 and 2014.

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2014–2015)

On June 26, 2014, Stokes was selected with the 35th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the

. He was later traded to the

on draft night. In July 2014, he joined the Grizzlies for the 2014 NBA Summer League before going on to sign a multi-year deal with the franchise on August 18, 2014. On December 3, 2014, he scored a season-high 12 points in a loss to the

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

. During his rookie season, he had multiple assignments with the Iowa Energy 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, ...

Miami Heat (2015–2016)

On November 10, 2015, Stokes was traded, along with Beno Udrih, to 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 ...

in exchange for

Mario Chalmers Almario Vernard Chalmers (born May 19, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Zamboanga Valientes of the Asian Tournament (TAT). He was selected as the 34th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Minnesota ...

and James Ennis. The move reunited him with former Tennessee teammate Josh Richardson. On January 20, 2016, he made his debut for the Heat in a 106–87 loss to the

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

, recording four points in five minutes. During his sophomore season, he received multiple assignments to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat's D-League affiliate. On January 29, 2016, he was named in the East All-Star team for the 2016 NBA D-League All-Star Game. On February 18, 2016, Stokes was traded, along with cash considerations, to 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

in exchange for a conditional 2018 second-round pick. He was waived by the Pelicans the next day.

Sioux Falls Skyforce (2016)

On February 27, 2016, Stokes was acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He helped the Skyforce win an NBA D-League-record 40 games in 2015–16, securing the first seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. In 28 regular season games, he averaged team highs of 20.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. He subsequently earned league MVP honors. Stokes went on to help the Skyforce cap off a historic season with a playoff run that ended in a 2–1 Finals series victory over the

Los Angeles D-Fenders The South Bay Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, that competes in the NBA G League. Founded in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, who were the first ...

. He added to his regular season MVP award by garnering the Finals MVP, as well as earning All-NBA D-League First Team honors.

Denver Nuggets (2016)

In July 2016, Stokes joined 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 ...

for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On September 15, 2016, he 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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

. On November 15, 2016, he was waived by the Nuggets after appearing in two games.

Second stint with Sioux Falls Skyforce (2017)

On March 23, 2017, Stokes was reacquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Zhejiang Golden Bulls (2017–2018)

In July 2017, Stokes signed with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier men's professional basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

. On February 2, 2018, he was waived by the Zhejiang Golden Bulls.

Third stint with Sioux Falls Skyforce (2018)

On August 27, 2018, Stokes returned to the

on a training camp contract. He was waived on October 13. On December 8, 2018, Stokes was reacquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Memphis Hustle (2019)

On January 1, 2019, Stokes was signed to a two-way contract by the Memphis Grizzlies, to split time with their G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle.

Xinjiang Flying Tigers (2019–2020)

On February 12, 2019, Stokes was reported to have signed with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the

. He debuted with the Flying Tigers on the same day, making a double-double with 30 points, 19 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal in a 120–115 victory over 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 Fe ...

. In July 2019, Stokes returned for the 2019 NBA Summer League to play for 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 ...

. On July 23, 2024, Stokes signed with the Goyang Sono Skygunners of the

Korean Basketball League The Korean Basketball League () or simply KBL is a professional men's basketball league in South Korea which was established in 1997. The league consists of ten teams and each team plays a total of 54 games (27 home and 27 away) in the regular s ...

(KBL). However, Stoke violated the contract by not entering South Korea to join the team on the scheduled date. On September 14, his contract was terminated and replaced by D. J. Burns. On September 19, Stokes was banned from KBL for following two seasons.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 19 , , 2 , , 6.6 , , .568 , , .000 , , .536 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 2 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

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Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, 2 , , 0 , , 3.5 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .0 , , 1.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 28 , , 2 , , 5.4 , , .581 , , .000 , , .531 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , .3 , , .2 , , 2.4

Personal life

The son of Willie and Shunta Stokes, he majored in Communication Studies.

References

External links

Jarnell Stokes
at utsports.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stokes, Jarnell 1994 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in China American men's basketball players Basketball players from Memphis, Tennessee Centers (basketball) Denver Nuggets players Iowa Energy players Memphis Grizzlies players Memphis Hustle players Miami Heat players Power forwards Sioux Falls Skyforce players Tennessee Volunteers basketball players Utah Jazz draft picks Xinjiang Flying Tigers players Zhejiang Golden Bulls players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen