Jayden Amari Scrubb (born September 1, 2000) 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player for the
Lakeland Magic
The Lakeland Magic are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Lakeland, Florida, and are affiliated with the Orlando Magic. The Magic began play in the 2017–18 season and play their home games at the RP Fun ...
of the
NBA G 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 De ...
. 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 ...
2020 NBA draft
The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead conducted at ESPN's facilities in Bristol, Connecti ...
.
Early life
Scrubb grew up on the west end of
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana borde ...
. He grew up rooting for his hometown team, the
Louisville Cardinals
The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...
. His father described his hometown as "a tougher part of town, which some would consider
the hood
The Hood (Parker Robbins) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan, and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell, the character was introduced in his own self-titled limited seri ...
." Scrubb's family dynamics negatively affected his academics.
High school career
As a freshman, Scrubb attended Central High School in Louisville but was not allowed on the basketball team due to poor academic performance. He sometimes took medications because he believed he had a
learning disability
Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty (British English) is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficult ...
. In the summer after failing his freshman year, Scrubb studied to meet the minimum requirements to start his sophomore year. As a sophomore, he transferred from Central to the more esteemed Trinity High School, a
prep school
Preparatory school or prep school may refer to: Schools
*Preparatory school (United Kingdom), an independent school preparing children aged 8–13 for entry into fee-charging independent schools, usually public schools
*College-preparatory school, ...
in Louisville, on a need-based
voucher
A voucher is a bond of the redeemable transaction type which is worth a certain monetary value and which may be spent only for specific reasons or on specific goods. Examples include housing, travel, and food vouchers. The term voucher is also a ...
.
In his first basketball season at Trinity, Scrubb occasionally practiced with the
varsity team
In most English-speaking countries, varsity is an abbreviation of the word ''university''. In the United States and Canada, the term is mostly used in relation to sports teams.
Varsity in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, varsity team ...
but never played in games, as he had to sit out due to transfer rules. In his junior year, he enrolled in an alternative academic program at Trinity through which he joined smaller classes and made progress in school. Over the summer, he also claimed to grow from to . In his junior season, Scrubb averaged 16 points per game and was named Seventh Region Player of the Year by ''
The Courier-Journal
''The Courier-Journal'',
also known as the
''Louisville Courier Journal''
(and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''),
is the highest circulation newspaper in Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett and billed as "Part of the ''USA Today'' Ne ...
''. As a senior, he averaged 17.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Scrubb repeated as Seventh Region Player of the Year and was a finalist for the
Kentucky Mr. Basketball
The Kentucky Mr. Basketball honor recognizes the top high school senior basketball player in the state of Kentucky. The first Kentucky Mr. Basketball was "King" Kelly Coleman of Wayland High School in 1956. The winner of the Mr. Basketball award w ...
award.
College career
On April 11, 2018, Scrubb signed to play
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
John A. Logan College
John A. Logan College is a public community college in Carterville, Illinois. It is part of the Illinois Community College System. As of 2016, it had a total enrollment of 4,424 students: 1,990 full- and 2,434 part-time.junior college in
Carterville, Illinois
Carterville is a city in Williamson County, Illinois, United States. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 5,848. The city is part of the Carbondale-Marion combined statistical area and has grown considerably as a residential community o ...
. He joined a junior college team because he was academically ineligible for an
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...
scholarship, although he had intentions of later transferring to a Division I program. Scrubb made his college debut on November 1, 2018, scoring 12 points in a 106–81 win over Motlow State. On December 8, he scored 25 points and a season-high 20 rebounds in a 99–69 victory over
Southeastern Illinois College
Southeastern Illinois College is a public community college between Harrisburg and Equality in Saline County, Illinois. The college was founded in 1960 and offers associate degrees. A secondary campus, the David L. Stanley White County Center, ...
. Scrubb, on January 16, posted a season-best 40 points and 13 rebounds in a 105–93 win over
Rend Lake College
Rend Lake College (RLC) is a public community college in Ina, Illinois. It is part of the Illinois Community College System (ICCS).
History
Rend Lake College was founded in 1955 as Mt. Vernon Community College to allow students from High Schoo ...
. He finished the season averaging 20.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game, shooting 46 percent from three-point range. Scrubb was named
National Junior College Athletic Association
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...
(NJCAA) Region 24 Player of the Year and Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC) Freshman of the Year. He also earned first-team NJCAA Division I All-American honors.
Scrubb parlayed his freshman success at John A. Logan into offers from many NCAA Division I programs, including
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
,
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
, and
Texas Tech
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas ...
. He was ranked as the number one junior college recruit in his class after his first season. On September 28, 2019, Scrubb committed to play for Louisville following an additional year at John A. Logan. On November 1, 2019, in his sophomore season opener, Scrubb scored 13 points and battled foul trouble in an upset loss to
Otero Junior College
Otero College is a public community college in La Junta, Colorado.
History
Otero College was established in 1941 and was named La Junta Junior College. Which was operated by the school district. In 1949, an election was held to consider proposa ...
. On December 6, it was announced that he had been suspended indefinitely after returning to campus late after
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...
break. As a sophomore, Scrubb averaged 21.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game. After the season, he was named the NABC NJCAA Division I Player of the Year and repeated as a first-team NJCAA Division I All-American, while being named GRAC Player of the Year. On March 25, 2020, Scrubb declared for the
2020 NBA draft
The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead conducted at ESPN's facilities in Bristol, Connecti ...
while maintaining his eligibility and did not immediately sign with an agent. On April 9, he announced that he would sign with an agent and forgo his remaining college basketball eligibility.
Professional career
Los Angeles Clippers (2020–2022)
On November 18, 2020, Scrubb was drafted by 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. T ...
with the 55th overall pick in the
2020 NBA draft
The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead conducted at ESPN's facilities in Bristol, Connecti ...
. He was subsequently traded to the
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
. He become the first JUCO player to be drafted since
Donta Smith
Donta Lamont Smith (born November 27, 1983) is an American-Venezuelan professional basketball player for Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. Playing for Maccabi Haifa, he was named the 2014 Israeli Basketball Premier Leag ...
in 2004. On November 23, Scrubb signed a two-way contract with the Clippers.
On February 9, 2022, the Clippers announced that Scrubb would undergo season-ending surgery to repair the plantar plate in his right foot. He was waived on July 27, 2022.
Lakeland Magic (2022–present)
On November 3, 2022, Scrubb was named to the opening night roster for the
Lakeland Magic
The Lakeland Magic are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Lakeland, Florida, and are affiliated with the Orlando Magic. The Magic began play in the 2017–18 season and play their home games at the RP Fun ...
L.A. Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division in the league's Western C ...
L.A. Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division in the league's Western C ...
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
, style="text-align:left;",
L.A. Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division in the league's Western C ...
John A. Logan
John Alexander Logan (February 9, 1826 – December 26, 1886) was an American soldier and politician. He served in the Mexican–American War and was a general in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He served the state of Illinois as a sta ...
John A. Logan
John Alexander Logan (February 9, 1826 – December 26, 1886) was an American soldier and politician. He served in the Mexican–American War and was a general in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He served the state of Illinois as a sta ...