Jaylen Bryce Clark (born October 13, 2001) 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 for the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

of the

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

(NBA). 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

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF ...

of the

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...

, earning national honors as both the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and

NABC Defensive Player of the Year The NABC Defensive Player of the Year is a college basketball award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to recognize the top men's defensive player in NCAA Division I competition. It has been given since 1987 a ...

as a junior in 2023, when he was also voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. A two-time Pac-12 All-Defensive Team selection, Clark was named second-team All-Pac-12 as well that year. He was selected by the Timberwolves in the second round of the

2023 NBA draft The 2023 NBA draft, the 77th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft, was held on June 22, 2023, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The draft consisted of 58 picks instead of the typical 60 for the second ...

Early life and high school career

Clark was born in

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...

. His father, who played one season of basketball at

Modesto Junior College Modesto Junior College (MJC) is a public community college in Modesto, California. It is part of Yosemite Community College District along with Columbia College. MJC, and Columbia College, belong to the California Community College system al ...

, was an elite perimeter defender. Clark attended Centennial High School in

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus or disease responsible for the COVID-19 ...

for three years before transferring to Etiwanda High in

Rancho Cucamonga Rancho Cucamonga was a Ranchos of California, Mexican land grant in present-day San Bernardino County, California, given in 1839 to the dedicated soldier, smuggler and politician Tiburcio Tapia by Mexican governor Juan Bautista Alvarado. The gra ...

for his

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 ...

year. Under Etiwanda coach David Kleckner, a defensive specialist, he developed into a

two-way player In sports that require a player to play on offense and defense (such as basketball and ice hockey), a two-way player refers to a player who excels at both. In sports where a player typically specializes on offense or defense (like American footb ...

who played unselfishly. Clark averaged 18.5 points, 6.4

rebounds '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 ...

and 2.7 assists per game at Etiwanda, and led the Eagles to the

CIF Southern Section The California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section (CIF-SS) is the governing body for high school athletics in most of Southern California and is the largest of the ten sections that comprise the California Interscholastic Federation (CI ...

Open Division regional finals. He signed a

national letter of intent The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a document used to indicate a student athlete's commitment to participating in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) colleges and universities in the United States. The NCAA Eligibility Center manag ...

to play with UCLA in 2020.

College career

In his

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

year at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

, in 2020–21, Clark was a reserve and averaged 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in nine minutes per game for the Bruins. He made the game-winning

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

in an 80–79 win over

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...

at home in

Pauley Pavilion Edwin W. Pauley Pavilion, commonly known as Pauley Pavilion, is an indoor arena located in the Westwood Village district of Los Angeles, California, on the campus of UCLA. It is home to the UCLA Bruins men's and women's basketball teams. Th ...

. In the 2021 NCAA tournament, UCLA unexpectedly advanced to the

Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...

. Clark helped lead a 14-point comeback in the

First Four The First Four is a play-in round of the NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments. It consists of two games contested between the four lowest-ranked teams in the field (usually the four lowest-ranked conference champions), an ...

with a

layup A layup in basketball is a two-point shot attempt made by leaping from below, "laying" the ball up near the basket, and using one hand to bounce it off the backboard and into the basket. The motion and one-handed reach distinguish it from a Jump ...

, a pair of assists, and an offensive rebound in an 86–80 overtime win over

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...

. He had a season-high nine rebounds in 18 minutes in an overtime victory over second-seeded

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

in the Sweet Sixteen. 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 ...

in 2021–22, Clark missed six games in January and February due to multiple

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

s. Playing off the bench, he was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team. He averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per game. In the nine games in which he played 20 or more minutes, Clark averaged 11.4 points and 5.6 rebounds. In February, during a three-game span versus

Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, and Arizona State, he averaged 19.7 points, making 3 of 8 on 3-pointers, and added 8.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals. According to UCLA head coach Mick Cronin, "With consistent minutes, you’re going to see him produce a lot more on the offensive end". Clark became a full-time starter in his junior year in 2022–23 after Johnny Juzang and

Jules Bernard Jules Liam Bernard (born January 21, 2000) is an American professional basketball for the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. High school career Bernard played basketball for Windward School ...

departed. In the Bruins' season opener, he scored 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting and had seven steals in a win over Sacramento State. In the regular season finale against

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, he suffered a right

Achilles tendon rupture Achilles tendon rupture is when the Achilles tendon, at the back of the ankle, breaks. Symptoms include the sudden onset of sharp pain in the heel. A snapping sound may be heard as the tendon breaks and walking becomes difficult. Rupture of the ...

and was ruled out for the 2023 Pac-12 tournament. The top-seeded Bruins advanced to the tournament finals, before losing 61–59 to No. 2-seed Arizona. UCLA, who was vying for a No. 1 seed in the 2023 NCAA tournament, received a No. 2 seed in the West Region, but Clark was ruled out for the season. He underwent surgery three days after the injury. The Bruins lost in the Sweet Sixteen to Gonzaga, with an injured Adem Bona also missing the game for UCLA. Clark averaged 2.6 steals per game during the season, which led the Pac-12 and ranked fourth in the nation. One of the top defensive players in the country, he won the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award, and the

National Association of Basketball Coaches The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the men's basketball head coach for the Univ ...

named him their defensive player of the year. Voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, he was selected again to the conference's all-defensive team, and was also named second-team All-Pac-12. Clark significantly improved on offense and became UCLA's second-leading scorer. He nearly doubled his scoring from the previous season, averaging 13.0 points, six rebounds and 1.9 assists in 30.5 minutes over 30 games. After the season, he declared for the NBA draft. The timetable for his recovery was estimated to be 8–10 months.

Professional career

Minnesota Timberwolves (2023–present)

Clark was selected by the

in the second round of the

with the 53rd overall pick. On July 7, 2023, he signed a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless o ...

with the Timberwolves, and aimed to return to play around the middle or late in the season. On March 28, 2024, he was transferred to the

Iowa Wolves The Iowa Wolves are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Des Moines, Iowa, and are affiliated with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves play their home games at the Wells Fargo Arena and compete in the Western ...

of the

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

for rehab. Clark played in the

2024 NBA Summer League The 2024 NBA Summer League (branded as ''NBA 2K25'' Summer League 2024 for sponsorship reasons) was an off-season competition held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) primarily at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas ...

, his first games since he tore his Achilles. On February 27, 2025, the Timberwolves announced that they had signed Clark to a standard two-year contract.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, 40 , , 4 , , 13.1 , , .467 , , .431 , , .784 , , 1.3 , , 0.7 , , .9 , , .1 , , 4.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 40 , , 4 , , 13.1 , , .467 , , .431 , , .784 , , 1.3 , , 0.7 , , .9 , , .1 , , 4.1

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 5.6 , , .800 , , .000 , , .750 , , 1.4 , , 0.2 , , .4 , , .0 , , 2.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 5 , , 0 , , 5.6 , , .800 , , .000 , , .750 , , 1.4 , , 0.2 , , .4 , , .0 , , 2.2

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , style="text-align:left;",

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, 31 , , 0 , , 9.0 , , .500 , , .200 , , .750 , , 2.4 , , .2 , , .1 , , .2 , , 2.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , style="text-align:left;",

, 29 , , 6 , , 18.1 , , .506 , , .259 , , .542 , , 3.8 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2022–23 , style="text-align:left;",

, 30 , , 29 , , 30.5 , , .481 , , .329 , , .698 , , 6.0 , , 1.9 , , 2.6 , , .3 , , 13.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 90 , , 35 , , 19.1 , , .490 , , .302 , , .661 , , 4.1 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 7.4 Source:

References

External links

*
UCLA Bruins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Jaylen 2001 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen American men's basketball players Basketball players from Riverside, California Centennial High School (Corona, California) alumni Etiwanda High School alumni Iowa Wolves players Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks Minnesota Timberwolves players Shooting guards UCLA Bruins men's basketball players