Nicolas Devir Claxton (born April 17, 1999) 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

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...

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

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

. Claxton was selected by the Nets with the 31st overall pick in the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible p ...

High school career

Claxton attended Legacy Charter School in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...

. In his senior season, he averaged 17.4 points,7.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game and became the fourth player in school history to record 1,000 career points. Claxton was a three-star

recruit Recruit may refer to: Military * Military recruitment * Recruit training, in the military * '' Rekrut'' (English: Recruit), a military recruit or low rank in German-speaking countries * Seaman recruit Ships * HMS ''Recruit'', several ships of ...

and chose to play for

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

over Baylor,

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina sy ...

, and

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 ...

Professional career

Brooklyn Nets (2019–present)

Early years and limited role (2019–2021)

On June 20, 2019, Claxton was selected with the 31st overall pick in the

by the

. On July 7, the Nets announced that they had signed Claxton. He made his NBA debut on November 8, recording eight points and six rebounds in a 119–115 win over 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 ...

. Claxton suffered a hamstring injury in January 2020 and was assigned to the Nets'

NBA 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 ...

affiliate, the

Long Island Nets The Long Island Nets are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Uniondale, New York, and are affiliated with the Brooklyn Nets. The team plays its home games at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Nassau County ...

, on January 10, 2020. On January 20, he scored a season-high 15 points, alongside four rebounds and two assists, in a 117–111 loss 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 ...

. On June 24, the Nets announced that Claxton had undergone successful arthroscopic labrum repair surgery on his left shoulder and was expected to miss the remainder of the 2019–20 season. Heading to the 2020–21 season the Nets traded center

Jarrett Allen Jarrett Allen (born April 21, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns and was selected 22nd overall by th ...

to create more minutes for Claxton. On May 12, 2021, Claxton scored a season-high 18 points, alongside five rebounds and two blocks, in a 128–116 win over 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 ...

. During the playoffs, the Nets faced the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

in the first round. Claxton made his playoff debut on May 22, recording six points and five rebounds in a 104–93 Game 1 win. The Nets ended up winning the series in five games, but lost to the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in seven games during the second round.

Emerging as a defensive star and increase production (2021–present)

In the off-season the Nets traded starting center

DeAndre Jordan Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. (born July 21, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball ...

to the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

and named Claxton as their main starting center. On February 2, 2022, Claxton scored a season-high 23 points, alongside eleven rebounds and five blocks, in a 112–101 loss to the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

. In a rematch of last year's series, the Nets faced the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. The Nets were eliminated in four games, with Claxton averaging 10.5 points and 2.3 blocks per game. On July 7, 2022, Claxton re-signed with the Nets on a two-year, $20 million contract. He was the Nets' starting center entering the 2021–22 season. On January 26, 2023, Claxton scored a career-high 27 points, alongside 13 rebounds and two blocks, in a 130–122 loss to the

. He ended the year leading the league in field goal percentage at 70.5%, averaged 2.5 blocks per game, 2nd behind

Defensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY or DPOTY) is the name of an award given in sports for outstanding defensive play by a single player over the course of a season. Many sports leagues award this type of award. League awards for Defensive Player o ...

winner Jaren Jackson Jr., and finished 9th in DPOY voting. On July 6, 2024, Claxton re-signed with the Nets on a reported four-year, $100 million contract. On October 23, 2024, during the Nets season opener against the

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

, Claxton was ejected clotheslining Hawks guard Dyson Daniels after receiving a flagrant 2 foul which resulted in a scuffle. On December 19, 2024, during a 101-94 win against the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

, Claxton was ejected again in the second quarter for throwing the into the stands. Two days later, Claxton was fined $25,000 for his actions.

National team career

In 2014, Claxton played for the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...

at the Centrobasket Under-15 Championship in

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

, averaging a

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the ter ...

of 10.6 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. He made another appearance for the U.S. Virgin Islands at the 2015 Centrobasket Under-17 Championship in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

, where he averaged 11 points and eight rebounds per game. Claxton competed at the

2016 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship The 2016 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship for Men was an international basketball competition that was held in Valdivia, Chile from July 19–23, 2016. It was the tenth edition of the championship, and was the FIBA Americas qualifying tournam ...

Valdivia Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder, Pedro de Valdivia, and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and ...

, Chile. He averaged a team-high 12 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, leading his team to seventh place. In the summer of 2018, Claxton joined the senior Virgin Islands national team at qualifying competition for the

2019 FIBA World Cup The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams, held from 31 August to 15 September 2019. The tournament was hosted in China and was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019, b ...

. Claxton is eligible for the U.S. Virgin Islands team because his father, Charles, was born in St. Thomas.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, 15 , , 0 , , 12.5 , , .563 , , .143 , , .524 , , 2.9 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , .5 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 1 , , 18.6 , , .621 , , .200 , , .484 , , 5.2 , , .9 , , .7 , , 1.3 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 47 , , 19 , , 20.7 , , .674 , , , , .581 , , 5.6 , , .9 , , .5 , , 1.1 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 76 , , 29.9 , , style="background:#cfecec;", .705* , , .000 , , .541 , , 9.2 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , 2.5 , , 12.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 71 , , 71 , , 29.8 , , .629 , , .200 , , .551 , , 9.9 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , 2.1 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 70 , , 62 , , 26.9 , , .563 , , .238 , , .513 , , 7.4 , , 2.2 , , .9 , , 1.4 , , 10.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 311 , , 229 , , 25.8 , , .636 , , .200 , , .537 , , 7.7 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , 1.7 , , 10.3

Playoffs

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

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

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, 12 , , 0 , , 10.8 , , .483 , , , , .667 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , 2.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

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

, 4 , , 0 , , 24.5 , , .792 , , , , .182 , , 6.3 , , 1.5 , , 1.3 , , 2.3 , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

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, 4 , , 4 , , 29.2 , , .720 , , , , .600 , , 8.0 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 1.8 , , 10.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 20 , , 4 , , 17.2 , , .654 , , , , .343 , , 4.5 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 1.4 , , 5.7

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 5 , , 14.7 , , .449 , , .364 , , .523 , , 3.9 , , .2 , , .2 , , 1.3 , , 3.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 32 , , 31.6 , , .460 , , .281 , , .641 , , 8.6 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , 2.5 , , 13.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 65 , , 37 , , 23.0 , , .457 , , .302 , , .611 , , 6.2 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 1.9 , , 8.4

Personal life

Claxton is the son of Charles Claxton, a U.S. Virgin Islands native who played college basketball for

and was briefly a member of the

in the

1995–96 NBA season The 1995–96 NBA season was the 50th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), though the 50th anniversary was not celebrated until the following season. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Fina ...

. Nic's younger brother, Chase Claxton, plays Division I basketball for the

Winthrop Eagles The Winthrop Eagles are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams that represent Winthrop University, located in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Winthrop's 17 men's and women's teams compete at the National Collegiate ...

References

External links

Georgia Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Claxton, Nicolas 1999 births Living people American people of United States Virgin Islands descent Basketball players from Greenville, South Carolina American men's basketball players United States Virgin Islands men's basketball players Brooklyn Nets draft picks Brooklyn Nets players Georgia Bulldogs basketball players Long Island Nets players Power forwards 21st-century American sportsmen

High school career

Professional career

Brooklyn Nets (2019–present)

Early years and limited role (2019–2021)

Emerging as a defensive star and increase production (2021–present)

National team career

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

Personal life

See also

References

External links