Paul Jesperson (born December 2, 1992) is an American former

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 who currently serves as the head of player development for 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 ...

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 for the

Northern Iowa Panthers The Northern Iowa Panthers are the athletic teams of the University of Northern Iowa. The university is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference and competes in NCAA Division I (Division I FCS in football). History The school's mascot is the ...

College career

Jesperson attended Merrill High School where he became the school's all-time leading scorer. Jesperson attended the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

for two years before transferring to the

University of Northern Iowa The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 90 majors across five colleges. The fall 2024 total enrollment was 9,283 students. The university was initially founded in 1 ...

. In an NCAA tournament game versus the sixth-seeded

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

, Jesperson hit a half-court buzzer beating shot to win the game. The shot was featured in the 2016 edition of One Shining Moment.

Freshman season

Jesperson averaged 10.5 minutes, 1.5 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.2 assists per game.

Sophomore season

Jesperson averaged 25.7 minutes, 4.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game.

Junior season

Jesperson averaged 18.2 minutes, 5.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game.

Senior season

Jesperson averaged 30.3 minutes, 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game. In the Round of 64, he made a buzzer beater from half court to beat Texas 75–72.

Professional career

After going undrafted in the

2016 NBA draft The 2016 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2016, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by ESPN, and was live streamed for the first time in NBA draft history by The Vertical. National Basketball Association (NBA) ...

, Jesperson signed with the

Rio Grande Valley Vipers The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won f ...

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, ...

on October 31, 2016. On November 15, he made his professional debut in a 152–128 win over the

Maine Red Claws The Maine Celtics are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo Building. The Boston Celtics pu ...

, playing two minutes off the bench. Seven days later, he was waived by the Vipers. On November 30, Jesperson signed with Spanish team

Oviedo CB Oviedo Club Baloncesto, also known as Alimerka Oviedo Baloncesto for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team based in Oviedo, Asturias, that plays in the Spanish LEB Oro league. History First years Oviedo CB was founded in 2004 t ...

until the end of the 2016–17 season. In January 2017, he won with the club the

Copa Princesa de Asturias The Copa Princesa de Asturias de Baloncesto ( English: ''Princess of Asturias' Cup of Basketball'') is an annual 2nd-tier level national cup competition for Spanish professional basketball teams, that is organized by Spain's 2nd-tier level profes ...

Coaching career

Valley Suns

On October 31, 2024, Jesperson was hired to be an assistant coach by the Valley Suns of the NBA G League.

Sacramento Kings

On May 30, 2025, the

hired Jesperson to serve as their head of player development.

References

External links

Northern Iowa Panthers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jesperson, Paul 1992 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Basketball players from Wisconsin Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball players Oviedo CB players People from Merrill, Wisconsin Rio Grande Valley Vipers players Shooting guards Valley Suns coaches Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball players