Jordan Walker | |
Position: | Point guard |
Height Ft: | 5 |
Height In: | 11 |
Weight Lbs: | 170 |
League: | National Basketball League |
Team: | Hong Kong Bulls |
Number: | 2 |
Birth Date: | 11 August 1999 |
Birth Place: | Long Island, New York, U.S. |
High School: | |
College: |
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Draft Year: | 2023 |
Career Start: | 2023 |
Years1: | 2023–2024 |
Team1: | Texas Legends |
Years2: | 2024 |
Team2: | Osos de Manatí |
Years3: | 2024–present |
Team3: | Hong Kong Bulls |
Highlights: |
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Jordan "Jelly" Walker (born August 11, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Hong Kong Bulls of the National Basketball League. He played college basketball for the Seton Hall Pirates, Tulane Green Wave and UAB Blazers.
Walker grew up in Port Washington, New York. He began his high school career at Long Island Lutheran High School. Dissatisfied with the lack of playing time there, he transferred to The Patrick School after his sophomore year. Walker averaged 9.7 points per game for the Celics as a junior.[1] As a senior, he averaged 11.9 points and 4.8 assists per game, leading the team to a 29–4 record and earning First Team All-State honors from NJHoops.com.[2] Walker posted a 31-point, seven-assist performance against Linden High School and helped The Patrick School win the Tournament of Champions.
Walker considered doing a postgraduate season at Montverde Academy, but ultimately remained in the Class of 2017. He committed to playing college basketball for Seton Hall, choosing the Pirates over California, Pittsburgh and UMass.[3]
At Seton Hall, Walker missed several weeks with torn ligaments in his hand as a freshman and averaged 1.8 points per game. Following the season, he transferred to Tulane.[4]
After sitting out a transfer season, Walker averaged eight points, 2.2 rebounds and two assists per game as a redshirt sophomore.[5] As a redshirt junior, he averaged 13 points, 4.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game.[6]
Following the 2020–21 season, Walker transferred to UAB.[7] On February 5, 2022, he scored a UAB program record 42 points in a 97–75 victory over Middle Tennessee State.[8] Walker was named Conference USA Player of the Year as well as Newcomer of the Year. He is the second UAB player to earn Conference USA Player of the Year honors, alongside Aaron Johnson, in 2011.[9] On April 11, 2022, Walker declared for the 2022 NBA draft, while maintaining his college eligibility.[10] On May 12, 2022, Walker withdrew his name from NBA draft consideration. He returned to UAB for the 2022–23 season.[11]
After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, Walker joined the Dallas Mavericks for the 2023 NBA Summer League. On August 14, 2023, he signed with the Mavericks,[12] but was waived on October 14.[13] On October 29, he joined the Texas Legends.[14] He averaged 20.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.2 steals and scored 41.3% of his three-point shots.[15]
On March 29, 2024, Walker signed with the Osos de Manatí of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. However, he was waived on April 16 after suffering an injury.[16]
|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2017–18| style="text-align:left;"| Seton Hall| 17 || 0 || 7.2 || .323 || .316 || .417 || .5 || .9 || .4 || .1 || 1.8|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19| style="text-align:left;"| Tulane| style="text-align:center;" colspan="11"| Redshirt|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20| style="text-align:left;"| Tulane| 30 || 22 || 25.9 || .405 || .375 || .740 || 2.2 || 2.0 || 1.7 || .0 || 8.0|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21| style="text-align:left;"| Tulane| 23 || 23 || 33.5 || .398 || .326 || .826 || 2.0 || 4.3 || 1.7 || .0 || 13.0|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22| style="text-align:left;"| UAB| 34 || 34 || 31.8 || .400 || .396 || .88 || 2.8 || 4.9 || 1.5 || .0 || 20.3|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 104 || 79 || 26.4 || .398 || .376 || .822 || 2.1 || 3.3 || 1.4 || .0 || 12.1
Walker earned the nickname "Jelly" after he joined the Jelly Fam collective,[17] a basketball movement founded by Isaiah Washington centered on finger roll layups.[18]