Craig Porter Jr.

Craig Porter Jr.

Porter with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2023
No. 9–Cleveland Cavaliers
Position	Point guard
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(2000-02-26) February 26, 2000 (age 25)
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school	South (Terre Haute, Indiana)
College	Vincennes (2018–2019) Wichita State (2020–2023)
NBA draft	2023: undrafted
Playing career	2023–present
Career history
2023–present	Cleveland Cavaliers
2024–2025	→Cleveland Charge
Career highlights
Third-team All-AAC (2023) NJCAA national champion (2019)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Craig Porter Jr. (born February 26, 2000) is an American basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Vincennes Trailblazers and the Wichita State Shockers.

Early life and high school career

Porter Jr. was born on February 26, 2000, and grew up in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he attended Terre Haute South Vigo High School. During high school, he was named to the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association's Senior All-State Team and lead his team to the 4A state quarterfinals.

College career

Vincennes

Porter Jr. started his collegiate career with the Vincennes Trailblazers, where he helped lead them to a combined 62–7 record over two seasons and a NJCAA national championship in 2019. ^[1] After two seasons with the Trailblazers, he committed to Wichita State. ^[2]

Wichita State

2020–21 season

In his first season with the Shockers, Porter Jr. played in 19 games, starting in two of them, where he averaged 2.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 12.9 minutes per game. ^[3] After the season he entered the transfer portal ^[4] but returned to the Shockers.

2021–22 season

In his second year at Wichita State, Porter Jr. played in 25 games, starting in 24, in which he averaged 7.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 26.9 minutes per game. ^[3] After the season, he entered his name into the transfer portal. ^[5] However Porter Jr. returned after two former Wichita State baseball players formed a name, image and likeness (NIL) collective called Armchair Strategies. ^[6]

2022–23 season

On February 26, 2023, Porter Jr. posted a triple double, recording 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, while also adding three steals in a 83–76 over Tulane. ^[7] He finished the season playing 31 games, starting in 30, putting up 13.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 33.6 minutes per game, ^[3] earning third-team All-AAC honors. ^[8] After the season, Porter Jr. announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility to declare for the NBA draft. ^[9]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, Porter Jr. signed a two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers on July 7, 2023. ^[10] On November 19, he recorded 21 points, four assists and four rebounds off the bench in a 121–109 win over the Denver Nuggets. ^[11] On February 14, 2024, Porter Jr. signed a standard contract with the Cavaliers, ^[12] being assigned several times to the Cleveland Charge throughout his rookie and sophomore seasons. ^{[13] [14]}

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2023–24	Cleveland	51	6	12.7	.509	.353	.732	2.1	2.3	.4	.3	5.6
2024–25	Cleveland	51	1	10.1	.514	.438	.719	1.3	1.4	.3	.3	3.7
Career		102	7	11.4	.511	.402	.727	1.7	1.9	.4	.3	4.6

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2025	Cleveland	6	0	5.8	.500	.000	—	1.0	1.5	.5	.3	2.0
Career		6	0	5.8	.500	.000	—	1.0	1.5	.5	.3	2.0

References

1. "Craig Porter Jr". Whicita State Athletics. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
2. Rocha, Taylor. "Junior-college point guard Craig Porter commits to Wichita State". KSN-TV. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
3. "Craig Porter Jr". Basketball Reference. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
4. Marty, Sean. "Craig Porter Jr. enters the transfer portal". The Sunflower. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
5. "Craig Porter Jr. becomes the latest Shocker in the portal". KAKE. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
6. Marty, Sean. "Craig Porter Jr. returns to WSU due to new NIL Collective". The Sunflower. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
7. "Porter's triple-double leads Wichita State past Tulane 83-76". AP News. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
8. Henderson, Matt. "Wichita State's Porter named to all-AAC third team". KWCH. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
9. "ROUNDUP: Craig Porter declares for NBA draft". Tribune-Star. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
10. Eldrige, Taylor (June 23, 2023). "Wichita State's Craig Porter Jr. agrees to two-way NBA contract with Cleveland Cavaliers". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
11. "Darius Garland, Craig Porter Jr. lead Cleveland Cavaliers to win over Denver Nuggets". Akron Beacon Journal. November 19, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
12. "Cavaliers Convert Craig Porter Jr. to Standard NBA Contract". NBA.com. February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
13. "2023-2024 Cleveland Charge Transaction History". RealGM.com. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
14. "2024-2025 Cleveland Charge Transaction History". RealGM.com. Retrieved December 27, 2024.

External links

• Wichita State Shockers bio