Jaylon Tyson

Last updated
Jaylon Tyson
No. 20Cleveland Cavaliers
Position Small forward / shooting guard
League NBA
Personal information
Born (2002-12-02) December 2, 2002 (age 22)
Allen, Texas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school John Paul II (Plano, Texas)
College
NBA draft 2024: 1st round, 20th overall pick
Drafted by Cleveland Cavaliers
Playing career2024–present
Career history
2024–present Cleveland Cavaliers
2024–2025 Cleveland Charge
Career highlights
Stats at NBA.com  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Stats at Basketball Reference   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Jaylon La Rone Tyson (born December 2, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns, the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and the California Golden Bears. He was drafted with the 20th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Contents

Early life and high school career

Tyson was born on December 2, 2002, and grew up in Plano, Texas. [1] He attended John Paul II High School in Plano and helped the team win their first state championship in his junior year, during which he averaged 23.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. [2]

Tyson then helped them reach the state semifinals with a 26–2 record as a senior, being named the district most valuable player and a first-team all-state selection while averaging 22.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game. [2] Ranked the 34th-best recruit in the 2021 class by Rivals, he committed to playing college basketball for Texas after having flipped from Texas Tech. [3] [4]

College career

In his first year at Texas in the 2021–22 season, Tyson appeared in eight games, averaging 6.9 minutes and 1.8 points per game. [5] He then entered the NCAA transfer portal. [5] Tyson ultimately committed to play for Texas Tech, whom he had previously committed to play for in high school before flipping to Texas. [6]

Tyson started 31 games for Texas Tech in 2022–23, the third-most on the team, and averaged 10.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. [7] He ranked eighth in the Big 12 Conference for rebounds. [8] He entered the transfer portal for a second time after the season, citing “racist” comments made by head coach Mark Adams, who was later suspended and resigned. Mark Adams did not deny that racially insensitive comments were made, but did say the comments were linked to a Bible verse. [9] [10] He committed to the California Golden Bears. [11]

In October 2023, the NCAA initially denied Tyson's eligibility waiver for being a two-time transfer, despite Tyson alleging discrimination, which the NCAA rules mentioned as valid criteria for an eligibility waiver. Once again, the comment in question was a direct quote from the Bible. [10] He eventually was granted eligibility on November 9 and entered the team's starting lineup. [12]

Professional career

Cleveland Cavaliers / Charge (2024–present)

On June 26, 2024, Tyson was selected with the 20th overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2024 NBA draft, [13] and on July 3, he officially signed with the Cavs. [14] Throughout his rookie season, was assigned several times to the Cleveland Charge. [15]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames 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

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2024–25 Cleveland 4739.6.430.345.7922.0.9.3.13.6
Career4739.6.430.345.7922.0.9.3.13.6

Playoffs

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2025 Cleveland 407.8.467.556.8331.81.8.5.36.0
Career407.8.467.556.8331.81.8.5.36.0

College

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2021–22 Texas 806.9.400.000.6671.1.4.5.31.8
2022–23 Texas Tech 313128.9.483.402.7236.11.31.4.410.7
2023–24 California 313034.3.465.360.7966.83.51.2.519.6
Career706128.7.470.372.7765.82.21.2.413.6

Personal life

Tyson’s older brother Berron played college football at South Alabama, where he now serves as a strength and conditioning coach, while his younger brother Jordyn currently plays wide receiver for Arizona State. [16] [17] His father John Tyson played football at Florida A&M. [18]

References

  1. "Jaylon Tyson". California Golden Bears.
  2. 1 2 Galatzan, Matt (January 9, 2022). "Longhorns Freshman Jaylon Tyson Commits To Texas Tech". Sports Illustrated .
  3. Davis, Brian (April 14, 2021). "Once signed with Texas Tech, F Jaylon Tyson changes course, signs with Texas". Austin American-Statesman .
  4. Curtis, Jake (May 8, 2023). "Cal Basketball Adds Texas Tech Transfer Jaylon Tyson". Sports Illustrated .
  5. 1 2 Davis, Brian (December 27, 2021). "Freshman Jaylon Tyson followed Beard to Texas, now he's transferring after eight games". Austin American-Statesman .
  6. Silva Jr., Carlos (January 9, 2022). "Former four-star prospect Jaylon Tyson decides to return to Texas Tech". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal .
  7. Kroichick, Ron (November 12, 2023). "'On top of the world': Cal's Jaylon Tyson leaves Texas Tech trauma behind" . San Francisco Chronicle .
  8. Moore, CJ; Vecenie, Sam; Bass, Tobias (May 8, 2023). "Former Texas Tech wing Jaylon Tyson transferring to Cal: What he brings to the Bears" . The Athletic .{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. "Tech's Tyson bound for transfer portal, according to report". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal . April 16, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Sweeney, Kevin (October 27, 2023). "Jaylon Tyson's Case Is the Latest in NCAA's Crackdown on Second-Time Transfers". Sports Illustrated .
  11. "Former Texas Tech, Texas forward Jaylon Tyson to transfer to Cal, reports say" . The Dallas Morning News . May 8, 2023.
  12. Faraudo, Jeff (November 9, 2023). "Cal Bears basketball gets huge boost after NCAA approves Texas Tech star's eligibility waiver" . The Mercury News .
  13. "Cavaliers Select Jaylon Tyson with 20th Overall Pick in 2024 NBA Draft". NBA.com. June 27, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  14. "Cavaliers Sign 2024 Draft Pick Jaylon Tyson". NBA.com. July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  15. "2024-2025 Cleveland Charge Transaction History". RealGM.com. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  16. Bedore, Gary (April 28, 2023). "Once committed to Duke, 5-star basketball forward now considering KU Jayhawks, others" . The Kansas City Star .
  17. "Jaylon Tyson | Cleveland Cavaliers". www.nba.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  18. Stanley, Logan. "Hines Ward on ASU WR Jordyn Tyson: 'We haven't scratched the surface'". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2024-11-21.