Nae'Qwan Tomlin

Last updated
Nae'Qwan Tomlin
Nae'Quan Tomlin Dec 2022.png
Tomlin with the Kansas State Wildcats in 2022
No. 35Cleveland Cavaliers
Position Power forward
League NBA
Personal information
Born (2000-12-19) December 19, 2000 (age 25)
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolUrban Assembly
(New York City, New York)
College
NBA draft 2024: undrafted
Playing career2024–present
Career history
2024–2025 Cleveland Charge
2025–present Cleveland Cavaliers
2025–present→Cleveland Charge
Stats at NBA.com  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Stats at Basketball Reference   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Nae'Qwan Tomlin (born December 19, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Monroe CC Tribunes, Chipola Indians, Kansas State Wildcats and the Memphis Tigers.

Contents

Early life

Tomlin was born in Brooklyn, New York. [1] He moved to Harlem with his mother, Aisha Ismael, when he was aged 10. [1] Tomlin became a fan of basketball through his mother who watched games on television. [1]

Tomlin attended Urban Assembly High School in New York City. [1] He did not take his academics seriously and poor grades prevented him from making the basketball team during his only attempt as a senior. [1]

Tomlin played at Rucker Park where he played in a prep league and was noticed by Torrell Harris, the father of basketball player Tobias Harris. [1] Harris sent Tomlin to San Antonio so he could attend Strength N Motion International, a prep school led by George Gervin. [1] Tomlin learnt fundamental basketball skills and guidance from Gervin. [1] Harris then helped Tomlin to enrol at Monroe Community College in New York. [1]

College career

Tomlin played for the Monroe CC Tribunes during the 2019–20 season for what was his first stint of organized basketball. [1] He averaged 13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. [1] Tomlin then played for the Chipola Indians from 2020 to 2022 and led the team to a combined 53–11 record. [1]

Afterwards, Tomlin transferred to the Kansas State Wildcats, helping the team advance to the Elite Eight in 2023. On December 6, 2023, Tomlin was dismissed from Kansas State after being suspended indefinitely following an arrest for disorderly conduct. [1] [2] In his final season, he transferred mid-season to the Memphis Tigers, playing 21 games and averaging 14 points and 6 rebounds, the latter the second most on the team. [3]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Tomlin joined the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2024 NBA Summer League. [4] On September 24, 2024, he signed with the Cavaliers [3] [5] but was waived that same day. [6] On October 26, he joined the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League. [7]

On February 20, 2025, Tomlin signed with the Cavaliers on a 10-day contract. [8] On March 2, the Cavaliers signed him to a two-way contract. [9]

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 5112.6.406.200.4384.2.4.0.27.2
Career5112.6.406.200.4384.2.4.0.27.2

College

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2022–23 Kansas State 363627.3.500.275.7385.91.21.21.010.4
2023–24 Memphis 211126.9.601.396.7746.0.7.81.114.0
Career574727.1.539.328.7535.91.01.01.011.8

Personal life

Tomlin is the son of Aisha Ishmael and has two siblings. He majored in social transformation studies. [10] [11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Spears, Marc J. (January 28, 2026). "Inside Nae'Qwan Tomlin's unique path to the Cleveland Cavaliers". Andscape. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  2. Green, PJ (2023-12-07). "Nae'Qwan Tomlin dismissed from K-State basketball". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  3. 1 2 Hilliard, Caleb (June 29, 2024). "Nae'Qwan Tomlin Inks Contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers". LocalMemphis.com. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  4. "Cavaliers Announce 2024 Summer League Roster". NBA.com. July 5, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  5. Gauruder, Dana (September 23, 2024). "Cavs Adding Four Players To Fortify Camp Roster". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  6. Gauruder, Dana (September 24, 2024). "Hornets' Soriano, Pelicans' Robinson, Two Cavs Among Tuesday's Cuts". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  7. "Cleveland Charge 2024 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 26, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  8. "Cavaliers Sign Nae'Qwan Tomlin to 10-Day Contract". Cleveland Cavaliers. February 20, 2025. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
  9. "Cavaliers Sign Nae'Qwan Tomlin to Two-Way Contract". Cleveland Cavaliers. March 2, 2025. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
  10. "Nae'Qwan Tomlin - 2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster". KStateSports.com. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  11. "Nae'Qwan Tomlin - 2023-24 Men's Basketball Roster". GoTigersGo.com. Retrieved January 4, 2025.