Zylan Cheatham

Zylan Cheatham

Cheatham with the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2019
No. 45–Nagoya Diamond Dolphins
Position	Power forward
Personal information
Born	(1995-11-17) November 17, 1995 (age 28) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Listed height	203 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Listed weight	105 kg (231 lb)
Career information
High school	St. Mary's (Phoenix, Arizona) Westwind Preparatory (Phoenix, Arizona) South Mountain (Phoenix, Arizona)
College	San Diego State (2015–2017) Arizona State (2018–2019)
NBA draft	2019: undrafted
Playing career	2019–present
Career history
2019–2020	New Orleans Pelicans
2019–2020	→ Erie BayHawks
2021	Iowa Wolves
2021–2022	Birmingham Squadron
2022	Utah Jazz
2022	→ Salt Lake City Stars
2022–2023	Birmingham Squadron
2023	Bayern Munich
2023–2024	New Zealand Breakers
2024–present	Nagoya Diamond Dolphins
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-Pac-12 (2019) Pac-12 All-Defensive Team (2019)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals Men's basketball Representing   United States FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Brazil

Zylan Anthony Cheatham (born November 17, 1995) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins of the B.League. He played college basketball for the San Diego State Aztecs and the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Early life and high school

Cheatham grew up in South Phoenix and initially attended St. Mary's High School. He transferred to South Mountain High School after his freshman year, playing basketball there for two seasons before transferring to Westwind Preparatory Academy. ^[1] Cheatham transferred back to South Mountain after learning the school did not meet the NCAA's academic standards and retook all of his junior courses simultaneously with his senior courseload in order to graduate on time. ^[2] Ranked a consensus four star and top 100 recruit, Cheatham committed to San Diego State over offers from Arizona State, New Mexico, Georgetown, Miami and Utah. ^[3]

College career

San Diego State Aztecs (2015–2017)

Cheatham spent three seasons as a member of the San Diego State Aztecs, redshirting his freshman season after breaking the fifth metatarsal in his left foot. ^[4] As a redshirt freshman, he averaged 7.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. ^[5] In his redshirt sophomore season, Cheatham averaged 9.1 points and 6.3 rebounds and was named honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2016 Diamond Head Classic after averaging 15.7 points and 9.3 rebounds over four games as the Aztecs won the mid-season tournament. ^[6] Following the season, Cheatham announced that he would be leaving the program. ^[7]

Arizona State Sun Devils (2018–2019)

Cheatham transferred to Arizona State University for his final season of NCAA eligibility, citing a desire to play closer to home. ^[1] He averaged 12.2 points and a Pac-12 Conference-leading 10.3 rebounds per game and was named first-team All-Pac-12 and to the conference's All-Defensive team in his redshirt senior season. ^[8] He was named Pac-12 player of the week on December 3, 2018, following the second triple double in ASU history after recording 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in an 83–71 win over Texas. ^[9]

Professional career

New Orleans Pelicans (2019–2020)

Cheatham participated in the NBA G League Elite Camp and worked out for several teams before the 2019 NBA draft, but was not selected in the draft. ^[10] He participated in the 2019 NBA Summer League as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans roster, averaging 5.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in six games. Cheatham signed a two-way contract with the Pelicans on July 24, 2019. ^[11] Cheatham made his NBA debut on November 16, 2019, in a 109–94 loss against the Miami Heat, scoring two points with three rebounds and an assist in 14 minutes of play. ^[12]

Iowa Wolves (2021)

Cheatham was acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a four-team trade on November 24, 2020, and his two-way contract was converted to a standard NBA contract. ^{[13] [14]} However, they waived him on December 2. ^[15]

On December 18, 2020, Cheatham signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, ^[16] but was waived at the conclusion of training camp. ^[17] He played the season for the Iowa Wolves. ^[18]

Birmingham Squadron (2021–2022)

On September 24, 2021, Cheatham re-signed with the New Orleans Pelicans. ^[19] However, he was waived on October 9. ^[20] On October 25, he signed with the Birmingham Squadron. ^[21] In 13 games, he averaged 14.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.15 steals and 30.6 minutes while shooting 48.7 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from three-point range and 80.6 percent from the foul line. ^[22]

On December 21, 2021, Cheatham signed a 10-day contract with the Miami Heat using the COVID-related hardship allowance, ^[22] but was placed in the COVID-19 protocols. ^[22] Cheatham did not appear in any games for the Heat during his tenure.

On January 3, 2022, Cheatham was re-acquired by the Squadron. ^[23]

Utah Jazz (2022)

On January 12, 2022, Cheatham signed a 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz. ^[24] Cheatham appeared in one game for the Jazz. With a couple of days left on his contract, he was assigned to the Jazz's G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, where he made his debut on January 21 before his contract expired.

Return to Birmingham (2022–2023)

Cheatham was re-acquired by the Birmingham Squadron on January 24, 2022. ^[25]

On February 4, Cheatham signed a 10-day hardship contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. ^[26] However, he didn't play a game for the team. On February 14, Cheatham was reacquired by the Squadron. ^[27]

Cheatham joined the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2022 NBA Summer League. ^[28] He re-joined the Squadron for the 2022–23 season. On February 28, 2023, Cheatham was bought out by the Birmingham Squadron. ^[29]

Bayern Munich (2023)

On March 1, 2023, Cheatham signed with Bayern Munich of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. ^[30]

New Zealand Breakers (2023–2024)

On July 18, 2023, Cheatham signed with the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League (NBL) for the 2023–24 season. ^{[31] [32]} On October 27, 2023, he was ruled out for six to eight weeks with a fractured foot. ^[33] He returned to active status with the Breakers in late December, 2023. ^[34]

Nagoya Diamond Dolphins(2024-present)

On August 1, 2024, Cheatham signed with Nagoya Diamond Dolphins of the B.League. ^[35]

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
2019–20	New Orleans	4	0	12.8	.667	.000	–	2.3	.8	.3	.3	3.0
2021–22	Utah	1	0	5.0	.000	.000	–	.0	.0	.0	.0	.0
Career		5	0	11.2	.500	.000	–	1.8	.6	.2	.2	2.4

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2015–16	San Diego State	38	26	20.8	.528	.176	.716	5.4	.9	.6	.7	7.9
2016–17	San Diego State	31	22	23.4	.519	.167	.756	6.3	1.4	1.1	.6	9.1
2018–19	Arizona State	34	34	32.4	.534	.440	.618	10.3	3.2	.8	.8	12.1
Career		103	82	25.4	.528	.296	.687	7.3	1.8	.8	.7	9.7

References

1. Gardner, Michelle (November 4, 2018). "Zylan Cheatham ready to lead hometown ASU back to prominence". The Arizona Republic . Retrieved July 27, 2019.
2. Jones, Kaelen (June 19, 2019). "Zylan Cheatham Is the NBA Draft's Hidden Gem". The Crossover. SI.com . Retrieved July 28, 2019.
3. Bain, Andrew (January 13, 2015). "San Diego State Basketball: 4-star freshman power forward Zylan Cheatham will redshirt this season". MWCConnection.com. SB Nation . Retrieved July 28, 2019.
4. Ortiz, Jenna (June 20, 2019). "Undrafted, ASU's Zylan Cheatham agrees to deal with New Orleans Pelicans". The Arizona Republic . Retrieved July 28, 2019.
5. Roberts, Andy (October 5, 2016). "San Diego State basketball preview". MWCConnection.com. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
6. Zeigler, Mark (April 14, 2017). "Zylan Cheatham to transfer from SDSU". The Morning Call . Retrieved July 28, 2019.
7. Goodman, Jeff (April 24, 2017). "San Diego State forward Zylan Cheatham transfers to Arizona State". ESPN.com . Retrieved July 27, 2019.
8. "Cheatham, Dort lead list of ASU players on 2018–19 All-Pac-12 teams". ArizonaSports.com . March 11, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
9. "ASU's Zylan Cheatham named Pac-12 Player of the Week". ArizonaSports.com . December 3, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
10. Sorenson, Eric (May 14, 2019). "Cheatham Happy With Elite Camp Performance". Sports360AZ.com. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
11. "Pelicans sign Cheatham and Gray to two-way contracts". NBA.com. July 24, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
12. Eichenhofer, Jim (November 17, 2019). "Behind the Numbers presented by HUB International: Warriors at Pelicans (11/17/19)". NBA.com. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
13. "Thunder Acquires George Hill, Zylan Cheatham, Josh Gray, Darius Miller, Kenrich Williams, One First and Two Second-Round Draft Picks and a Trade Exception". NBA.com. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
14. "Thunder's Zylan Cheatham: Shipped to Thunder". CBSSports.com. RotoWire. November 22, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
15. "Thunder Waives Zylan Cheatham". NBA.com. December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
16. "Timberwolves Sign Zylan Cheatham". NBA.com. December 19, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
17. "Timberwolves Waive Four Players". NBA.com. December 19, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
18. Burrell, Randi (January 25, 2021). "Wolves Announce 2021 Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
19. "Pelicans announce 2021 Training Camp information". NBA.com. September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
20. "Pelicans waive Cheatham and Harper, sign Banks and Hill". NBA.com. October 9, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
21. "Birmingham Squadron finalize roster for team's first training camp in Birmingham". NBA.com. October 25, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
22. "HEAT SIGN ZYLAN CHEATHAM". NBA.com. December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
23. "2021–22 NBA G League transactions". gleague.nba.com. January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
24. Miller, Ryan (January 12, 2022). "Jazz add Zylan Cheatham on 10-day hardship deal". KSL Sports. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
25. "Zylan Cheatham returns to the Birmingham Squadron". NBA.com. January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
26. "Pelicans sign Cheatham and Oni to 10-day contracts". NBA. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
27. "2021-22 NBA G League Transactions". gleague.nba.com. February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
28. "Milwaukee Bucks 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
29. "2022-23 NBA G League Transactions". gleague.nba.com. February 28, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
30. "Bayern registers Zylan Cheatham on the EuroLeague deadline". Eurohoops. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
31. "Maor: New Import Has A Special Level of Intensity". nzbreakers.basketball. July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
32. "Breakers lock in first import Zylan Cheatham ahead of NBL24". ESPN.com.au. June 20, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
33. "Breakers cop big injury blow". NBL.com.au. October 27, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
34. "Zylan Cheatham, Will McDowell-White back for NZ Breakers' NBL clash with Sydney Kings". www.nzherald.co.nz. December 19, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
35. "ザイラン・チータム選手 B.LEAGUE 2024-25 SEASON契約締結のお知らせ" (in Japanese). Nagoya Diamond Dolphins. August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.

External links

• San Diego State Aztecs bio
• Arizona State Sun Devils bio
• New Zealand NBL bio