Jay Huff

James Matthew Huff (born August 25, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Virginia Cavaliers.

Jay Huff

Huff in February 2020
No. 30 – Memphis Grizzlies
Position	Center
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1997-08-25) August 25, 1997 (age 27) Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
Listed height	7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school	Voyager Academy (Durham, North Carolina)
College	Virginia (2017–2021)
NBA draft	2021: undrafted
Playing career	2021–present
Career history
2021–2022	Los Angeles Lakers
2021–2022	→South Bay Lakers
2022–2023	South Bay Lakers
2023	Washington Wizards
2023	→Capital City Go-Go
2023–2024	Denver Nuggets
2023–2024	→Grand Rapids Gold
2024–present	Memphis Grizzlies
Career highlights and awards
NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year (2023) All-NBA G League First Team (2023) NBA G League All-Defensive Team (2023) NBA G League blocks leader (2023) NCAA champion (2019) Second-team All-ACC (2021) ACC All-Defensive Team (2021)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

High school career

Huff was a four-year varsity basketball player for Voyager Academy in Durham, North Carolina, where he was coached by his father, Mike.^[1] On January 21, 2016, as a senior, he became his school's all-time leading scorer.^[2] Huff led his team to the Class 1A state title, earning most valuable player honors after recording a triple-double of 14 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks in the final.^[3] He finished the season averaging 16.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.^[4] A four-star recruit, Huff committed to play college basketball for Virginia.^[5]

College career

Huff redshirted his first year to improve his strength and weight. He gained about 30 pounds (14 kg) by the time his redshirt freshman season began.^[4] Huff averaged 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game as a freshman.^[6] On April 4, 2018, after his freshman season, it was announced that Huff would miss three to four months after undergoing surgery for a torn labrum.^[7] As a sophomore, he averaged 4.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per game on the national champion team.^[8] On January 18, 2020, Huff scored 17 points and six blocks in a 63–58 win over Georgia Tech.^[9] On February 29, Huff recorded 15 points, 10 blocks and nine rebounds in a 52–50 win over Duke. He joined Ralph Sampson as the only players in program history with at least 10 blocks in a game.^[10] As a junior, Huff averaged 8.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and two blocks per game, all of which were career-highs.^[8] Following the season, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft.^[11] After evaluating his decision, he announced he would return to UVA for his senior season on August 1, 2020.^[12]

Following the 2020–21 season, Huff declared for the 2021 NBA draft.

Professional career

Los Angeles / South Bay Lakers (2021–2023)

After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Huff joined the Washington Wizards for the 2021 NBA Summer League.^[13] On September 21, 2021, he signed with the Wizards,^[14] but was waived on October 13.^[15]

On October 18, 2021, Huff signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.^[16] On January 12, 2022, he was waived.^[17]

On January 16, 2022, Huff was re-acquired by the South Bay Lakers.^[18]

Huff joined the Los Angeles Lakers' 2022 NBA Summer League roster.^[19] In his Summer League debut for the Lakers, Huff scored nine points and seven rebounds in a 100–66 win against the Miami Heat.^[20]

On July 27, 2022, Huff signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.^[21] He was waived on October 15, 2022.^[22] He subsequently re-joined South Bay.

Washington Wizards / Capital City Go-Go (2023)

On March 2, 2023, Huff signed a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards.^[23] On April 4, he was named NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league with 4.0 blocks per game.^[24]

On July 3, 2023, Huff joined the Houston Rockets Summer League team.^[25]

Denver Nuggets / Grand Rapids Gold (2023–2024)

On July 18, 2023, Huff signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets.^[26]

Memphis Grizzlies (2024–present)

Huff (left) with Memphis Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells at Memphis Air National Guard Base in 2024

On July 24, 2024, Huff signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies.^[27] On October 26, he obtained a career high eighteen points in a home victory against the Orlando Magic and two days later, he signed a multi-year contract with the Grizzlies.^[28]

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

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2021–22	L.A. Lakers	4	0	5.1	.000	.000	—	1.0	.3	.3	.3	.0
2022–23	Washington	7	0	13.6	.600	.500	.938	3.0	1.4	.4	.6	7.3
2023–24	Denver	20	0	2.5	.600	.333	1.000	.6	.1	.1	.2	1.2
Career		31	0	5.3	.558	.391	.944	1.2	.4	.2	.3	2.4

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2016–17	Virginia	Redshirt
2017–18	Virginia	12	0	8.8	.680	.286	.625	1.9	.3	.1	1.2	3.4
2018–19	Virginia	34	0	9.3	.604	.452	.667	2.1	.2	.2	.7	4.4
2019–20	Virginia	30	18	25.0	.571	.358	.540	6.2	.8	.4	2.0	8.5
2020–21	Virginia	25	25	27.0	.585	.387	.837	7.1	1.0	.5	2.6	13.0
Career		101	43	18.3	.588	.386	.679	4.5	.6	.3	1.6	7.6

Personal life

Both of Huff's parents are former college basketball players. His father, Mike, played for Pacific Lutheran University, and his mother, Kathy, played for West Virginia.^[4] Mike was the director of the Michael W. Krzyzewski Human Performance Laboratory at Duke University.^[29]

Huff is a member of the Chi Alpha Christian fellowship at the University of Virginia and aspires to become a minister when he retires from basketball.^[29]

References

1. Warnock, W. E. (March 10, 2016). "Voyager Academy's father-son Huff team gets one last game together in championship". The News & Observer. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
2. Best, Bonitta (January 27, 2016). "Huff voyages into the record books". The News & Observer. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
3. Warnock, W. E. (March 12, 2016). "Jay Huff's triple-double leads Voyager Academy to 1A basketball title over Winston-Salem Prep". The News & Observer. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
4. Ratcliffe, Jerry (November 10, 2017). "UVa's Jay Huff is hungry for more". The Daily Progress. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
5. Polacek, Scott (May 21, 2015). "Jay Huff to Virginia: Cavaliers Land 4-Star PF Prospect". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
6. Darney, Caroline (January 29, 2019). "Jay Huff is developing in front of our eyes, and it's magical". Streaking the Lawn. SB Nation. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
7. Blum, Sam (April 4, 2018). "Jay Huff out 3-4 months with torn labrum". The Daily Progress. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
8. "Jay Huff". University of Virginia Athletics. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
9. "Virginia snaps 3-game skid with 63–58 win over Georgia Tech". ESPN. Associated Press. January 18, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
10. Gatto, Tom (February 29, 2020). "Virginia's Jay Huff enters Ralph Sampson territory by standing tall vs. Duke". Sporting News. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
11. Willett, Preston (April 29, 2020). "Jay Huff enters name in NBA Draft process". CBS19. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
12. Conlin, Bennett (August 1, 2020). "Jay Huff withdraws from NBA Draft, plans to return for senior season at Virginia". The Daily Progress. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
13. "Wizards announce 2021 Summer League roster". NBA.com. August 4, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
14. Washington Wizards [@WashWizards] (September 21, 2021). "OFFICIAL: We've signed the following players to Exhibit 10 contracts: □ Jaime Echenique □ Jordan Goodwin □ Jay Huff □ Jordan Schakel" (Tweet). Retrieved September 24, 2021 – via Twitter.
15. Adams, Luke (October 13, 2021). "Wizards Cut Jay Huff, Jordan Schakel". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
16. "Lakers Sign Jay Huff to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
17. "Lakers Sign Sekou Doumbouya to Two-Way Contract". NBA. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
18. "South Bay Lakers on Twitter: "OFFICIAL: The #SBLakers have acquired Jay Huff as a returning rights player. In a related move, the team has waived Willie Jackson"". Twitter. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
19. "Los Angeles Lakers 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster | NBA.com". www.nba.com. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
20. "Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat Jul 2, 2022 Box Scores | NBA.com". www.nba.com. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
21. "Lakers Sign Jay Huff". NBA.com. July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
22. @Lakers (October 15, 2022). "The Lakers have requested waivers on guards Shaquille Harrison and Nate Pierre-Louis and center Jay Huff" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
23. "Wizards Sign Jay Huff to Two-Way Contract". NBA. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
24. "Jay Huff Named 2022-23 KIA NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year". NBA.com. April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
25. "Rockets Summer League roster 2023: Details of players, coaches, schedule and more".
26. "NUGGETS SIGN GILLESPIE, HUFF AND KEY TO TWO-WAY CONTRACTS". NBA.com. July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
27. "Grizzlies sign Jay Huff to two-way contract". NBA.com. July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
28. "Grizzlies sign Jay Huff to Multi-Year Contract". NBA.com. October 28, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
29. Needelman, Josh (February 7, 2019). "Higher calling: Jay Huff's faith has been tested — and validated — at Virginia". The Daily Progress. Retrieved April 21, 2020.

External links

• Virginia Cavaliers bio