Anfernee Simons

Anfernee Tyrik Simons (born June 8, 1999), nicknamed "Ant", is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played prep basketball for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He became the first American to enter and be selected in an NBA draft directly after graduating from high school since the league first implemented age restriction rules in 2005.[1]

Anfernee Simons
Simons with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019
No. 1 – Portland Trail Blazers
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1999-06-08) June 8, 1999
Altamonte Springs, Florida, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight181 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school
NBA draft2018: 1st round, 24th overall pick
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–presentPortland Trail Blazers
2019→Agua Caliente Clippers
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

High school career

Simons first attended Edgewater High School in Orlando, Florida, where during his sophomore year he averaged 17.8 points, 4.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1 steal per game in 30 games.[2] During his junior year he transferred to Montverde Academy in Montverde,[3] but after being a bench player, returned to Edgewater with the intention of holding his name back from college consideration for a year.[4] He graduated from Edgewater in 2017, averaging 23.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in 20 games played in his last year there.[2] Then, because of his reclassification in the Class of 2018, he attended the IMG Academy in Bradenton for a postgraduate year, although he had previously expressed interest in spending that year at the West Oaks Academy in Orlando instead.[5] During the summer of 2017, he also played for the United States men's national under-19 basketball team.[6]

Simons was rated as a five-star recruit and was ranked as the seventh-best player in the 2018 class by 247Sports.com.[7] Originally, he planned to enter the University of Louisville,[8] but as a result of the basketball sex scandal of 2015 at the university and its involvement in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal, he ultimately decommitted from Louisville, saying that he was most interested in the University of South Carolina, North Carolina State University, the University of Tennessee, and the University of Florida.[9] In January 2018, he then said that he was "most likely" going to bypass college and enter the 2018 NBA draft, albeit without hiring an agent.[10] In March 2018 he confirmed his decision,[11] and later removed his name from the 2018 Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic.[12] On March 20, 2018, ESPN ranked him as the 19th-best prospect in the draft.[13] Simons was later named one of the 69 players invited to the 2018 NBA Draft Combine that year.

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Anfernee Simons
SG		 Altamonte, FL IMG Academy (FL) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 181 lb (82 kg) Nov 12, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 94
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 10  247Sports: 10  ESPN: 9
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Louisville 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  • "2018 Louisville Cardinals Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 25, 2018.

Professional career

Portland Trail Blazers (2018–present)

Simons was selected 24th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2018 NBA draft.[14] He would be the third high school player since 2015 to be drafted in the NBA, behind Thon Maker and Satnam Singh Bhamara. On July 2, 2018, the Trail Blazers announced that they had signed Simons.[15]

On January 21, 2019, the Blazers assigned Simons to the Agua Caliente Clippers for an NBA G League assignment.[16]

On April 10, 2019, Simons had his first career start against the Sacramento Kings while the Trail Blazers rested Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum for the final game of the regular season. Simons put up career highs across the board with 37 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists, becoming the first Trail Blazers rookie to score 30-plus points since Lillard.

In the championship round of the Slam Dunk Contest during halftime of the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, Simons attempted to kiss the rim, but failed and still completed the dunk. Despite his failed attempt, he was named the 2021 Slam Dunk Champion on a 3–2 decision.[17]

On January 3, 2022, Simons scored a then career-high 43 points behind nine three-pointers, along with seven assists, in a 136–131 win over the Atlanta Hawks. In a postgame interview, he dedicated the game to his grandfather who died of cancer the previous night.[18] On March 28, he was ruled out for the remainder of the season with patellar tendinopathy in his left knee.[19]

On July 6, 2022, Simons re-signed with the Trail Blazers on a four-year, $100 million contract.[20][21] On October 21, Simons hit a game-winning floater in a 113–111 overtime win over the Phoenix Suns.[22] On December 3, Simons scored a career-high 45 points in a 116–111 win over the Utah Jazz.[23] On February 3, 2023, Simons scored 33 points in a 124–116 comeback win over the Washington Wizards.[24]

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

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Portland 2017.1.444.345.563.7.7.1.03.8
2019–20 Portland 70420.7.399.332.8262.21.4.4.18.3
2020–21 Portland 64017.3.419.426.8072.21.4.3.17.8
2021–22 Portland 573029.5.443.405.8882.63.9.5.117.3
2022–23 Portland 626235.0.447.377.8942.64.1.7.221.1
Career 2739724.0.433.387.8572.32.5.4.112.6

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019 Portland 502.4.000.000.800.0.0.2.0.8
2020 Portland 4020.5.305.429.8332.82.51.5.06.8
2021 Portland 6017.8.560.611.0002.7.8.3.26.5
Career 15013.4.379.500.8181.81.0.6.14.7

Personal life

Simons was given the name Anfernee due to his parents, Charles and Tameka, being fans of the Orlando Magic and naming him after former player Penny Hardaway.[25][26] Hardaway coached Simons during a Team USA Basketball training camp.[13]

References
  1. "Anfernee Simons' nontraditional, and successful, route to the NBA". June 22, 2018.
  2. "Anfernee Simons' High School Basketball Stats". MaxPreps.com.
  3. Collings, Buddy (June 10, 2018). "Anfernee Simons back to Edgewater with bigger game". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  4. "Who is Anfernee Simons, the top-10 recruit who will enter the 2018 NBA Draft through a loophole?". November 19, 2017.
  5. Collings, Buddy (June 30, 2018). "Former Edgewater star Anfernee Simons headed to IMG Academy". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  6. "Duke-bound Cam Reddish and his crazy summer | Mike Jensen". philly.com. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  7. "Westtown star Cameron Reddish ascends to No. 1 in recruiting service's rankings". PennLive.com. December 18, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  8. Wells, Adam (September 28, 2017). "Anfernee Simons, Courtney Ramey Decommit from Louisville Amid Scandal". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  9. "Anfernee Simons to consider NBA Draft, but likely headed to college".
  10. Woo, Jeremy (January 17, 2018). "Anfernee Simons's big draft decision is imminent". si.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  11. Givony, Johnathan (March 22, 2018). "Simons declares for NBA draft, forgoes college". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  12. "Anfernee Simons withdraws his name from Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic". Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  13. Roberts, Ben (March 22, 2018). "One of the top basketball recruits in the country is jumping straight to the NBA". Lexington Herald-Leader.
  14. Holdahl, Casey (June 21, 2018). "Trail Blazers Select Anfernee Simons in First Round of NBA Draft". NBA.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  15. Gauruder, Dana (July 2, 2018). "Trail Blazers Sign First-Rounder Anfernee Simons". hoopsrumors.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  16. "Portland Trail Blazers Assign Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent Jr to G-League". FanSided. January 20, 2019. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  17. "Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons wins 2021 AT&T Slam Dunk". NBA.com.
  18. "Anfernee Simons helps Blazers overcome Trae Young's 56 points with 43-point outburst after grandfather's death".
  19. "TRAIL BLAZERS INJURY UPDATES". NBA. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  20. "Trail Blazers Re-Sign Jusuf Nurkic And Anfernee Simons". NBA.com. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  21. "Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons agrees to 4-year, $100 million deal, agent says". ESPN.com. June 30, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  22. Fentress, Aaron (October 21, 2022). "Anfernee Simons scores game-winner for Trail Blazers in 113–111 win over the Phoenix Suns: At the buzzer". oregonlive.com. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  23. Coles, Matthew (December 3, 2022). "Simons' career-best 45 points carries Portland past Utah". Associated Press. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  24. Trister, Noah (February 4, 2023). "Blazers rally from 20 down to end Wizards' win streak". ABC News. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  25. Adams, Jonathan (March 22, 2018). "Anfernee Simons Is the NBA Draft's Man of Mystery". Heavy.com.
  26. King, Jason (March 24, 2018). "HS Star Anfernee Simons Decides CBB Isn't for Him, but Is He Ready for the NBA?". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
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