Jeff Ayres

Jeffrey Curtis Ayres (né Orcutt; born April 29, 1987),[1][2] formerly known as Jeff Pendergraph, is an American professional basketball player for Taoyuan Pauian Pilots of the P. League+.[3][4] He attended Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California and played college basketball for Arizona State University.[5]

Jeff Ayres
Ayres with the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots in 2022
No. 4 – Taoyuan Pauian Pilots
PositionPower forward / center
LeagueP. League+
Personal information
Born (1987-04-29) April 29, 1987
Ontario, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High schoolEtiwanda
(Rancho Cucamonga, California)
CollegeArizona State (2005–2009)
NBA draft2009: 2nd round, 31st overall pick
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
Playing career2009–present
Career history
2009–2010Portland Trail Blazers
2011–2013Indiana Pacers
2013–2015San Antonio Spurs
2015–2016Idaho Stampede
2016Los Angeles Clippers
2016Los Angeles D-Fenders
2016CSKA Moscow
2016–2017Los Angeles D-Fenders
2017Alvark Tokyo
2017–2018Eskişehir Basket
2018–2019Ryukyu Golden Kings
2019–2020Shiga Lakestars
2020–2021Nagoya Diamond Dolphins
2021–2022Niigata Albirex BB
2022–presentTaoyuan Pauian Pilots
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

College career

Ayres attended Arizona State for four seasons, finishing with career averages of 12.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.04 blocked shots and a 58.0 percent shooting accuracy.[6] In his sophomore season, he grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds in a 52–36 victory over Colgate on December 19, 2006.[7] As a senior, Ayres averaged 14.5 points and was named to the Pac-10's First Team. His 66.0 percent field goal mark led the nation.[6] On January 4, 2009, he scored a career-high 31 points, along with a game-high 11 rebounds, in a 90–60 win over Stanford with twenty-one of those points being tallied in the first half.[8]

Professional career

Portland Trail Blazers

On June 25, 2009, Ayres was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the 31st overall pick of the 2009 NBA draft, only to be traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Sergio Rodríguez, the draft rights to Jon Brockman and cash considerations.[6] On September 8, he signed a contract with the Trail Blazers and joined them for the 2009 Summer League, starting all five games and averaging 10.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.2 blocked shots.[6] On December 22, he made his NBA debut in an 85–81 win against the Dallas Mavericks, in which he scored 2 points in 4 minutes of playing time.[9]

Ayres scored a career-high 23 points in the last regular season game of the 2009–10 NBA season on April 14, 2010, against the Golden State Warriors.[10] He was waived by the Trail Blazers prior to the start of the 2011 season after suffering a season-ending knee injury during a pre-season game against the Utah Jazz.[11]

Indiana Pacers

Ayres was signed by the Indiana Pacers for the 2011–12 season. Before the start of the season, he was sidelined with a mild sprain in his knee, suffered when he injured it during a December 10, 2011, practice.[12] On April 23, 2012, Ayres got his first start for the Pacers in a 103–97 win against the Detroit Pistons. In 18 minutes of play he scored 10 points with 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks.[13]

On June 4, 2013, Ayres was ejected from Game 7 of the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals by referee Ken Mauer after a shoving match with Miami Heat guard Norris Cole, who was also ejected in the fourth quarter.[14] Entertainer Flo Rida's manager was also ejected after an ongoing verbal spat with Ayres.

San Antonio Spurs

On July 11, 2013, Ayres signed with the San Antonio Spurs[15] and made his debut on October 30 in a 101–94 win against the Memphis Grizzlies, recording two points, two rebounds, two assists and one block in 11 minutes of playing time.[16] On June 15, 2014, Ayres won his first NBA championship after the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat 4 games to 1 in the 2014 NBA Finals.[17]

NBA D-League and Los Angeles Clippers

On October 31, 2015, Ayres was selected by the Idaho Stampede with the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA Development League Draft.[18] On November 13, he made his debut with Idaho in a 110–106 loss to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, recording 18 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block and one steal in 39 minutes of action.[19] On January 29, 2016, he was named in the West All-Star team for the 2016 NBA D-League All-Star Game.[20]

On January 23, 2016, Ayres signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.[21] The next day, he made his debut in a 112–94 loss to the Toronto Raptors, recording two points, one rebound and one assist in five minutes.[22] On February 2, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Clippers.[23] On February 12, the Clippers did not renew his contract, making him a free agent. On February 20, Ayres returned to Idaho, appearing on the team bench that night.[24]

On March 4, 2016, Idaho traded Ayres to the Los Angeles D-Fenders in exchange for a 2016 first-round draft pick.[25] The next day, he made his debut for the D-Fenders in a 127–117 win over the Texas Legends, recording 16 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.[26] At the season's end, he was named to the All-NBA D-League First Team.[27]

On March 16, 2016, Ayres returned to the Clippers, signing with the team for the rest of the season.[28]

CSKA Moscow and NBA D-League

On September 22, 2016, Ayres signed a two-month contract with Russian club CSKA Moscow.[29] Following the expiration of his contract, he parted ways with CSKA on November 23, 2016. In seven games, he averaged 5.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.[30]

On December 1, 2016, Ayres was reacquired by the Los Angeles D-Fenders.[31]

First stint in Japan

On February 16, 2017, Ayres signed with Alvark Tokyo of the Japanese B.League.[32]

Turkey

On August 12, 2017, Ayres signed with Eskişehir Basket of the Turkish Basketball Super League.[33]

Third stint in Japan

On September 4, 2018, Ayres signed with Ryukyu Golden Kings of the B.League.[34] He signed with Nagoya Diamond Dolphins on June 20, 2020.[35] He signed with Niigata Albirex BB on June 29, 2021.[36]

BIG3

On May 25, 2022, Ayres was drafted by Bivouac with the eighth overall pick of the 2022 BIG3 draft.[37]

The Basketball Tournament

Jeff Ayres played for Team Challenge ALS in the 2018 edition of The Basketball Tournament. In two games with Eberlein Drive, he averaged 6.5 points per game and 2.5 rebounds per game on 100 percent shooting. Team Challenge ALS made it to the West Regional Championship Game before falling to eventual tournament runner-up Eberlein Drive.

NBA 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
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2009–10 Portland 39410.4.662–.9002.5.0.2.42.7
2011–12 Indiana 2015.3.417–.5711.6.2.2.11.7
2012–13 Indiana 37010.0.484.500.9132.8.4.2.33.9
2013–14† San Antonio 731013.0.580–.6913.5.8.2.33.3
2014–15 San Antonio 5107.5.579–.7502.3.3.2.22.7
2015–16 L.A. Clippers 1706.3.522.0001.0001.3.3.0.21.8
Career 237159.8.553.400.7762.7.4.2.32.9

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010 Portland 305.7.500–.750.7.0.71.02.3
2012 Indiana 402.3.333–.000.5.0.0.0.5
2013 Indiana 907.9.333.000.0002.0.1.0.21.8
2014† San Antonio 1703.8.462–.6251.1.3.0.01.0
2015 San Antonio 304.0.000–.0001.0.7.0.0.0
Career 3604.8.378.000.6671.2.2.1.11.2

International career statistics
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 A Tokyo 231221.4.578.400.8717.0.8.4.612.3

Personal life

Jeff Ayres married long time girlfriend Raneem Ayres in 2012. The two have 3 children together. In August 2013, he made an Arizona court filing to change his surname from Pendergraph to Ayres, replacing the surname of his stepfather with that of his biological father.[2] The change was formally announced in September 2013.[38]

See also

References
  1. "CA Birth Index". FamilyTreeLegends.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  2. Jeff McDonald (September 18, 2013). "For Spur formerly known as Pendergraph, the name's the thing". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  3. "Paras is Niigata's seventh new signing as team tries to rise from 17th-place finish". Spin.ph. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  4. Odeven, Ed (2019-09-26). "Key names playing in new locales". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  5. "Jeff Pendergraph Arizona State bio". TheSunDevils.CSTV.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  6. "Trail Blazers Sign Jeff Pendergraph". NBA.com. September 8, 2009. Archived from the original on September 12, 2009. Retrieved September 8, 2009.
  7. "Arizona State 52, Colgate 36". ESPN.com. December 19, 2006. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  8. "Pendergraph scores career-best 31 for Sun Devils". ESPN.com. January 4, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  9. "Trail Blazers rally behind Roy, Aldridge to overcome Mavs in Dirk's return". ESPN.com. December 23, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  10. "Curry scores 42 to lead Warriors past Blazers". ESPN.com. April 15, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  11. "Trail Blazers waive Jeff Pendergraph" (Press release). Portland Trail Blazers. October 25, 2010. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  12. "Pendergraph 'tweaks' knee that sidelined him all of last season". IndianaStar.com. December 18, 2011. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  13. "Pacers slip past Pistons thanks to Paul George's 12-point 4th quarter". ESPN.com. April 24, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  14. "Norris Cole, Jeff Pendergraph, Flo Rida's manager ejected from Game 7". SI.com. June 4, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  15. "Spurs Sign Jeff Pendergraph". NBA.com. July 11, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  16. "Notebook: Spurs 101, Grizzlies 94". NBA.com. October 30, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  17. "Notebook: Spurs 104, Heat 87". NBA.com. June 16, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  18. "2015 NBA D-League Draft Board". NBA.com. October 31, 2015. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  19. "Walker Blocks Six Shots, McDaniels Scores 16 in Vipers' 110–106 Home Opener Win". NBA.com. November 13, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  20. "Sixteen NBA Veterans Headline Rosters for NBA Development League All-Star Game Presented By Kumho Tire". NBA.com. January 29, 2016. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  21. "L.A. CLIPPERS SIGN JEFF AYRES TO 10-DAY CONTRACT". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. January 23, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  22. "Raptors down Clippers for eighth straight win, 112–94". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. January 24, 2016. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  23. "L.A. CLIPPERS SIGN JEFF AYRES TO SECOND 10-DAY CONTRACT". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 2, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  24. "Stampede Drive Past Vipers". NBA.com. February 20, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  25. "D-Fenders Acquire Jeff Ayres". OurSportsCentral.com. March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  26. "Blue Leads D-Fenders To 14th Straight Home Win". NBA.com. March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  27. "NBA Development League Announces 2015–16 All-NBA D-League Teams". NBA.com. April 29, 2016. Archived from the original on September 4, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  28. "L.A. CLIPPERS SIGN JEFF AYRES FOR REMAINDER OF SEASON". NBA.com. March 16, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  29. "CSKA added NBA champion". cskabasket.com. September 22, 2016. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  30. "Thank you, Jeff!". cskabasket.com. November 23, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  31. "D-Fenders Acquire Jeff Ayres". NBA.com. December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  32. "選手契約基本合意のご報告". alvark-tokyo.jp (in Japanese). February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  33. "Ayres signed with Eskisehir". Eurohoops.net. August 12, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  34. "Jeff Ayres signs with Ryuku Golden Kings". Sportando. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  35. Lupo, Nicola (June 20, 2020). "Jeff Ayres signs with Nagoya Diamond Dolphins". Sportando. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  36. "ジェフ・エアーズ 選手 加入のお知らせ(Jeff Ayres signs with Niigata Albirex Basketball.)". albirex.com. June 21, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  37. "2022 BIG3 Draft Recap". BIG3. 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  38. "Spurs Forward Jeff Pendergraph Changes Last Name to Ayres". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. September 19, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
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