Josh Christopher

Joshua Evan Christopher (born December 8, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils. Christopher is often known as "Jaygup," a nickname created in his childhood.[1][2]

Josh Christopher
Christopher with the Houston Rockets in 2021
No. 13 – Utah Jazz
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-12-08) December 8, 2001
Carson, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolMayfair
(Lakewood, California)
CollegeArizona State (2020–2021)
NBA draft2021: 1st round, 24th overall pick
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2023Houston Rockets
2021–2022→Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2023–presentUtah Jazz
2023–present→Salt Lake City Stars
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life and high school career

Christopher grew up playing basketball with his older brother, Caleb, in elementary school, middle school and his first two years with Mayfair High School in Lakewood, California, as well as on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit.[1][3] In his childhood, he often played against older opponents.[4] As a sophomore at Mayfair, Christopher averaged 25.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3.6 assists per game, leading his team to a 21–8 record.[5] In his junior season, he averaged 25 points per game and won the Division 2AA championship.[6] As a senior, Christopher was joined by Dior Johnson, one of the highest-rated sophomores in the country. He averaged 29.2 points, 8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3.1 steals per game, leading his team to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals.[7][8] Christopher was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit, but all three games were canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.[9]

Recruiting

Christopher is a consensus five-star recruit and the number two shooting guard in the 2020 recruiting class. On April 13, 2020, he announced his commitment to Arizona State over Michigan, USC, Missouri and UCLA. His brother, Caleb, had served one year there as well. As such, Christopher became Arizona State's highest-ranked recruit in the modern recruiting era and the program's first five-star recruit since James Harden in 2007.[10]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Josh Christopher
SG		 Carson, CA Mayfair (CA) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Apr 13, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 95
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 12  247Sports: 8  ESPN: 11
  • 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:

  • "Arizona State 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  • "2020 Arizona State Sun Devils Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 3, 2020.

College career

On November 26, 2020, Christopher scored a career-high 28 points for Arizona State in an 83–74 loss to third-ranked Villanova.[11] As a freshman, he was limited to 15 games due to injury, and averaged 14.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. On March 31, 2021, Christopher declared for the 2021 NBA draft.[12]

Professional career

Houston Rockets (2021–2023)

Christopher was selected with the 24th pick of the 2021 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets.[13] On August 7, 2021, Christopher signed with the Rockets.[14] He made his official NBA debut on October 20, coming off the bench with five points in eight minutes in a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves. On November 24, the Rockets assigned Christopher to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.[15] After averaging 20 points in three games with the Vipers, the Rockets recalled Christopher.[16] On December 8, Christopher logged 18 points in a 7-of-7 from the field with four three-pointers on a 104–114 game win the Brooklyn Nets.[17] He scored 23 points with four assists and five rebounds in a loss against the Spurs.[18] On March 23, 2022, Christopher scored 21 points in a 139–130 overtime win against the Los Angeles Lakers.[19] In April, he recorded his first 30-point effort by shooting 11-of-14 from the field, and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, along with three assists and two steals in a home loss against the Timberwolves.[20]

Christopher fell out of the rotation in the 2022-2023 season, not coming off the bench in several games. His minutes and numbers decreased as the Rockets used Daishen Nix as the point guard for the second unit.[21][22]

On July 8, 2023, the Memphis Grizzlies acquired Christopher from the Houston Rockets for Dillon Brooks (via sign-and-trade) in a five-team deal.[23] However, he was waived on September 30.[24]

Utah Jazz / Salt Lake City Stars (2023–present)

On October 13, 2023, Christopher signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz.[25]

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
2021–22 Houston 74218.0.448.296.7352.52.0.8.27.9
2022–23 Houston 64212.3.465.236.7501.11.0.5.25.8
Career 138415.4.455.277.7401.91.6.7.26.9

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Arizona State 151529.7.432.305.8004.71.41.5.514.3

Personal life

Christopher is the youngest of four siblings, all of whom have played basketball.[26] His brother, Patrick, played professionally, including a brief stint with the Utah Jazz of the NBA. Patrick's godbrother is former NBA player Tayshaun Prince.[3] Christopher's sister, Paris, played college basketball for Saint Mary's but suffered a career-ending injury as a freshman.[27] His brother, Caleb, was a player for both Arizona State University and Tennessee Tech, but is now at Hope International University. Christopher's father, Laron, is a musician.[4] His parents are devout Christians.[1]

References
  1. Yeboah, Eric (December 13, 2019). "There's No Changing the One and Only Jaygup". BleacherReport.com. Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  2. Boettger, Eli (July 28, 2021). "Who is Josh Christopher? Meet "JayGup" — an Internet sensation and projected first-round 2021 NBA Draft pick". Heat Check CBB. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  3. Turner, Josiah (January 24, 2020). "Josh Christopher's Family Tree Is Paving the Way for Success". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  4. Sondheimer, Eric (December 21, 2017). "Sophomore guard Joshua Christopher is making basketball fun at Mayfair". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  5. Ugland, Devin (January 6, 2018). "Mayfair boys basketball's Josh Christopher is a rising star". Press-Telegram. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  6. John, Andrew L. (December 28, 2018). "Star recruit Josh Christopher trying to enjoy every moment of his basketball journey". The Desert Sun. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  7. Jordan, Jason (April 1, 2020). "SI All-American Josh Christopher Highlights". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  8. Divens, Jordan (March 25, 2020). "MaxPreps 2019-20 High School Boys Basketball All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  9. Jordan, Jason (March 12, 2019). "McDonald's All American Game Cancelled Amid COVID-19 Concerns". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  10. Borzello, Jeff (April 13, 2020). "Arizona State lands top-10 senior Josh Christopher". ESPN. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  11. Dunham, Torrence (November 26, 2020). "Freshman Josh Christopher paces ASU in first half against No. 3 Villanova". KMVP-FM. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  12. "Arizona State's Josh Christopher declares for 2021 NBA Draft". KMVP-FM. March 31, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  13. Gardner, Michelle (July 30, 2021). "ASU's Josh Christopher chosen by the Houston Rockets in the first round of NBA Draft". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  14. Joshi, Hiren (August 6, 2021). "Rockets Sign Josh Christopher and Alperen Sengun". NBA.com. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  15. "Rockets' Josh Christopher: Sent to G League". cbssports.com. November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  16. Barefield, Brian (November 29, 2021). "Rockets recall Josh Christopher, Usman Garuba, and Daishen Nix from NBA G League affiliate, Rio Grande Valley". Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  17. Brener, Jeremy (December 8, 2021). "Rockets 114, Nets 104: Josh Christopher, Garrison Mathews snub James Harden's return to Houston". thedreamshake.com. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  18. Koslow, Ari (February 4, 2022). "Josh Christopher drops 23 points off the bench Friday". fantasypros.com. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  19. Barefield, Brian (March 11, 2022). "Rockets rookie Josh Christopher plays unsung hero in win over Lakers". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  20. "Rockets' Josh Christopher: Explodes for 30 points off bench". cbssports.com. April 4, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  21. Feigen, Jonathan (11 November 2022). "Rockets coach Stephen Silas says playing time coming for Josh Christopher". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  22. shapiro, michael (27 January 2023). "Is crowded rotation hampering growth of Rockets' young guards?". Chron. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  23. "Grizzlies acquire Josh Christopher from Rockets in five-team trade". NBA.com. July 8, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  24. "Memphis Grizzlies sign Matthew Hurt and Mychal Mulder". NBA.com. September 30, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  25. Hundman, Gabby (October 13, 2023). "Utah Jazz Sign Josh Christopher to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  26. Woods, Erik (September 9, 2018). "Josh & Caleb Christopher: Family Secret Sauce to Success, Part 1". Rivals. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  27. Gorcey, Ryan (June 26, 2017). "History repeats itself with Christopher". 247Sports. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
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