Detroit Pistons Select Purdue Guard Jaden Ivey with the No. 5 Overall Pick in the 2022 NBA Draft
NEW YORK — After a successful two-year college basketball career with the Purdue basketball program, Jaden Ivey was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the fifth pick in the 2022 NBA Draft on Thursday.
“It’s a blessing to be here and in this situation,” Ivey said in a release. “I would like to thank the Pistons organization, general manager Troy Weaver and coach Dwane Casey for believing in me. It’s just a surreal feeling and I can’t wait to get to Detroit and get to work.”
Ivey, who originally joined the Boilermakers in the class of 2020, is the first basketball player from South Bend, Indiana, to ever be taken in the first round of the NBA Draft. He is Purdue's highest draft pick since Glenn Robinson went No. 1 overall in 1994.
During his freshman season, Ivey was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team after averaging 11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. The 6-foot-five, in-state product was twice named conference player of the week before closing the season strong by putting up 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game over the last six contests of the season.
Following his freshman campaign, Ivey was a massive contributor for Team USA in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Latvia. He helped the unit earn the gold medal and was named to the FIBA U19 All-Star 5 Team after averaging 12.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks in just 16.5 minutes per game.
The dynamic guard was stellar in his second and final season for Purdue, garnering consensus second-team All-American honors. Ivey played in 36 games while recording 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists while adding 33 steals and 20 blocked 20 shots.
“We are extremely happy and thrilled for Jaden to be selected by Detroit in tonight’s draft,” Purdue head coach Matt Painter said. “He’s put in the work and deserves this. He has a lot of potential to be a star in the NBA and we are excited to watch his journey.”
Ivey will now play alongside the 2021 No. 1 pick in Cade Cunningham. Former Purdue point guard Carsen Edwards is also on the roster after signing a two-year contract near the end of last season. The Pistons finished the season with a 23-59 overall record.
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- BIG TEN PLAYERS IN THE 2022 NBA DRAFT: The 2022 NBA Draft has finally arrived, marking the day when dreams come true for several basketball players by making the jump to the professional level. The Big Ten boasts a solid group in this year's draft class, and we'll be tracking every conference player selected on Thursday. CLICK HERE
- CALEB SWANIGAN DEAD AT AGE 25: Caleb "Biggie" Swanigan, a consensus first-team All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year for the Purdue basketball program, has died at the age of 25 due to natural causes. He spent two seasons with the Boilermakers before taking his talents to the NBA. CLICK HERE
- BIG TEN ANNOUNCES CONFERENCE BASKETBALL MATCHUPS: The Big Ten announced the conference matchups ahead of the 2022-23 college basketball season. League teams will play 20 conference games with seven home-and-away series plus three additional single-play contests both at home and on the road. CLICK HERE
- UTAH TRANSFER GUARD DAVID JENKINS COMMITS: Purdue basketball earns a long-awaited commitment from a guard via the transfer portal. David Jenkins Jr., a graduate transfer, had averaged 14.9 points per game during his college career while shooting 41.3% from the 3-point line. CLICK HERE
You Can Follow D.J. Fezler on Twitter at @DJFezler
