American basketball player
Jalen Lashaun Bridges (born May 14, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Valley Suns of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Baylor Bears.
High school career.
Bridges played basketball for Fairmont Senior High School in Fairmont, West Virginia. He helped his team win back-to-back Class AA state titles in his first two years. As a senior, he averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, leading his team to its fourth straight state title game. He won the Bill Evans Award as the top high school player in the state of West Virginia. A consensus four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for West Virginia over offers from Miami (Florida), Indiana, Xavier and Alabama.
College career.
After initially planning to play a postgraduate season, Bridges joined West Virginia for his first season as a redshirt. On March 4, 2021, he recorded freshman season-highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds in a 76–67 win over TCU. As a freshman, Bridges averaged 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, earning Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors. He averaged 8.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Following the season, Bridges transferred to Baylor. He averaged 10.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game as a junior. Bridges declared for the 2023 NBA draft before withdrawing to return to Baylor. He averaged 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 blocks per game and was named to the Third Team All-Big 12.
Professional career.
After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Bridges signed a two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns on July 4, 2024.
References.
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