Damien Jefferson
American basketball player (born 1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Damien Jefferson (born October 3, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for Pizza Bulls Bordo Bandırma of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball for the New Mexico Lobos and the Creighton Bluejays.
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Jefferson with Karşıyaka in 2024 | |
| Pizza Bulls Bordo Bandırma | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| League | BSL |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 3, 1997 East Chicago, Indiana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Central (East Chicago, Indiana) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2021: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2021–present |
| Career history | |
| 2021–2022 | Stockton Kings |
| 2022–2023 | Memphis Hustle |
| 2023–2024 | Oostende |
| 2024 | Karşıyaka |
| 2025–2026 | Karditsa |
| 2026–present | Bandırma Bordo Basketbol |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
Jefferson attended Central High School in East Chicago, Indiana. As a senior, he averaged 26.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game and was named The Times of Northwest Indiana Player of the Year.[1] Jefferson led his team to a Class 4A sectional title and was named an Indiana All-Star.[2] He committed to playing college basketball for New Mexico, his father's alma mater.[3]
College career
Jefferson averaged 5.3 points and 2.3 rebounds as a freshman at New Mexico. For his sophomore season, he transferred to Creighton and sat out for one year due to transfer rules.[4] As a sophomore, Jefferson averaged 6.2 points and four rebounds per game before his season was cut short due to a high ankle sprain injury.[5] In his junior season, he averaged 9.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Jefferson declared for the 2020 NBA draft before withdrawing and returning to college.[6] On December 17, 2020, he flirted with a triple-double, recording 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in a 94–76 win over St. John's.[7] As a senior, Jefferson earned Second Team All-Big East honors.[8] He averaged 11.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Jefferson declared for the 2021 NBA draft, forgoing an additional season of eligibility the NCAA granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]
Professional career
Jefferson joined the Sacramento Kings for the 2021 NBA Summer League, winning a summer league championship.[10] He joined the Stockton Kings as an affiliate player on October 25, 2021,[11] but was later waived on January 29, 2022. He was acquired by the Memphis Hustle on February 14.[12]
On July 31, 2023, Jefferson signed with Filou Oostende of the BNXT League.[13]
On August 11, 2024, he signed with Karşıyaka Basket of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).[14]
On August 8, 2025, Jefferson signed with Greek club Karditsa.[15]
On July 2, 2026, he signed with Bandırma Bordo Basketbol of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).[16]
Career statistics
| 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 |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | New Mexico | 29 | 6 | 15.1 | .438 | .214 | .490 | 2.3 | 1.0 | .4 | .1 | 5.3 |
| 2017–18 | Creighton |  Redshirt | ||||||||||
| 2018–19 | Creighton | 26 | 16 | 18.0 | .535 | .412 | .634 | 4.0 | .8 | .4 | .1 | 6.2 |
| 2019–20 | Creighton | 30 | 29 | 27.1 | .533 | .217 | .635 | 5.5 | 1.4 | .6 | .2 | 9.4 |
| 2020–21 | Creighton | 31 | 31 | 30.9 | .512 | .348 | .605 | 5.4 | 2.4 | 1.2 | .3 | 11.9 |
| Career | 116 | 82 | 23.0 | .509 | .304 | .592 | 4.4 | 1.4 | .7 | .2 | 8.3 | |
Personal life
Jefferson's father, Everette, played college basketball at New Mexico.[17]
