Isaiah Evans
American basketball player (born 2005)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Isaiah Demonte Evans (born December 6, 2005) is an American basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils.
Evans with the Duke Blue Devils in 2026 | |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward / shooting guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | December 6, 2005 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, North Carolina) |
| College | Duke (2024–2026) |
| NBA draft | 2026: 2nd round, 33rd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Brooklyn Nets |
| Playing career | 2026–present |
| Career history | |
| 2026–present | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Early life and high school
Evans grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina and attended North Mecklenburg High School in Huntersville, North Carolina.[1] He averaged 26 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a junior.[2] Evans averaged 38.6 points over five games in the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs and was named North Carolina Mr. Basketball at the end of the season.[3][4] Evans averaged 27.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.3 steals per contest to guide the Vikings to a 30–3 record and a NCHSAA 4A state championship. He was selected to play in the 2024 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during his senior year.[5] Evans also repeated as North Carolina Mr. Basketball.[6] He was also named the Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year for boys basketball.[7]
Evans was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class, according to major recruiting services.[8][9] He committed to play college basketball at Duke over offers from Kansas, NC State, Tennessee, Texas, Auburn, and Florida State.[10] Evans signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Blue Devils on November 13, 2023, during the early signing period.[11]
College career
Evans enrolled at Duke University in June 2024 in order to take part in the Blue Devils' summer practices.[12] Evans spent his freshman season playing behind future first-overall draft pick Cooper Flagg and averaged 6.8 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game.[13] After the season he initially declared for the 2025 NBA draft, but ultimately decided to return to Duke for his sophomore season.[14]
Professional career
Following his sophomore season at Duke, Evans officially declared for the 2026 NBA draft on April 22, 2026.[15] On June 17, he received an invitation to sit in the NBA draft green room as one of 24 top prospects expected to be selected early in the event.[16] However, during the first round of the draft on June 23, Evans went unselected, making him the only green room invitee not drafted on the event's opening night.[17] The Brooklyn Nets eventually selected him at number 33 in the second round. Because of Evans' draft rights being part of a pre-draft, three-team trade involving Julius Randle, the Minnesota Timberwolves wound up receiving him.[18][19]