Jamarion Sharp
American basketball player (born 2001)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jamarion Demontrez Sharp[1] (born August 26, 2001) is an American professional basketball player.[2] He played college basketball for John A. Logan College, Western Kentucky, and Ole Miss. At 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m), he was one of the tallest Division I players ever and is one of the tallest living humans.
Sharp with Western Kentucky in 2022 | |
| Free agent | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 26, 2001 Hopkinsville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Listed height | 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m) |
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Hopkinsville (Hopkinsville, Kentucky) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2024: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2024–present |
| Career history | |
| 2024–2026 | Texas Legends |
| 2026 | Vaqueros de Bayamón |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
Sharp was born on August 26, 2001, in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.[3] His father, Mario Sharp, was 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) and his mother, Shiby Watkins, was 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m).[4] He admits that "growing up, [he] didn’t love the game of basketball".[5] Sharp's future high school coach, Tim Haworth, who knew him since he was five years old, encouraged him to play.[5]
It really means a lot because growing up, I didn’t love the game of basketball, but Haworth, he made me keep getting in the gym more and more and made me start to love the game.
Sharp had a growth spurt the summer after middle school and came into Hopkinsville High School as a 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) freshman.[6] He grew to 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) by his junior year and became a seven-footer as a senior.[6] He played basketball for the Tigers, where he appeared in the KHSAA Sweet Sixteen state tournament as a sophomore.[6] As a junior, he averaged a modest 2.9 points and three rebounds per game.[5] As a senior, he averaged 7.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, leading the Tigers to a 16–14 record and an 8th district semifinals appearance. He earned all-district honors and was selected to represent Team Kentucky in the 2019 Kentucky-Indiana All-Star game.[4]
Western Kentucky head coach Rick Stansbury noticed Sharp, then a junior, in February 2018 while scouting another player.[5] He caught Stansbury's attention during pre-game warm-ups but did not play in the first half.[5] After Stansbury inquired about "the big kid", Haworth worked Sharp out in front of him at halftime by having him shoot jump hooks.[6] Sharp was offered a scholarship "basically that night".[5] However, he did not meet the academic requirements to attend Western Kentucky, his dream school, out of high school.[4][5] On April 23, 2019, Sharp committed to John A. Logan College, a junior college in Carterville, Illinois.[7]
College career
John A. Logan
As a freshman for the John A. Logan Volunteers, Sharp was listed at 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m).[8] He averaged 5.5 points, five rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game in his first year, earning All-Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC) honors.[9] While teaming with Jay Scrubb, they led the Volunteers to a 28–5 record and finished undefeated in conference play for the first time in school history.[9] On January 28, 2021, Sharp recorded 20 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks in a double-overtime victory over Three Rivers.[10] He recorded two triple-doubles in February against Kaskaskia College and Southwestern Illinois, including a season-high 12 blocks in the latter.[10] As a sophomore, Sharp averaged 7.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 blocks per game,[5] earning All-GRAC and all-region honors.[11]
Sharp was rated a four-star prospect and the top JUCO recruit in the nation by 247Sports.[4] He received offers from programs such as Arizona, Cincinnati and Oregon,[12] but committed to Western Kentucky on November 23, 2020.[9]
Western Kentucky
By the time Sharp arrived at Western Kentucky for the 2021–22 season, he had grown to 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m).[4] In his first game as a Hilltopper, an exhibition against Campbellsville, he recorded 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 17 minutes.[13] Sharp said of the experience that it was "amazing to play for [his] dream school."[5] On November 24 he earned his first start in a 88–62 victory against Alabama A&M after Jaylen Butz was sidelined with knee soreness.[5] In just his fifth game, he contributed 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 blocks, recording the third triple-double in program history and setting the program single-game blocks record.[5][14] On December 4, he recorded 17 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in a 85–80 victory over in-state rivals Eastern Kentucky.[15] On December 11, he recorded 16 points, nine rebounds and six blocks in a 71–48 victory over Ole Miss at the Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta.[16] On December 18, he had 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in their 82–72 win over Louisville – the Hilltoppers' first win over the Cardinals since 2008.[17] In their next game against Kentucky, he recorded eight points, six rebounds and seven blocks in the first half before exiting the game with an ankle sprain.[18]
Sharp finished the season with averages of 8.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and a nation-leading 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 72.7 percent from the field.[19] His 148 blocks set a new single-season program record, surpassing Chris Marcus's 97 blocks in 2000–01.[19] Sharp was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year and an honorable mention all-conference selection.[20] He was a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award,[21] as well as a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award.[19]
Professional career
Texas Legends (2024–2025)
After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Sharp joined the Dallas Mavericks for the 2024 NBA Summer League[22] and on August 3, 2024, he signed with the team.[23] However, he was waived on October 18[24] and on October 26, he joined the Texas Legends.[25] He played 29 games in the 2024–25 season, averaging 6.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game.[26]
Return to the Texas Legends (2025–2026)
Sharp joined the Mavericks again for the 2025 NBA Summer League.[26] On October 18, 2025, he was waived by the Mavericks after signing an Exhibit 10 contract.[27] On March 20, 2026, Sharp had 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 blocks on a 110–103 loss to the Iowa Wolves. On April 2, 2026, Sharp won the Defensive Player of the Year for the 2025–2026 season.[28]
Vaqueros de Bayamón (2026–present)
On April 1, 2026, Sharp signed with the reigning champions Vaqueros de Bayamón of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional.[29] In his debut, he made history by becoming the tallest player to play in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional, taking the title from former NBA player Peter John Ramos (7’4”).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | John A. Logan | 33 | 13 | – | .641 | .000 | .380 | 5.0 | .2 | .3 | 3.7 | 5.5 |
| 2020–21 | John A. Logan | 24 | 16 | – | .559 | .500 | .582 | 7.3 | .7 | .2 | 5.8 | 7.7 |
| 2021–22 | Western Kentucky | 32 | 28 | 28.0 | .726 | .000 | .397 | 7.6 | .3 | .8 | 4.6 | 8.2 |
| 2022–23 | Western Kentucky | 32 | 32 | 28.5 | .628 | .000 | .500 | 7.7 | .2 | 1.0 | 4.1 | 7.4 |
| 2023–24 | Ole Miss | 31 | 15 | 15.8 | .594 | .000 | .526 | 4.1 | .6 | .6 | 2.4 | 3.3 |
| Career | 152 | 104 | 24.2 | .630 | .125 | .477 | 6.5 | .4 | .5 | 4.1 | 6.4 | |
Personal life
In April 2024, Sharp was charged with aggravated assault for firing a gun while a vehicle was being repossessed. No one was injured in the incident. Sharp was taken into custody and was given a $100,000 bond by a municipal court judge.[1]