The National Basketball Association is the most iconic league all over the world. Many young boys dream of joining it one day and look up to the former superstars to find the training motivation. Sometimes, childhood pickup games are the beginnings of their careers. James Wiseman was around basketball from the age of five. He was born on March 31, 2001, in Nashville, Tennessee and attended the Ensworth School and played basketball for their team. He had his eyes on the goal from the start, and his physique helped him to achieve it, as he was already standing tall with 6 feet 9 inches as a freshman, weighing 200 pounds.
High School Career
In May of 2017, James participated in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, where he played for Penny Hardaway’s team. This acquaintance changed the railroad of Wiseman’s life. He changed the school to Memphis East High School, to play under Hardaway, who was promoted to head coach. The whole family moved with him to Memphis. Due to their previous relationship, Wiseman was considered ineligible to play during his junior season, according to TSSAA rules.
The ineligibility was renounced because the rules weren’t clear enough, and Wiseman joined the school’s team in December. He led the team in scoring, helping them to get to TSSAA Class AAA Championships. He was selected All-American third team and earned MaxPreps Junior honors, as he averaged 18.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game, with the highest scoring mark of 19.
Wiseman was grateful for the training he acquired and the progress he made during his junior season and opted out of a prep school, staying with Memphis East for his senior year. He recorded his first triple-double with 27 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks, leading his team to win the Region 8AAA championships on March 1, 2019. They finished second to Bearden High School, despite Wiseman’s 24 points, 11 rebounds and dive block effort.
This performance was his last as a high school student. At the conclusion of his run with Memphis East, he averaged 25.8 points, 14.8 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game, for which he was chosen the Gatorade National Player of the Year and Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year. He took part in the McDonald’s All-American Game, as well as Jordan Brand Classic and the Nike Hoop Summit. He was co-MVP with Cole Anthony for the effort he made during Jordan Brand’s game and was named the Tennessee Class AAA Mr. Basketball honors.
College Career
The earlier court case about the ineligibility was to follow him for some time. A Memphis judge decided that the coaching link was, in fact, enough to make Wiseman ineligible. More questions were raised, when the information about the family taking money from Hardway to move to Memphis, saw the light of the day.
Wiseman was considered a five-star recruit. He was offered a place in Kentucky’s roster, but ultimately chose the University of Memphis, where he met up again with coach Hardway. For his university run, he grew to 7 feet 1 inch. He was to join the Tigers before the regular season, but sustained an ankle injury and couldn’t participate in exhibition games in Nassau. He debuted on November 8, posting 28 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in only 22 minutes.
Only three days later, Wiseman was ruled ineligible. The rumors about Hardaway sponsoring the move to family were ruled true by the National Athletic Association. Despite that, Wiseman was still allowed to play and posted 17 points and nine rebounds the same day. But he faced the consequences later, as he was suspended for 12 games and had to donate 11,500 – an exact sum of money his family was given for the move.
After missing seven games due to suspension, Wiseman announced his retirement from Memphis. He decided to hire an agent and prepare for the 2020 NBA draft, effectively ending his college career. He was thought to be a number one draft pick.
NBA Draft
James Wiseman enrolled in the 2020 NBA draft where he became a second overall draft pick. He joined the Golden State Warriors and made his NBA debut on December 22, 2020, where he compiled 19 points, six rebounds and two steals. Unfortunately, the season didn’t end well for Wiseman, as it was revealed on April 11, 2021, he had to have surgery on a torn meniscus. The surgery ruled him out for the rest of the season.
Head Coach Steve Kerr
Wiseman was prompted to be a great player after his recovery, and he worked hard during the summer, to put some muscle mass on, which was clearly visible. But the recovery took longer than expected. James Wiseman, played for the Santa Cruz Warriors from the beginning of the 2021-22 season, joined by Klay Thompson. In December they both were recalled to the teams’ main roster.
Wiseman is said to participate in full-team practices but he still isn’t cleared to scrimmage. As his participation in this season remains limited, we hope that he will regain full capacity soon and maybe this break will turn out to be a good thing. We have to watch the news and find out in the future!
Why does James Wiseman speak Chinese?
James Wiseman, a member of the Golden State Warriors, acquired fluency in Mandarin Chinese during his high school years due to the NBA’s immense popularity among Chinese fans. The Bay Area is home to one of the world’s largest concentrations of people from China outside its borders and this has only served to strengthen an already substantial fan base for the Warriors in that country. Klay Thompson also enjoys notable success with Anta, a popular shoe brand based in China, which makes James’ skill even more useful.
