James Akinjo
No. 11 – Stockton Kings
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (2000-11-27) November 27, 2000
Oakland, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolSalesian College Prep
(Richmond, California)
College
NBA draft2022: undrafted
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–2023Westchester Knicks
2023–presentStockton Kings
Career highlights and awards

James Akinjo (born November 27, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Georgetown Hoyas, the Arizona Wildcats and the Baylor Bears.

Early life and high school career

Akinjo grew up in the crime-ridden Las Deltas Housing projects in North Richmond, California. He was raised by his grandmother, Roberta Stevenson, because his mother, Monique Divers, died from leukemia when he was a toddler.[1][2] When Akinjo was 13 years old, his brother died. Many of his friends were also murdered. His father, who is only 16 years older than him, and his uncle were imprisoned or jailed during his childhood.[3] From a young age, Akinjo aspired to become a basketball player and drew inspiration from Chris Paul. At age 11, he was featured in the East Bay Times, who touted him as a "basketball prodigy."[1]

Akinjo played for Salesian College Preparatory in Richmond, California, where he was coached by Bill Mellis. As a freshman, he stood 5'8 but had a growth spurt. At the 2017 MLK Classic, Akinjo scored 29 points in a 45–36 win over St. John Bosco-Bellflower.[2] As a senior, he averaged 20.7 points and 5.2 assists per game, leading his team to a 30–2 record and the CIF North Coast Section Division III title.[4]

Recruiting

A four-star recruit, he originally committed to UConn but after the firing of head coach Kevin Ollie switched his commitment to Georgetown.[4][5]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
James Akinjo
PG		 Oakland, CA Salesian College Prep (CA) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Apr 16, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 81
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 71  247Sports: 90  ESPN: –
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Georgetown 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  • "2018 Georgetown Hoyas Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 16, 2020.

College career

On November 19, 2018, Akinjo earned his first Big East Conference Freshman of the Week honors after averaging 14.3 points and 4.7 assists per game in three games.[6] He made a three-pointer with 4.9 seconds left in regulation to force overtime in a 76–73 win over South Florida.[7] On December 22, Akinjo scored a season-high 25 points in a 102–94 victory over Arkansas–Little Rock.[8] He matched his career-high on March 9, 2019, scoring 25 points with five three-pointers in an 86–84 win over 16th-ranked Marquette.[9] At the end of the regular season, Akinjo was named Big East Freshman of the Year and was a unanimous pick for the Big East All-Freshman Team.[10] As a freshman, he averaged 13.4 points, 5.2 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.[11]

Akinjo made his sophomore debut on November 6, 2019, scoring 20 points, including 17 in the second half, in an 81–68 win over Mount St. Mary's.[12] On December 2, it was announced that Akinjo had left Georgetown and was entering the transfer portal along with several other Georgetown players.[13] In seven games, he averaged 13.4 points, 4.4 assists and three rebounds per game.[14] On January 1, 2020, Akinjo committed to Arizona.[15] He was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility on September 1.[16] As a junior, he averaged 15.6 points and 5.4 assists per game, earning First Team All-Pac-12 honors.[17] On March 31, 2021, Akinjo declared for the 2021 NBA draft with the possibility of returning to school.[18] He transferred to Baylor.[17]

On December 28, 2021, Akinjo scored a career-high 27 points and had nine assists in a 104-68 win against Northwestern State.[19] He missed a game against West Virginia on January 18, 2022, due to an injured tailbone.[20] Akinjo was named to the First Team All-Big 12.[21]

Professional career

Westchester Knicks (2022–2023)

After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, Akinjo was signed by the Atlanta Hawks for the 2022 NBA Summer League.[22] On October 14, 2022, Akinjo signed with the New York Knicks,[23] but was waived the next day.[24] On October 23, he joined the Westchester Knicks training camp roster.[25]

Stockton Kings (2023–present)

On September 14, 2023, Akinjo's rights were traded to the Stockton Kings[26] and on September 29, he signed with the Sacramento Kings. However, he was waived the same day.[27] On November 9, he was named to the opening night roster for Stockton Kings.[28]

Career statistics

Legend
  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
2018–19 Georgetown 333231.6.365.391.8122.95.21.1.013.4
2019–20 Georgetown 7730.7.337.242.8133.04.42.0.013.4
2020–21 Arizona 262634.9.379.408.8192.35.41.4.015.6
2021–22 Baylor 323233.1.383.295.8352.85.82.0.013.5
Career 989732.9.373.354.8202.75.41.6.014.0

Personal life

Akinjo's father played basketball for McClymonds High School in Oakland, California in the late 1990s.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Rogers, Robert (July 9, 2012). "North Richmond basketball prodigy gets surprise gift from city agency". East Bay Times. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Stephens, Mitch (January 13, 2018). "Tragedy, family fuel Salesian's James Akinjo". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  3. ↑ Wallace, Ava (January 1, 2019). "James Akinjo wants to return Georgetown basketball to glory, then bring some home to Oakland". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Sabedra, Darren (April 16, 2018). "Salesian guard James Akinjo chooses Georgetown". The Mercury News. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  5. ↑ Aldax, Mike (March 22, 2018). "Salesian's James Akinjo looking for new school after UConn coach's firing". The Richmond Standard. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Akinjo Named BIG EAST Player of the Week; Govan Named to Honor Roll". Georgetown University Athletics. November 19, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  7. ↑ Anderson, Jerran (November 22, 2018). "Georgetown Basketball: James Akinjo making basketball fun again for the Hoyas". Busting Brackets. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  8. ↑ Curran, Aidan (December 22, 2018). "Mac McClung and James Akinjo provide hope for the future". 247Sports. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Akinjo, McClung help Georgetown beat No. 16 Marquette". WTOP-FM. Associated Press. March 9, 2019. Archived from the original on March 27, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  10. ↑ Wallace, Ava (March 13, 2019). "James Akinjo found out he won Big East freshman of the year while stuck in traffic". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  11. ↑ Chen, Nathan (November 6, 2019). "James Akinjo and the Hoyas Look to Make the Leap to National Contention". The Georgetown Voice. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Georgetown Uses Second-Half Surge to Defeat Mount St. Mary's 81-68". Georgetown University Athletics. November 6, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  13. ↑ Young, Ryan (December 2, 2019). "Georgetown suddenly loses two key players amid restraining orders, sexual assault allegations". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  14. ↑ Zagoria, Adam (December 3, 2019). "Georgetown Basketball Players Face Assault, Burglary, Harassment Charges; Two Stars To Transfer". Forbes. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  15. ↑ Lawson, Mark (January 1, 2020). "Former Georgetown guard James Akinjo commits to Arizona". Arizona Daily Wildcat. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  16. ↑ Norlander, Matt (September 1, 2020). "Arizona point guard James Akinjo ruled immediately eligible by NCAA after transferring from Georgetown". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  17. 1 2 "Baylor lands commitment from Arizona transfer James Akinjo". The Dallas Morning News. April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  18. ↑ "James Akinjo declares for NBA Draft". wildcatauthority.com. 247 Sports. March 31, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  19. ↑ "No. 1 Baylor wins 18th in row 104-68 over Northwestern State". ESPN. Associated Press. December 28, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  20. ↑ Bock, Ethan (January 18, 2022). "Baylor's Leading Scorer James Akinjo Will Not Play Against West Virginia". WV Sports Now. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  21. ↑ Kelly, Eric (March 8, 2022). "James Akinjo and Adam Flagler make AP All-Big 12 teams". Fox 44 News. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  22. ↑ Ramsey, Denton (June 24, 2022). "Bears' James Akinjo Signs NBA Summer League Deal". SI.com. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Knicks Sign James Akinjo". NBA.com. October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  24. ↑ NEW YORK KNICKS [@nyknicks] (October 15, 2022). "Knicks waive Akinjo, Harris, and Jeffries" (Tweet). Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via Twitter.
  25. ↑ "Westchester Knicks Announce 2022-23 Training Camp Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. October 23, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Stockton Kings Acquire Returning Player Rights to James Akinjo". OurSportsCentral.com. September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  27. ↑ Ham, James [@James_HamNBA] (September 30, 2023). "According to a league source, the Sacramento Kings signed James Akinjo to a contract on Friday as reported by @KeithSmithNBA. They waived him on Friday as well. His G League rights were acquired by the team a few weeks ago and he is expected to play in Stockton this season" (Tweet). Retrieved October 1, 2023 – via Twitter.
  28. ↑ "Stockton Kings Announce 2023-24 Opening Night Roster". NBA.com. November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
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