J. J. O'Brien
 | |
| Free agent | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward / Shooting guard |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
April 8, 1992 San Diego, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 228 lb (103 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
Alta Loma (Rancho Cucamonga, California) |
| College |
Utah (2010–2011) San Diego State (2012–2015) |
| NBA draft | 2015 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 2015–present |
| Career history | |
| 2015–2016 | Idaho Stampede (D-League) |
| 2016 | Utah Jazz |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Jaleel "J. J." O'Brien (born April 8, 1992) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League. He played college basketball for San Diego State and the University of Utah.
High school career
O'Brien attended the Alta Loma High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California. As a senior he Averaged 24 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals, earning a first-team all-league selection, being nominated for the McDonalds All-American and ended as Alta Loma's all-time leading scorer with 2,200 points.[1]
College career
O'Brien began his basketball career with Utah. In his freshman season, he played in 22 games starting 21 averaging 6.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 27.7 minutes after missing 9 games due to a broken foot.[2]
The next year, O'Brien transferred to San Diego State and sat out that season. On his sophomore season, he played in all 34 games, starting 33 averaging 7.2 points on 52.6 percent shooting, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He scored in double figures in 10 of his final 16 outings, including six of his final 11 games, ending with 13 double-figures scoring. He was the Mountain West Player of the Week on January 28.[2]
As a junior, O'Brien played and started 35 of 36 games averaging a career-high 7.8 points and 4.7 rebounds also setting career highs in minutes played (27.9), free-throw percentage (.644) and three-point field-goal percentage (.278). All of this earned him an All-Mountain West Honorable Mention.[2]
As a senior with the Aztecs, O'Brien averaged 10.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists.[3]
Professional career
2015–16 season
After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft, O'Brien joined the Utah Jazz for the Utah Summer League where he saw action in all three games, averaging 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.0 minutes.[3] He also played with Utah at the Las Vegas Summer League, owning averages of 4.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 18.8 minutes.[3] On August 28, 2015, he signed with the Jazz,[3] only to be waived by the team on October 13 after appearing in one preseason game.[4] On November 1, he signed with the Idaho Stampede as an affiliate player.[5] On November 13, he made his professional debut in a 110–106 loss to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, recording 12 points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 42 minutes.[6]
On January 16, 2016, O'Brien signed a 10-day contract with the Jazz.[7] He made his NBA debut later that night against the Los Angeles Lakers, recording one rebound and one steal in four minutes of action.[8] On January 26, his contract expired and the Jazz decided to not retain him, making him a free agent. That day, he returned to the Stampede, playing that night in a 122–115 win over the Reno Bighorns. He recorded 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and one steal in 29 minutes.[9] At the season's end, he earned NBA D-League All-Rookie Team honors.[10]
Personal life
O'Brien is the son of Catherine O'Brien, a middle school teacher who played college basketball at Notre Dame. He has two sisters, Noelle and Malika.[1]
References
- 1 2 "20 J.J. O'Brien". UtahUtes.com. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
- 1 2 3 "20 J.J. O'Brien". GoAztecs.com. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 "Jazz Sign Free Agent J.J. O’Brien". NBA.com. August 28, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Jazz Waive Cooley and O’Brien". NBA.com. October 13, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
- ↑ "Idaho Stampede Finalize 2015 Training Camp Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. November 1, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Walker Blocks Six Shots, McDaniels Scores 16 in Vipers’ 110-106 Home Opener Win". NBA.com. November 13, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ↑ "Jazz Sign JJ O’Brien to 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. January 16, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- ↑ "Gobert posts double-double as Jazz defeat Lakers 109-82". NBA.com. January 16, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- ↑ "Stampede Hold Off Bighorns in Idaho". NBA.com. January 26, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
- ↑ "NBA Development League Announces 2015-16 All-NBA D-League Teams". NBA.com. April 29, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.