Deandre Ayton is a Bahamian professional basketball player currently playing the position 5 for the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA. Born in the Bahamas, Ayton moved to San Diego, California to focus on his basketball career. Ayton attended Balboa School in California and played for their varsity team for two years. As a sophomore, Ayton led Balboa to a 17-14 record while averaging an absurd 21 points, 16 rebounds, and 6.9 blocks a game. After this, Ayton transferred to Hillcrest Prep Academy in Phoenix, Arizona to attract more attention from scouts. Ayton picked up right where he left off, averaging 29.2 points, 16.7 rebounds, and 3.9 blocks in his juniors, and followed it up by averaging 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks in his senior season.
Ayton was one of the most highly-recruited players from his draft class. A consensus five-star recruit, Ayton committed to play for the Arizona Wildcats while receiving offers from multiple colleges. Ayton had a stellar freshman season with Arizona, being named the Pac12 Player of the Year as well as the Pac12 Freshman of the Year. Following Arizona’s upset loss to the University at Buffalo in the Round of 64, Ayton stated his intentions to declare for the NBA draft, foregoing his final 3 years of college eligibility.
Ayton was selected with the first overall pick by the Phoenix Suns in the 2018 NBA draft. Paired with all-star Devin Booker, this brought upon a new era in Phoenix and their fans couldn’t be more excited. Ayton had a stellar rookie season, averaging 14.5 points and 10.5 rebounds, but his season flew under the radar due to the box-office Rookie of the Year matchup going on between Luka Doncic and Trae Young. While everyone expected things to go up from here for Deandre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns, tragedy struck as Ayton tested for a drug test forcing him into a suspension and causing him to miss the first 25 games of his sophomore season. When he returned, it didn’t look good for Ayton as he looked like a shell of his former self. In the 2020 NBA bubble, the Suns and Ayton found rejuvenated energy as they went 8-0 and Ayton looked stellar.
The following off-season, the Suns acquired Chris Paul who helped Ayton take his game to the next level. The Suns reached the 2021 NBA Finals and this was a huge break for Ayton who was now being considered as one of the best centers in the league. After two more seasons with the Suns, Ayton was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team deal centered around Damian Lillard. Ayton is currently playing for the Portland Trail Blazers and is looking to take the team to new heights.
Deandre Ayton Ethnicity
Deandre Ayton is of Bahamian origin. Ayton’s father is Nigerian while his mother is of Jamaican and Bahamian heritage. He was born and brought up in the Bahamas for most of his childhood, and his family decided to move to the United States to help Ayton’s basketball career. Currently, Ayton is listed as a Bahamian citizen and recently represented them in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
FAQs
A. Deandre Ayton is from the Bahamas.
A. Deandre Ayton is currently 25 years old, as of November 2023.
A. Deandre Ayton is 7 feet tall.
A. Deandre Ayton plays as the starting center for the Portland Trail Blazers
