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Derrick Jones Jr. and the Chicago Bulls are currently in Paris, France, as they prepare to take on the Detroit Pistons on Thursday. The seventh-year forward used the team trip as an opportunity to propose to his long-time girlfriend, Shakara Pritchett.
Jones Jr. and Pritchett have been together for seven years and share two sons together, born in 2018 and 2019. While not much is known about Shakara's career, she originally hails from Ohio and attended Euclid High School, where she starred in track and field. The couple met in Cleveland shortly after Pritchett graduated, as Jones Jr. was preparing for the NBA Draft.
Jones Jr. shared that he knew he would propose this week for a while, stating:
"Once I knew we were coming here to Paris, I had it planned. It's such a beautiful city and beautiful people out there. Everybody is nice. The most romantic city. I really like it here. We were on a walk the other day and I was able to see the beauty of the city wherever you look. I loved it. It gave me even more motivation to do it."
How has Derrick Jones Jr. performed for the Chicago Bulls this season?
Derrick Jones Jr. is in the first year of a two-year, $6.6 million contract that he signed with the Chicago Bulls prior to this season. Jones Jr., who was traded to Chicago during the summer of 2021, has seen his playing time decrease. He is averaging 5.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game while averaging just 15.1 minutes per game in his 33 appearances.
The Bulls, meanwhile, have struggled, as they are just 20-24 and sit in tenth place in the Western Conference. as they have struggled to find any type of consistency this season. While Chicago would be in the play-in tournament if the season ended today, they are only half a game ahead of the eleventh-placed Toronto Raptors and a game-and-a-half ahead of the twelveth-placed Washington Wizards.
The Bulls are, however, only two games behind the eighth seed, which would allow them two opportunities to make the postseason. More importantly, they are four games behind the sixth seed, which would allow them to bypass the play-in tournament altogether. With starting point guard Lonzo Ball likely nearing his return, the Bulls still have time to turn things around.
Watch highlights of Derrick Jones Jr. below:
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