Jaylen Hoard

At 25 years old, Jaylen Hoard has this physical status:

Jaylen Hoard (born March 30, 1999) is a French professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in Portland, France, on a two-way agreement with the Texas Legends of the NBA G League.

He played for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in college basketball.

He was born in Le Havre, France, and began his career at INSEP in Paris, where he competed with the Nationale Masculine 1's amateur team Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball.

After attending Wesleyan Christian Academy in High Point, North Carolina, he became one of the most coveted students of the year 2018 and a consensus five-star recruit.

Early life

Hoard was born in Le Havre, France, to an American father and French mother, both with basketball experience. Antwon Hoard's father appeared in Murray State in college and then spent several seasons in France in the LNB Pro A. Katia Foucade, his mother, starred for the University of Washington and was a member of the French national team. Anaia, one of four siblings of Hoard, has competed with the French national under-17 team. In addition, James Wade's godfather played in Europe, and his godmother Edwige Lawson-Wade has been a member of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) who has played for the French national team on several occasions. From a young age, he became interested in basketball due to his deep family history.

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Youth career

In 2015, Hoard signed a two-year contract with the French athlete institute INSEP in Paris, as part of the affiliated club Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball (CFBB). For the 2015–16 season, Hoard competed in the Nationale Masculine 1, France's third-tier division. He was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Jordan Brand Classic International Game in April 2015, totaling 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals. In a victory over Caen Basket Calvados on April 16, 2016, Hoard earned a season-high 23 points while shooting 9-of-15 from the field. He finished the NM1 season with 8.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.

High school career

Hoard played basketball for Wesleyan Christian Academy in High Point, North Carolina, in the summer of 2016. He was encouraged to enroll because his father had become close friends with the school's head coach Keith Gatlin throughout his playing career. "I just felt like it was time to come over here and compete against the best," Hoard said after making the switch. A lot of people know me for basketball in France, but I want to make it here. This is where all the talent is located, so I want to prove myself." Wesleyan was ranked by MaxPreps among the country's top tens and in the top-20 by USA Today High School Sports at the start of the season, and by USA Today High School Sports. He spent time at the start of the season adapting to basketball in the United States.

Hoard was rated as a five-star recruiter and as one of the best players of the 2018 class. By ESPN, he ranked 22nd in the class of 2018.

College career

Hoard committed to attend and play for Wake Forest University on August 26, 2017. Hoard was named to the Julius Erving Award preseason watchlist before the 2018-19 season. In a 90-78 victory over North Carolina A&T, Hoard scored 19 points and 13 rebounds. The Demon Deacons would beat Valparaiso 69-63, with Hoard's 14 points and nine rebounds off the field. In an 83-61 victory over Cornell, he scored 23 points and 15 rebounds on January 2, 2019. In a 71-67 victory over NC State on January 15, 2019, Hoard had 16 points and 10 rebounds. In a victory over Pittsburgh on February 5, 2019, Hoard tallied 19 points and a career high 17 rebounds for his career. Hoard averaged 13.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assist per game as a freshman at Wake Forest.

National team career

At the 2015 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship in Kaunas, Lithuania, Hoard made his debut with the French youth national team. He scored 16 points and 6 rebounds in his first game at the tournament to help Croatia defeat Croatia. He averaged 7.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game at the tournament, leading France to a fifth-place finish.

Hoard earned 7.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game in April 2016, en route to fourth place in France at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament. He was considered one of the best performers from the competition, but NBAdraft.net said he "underachieved." However, Hoard at the 2016 FIBA Under-17 World Championship, held in Zaragoza, Spain, attracted much attention later this year. France finished in sixth place with a team-high 22.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. In his first game, Hoard exploded for 41 points against South Korea, shooting 15-of-28 from the field. Isaac Humphries' single-game scoring record was tied for the tournament's single-game scoring record set by the tournament in 2014.

Professional career

In the 2019 NBA Draft, Hoard was undrafted. Hoard signed a two-way with the Portland Trail Blazers on July 1, 2019.

The Portland Trail Blazers announced Hoard on October 27, 2019 that he was named to the Texas Legends of the NBA G League. Hoard appeared in the NBA Bubble in 2020.

Hoard signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 4, 2020, but he was disapproved three days later. He was born on January 28, 2021, and was included in the Oklahoma City Blue's roster. In 15 games, he averaged 9.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 22.0 minutes per game, shooting 41.8 percent from the field.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to a two-way contract on April 5, 2021.

Hoard returned to the Oklahoma City Blues in 2021-22 seasons.

Hoard signed a 10-day deal with the Thunder on December 29, 2021, renamed to the Blue after it came out. He signed his second 10-day deal with the Thunder on April 1, 2011. On April 6, 2022, he set career highs of 24 points and 21 rebounds against his former team, the Portland Trail Blazers.

Hoard joined Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League on August 14, 2022.

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