Despite his remarkable achievements as a basketball player in high school and college, Jairus Lyles ended up without a draft during the 2018 NBA Draft, but this did not stop him from realizing his dream of playing in the big leagues. On July 12, 2018, he soon found a team in the league.
Just before he joined the NBA Summer League, Jairus Lyles led his college basketball team – the Retrievers – to reach a milestone. The team scored a groundbreaking victory in a game against Virginia in the 2018 NCAA tournament, a victory that was unique in the history of the tournament. More details about the baller are below.
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Jairus Lyles Bio
His birth took place on July 6, 1995, in Silver Spring, Maryland. Although his father played soccer, Jairus did not choose the same path but preferred to shoot hoops.
His famous basketball achievements began at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, as a combo guard. Victor Oladipo, who would later become an NBA All-Star player, was a teammate of Jairus in his first year of college. In his junior season, Lyles averaged 11 points and three assists per game. With his support, his team also reached the finals of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC). In his senior year, the school had one of its worst seasons. While he averaged 13.4 points and 4.3 assists per game, his team ended the season with a record 14-17.
Colleges like Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, and Penn State stated their intention to include him in their teams, but he chose Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) over the others.
When his college career finally began, Lyles played for many teams, starting with the VCU Rams, where he averaged only 0.7 points, 0.2 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game in his first season (2013-14) under head coach Shaka Smart, scoring two field goals in addition to a season-high of three points. The next season he moved to the Robert Morris Colonials of the Robert Morris University, but he did not play in the 2014-15 season, which was not due to the conditions of participation. Later he switched back to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and played for the retrievers.
Jarius’s time with the retrievers turned out to be one of his best with 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game with 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. He also received awards for the second team of the All-America East Conference. His junior season came with major successes and some record-breaking performances. The baller averaged 18.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, but that’s not all. He also received the second All-America East second-team award with a total of 604 points, shattering the school’s record for the most points of any junior.
In his senior year, Lyles was a glowing arrow in his team as he started the season with 24 points and five assists. In his second game, he scored another 31 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. He is also responsible for the best 35 points of the season, which led his team to victory in Hartford on January 15, 2018. He then went on to win the All-America East title with the first team.
Jairus became popular on March 16, 2018, after scoring 28 points and shooting 9 out of 11, leading UMBC to an unprecedented 20 point win over top-seeded Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Division I 2018 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
With his college career behind him, Lyle was ready for the big leagues but was not included in the 2018 NBA Draft. This prompted him to join Utah Jazz for the NBA Summer League, and he signed with the team on July 12, 2018.
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Body Stats: Height, Weight
At 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m), Jairus Lyles may not be one of the greatest NBA players, but his skills speak for themselves. His weight is stated at 79 kg (175 lbs). The Combo Guard’s other body statistics – wingspan, standing range, and others – have not been published.
Family, Parents
His father, Lester Lyles, played American football in his heyday. Lester played for the University of Virginia Cavaliers (the same college his son later led his team to one of his most memorable college basketball victories) for four years, winning the 1984 Peach Bowl and later spending seven seasons as a player in the National Football League (NFL). Carol Motley, the ball player’s mother, was also enrolled at the University of Virginia but has no record of sporting success. Jairus Lyles has a sister – Symone, who played basketball for four seasons for her college team – the Ohio Bobcats.
His parents’ union did not stand the test of time as they soon divorced and Jairus remained in his mother’s care.
