Who is the youngest player in the NBA in 2023-24? Team, contract, stats and more
While NBA players no longer join the league fresh out of high school like back in the late Kobe Bryant's time, there are alternatives. In the past, NBA hopefuls had to rely on either high school recruitment or the traditional NCAA route to make the league. However, players like Victor Wembanyama from overseas can now make the league with plenty of hype.
Moreover, players like Amen and Ausar Thompson have made a name with Overtime Elite. In doing so, they generated NBA interest in a non-traditional way. Given all the options young hopefuls have, the league has stayed young.
Per Basketball Reference, for example, from 2007-2018, only one of the No. 1 picks in the draft was over 19 years of age. But who is the youngest player currently playing in the league today? Let's find out.
Who is the youngest player in the NBA in the 2023-24 season? Looking at team, stats, contract, and more
Per the league's website, the youngest player in the NBA for the 2023-24 season is Gregory "GG" Jackson II, who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies. Born on December 17th, 2004, he is four months younger than the next youngest player, James Nnaji of the Detroit Pistons.
Jackson spent a year in college playing for the South Carolina Gamecocks as the team's starting power forward. By the end of the season, he led the team in scoring with 15.4 points per game, along with a total of 26 blocks and 24 steals for the year.
He also notably represented the United States in the FIBA Americas U18 tournament and helped the team win a gold medal. After declaring for the draft, he was selected 45th by the Memphis Grizzlies. They signed him to a two-way deal that also sees him play for the Memphis Hustle.
According to SalarySwish, Jackson has a one-year deal worth $559,782 with the Grizzlies for the year. So far this season, he appeared in just three games for Memphis, averaging 1.0 rebounds and .3 steals per game over 2.3 minutes.
The forward appeared in the Grizzlies' November 24th clash with the Phoenix Suns, where he recorded one steal in the two minutes played. The minutes came during the Grizzlies' loss of 110-89.
Before that, in the Grizzlies' 111-91 loss to the Houston Rockets on November 22nd, he hauled three rebounds in four minutes. In his first NBA game on October 30th, he played just one minute against the Dallas Mavericks in a 125-110 loss, recording no stats.