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Joël Ayayi (born 5 March 2000) is a French professional basketball player for the Lakeland Magic of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Joël Ayayi

No. 17 – Lakeland Magic
Position	Shooting guard
League	NBA G League
Personal information
Born	(2000-03-05) 5 March 2000 (age 22) Bordeaux, France
Nationality	French
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school	INSEP (Paris, France)
College	Gonzaga (2018–2021)
NBA draft	2021 / Undrafted
Playing career	2021–present
Career history
2021–2022	Washington Wizards
2021–2022	→Capital City Go-Go
2022–present	Lakeland Magic
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-WCC (2021) WCC tournament MOP (2020)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men's basketball Representing  France FIBA Under-19 World Cup 2019 Greece Team FIBA U18 European Championship 2018 Latvia Team

Early life and career

Ayayi was born and raised in Bordeaux, France. Growing up, he idolized National Basketball Association (NBA) player and Bordeaux native Boris Diaw.[1] Ayayi attended INSEP, a sports institute in Paris, and played for affiliated club Centre Fédéral.[2]

Recruiting

He was considered a four-star recruit by Rivals and received NCAA Division I offers from Baylor, Georgia Tech, and Gonzaga.[3] On 27 April 2017, Ayayi committed to play college basketball for Gonzaga.[4]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Joël Ayayi SG	Bordeaux, France	INSEP (FR)	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Apr 28, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 20 May 2017.

Source: Rivals, Scout, ESPN

College career

Ayayi joined the Gonzaga basketball team at age 17 and redshirted his first season to train with the team.[5] In his redshirt freshman season, he averaged 5.6 minutes per game through 23 contests.[6] On 27 November 2019, early in his sophomore season, Ayayi posted 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in a win over Southern Miss.[7] He had 20 points in a 94–50 win over San Diego on 9 January 2020.[8] At the conclusion of the regular season, Ayayi was named Honorable Mention All-West Coast Conference (WCC).[9] On 10 March, he helped Gonzaga win the WCC tournament and was named Most Outstanding Player after scoring 17 points in the final against Saint Mary's.[10] He averaged 10.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.2 per game for the Bulldogs and was All-WCC honorable mention. Following the season he declared for the 2020 NBA draft but did not hire an agent.[11] On 1 August, Ayayi announced he was withdrawing from the draft and returning for his junior season.[12]

Coming into his junior season, Ayayi was named to the Preseason All-WCC team.[13] On 9 January 2021, he recorded the first triple-double in program history, with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists in a 116–88 win over Portland. He also tallied the second-most assists for a Gonzaga player in a single game.[14] As a junior, he averaged 12 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game and was named to the First Team All-West Coast Conference. Following the season, Ayayi declared for the 2021 NBA draft and forgo his remaining college eligibility.[15]

Professional career

Washington Wizards (2021–2022)

After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Ayayi signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on 3 August 2021. Under the terms of the deal he was to split time between the Lakers and their NBA G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.[16] On 15 October, he was waived by Los Angeles[17] and two days later, he signed a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards.[18] Ayayi was then later waived on 8 March 2022.[19]

Capital City Go-Go (2022)

On March 11, 2022, Ayayi was reacquired by the Capital City Go-Go.[20]

Ayayi joined the Atlanta Hawks for the 2022 NBA Summer League.[21]

Lakeland Magic (2022–present)

On November 3, 2022, Ayayi was named to the opening night roster for the Lakeland Magic.[22]

National team career

Ayayi holds dual citizenship to France and his parents' home country of Benin, but he plays basketball for the French national teams.[23] At the 2016 FIBA U16 European Championship in Radom, Poland, he averaged 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game for France.[24] Ayayi led his team to a bronze medal at the 2018 FIBA U18 European Championship in Latvia. After averaging 15.7 points per game, he was named to the All-Star Five.[25] Ayayi helped France win bronze at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Heraklion, Greece, where he earned All-Star Five honors. He averaged 20.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game and led all scorers with 33 points in a bronze medal game against Lithuania.[26]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2021–22	Washington	7	0	2.9	.167	.000	–	.4	.6	.0	.0	.3
Career		7	0	2.9	.167	.000	–	.4	.6	.0	.0	.3

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2017–18	Gonzaga	Redshirt
2018–19	Gonzaga	23	0	5.6	.531	.273	.286	1.4	.5	.3	0	1.7
2019–20	Gonzaga	33	23	29.3	.483	.345	.825	6.3	3.2	1.3	.2	10.6
2020–21	Gonzaga	32	31	31.3	.575	.389	.781	6.9	2.7	1.1	.2	12.0
Career		88	54	23.8	.529	.360	.776	5.2	2.3	.9	.2	8.8

Personal life

Both of Ayayi's parents are from Benin.[27] His father stands 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) and played basketball professionally in France and for the Beninese national team.[23] Ayayi's older sister Valériane has played for the French women's national team, most notably at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[28][29] His younger brother Gérald plays professional basketball in France.[23]

References

External links

• Gonzaga Bulldogs bio

На других языках

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[de] Joël Ayayi

Joël Ayayi (* 5. März 2000[1] in Bordeaux)[2] ist ein französischer Basketballspieler beninischer Abstammung.[3]

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- [en] Joël Ayayi

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[es] Joël Ayayi

Joël Ayayi (Burdeos, Nueva Aquitania; 5 de marzo de 2000) es un jugador de baloncesto francés que se encuentra sin equipo. Con 1,93 metros de estatura, juega en la posición de escolta. Es hermano de Valériane Vukosavljević, jugadora de la selección francesa y de la WNBA.[1]

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