Jayson Kent (born February 3, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Rip City Remix of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Bradley Braves, Indiana State Sycamores and Texas Longhorns.
Early life
Kent was born on February 3, 2002, in Austin, Texas.[1] He has several family members who played college basketball or professionally, including his father Jason, mother Anna, uncles Anthony Kent and Jordan Fair, and sister Janae.[2][3] At age four, his family moved to Chicago, Illinois.[4] Kent attended Oak Forest High School and played basketball there, initially as a guard before switching to forward after having a growth spurt, reaching a height of 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) at Oak Forest.[2] He was an all-conference, all-area and all-state performer there and helped Oak Forest to the conference title as a senior, averaging 17.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.[4] Kent posted 1,290 points and 350 rebounds in his time in high school.[4] He committed to play college basketball for the Bradley Braves.[5]
College career
Kent appeared in 23 games as a freshman at Bradley in 2020–21, averaging 3.6 points and 1.1 rebounds.[4] He became a starter as a sophomore in 2021–22, playing in 28 games while averaging 6.9 points, after which he entered the NCAA transfer portal.[6] He transferred to the Indiana State Sycamores and played two seasons for them.[7] Kent averaged 5.1 points per game in 2022–23, his first year with the Sycamores.[4] He then averaged 13.5 points and 8.1 rebounds during the 2023–24 season, helping Indiana State to a record of 32–7.[7] He helped them reach the finals of the 2024 National Invitation Tournament, where they lost 79–77 to the Seton Hall Pirates.[7][8] He was a second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) selection and was named to the MVC All-Defensive team for his performance that year.[4] Kent transferred to the Texas Longhorns for his final season in 2024–25.[9] He averaged 5.6 points in 27 games in his lone year with the Longhorns.[10]
Professional career
Kent was not selected in the 2025 NBA draft.[11] He attended a local tryout for the Rip City Remix of the NBA G League and won a roster spot.[11] He impressed with the Remix, posting an average of 11.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in his first 37 games.[7] Afterwards, Kent was signed by the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers to a two-way contract on March 3, 2026.[7] Thirteen days later, he made his NBA debut against the Brooklyn Nets, playing for three minutes and making his only shot.[12]
Career statistics
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 | Portland | 5 | 0 | 4.4 | .571 | .250 | 1.000 | 1.0 | .0 | .2 | .2 | 2.0 |
| Career | 5 | 0 | 4.4 | .571 | .250 | 1.000 | 1.0 | .0 | .2 | .2 | 2.0 | |
References
- ^ “Jayson Kent”. Bradley Braves.
- ^ a b Eminian, Dave (January 12, 2022). “Why basketball means family for Bradley’s late-blooming sophomore wing”. Journal Star.
- ^ DiSabato, Paul (December 10, 2019). “‘It was my sister’s advice’: Jayson Kent gets shot back on track as Oak Forest eases past Eisenhower”. Chicago Tribune.
- ^ a b c d e f “Jayson Kent”. Texas Longhorns.
- ^ Henricksen, Joe (April 2, 2020). “Oak Forest’s Jayson Kent commits to Bradley”. Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ Eminian, Dave (March 16, 2022). “Bradley men’s basketball sophomore Jayson Kent enters NCAA transfer portal”. Journal Star.
- ^ a b c d e Bennett, Mark (March 3, 2026). “Former Sycamore Jayson Kent signs with NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers”. Tribune-Star.
- ^ Bohls, Kirk (September 19, 2024). “How a pair of Indiana State basketball players made their way to Austin to play for Rodney Terry”. Houston Chronicle.
- ^ Jones, Thomas (April 14, 2024). “Texas basketball signs transfer Jayson Kent. What does it mean for the Longhorns?”. Austin American-Statesman.
- ^ “Jayson Kent College Stats”. Sports Reference.
- ^ a b Struck, Logan (March 3, 2026). “Blazers Sign Local Tryout Longshot to Two-Way Deal”. Sports Illustrated.
- ^ “Jayson Kent 2025-26 Game Log”. Basketball Reference.