Jayden Quaintance
No. 22 – San Antonio Spurs
Position Power forward / center
League NBA
Personal information
Born (2007-07-11) July 11, 2007 (age 18)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Listed height 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight 255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school
  • Hillcrest Prep
    (Phoenix, Arizona)
  • Dream City Christian
    (Glendale, Arizona)
  • Word of God
    (Raleigh, North Carolina)
College
  • Arizona State (2024–2025)
  • Kentucky (2025–2026)
NBA draft 2026: 1st round, 20th overall pick
Drafted by San Antonio Spurs
Playing career 2026–present
Career history
2026–present San Antonio Spurs
Career highlights
  • Big 12 All-Defensive Team (2025)
  • Big 12 All-Freshman Team (2025)
  • McDonald's All-American (2024)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2023 Mexico Team

Jayden Warren Quaintance (born July 11, 2007) is an American basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils and Kentucky Wildcats.[1][2]

Early life and high school

Quaintance grew up in Cleveland, Ohio.[3] He moved to Phoenix, Arizona before the start of high school and enrolled at Hillcrest Prep.[4] Quaintance transferred again to Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina before his sophomore year.[5] He also reclassified from the class of 2025 to 2024.[6] Quaintance was selected to play in the 2024 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during his senior year.[7]

Recruiting

Quaintance was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class, according to major recruiting services.[8][9] He committed to play college basketball at Kentucky over offers from Missouri, Florida, South Florida, and Ohio State.[10] Quaintance signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to play for the Wildcats on November 15, 2023, during the early signing period.[11] However, he requested a release from his NLI on April 10, 2024, shortly after Kentucky head coach John Calipari left the program to become the head coach at Arkansas.[12] On April 29, 2024, Quaintance announced his commitment to Arizona State.

College career

Quaintance played one season with Arizona State, averaging 9.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game over 24 games.[13] In February 2025, he injured his knee and missed the remainder of the season. He had knee surgery on March 19.[14] Following the season, he entered the transfer portal.[15] He later announced he would transfer to Kentucky, where he had originally committed to play his freshman year.[16] Following the healing of his injury, Quaintance made his Wildcats debut on December 20, 2025, where he posted 10 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks in 17 minutes of playtime against the St. John's Red Storm.[17] Following his debut, Quaintance would go on to play four games in a row until he was sidelined on January 7, 2026, following further issues and swelling in his leg. On February 17, 2026, Quaintance suffered a torn meniscus and was sidelined indefinitely, and was not permitted to participate in any activities.[18][19] On April 14, 2026, Quaintance declared for the 2026 NBA Draft.[20] Following his season at Kentucky, Quaintance only appeared in four total games.[19]

Professional career

On June 23, 2026, Quaintance was selected with the 20th overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA draft.[21]

National team career

Quaintance played for the United States national under-16 team at the 2023 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship. He averaged 6.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in six games as the United States won the gold medal.[22]

Personal life

Quaintance's father, Haminn Quaintance, played college basketball at Jacksonville and Kent State.[23] In his free time, Quaintance enjoys playing chess and watching anime. His favorite anime is One Piece. [24]

References

  1. ^ "Quaintance commits to Kentucky for 2nd time". ESPN.com. April 8, 2025. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  2. ^ Black, Ryan. "Kentucky's Jayden Quaintance picked by San Antonio Spurs in NBA draft". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  3. ^ Goul, Matt (September 22, 2022). "CVCA's Darryn Peterson, Cleveland native Jayden Quaintance invited to USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp". Cleveland.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  4. ^ Patton, Andy (October 12, 2022). "Dana Altman extends offer to 4-star center Jayden Quanintance in class of 2025". Ducks Wire. USA Today. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  5. ^ Drummond, Cameron (August 29, 2023). "More five-star recruits set visits to Kentucky basketball, and other UK recruiting news". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  6. ^ Pilgrim, Jack (July 29, 2023). "Jayden Quaintance talks reclass decision, Kentucky offer: "It seems like a good fit"". On3.com. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  7. ^ Drummond, Cameron (April 3, 2024). "McDonald's All-American Game featured three future Kentucky players. Here's who impressed". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  8. ^ Jardy, Adam (August 7, 2023). "Five-star native Ohioan Jayden Quaintance considering Ohio State in 2024 class". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  9. ^ Dutcher, Christian Riley (November 10, 2023). "Top-10 prospect Quaintance lists Mizzou as finalist". Columbia Missourian. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  10. ^ Borzello, Jeff (November 14, 2023). "Kentucky improves recruiting class with Jayden Quaintance". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  11. ^ Haste, Adam (November 15, 2023). "Jayden Quaintance and Travis Perry officially sign with Kentucky". ASeaOfBlue.com. SB Nation. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  12. ^ "5-star center requests release from Kentucky NLI". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  13. ^ "Jayden Quaintance College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  14. ^ "ASU's Quaintance has knee surgery, eyes portal". ESPN.com. April 2, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  15. ^ "Why Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State's star 17-year-old, is the most unique transfer portal entrant ever". CBSSports.com. April 2, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  16. ^ O'Reilly, Alexander (May 7, 2025). "Mark Pope's latest transfer portal addition, Jayden Quaintance sends clear message ahead of first season with Kentucky". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  17. ^ Parke, Cole (December 20, 2025). "Jayden Quaintance makes immediate impact in Kentucky debut". 247Sports. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  18. ^ Beasmore, Chris (January 29, 2026). "Jayden Quaintance makes immediate impact in Kentucky debut". A Sea Of Blue. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  19. ^ a b "Jayden Quaintance is a long-term bet for San Antonio". Pounding The Rock. Vox Media. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  20. ^ Wilson, Colby (April 14, 2026). "Kentucky's Jayden Quaintance declares for 2026 NBA Draft". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  21. ^ "Jayden Quaintance selected by the Spurs with the No. 20 pick in 2026 NBA Draft". On3. June 23, 2026. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  22. ^ Borzello, Jeff (April 10, 2024). "Sources: Jayden Quaintance wants out of Kentucky commitment". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  23. ^ Jardy, Adam (September 11, 2023). "Ohio State official visit surprised Jayden Quaintance's family". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  24. ^ "Jayden Quaintance". UK Athletics. July 11, 2025. Retrieved December 28, 2025.