Jaylon Tyson
Jaylon La Rone Tyson is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns, the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and the California Golden Bears. He was drafted with the 20th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Early life and high school career
Tyson was born on December 2, 2002, and grew up in Plano, Texas. He attended John Paul II High School in Plano and helped the team win their first state championship in his junior year, during which he averaged 23.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.Tyson then helped them reach the state semifinals with a 26–2 record as a senior, being named the district most valuable player and a first-team all-state selection while averaging 22.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Ranked the 34th-best recruit in the 2021 class by Rivals, he committed to playing college basketball for Texas after having flipped from Texas Tech.
College career
In his first year at Texas in the 2021–22 season, Tyson appeared in eight games, averaging 6.9 minutes and 1.8 points per game. He then entered the NCAA transfer portal. Tyson ultimately committed to play for Texas Tech, whom he had previously committed to play for in high school before flipping to Texas.Tyson started 31 games for Texas Tech in 2022–23, the third-most on the team, and averaged 10.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He ranked eighth in the Big 12 Conference for rebounds. He entered the transfer portal for a second time after the season, citing “racist” comments made by head coach Mark Adams, who was later suspended and resigned. Mark Adams did not deny that racially insensitive comments were made, but did say the comments were linked to a Bible verse. He committed to the California Golden Bears.
In October 2023, the NCAA initially denied Tyson's eligibility waiver for being a two-time transfer, despite Tyson alleging discrimination, which the NCAA rules mentioned as valid criteria for an eligibility waiver. He eventually was granted eligibility on November 9 and entered the team's starting lineup.