Jalen Suggs

Suggs is an American guard who entered the NBA with the Orlando Magic after being selected fifth overall in the 2021 draft. Known for his all-around high school career in Minnesota and a memorable freshman season at Gonzaga, he has transitioned into a starting guard role in Orlando, earning All-Defensive honors and signing a long-term extension.

Born on June 3, 2001, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Suggs was raised in a family with deep athletic roots. His father, Larry, was an accomplished local athlete. Suggs started playing basketball at an early age and was so advanced that he played three games of junior varsity basketball at Minnehaha Academy in seventh grade before moving to varsity. As an eighth-grader, he averaged 17.5 points, 4.4 steals, and 4.0 assists per game as a starter.

At Minnehaha Academy, Suggs won four consecutive Class 2A state basketball championships as a freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior, though the 2019-20 season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic before the state tournament. He averaged 21.5 points as a freshman, 16 points as a sophomore, and 23.3 points as both a junior and a senior. He also played quarterback for the SMB Wolfpack football team and led them to a Class 4A state title as a junior. As a senior, he was named Minnesota Mr. Football and MaxPreps Athlete of the Year, becoming the first athlete in Minnesota history to win Mr. Basketball and Mr. Football in the same academic year. He finished his high school basketball career as Minnehaha Academy's all-time leading scorer with 2,945 points.

Suggs committed to Gonzaga on January 3, 2020, choosing the Bulldogs over Florida, Florida State, Iowa State, and Minnesota. In his lone collegiate season, he averaged 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game and was named a consensus second-team All-American. He earned First Team All-WCC, Newcomer of the Year, and All-Freshman Team honors. In the Final Four, he banked in a 40-foot buzzer-beater to defeat UCLA in overtime, advancing Gonzaga to the national championship game, where he scored 22 points in a loss to Baylor. The Orlando Magic selected him fifth overall in the 2021 NBA draft.

Suggs made his NBA debut on October 20, 2021, and fractured his right thumb in late November, missing twenty games. He underwent right ankle surgery after his rookie season. His sophomore year included a game-winning three-pointer against Chicago on November 18, 2022, and a one-game suspension for his role in an altercation on February 4, 2023. In the 2023-24 season, he posted a then career-high 27 points in January and a playoff career-high 24 points in Game 3 against Cleveland, later adding 22 points in Game 6 to force a seventh game. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, becoming the third Magic player to earn the honor and the first since Dwight Howard. He signed a five-year, $150.5 million contract extension in October 2024.

Suggs is a physical, two-way guard with defensive tenacity and an improving offensive skill set. He attacks the rim, shoots from three-point range, and plays with intensity on the perimeter. His All-Defensive selection reflects his ability to disrupt opposing guards and generate steals, while his playmaking and transition speed remain central to his on-court identity.

Injuries have interrupted stretches of his Magic tenure, but he remains under a long-term contract in Orlando, where he continues to develop as a starting guard.