Shaedon Sharpe

Sharpe is a Canadian guard who reached the NBA through the 2022 draft after an unusual path that included reclassifying to skip his senior year of high school and enrolling at Kentucky without playing a collegiate game. Drafted seventh overall by the Portland Trail Blazers, he has developed into a high-scoring wing with elite athleticism.

Born Shaedon Sharpe on May 30, 2003, in London, Ontario, he played for H.B. Beal Secondary School before moving to Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas as a sophomore. For his junior season, he transferred to Dream City Christian School in Glendale, Arizona, where he averaged 21.4 points and six rebounds per game in the Grind Session. He was mentored by Dwayne Washington on the UPLAY Canada AAU circuit.

Sharpe was a consensus five-star recruit and the consensus number one player in the 2022 class before reclassifying to the 2021 class. On September 7, 2021, he committed to Kentucky over Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma State, and the NBA G League Ignite, becoming the first number one recruit to commit to the program since Nerlens Noel in 2012.

Sharpe graduated early and enrolled at Kentucky with the intention of redshirting his first year and playing in the 2022–23 season. On February 7, 2022, head coach John Calipari announced that Sharpe would not play in the 2021–22 season. On April 21, 2022, Sharpe declared for the 2022 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility without appearing in a game.

The Portland Trail Blazers selected Sharpe seventh overall in the 2022 NBA draft. He signed his rookie-scale contract on July 1, 2022, but suffered a shoulder injury in his Summer League debut and missed the remainder of the Summer League. He made his NBA debut on October 19, 2022, scoring 12 points in a win over Sacramento.

On March 29, 2023, Sharpe had 30 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists against Sacramento, joining LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Luka Dončić as the only teenagers to achieve such numbers in a game. He underwent abdominal surgery in February 2024 and missed the remainder of the season. In 2024–25, he played 72 games (52 starts), averaging 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. On October 19, 2025, he signed a four-year, $90 million contract extension with Portland.

Sharpe functions as an explosive scoring guard with elite vertical athleticism, deep range, and the ability to create offense off the dribble. His unique path to the NBA, bypassing college competition entirely, made him one of the draft's biggest mysteries. In the NBA, his development centers on three-point consistency, defensive engagement, and refining his decision-making in the half court.