Jared Sullinger

Jared Malcolm Xavier Sullinger (born March 4, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes before being selected 21st overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2012 NBA draft.

Sullinger was rated as the #2 player in the class of 2010 in the ESPNU 100, the #4 player by Scout.com, and the #5 player by Rivals.com. In his senior year, Sullinger led Northland High School to a 21–0 season and a #1 national ranking. He averaged 24.5 points and 11.7 rebounds for the season. Sullinger played in the 4th annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic.

Sullinger was selected to play in the 2010 McDonald's All-American Game in Columbus, Ohio, where he was named co-MVP with Harrison Barnes. He was also selected to play in the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon and the 2010 Jordan Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York.

On March 10, 2010, Sullinger won the James A. Naismith Award, which goes to the boys' high school basketball player of the year.

Sullinger committed to Ohio State on May 10, 2007.

Sullinger had 19 points and 14 rebounds in his Ohio State debut. Sullinger's brother, J.J. Sullinger, also attended Ohio State and played for coach Thad Matta. For the 2010–11 season Jared Sullinger averaged 17.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 31.7 minutes per game for the Buckeyes. Leading the Buckeyes to a 2011 Big Ten men's basketball tournament championship, being named MOP. Ohio State finished the regular season at 32–2 and was selected as the 2011 NCAA tournament's number one overall seed. The Buckeyes made it to the "Sweet Sixteen" where they lost to Kentucky 62–60. Sullinger was named a First Team All-American by Fox Sports.

In what would be his final year at Ohio State, Sullinger led the Buckeyes to a 31–8 overall record (13–5 Big Ten). He averaged 17.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game during the 2011–12 season. The Buckeyes advanced to the 'Final Four' of the 2012 NCAA tournament, where the team lost to the Kansas Jayhawks. Sullinger had 13 points in the game and was 5-of-19 shooting with 11 rebounds in the loss. Five days after the loss, the two-time AP All-American declared he was entering the 2012 draft, where he was widely expected to be a lottery pick, until he was reportedly flagged by several teams after the Chicago pre-draft camp due to back issues.

On June 29, 2012, Sullinger was selected with the 21st overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. On July 3, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Celtics. On November 17, he recorded his first double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in a 107–89 win over the Toronto Raptors. The following night, he scored a season-high 16 points in a loss to the Detroit Pistons. He tied that mark on December 25, recording 16 points and 7 rebounds in a 93–76 win over the Brooklyn Nets.