Tari Eason

Tari Eason
Eason with the Rockets in 2023
No. 17 – Houston Rockets
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-05-10) May 10, 2001 (age 23)
Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight217 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2022: 1st round, 17th overall pick
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–presentHouston Rockets
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Tari Jordan Eason (/ˈtɑːri ˈiːsən/ TAR-ee EE-sən;[1] born May 10, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Cincinnati Bearcats and the LSU Tigers. Eason was selected 17th overall in the 2022 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets.

High school career

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Eason started his high school career at Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington under head coach Brandon Roy, and played sparingly during his first two years.[2] For his junior season, he transferred to Federal Way High School in Federal Way, Washington, where he played alongside top recruit Jaden McDaniels.[3] Eason returned to Garfield for his senior season as Roy came back following a one-year break.[2] He led his team to a 3A state title, recording 21 points and 14 rebounds against Paolo Banchero and O'Dea High School in the final, and received tournament MVP.[4][5] Eason averaged 23 points, eight rebounds, and three steals per game as a senior, and was named 3A Player of the Year.[6][7] A four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for Cincinnati over offers from Colorado and USC.[8]

College career

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Eason with LSU in 2021

On February 26, 2021, Eason posted a freshman season-high 20 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks in a 91–71 win over Tulane.[9] As a freshman at Cincinnati, he averaged 7.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game, earning American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team honors. For his sophomore season, Eason transferred to LSU.[10] He was named to the First Team All-SEC as well as SEC Sixth Man of the Year.[11] Eason averaged 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game.[12] On March 25, 2022, he declared for the 2022 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[13]

Professional career

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Houston Rockets (2022–present)

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Eason was selected with the 17th overall pick by the Houston Rockets in the 2022 NBA draft. Eason joined the Rockets' 2022 NBA Summer League roster.[14] In his Summer League debut, Eason tallied 14 points and 13 rebounds in a 77–91 win over the Orlando Magic.[15] On July 18, 2022, Eason was named to the All-NBA Summer League First Team, averaging 17.2 points on 44.7 percent shooting from the field along with 1.8 steals and a block.[16] On October 2, Eason made his preseason debut, scoring 21 points off the bench in addition to securing ten rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block in a 134–96 win against the San Antonio Spurs.[17] On October 19, 2022, he made his NBA debut with an 8-point and 7-rebound performance in a 117–107 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.[18]

On February 1, 2023, Eason scored a career-high 20 points with 13 rebounds (12 of them being offensive rebounds) and three steals in only 19 minutes of play in a 112–106 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.[19]

Personal life

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Eason has three siblings. While at LSU, he majored in interdisciplinary studies.[20]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

[edit]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Houston 82 5 21.6 .448 .343 .752 6.0 1.1 1.2 .6 9.3
2023–24 Houston 22 0 21.8 .466 .360 .636 7.0 1.2 1.4 .9 9.8
Career 104 5 21.6 .452 .347 .730 6.2 1.1 1.2 .6 9.4

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Cincinnati 23 8 19.6 .462 .241 .574 5.9 1.3 1.2 1.3 7.3
2021–22 LSU 33 4 24.4 .521 .359 .803 6.6 1.0 1.9 1.1 16.9
Career 56 12 22.4 .504 .327 .757 6.3 1.1 1.6 1.2 13.0

References

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  1. ^ "2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide" (Press release). National Basketball Association. October 24, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Evans, Jayda (December 21, 2019). "Garfield's four-star prospect Tari Eason honors aunt with commitment to Cincinnati". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  3. ^ Smith, Lauren (February 28, 2019). "Federal Way's Tari Eason has been to the Tacoma Dome, but hasn't played. With the Eagles, he could be the key to a 4A title". The News Tribune. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  4. ^ Buhler, Andy (March 7, 2020). "'We need you to be superman.' Tari Eason takes final bow in Garfield's dominant 3A state championship win over O'Dea". SBLive. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  5. ^ Buhler, Andy (March 8, 2020). "Watch: Garfield's Tari Eason reacts to winning 3A state title, tournament MVP". SBLive. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  6. ^ Springer, Scott (April 20, 2020). "Highly-touted forward Tari Eason makes it official signing with UC basketball". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  7. ^ "Tari Eason". LSU Athletics. August 3, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  8. ^ Evans, Corey (December 22, 2019). "Cincinnati wins out with four-star forward Tari Eason". Rivals. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  9. ^ "Davenport carries Cincinnati over Tulane 91–71". ESPN. Associated Press. February 26, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  10. ^ Jenkins, Keith (April 20, 2021). "Former Cincinnati Bearcats All-AAC freshman forward Tari Eason transfers to LSU". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  11. ^ "Men's Basketball All-SEC Teams & Awards Announced" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  12. ^ Bates, Greg (March 18, 2022). "LSU's Tari Eason on his next step: 'I have no idea what the future holds'". The Advocate. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  13. ^ Givony, Jonathan (March 25, 2022). "Tari Eason to leave LSU Tigers basketball team, declare for NBA draft". ESPN. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  14. ^ "Houston Rockets 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster | NBA.com". NBA.com. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  15. ^ "Houston Rockets vs Orlando Magic Jul 7, 2022 Box Scores | NBA.com". NBA.com. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  16. ^ Davis, Coty (July 18, 2022). "Rockets Tari Eason Named All-NBA Summer League First Team". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  17. ^ "San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets - NBA Box Score - October 2, 2022". ESPN. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  18. ^ "Rockets vs. Hawks - NBA Box Score - October 19, 2022". ESPN. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  19. ^ Quinn, Sam (February 2, 2023). "Rockets rookie Tari Eason posts one of the most bizarre box scores you will ever see in just 19 minutes". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  20. ^ "Tari Eason". LSU. August 3, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
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