Jamarion Demontrez Sharp[1] (born August 26, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks. He played college basketball for John A. Logan College, Western Kentucky, and Ole Miss. At 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m), he was one of the tallest Division I players ever and is one of the tallest living humans.
Sharp was born on August 26, 2001. His father, Mario Sharp, was 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) and his mother, Shiby Watkins, was 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m).[2] He admits that "growing up, [he] didn’t love the game of basketball".[3] Sharp's future high school coach, Tim Haworth, who knew him since he was five years old, encouraged him to play.[3]
It really means a lot because growing up, I didn’t love the game of basketball, but Haworth, he made me keep getting in the gym more and more and made me start to love the game.
— Sharp explaining the influence his high school coach, Tim Haworth, had on him growing up.[3]
Sharp had a growth spurt the summer after middle school and came into Hopkinsville High School as a 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) freshman.[4] He grew to 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) by his junior year and became a seven-footer as a senior.[4] He played basketball for the Tigers, where he appeared in the KHSAA Sweet Sixteen state tournament as a sophomore.[4] As a junior, he averaged a modest 2.9 points and three rebounds per game.[3] As a senior, he averaged 7.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, leading the Tigers to a 16–14 record and an 8th district semifinals appearance. He earned all-district honors and was selected to represent Team Kentucky in the 2019 Kentucky-Indiana All-Star game.[2]
Western Kentucky head coach Rick Stansbury noticed Sharp, then a junior, in February 2018 while scouting another player.[3] He caught Stansbury's attention during pre-game warm-ups but did not play in the first half.[3] After Stansbury inquired about "the big kid", Haworth worked Sharp out in front of him at halftime by having him shoot jump hooks.[4] Sharp was offered a scholarship "basically that night".[3] However, he did not meet the academic requirements to attend Western Kentucky, his dream school, out of high school.[2][3] On April 23, 2019, Sharp committed to John A. Logan College, a junior college (JUCO) in Carterville, Illinois.[5]
As a freshman for the John A. Logan Volunteers, Sharp was listed at 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m).[6] He averaged 5.5 points, five rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game in his first year, earning All-Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC) honors.[7] While teaming with Jay Scrubb, they led the Volunteers to a 28–5 record and finished undefeated in conference play for the first time in school history.[7] On January 28, 2021, Sharp recorded 20 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks in a double-overtime victory over Three Rivers.[8] He recorded two triple-doubles in February against Kaskaskia College and Southwestern Illinois, including a season-high 12 blocks in the latter.[8] As a sophomore, Sharp averaged 7.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 blocks per game,[3] earning All-GRAC and all-region honors.[9]
Sharp was rated a four-star prospect and the top JUCO recruit in the nation by 247Sports.[2] He received offers from programs such as Arizona, Cincinnati and Oregon,[10] but committed to Western Kentucky on November 23, 2020.[7]
By the time Sharp arrived at Western Kentucky for the 2021–22 season, he had grown to 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m).[2] In his first game as a Hilltopper, an exhibition against Campbellsville, he recorded 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 17 minutes.[11] Sharp said of the experience that it was "amazing to play for [his] dream school."[3] On November 24 he earned his first start in a 88–62 victory against Alabama A&M after Jaylen Butz was sidelined with knee soreness.[3] In just his fifth game, he contributed 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 blocks, recording the third triple-double in program history and setting the program single-game blocks record.[3][12] On December 4, he recorded 17 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in a 85–80 victory over in-state rivals Eastern Kentucky.[13] On December 11, he recorded 16 points, nine rebounds and six blocks in a 71–48 victory over Ole Miss at the Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta.[14] On December 18, he had 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in their 82–72 win over Louisville – the Hilltoppers' first win over the Cardinals since 2008.[15] In their next game against Kentucky, he recorded eight points, six rebounds and seven blocks in the first half before exiting the game with an ankle sprain.[16]
Sharp finished the season with averages of 8.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and a nation-leading 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 72.7 percent from the field.[17] His 148 blocks set a new single-season program record, surpassing Chris Marcus's 97 blocks in 2000–01.[17] Sharp was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year and an honorable mention all-conference selection.[18] He was a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award,[19] as well as a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award.[17]
In April 2024, Sharp was charged with aggravated assault for firing a gun while a vehicle was being repossessed. No one was injured in the incident. Sharp was taken into custody and was given a $100,000 bond by a municipal court judge.[1]