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Jimmy Whitt

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Jimmy Whitt
No. 33 – Perth Wildcats
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (1997-01-09) January 9, 1997 (age 29)
Columbia, Missouri, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolHickman (Columbia, Missouri)
College
  • Arkansas (2015–2016)
  • SMU (2017–2019)
  • Arkansas (2019–2020)
NBA draft2020: undrafted
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2022Cleveland Charge
2023Halcones de Ciudad Obregón
2023–2024Santa Cruz Warriors
2026Gold Coast Rollers
2026–presentPerth Wildcats
Career highlights

James Arthur Whitt Jr. (born January 9, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks and SMU Mustangs.

Early life

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Whitt was born on January 9, 1997, in Columbia, Missouri, to James and Annelle Whitt.[1] His father played basketball at the Indiana Institute of Technology,[2] and was a prominent community leader in Columbia before his death in 2021.[3][4] Whitt was inspired to play basketball because of his older brother, Marcus.[2] He received coaching from his father who emphasised the development of his midrange game.[2]

Whitt attended Hickman High School in Columbia where he first started to take basketball seriously during his freshman year.[2] He was a three-time All-State selection.[2] Whitt averaged 30.6 points per game during his senior season.[2] He was chosen as Mr. Show-Me Basketball in 2015.[5] Whitt finished his career with 2,411 points and 399 steals.[2]

Whitt was rated as a four-star point guard and ranked by ESPN as the top prospect of his class in Missouri.[2] On August 19, 2014, Whitt verbally committed to play college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks.[6] He had received more than 25 offers from college programs.[7]

College career

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Whitt appeared in all 32 games during his freshman season with the Arkansas Razorbacks and averaged 6.1 points in 17.2 minutes per game.[8] Head coach Mike Anderson played him as a wing instead of his natural point guard position.[2] On March 30, 2016, Whitt announced that he would transfer from the program.[8] On May 2, he announced that he would transfer to the SMU Mustangs who had recruited him during high school.[9] He had to sit out the 2016–17 season due to NCAA transfer rules.[9]

Whitt was a starter for SMU during the two seasons he played there.[2] He averaged 10.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game during the 2017–18 season.[2] Whitt averaged 12.3 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game during the 2018–19 season.[2] He declared for the 2019 NBA draft in March but withdrew on May 26.[10]

On May 27, 2019, Whitt announced that he would transfer back to Arkansas.[10] His decision was due to new head coach Eric Musselman who had been recommended by Whitt's brother Marcus.[2] Whitt's move was compared to Sunday Adebayo who had also returned to Arkansas after transferring to another program in the 1990s.[10] He averaged 14.0 points per game during the 2019–20 season.[11]

Professional career

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Whitt joined the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League in 2021 after he attended a local tryout.[12]

Whitt played for the Halcones de Ciudad Obregón of the Liga Mexicana de Básquetbol CIBACOPA in 2023.[13]

Whitt joined the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League in 2023 after he attended a local tryout.[14] He attended training camp with the Warriors in 2025,[15] but ruptured his Achilles and was unable to rejoin the team.[16]

On April 12, 2026, Whitt signed with the Gold Coast Rollers of the NBL1 North.[17] He averaged 22.79 points, 6.32 rebounds and 6.05 assists per game.[18] Whitt was selected to the NBL1 North All-Star Five First Team and chosen as the NBL1 North Defensive Player of the Year.[16] The Rollers won the 2026 NBL1 North championship.[19]

On August 12, 2026, Whitt signed with the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) as a nominated replacement player for the 2026–27 season.[18]

Personal life

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Whitt's older brother, Marcus, played college basketball at Columbia College.[6]

Whitt is the treasurer of The James & Annelle Whitt Entrepreneurial Development Foundation which was founded in dedication to his father.[20]

References

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  1. ↑ "Razorback Players" (PDF). Arkansas Razorbacks. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Stacy, Kelli (March 6, 2020). "How Jimmy Whitt Jr. got to this full-circle moment". The Athletic. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  3. ↑ Nieland, Grace; Bruce, Mae (November 17, 2021). "'Always a coach': Community leader James Whitt lived to elevate others". Columbia Missourian. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Obituary Information for James A Whitt". Millard Family Chapels. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  5. ↑ Reiss, Aaron (November 23, 2015). "Jimmy Whitt and Sophie Cunningham earn Mr. and Miss Show-Me Basketball honors". Columbia Missourian. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Ferman, Mitchell (June 12, 2015). "Hickman's Jimmy Whitt commits to Arkansas: from decision to announcement". Columbia Missourian. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Jimmy Whitt commits to Arkansas basketball". Action News 5. January 13, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Jimmy Whitt Leaving Arkansas Basketball Program". Arkansas Razorbacks. March 30, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  9. 1 2 Engel, Patrick (May 2, 2016). "Arkansas transfer Jimmy Whitt commits to SMU". The Daily Campus. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 McPherson, Kevin (May 27, 2019). "SMU grad-transfer and former Razorback Jimmy Whitt calls the Hogs a second time". KARK. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  11. ↑ Holt, Bob (November 21, 2020). "Musselman gives Rivers high praise". Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Cleveland Charge 2021-22 Training Camp Roster". Cleveland Charge. October 23, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Whitt le roba brillo a los Astros y los Halcones de Obregón se alzan con la victoria en Jalisco". Tribuna Sonora (in Spanish). March 17, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  14. ↑ Seimas, Jim (October 30, 2023). "Plenty of familiar faces on Santa Cruz Warriors' training camp roster". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  15. ↑ Seimas, Jim (October 27, 2025). "Santa Cruz Warriors release 2025 training camp roster". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Heslehurst, Brayden (August 7, 2026). "Quick-Whitted Rollers boast Wildcat weapon in title hunt". Basketball.com.au. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  17. ↑ "NBL1 NORTH PLAYER ANNOUNCEMENT: JIMMY WHITT JR". Gold Coast Basketball. Facebook. April 12, 2026. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  18. 1 2 "Wildcats confirm signing of NBL1 star". NBL. August 12, 2026. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  19. ↑ Pike, Chris (August 9, 2026). "North Grand Final: Gold Coast clinch championship". NBL1. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  20. ↑ Hafner, Mary Kate (April 1, 2026). "Uplifting Entrepreneurs". COMO Magazine. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
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