Anfernee Simons is a basketball player who plays in the NBA for the Portland Trailblazers. He became a professional in 2018 after he was selected 24th overall in the first round of that year’s NBA Draft. Despite having not played a year of college basketball, Simons looks well at home in the league. While his time on the court has been limited because he plays the same position as Dame Lillard, he has still managed to grab a few headlines with his performances. As a result, he is considered to be the future of the franchise.
Profile Summary of Anfernee Simons
- Full Name: Anfernee Tyrik Simons
- Date of Birth: June 8, 1999
- Place of Birth: Altamonte Springs, Florida
- Ethnicity: African American
- Nationality: American
- Education: Edgewater High School, IMG Academy
- Profession: Basketball Player
- Playing Position: Point Guard
- Height: 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m)
- Weight: 82 kg (181 lbs)
- Anfernee Simons Parents: Charles and Tameka Simons
- Net Worth: $3 million
- Instagram: antsimons
- Twitter: anferneesimons
Anfernee Simons is Dating Actress Bre Hudson
Simons found himself featuring in gossip blogs after he revealed to the world that he was dating actress Bre Hudson. He did so on an Instagram Live session that made headlines after Simons teammate Damian Lillard called in. Lillard, who playfully tried to embarrass his younger teammate, asked him why he did not tell him about his lover. He went on to ask more embarrassing questions that made things awkward for Simons who was beside his girlfriend.
Not much is known to the public about Bre Hudson who has close to one hundred thousand followers on her according to her IMDb page, however, she is an actress who has had roles in projects like Behind Closed Doors (2020), Crystal (2022), and Old Man Jackson (2022). Bre is also said to be a Houston native and a student but there is no information about what school she is enrolled in and what she is studying.
He is 6 Feet 3 Inches (1.91 m) Tall
With a height of 6 feet 3 inches, Anfernee Simons would never be the tallest player on the court. He, however, ranks among the tallest players in his position. Point guards in the NBA have an average height of 6 feet 1 inch, making Simons two inches taller than most other players in the position.
On his team, he is the tallest out and out point guard. Team leader and starting point guard Damian Lillard is 6 feet 2 inches tall while veteran point guard Eric Bledsoe is 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m). This means that Simons is 1 inch taller than Lillard and at least 2 inches taller than Bledsoe.
Simons was Named After Penny Hardaway
One of the many players that injury did not let them reach their full potential was former NBA player Penny Hardaway. Penny played for four different teams in his fourteen-year career in the NBA. He started out with the Orlando Magic (1993–1999) before playing for the Phoenix Suns (1999–2004), New York Knicks (2004–2006), and Miami Heat (2007). He ended his career as a four-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA First Team member.
Charles and Tameka Simons, Anfernee’s parents, were huge fans of Penny whose birth name is Anfernee Deon Hardaway. He had played for their hometown team in Orlando. As a result, the couple opted to name their child after the legendary NBA players. As things would pan out, Simons grew up to not just play basketball but also play the same position Penny did. The pair have since gotten to meet each other, with Hardaway coaching Simons during a Team USA Basketball training camp.
Read Also: The 5 Best Young Point Guards In The NBA
He Entered the NBA After High School
Anfernee Simons grew up in Orlando, Florida where he attended Edgewater High School. It was here that he started playing basketball and was one of the better players on his team. For his junior year, he opted to transfer to Montverde Academy but would later return to Edgewater due to a lack of playing time at the school.
Simons later graduated from high school in 2017 and attended the IMG Academy in Bradenton for a postgraduate year. After that, he planned to accept a scholarship offer from the University of Louisville but as a result of the scandals that the school was associated with at the time, he opted against joining the program. Other schools that were interested in him included the University of South Carolina, North Carolina State University, the University of Tennessee, and the University of Florida.
Simons and his family spent some time contemplating what they were going to do before announcing that he was going to bypass college and enter the 2018 NBA Draft. ESPN ranked Anfernee Simmons as the 19th best prospect in 2018 but he was eventually selected with the 24th pick by the Trail Blazers.
Anfernee Simons Won the 2021 Slam Dunk Contest
Anfernee Simons had a slow start to life as an NBA player. Being the third high school player to be drafted into the NBA since 2015, he had a lot of catching up to do to be able to compete with much older men on the court. While he did manage to feature in about 20 games for the Blazers in the 2018-19 season, he was at some point assigned to the Agua Caliente Clippers for an NBA G League assignment.
Simons put the NBA on notice when he made his first start for the team in the final game of the regular season. In that game against the Sacramento Kings, he recorded career highs in all statistics; 37 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists. This made him the first Trail Blazer rookie to score 30+ points since Lillard.
Simons continued to work on his game and kept on improving with each passing year. The league noticed that he was a high-flying dunker and so selected him to participate in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game Slam Dunk Contest which he ended up winning. The highlight of his performance in the dunk contest was trying to kiss the rim while dunking.
What is His Salary?
After he was drafted in 2018 by the Portland Trail Blazers, Anfernee Simons signed a four-year contract worth just over $10 million dollars. This means that his average annual salary is $2.5 million.
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