James Bouknight

BIOGRAPHY

James Bouknight was born on September 18, 2000, in  Brooklyn, New York. He is a guard in the NBA. Bouknight grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn in New York City. He played baseball for much of his childhood and started playing basketball in middle school. He began his high school career with La Salle Academy in Manhattan, New York. As a junior, Bouknight averaged 17.4 points per game, leading his team to the New York Federation Class B state championship, and was named tournament most valuable player (MVP). He earned Catholic High School Athletic Association B Division MVP and New York State Sportswriters Association Class B Player of the Year accolades. After the season, Bouknight reclassified down and transferred to MacDuffie School in Granby, Massachusetts to gain more exposure. In his reclassified junior season, Bouknight averaged 19.3 points, five rebounds and two assists per game before suffering a season-ending torn meniscus in his left knee. 

After recovering, he played for the PSA Cardinals alongside Cole Anthony on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit. As a senior, Bouknight earned All-New England Preparatory School Athletic Council AA honors. As a freshman, he averaged 13 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game and was a Third Team All-AAC and All-Freshman Team selection. At the beginning of his sophomore season, Bouknight was named to the preseason John R. Wooden Award watch list. On December 20, 2020, he scored a career-high 40 points in a 76–74 overtime loss to ninth-ranked Creighton. On January 5, 2021, he suffered an elbow injury against Marquette, and missed eight games after undergoing surgery. As a sophomore, he averaged 18.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, earning First Team All-Big East honors. On March 31, he declared for the 2021 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility. In the 2021 NBA Draft, he was drafted 11th by the Charlotte Hornets.