Jaedon LeDee

Jaedon Herbert LeDee (born July 25, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes, the TCU Horned Frogs, and the San Diego State Aztecs.

High school career
LeDee comes from Houston and starred at The Kinkaid School, where he grew seven inches during his high school career, shifting from the point guard position to the frontcourt. He chose Ohio State over several other offers.

College career
After his freshman season for the Buckeyes, LeDee transferred to Texas Christian University (TCU). He played two seasons at TCU, averaging 4.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, often playing out of position at center. Dissatisfied with his lack of playing time, he again transferred, this time to San Diego State.

After sitting out a season due to transfer requirements, LeDee became a key part of the rotation in his first season on the court for the Aztecs, averaging 7.9 points and 5.3 rebounds coming off the bench. LeDee helped propel the Aztecs to the Mountain West Conference (MWC) regular season and conference tournament titles, and in the NCAA Tournament, their first Final Four appearance and a national runner-up finish. Following the season, he declared for the 2023 NBA draft, but did not hire an agent and ultimately decided to return to San Diego State for his fifth and final year of eligibility.

In his final season on the Mesa, LeDee made significant strides as he became a starter and established himself early in the season as a force on the court. In November 2023, he led the Aztecs to victories over Saint Mary’s and Washington to win the Continental Tire Main Event tournament, and he was named Most Valuable Player for the event. Although the Aztecs finished fifth in the Mountain West Conference regular season, he averaged 21.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on the season. With LeDee leading the way, the Aztecs once again made a run in the NCAA Tournament, but fell in the Sweet 16 to eventual champion UConn.

LeDee led the MWC in field goal attempts and field goals, free throw attempts and free throws, points, and points per game. He also broke several San Diego State single season records including for points, field goals, free throws, and combined points, rebounds, and assists. He was named to the All-Mountain West first team and was named Conference Player of the Year by the conference media.

Nationally, LeDee was named ESPN, Lute Olson, and NCAA March Madness Player of the Week (once each) and Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week twice. He was named a second-team All-American by The Sporting News, National Association of Basketball Coaches and a third-team All-American by the Associated Press. He was also named a John R. Wooden Award All-American.

On April 6, 2024, LeDee was named by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as the winner of the 2024 Karl Malone Award, awarded to the best power forward in the nation. He is the first winner of the award in SDSU history.

Professional career
After going unselected in the 2024 NBA draft, LeDee signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves on June 27, 2024.