Deandre Ayton

Deandre Ayton was born in 1998 in Nassau, Bahamas to parents Andrea and Alvin Ayton. He has three brothers and two sisters. Ayton played soccer in his youth but decided to seriously pursue basketball at the age of 12. After showing promise at the Jeff Rodgers Basketball Camp in the Bahamas, he moved to the United States to attend Balboa City School before transferring to Hillcrest Prep.

Ayton helped lead Arizona to the 2017-18 Pac-12 regular-season title and earned several accolades during his lone year in college -- he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year, the Pac-12 Rookie of the Year, as well as being part of the Conference's All-Freshmen and All-Defensive teams. Furthermore, the Nassau, Bahamas native led the Wildcats to the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament title, where he was named the MVP of the tournament. The team also qualified for the 2018 NCAA Tournament but lost in the first round. In the 17-18 season, Ayton was at the top of the Pac-12 in points (704), rebounds (405), offensive rebounds (118), defensive rebounds (287), rebounds per game (11.6) and two-point field goals (264). Ayton was also second in the Pac-12 in points per game (20.1).

Ayton entered the 2018 NBA Draft after his freshman year at Arizona and was drafted as the top pick by the Phoenix Suns. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2019. In 2021, Ayton helped lead the Phoenix Suns to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993 after breaking out as one of the best centers in the league in the playoffs.

Ayton played a big role in Hurricane Dorian relief efforts, as the disaster affected his native Bahamas. He pledged $100,000 in September of 2019 and later held a dinner that raised $47.000 for UNICEF's relief fund. Ayton is also involved in the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp, which he attended in 2016 as a participant and in 2019 as a coach.