Jalen Hood-Schifino Bio
Jalen Hood-Schifino is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers and entered the league as a highly recruited guard from the class of 2022. Standing roughly 196 centimeters tall, he combines point guard vision with scoring size and quickly moved from a top-ranked high school prospect to a first-round NBA draft pick.
Selected 17th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2023 NBA draft, Hood-Schifino earned an NBA Cup championship as a rookie and later transitioned to Philadelphia in February 2025. His career has been shaped by elite high school development, a single standout college season, and an early professional path marked by both promise and setbacks.
Early Life and Background
Jalen Hood-Schifino was born on June 19, 2003, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is the son of Glenn Hood, a former quarterback at Santa Monica College, and Adrianne Angel Hood-Schifino, who played basketball at Lock Haven University. The family later relocated to Charlotte while he was in middle school, and he attended schools within the Gateway School District before making the move south.
His uncle Jake Schifino played in the NFL for the Tennessee Titans, while another uncle, Drew Schifino, played college basketball for the West Virginia Mountaineers and the California Vulcans before a professional career. Cousins Sherron and DeAndre Schifino also shaped his early development, with basketball games in his grandparents’ backyard serving as a daily proving ground. DeAndre would later play football at the University of Pittsburgh, while Sherron played college basketball, and the older neighborhood friends kept the competition intense.
Hood-Schifino has often said he was always the youngest player on the court, a reality that pushed him to sharpen his skills early and prepare for tougher competition. That family-driven environment laid the foundation for his future in the sport.
Path to Basketball
Hood-Schifino began his high school career at Northside Christian Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina. As a sophomore, he transferred to Combine Academy in Lincolnton, North Carolina, where his recruitment quickly accelerated. During that time, he committed to play for Jeff Capel at Pittsburgh, a move celebrated as a major recruiting win for the Panthers because Hood-Schifino is a Pittsburgh native.
Following his sophomore year, Hood-Schifino reopened his recruitment, and the Indiana Hoosiers became involved in the summer of 2021, just months after Mike Woodson took over as head coach in Bloomington. He committed to the Hoosiers in August 2021, becoming the highest-rated recruit to sign with Indiana since Romeo Langford in 2018 and the ninth highest-ranked recruit in program history since 1998. He was rated as both a five-star and four-star prospect and was widely considered one of the top players in the 2022 class.
Jalen Hood-Schifino Career
High School and AAU Career (Pre-2022)
Before his senior year, Hood-Schifino transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida, a national powerhouse coached by Kevin Boyle. At Montverde, he won back-to-back GEICO High School Basketball National titles in 2021 and 2022, reinforcing his reputation as a winning player on the biggest stages. He was also named an all-star and invited to the Jordan Brand Classic, where he scored 14 points and hit three three-pointers in the all-star game.
Off the court, Hood-Schifino played AAU basketball for Team Thad, a program founded by NBA player Thaddeus Young and coached by Norton Hurd IV. He also spent time training in California with NBA professionals, including Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George, preparing his body and game for the next level. Hood-Schifino later credited Montverde’s intense, college-like practices with easing his transition to college basketball.
Indiana Hoosiers Breakthrough (2022–2023)
Arriving in Bloomington, Hood-Schifino was named Big Ten preseason freshman of the year by the conference media, and a mock NBA draft projected him as a first-round pick before his freshman year. In his lone season with the Hoosiers, he started all 32 games and averaged 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 33.1 minutes per game, showing a complete guard profile from the outset.
His impact was immediate and historic. On January 8, 2023, Hood-Schifino scored 33 points in an 84–83 loss to Northwestern at Assembly Hall, the most points by an Indiana freshman since Eric Gordon against Chattanooga in 2007. He topped that mark on February 25, 2023, when he scored an Indiana freshman-record 35 points in a 79–71 win over Purdue at Mackey Arena. For his play, he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, and was a third-team All-Big Ten selection by the conference coaches and media. On March 31, 2023, he declared for the NBA draft, foregoing his remaining college eligibility.
Los Angeles Lakers Era (2023–2025)
The Los Angeles Lakers selected Hood-Schifino with the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. Throughout his rookie and sophomore seasons, he was assigned several times to the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League, balancing development work with first-team opportunities. On November 27, 2023, he made his NBA debut in a 138–94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, marking the start of his professional career on the league’s biggest stage.
His second season was interrupted by injury. On March 21, 2024, Hood-Schifino underwent a lumbar microdiscectomy procedure with an unspecified timetable for return. Following a trade-deadline deal in February 2025, he was moved from the Lakers as part of a multi-team transaction, then waived by the Utah Jazz on February 7, 2025, before signing a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on February 28, 2025.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the highlights of Hood-Schifino’s early professional career is an NBA Cup championship earned during his rookie season with the Lakers in 2023. His freshman-record 35-point performance at Purdue and his Big Ten Freshman of the Year award stand as the defining statistical milestones of his college career.
Jalen Hood-Schifino Career Wins
Hood-Schifino’s verified championship resume begins with back-to-back GEICO High School Basketball National titles at Montverde Academy in 2021 and 2022. He added an NBA Cup championship as a rookie with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023, capping a steady climb from prep standout to professional champion.
Other Wins & Performances
His individual accolades include Big Ten Freshman of the Year, a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, and third-team All-Big Ten recognition from both coaches and media. He also earned Big Ten preseason freshman of the year honors before the 2022–2023 college season.
Jalen Hood-Schifino Family
Family Background and Basketball Lineage
Basketball runs deep in the Hood-Schifino family. His mother, Adrianne Angel Hood-Schifino, played at Lock Haven University, and his uncle Drew Schifino played college basketball at West Virginia and California before turning professional. Cousins Sherron and DeAndre Schifino also competed in college sports, with DeAndre playing football at Pittsburgh.
His uncle Jake Schifino played in the NFL for the Tennessee Titans, and his father, Glenn Hood, was a quarterback at Santa Monica College, giving Jalen a household steeped in multiple sports. Family pickup games in his grandparents’ backyard provided his earliest and most consistent basketball schooling.
Personal Life
As a student-athlete at Indiana, Hood-Schifino endorsed Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana as part of a student athlete compensation package, offering in-person appearances and social media promotion for the organization. His NBA Cup ring from the 2023 rookie season is among his most prized career milestones to date.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 calendar year has been a period of transition for Hood-Schifino. On February 2, 2025, he was included in a multi-team trade that sent him from the Lakers to the Utah Jazz as part of the package that brought Luka Dončić to Los Angeles. Five days later, on February 7, 2025, the Jazz waived him without him appearing in a game, opening the door for a fresh opportunity on the East Coast.
On February 28, 2025, Hood-Schifino signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, pairing his NBA role with time in the NBA G League alongside the Delaware Blue Coats. The two-way deal allows Philadelphia to develop him within a structured system while keeping him available for call-ups, a path designed to maximize his minutes and growth.
Looking ahead, the 2025–2026 season will be critical for Hood-Schifino as he works to stay healthy after his 2024 lumbar procedure, carve out a consistent NBA role with the 76ers, and translate his elite prep and college pedigree into long-term professional production.