Shaedon Sharpe might be the most explosive leaper in the NBA. The Portland Trail Blazers guard was a top-10 draft pick despite coming straight out of high school, and he’s starting to become a big part of the team’s rotation now in his third pro season.
Sharpe’s huge putback slam against the Minnesota Timberwolves last month was tracked as the highest vertical leap of any player this season. While that dunk was spectacular, he topped himself in a major way on Friday night.
In the second quarter against the Utah Jazz, Sharpe left the Earth to catch a pretty terrible lob pass from teammate Anfernee Simons. The worst lobs make for the best alley-oops, and Sharpe might be the only player in the NBA who could have brought this one down. The 21-year-old somehow caught the ball with one hand, adjusted his angle mid-air, and threw it down for the big dunk. According to NBA data, Sharpe leaped 45.1-inches in the air on the play, the highest leap of any player in a game since tracking data began.
Watch the play here:
Shaedon Sharpe’s 2nd quarter alley oop last night had a recorded vert of 45.1”
That’s the highest recorded vert since tracking became available last season!pic.twitter.com/uQCJsqKJ7e
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) December 7, 2024
Sharpe’s eyes are parallel with the rim when he catches that ball. Despite being only 6’6, Sharpe’s 7-foot wingspan helped him snatch the ball and correct course while in the air to be able to put down the dunk.
Here’s a list of the highest vertical leaps this season. Sharpe now has the top two.
Jalen Green is the only other player in the league to have a 40-inch vertical in a game this season. Sharpe didn’t just break his own record — he shattered it. That is going to be very, very difficult for any player to beat this season.
The Jazz still beat the Blazers, 141-99, in a key Western Conference tanking showdown. Both of these teams want Cooper Flagg come June. He’s probably going to have a couple 40-inch verticals in games next season himself.
Sharpe only shot 3-of-12 from the field to finish with 10 points. He was a -30 in the game. That’s rough, but at least he created a highlight to remember.
