JP Tokoto

This article is about the basketball player. For his grandfather, the footballer, see Jean-Pierre Tokoto.

JP Tokoto

Tokoto in January 2016
No. 5–Ironi Ramat Gan
Position	Small forward / power forward
League	Israeli Basketball Premier League
Personal information
Born	(1993-09-15) September 15, 1993 (age 30) Rockford, Illinois
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school	Menomonee Falls (Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin)
College	North Carolina (2012–2015)
NBA draft	2015: 2nd round, 58th overall pick
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career	2015–present
Career history
2015–2016	Oklahoma City Blue
2016–2017	Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2017–2018	Perth Wildcats
2018–2019	Hapoel Eilat
2019–2020	San Pablo Burgos
2020	Ironi Ness Ziona
2020–2023	Hapoel Tel Aviv
2023–present	Ironi Ramat Gan
Career highlights and awards
Israeli League All-Star (2019) Israeli League All-Star Game MVP (2019) All-NBL Second Team (2018) NBL steals leader (2018) ACC All-Defensive Team (2014)
Stats   at Basketball-Reference.com

Jean-Pierre Tokoto II (born September 15, 1993) is an American-Cameroonian ^[1] professional basketball player for Ironi Ramat Gan of the Israeli Basketball Premier League . He played college basketball for the University of North Carolina before playing professionally in the NBA G League, Australia, Israel, and Spain.

High school career

Born in Rockford, Illinois, ^[2] Tokoto attended Menomonee Falls High School in southern Wisconsin, where he averaged 21.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 3.2 steals, and 2.1 assists as a junior and 24.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.6 steals as a senior, earning three-time first-team all-state selection, set several school records, among them, career scoring, rebounding and steals and the school's single-game record with 48 points against Catholic Memorial High School. He also earned Greater Metro Conference Player of the Year honors as a junior and won the 2012 American Family Insurance Slam Dunk contest in New Orleans as a senior. ^[2]

College career

Tokoto played three years of college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. As a junior, he averaged 8.3 points and 4.3 assists per game and was known for his dunking ability and defensive prowess. ^[3] He declared for the 2015 NBA draft on April 8, 2015 after his junior season. ^[2]

Professional career

Oklahoma City Blue (2015–2016)

On June 25, 2015, Tokoto was selected with the 58th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers ^[4] and joined them for the 2015 NBA Summer League. ^[5] On September 27, 2015, he signed a one-year, non-guaranteed tender worth $525,000 with the 76ers. ^{[6] [7]} However, he was waived by the team on October 26 after appearing in five preseason games. ^[8] On October 30, he joined the 76ers' D-League affiliate team, the Delaware 87ers. The following day, he was acquired by the Oklahoma City Blue in a trade with the 87ers. ^[9] In 49 games for the Blue in 2015–16, he averaged 11.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2016–2017)

In July 2016, Tokoto joined the New York Knicks for the 2016 NBA Summer League. ^[10] He signed with the Knicks on August 2, ^[11] but was waived on October 21 after appearing in three preseason games. ^[12] On October 25, he returned to the Oklahoma City Blue, only to be traded to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers five days later. ^{[13] [14]} In 52 games for the Vipers in 2016–17, he averaged 11.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

Perth Wildcats (2017–2018)

In July 2017, Tokoto joined the Utah Jazz for the 2017 NBA Summer League. On September 6, 2017, he signed with the Perth Wildcats for the 2017–18 NBL season. ^[15] He appeared in all 30 games for the Wildcats in 2017–18, averaging 15.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Hapoel Eliat (2018–2019)

On June 27, 2018, Tokoto secured a spot on the Golden State Warriors' roster for the 2018 NBA Summer League. ^[16]

On July 28, 2018, Tokoto signed a one-year deal with the Israeli team Hapoel Eilat. ^[17] On January 2, 2019, Tokoto recorded a career-high 31 points, shooting 9-of-12 from the field, along with six rebounds, six assists and three steals for 45 PIR, leading Eilat to a 95–89 win over Hapoel Tel Aviv. ^[18] He was subsequently named Israeli League Round 12 MVP. ^[19] On April 12, 2019, Tokoto participated in the 2019 Israeli League All-Star Game, where he recorded 19 points along with five rebounds and was named the All-Star Game MVP. ^[20] In 38 games played for Eilat, Tokoto led the team in rebounds (7.6) and steals (1.4) per game, to go with 13.4 points and 3.1 assists per game. Tokoto helped Eilat reach the 2019 Israeli League Final Four, where they eventually lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

San Pablo Burgos (2019–2020)

On July 3, 2019, Tokoto signed a one-year deal with the Spanish club San Pablo Burgos. ^[21] He appeared in 26 games for Burgos in the Liga ACB and the Champions League, averaging 7 points, 5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. On January 25, 2020, Tokoto parted ways with Burgos. ^[22]

Ironi Ness Ziona (2020)

On January 26, 2020, Tokoto returned to Israel for a second stint, signing with Ironi Ness Ziona for the rest of the season. ^[23] On February 2, 2020, he made his debut in an 83–88 loss to Ironi Nahariya, recording a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. ^[24]

Hapoel Tel Aviv (2020–present)

On November 14, 2020, Tokoto signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv. ^[25]

Career Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	MPG	Minutes per game	FG%	Field goal percentage
3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage	RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game
PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high		Led the league

Year	Team	League	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2015–16	Oklahoma City Blue	NBA D-League	48	26.6	.460	.250	.712	4	2	1.5	.5	11.2
2016–17	Rio Grande Valley Vipers	NBA D-League	52	33.4	.475	.325	.686	5	2.4	2.1	.4	11.7
2017–18	Perth Wildcats	NBL (AUS)	30	28.2	.464	.256	.719	5.9	2.8	1.7	.5	15.4
2018–19	Hapoel Eilat BC	ISBL	38	28.1	.528	.269	.654	7.6	3.2	1.5	.3	13.4
2019–20	San Pablo Burgos	ACB	26	21.4	.528	.182	.609	5.1	1.5	1	.3	7.0
2019–20	Ironi Ness Ziona	ISBL	15	31.3	.563	.000	.529	8.9	4.2	2.2	.6	14.4
2020–21	Hapoel Tel Aviv	ISBL	16	28.9	.500	.294	.596	5.3	5.3	1.6	.4	13.6
2021–22	Hapoel Tel Aviv	ISBL	31	31.7	.474	.160	.706	7.5	3.5	1.5	.3	14.5

College statistics

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2012–2013	North Carolina	35	0	8.7	.488	.091	.385	1.7	.7	.5	.1	2.6
2013–2014	North Carolina	34	33	28.6	.489	.222	.500	5.8	3	1.6	.5	9.3
2014–2015	North Carolina	38	34	29.1	.428	.375	.615	5.6	4.3	1.5	.3	8.3
Career		107	67	22.3	.462	.266	.544	4.4	2.7	1.2	.3	6.8

Personal life

Tokoto was named after his maternal grandfather, Jean-Pierre Tokoto, who played soccer for the Cameroon national team. He starred in all three games for Cameroon at the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Tokoto's mother, Laurence Tokoto Trimble, met her husband, Trevor Trimble, in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. ^[26] Tokoto's biological father is former NBA player Brian Oliver. ^[27] Seth Trimble, Tokoto's younger half-brother, committed to play college basketball for Tokoto's alma mater North Carolina in June 2021, set to join the team following his high school graduation in 2022. ^[28]

References

1. "J.P. Tokoto Player Profile, Rio Grande Valley Vipers - RealGM".
2. "J. P. Tokoto Bio". GoHeels.com. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
3. Wilco, Daniel (June 19, 2015). "A man full of surprises, ex-Tar Heel J.P. Tokoto prepares for NBA draft". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved June 25, 2015.
4. "Philadelphia 76ers Select Jahlil Okafor, Richaun Holmes, Arturas Gudaitis, J.P. Tokoto, And Luka Mitrovic In The 2015 NBA Draft". NBA.com. June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
5. "Las Vegas Summer League Roster & Schedule". NBA.com. July 11, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
6. "SIXERS ANNOUNCE 2015 TRAINING CAMP ROSTER". NBA.com. September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
7. Wojnarowski, Adrian (September 7, 2015). "Sources: 76ers sign former North Carolina forward J.P. Tokoto". Yahoo.com. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
8. "PHILADELPHIA 76ERS WAIVE FIVE". NBA.com. October 26, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
9. "Oklahoma City Blue Acquires Six Players on NBA D-League Draft Day". OurSportsCentral.com. October 31, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
10. "Knicks Add J.P. Tokoto & DaJuan Summers For Summer League". NYKInformation.com. June 26, 2016. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
11. "Knicks Sign J.P. Tokoto". NBA.com. August 2, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
12. "Knicks waive Lou Amundson, Cleanthony Early, Chasson Randle, J.P. Tokoto and Damien Inglis". InsideHoops.com. October 21, 2016. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
13. "2016 D-League Draft Review And Trade Recap". dleaguedigest.com. October 30, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
14. Chagollan, Anwar (October 31, 2016). "Vipers perform trade with Erie and finalize training camp roster". NBA.com. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
15. "PERTH WILDCATS SIGN JEAN-PIERRE TOKOTO". Wildcats.com.au. September 6, 2017. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
16. "Warriors' J.P. Tokoto: Secures summer league spot". cbssports.com. June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
17. "ג'יי.פי טוקוטו חתם בהפועל "פתאל" אילת". basket.co.il (in Hebrew). July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
18. "Winner League, Game 12: Hapoel Eilat Vs Hapoel TA". basket.co.il. January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
19. "מצטיין המחזור ה-12: ג'יי.פי טוקוטו". basket.co.il (in Hebrew). January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
20. "אולסטאר: ניצחון שלישי ברציפות לזרים". basket.co.il (in Hebrew). April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
21. "San Pablo Burgos inks J.P. Tokoto". Sportando. July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
22. "JP Tokoto, San Pablo Burgos part ways". Sportando. January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
23. "ג'יי פי טוקוטו חתם בעירוני נס ציונה". IroniNZ.com (in Hebrew). January 26, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
24. "Winner League, Game 18: Nes Ziona Vs Nahariya". basket.co.il. February 2, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
25. Borghesan, Ennio Terrasi (November 14, 2020). "Hapoel Tel Aviv, JP Tokoto agree to deal". Sportando. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
26. Trowbridge, Matt (January 31, 2010). "High school hoops superstar Tokoto is one that got away". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Retrieved June 27, 2015.
27. Borges, David (June 18, 2012). "UCONN MEN'S BASKETBALL: Road to Storrs for recruit Phil Nolan a winding one (video)". New Haven Register . Retrieved May 4, 2023.
28. Joshua, Darius (February 3, 2022). "Menomonee Falls senior, UNC commit Seth Trimble calls his basketball journey 'amazing'". WDJT-TV . Retrieved May 15, 2022.

External links

• North Carolina Tar Heels bio
• RealGM profile
• Sports-Reference profile