Zylan Cheatham

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Zylan Cheatham
Cheatham with the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2019
Adelaide 36ers
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (1995-11-17) November 17, 1995 (age 29)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Listed height203 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Listed weight105 kg (231 lb)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2019: undrafted
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2020New Orleans Pelicans
2019–2020→ Erie BayHawks
2021Iowa Wolves
2021–2022Birmingham Squadron
2022Utah Jazz
2022→ Salt Lake City Stars
2022–2023Birmingham Squadron
2023Bayern Munich
2023–2024New Zealand Breakers
2024–2025Nagoya Diamond Dolphins
2025–presentAdelaide 36ers
Career highlights
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA AmeriCup
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Brazil

Zylan Anthony Cheatham (born November 17, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the San Diego State Aztecs and the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Early life

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Cheatham grew up in South Phoenix and initially attended St. Mary's High School. He transferred to South Mountain High School after his freshman year, playing basketball there for two seasons before transferring to Westwind Preparatory Academy.[1] Cheatham transferred back to South Mountain after learning the school did not meet the NCAA's academic standards and retook all of his junior courses simultaneously with his senior courseload in order to graduate on time.[2] Ranked a consensus four star and top 100 recruit, Cheatham committed to San Diego State over offers from Arizona State, New Mexico, Georgetown, Miami and Utah.[3]

College career

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San Diego State Aztecs (2015–2017)

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Cheatham spent three seasons as a member of the San Diego State Aztecs, redshirting his freshman season after breaking the fifth metatarsal in his left foot.[4] As a redshirt freshman in 2015–16, he averaged 7.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.[5] In his redshirt sophomore season in 2016–17, Cheatham averaged 9.1 points and 6.3 rebounds and was named honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2016 Diamond Head Classic after averaging 15.7 points and 9.3 rebounds over four games as the Aztecs won the mid-season tournament.[6] In April 2017, Cheatham announced that he would be leaving the program.[7]

Arizona State Sun Devils (2018–2019)

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Cheatham transferred to Arizona State University, citing a desire to play closer to home, but sat out the 2017–18 season due to NCAA transfer regulations.[1] He joined the Sun Devils for the 2018–19 season and averaged 12.2 points and a Pac-12 Conference-leading 10.3 rebounds per game. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 and earned All-Defensive team honors.[8] He was named Pac-12 player of the week on December 3, 2018, following the second triple double in ASU history after recording 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in an 83–71 win over Texas.[9]

Professional career

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New Orleans Pelicans (2019–2020)

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Cheatham participated in the NBA G League Elite Camp in May 2019.[10] After going undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft, he joined the New Orleans Pelicans for the 2019 NBA Summer League and later signed a two-way contract with the Pelicans on July 24, 2019.[11] Cheatham made his NBA debut on November 16, 2019,[12] in a 109–94 loss to the Miami Heat, recording two points, three rebounds and one assist in 14 minutes of play.[13] He spent the majority of the 2019–20 season in the NBA G League with the Erie BayHawks.[14]

Iowa Wolves (2021)

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Cheatham was acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a four-team trade on November 24, 2020, and his two-way contract was converted to a standard NBA contract.[15][16] However, they waived him on December 2.[17]

On December 18, 2020, Cheatham signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves,[18] but was waived the next day.[19] He subsequently played for the Iowa Wolves in the G League hub season between February and March 2021.[20]

In August 2021, Cheatham played for the Denver Nuggets in the 2021 NBA Summer League.[14]

Birmingham Squadron (2021–2022)

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On September 24, 2021, Cheatham signed with the New Orleans Pelicans for training camp.[21] He was waived on October 9[22] and subsequently joined the Birmingham Squadron for the 2021–22 NBA G League season.[23]

On December 22, 2021, Cheatham signed a 10-day contract with the Miami Heat via a COVID-related hardship exception.[24] Toward the end of his 10-day contract, with a huge outbreak on the team, Cheatham wound up testing positive for COVID as well.[25] He did not appear in any games for the Heat during his tenure.[26]

Cheatham re-joined the Squadron on January 3, 2022, but was removed from the team on January 6.[27]

Utah Jazz (2022)

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On January 12, 2022, Cheatham signed a 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz via another COVID-related hardship exception.[28] He played five minutes for the Jazz that night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It marked his only game for the Jazz.[26] On January 19, he was assigned to the Jazz's G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. He played two games for the Stars.[14]

Return to Birmingham (2022–2023)

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On January 24, 2022, Cheatham returned to the Birmingham Squadron.[29] On February 4, he signed a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Pelicans via another COVID-related hardship exception.[30] However, he didn't play a game for the team.[26] On February 14, Cheatham re-joined the Squadron once again.[27]

Cheatham joined the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2022 NBA Summer League.[31] He re-joined the Squadron for the 2022–23 NBA G League season, but later parted ways on February 28, 2023.[32]

Bayern Munich (2023)

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On March 6, 2023, Cheatham signed with Bayern Munich of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague for the rest of the 2022–23 season.[33][34][35] In 19 BBL games, he averaged 8.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He also averaged 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in six EuroLeague games.[36]

New Zealand Breakers (2023–2024)

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On July 18, 2023, Cheatham signed with the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League (NBL) for the 2023–24 season.[37][38] On October 27, 2023, he was ruled out for six to eight weeks with a fractured foot.[39] He returned to active status with the Breakers in late December, 2023.[40] He averaged 15 points and seven rebounds per game for the Breakers.[41]

Cheatham played for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2024 NBA Summer League.[42]

Nagoya Diamond Dolphins (2024–2025)

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On August 1, 2024, Cheatham signed with Nagoya Diamond Dolphins of the B.League.[43] He averaged over 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game.[41]

Adelaide 36ers (2025–present)

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On June 17, 2025, Cheatham signed with the Adelaide 36ers for the 2025–26 NBL season, returning to the league for a second stint.[44]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  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

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 New Orleans 4 0 12.8 .667 .000 – 2.3 .8 .3 .3 3.0
2021–22 Utah 1 0 5.0 .000 .000 – .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Career 5 0 11.2 .500 .000 – 1.8 .6 .2 .2 2.4

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 San Diego State 38 26 20.8 .528 .176 .716 5.4 .9 .6 .7 7.9
2016–17 San Diego State 31 22 23.4 .519 .167 .756 6.3 1.4 1.1 .6 9.1
2018–19 Arizona State 34 34 32.4 .534 .440 .618 10.3 3.2 .8 .8 12.1
Career 103 82 25.4 .528 .296 .687 7.3 1.8 .8 .7 9.7

References

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  1. ^ a b Gardner, Michelle (November 4, 2018). "Zylan Cheatham ready to lead hometown ASU back to prominence". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  2. ^ Jones, Kaelen (June 19, 2019). "Zylan Cheatham Is the NBA Draft's Hidden Gem". The Crossover. SI.com. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  3. ^ Bain, Andrew (January 13, 2015). "San Diego State Basketball: 4-star freshman power forward Zylan Cheatham will redshirt this season". MWCConnection.com. SB Nation. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  4. ^ Ortiz, Jenna (June 20, 2019). "Undrafted, ASU's Zylan Cheatham agrees to deal with New Orleans Pelicans". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  5. ^ Roberts, Andy (October 5, 2016). "San Diego State basketball preview". MWCConnection.com. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  6. ^ Zeigler, Mark (April 14, 2017). "Zylan Cheatham to transfer from SDSU". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on July 28, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  7. ^ Goodman, Jeff (April 24, 2017). "San Diego State forward Zylan Cheatham transfers to Arizona State". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  8. ^ "Cheatham, Dort lead list of ASU players on 2018–19 All-Pac-12 teams". ArizonaSports.com. March 11, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  9. ^ "ASU's Zylan Cheatham named Pac-12 Player of the Week". ArizonaSports.com. December 3, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  10. ^ Sorenson, Eric (May 14, 2019). "Cheatham Happy With Elite Camp Performance". Sports360AZ.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  11. ^ "Pelicans sign Cheatham and Gray to two-way contracts". NBA.com. July 24, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  12. ^ Eichenhofer, Jim (November 17, 2019). "Behind the Numbers presented by HUB International: Warriors at Pelicans (11/17/19)". NBA.com. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  13. ^ "Heat 109-94 Pelicans (Nov 16, 2019) Box Score". ESPN. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  14. ^ a b c "Zylan Cheatham Player Profile, New Orleans Pelicans - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  15. ^ "Thunder Acquires George Hill, Zylan Cheatham, Josh Gray, Darius Miller, Kenrich Williams, One First and Two Second-Round Draft Picks and a Trade Exception". NBA.com. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  16. ^ "Thunder's Zylan Cheatham: Shipped to Thunder". CBSSports.com. RotoWire. November 22, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  17. ^ "Thunder Waives Zylan Cheatham". NBA.com. December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  18. ^ "Timberwolves Sign Zylan Cheatham". NBA.com. December 19, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  19. ^ "Timberwolves Waive Four Players". NBA.com. December 19, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  20. ^ Burrell, Randi (January 25, 2021). "Wolves Announce 2021 Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  21. ^ "Pelicans announce 2021 Training Camp information". NBA.com. September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  22. ^ "Pelicans waive Cheatham and Harper, sign Banks and Hill". NBA.com. October 9, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  23. ^ "Birmingham Squadron finalize roster for team's first training camp in Birmingham". NBA.com. October 25, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  24. ^ "HEAT SIGN ZYLAN CHEATHAM". NBA.com. December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  25. ^ "Zylan Cheatham Shares His Experience as 10-Day Replacement Player". SLAM. January 14, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  26. ^ a b c "Zylan Cheatham 2021-22 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  27. ^ a b "NBA G League Transactions". gleague.nba.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022.
  28. ^ "Jazz Sign Zylan Cheatham to 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. January 12, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  29. ^ "Zylan Cheatham returns to the Birmingham Squadron". NBA.com. January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  30. ^ "Pelicans sign Cheatham and Oni to 10-day contracts". NBA.com. February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  31. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  32. ^ "2022-23 NBA G League Transactions". gleague.nba.com. February 28, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  33. ^ "Zylan Cheatham completes Bayern squad". fcbayern.com. March 6, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  34. ^ "Bayern adds size with Zylan Cheatham | EuroLeague". Euroleague Basketball. March 6, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  35. ^ "Bayern registers Zylan Cheatham on the EuroLeague deadline". Eurohoops. March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  36. ^ "Zylan Cheatham, Basketball Player, News, Stats - australiabasket". Eurobasket LLC. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  37. ^ "Maor: New Import Has A Special Level of Intensity". nzbreakers.basketball. July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  38. ^ "Breakers lock in first import Zylan Cheatham ahead of NBL24". ESPN.com.au. June 20, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  39. ^ "Breakers cop big injury blow". NBL.com.au. October 27, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  40. ^ "Zylan Cheatham, Will McDowell-White back for NZ Breakers' NBL clash with Sydney Kings". www.nzherald.co.nz. December 19, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  41. ^ a b "REPORT: Adelaide makes ANOTHER huge move". nbl.com.au. June 17, 2025. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  42. ^ "Cheatham open to NBL return". nbl.com.au. July 19, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  43. ^ "ザイラン・チータム選手 B.LEAGUE 2024-25 SEASON契約締結のお知らせ" (in Japanese). Nagoya Diamond Dolphins. August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  44. ^ "Cheatham joins 36ers". Adelaide 36ers Official Website. June 17, 2025. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
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