Tristen Newton

About

Tristen Jamal Newton (born April 26, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the East Carolina Pirates and with the UConn Huskies where he won both the 2023 and 2024 national championships. Newton was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 49th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. He has also played for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Newton played at Burges High School in El Paso, Texas, where his team routinely traveled great distances to play top teams in the large metro areas of Texas. Newton scored 3,266 points in high school and led the state in scoring as a senior at 37.2 points per game.

Newton found success at East Carolina, entering the starting lineup as a freshman and averaging 11 points and 3.7 assists per game. He set the Pirates’ program record for assists in a season by a freshman. He improved for his next two seasons, culminating in a junior season where he averaged 17.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5 assists per game. He was named to the All…