Mississippi Professional Athletes

The most recognizable player in any gym he walks into just got his shot at the biggest stage in basketball.

Jamarion Sharp, the 7-foot-5 centre out of Ole Miss, has signed with the Toronto Raptors, the team announced Monday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the move officially stamps Sharp's entry into the NBA — a milestone moment for a player whose rare size made him one of college basketball's most intriguing prospects.

Sharp's frame is, simply put, extraordinary. At 7-foot-5, he stands among the tallest players in NBA history, and Toronto — a franchise that has long leaned into developing unconventional big men — appears to be betting that his dimensions can translate into real defensive and rim-rolling value at the professional level. The Raptors did not detail the structure of the contract, leaving open questions about whether this is a standard deal or a two-way arrangement, but the signing itself is the headline.

For Ole Miss fans, Sharp's arrival in the league adds another name to a quietly growing NBA alumni footprint. Terence Davis remains active with the Sacramento Kings as a shooting guard, a veteran presence who carved out his own path to the league from Oxford. Blake Hinson is on the roster with the Utah Jazz, working as a big man in a Western Conference rebuild. Sean Pedulla, a point guard, is with the Houston Rockets. None of them, however, will walk into an opposing locker room and turn heads quite like Sharp does.

The Raptors' interest in Sharp fits the organization's recent philosophy. Toronto has been in a transitional phase, prioritizing youth, length, and upside over short-term win totals — the kind of environment where a player with Sharp's physical tools but raw professional experience can actually get runway to develop. Whether he sticks on the roster long-term or carves out a specialized role as a shot-altering, lob-catching presence off the bench, Sharp's sheer size gives him a lane that most players simply don't have.

For the Ole Miss program, this is a recruiting-brochure moment. Sharp becomes the latest Rebel to hear his name called — or in this case, sign his name on a contract — at the sport's highest level, joining a handful of active NBA players who trace their college roots back to the Grove.

Jamarion Sharp didn't stay on the waiver wire long enough to collect dust.

The former Ole Miss center was released by the Los Angeles Clippers this week, and it didn't take long for another franchise to take notice. According to Sports Illustrated, the New York Knicks are eyeing Sharp as a two-way contract target — a move that would land the young big man in one of the league's highest-profile markets just as the 2026-27 season approaches.

For Sharp, the Clippers release is less a closing door than a redirected trajectory. Two-way deals have become a legitimate proving ground in the modern NBA, offering developmental players consistent access to a roster, coaching staff, and game reps at the highest level. The Knicks, a team perpetually navigating roster construction puzzles, appear ready to plug Sharp into that role as they look to fill remaining two-way slots.

Sharp's appeal is straightforward: size, youth, and upside. Centers with legitimate length who can develop into rotation contributors are exactly the kind of low-risk, high-ceiling additions that make sense on a two-way. For New York, it's a move that costs little and could pay dividends if Sharp develops as projected.

Ole Miss fans will be watching closely. Sharp is one of four active Rebels in the NBA this season — Terence Davis (Kings), Blake Hinson (Jazz), and Sean Pedulla (Rockets) round out the group — but he's the one generating the most buzz heading into camp. A landing spot with the Knicks would give him a national stage and a legitimate shot at carving out an NBA career.

The next few days will be telling. Two-way slots fill fast once training camps crystallize rosters, and Sharp's window to sign is narrow. If New York moves quickly, Oxford may have its most talked-about NBA prospect of the preseason suiting up at Madison Square Garden before October is out.