Mississippi hasn't historically been synonymous with NBA frontcourt dominance — but a 7-foot-5 center from Oxford might be about to change that perception.
Jamarion Sharp, the Tallest Man in the League
The biggest story out of Ole Miss alumni circles this week has nothing to do with points, assists, or win shares. It's about inches — a lot of them. Jamarion Sharp, the former Rebels center, signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, and in doing so, claimed a title no other player in the NBA currently holds: the tallest active player in the league.
At 7-foot-5, Sharp immediately draws comparisons to the player everyone assumes owns the extreme-height lane — San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama. But Sharp, standing alongside the Clippers' frontcourt, gives Los Angeles a legitimate answer to Wemby's unprecedented wingspan and shot-blocking presence. The signing was widely framed around the Spurs matchup problem, with the Clippers explicitly bolstering their size ahead of what figures to be a competitive Western Conference season.
Sharp's calling card is shot-blocking, a skill that translates immediately regardless of contract status. Two-way deals come with limitations — roster availability caps, primarily — but players who sign them and earn rotation time can parlay them into standard contracts quickly. For Sharp, the opportunity to establish himself as a legitimate defensive anchor at the NBA level is front and center.
The league took notice. Both Bleacher Report and The Sporting News ran feature comparisons between Sharp and Wembanyama within days of the signing, a level of national attention that former Ole Miss big men rarely generate this early in their professional careers.
The Rest of the Ole Miss Board
Sharp isn't the only Mississippi alum earning an NBA paycheck heading into the season. The Clippers, interestingly, also employ Sean Pedulla at point guard, meaning Los Angeles features two Ole Miss products on the same roster — a quiet footnote that speaks to the program's growing professional pipeline.
Elsewhere, Terence Davis remains with the Sacramento Kings at shooting guard, and Blake Hinson is on the Utah Jazz roster at center. Neither generated significant news during the August 9–15 window, but both represent continued alumni presence across the league.
The Bigger Picture
The Sharp signing is a singular moment for Ole Miss basketball, and it arrives at a time when the program is working to build credibility as a legitimate NBA development program. Players reaching the league is one thing; players reaching the league and immediately generating national headlines for a non-draft-related reason is another level entirely.
For Rebels fans tracking their alumni, this week belonged entirely to Jamarion Sharp — and at 7-foot-5, it would have been hard to miss him anyway.
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