Former Winthrop basketball player Adonis Arms has declared for the 2022 NBA Draft. Most recently playing for Texas Tech, Arms made the announcement on Twitter on March 31.
“This message goes to 4-year-old Adonis Arms that had a dream to play in the NBA one day,” Arms wrote. “Thank you for believing in yourself and having the courage to stick with what you always wanted to do. I will forever be a Red Raider. With that being said, I would like to declare for the 2022 NBA Draft and I plan on hiring an agent.”
Arms is a sixth-year senior who averaged 8.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in his only year with the Red Raiders.
He was awarded the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2019 at Northwest Nazarene, averaging 20.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists before he transferred to Winthrop.
After sitting out the 2019-2020 season, Arms averaged 10.5 points per game for the Eagles during the 2020-2021 season, helping guide Winthrop to a 23-2 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Arms returned to the NCAA Tournament this season, winning two games with the Red Raiders. In Texas Tech’s Sweet Sixteen loss to Duke, he scored 13 points and racked up 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
Arms has made waves in college basketball and on scouting reports largely from his athleticism. At 6-foot-6, he’s known for some amazing highlight dunks.
That’s not all he has in his arsenal though. Arms has shown himself as a capable rebounder, playmaker, defender and scorer off the dribble.
“He’s an athletic player,” said Winthrop basketball player Nate Buss. “I think he’s probably the most athletic person that I’ve ever seen. He would just do some dunks after practice, and I would just be like, ‘wow’.”
Arms is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and has fond memories of his first time playing basketball at 4 years old and watching his favorite player, Kobe Bryant.
“He’s been my favorite player ever since – rest in peace,” Arms told The Johnsonian in January of 2021. “That’s really how I got into basketball… just watching him play and watching him just dominate people and take over games, and showing that passion that he had.”
During his time at Winthrop, he joined in on the winning mindset of the team and is sure to bring that to any NBA team that drafts him.
“He just loves the game of basketball,” said Buss. “His career backs that up. His production is all you need to know about his work ethic. He lives in the gym for sure.”
The draft is scheduled for June 23 and will be televised on ESPN, with the first round also broadcasted on ABC.
