Jahvon Quinerly Announces Retirement; Former 5-Star Guard Played for Alabama, Memphis

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVSeptember 7, 2024

Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Former Villanova, Alabama and Memphis guard Jahvon Quinerly announced Saturday he’s retiring from basketball.

“I made the decision to let go of the game of basketball, which has greatly shaped who I am since I could remember,” he wrote on Instagram. “This game has opened a plethora of doors for me and for that I will forever be grateful, but God has chosen a different path for me.

“Even while I’ve accomplished some incredible things, had priceless experiences, and formed friendships for life, on the other side of that I’ve experienced some of my lowest moments. And as much as it pains me to type this, I can’t continue this fight with something I am no longer in love with.”

Blake Byler @blakebyler45Former Alabama guard Jahvon Quinerly has announced his retirement from basketball. pic.twitter.com/h2Tiz4tdKe

Quinerly averaged 13.5 points and 4.9 assists in 32 games with Memphis after transferring in ahead of the 2023-24 season.

A 5-star recruit in the 2018 high school class, Quinerly originally enrolled at Villanova.

He left for Alabama after one season and sat out the 2019-20 campaign to satisfy NCAA rules since his transfer came before the rule granting transfers immediate eligibility.

The 6’1″ guard became a valuable contributor for the Crimson Tide in a supporting role. He put up 11.7 points and 3.7 per contest over 98 appearances. He was the co-Sixth Man of the Year with Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves in 2022-23 and won MVP of the SEC tournament in 2021 as Alabama outlasted LSU 80-79 in the final.

Quinerly went undrafted this summer and didn’t land an NBA contract as a free agent. While the odds of him carving out a career in the Association looked remote, going abroad and playing in an international league was a possibility.

Instead, the New Jersey native is walking away from the game for good. He noted he earned more than seven figures in NIL money, so his time at Alabama and Memphis proved lucrative.