Raptors sign towering centre Jamarion Sharp, waive guard Chucky Hepburn
The seven-foot-five Sharp was the NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year last season, averaging 4.1 blocks per game.
TORONTO · The Toronto Raptors added size to their training camp roster by signing centre Jamarion Sharp on Monday. The team did not release the financial terms of the agreement. To create a roster spot, the club waived guard Chucky Hepburn. Sharp, who stands seven-foot-five and weighs 235 pounds, earned NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year honours for the 2025-26 season. He posted averages of 7.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and a league-leading 4.1 blocks per game over 39 contests for the Texas Legends. Sharp recorded six double-doubles and blocked five or more shots in 15 games, including a season-best nine blocks in a November game against Oklahoma City. His 154 total blocks topped the G League.
Sharp participated in the Raptors' Summer League in July before signing a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. According to Sportsnet's Blake Murphy, there was interest from the Raptors to ink Sharp to a two-way deal of their own at the end of Summer League. The Clippers waived him on Sept. 25, and Murphy reported Sharp has not yet been signed to a two-way contract by Toronto, joining camp on a standard deal.
During his college career, Sharp led the NCAA in blocks for two consecutive seasons and was a two-time conference defensive player of the year. After going undrafted in 2024, he had brief stints with the Dallas Mavericks and in Puerto Rico before his standout G League season. In Summer League play for Toronto, he averaged 7.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. Hepburn, 23, was on a two-way contract with Toronto last season, appearing in two NBA games and 19 for Raptors 905. He averaged 12.3 points, 8.8 assists and 2.3 steals for the G League affiliate before his season ended with knee surgery. Murphy noted Hepburn could still stay in Toronto's two-way contract mix as he is still eligible to join Raptors 905, and could opt to rehab with the team there after suffering a hamstring injury on Saturday. The Raptors open their pre-season schedule on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena against the New York Knicks.
With files from The Canadian Press, CBC News and Sportsnet