On Thursday night, the Chicago Bulls announced the signing of undrafted free agent guard Javon Freeman-Liberty.
Freeman-Liberty, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard, is a Chicago native who played his last two collegiate seasons at DePaul, so he has plenty of local ties. But he also has plenty of intrigue given his gaudy production in college.
The signing brought the Bulls' roster to 16 players, one over the 15-man limit they will need to trim to before the start of the regular season. So it's likely that Freeman-Liberty is being signed as a Summer League/training camp reinforcement, or as a precursor to a potential two-way contract.
But in the meantime, here is everything to know about the new Bulls guard:
Javon Freeman-Liberty Hometown, Family
Freeman-Liberty is a Chicago native and attended Whitney Young for high school.
Basketball runs in his blood. Freeman-Liberty's uncle, Marcus Liberty, played college basketball at the University of Illinois from 1988-1990 and was a member of the Fighting Illini's 1989 Final Four team. Marcus went on to play four seasons in the NBA, including stints with the Nuggets and Pistons.
NBA
Javon Freeman-Liberty High School
Freeman-Liberty enjoyed a fairly decorated run at Whitney Young. He helped lead the Dolphins to two Class 4A state championship games, including a title in his junior season (2017).
As a senior, he earned consensus All-State honors and finished fifth in Illinois Mr. Basketball while averaging 20 points and 6 rebounds.
Javon Freeman-Liberty College Stats, Highlights
Freeman-Liberty played his first two collegiate seasons at Valparaiso and fared well. He averaged 15 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2 steals across 66 games for the Beacons, was a first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection as a sophomore, and earned Missouri Valley Conference All-Defense honors both years he played there.
In May 2020, he transferred to DePaul and eventually took his offensive game to another level. Freeman-Liberty led the Big East in scoring as a senior, averaging 21.7 points and shooting a career-high 36.8 percent from 3-point range. He also averaged career-bests in rebounding (7.3), assists (3.2) and added 1.7 steals per game in 2021-22.
| Season | Team | G | Min | Pts | Reb | Ast | Stl | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | Valparaiso | 33 | 31.3 | 11.0 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 45.2% | 28.9% | 69.3% |
| 2019-20 | Valparaiso | 33 | 33.2 | 19.0 | 6.1 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 43.6% | 28.7% | 75% |
| 2020-21 | DePaul | 14 | 31.9 | 14.4 | 5.3 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 42.7% | 29.3% | 74% |
| 2021-22 | DePaul | 24 | 34.9 | 21.7 | 7.3 | 3.2 | 1.7 | 43% | 36.8% | 73.9% |
He went unselected in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Javon Freeman-Liberty signs with Bulls
On June 30, the Bulls announced Freeman-Liberty had made their Summer League roster. On July 7, the team announced it had signed Freeman-Liberty to a contract.
Click here to follow the Bulls Talk Podcast.