Former Indiana Point Guard Yogi Ferrell to Sign With Shanghai Sharks

Yogi Ferrell, Indiana's all-time leader in assists, will play his eighth season of professional basketball in China with the Shanghai Sharks.

The next step in Yogi Ferrell's professional career will take place in China.

The former Indiana point guard is on the verge of signing with the Shanghai Sharks, according to a report from Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.

Following a five-year NBA career, Ferrell spent the last two seasons with Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in Slovenia, and Urbonas reported that several EuroLeague teams had interest in Ferrell. 

Instead, Ferrell will join a Shanghai Sharks team that made the CBA quarterfinals last season with American basketball players Eric Bledsoe, Michael Beasley, Johnny O'Bryant, Melo Trimble and Jamaal Franklin. The 2023-24 season will be Ferrell's eighth year as a professional basketball player following a successful career at Indiana. 

The 6-foot point guard from Indianapolis played four seasons at Indiana and was a two-time All-Big Ten player. As a freshman in 2012-13, he started all 36 games for a Tom Crean-coached squad that ranked No. 1 in the nation for 10 weeks and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament before losing in the Sweet 16.

Across Ferrell's final three seasons in Bloomington, he averaged at least 16 points and shot over 40 percent from 3-point range each year. As a senior, Ferrell led the Hoosiers to another Big Ten Title and Sweet 16 appearance. He averaged a career-high 17.3 points, 5.6 assists and 1.1 steals on 42 percent 3-point shooting in 2015-16, was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive team and earned All-American honors from The Sporting News, USA Today, CBS Sports and the Associated Press. 

Ferrell graduated as Indiana's all-time leader in assists with 633, along with two Big Ten titles and two Sweet 16 appearances. Trayce Jackson-Davis passed him on the program's all-time scoring list last season, moving Ferrell to seventh. He is the only IU player to ever lead his team in assists during all four seasons that he played.

Following his Indiana career, Ferrell went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft, but signed a contract with the Brooklyn Nets. He finished his rookie year with the Dallas Mavericks and was named to the 2016-17 NBA All-Rookie team, averaging 10.0 points and 3.7 assists. 

Ferrell played 82 games for the Mavericks in 2017-18 and averaged double-digit points for his second consecutive season in the NBA. Over the next three seasons, Ferrell moved around from the Sacramento Kings, to the Cleveland Cavaliers and finally the Los Angeles Clippers. For his career, Ferrell played in 259 NBA games, made 53 starts and averaged 7.7 points on 36.5 percent 3-point shooting. 

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