Derrick Favors – Derrick Favors Utah (cropped) – CC BY-SA
Veteran center Derrick Favors returns to the court this season after a one-year hiatus, having signed a training camp contract with the Windy City Bulls, the team’s G-League affiliate, last Tuesday.
Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan said that the team planned to bring Favors permanently to the team for the 2023-2024 season. Donovan had set his eyes on Favors since he played for the Utah Jazz, saying that he had always respected Favors.
“He still obviously loves to play. Having a veteran guy around those guys will be very helpful,” said the coach.
Although he was signed late into the training camp, the 12-year league veteran is expected to provide valuable insight to the Windy City G-League team.
The player has struggled to get back on a roster over the past year. Last season, Favors signed a 10-day contract with the Atlanta Hawks but did not see any playing time. Favors hasn’t played a single game since February 24 last year.
Favors’ career
Favors started out with a successful high school basketball career at South Atlanta High School in Georgia, where he was widely regarded as one of the top high school prospects in the country. After high school, he decided to forgo college and was selected by the New Jersey Nets in the 2010 NBA Draft.
The 32-year-old was a much-anticipated selection after the Nets took him in. However, he did not spend much time with them as he was traded to the Utah Jazz in the summer of 2011, which led to him earning a starting role.
Despite a promising draft pick, the 6-foot-9 center was unsuccessful in reaching the All-Star team even after seven years as a starter.
He was instrumental in getting the Jazz into the playoffs five times during his tenure, but the team never made it past the Western Conference semifinals. Favors was also a key contributor to the Jazz during their ten seasons together, eventually becoming their 10th all-time scorer in 2021.
Favors then made his way around different teams, starting when he was sent to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019. The center provided veteran leadership and defensive stability to a team featuring young talents like Zion Williamson.
In 2020, Favors rejoined Utah with a three-year contract before being traded again to Oklahoma City in 2021. Favors spent the second half of his first season with the Thunder relegated to a reserve role before being traded again to the Houston Rockets in September 2022. He quickly gave it up less than a month later.
