J. J. Avila

Joseph John Avila (born October 11, 1991) is an American-born Mexican professional basketball player for Astros de Jalisco of the CIBACOPA. He played college basketball for Navy and Colorado State.

High school career Avila attended McAllen High School. As a senior, he averaged 21.6 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.6 steals, being named to the Class 5A Texas Association of Basketball Coaches all-state team. After graduating, Avila was the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,865 career points.

College career Avila began his career at Navy, where he played for two years and won the Patriot League Rookie of the Year after ranking second on the team in scoring (11.5), rebounding (5.3), assists (74) and free throw percentage (.829). In his four college seasons, he saw action in started 103 of 115 games and posted averages of 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 31.5 minutes.

Professional career Stella Artois Leuven Bears (2015–2016) After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft, Avila joined the Houston Rockets for the 2015 NBA Summer League. In 18 games, he averaged 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

Windy City Bulls (2016–2017) In July, 2016, Avila joined the New York Knicks for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On October 30, 2016, he was acquired by the Windy City Bulls of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of Chicago.

Texas Legends (2017–2018) On January 28, 2017, he was traded to the Texas Legends.

Agua Caliente Clippers (2018–2021) On December 16, 2018, the Texas Legends announced that they had acquired Ryan Boatright from the Agua Caliente Clippers for Avila. On February 6, 2020, Avila had 21 points, nine rebounds, two assists and three steals in a loss to the Texas Legends.

Fuerza Regia de Monterrey (2020) In October 2020, Avila joined the Fuerza Regia de Monterrey of the Mexican Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP) ahead of the playoffs. He was named Finals MVP after leading the Fuerza Regia to a 3–1 championship series win over the Aguacateros de Michoacán.

Salt Lake City Stars (2021–2022) On December 8, 2021, Avila was acquired by the Salt Lake City Stars. He was waived on February 2, 2022.

Return to Fuerza Regia de Monterrey (2022) Avila returned to the Fuerza Regia de Monterrey in July 2022. He earned LNBP All-Star honors.

Personal life He is the son of J.J. Avila Sr. and Vicki Avila. He majored in communication studies at Colorado State.