After a three-year journey featuring sparse NBA opportunities and prolonged stays in the G League, former Alabama guard JD Davison has finally signed a standard NBA contract. He will be an official part of the Boston Celtics’ 15-man roster for the team’s 2025 playoff run.
Davison described the contract as a “dream” he has worked toward for his entire basketball career.
“To get a contract with the Boston Celtics, one of the best teams in the league, it’s not easy,” Davison said. “I got my head down, just put in the work … and it finally came.”
Shams Charania, ESPN senior NBA insider, first reported the signing on Saturday. The deal is significant for Davison because it cements his spot at the NBA level, whereas for three seasons, he has been on a two-way contract allowing him to play in both the NBA and the developmental G League. He has played 36 games with the Celtics across those three seasons, compared to 84 with their G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics.
The signing follows Davison’s MVP-winning 2024-25 campaign in the G League, in which he averaged 25.1 points and 7.6 assists while leading the Maine Celtics to within one game of the G League Finals.
More than just the stats, he has become what coaches and teammates describe as a vocal leader, and has “orchestrated the offense and been able to dissect coverages at an elite level.” He is the team’s all-time leader in points, assists, field goals and games played.
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla called the standard contract “validation for the work and patience” Davison has displayed in his years on a two-way contract.
“I just thought it was the right thing to do,” Mazzulla said. “Because of what he’s done for our program, what he’s done as a player, and what he’s done as a person off the court. I’m happy for him.”
Davison found out about the contract on Saturday, and the Celtics officially announced the signing on Sunday morning. That afternoon, in the team’s regular-season finale against the Charlotte Hornets, Davison got the opportunity for extended playing time, as the game featured absences from stars and rotation players like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday.
Davison finished the game with career highs of 9 points and two steals along with four assists. It was a hard-fought 93-86 victory for the Celtics, and Davison made a layup to break an 86-86 tie with under two minutes left in the game.
The career performance paired with a win marks a culmination point in Davison’s basketball career. Hailing from Letohatchee, Alabama, he played at Calhoun High School, where he was a consensus 5-star recruit and became only the fifth player to win multiple Alabama Mr. Basketball awards. He played one season with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2021-22, logging 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists and earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team. That year’s squad earned a 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament but suffered an early exit to 11-seeded Notre Dame.
After his freshman year, Davison entered the 2022 NBA draft and was taken 53rd overall by the Celtics, near the end of the second round. Since then, it has been an up-and-down quest for permanence in the league. However, despite seeing other players move up while he spent the bulk of his time on the G League side of his two-way contract, he has kept on, fortifying himself with steadfast work ethic.
“It’s not easy, man, especially playing in the G League for three years,” he said before the game Sunday. “It’s not easy staying the course, but I feel like I stayed down, I stayed the course.”
He also had support. After finding out on Saturday, he messaged his mom, and she replied in tears.
“I know my mom, I know she’s been praying about it every day,” he said. “Knowing her, I just know she’s super proud, and I know everyone back home is super proud.”
Like Mazzulla said, this is validation for a tireless basketball journey. Davison has come through state championship games in high school and upset losses in college, advancing all the way to the highest stage of the game and doing so with resolve.
“I’ve been playing basketball my whole life. So just put it in the work, and trusting God it’ll happen,” he said. “The prayers work.”
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