The youngest player, Sam Merrill, started his career in 2020. He is also known as Samuel Hoskins Merrill.
Sam has already won many awards within two years of playing basketball. Merrill was also a highlighted player during his school and college career.
Currently, Samuel is playing from the position of shooting guard with jersey number 15. Merrill grew up with his older sister in Bountiful, Utah.
Merrill was first drafted by Milwaukee Bucks in 2020 as the 60th overall pick starting from his international career. Currently, he is playing for the Memphis Hustle.
Besides that, he has played with three different teams in his international career.
Before going into the details of this youngest player, let’s have a look at some quick, interesting facts.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Samuel Hoskins Merrill |
| Known As | Sam Merrill |
| Birth Date | 15 May 1995 |
| Age | 28 years old |
| Place of Birth | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Country | United States |
| Profession | Basketball Player |
| Horoscope | Taurus |
| Nationality | American |
| Father’s Name | John Merrill |
| Mother’s Name | Jenny Merrill |
| Siblings | Molli Merrill |
| High School | Bountiful High School |
| College | Utah State University |
| Height | 6ft 4 in (approx 1.93 m) |
| Weight | 89 kg (approx 197 lbs) |
| Body Type | Athlete |
| Position | Shooting Guard |
| Draft | 2020 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Kanyan Ward |
| Children Name | Not Available |
| Net Worth | $1 Million – $5 Million |
| Salary | $898 Thousand |
| Active Years | Two years (Currently Playing) |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Merch | Rookie Card |
| Last Update | April 2024 |
Sam Merrill | Early Life, Education & Family
The talented player Sam Merrill was born on 15 May 1995. Sam is one of the youngest players who decided to commence his career as a basketball player.
The young player was born to his father, John Merrill, and mother, Jenny Merrill. Merrill also has one sister named Molli Merrill. Both of them are friendly to each other and grew up in the same place, Bountiful, Utah.
Merrill received a high school education from Bountiful High School. Since childhood, he has been very passionate about basketball. Merril started to play games with his school team.
As a sophomore starter, he averaged a score of 6.5 points and 2.6 assists per game. Merrill was considered a crucial player on his team.
After playing some games with his team, Merrill was named first-team all-state by the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune.
18.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.2 steals per game were his average score as a junior player. Moreover, Merrill also led his Bountiful team to a 4A state title.
Career
College Career
During college time, he played many games under the guidance of head coach Tim Duryea. In addition, he scored 9.4 points per game as a freshman.
Standford and Princeton also tried to recruit him, but he was very committed to his college team Utah State.
The youngest player was also named to the Third-team All-Mountain West during his college career. Merrill also has outstanding accuracy in shooting.
46.1 percent was the shot accuracy of Merrill from the floor, 37.6 percent from behind the arc, and 90.9 percent from the free-throw line.
He also led Utah State to a Mountain West Tournament championship. Likewise, he was also nominated as the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year.
On March 5, 2019, Merrill scored the highest career 38 points and secured a victory over Colorado State. As a junior player, he averaged 20.9 points, 4.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game.
Besides that, during the final of the Mountain West Tournament, he scored 27 points against San Diego State. In addition, he hit the game-winning three points with 2.5 seconds remaining.
Professional Career
On November 18, 2020, New Orleans Pelicans was the first team to pick Sam Merrill in the 2020 NBA draft.
However, Merrill was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a four-team trade without playing single. Merrill debuted his first international game on February 10, 2021.
In the regular season, he played 30 games for the Bucks. Merrill averaged a score of 3.0 points and 1.0 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game.
Besides that, the shooting guard ended his rookie season with the Bucks defeating Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals. Soon then, he was traded to Memphis Grizzlies.
He was traded to Grizzlies in exchange for Grayson Alien. He scored an average of 4.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per game on January 1, 2022.
Career Highlights and Awards
- 2x Mountain West Tournament MVP (2019, 2020)
- Third-Team-All-Mountain West (2018)
- 2x First-Team All-Mountain West (2019, 2020)
- Mountain West Player of the Year (2019)
- AP Honorable Mention All-American (2019)
- NBA champion (2021)
Sam Merrill | Age, Height & Weight
Samuel Hoskins Merrill was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, on 15 May 1995. Sam celebrates his birthday every year with his close friend and family. Currently, he is 28 years old.
Being an athlete, Merrill stands tall at 6ft 4 in (approx 1.93 m).
Similarly, according to height, his body weighs around 89 kg (approx 197 lbs). However, he hasn’t shared anything about his diet plan and healthy lifestyle.
Net Worth and Salary
Sam Merrill earns an income of millions of dollars with his hard work and dedication.
Basketball is the main source of income for him. Merrill has a net worth of around $1 million to $5 million. He has a salary of $898 Thousand.
Relationship and Affairs
According to the reports, Sam Merrill is very loyal to his girlfriend, Kanyan Ward. He hasn’t been into any relationships before in his life. The couple got married in 2018.
However, they like to keep things private, away from the public and the lights. Consequently, the duo has been clicked in a single frame, only one; Kanyan holding Larry O’ Brien’s trophy.
Now the couple has started to share things with their fans. In addition, they have announced a baby girl coming in 2022.
Besides that, the couple is living a pretty happy and satisfied life.
Social Media Presence
The youngest player, Sam Merrill, likes to share his career update with his fans. He also has different social accounts like Instagram and Twitter.
On Instagram, Merrill has a follower count of over 16k. He has shared some photos of him playing basketball and his love life.
Moreover, Merrill has tweeted some photos regarding his international basketball career. He has followers of around 6k on Twitter.
FAQs about Sam Merrill
Has Sam Merrill ever been left out of the tournament during his career?
The youngest player Sam Merrill has contributed many points to his teammates and helped his team win some trophies during some tournaments.
However, he had to miss the biggest second NCAA Tournament due to the symptoms of COVID-19 and became too disappointed.
Was Sam Merrill ever interested in other sports except for basketball?
Sam Merrill has been very interested in different sports since his childhood. But he has decided to make a career playing basketball.
However, the official news is not available on the internet, but we can see some photos on Instagram of him sharing photos of playing football tournaments.
Was Sam Merrill a devotee of God?
Yes, Sam Merrill is a strong believer of God. Before the start of his first year at Utah State, he went to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Nicaragua.
Moreover, he has shared a link related to Jesus Christ named @churchofjesuschrist on his Insta bio.
