The Miami Heat announced Tuesday that former Tennessee standout Jarnell Stokes has returned to the franchise and signed a contract.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. This is Stokes’ second stint with the Heat, as he was a member of the organization during a portion of the 2015-16 season. Toward the end of that 2015-16 campaign, Stokes helped propel the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, to the 2016 G League Championship and was named the G League MVP for both the regular season as well as the Finals.
One of the most prolific rebounders in Tennessee basketball history, Stokes earned All-SEC honors while helping lead the Volunteers to the 2004 Sweet Sixteen as a junior. Following that season, he was selected by the Utah Jazz in the second round of the NBA Draft (35th overall) and immediately sent to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a draft-day trade.
A Memphis native, Stokes has appeared in 28 career NBA games with the Grizzlies, Heat and Denver Nuggets.
He spent last season with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association, averaging 25.0 points and 13.9 rebounds in 33.5 minutes per game.
In Miami, Stokes is reunited with Tennessee teammate Josh Richardson. Richardson has spent his entire three-year NBA career in Miami and started all 81 games in which he appeared last year.
