There are currently 19 players in the NBA (including players on NBA contracts) named some variation of Jalen — usually counted as Jalen, Jaylen, Jaylin, or Jaylon.

Quick Scoop

  • The name “Jalen” (including spellings like Jaylen/Jaylin/Jaylon) has become the single most common first name in the league in recent seasons.
  • For the 2024–25 season, league tracking and media pieces consistently note 17–19 players with that name on NBA contracts, depending on whether you count camp deals and two‑ways.
  • Roughly 3% of all NBA players now share that name, which is wild for a single spelling cluster.

Why this is a thing

Many writers and fans trace the “Jalen boom” back to Jalen Rose in the 1990s, whose unique name inspired a wave of Jalens born in the mid‑ to late‑90s that are now NBA age. Those birth‑year spikes are exactly the cohort in the league today, which is why it suddenly feels like every other young guard is a Jalen.

In fan forums, people joke that you can’t watch a random regular‑season game without at least one Jalen on the floor, and often two — especially on teams like OKC, Orlando, or Brooklyn that have multiple Jalens on the roster.

Bottom line: If you’re asking “how many Jalens are in the NBA” right now, the best up‑to‑date public counts put it at 19 players when you include all common spellings.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.