Timothy Neocartes "T. J." Shorts II[1] (born October 15, 1997) is an American-born naturalized Macedonian basketball player for Paris Basketball of the LNB Pro A. Standing at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m), Shorts plays as point guard.
Shorts played college basketball for UC Davis where he was named the Big West Player of the Year. He started his professional career in Europe in 2019 with Ventspils and went on to play several one-year stints for different clubs. Shorts gained praise at the continent, winning the MVP award for the Basketball Champions League in 2023, and for the EuroCup in 2024.
Born in Irvine, California, Shorts became a Macedonian citizen and made his debut for the North Macedonia national team in 2022.
Shorts starred for Tustin High School but received no Division I scholarship offers, so he opted to go the junior college route. He played two seasons at Saddleback College and averaged 20 points per game as a sophomore before transferring to UC Davis.[3] On February 6, 2018, Shorts had 31 points, seven assists and four steals in a double overtime victory against Long Beach State after leading scorer Chima Moneke was suspended.[4] In a game against victory at Cal Poly on February 15, he recorded a triple double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. As a junior, Shorts averaged 15.2 points, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He shot .538 field goal percentage, ranking fifth in the Big West. At the conclusion of the regular season he was named Big West Player of the year and Newcomer of the year, the first player in conference history to receive both honors in the same season.[5]
Bonn won their first-ever trophy as they defeated Hapoel Jerusalem in the final, behind Shorts' game-high 29 points. After the game, he was named Final Four MVP, his third MVP award of the season.[14] Bonn guard T. J. Shorts won the Final Four MVP award, becoming the first player in league history to win both the season MVP and Final Four MVP award in the same season. He scored 50 points in his two games, setting a new record for most points by a player, formerly held by Kevin Punter (2018).[15] Shorts also set a record for most points in a final with 29 points.[16]
On July 8, 2023, he signed with Paris Basketball of the LNB Pro A (BBL) on a two-year contract.[17] He was recruited by his Bonn head coach Tuomas Iisalo who had already signed with Paris.[18]
On February 17, 2024, the team won the Leaders Cup, which was the first trophy in Paris Basketball's club history. In the final against Monaco, Shorts recorded 23 points and 5 assists in a 98–93 upset victory; he was subsequently named the tournament's MVP.[19][20]
In the 2023–24 EuroCup, Paris had its best international season to date and reached the club's first European title. On April 9, 2024, Shorts was named EuroCup MVP as he was praised for leading Paris to a 20–1 record and having set a league-record for most assists in a season.[21]
On May 12, 2024, Shorts won the MVP Award of the LNB Pro A; the French league became the fourth league he was named the best player of. He also finished the season as the league's scoring champion.[22]
Growing up, Shorts was a fan of Chris Paul and he modeled his game after Tyrese Rice.[24] He wears number 0 as this refers to the zero scholarship offers he received after leaving high school, and again after leaving junior college.[2]
