NBA doors are opening for HBCU standout Jakobi Heady after Bethune-Cookman announced that its star guard is getting a tryout with the Orlando Magic.
Heady will get a chance to work out in front of one of the NBA’s Florida franchises after a strong senior season in Daytona Beach. Bethune-Cookman men’s basketball shared the news through its Instagram account, giving the Wildcats another moment of visibility on the professional basketball radar.
The 6-foot-6 guard gave B-CU a go-to scorer during the 2025-26 season. He averaged 18.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting better than 52 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point range. ESPN also lists Heady as a senior guard for Bethune-Cookman with 18.2 points per game during the 2025-26 season.
Heady’s production came against a demanding schedule. BCU played Auburn, Miami, Dayton, Indiana, Missouri, Arizona and Oklahoma State before it entered SWAC play. He scored 22 points against South Carolina State, 23 against Saint Louis, 25 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 30 against Prairie View A&M and 26 against Alabama State.
From HBCU standout to NBA opportunity
The Orlando Magic tryout is another step in a winding college career for Heady. Before returning to Bethune-Cookman for his final season, he spent the 2024-25 season at Central Michigan, where he led the team with 466 points and 203 rebounds. He averaged 15.0 points and 6.5 rebounds while starting 26 of 31 games.
Heady was already familiar to Wildcat fans before that. During the 2023-24 season at Bethune-Cookman, he appeared in 34 games, started 33 and led the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game. He also added 4.4 rebounds per contest, shot 47.9 percent from the field and recorded 12 multi-steal games.
Heady began his college career at Wabash Valley College, where he averaged 10.4 points as a freshman and 18.8 points as a sophomore. The Chicago-area product attended Hillcrest High School and was named all-conference four times.
Now, after proving himself at the junior college level, the MAC and the HBCU stage, Heady has a shot to show the Magic what Bethune-Cookman already saw: a big guard with scoring touch, experience and professional upside.