As a senior at Station Camp High School, Jenkins was the nation's leading scorer for high schoolers, averaging 42.3 points per game, finishing second on the state's single-season list behind Ronnie Schmitz, who averaged 44.2 points at Ridgeway High School in 1988–89. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Jenkins was listed as the No. 6 shooting guard and the No. 15 player in the nation in 2008.
College career
One of the nation's top shooters, Jenkins shot 48.3% from three in his freshman season at Vanderbilt, 40.8% as a sophomore, and 43.9% from beyond-the-arc as a junior. As a sophomore, he led the Southeastern Conference in scoring and in 3-point field goals made per game and finished second in free throw percentage and was picked to the Fifth Team All-America by Fox Sports. As a junior, he averaged 19.9 points per game, leading the SEC for the second consecutive season. He also tied an SEC single-season record for threes made in a season with 134. He led the nation in three-pointers made per game and was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press. On April 9, 2012, Jenkins announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility at Vanderbilt to enter the 2012 NBA draft.
Jenkins was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 23rd overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. On July 10, 2012, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Hawks and joined them for the 2012 NBA Summer League. On December 1, 2012, he was assigned to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League. On December 5, 2012, he was recalled by the Hawks. In July 2013, Jenkins re-joined the Hawks for the 2013 NBA Summer League. On October 31, 2013, the Hawks exercised their third-year team option on Jenkins' rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2014–15 season. On December 6, 2013, he was reassigned to the Bakersfield Jam. On December 13, he was recalled by the Hawks. Shortly after being recalled, Jenkins was deactivated due to lower back pain. On February 3, 2014, the Hawks announced Jenkins underwent successful surgery on his back and subsequently missed the rest of the 2013–14 season. In July 2014, Jenkins re-joined the Hawks for the 2014 NBA Summer League. On October 30, 2014, the Hawks declined to exercise Jenkins' four-year team option and thus allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent in 2015. On November 28, 2014, he was assigned to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. On December 30, 2014, using the flexible assignment rule, the Hawks assigned Jenkins to the Idaho Stampede, the affiliate of the Utah Jazz. On January 20, 2015, he was recalled by the Hawks.
On July 24, 2015, Jenkins signed with the Dallas Mavericks. On October 29, in just his second game for the Mavericks, Jenkins recorded 17 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists as a starter in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. On February 22, 2016, he was waived by the Mavericks.
On February 24, 2016, Jenkins was claimed off waivers by the Phoenix Suns. The Suns inherited Jenkins' three-year contract with non-guaranteed years of $1.05 million for 2016–17 and $1.18 million for 2017–18. He made his debut for the Suns the following day, scoring two points in four minutes off the bench against the Brooklyn Nets. During his first season with the Suns, he averaged 5.0 points and a career-high 1.2 assists per game. On October 24, 2016, Jenkins was retained by the Suns for the 2016–17 season. On January 6, 2017, he was waived by the Suns after making four appearances in the 2016–17 season.
On February 3, 2017, Jenkins was acquired by the Westchester Knicks of the NBA Development League.
Return to Atlanta (2017)
On September 25, 2017, Jenkins signed with the Atlanta Hawks, returning to the franchise for a second stint. He was waived before the regular season by the Hawks on October 6, 2017.
On January 6, 2020, Jenkins was reported to have joined the Jiangsu Dragons.
Hapoel Eilat (2020–present)
On February 26, 2020, he has signed with Hapoel Eilat of the Israeli Premier League.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
Awards and honors
2× Tennessee Mr. Basketball
Third-team Parade All-American
Reebok All-American
Named to the SEC All-Freshman team and Sixth Man of the Year by the league's coaches in 2009–10
First-team All-SEC selection by the league's coaches and media in 2010–11 and in 2011–12
Associated Press third-team All-American in 2011–12
Personal life
He is the son of John Jenkins Jr. and Melodye Jenkins and has a sister, Adrianne. He majored in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Religious Studies. Jenkins and his wife have a daughter.
