As the crowd swelled around him, the senior guard known for his reserved demeanor and quiet intensity let his emotions rise to the surface. 

Akins wiped away tears as he kissed the Spartan logo at center court, surrounded by his teammates, coaches and fans celebrating a 79-62 rivalry MSU win over Michigan on Senior Day to punctuate a championship season.

For once in his career, Akins wasn’t chasing or pushing through something. He was exactly where he wanted to be.

“I wanted to be able to win something,” Akins said after the Spartans beat Michigan, their seventh straight win. “And I feel like winning the (Big Ten) championship — we’re trying to do more — but I’m definitely going to enjoy this.” 

Akins arrived at MSU from Farmington Hills, Mich., as an athletic point guard, ranked No. 54 nationally in the Class of 2021 by 247Sports. As a sophomore, he became one of the Big Ten’s premier shooters, hitting 42% from three while carving out a key role alongside Tyson Walker and AJ Hoggard. But when those two returned for another season, Akins, expecting a bigger role, stayed at MSU anyway after testing the NBA Draft waters.

The leap from complementary piece to centerpiece wasn’t seamless. Defenses keyed in, and his three-point percentage dipped to 36% as a junior. Shouldering a heavier load as a senior, Akins led MSU with 12.9 points per game in the regular season but finished at just 29% from beyond the arc — a number that improved to 33% in Big Ten play, but still far from his standards. 

At times, Akins looked like he was forcing a role that wasn’t his. Yet, he remained Izzo’s standard for work ethic and dedication. His biggest impact wasn’t scoring — it was something bigger.

That role naturally shifted toward freshman Jase Richardson, whose late-season surge — capped by three straight Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors — alleviated some of Akins’ burden. The senior had spent two seasons preparing for that moment. When it didn’t come, he adapted. 

MSU’s hardest worker became its most adaptable. Akins anchored a defense that delivered MSU its emphatic finish to the regular season, routinely guarding the opponent’s best perimeter scorer, earning him a spot on the Big Ten's All-Defensive Team.

Akins adapts to what the Spartans need on a given night, and somewhere along the way, accepted that he doesn’t need to be the guy, just part of the group that got the Spartans back to where, in their minds, they always belonged. 

“This is what I was dreaming for,” Akins said the day after MSU won the Big Ten outright. “I’m happy that we were able to get the program back where it needed to be and we’re trying to get more.”

That dream began long before he ever wore green and white.

In his middle school yearbook, beneath a photo of him holding paper cutouts of a basketball and Spartan head, the caption reads: “Jaden Akins wants to be a Basketball Player for MSU.”

In the early days of Akins’ MSU career, his father echoed Bo Schembechler’s famous words to Izzo: “Those who stay, will be champions.” 

Years later, Akins bent down at center court, a champion. 

In today’s era of college basketball, where roster overhauls and transfer portal departures have become the norm, Akins stayed at MSU, enduring expectations, a changing role and an uncertain path. 

“Jaden, even though he probably doesn’t feel that way now and he probably won’t feel that way until the season is over, he is one of my favorites,” Izzo said after Senior Day ceremonies. “Because in this day and age, anybody can leave. He hung in there. He fought through it, and he’s going to have one ring on his hand, for sure. And we’ll see what happens from there on out.”

For two seasons, Izzo has called Akins the team’s hardest worker — on the court and in the classroom. He’s been the standard. The leader. The one his teammates look to when adversity hits. That presence was unmistakable as the Spartans stormed through the final stretch of their schedule. 

He is, as freshman point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. said on Feb. 28, MSU’s “level-headed captain that’s been through it all.”

“He’s seen the highs. He’s seen the lows. He’s just really understanding — what’s going on, how things might change,” Fears said. “Just expecting and prepping us for the goods and the bads … He knows when coach (Izzo) might be a little more on you, but also, when to do and what to say and how to handle things. So, he helps us a lot.”

One of those highs came in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, when a sophomore Akins delivered one of his best performances on the biggest stage. In MSU’s Sweet 16 overtime loss to Kansas State, he poured in 16 points on 4-for-5 shooting from deep and held his own after switching onto Markquis Nowell, who finished with an NCAA Tournament record 19 assists.

That remains the furthest Akins has been in March Madness. But as MSU’s only four-year player, the experience forged him into a leader for a team that had to grow into itself. 

“He’s our guy, and he’s been through the most,” junior forward Jaxon Kohler said on Feb. 28. “And he’s found his way on how to deal with games, how to deal with coaches, how to deal with teammates. He’s been through all that. Him being that guy and also supporting the underclassmen … we want to make sure that we make it easier for him. He’s been such a great leader and a great teammate.”

It’s win-or-go-home season. Akins’ time in an MSU uniform is winding down, but his legacy is set in stone.

He stayed. And because of him, MSU is back to its championship standard.