Jason Kapono

Jason Kapono
Jason Kapono
Born	February 2, 1981 (age 45); Long Beach, California, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player (retired)
Years active	2003–2014
Known for	First NBA player to lead in three-point field goal percentage for two consecutive seasons; two-time NBA Three-Point Contest winner; 2006 NBA champion with Miami Heat

Jason Alan Kapono (born February 2, 1981) is a retired American professional basketball athlete. He made history as the first player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) to top the league in three-point field goal percentage for two straight seasons and claimed victory in the Three-Point Contest twice, in 2007 and 2008. Kapono earned an NBA championship ring with the Miami Heat during their 2006 title run.

During his collegiate career, Kapono represented the UCLA Bruins, where he became the program’s inaugural four-time first-team All-Pac-10 honoree and led UCLA in scoring every year he played. Chosen in the second round of the 2003 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, his professional journey also included stints with the Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers before concluding overseas with Greek squad Panathinaikos B.C..

Early life

Born in Long Beach, California to Joe and Joni Kapono, Jason attended Artesia High School in Lakewood, California, a renowned basketball program in Southern California. There, he earned recognition as a McDonald's All-American and received numerous honors. In his final high school season, Kapono averaged 23.5 points along with 9.0 rebounds per contest.

He proceeded to have a distinguished tenure at UCLA, finishing as the third-highest scorer in school history with a total of 2,095 points. Kapono was unprecedented as the first Bruin to secure first-team All-Pac-10 accolades for four consecutive years and uniquely led UCLA’s scoring charts throughout that span. In 2003, he set a school record by sinking nine three-pointers in a single game against Washington State. Earning his degree in history, Kapono entered the NBA after being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2003 draft.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2003–2004)

In his rookie NBA campaign, Kapono appeared in 41 games and started three, leading Cleveland with an impressive 47.7% accuracy from beyond the arc while averaging 3.5 points per game. Additionally, he maintained an 83% success rate from free throws. The Cavaliers concluded the season at 37–45 and did not qualify for postseason play.

Charlotte Bobcats (2004–2005)

The expansion Charlotte Bobcats acquired Kapono during the 2004 expansion draft, where he elevated his scoring average to 8.5 points per game and contributed more assists and rebounds despite a minor dip in shooting efficiency. The fledgling Bobcats team finished their inaugural campaign with an 18–64 record. Following this season, Kapono became a free agent as Charlotte opted not to renew his contract.

Miami Heat (2005–2007)

Kapono signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat, joining their roster for the 2005–06 championship-winning season. His playing time decreased, resulting in an average of 4.1 points across 51 games; nevertheless, he secured his first NBA championship ring. The subsequent season saw an increase in both minutes and scoring output for Kapono; he led all players league-wide with a .514 three-point shooting percentage—ranking fourth all-time for a single season—and won the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend Three-Point Contest, matching the record for points scored in the final round. Despite his individual achievements, Miami posted a 44–38 record and were eliminated in a first-round sweep during the playoffs.

Toronto Raptors (2007–2009)

In July 2007, Kapono joined the Toronto Raptors. Although his overall performance metrics were lower compared to his peak with Miami, he continued to excel in three-point shooting, once again leading the league and equaling the record by scoring 25 points in the final round of the 2008 Three-Point Contest. On December 14, 2007, he achieved a personal best by scoring 29 points along with eight rebounds. Kapono made history as the first NBA player to top the league in three-point shooting percentage for two seasons running. His contributions helped the Raptors secure a 41–41 record and a playoff berth in 2008, where they were eliminated in five games by the Orlando Magic. That summer, he was chosen for the USA Basketball Select Team to aid in Olympic preparations for 2008. The following year, however, Toronto missed postseason play with a 33–49 finish.

Philadelphia 76ers (2009–2011)

Kapono was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers on June 9, 2009, in exchange for Reggie Evans. Throughout his tenure, he experienced several role adjustments—starting the 2009–2010 season mainly as a bench player with limited minutes before briefly becoming the starting small forward late in that season. Early in the next campaign, he lost his starting position and returned to a reserve role. The Sixers ended the 2009–2010 season with a 27–55 record. They made it to the playoffs in 2011 but were defeated by Kapono’s former team, the Miami Heat, in a series ending 1–4. During that season, Kapono averaged only 0.7 points per game and did not participate in any playoff games. Following that season, his contract expired and he entered free agency.

Los Angeles Lakers (2011–2012)

Kapono signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on December 9, 2011. He appeared in just 27 games during his time with the team. His final NBA appearance occurred on March 14, 2012, in a victory over the New Orleans Hornets (107–101), where he played four minutes and recorded one assist.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2012)

On March 15, 2012, Kapono was traded alongside Luke Walton and a first-round draft pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga. He did not see any playing time with Cleveland and was waived two days later.

Panathinaikos (2012–2013)

Kapono signed with Greek Euroleague club Panathinaikos on November 15, 2012; however, his debut was postponed until December due to personal matters. He contributed to Panathinaikos’ success in capturing the Greek Cup in 2013 but departed from the team in March because of limited playing opportunities.

Retirement

Kapono reportedly retired from professional basketball in May 2014. Nevertheless, on October 4, 2014, he signed with the Golden State Warriors. After participating in five preseason games, he was waived by Golden State on October 24, 2014, marking his final departure from NBA competition.

NBA record

At one point, Kapono held the distinction of being the most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history. On November 25, 2007, upon making his 250th three-pointer, he achieved a shooting percentage of .461—surpassing Steve Kerr’s prior record of .454. Since then, other players including Kerr have surpassed this mark.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 41 || 3 || 10.4 || .403 || .477 || .833 || 1.3 || .3 || .3 || .0 || 3.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte | 81 || 14 || 18.4 || .401 || .412 || .824 || 2.0 || .8 || .5 || .1 || 8.5 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| † | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 51 || 2 || 13.0 || .446 || .396 || .848 || 1.4 || .7 || .1 || .1 || 4.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 67 || 35 || 26.4 || .494 ||style="background:#cfecec;"| .514* || .892 || 2.7 || 1.2 || .6 || .0 || 10.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Toronto | 81 || 7 || 18.9 || .488 ||style="background:#cfecec;"| .483* || .860 || 1.5 || .8 || .4 || .0 || 7.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Toronto | 80 || 12 || 22.9 || .432 || .428 || .810 || 2.0 || 1.3 || .3 || .0 || 8.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 57 || 12 || 17.1 || .419 || .368 || .600 || 1.2 || .7|| .4|| .1||5.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;" | Philadelphia |24||2||4.7||.250||.125||.500||0.5||0.2||0.1||0||0.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|

| style="text-align:left;" | L.A. Lakers
|27||0||10||.382||.296||1||0.5||0.4||0.1||0||2

|- class="sortbottom"

|style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 | Career
|509||87||17.8||.442||.434||.835||1.7||0.8||0.4||0||6.7

Playoff Performance

|- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| 2006† | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 1 || 0 || 2.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 4 || 1 || 19.3 || .471 || .500 || 1.000 || 1.3 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 0.0 || 5.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008 | style="text-align:left;"| Toronto | 5 || 0 || 30.4 || .585 || .542 || .750 || 2.6 || 0.8 || 0.4 || 0.0 || 15.6 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Overall | 10 || 1 || 23.1 || .557 || .536 || .833 || 1.8 || 0.6 || 0.4 || 0.0 || 9.8

EuroLeague Statistics

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2012–13 | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=1| Panathinaikos | 8 || 0 || 15.3 || .333 || .462 || .917 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 7.4 || 4.4 |- class="sortbottom" | align="center" colspan="2"| Career Totals | 8 || 0 || 15.3 || .333 || .462 || .917 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 7.4 || 4.4

Personal Background

Kapono descends from Hawaiian and Portuguese heritage. He wed Ashley Kapono (née Cline) on August 28, 2004, and together they have four children. Sports run in his family: his father-in-law, Tony Cline, competed in football at the University of Miami and later in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders, while his brother-in-law, Tony Cline Jr., played football at Stanford University and professionally for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers.

External links