Jumaine Jones
Jumaine Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 10, 1979 Cocoa, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player (retired) |
| Years active | 1999–2014 |
| Known for | NBA career from 1999 to 2007; played small forward and power forward |
Jumaine Lanard Jones (born February 10, 1979) is a retired American professional basketball player. His NBA career spanned from 1999 to 2007 after being drafted out of the University of Georgia. Throughout his tenure, he mainly occupied the roles of small forward and power forward.
Amateur career
Nicknamed the "Thrilla From Camilla," Jones hails from Cocoa, Florida but relocated to South Georgia during his freshman year of high school, where he competed in basketball at Camilla, Georgia. In his senior year, he secured 2nd Team Parade All-American honors in 1997, boasting averages of 32.8 points, 13.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.6 blocks per contest. At the University of Georgia, Jones delivered two impressive seasons; he shared the Freshman of the Year accolade in 1997–98 while leading his team with 14.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, he topped the SEC scoring charts with 18.8 points and added 9.5 rebounds per game, becoming the first sophomore at UGA since Dominique Wilkins in 1981 to surpass 1,000 career points. Additionally, he represented the United States at the 1998 Goodwill Games, starting all five matches alongside future NBA stars Elton Brand, Wally Szczerbiak, and Andre Miller.
NBA
Jones entered the 1999 NBA draft and was picked 27th overall by the Atlanta Hawks, who promptly traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers. He spent two seasons with Philadelphia. Notably, on December 30, 1999, he scored the last basket of the decade, marking a distinctive NBA moment. During the 2001 Eastern Conference championship run, Jones became a starter throughout the playoffs following George Lynch’s injury, including participation in the 2001 NBA Finals, where the Sixers were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. His most remarkable playoff contribution occurred in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Toronto, where he scored 16 points on efficient shooting.
Following his stint with Philadelphia, Jones played two seasons for the Cleveland Cavaliers before being traded to the Boston Celtics. His time in Boston was curtailed by an early-season injury. In 2004, after a renegotiated deal involving Gary Payton, Jones was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. On October 26, 2005, he was moved to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for a future second-round draft pick. He later signed a one-year contract with the Phoenix Suns on August 31, 2006. On October 1, 2007, Jones joined the New Jersey Nets as an unrestricted free agent but was released later that same month.
International
On October 24, 2007, Jones inked a one-year deal with Basket Napoli, where he averaged 17.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. He then signed with PBC Ural Great Perm' of Russia’s Basketball Super League on July 21, 2008, posting averages of 7.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per contest. In July 2009, he committed to Juvecaserta Basket, followed by a move to Victoria Libertas Pesaro in July 2011.
In 2012, Jones transitioned to Israel’s Bnei Herzliya, then played for Puerto Rico’s Mets de Guaynabo in 2013. He also had a brief tenure with Lebanese club Sagesse Club Beirut. Later that year in September, he signed a one-year contract with Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia. Continuing his international journey, on December 3, 2014, Jones joined Mexico’s Titánicos de León.
Domestic leagues
| Season | Club | Competition | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Eldo Basket Napoli | Lega A | 26 | 35.9 | .486 | .435 | .744 | 8.5 | 1.1 | 2.0 | .7 | 17.9 |
| 2008–09 | Sagesse Beirut | FLB League | statistics unavailable | |||||||||
| PBC Ural Great Perm | SuperLeague A | 15 | 27.9 | .456 | .316 | .667 | 5.3 | 1.5 | 1.2 | .1 | 7.6 | |
| 2009 | Mets de Guaynabo | BSN | 8 | 32.1 | .492 | .265 | .808 | 9.3 | 3.0 | 1.1 | .1 | 14.0 |
| 2009–10 | Pepsi Caserta | Lega A | 38 | 33.1 | .488 | .417 | .736 | 8.4 | 1.2 | 2.1 | .7 | 13.4 |
| 2010–11 | 30 | 34.4 | .549 | .312 | .796 | 8.6 | 1.5 | 2.2 | .7 | 13.6 | ||
| 2011–12 | Scavolini Pesaro | Lega A | 41 | 32.2 | .476 | .361 | .820 | 7.0 | 1.6 | 1.3 | .4 | 11.6 |
| 2012–13 | Bnei Herzliya | Ligat HaAl | 27 | 34.6 | .444 | .312 | .787 | 10.0 | 3.3 | 1.9 | .4 | 12.9 |
| 2013 | Mets de Guaynabo | BSN | 7 | 13.4 | .636 | .286 | 1.000 | 4.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 3.4 |
| 2013–14 | BC Levski Sofia | Bulgaria NBL | 35 | 28.7 | .660 | .391 | .771 | 9.6 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 12.9 |
| Balkan League | 19 | 31.7 | .566 | .397 | .778 | 9.6 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 12 | ||
| 2014–15 | Titánicos de León | Mexico LNPB | 22 | 33.4 | .604 | 0.224 | 0.783 | 12.8 | 3.1 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 12.9 |