Antawn Cortez Jamison (/ˈæntwɑːn ˈmɪsən/ ANT-wahn JAY-mih-sən; born June 12, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[1][2] He serves as director of pro personnel for the Washington Wizards. Jamison played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels, being named national player of the year in 1998.

Antawn Jamison
Jamison in 2019
Washington Wizards
PositionDirector of pro personnel
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1976-06-12) June 12, 1976 (age 48)
Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High schoolProvidence
(Charlotte, North Carolina)
CollegeNorth Carolina (1995–1998)
NBA draft1998: 1st round, 4th overall pick
Selected by the Toronto Raptors
Playing career1998–2014
PositionPower forward / Small forward
Number7, 33, 4
Career history
19982003Golden State Warriors
2003–2004Dallas Mavericks
20042010Washington Wizards
20102012Cleveland Cavaliers
2012–2013Los Angeles Lakers
2013–2014Los Angeles Clippers
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points20,042 (18.5 ppg)
Rebounds8,157 (7.5 rpg)
Assists1,761 (1.6 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Japan Team

He was selected by the Toronto Raptors as the fourth overall pick of the 1998 NBA draft before being traded to the Golden State Warriors for former Tar Heel teammate Vince Carter.[3] Named to the NBA All-Rookie Team with the Warriors, Jamison was a two-time All-Star and won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2004. He was a member of the United States national team in 2006. Upon his retirement from the NBA, he worked as an analyst for Time Warner Cable SportsNet and as a scout for the Los Angeles Lakers before being hired by the Washington Wizards as their director of pro personnel in 2019.

Early life

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Jamison was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. His parents named him "Antwan", but the hospital misspelled it "Antawn" on his birth certificate.[4] The error was never corrected, but the pronunciation (as "Antoine") did not change.[5] Jamison played basketball and football (as a quarterback) at Quail Hollow Middle School in Charlotte, North Carolina.[6] He went on to play high school basketball at Charlotte's Providence High School, where he was named a McDonald's All-American after his senior season,[7] during which he averaged 27 points, 13 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game.[8]

College career

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Jamison played three seasons of college basketball for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, averaging 19.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.[9] In his junior year, he was awarded both the Naismith and Wooden Awards as the most outstanding men's college basketball player for the 1997–98 season. Jamison decided to forgo his senior year of eligibility and enter the NBA draft in 1998. He subsequently returned and earned a B.A. in Afro-American and African studies, graduating in August 1999.[10]

On March 1, 2000, Jamison's #33 was retired at the Dean E. Smith Center, the seventh Tar Heel so honored.

Professional career

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Golden State Warriors (1998–2003)

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Jamison was selected with the fourth pick of the 1998 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors, who then dealt his rights to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for former North Carolina teammate and best friend Vince Carter. Jamison spent the first five years of his NBA career with the Warriors. He scored a career-high 51 points on two occasions, back-to-back against Seattle and the Lakers (the Warriors won that game). He averaged a career-high 24.9 points per game in 2000–01, his third season in the league.

Dallas Mavericks (2003–2004)

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In 2003, Jamison was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in a nine-player deal that sent him, forwards Danny Fortson and Chris Mills, and guard Jiří Welsch to the Mavs and guard Nick Van Exel, center Evan Eschmeyer, guard Avery Johnson, and forwards Popeye Jones and Antoine Rigaudeau to the Warriors. With Dallas, Jamison experienced his first winning season in 2003–04 as the Mavericks finished 52–30 and made the playoffs, which also marked the first time in his career that Jamison had experienced post-season play. Jamison was named as the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year for his efforts. The Mavericks suffered a setback in the first round, falling in five games to the Sacramento Kings.

Washington Wizards (2004–2010)

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Antawn Jamison with the Wizards in 2007.

At season's end Jamison was traded again, this time to the Wizards, in exchange for former Tar Heel Jerry Stackhouse, Christian Laettner, and a first-round draft pick (which turned out to be University of Wisconsin–Madison point guard, Devin Harris). The trade reunited Jamison with former Golden State teammates Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes.

In the 2004–05 season with the Wizards, he was named to the NBA All-Star team for the first time in his career and the Wizards enjoyed a solid 45–37 win–loss season, their finest effort in 26 years. They also made the playoffs for the first time since 1997 and advanced to the second round for the first time since 1982. In 2006, Jamison played for the US national team in the 2006 FIBA World Championship, winning a bronze medal.[11]

Jamison led the Wizards against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 2007 playoffs. Jamison averaged 32 points and 10 rebounds per game during the series.

During the 2007–08 season, Jamison was named to his second NBA Eastern All-Star team. On June 30, 2008, Jamison signed a four-year, $50 million contract with the Wizards.[12]

Cleveland Cavaliers (2010–2012)

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Jamison with the Cavaliers in 2010.

On February 17, 2010, Jamison was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a three-team, six-player trade that sent Al Thornton from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Washington Wizards, Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, a 2010 first-round pick and the rights to Emir Preldžič from Cleveland to Washington, Drew Gooden from Washington to Los Angeles and Sebastian Telfair from Los Angeles to Cleveland. In his first game with the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Charlotte Bobcats, Jamison scored only two points from two free throws as he went 0 for 12 from the field.[13] In his second game with the Cavaliers, Jamison scored 19 points against the Orlando Magic. The Cleveland Cavaliers made the NBA playoffs as the team with the best record. The Cavaliers defeated Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls in five games, but fell to the Boston Celtics in 6 games. Weeks after the series, Jamison's teammate LeBron James left the Cavaliers, to join the Miami Heat alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

The Cavaliers had very little success in the 2010–11 NBA season, setting an NBA record 26-game losing streak (breaking a mark set by the franchise in 1983). That streak was finally snapped with a 126–119 overtime win against the Los Angeles Clippers. In January 2011, Jamison said that he was considering retirement, and that his 2011–12 season could be his last.[14] On February 27, in a loss to the 76ers, Jamison was fouled and broke his left pinky. He underwent a surgery, and would be out the rest of the season.[15] He finished his 14th NBA season in 2011–12 with averages of 17.2 points and 6.3 rebounds.[16]

Los Angeles Lakers (2012–2013)

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Jamison playing for the Lakers, 2013

On July 25, 2012, Jamison signed with the Los Angeles Lakers for the NBA veteran's minimum.[17] On November 30 against the Denver Nuggets, he scored a season-high 33 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, becoming the first Laker since Shaquille O'Neal in 1998 to record a 30/10 game as a reserve.[18] However, coach Mike D'Antoni did not play him for multiple games, partially due to Jamison's inconsistent shooting and subpar defense.[19] On January 4, 2013, he played against the Los Angeles Clippers for the first time after six games on the bench.[20] On January 6, he entered in the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets and hit a jumper for his first points since December 13.[21] He played four minutes before being benched the rest of the game.[22] Jamison again became a part of the Lakers' regular rotation after forward Pau Gasol was out with a foot injury. After the early communication issues with D'Antoni, their relationship improved significantly.[23]

Los Angeles Clippers (2013–2014)

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On August 28, 2013, Jamison signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.[24] On December 11, 2013, in the second quarter against the Boston Celtics, Jamison scored a 3-pointer which took his career points tally past the 20,000 mark, becoming just the 39th player in NBA history to achieve this.[25]

On February 20, 2014, Jamison was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for the draft rights to Cenk Akyol.[26] He was waived by the Hawks the next day.[27]

Retirement and legacy

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Jamison retired from the NBA in 2014.[28]

Of all former NBA players that are (or have been) eligible for election to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Jamison is one of only two players (along with Tom Chambers) to have scored 20,000 or more career points without being elected to the Hall.[29]

Post-playing career

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In October 2014, Jamison retired from professional basketball and became a broadcaster for Time Warner Cable SportsNet as a TV analyst for the Los Angeles Lakers.[30]

On October 3, 2017, Jamison was hired in a scouting role by the Los Angeles Lakers.[31] In August 2019, he was hired by the Wizards to become their director of pro personnel.[32]

Philanthropy

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Jamison awarded his first Antawn C. Jamison Scholarship at his high school alma mater in 2003.[33] Jamison has also launched a campaign which he calls "A Better Tomorrow" which he hopes to use to provide the underprivileged with a chance at a better future. He says of the project: "As a professional athlete, I have an obligation to help those less fortunate. I really enjoy being in a position to aid my community – both in the Bay Area and back home in Charlotte – and put a smile on somebody's face. That is what it is all about. I think it is especially important to give back during the holidays, when people tend to feel a little down if things are not going too well."[34]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 *  Led the league

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1995–96 North Carolina 32 29 32.9 .624 .000 .596 9.7 1.0 .8 1.0 15.1
1996–97 North Carolina 35 * 34.3 .544 .182 .621 9.4 0.9 1.1 .6 19.1
1997–98 North Carolina[35] 37 * 33.2 .579 .400 .667 10.5 0.8 0.8 0.8 22.2
Career 104 * 33.5 .577 .296 .617 9.9 0.9 0.9 .8 19.0

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1998–99 Golden State 47 24 22.5 .452 .300 .588 6.4 .7 .8 .3 9.6
1999–2000 Golden State 43 41 36.2 .471 .286 .611 8.3 2.1 .7 .3 19.6
2000–01 Golden State 82 82* 41.4 .442 .302 .715 8.7 2.0 1.4 .3 24.9
2001–02 Golden State 82 82 37.0 .447 .324 .734 6.8 2.0 .9 .5 19.7
2002–03 Golden State 82 82* 39.3 .470 .311 .789 7.0 1.9 .9 .5 22.2
2003–04 Dallas 82 2 29.0 .535 .400 .748 6.3 .9 1.0 .4 14.8
2004–05 Washington 68 68 38.3 .437 .341 .760 7.6 2.3 .8 .2 19.6
2005–06 Washington 82* 80 40.1 .442 .394 .731 9.3 1.9 1.1 .1 20.5
2006–07 Washington 70 70 38.0 .450 .364 .736 8.0 1.9 1.1 .5 19.8
2007–08 Washington 79 79 38.7 .436 .339 .760 10.2 1.5 1.3 .4 21.4
2008–09 Washington 81 81 38.2 .468 .351 .754 8.9 1.9 1.2 .3 22.2
2009–10 Washington 41 41 38.9 .420 .345 .700 8.8 1.3 1.0 .2 20.5
2009–10 Cleveland 25 23 32.4 .485 .342 .506 7.7 1.3 1.1 .5 15.8
2010–11 Cleveland 56 38 32.9 .427 .346 .731 6.7 1.7 .9 .5 18.0
2011–12 Cleveland 65 65 33.1 .403 .341 .683 6.3 2.0 .8 .7 17.2
2012–13 L.A. Lakers 76 6 21.5 .464 .361 .691 4.8 .7 .4 .3 9.4
2013–14 L.A. Clippers 22 0 11.3 .315 .195 .720 2.5 .4 .3 .1 3.8
Career 1083 864 34.8 .451 .346 .724 7.5 1.6 1.0 .4 18.5
All-Star 2 0 12.5 .375 .333 .000 2.5 .5 .0 .5 3.5

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2004 Dallas 5 0 21.8 .456 .250 .733 5.0 .4 1.0 .4 13.0
2005 Washington 10 10 38.0 .451 .500 .688 6.3 1.2 .7 .4 18.5
2006 Washington 6 6 42.2 .424 .313 .778 7.2 3.0 1.0 .3 19.2
2007 Washington 4 4 43.3 .476 .346 .750 9.8 1.3 .5 1.0 32.0
2008 Washington 6 6 39.5 .406 .280 .571 12.0 1.0 1.3 1.3 16.8
2010 Cleveland 11 11 34.1 .467 .256 .732 7.4 1.3 .6 1.0 15.3
2013 L.A. Lakers 4 0 19.8 .435 .417 .667 1.8 .3 .3 .5 7.3
Career 46 37 34.9 .448 .341 .706 7.2 1.3 .8 .7 17.2

Career highs

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  • Points: 51 (2 times)
  • Rebounds: 23 vs. New York 01/30/10
  • Assists: 7 (7 times)
  • Steals: 6 (5 times)
  • Blocks: 5 vs. Miami 12/15/06

References

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  1. ^ "Antawn Jamison Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  2. ^ Moore, Kevin (May 12, 2020). "What Happened to 2-Time NBA All-Star Antawn Jamison?". Sportscasting | Pure Sports. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  3. ^ Buckner, Candace. "With role in Wizards' front office, Antawn Jamison reinvents himself once again". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  4. ^ Joseph, Bob (January 3, 2007). "Tar Heel Pros News & Notes". Inside Carolina. Scout.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  5. ^ Heyman, Bob (June 2, 2005). "Why Search Is the Antawn Jamison of Marketing". MediaPost. Archived from the original on February 16, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  6. ^ "About Antawn". AntawnJamison.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  7. ^ "Charlotte Royals Hall of Fame". Charlotte Royals. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  8. ^ "HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-USA HONORABLE MENTIONS". USA Today. April 21, 1995. p. 11C.
  9. ^ "Antawn Jamison College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  10. ^ They got game, but do NCAA players graduate?
  11. ^ "2006 USA Basketball". Archived from the original on August 27, 2007.
  12. ^ "Antawn Stays Put". June 30, 2008.
  13. ^ "Wizards Acquire Ilgauskas, Thornton and First-Round Pick In Three-Team Deal". NBA.com. February 17, 2010. Archived from the original on February 19, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
  14. ^ Tomasson, Chris "Antawn Jamison Says Next Season Could Be His Last" Archived January 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, FanHouse, January 16, 2011, accessed January 18, 2011.
  15. ^ "Cavs' Jamison has season-ending surgery on finger". NBA.com News. March 1, 2011. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  16. ^ McMenamin, Dave (July 13, 2012). "Source: Lakers target big men". ESPN. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012.
  17. ^ "Lakers Sign Antawn Jamison". Los Angeles Lakers.
  18. ^ "Antawn Jamison Stats, News, Videos, Highlights, Pictures, Bio". ESPN. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012.
  19. ^ Medina, Mark (December 30, 2012). "LAKERS NOTEBOOK: Jamison apologizes for comments about reduced minutes". Daily News. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  20. ^ McMenamin, Dave (January 4, 2013). "Rapid Reaction: Clippers 107, Lakers 102". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 7, 2013.
  21. ^ McMenamin, Dave (January 6, 2013). "Rapid Reaction: Nuggets 112, Lakers 105". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 9, 2013.
  22. ^ Bolch, Ben (January 6, 2013). "Lakers, and Coach Mike D'Antoni, are flunking chemistry". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 7, 2013.
  23. ^ Pincus, Eric (March 1, 2013). "Antawn Jamison says he and D'Antoni have improved relationship". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 2, 2013.
  24. ^ "CLIPPERS SIGN FORWARD ANTAWN JAMISON". Los Angeles Clippers.
  25. ^ Leibowitz, Ben. "Antawn Jamison Scores 20,000th Point, Joins All-Hall-of-Fame Club". Bleacher Report.
  26. ^ "Hawks Acquire Antawn Jamison From Los Angeles Clippers". Atlanta Hawks.
  27. ^ HAWKS REQUEST WAIVERS ON ANTAWN JAMISON
  28. ^ Villas, Rexwell (July 22, 2017). "Antawn Jamison Speaks Out On How Crazy He Thinks Vince Carter Is". ClutchPoints.
  29. ^ Rohrbach, Ben (January 17, 2020). "The 10 active NBA players who are Hall of Fame locks and everyone on the bubble". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  30. ^ Herbert, James (October 7, 2014). "Antawn Jamison becoming Lakers analyst for TWC SportsNet". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015.
  31. ^ Sharania, Shams (October 3, 2017). "Los Angeles Lakers to hire Antawn Jamison for scouting role". sports.yahoo.com.
  32. ^ "Former All-Star Jamison joins Wizards' front office". ESPN. August 14, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  33. ^ "A Better Tomorrow". antawnjamison.
  34. ^ "Antawn Jamison". Archived from the original on March 25, 2006. Retrieved April 8, 2006.
  35. ^ 1997–98 UNC Team Stats (Players with 5+ MPG), in Tar Heel Tip-Off 2010–2011, Maple Leaf Press, 2010, p. 112.
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