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Jameer Nelson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Point guard |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Team | Orlando Magic |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | February 9, 1982 (age 25) Chester, Pennsylvania |
| High school | Chester High School, Pennsylvania |
| College | St. Joseph's University |
| Draft | 20th overall, 2004 Denver Nuggets |
| Pro career | 2004–present |
| Awards | 2004 Oscar Robertson Trophy 2004 Wooden Award 2004 Naismith Award 2005-06 NBA All-Rookie 2nd Team |
Jameer Nelson (born February 9, 1982 in Chester, Pennsylvania) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the NBA. He is most famous for being one of the most popular stars of men's college basketball in the early 2000s, representing Saint Joseph's University of Philadelphia.
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Nelson began his play at Saint Joseph's in the 2000-2001 NCAA season. He had a breakout junior season in 2002-2003, where he averaged 19.7 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, and 4.7 assists per game. He declared for the NBA Draft in 2003, but remained for his senior season because he wanted to improve his draft status.
Nelson became arguably the most publicized player in the country during his senior season in 2003-2004 as he led the Saint Joseph's Hawks to a 27-0 regular season record. Nelson and junior guard Delonte West formed what was largely considered the nation's best backcourt, helping the Hawks earn a #1 Seed in the NCAA Tournament. They advanced to the Elite Eight and were within seconds of the Final Four before Oklahoma State Cowboys' John Lucas III hit a three-pointer with only a few seconds remaining (after the make, Nelson dribbled up the court and had a chance to tie the game, but his 15-foot shot hit the front on the rim and bounced out.) Saint Joseph's finished with a 30-2 record, the best in the University's history. Nelson averaged 20.6 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.9 steals per game. He left the Hawks as the best player in the program's history, as its all time leader in scoring (2094 points), assists (714), and steals (256). Nelson's number was retired by the university on April 23, 2004.
Because of his extraordinary accomplishments as a senior, Nelson won the 2004 Wooden Award, the 2004 Naismith Award, the Rupp Trophy, and many more accolades, despite some criticism that Emeka Okafor, a 3-year senior from the University of Connecticut, deserved them more. Okafor's supporters also bring up the fact that he graduated from UConn in three years, whereas Nelson (after four full years at St. Joseph's) never received his degree (although those merits would have nothing to do with basketball, the sole criteria judged for the award.)
Nelson was selected 20th in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, and was subsequently traded to the Orlando Magic for a 2005 first-round draft pick. Though many speculated he would be within the top 10 picks, he fell to number 20, and the Magic, eager for a point guard, acquired Nelson.
Nelson started the NBA season off slowly, coming off the bench as a backup to point guard Steve Francis. However, later in the season he earned additional minutes and became a steady backup, consistently providing a well-rounded game. Later in the season, Nelson became the starting point guard (Francis was moved to starting shooting guard). Nelson improved the Magic's overall ball-handling, reducing turnovers, and played efficiently and consistently. He kept his starting position for the remainder of the season, with the exception of a few games under new interim head coach Chris Jent. At the end of the season, Nelson was selected to the All-NBA Rookie second team. On February 22, 2006, the Magic dealt Francis to the New York Knicks, paving the way for Nelson to step into the starting point guard slot.
As of 69 games into the 2006-2007 NBA season, Jameer Nelson is averaging of 13.4 points, 3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.
- Nelson currently has a shoe deal with Converse, but does not have his own line of shoes.
- Nelson was the first Atlantic Ten athlete to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated since Temple's Mark Macon in 1988.
- 2004 College Player of the Year - The Oscar Robertson Trophy
| Preceded by T. J. Ford |
Naismith College Player of the Year (men) 2004 |
Succeeded by Andrew Bogut |
| Preceded by T. J. Ford |
John R. Wooden Award (men) 2004 |
Succeeded by Andrew Bogut |
| 2004 NBA Draft | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Round Dwight Howard | Emeka Okafor | Ben Gordon | Shaun Livingston | Devin Harris | Josh Childress | Luol Deng | Rafael Araújo | Andre Iguodala | Luke Jackson | Andris Biedriņš | Robert Swift | Sebastian Telfair | Kris Humphries | Al Jefferson | Kirk Snyder | Josh Smith | J.R. Smith | Dorell Wright | Jameer Nelson | Pavel Podkolzin | Viktor Khryapa | Sergei Monia | Delonte West | Tony Allen | Kevin Martin | Sasha Vujačić | Beno Udrih | David Harrison |
||
| Second Round Anderson Varejão | Jackson Vroman | Peter John Ramos | Lionel Chalmers | Donta Smith | Andre Emmett | Antonio Burks | Royal Ivey | Chris Duhon | Albert Miralles | Justin Reed | David Young | Viktor Sanikidze | Trevor Ariza | Tim Pickett | Bernard Robinson | Ha Seung-Jin | Pape Sow | Ricky Minard | Sergei Lishouk | Vassilis Spanoulis | Christian Drejer | Romain Sato | Matt Freije | Rickey Paulding | Luis Flores | Marcus Douthit | Sergei Karaulov | Blake Stepp | Rashad Wright |
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