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 Jefferson with theCleveland Cavaliers in 2017 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1980-06-21)June 21, 1980 (age 45) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 233 lb (106 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Moon Valley (Phoenix, Arizona) |
| College | Arizona (1998–2001) |
| NBA draft | 2001: 1st round, 13th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Houston Rockets |
| Playing career | 2001–2018 |
| Position | Small forward |
| Number | 24, 44, 22 |
| Career history | |
| 2001–2008 | New Jersey Nets |
| 2008–2009 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2009–2012 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2012–2013 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2013–2014 | Utah Jazz |
| 2014–2015 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2015–2017 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2017–2018 | Denver Nuggets |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 14,904 (12.6 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 4,720 (4.0 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,412 (2.0 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Medals | |
Richard Allen Jefferson Jr. (born June 21, 1980) is an American former professionalbasketball player who playedsmall forward. He played for eight teams in his 17-season career in theNational Basketball Association (NBA).
Jefferson playedcollege basketball for theArizona Wildcats, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the first round by theNew Jersey Nets in the2001 NBA draft. He was named to theNBA All-Rookie Second Team following his first season. Jefferson played seven seasons for the Nets, reaching the NBA Finals in each of his first two seasons. He later played for theMilwaukee Bucks,San Antonio Spurs,Golden State Warriors,Utah Jazz,Dallas Mavericks,Cleveland Cavaliers, andDenver Nuggets. He won anNBA championship with the Cavaliers in2016 and a bronze medal as a member of theUnited States national team in the2004 Summer Olympics. Jefferson retired from the NBA in 2018, becoming a basketball analyst forESPN in 2019.
Jefferson was born in Los Angeles and was raised inPhoenix. His mother and step-father were both Christianmissionaries, and he moved around frequently growing up.[1] He attendedMoon Valley High School inWest Phoenix, where he was an integral part of the varsity basketball team that won the 4A State Championship in 1998.[2]
Jefferson played college basketball at theUniversity of Arizona, under Hall of Fame coachLute Olson from 1998 to 2001. During his 84-game career (77 starts), Jefferson averaged 11.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He capped his career by being part of the Arizona team that advanced to the 2001 national championship game where the Wildcats fell to Duke. Along the way, Jefferson was an all-Midwest Regional and all-Final Four selection.[3] He was inducted into thePac-12 Basketball Hall of Honor during the2012 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament, March 10, 2012.[4]
Jefferson played seven seasons with theNew Jersey Nets and was a key element of their back-to-back Eastern Conference Championship teams of 2002 and 2003. He played in the NBA Finals with the Nets in each of his first two seasons.[5] In addition, Jefferson was a member of the USA Men's Olympic basketball team in the2004 Summer Olympics. Jefferson competed in theNBA Slam Dunk Contest in 2003.[6][7]
Jefferson began his career as a substitutesmall forward forKeith Van Horn and showed great defensive skills and all-around ability. Because of his potential, and Van Horn's conflict withpower forwardKenyon Martin, the Nets traded Van Horn to thePhiladelphia 76ers and trusted Jefferson as a starter. Jefferson blossomed in the role, becoming a good mid- and long-range shooter in addition to his slashing ability. On August 13, 2004, Jefferson signed a six-year, $78,000,000 contract extension with the Nets.
Jefferson missed the majority of the2004–05 regular season after rupturing aligament in his leftwrist, an injury he claimed occurred whenDetroit Pistons guardChauncey Billups purposely undercut him on a layup attempt during a game on December 27, 2004. Jefferson ended up missing 49 games, but returned to action for the first round of the playoffs against theMiami Heat. Prior to suffering the injury, he had missed only five games in his three NBA seasons. Jefferson had been enjoying his best professional season, averaging 22.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. Through the2005–06 season, Jefferson continued to perform at a high level and established himself as one of the NBA's most versatile players. On January 21, 2007, Jefferson decided to have ankle surgery.[8] After missing around six weeks, he was back in the lineup. His absence proved to be a major setback for the struggling Nets, who surged back into playoff contention once Jefferson returned.
In August 2007, Jefferson pledged $3.5 million toward the University of Arizona's then-planned basketball and volleyball practice facility, which was eventually named in his honor.[9]
Jefferson started the 2007–08 season in the best form of his NBA career. In the first 7 games, he averaged 26.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists, while also notching up 1.3 steals, 97.1% in free-throws and 49.1% in field-goals. On October 31, in a game against the Chicago Bulls, Jefferson injured his right wrist slightly, thumping his chest following a clutch three-pointer. The Nets went on to win the game in overtime. On December 4 he passedKerry Kittles to become the Nets' second all-time leading scorer.
On June 26, 2008, Jefferson was traded to theMilwaukee Bucks forYi Jianlian and future teammateBobby Simmons.[10] He was not happy with the trade at first because he planned on being a Net until retirement. However, he later expressed enthusiasm about playing alongsideMichael Redd.[11]
On June 23, 2009, Richard Jefferson was traded to theSan Antonio Spurs forBruce Bowen,Kurt Thomas, andFabricio Oberto.[12] On June 30, 2010, Jefferson opted out of his contract with San Antonio and became an unrestricted free agent. On July 23, 2010, Jefferson re-signed with the Spurs.
On March 15, 2012, theGolden State Warriors traded the newly acquiredStephen Jackson for Jefferson, along with a conditional first-round pick.[13]
On July 5, 2013, the Warriors reportedly agreed to trade Jefferson, along with teammatesBrandon Rush andAndris Biedriņš, as well as two first-round picks and two second round picks, to theUtah Jazz in a three team deal, in which they receivedAndre Iguodala from theDenver Nuggets.[14] The trade became official on July 10.[15]
On July 21, 2014, Jefferson signed with theDallas Mavericks.[16]He was the last Maverick to wear #24 before it was retired in honor ofKobe Bryant.
On August 5, 2015, Jefferson signed with theCleveland Cavaliers.[17] On October 27, he made his debut for the team, posting ten points, one assist, and one steal in a 95–97 loss to theChicago Bulls.[18] The Cavaliers finished the regular season with a 57–25 record and reached the2016 NBA Finals with a 12–2 playoff record. In the third Finals of his career, Jefferson played in every game of the series, including two starts in place of the injuredKevin Love. In Game 3, Jefferson gave the Cavaliers a boost in 33 minutes, scoring nine points with eight rebounds as the Cavaliers cut theGolden State Warriors' advantage in the series to 2–1 with a 120–90 win.[19] Despite falling into a 3–1 deficit, the Cavaliers completed the historic comeback to take the series in seven games, winning Jefferson his first and only championship.
After initially considering retirement following the championship win, Jefferson re-signed with the Cavaliers on July 28, 2016,[20] reportedly on a two-year, $5 million contract.[21] The Cavaliers returned to the NBA Finals in2017, but fell short in their quest for back-to-back titles, losing in five games to the Warriors. In his final game with the Cavaliers, Jefferson logged four points and two rebounds in a 120–129 loss to the Warriors.[22]
On October 14, 2017, Jefferson was traded, along withKay Felder, two future second-round draft picks and cash considerations, to theAtlanta Hawks in exchange for the rights toSergiy Gladyr andDimitrios Agravanis.[23] He was immediately waived by the Hawks.[24]
On October 19, 2017, Jefferson signed a one-year, $2.3 million contract with theDenver Nuggets.[25][26]
On October 13, 2018, Jefferson announced his retirement from professional basketball.[27]
Richard Jefferson | |
|---|---|
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Genre | color commentator |
| Sport | NBA |
| Employer | |
On October 16, 2018, Jefferson joined theYES Network as the Nets' game and studio analyst.[28] He has also appeared as a basketball analyst onFS1 and thePac-12 Network.[29] Jefferson joinedESPN in 2019 as an NBA analyst.[30]
During the 2017 season, Jefferson began co-hosting the podcastRoad Trippin' alongside former Cavaliers sideline reporter and Lakers hostAllie Clifton and teammate and close friendChanning Frye. Many of the podcast's first shows featured Jefferson's Cavs teammates and were recorded while on road trips.
In 2025, ESPN named Jefferson to its leadNBA on ESPN broadcast team along with fellow analystTim Legler, play-by-play announcerMike Breen, and on-court reporterLisa Salters.[31]
Jefferson dated dancer[32] and cheerleader[33] Kesha Ni'cole Nichols for five years. Jefferson and Nichols were engaged to be married on two occasions, but Jefferson broke off the engagement both times.[32] The couple was scheduled to be married on July 11, 2009, at the Mandarin Oriental; however, Jefferson called off the wedding the night before it was scheduled to occur.[34]
On July 11, 2022, the NBA announced that Jefferson would be a referee for the second quarter of theKnicks–Blazers game at the2022 NBA Summer League.[35]
| 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 |
| † | Won anNBA championship | * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | New Jersey | 79 | 9 | 24.3 | .457 | .232 | .713 | 3.7 | 1.8 | .8 | .6 | 9.4 |
| 2002–03 | New Jersey | 80 | 80 | 36.0 | .501 | .250 | .743 | 6.4 | 2.5 | 1.0 | .6 | 15.5 |
| 2003–04 | New Jersey | 82 | 82 | 38.2 | .498 | .364 | .763 | 5.7 | 3.8 | 1.1 | .3 | 18.5 |
| 2004–05 | New Jersey | 33 | 33 | 41.1 | .422 | .337 | .844 | 7.3 | 4.0 | 1.0 | .5 | 22.2 |
| 2005–06 | New Jersey | 78 | 78 | 39.2 | .493 | .319 | .812 | 6.8 | 3.8 | .8 | .2 | 19.5 |
| 2006–07 | New Jersey | 55 | 53 | 35.6 | .456 | .359 | .733 | 4.4 | 2.7 | .6 | .1 | 16.3 |
| 2007–08 | New Jersey | 82* | 82* | 39.0 | .466 | .362 | .798 | 4.2 | 3.1 | .9 | .3 | 22.6 |
| 2008–09 | Milwaukee | 82* | 82* | 35.8 | .439 | .397 | .805 | 4.6 | 2.4 | .8 | .2 | 19.6 |
| 2009–10 | San Antonio | 81 | 70 | 31.1 | .467 | .316 | .735 | 4.4 | 2.0 | .6 | .5 | 12.3 |
| 2010–11 | San Antonio | 81 | 81 | 30.4 | .474 | .440 | .750 | 3.8 | 1.3 | .5 | .4 | 11.0 |
| 2011–12 | San Antonio | 41 | 41 | 28.5 | .414 | .421 | .700 | 3.5 | 1.3 | .6 | .3 | 9.2 |
| 2011–12 | Golden State | 22 | 3 | 26.4 | .420 | .418 | .686 | 3.5 | 1.5 | .5 | .3 | 9.0 |
| 2012–13 | Golden State | 56 | 1 | 10.1 | .456 | .311 | .717 | 1.5 | .6 | .3 | .1 | 3.1 |
| 2013–14 | Utah | 82 | 78 | 27.0 | .450 | .409 | .741 | 2.7 | 1.6 | .7 | .2 | 10.1 |
| 2014–15 | Dallas | 74 | 18 | 16.8 | .444 | .426 | .684 | 2.5 | .8 | .4 | .1 | 5.8 |
| 2015–16† | Cleveland | 74 | 5 | 17.9 | .458 | .382 | .667 | 1.7 | .8 | .4 | .2 | 5.5 |
| 2016–17 | Cleveland | 79 | 13 | 20.4 | .446 | .333 | .741 | 2.6 | 1.0 | .3 | .1 | 5.7 |
| 2017–18 | Denver | 20 | 0 | 8.2 | .444 | .286 | .571 | .9 | .8 | .1 | .1 | 1.5 |
| Career | 1181 | 809 | 29.0 | .464 | .376 | .768 | 4.0 | 2.0 | .7 | .3 | 12.6 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | New Jersey | 20 | 0 | 22.1 | .465 | .000 | .550 | 4.6 | 1.3 | .6 | .5 | 7.0 |
| 2003 | New Jersey | 20 | 20 | 35.6 | .476 | .000 | .718 | 6.4 | 2.4 | .8 | .2 | 14.1 |
| 2004 | New Jersey | 11 | 11 | 41.8 | .418 | .273 | .713 | 6.3 | 3.8 | 1.3 | .7 | 19.8 |
| 2005 | New Jersey | 4 | 1 | 35.0 | .400 | .200 | .677 | 5.5 | 2.3 | .8 | .0 | 15.8 |
| 2006 | New Jersey | 11 | 11 | 39.7 | .545 | .414 | .825 | 4.1 | 4.1 | .9 | .4 | 22.2 |
| 2007 | New Jersey | 12 | 12 | 40.8 | .482 | .325 | .924 | 5.6 | 2.3 | .8 | .4 | 19.7 |
| 2010 | San Antonio | 10 | 10 | 33.4 | .486 | .200 | .758 | 5.3 | 1.8 | .6 | .6 | 9.4 |
| 2011 | San Antonio | 6 | 6 | 29.3 | .387 | .353 | .818 | 4.2 | .8 | .5 | .5 | 6.5 |
| 2013 | Golden State | 7 | 0 | 5.6 | .444 | .667 | .333 | 1.0 | .1 | .1 | .1 | 1.9 |
| 2015 | Dallas | 4 | 2 | 12.8 | .357 | .375 | 1.000 | .5 | .3 | .5 | .0 | 3.8 |
| 2016† | Cleveland | 21 | 2 | 18.1 | .524 | .393 | .750 | 3.5 | .7 | .5 | .0 | 5.4 |
| 2017 | Cleveland | 14 | 0 | 12.8 | .421 | .263 | .643 | 1.8 | .5 | .1 | .2 | 3.9 |
| Career | 140 | 75 | 27.4 | .473 | .325 | .731 | 4.3 | 1.7 | .6 | .3 | 10.8 | |
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