James Edward "JJ" Hickson Jr. (born September 4, 1988) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He played one season of college basketball for

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

before being drafted 19th overall by the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

in the

2008 NBA draft The 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008, at the The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this NBA draft, draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took t ...

. He played in the NBA for the Cavaliers,

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

and

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

, as well as in Israel for Bnei HaSharon during the 2011 NBA lockout.

High school career

Hickson attended Joseph Wheeler High School in

Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...

. In the class of 2007, he was ranked as the No. 10 overall recruit and No. 2 power forward by Rivals.com and as the No. 13 overall and the No. 3 power forward by Scout.com. In 2005–06, Hickson took Wheeler High to the 5A Final Four. As a senior in 2006–07, he averaged 25.9 points, 13.8 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game as he earned

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American multinational fast food chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea. Brothers ...

honors.

College career

Hickson played one season of

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for NC State in 2007–08. In his first game as a freshman, Hickson scored 31 points, making all 12 of his attempted field goals against William & Mary, setting an NCAA Division I record for field goal percentage (minimum 12 makes) by a player in his first career game. Hickson was named ACC Rookie of the Week on three occasions, scored 20 or more points seven times and registered 10 double-doubles. He set an ACC single-game freshman record by pulling down a career-high 23 rebounds and also added 13 points and four blocked shots versus Clemson. Hickson scored a career-high 33 points on 10–of–11 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds against

Western Carolina University Western Carolina University (WCU) is a public university in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. The fifth oldest institution of the sixteen four-year universities in the UNC system, WCU ...

, and put up 27 points and 14 rebounds against Miami in the first round of the ACC tournament. For the season, he averaged 14.8 points and 8.5 rebounds (leading all freshmen) while shooting 59% from the field. He was selected to the All-Freshman team in the ACC, and an honorable mention for All-ACC.

College statistics

, - , align="left" , 2007–08 , align="left" , NC State , 31 , , 31 , , 28.7 , , .591 , , .000 , , .677 , , 8.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.7 , , 1.5 , , 14.8

Professional career

Cleveland Cavaliers (2008–2011)

Hickson was selected with 19th overall pick in the

by the

. On July 10, 2008, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Cavaliers. He went on to score four points in his NBA debut against the Charlotte Bobcats, making one field goal and two free throws. On November 26, 2008, he had career-highs with 14 points, six rebounds and four blocks against the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

. Hickson surpassed his career-high by grabbing seven rebounds on January 13, 2009, against the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

. Then on February 24, 2009, he surpassed his previous career-high of 7 rebounds to 9 rebounds against the Grizzlies. On October 26, 2009, the Cavaliers exercised their third-year team option on Hickson's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2010–11 season. On January 27, 2010, Hickson set a new career-high in scoring with 23 points against the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

. On October 23, 2010, the Cavaliers exercised their fourth-year team option on Hickson's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2011–12 season. On November 2, 2010, Hickson had a career-high 31 points in a losing effort to the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

. On January 22, Hickson grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds, including a career-high 11 offensive rebounds, against the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

. On February 25, he set a career high of five blocks in a victory over the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

Sacramento Kings (2011–2012)

On June 30, 2011, Hickson was traded to the

in exchange for Omri Casspi and Sacramento's protected first-round pick in the

2012 NBA draft The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball A ...

. On October 21, 2011, Hickson signed with Bnei HaSharon of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

for the duration of the NBA lockout. After making his lone appearance for Bnei on October 30, Hickson was released by the club on November 5. In December 2011, following the conclusion of the lockout, he joined the Sacramento Kings. He went on to play 35 games for Sacramento in 2011–12 before he was waived by the franchise on March 19, 2012.

Portland Trail Blazers (2012–2013)

On March 21, 2012, Hickson was claimed off waivers by the

. On July 13, 2012, Hickson re-signed with the Trail Blazers to a one-year deal. In 2012–13, he averaged a career-high 10.4 rebounds, as well as 12.7 points per game.

Denver Nuggets (2013–2016)

On July 11, 2013, Hickson signed with the

. On February 25, 2014, Hickson recorded 16 points and a career-high 25 rebounds in a 95–100 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. On March 22, 2014, it was announced that Hickson would miss the rest of the season after tearing his

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...

in the March 21 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. On September 17, 2014, Hickson was suspended by the NBA for the first five games of the 2014–15 season for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy. On February 19, 2016, Hickson was waived by the Nuggets.

Washington Wizards (2016)

On February 25, 2016, Hickson signed with the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

. Three days later, he made his debut with the Wizards in a 113–99 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, recording two points and two rebounds in six minutes off the bench.

Fuijan Sturgeons (2016–2017)

On August 20, 2016, Hickson signed with the Fujian Sturgeons of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier men's professional basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

Jiangsu Tongxi (2017)

On August 11, 2017, Hickson signed with Jiangsu Tongxi of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Champville (2018)

On April 2, 2018, Hickson signed with Champville SC of the Lebanese Basketball Federation. Hickson was arrested after the season's ending along with two other persons and charged with burglary, physical assault and armed robbery with a knife of a man from Coweta County, Georgia.

Leones de Ponce (2019)

On May 8, 2019, Leones de Ponce announced that they had signed Hickson.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

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, 81 , , 73 , , 20.9 , , .554 , , .000 , , .681 , , 4.9 , , .5 , , .4 , , .5 , , 8.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 66 , , 28.2 , , .458 , , .000 , , .673 , , 8.7 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .7 , , 13.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, 35 , , 9 , , 18.4 , , .370 , , .000 , , .638 , , 5.1 , , .6 , , .5 , , .5 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 19 , , 10 , , 31.6 , , .543 , , .000 , , .645 , , 8.3 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .9 , , 15.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 80 , , 80 , , 29.0 , , .562 , , .000 , , .679 , , 10.4 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .6 , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, 69 , , 52 , , 26.9 , , .508 , , .000 , , .517 , , 9.2 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .7 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 8 , , 19.3 , , .475 , , .000 , , .577 , , 6.2 , , .8 , , .5 , , .5 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 20 , , 9 , , 15.3 , , .505 , , .000 , , .458 , , 4.4 , , .8 , , .5 , , .6 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 15 , , 0 , , 8.7 , , .543 , , .000 , , .432 , , 3.0 , , .5 , , .3 , , .1 , , 4.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 534 , , 307 , , 22.3 , , .505 , , .000 , , .617 , , 6.8 , , .8 , , .5 , , .6 , , 9.5

Playoffs

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2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

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, 11 , , 0 , , 7.2 , , .626 , , .000 , , .688 , , .8 , , .1 , , .0 , , .0 , , 3.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 11 , , 0 , , 7.2 , , .626 , , .000 , , .688 , , .8 , , .1 , , .0 , , .0 , , 3.5

Personal life

Hickson was arrested on June 16, 2018, in connection with a home invasion and robbery in the greater

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

area.

References

External links

NC State bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hickson, JJ 1988 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Lebanon American men's basketball players Basketball players from Atlanta Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Cleveland Cavaliers players Denver Nuggets players Fujian Sturgeons players Nanjing Monkey Kings players McDonald's High School All-Americans NC State Wolfpack men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Portland Trail Blazers players Power forwards Sacramento Kings players Washington Wizards players