Jamaal Lee Tinsley (born February 28, 1978) 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 in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). Tinsley played

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 the Iowa State Cyclones. Following his senior year, he was drafted by the

Vancouver Grizzlies The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver. The Grizzlies competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Midwest Division (NBA), Midwest Division of the Western Conference ( ...

with the 27th pick of the

2001 NBA draft The 2001 NBA draft took place on June 27, 2001, in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player to be drafted with the first overall pick in the history of the NBA. The selection of Kwame Brown by the Washington Wizar ...

and was immediately dealt 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 ...

, and then to the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

on draft night. Tinsley played 11 seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Pacers, as well as the Grizzlies and Jazz.

Early years and college career

As a teen, Tinsley developed his game playing

streetball Streetball (or street basketball) is a variation of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules. As such, its format is more conducive to allowing players ...

at New York City's Rucker Park. Tinsley's streetball nickname is "Mel The Abuser". He played junior college ball at Mt. San Jacinto Community College (MSJC) before breaking onto the national scene in the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

.Breaking Away: The Jamaal Tinsley Story
In Tinsley's junior year with the

Cyclones In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...

, he was named the Big 12 Player of the Year. He led Iowa State to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The team, along with fellow star

Marcus Fizer Darnell Marcus Lamar Fizer (born August 10, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. High school career Fizer played high school basketball at Arcadia High School in Arcadia, Louisiana. As a senior, Fizer was selected to pla ...

, reached the Elite Eight before losing to eventual champion Michigan State. In his senior year, Tinsley earned first-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors from the NABC.

NBA career

Indiana Pacers (2001–2009)

Tinsley established himself as the starting point guard under Pacers coach

Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III ( ; born April 30, 1961), also known as "Zeke", is an American former professional basketball player who is head coach of the Saginaw Soul of the Basketball Super League, and also an analyst for NBA TV and Fox Sports. H ...

. He put up statistics of 9.4 points and 8.1 assists per game in 2001–02. On November 16, 2001, he recorded the 9th five-by-five in the NBA since the 1985–86 season. At 23 years and 261 days, he was the youngest to do so until Andrei Kirilenko in 2003. Tinsley played 73 games for the Pacers in 2002–03, starting 69 of them, and his averages dipped to 7.8 points and 7.5 assists per contest. The following year,

Rick Carlisle Richard Preston Carlisle ( ; born October 27, 1959) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has previously served as head coach of the Detroi ...

replaced Thomas as the Pacers' head coach, and promoted veteran guard Kenny Anderson to the starting point guard slot, with Anthony Johnson as his backup. When Anderson and Johnson went down with injuries, Tinsley regained his status as a starter. As the Pacers advanced to the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals, Tinsley started all 16 playoff games. Tinsley spent the majority of the 2004–05 season on injured reserve due to a bruised left foot, but the team played its way to a 44–38 record and the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Tinsley missed the first four games of the Pacers' first-round series against the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

, but made a return in a Game 5 victory. In that game on May 3, 2005, Tinsley made seven assists, five steals, and six points, and the five steals tied the most among all players during the 2005 postseason and his personal best for the playoffs. Tinsley's injury problems continued during the 2007–08 season; he only played in 39 games, during which he averaged a career-high 8.4 assists. For the 2008–09 season, Tinsley was replaced in the starting lineup by point guard T. J. Ford. O'Brien and Pacers' President of Basketball Operations

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend" Bird is widely regarded a ...

told Tinsley he would not play for the Pacers again and would be traded as soon as possible, then shipped his personal items to Tinsley's home in Atlanta. Tinsley then requested a contract buyout through his agent. Because of the situation where Indiana's insistence on trading and not outright waiving Tinsley meant that no other team offered Indiana anything of value to acquire him (knowing that the Pacers would eventually have to part ways with Tinsley and then he could be picked up at no cost), the NBA Players Association filed a grievance against the Pacers on Tinsley's behalf on February 11, 2009. On July 22, 2009, the Pacers waived Tinsley.

Memphis Grizzlies (2009–2010)

On November 14, 2009, 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 ...

signed Tinsley as a free agent.

Chris Wallace Christopher Wallace (born October 12, 1947) is an American broadcast journalist. He is known for his tough and wide-ranging interviews, for which he is often compared to his father, ''60 Minutes'' journalist Mike Wallace. Over his 60-year care ...

, the General Manager of the Grizzlies, stated that he "was the best available player out on the board." The Grizzlies did not guarantee Tinsley a starting spot, but told him he would be allowed to compete for the point guard position.

Los Angeles D-Fenders (2011)

On November 3, 2011, Tinsley was picked 1st overall by the

Los Angeles D-Fenders The South Bay Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, that competes in the NBA G League. Founded in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, who were the first ...

in the NBA Development League Draft. Tinsley played eight games with the D-Fenders and averaged 9.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game.

Utah Jazz (2011–2013)

On December 12, 2011, Tinsley was signed by the Utah Jazz, along with Keith McLeod, and Trey Gilder. On June 29, 2012, the Jazz exercised the team option on Tinsley's contract to keep him under contract for one more season. On October 26, 2013, he re-signed with the Jazz. He would only play 8 games with the team and on November 12, 2013, he was waived by the Jazz. Tinsley's final NBA game was during his 8-game span with the Utah Jazz as his final game was played on November 11, 2013 (the day before he was waived) in an 81 - 100 loss to the Denver Nuggets. In his final game, Tinsley recorded 3 assists and 1 rebound but no points.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 80 , , 78 , , 30.5 , , .380 , , .240 , , .704 , , 3.7 , , 8.1 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , 9.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 73 , , 69 , , 30.6 , , .396 , , .277 , , .714 , , 3.6 , , 7.5 , , 1.7 , , .2 , , 7.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 52 , , 43 , , 26.5 , , .414 , , .372 , , .731 , , 2.6 , , 5.8 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , 8.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 40 , , 40 , , 32.5 , , .418 , , .372 , , .744 , , 4.0 , , 6.4 , , 2.0 , , .3 , , 15.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 42 , , 27 , , 26.7 , , .409 , , .229 , , .637 , , 3.2 , , 5.0 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 9.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 72 , , 72 , , 31.2 , , .389 , , .316 , , .720 , , 3.3 , , 6.9 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , 12.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 39 , , 36 , , 33.2 , , .380 , , .284 , , .720 , , 3.6 , , 8.4 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , 11.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Memphis , 38 , , 1 , , 15.5 , , .371 , , .179 , , .815 , , 1.7 , , 2.8 , , .9 , , .1 , , 3.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, 37 , , 1 , , 13.7 , , .404 , , .270 , , .765 , , 1.2 , , 3.3 , , .5 , , .2 , , 3.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 66 , , 32 , , 18.5 , , .368 , , .307 , , .692 , , 1.7 , , 4.4 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 3.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 8 , , 5 , , 13.8 , , .200 , , .067 , , .000 , , 1.4 , , 2.9 , , .3 , , .0 , , 1.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 547 , , 404 , , 26.6 , , .393 , , .299 , , .716 , , 2.9 , , 6.1 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , 8.5

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 2002 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 17.6 , , .421 , , .000 , , .667 , , 2.0 , , 5.0 , , .4 , , .0 , , 3.6 , - , align="left" , 2003 , align="left" ,

, 6 , , 6 , , 30.8 , , .571 , , .615 , , .500 , , 3.0 , , 6.5 , , .7 , , .0 , , 8.5 , - , align="left" , 2004 , align="left" ,

, 16 , , 16 , , 26.4 , , .398 , , .296 , , .938 , , 2.9 , , 5.0 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , 8.1 , - , align="left" , 2005 , align="left" ,

, 9 , , 9 , , 27.4 , , .360 , , .111 , , .571 , , 3.3 , , 5.7 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , 8.7 , - , align="left" , 2006 , align="left" ,

, 1 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .333 , , .000 , , .000 , , .0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - , align="left" , 2012 , align="left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 16.3 , , .250 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .5 , , 3.0 , , .5 , , .0 , , 3.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 41 , , 36 , , 24.8 , , .398 , , .293 , , .720 , , 2.6 , , 5.1 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 7.1

Others

On November 16, 2001, just in his 11th rookie game, Jamaal posted a rare 5 x 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 15 assists, 6 steals and 5 blocks.

References

External links

Jamaal Tinsley biography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tinsley, Jamaal 1978 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Brooklyn Indiana Pacers players Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball players Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Los Angeles D-Fenders players Memphis Grizzlies players Point guards Samuel J. Tilden High School alumni Street basketball players Utah Jazz players Vancouver Grizzlies draft picks