Jamal Faulkner (born July 3, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player. A versatile forward who primarily played small forward but could also be used at the power forward position, he was one of the top recruits of the high school class of 1989. After having to sit out one year due to poor grades, he played two seasons at Arizona State before being dismissed due to Faulkner's trouble with the law. After missing one more year he finished his college career at Alabama, and went undrafted in the 1995 NBA draft. He then spent 8 years playing professional basketball, mostly in Europe.

High school career

Faulkner was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and lived in Bedford–Stuyvesant. He grew up with his mother, Connie, since his father was not a part of his life. Faulkner attended

Christ the King Regional High School Christ the King Regional High School is a co-educational, college preparatory, Catholic high school for grades 9–12 located in Middle Village, Queens, New York, United States and established in 1962. It is located within the Roman Catholi ...

in Middle Village, in the

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

borough of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He was a part of the varsity team since his sophomore year, and chose to wear jersey number 35. He was a teammate of another top recruit of his class,

Khalid Reeves Khalid Reeves (born July 15, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Miami Heat in the first round (12th pick) of the 1994 NBA draft. ...

, and of another younger guard,

Derrick Phelps Derrick Michael Phelps (born July 31, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player, who is currently an assistant coach for the LIU Sharks. At 6'4" and 181 lbs., he played as a point guard. High school Phelps attended Christ The K ...

; Faulkner was considered one of the best players at Christ the King, and the main aspect of his game was team play: while Reeves was the main scoring option, Faulkner was unselfish and involved the other teammates. At the end of his junior year, he was named in the ''Parade'' All-America Fourth Team. Faulkner's senior year in high school was very successful: Christ the King won the Class A state title, and Faulkner recorded 10 points and 12 rebounds in the final game versus

Adlai Stevenson Adlai Stevenson may refer to: * Adlai Stevenson I Adlai Ewing Stevenson (October 23, 1835 – June 14, 1914) was an American politician and diplomat who served as the 23rd vice president of the United States from 1893 to 1897 under President Gr ...

. He averaged 24 points and 15 rebounds for the season, and was one of the top recruits in the nation, being named in the ''Parade'' Second Team and earning a selection in the

McDonald's All-American team The McDonald's All-American Game is an American all-star basketball game played each year for boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the hi ...

: in the 1989 McDonald's All-American Boys Game he scored 5 points, shooting 2/6 from the field and 1/2 from the free throw line. 1989 game and rosters at page 73.

College career

Arizona State

Faulkner was recruited by

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

, Clemson,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and Pitt during his high school career: he had initially committed to Texas, but then signed a letter of intent for Pitt. However, not only Faulkner did not qualify academically and had to sit out one year according to Proposition 48, but Pitt was also found guilty of violation of NCAA rules for his recruitment. Forced to sit out one year, he chose to attend

Cheshire Academy Cheshire Academy is a co-educational college preparatory school located in Cheshire, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1794 as the Episcopal Academy of Connecticut, it is the eleventh oldest boarding school in the United States. In 1917, th ...

Cheshire, Connecticut Cheshire ( ), is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Cheshire was 28,733. The town is part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region. The center of population of Connecticut i ...

. Once he was eligible again, he was unable to attend Pitt and committed to

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...

. He immediately made an impact during his freshman season, scoring 18 points against

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

on his debut game on November 23, 1990. Faulkner's good performances during his first year at Arizona State earned him a starting role, and he started 28 games out of the 30 he played. He recorded freshman school records in several categories: points per game (15.4), rebounds per game (6.2), total blocks (33), total points (462) and 20-points games (7). All of these records have since been surpassed. He played 32.1 minutes per game in Pacific-10 games, and 29.1 in total. He scored a career-high 29 points against

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

on March 17, 1991. At the end of the season Faulkner was named Pacific-10 Freshman of the Year. Faulkner was involved in a

credit card fraud Credit card fraud is an inclusive term for fraud committed using a payment card, such as a credit card or debit card. The purpose may be to obtain goods or services or to make payment to another account, which is controlled by a criminal. The P ...

case where he and three of his teammates (Lynn Collins, Dwayne Fontana and Stevin Smith) used assistant coach George McQuarn's card for unauthorized long-distance calls for a total of US$13,474. He received a two-year probation sentence and had to do 100 hours of

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community contributing to a noble cause. In many cases, people doing community service are compensated in other ways, such as gettin ...

. During his sophomore season Faulkner's numbers slightly decreased, but he was still considered a starter of the Arizona State team. He averaged 12.6 points (leading the team in scoring), 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 29 games (20 starts). In August 1992 he was convicted to a 30-days sentence for violation of probation terms when he failed to report to his probation officer and did not perform his scheduled community service. In September 1992 he was arrested on assault charges after he slapped former girlfriend Rosalyn Felder, a fellow student at Arizona State. After this arrest, Arizona State decided to exclude him from the team. Faulkner spent a total of six days in jail. He ended his career at Arizona State with averages of 14.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists.

Alabama

Due to his conviction and to his dismissal from Arizona State, Faulkner missed the entire 1992–93 season. He came back in 1993, joining the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...

, where he wore jersey number 30. He was mainly used as a reserve in his first year, being the first option off the bench, but he still managed to be the team's leading scorer, averaging 13.5 points. He also averaged 6.1 rebounds and recorded career-highs in assists (1.9 per game) and steals (1.1). He started 12 of his 26 games. His positive junior year made him a starter for the following season. He averaged 12.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 33 games for Alabama, which was eliminated by

Oklahoma State Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

in the second-round of the East Regional part of the

1995 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 1995 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 1995, and ended with the champion ...

. Faulkner was the second best scorer (behind

Antonio McDyess Antonio Keithflen McDyess (born September 7, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. Listed at and , McDyess played as a power forward. He played college basketball for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Early life McDyess was bor ...

) and third best rebounder of the team. During his time at Alabama he formed an especially effective front court with McDyess and

Jason Caffey Jason Andre Caffey (born June 12, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player who won two championship rings with the Chicago Bulls in the late 1990s. He later became the head coach of the American Basketball Association's Mobil ...

. His career at Alabama ended with averages of 12.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

College statistics

, - , align="left" , 1990–91 , align="left" ,

, 30 , , 28 , , 29.1 , , .492 , , .302 , , .699 , , 6.2 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , 15.4 , - , align="left" , 1991–92 , align="left" ,

, 29 , , 20 , , 28.9 , , .408 , , .316 , , .643 , , 5.6 , , 0.9 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 12.6 , - , align="left" , 1993–94 , align="left" ,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, 26 , , 12 , , 25.2 , , .430 , , .286 , , .646 , , 6.1 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , 0.7 , , 13.5 , - , align="left" , 1994–95 , align="left" ,

, 33 , , 16 , , 24.7 , , .489 , , .326 , , .688 , , 5.8 , , 1.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 12.3 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 118 , , 76 , , 27.0 , , .456 , , .309 , , .670 , , 5.9 , , 1.3 , , 0.9 , , 0.7 , , 13.4 , -

Professional career

After the end of his senior season, Faulkner was automatically eligible for the

1995 NBA draft The 1995 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1995, at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It marked the first NBA draft to be held outside the United States and was the first draft for the two Canadian expansion teams that were added for 1995–96 ...

. He was projected as a possible second-round pick, and was called to work out for the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

before the draft. However, he was not selected during the draft. He was drafted in the fourth round of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

draft (52nd overall) by the

Oklahoma City Cavalry The Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry was a professional basketball team based in Lawton, Oklahoma. They played in the Premier Basketball League (PBL) after having been in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). They have one PBL championship an ...

. In October he signed for 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 ...

as a free agent, but he was not included in the final roster. Despite having been selected in the roster of the Oklahoma City Cavalry, he did not appear during the 1995–96 CBA season since he transferred to

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

team AZS Elana Toruń in January 1996. In the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English language, English: Polish Basketball League), officially known as the Orlen Basket Liga due to its sponsorship by Orlen, is a professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Poland. I ...

he found success, and he was named an All-Star: he scored 20 points in the May 1996 Polish All-Star game. He finished the season with a scoring average of 25.5 points per game. In June 1996 he signed for the Treasure Coast Tropics of the

USBL The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to ...

. He then joined

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

club Chorale Roanne, which played in the

LNB Pro B The LNB Pro B, commonly known as Pro B, is the second-tier level men's professional basketball league in France. It is the second division of the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB), which has organized the league since the year 1987. The regular se ...

, the second tier of French basketball. In 21 games he averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds in 38.2 minutes per game while shooting 59.8% from the field, playing the whole 1996–97 season. He then had two brief stints in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

and again in Poland, this time with Ericsson Bobry Bytom. In 1997 he signed for Portuguese club Benfica, and he stayed there until 1999; he then signed for Portugal Telecom, where played until July 2000. He then moved to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and spent one season at Sallen. After a brief experience with Dominican club Cupes de Los Pepines he transferred to

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. He stayed there from 2001 to 2002 playing for

Hapoel Holon Hapoel Holon Basketball Club (), is a professional basketball club based in Holon, Israel. The team plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League (the top tier of Israeli basketball), and internationally in the Basketball Champions League. The ...

and Maccabi Ashdod. In 2002 he played 4 games for Leicester Riders, averaging 22.5 points and 8.8 rebounds before being released in late November 2002. He ended his professional career in Israel, where he signed for Ironi Ramat Gan: he played 18 games (17 starts) averaging 14.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 31.8 minutes per game.

References

External links

Career stats at ProBallers.comProfile at RealGM.comIsraeli league stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faulkner, Jamal 1971 births Living people Basketball players from New York City American expatriate basketball people in the Dominican Republic American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Poland American expatriate basketball people in Portugal American expatriate basketball people in Sweden American expatriate basketball people in the United Kingdom American men's basketball players Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball players Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball players Chorale Roanne Basket players Hapoel Holon B.C. players Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan players Leicester Riders players Maccabi Ashdod B.C. players McDonald's High School All-Americans Oklahoma City Cavalry players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards S.L. Benfica basketball players Small forwards Uppsala Basket players Cheshire Academy alumni 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen Titanes de Morovis players