Jameer Lamar Nelson Sr. (born February 9, 1982) 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who serves as assistant general manager for the Delaware Blue Coats of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the Saint Joseph's Hawks, where he was named national college player of the year in 2004. Drafted 20th overall in the 2004 NBA draft, Nelson spent the first ten years of his NBA career with the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was estab ...

. In 2009, he was named an All-Star and made an appearance in the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is aw ...

with the Magic. He has also played for the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. 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 league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...

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 league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their home ...

and

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

High school career

Nelson attended Chester High School in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester ...

and was a letterman in basketball. In 2000, he helped lead his team to the PIAA AAAA State championship.

College career

Nelson began his play at Saint Joseph's University in the 2000–01 season. He had a breakout freshman season in which he was named unanimous National Freshman of the Year. During his junior season in 2002–03, he averaged 19.7 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, and 4.7 assists per game. He declared for the 2003 NBA draft, but later decided to remain for his senior season. Nelson led the Saint Joseph's Hawks to a 27–0 regular season record in 2003–04. The Hawks' first loss came in the Atlantic 10 tournament to Xavier. 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 The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater. The program's mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates at the National Col ...

' 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 fell short). 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 received the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award his final year, recognizing him as the nation's top senior men's basketball player. He left the Hawks as the best player in the program's history, as its all-time leader in scoring (2,094 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 2004 Bob Cousy Award, the Rupp Trophy, the Oscar Robertson Trophy and many more accolades, including being featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Nelson was the first Atlantic 10 athlete to be on the cover of the magazine since

Mark Macon Mark L. Macon (''born April 14, 1969'') is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He is the former head coach of Binghamton University and a current staff member at his alma mater, Temple University. Playing career Macon ...

in 1988.

Professional career

Orlando Magic (2004–2014)

Nelson was selected with the 20th overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft by the

, and was subsequently traded to the

for a 2005 first-round draft pick. Though many speculated he would be a top 10 pick, he fell to number 20, and the Magic were able to acquire both Nelson and Dwight Howard in the same draft. As a rookie, Nelson served as the primary backup to the Magic's All-Star point guard Steve Francis. Due to Nelson's impressive play, the Magic moved Francis to shooting guard to make room for Nelson to start at point guard. He was named to the

NBA All-Rookie Second Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...

, and garnered Rookie of the Year consideration. On February 22, 2006, the Magic dealt Francis to 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 New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associa ...

, paving the way for Nelson to become the long-term starting point guard of Orlando. Nelson's play improved with the mid-season trade of Francis, finishing the season with averages of 14.6 points and 5 assists per game on 48.3% field goal shooting. The following year, Nelson helped lead the Magic back into the postseason for the first time since 2003. He averaged 14.3 points, 3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game during the NBA playoffs, however the Magic were ultimately swept by the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the first round. During the 2008 All-Star weekend Slam Dunk Contest, Nelson assisted teammate Dwight Howard on several of his dunks, including the famous Superman dunk. That year, the Magic once again made the playoffs, defeating the Toronto Raptors in the first round before falling to the Pistons in the second round. He averaged 16.2 points, 4.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game through the playoffs, helping Orlando to their first playoff series win in 12 years. Jameer Nelson

Nelson set career highs in points, steals, and shooting percentages during the

2008–09 NBA season The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals, four games to one. The 2008 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2008, and Derrick ...

. He, along with teammates Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis, were selected to play in the

2009 NBA All-Star Game The 2009 NBA All-Star Game was an Exhibition game, exhibition basketball game that was played on February 15, 2009, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2008–09 NBA season, 2008–09 season. It was the 58th edition of the NBA All ...

. However, a torn labrum in Nelson's right shoulder, a potential season-ending injury, forced him to miss the game. Nelson was averaging 16.7 points per game and 5.4 assists at the time. After a four-month recovery, Nelson returned for the

with the controversial decision by

Stan Van Gundy Stanley Alan Van Gundy (born August 26, 1959) is an American former basketball coach who is a National Basketball Association (NBA) game analyst for TNT. Prior to TNT, Van Gundy was most recently the head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the ...

for allowing him to play in heavy minutes by limiting

Rafer Alston Rafer Jamel Alston (born July 24, 1976), also known as Skip to my Lou or Skip 2 My Lou, is an American retired professional basketball player. Alston first gained basketball fame playing in the AND1 Mixtape Tour in 1999 before making the National ...

playing, which led the team into demise as the Magic were defeated by the Lakers in five games. On November 16, Nelson suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee, and had arthroscopic surgery to repair his knee. He returned to action on December 21. Nelson and the Magic again surged into the playoffs with their third straight Southeast Division title, sweeping the Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks before falling to the Boston Celtics in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals. He averaged 19 points and 4.8 assists per game in Orlando's 14 playoff games. Jameer Nelson pump fake cropped

On March 18, 2011, Nelson made a game winning buzzer beater against the Denver Nuggets to secure an 85-82 victory for Orlando. On April 10, 2011, Nelson's last-second three-pointer was ruled "no basket", and the Magic lost to the Chicago Bulls 102–99. Nelson and Dwight Howard, who were close friends since their rookie seasons, were on opposite sides of a trade that sent Rashard Lewis to Washington in exchange for Gilbert Arenas (Nelson considered Lewis one of the team's leaders while Howard reportedly pushed management into making the trade). Their relationship was further strained when Howard publicly stated his desire to play with a superstar point guard like Deron Williams or

Chris Paul Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985), nicknamed "CP3" and “The Point God”, is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Paul is widely regarded as one ...

, and was reportedly the driving force behind the firing of coach

. Howard eventually forced a trade to the Lakers in the 2012 offseason. Despite this, Nelson re-signed with the Magic on a three-year deal. On February 23, 2014, Nelson scored his 8020th point, passing Shaquille O'Neal for fourth place on the Magic's all-time scoring list. On June 30, 2014, he was waived by the Magic after 10 seasons with the team.

Dallas Mavericks (2014)

On July 24, 2014, Nelson signed a two-year, $5.6 million contract with the

. He appeared in 23 games for the Mavericks and averaged 7.3 points and 4.1 assists per game.

Boston Celtics (2014–2015)

On December 18, 2014, Nelson was traded, along with Jae Crowder, Brandan Wright, a 2015 first-round pick, a 2016 second-round pick and a $12.9 million trade exception, to the

in exchange for Rajon Rondo and Dwight Powell. In six games for Boston, Nelson averaged 4.8 points and 5.5 assists per game. In his second game with Boston, Nelson returned to Orlando for the first time since leaving for Dallas as a free agent.

Denver Nuggets (2015–2017)

On January 13, 2015, Nelson was traded to the

in exchange for Nate Robinson. On June 26, 2015, Nelson opted out of the remaining year of his contract with the Nuggets to become a free agent. On August 7, 2015, Nelson re-signed with the Nuggets. On October 18, 2017, Nelson was waived by the Nuggets.

New Orleans Pelicans (2017–2018)

On October 22, 2017, Nelson signed with the

Detroit Pistons (2018)

On February 1, 2018, Nelson was traded, along with Ömer Aşık, Tony Allen and a protected first-round pick, to 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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on Januar ...

in exchange for

Nikola Mirotić Nikola Mirotić ( sr-cyrl, Никола Миротић; born 11 February 1991) is a Montenegrin-Spanish professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. The power forward is a four-time All-EuroLeague Team memb ...

and a 2018 second-round pick. In addition, Chicago will have the right to swap its 2021 second-round pick with New Orleans' own 2021 second-round pick. Seven days later, he was traded to the

in exchange for Willie Reed and future second-round draft considerations.

Executive career

On November 11, 2020, the Delaware Blue Coats of the

named Nelson as the assistant general manager.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures r ...

, 79 , , 21 , , 20.4 , , .455 , , .312 , , .682 , , 2.4 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 62 , , 33 , , 28.8 , , .483 , , .424 , , .779 , , 2.9 , , 4.9 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 14.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 77 , , 30.3 , , .430 , , .335 , , .828 , , 3.1 , , 4.3 , , .9 , , .1 , , 13.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 69 , , 62 , , 28.4 , , .469 , , .416 , , .828 , , 3.5 , , 5.6 , , .9 , , .1 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 42 , , 42 , , 31.2 , , .503 , , .453 , , .887 , , 3.5 , , 5.4 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , 64 , , 28.6 , , .449 , , .381 , , .845 , , 3.0 , , 5.4 , , .7 , , .0 , , 12.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 76 , , 30.5 , , .446 , , .401 , , .802 , , 3.0 , , 6.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 57 , , 57 , , 29.9 , , .427 , , .377 , , .807 , , 3.2 , , 5.7 , , .7 , , .1 , , 11.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 56 , , 56 , , 35.3 , , .392 , , .341 , , .873 , , 3.7 , , 7.4 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , 68 , , 32.0 , , .394 , , .348 , , .857 , , 3.4 , , 7.0 , , .8 , , .1 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, 23 , , 23 , , 25.4 , , .374 , , .369 , , .875 , , 2.7 , , 4.1 , , .7 , , .1 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

, 6 , , 1 , , 20.2 , , .220 , , .200 , , .667 , , 2.8 , , 5.5 , , 1.2 , , .0 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

, 34 , , 5 , , 20.6 , , .450 , , .354 , , .579 , , 1.9 , , 3.7 , , .7 , , .1 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 39 , , 15 , , 26.6 , , .368 , , .299 , , .857 , , 2.9 , , 4.9 , , .6 , , .1 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 39 , , 27.3 , , .444 , , .388 , , .714 , , 2.6 , , 5.1 , , .7 , , .1 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, 7 , , 0 , , 16.6 , , .282 , , .071 , , 1.000 , , 1.1 , , 3.3 , , .6 , , .1 , , 3.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 878 , , 640 , , 27.9 , , .436 , , .368 , , .810 , , 3.0 , , 5.1 , , .9 , , .1 , , 11.3

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 32.3 , , .420 , , .357 , , .909 , , 3.0 , , 3.3 , , .8 , , .0 , , 14.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 10 , , 33.3 , , .504 , , .488 , , .757 , , 4.1 , , 4.7 , , .3 , , .2 , , 16.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 18.0 , , .348 , , .167 , , .500 , , 1.4 , , 2.8 , , .2 , , .0 , , 3.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 14 , , 14 , , 34.2 , , .479 , , .393 , , .823 , , 3.6 , , 4.8 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 19.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011 , style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 6 , , 36.0 , , .378 , , .231 , , .786 , , 4.2 , , 5.0 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 13.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 5 , , 36.4 , , .392 , , .320 , , .750 , , 3.8 , , 6.6 , , .8 , , .2 , , 15.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 44 , , 39 , , 32.5 , , .445 , , .372 , , .792 , , 3.5 , , 4.6 , , .8 , , .1 , , 15.0

Personal life

On August 30, 2007, Nelson's father, Floyd "Pete" Nelson, was reported missing after disappearing at his Chester

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

repair shop located along the docks of the Delaware River at Front Street and Highland Avenue. Authorities said no one saw his father fall into the water. Nelson arrived at the search scene the next morning. On September 2, 2007, Floyd Nelson's body was found floating in the Delaware River. His death was ruled accidental. He has a tattoo on his back that says ''All Eyes On Me'', and another one that says ''Accomplish Everything Without Fear''. On July 5, 2008, he married long-time girlfriend, Imani Tillery. He has one son from a previous relationship, Jameer Jr., who is a guard for The University of Delaware.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Jameer 1982 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Pennsylvania Boston Celtics players Chester High School alumni Dallas Mavericks players Denver Nuggets draft picks Denver Nuggets players Detroit Pistons players National Basketball Association All-Stars New Orleans Pelicans players Orlando Magic players Point guards Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball players Sportspeople from Chester, Pennsylvania 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people