James Mitchell Cleamons (born September 13, 1949) 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 and was a coach in the NBA and at the college and high school levels. He was an assistant coach on nine

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) championship teams.

Early life

Cleamons was born on September 13, 1949, in

Lincolnton, North Carolina Lincolnton is a city in Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States within the Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 11,091 at the 2020 census, with an estimated population of 12,128, as of 2023. Lincolnton is northwest of Charlo ...

. He grew up in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, and graduated from Linden-McKinley High School in 1967. He played on an Ohio state championship basketball team at Linden-McKinley.

College

Cleamons attended

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

in Columbus, earning a degree in education. He played on its basketball team as a swingman. He played forward as a sophomore and junior, and

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

his senior year (1970–71). In 1971, he was team captain and led the team to a

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

championship. The team had a 20–6 record overall. In the 1971 NCAA tournament, the Buckeyes defeated Marquette in the regional semifinals, but lost to Western Kentucky in overtime at the regional finals. Ohio State finished the season ranked 10th in the nation by the Associated Press (AP). He averaged 18.5

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

and 7.3 rebounds per game over three years. He was selected first team All-Big Ten for the 1970-71 season.

Playing career

Cleamons was selected by the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

with the 13th pick of the 1971 NBA draft. He had a nine-year NBA career for four teams (the Lakers, 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 ...

, 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 ...

, and the

Washington Bullets 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 ...

). In 1976, Cleamons was selected to the NBA All-Defense 2nd team. His playing height and weight are listed as 6 ft 3 in (1.91m), 185 pounds (84 kg). In 1971-72, Cleamons was the only rookie playing on a Lakers team that won 33 straight games, finished the regular season 69–13, and won the NBA championship. It is considered one of the greatest teams in league history. As back-up point guard to future hall of fame player

Jerry West Jerry Alan West (May 28, 1938 – June 12, 2024) was an American basketball player and executive. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and is widely regarded as one of the greatest ...

, Cleamons averaged only 5.3 minutes per game. In August 1972, the Lakers traded Cleamons to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second round draft pick. On hearing he was traded, Cleamons cried. He was a part-time player during his first two years in Cleveland, but in the 1974-75 season his playing time increased to over 36 minutes per game. He started every game in the 1975-76 season for the Cavaliers, averaging a career high 12.2 points per game, along with 4.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. This was the Cavaliers first truly successful squad in its six-year history, and became known as the "Miracle of Richfield" team under coach Bill Fitch. Cleamons was a key young player on a team that included a focus on "dogged defense". The team won its first playoff round over the

in a dramatic seven game series decided by two points in the final game, but lost to the Boston Celtics in the next round. Cleamons' most memorable play as a Cavalier came in Game 5 of the Bullets series, when he grabbed a Bingo Smith air ball and put in the game-winning layup in the game's last seconds. Cleamons played one more season in Cleveland, and signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks in October 1977, with the Cavaliers receiving the 32-year old Walt Frazier as compensation. Cleamons played two full seasons with the Knicks, and early in his third season (1979–80), he was traded to the Bullets for a 1981 third round draft pick. He was the first Knick to make a three-point field goal in the regular season. He averaged 26.9 minutes per game in 57 games for the Bullets, in what was his final NBA season as a player.

Coaching career

After retiring as a player, Cleamons began coaching at the college level. He was an assistant coach at Furman (1982–83) and Ohio State (1983-1987), and became head coach at Youngstown State from 1987-89. Cleamons had been a teammate of

Phil Jackson Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jackson is a 13-time NBA champion, having won two as a player and 11 as ...

when they played together with the Knicks. They both knew basketball and had "basketball chemistry" in discussing the game. A decade later, in 1989, when Jackson became head coach of the Chicago Bulls, he invited Cleamons to join his staff, and Cleamons eventually did so. He would be Jackon's assistant on nine NBA championship teams with the Bulls and Lakers, coaching both

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

and

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...

(among others). Cleamons worked as an assistant coach for the Bulls from 1989 to 1996. He was the head coach of 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

for slightly over one year, from 1996 to 1997. He then was the head coach of the Chicago Condors of the American Basketball league, a short-lived women's professional basketball league in the mid Nineties. He was an assistant coach again with Jackson with the Lakers, from 1999-2004 and 2006-11. Between the two periods with the Lakers, he was an assistant with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (2004-2006). In 2011, Cleamons became a coach in 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 ...

. In 2013, he became an assistant with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

for one season. For a few games during his tenure with the Lakers, he served as acting head coach while Phil Jackson was absent. In 2014, Jackson hired Cleamons to join the

coaching staff under Derek Fisher. In 2017, Cleamons accepted a position as an assistant coach for the Yeshiva University of Los Angeles (YULA) high school boys basketball team. He was not on the coaching staff for the 2019-2020 season.

Personal life

In late 2019 and early 2020, Cleamons served as an NBA basketball ambassador in Africa and Australia. In 2020, he and his wife returned to live in Columbus. He coached the Ohio team in the 2022 HCBU College Basketball All Star Game. Since moving back to Columbus he has served as a motivational speaker and basketball instructor to high school youth.

Honors

In 1984, he was inducted into the Ohio State Hall of Fame. In 2008, he was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2019, he was inducted into the Ohio High School Circle of Champions.

Career playing statistics

NBA

Source

Regular season

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" !Year !Team !GP !GS !MPG !FG% !3P% !FT% !RPG !APG !SPG !BPG !PPG , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 38 , , , , 5.3 , , .350 , , , , .778 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , , , , , 2.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

, 80 , , , , 17.4 , , .454 , , , , .743 , , 2.1 , , 2.6 , , , , , , 5.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , , , 20.3 , , .433 , , , , .699 , , 2.8 , , 2.8 , , .8 , , .2 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , , , 36.4 , , .480 , , , , .796 , , 4.4 , , 5.1 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 11.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 34.6 , , .466 , , , , .798 , , 4.3 , , 5.2 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 60 , , , , 34.1 , , .434 , , , , .757 , , 4.6 , , 5.1 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, 79 , , 44 , , 25.4 , , .480 , , , , .786 , , 2.7 , , 3.6 , , .9 , , .2 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 71 , , 30.3 , , .473 , , , , .760 , , 2.8 , , 4.8 , , .9 , , .1 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 22 , , 0 , , 11.5 , , .435 , , .375 , , .800 , , .9 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .1 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 57 , , , , 26.9 , , .483 , , .174 , , .735 , , 2.3 , , 4.4 , , .8 , , .2 , , 7.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 652 , , 197 , , 26.1 , , .460 , , .226 , , .765 , , 3.0 , , 3.9 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 8.3

Playoffs

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" !Year !Team !GP !MPG !FG% !3P% !FT% !RPG !APG !SPG !BPG !PPG , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

† , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 6 , , 2.8 , , .571 , , , , – , , .7 , , .7 , , , , , , 1.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

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

, 13 , , 38.7 , , .397 , , , , .825 , , 5.5 , , 4.7 , , .6 , , .2 , , 13.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

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

, 6 , , 21.2 , , .389 , , , , 1.000 , , 2.2 , , 3.8 , , .5 , , .0 , , 5.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, style="text-align:left;", Washington , 2 , , 10.0 , , .000 , , – , , – , , .5 , , .5 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 27 , , 24.7 , , .396 , , – , , .848 , , 3.3 , , 3.3 , , .6 , , .1 , , 8.2

Head coaching record

College

NBA

, - , align="left" ,

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, align="left" , , 82, , 24, , 58, , .293, , align="center" , 5th in Midwest, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center" , Missed Playoffs , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 16, , 4, , 12, , .250, , align="center" , (fired), , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center" , — , -class="sortbottom" , align="left" , Career , , , 98, , 28, , 70, , .286, , , , —, , —, , —, , —

References

External links

BasketballReference.com: Jim Cleamons (as coach)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleamons, Jim 1949 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen African-American basketball coaches American expatriate basketball people in China American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from North Carolina Basketball players from North Carolina Cleveland Cavaliers players Chicago Bulls assistant coaches Dallas Mavericks head coaches Dallas Mavericks expansion draft picks Furman Paladins men's basketball coaches Guards (basketball) Indiana Pacers draft picks Los Angeles Lakers assistant coaches Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Los Angeles Lakers players Milwaukee Bucks assistant coaches New Orleans Hornets assistant coaches New York Knicks assistant coaches New York Knicks players Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball coaches Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball players People from Lincolnton, North Carolina Washington Bullets players Youngstown State Penguins men's basketball coaches