Jonathan Tavernari () is a 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 from
São Bernardo do Campo
São Bernardo do Campo () is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of São Paulo.
It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 810,729 (2022 census) in an area of .
According to 2021 data from ...
.
Early years
Tavernari started playing basketball with his mother, Thelma, as a 6-year-old boy in Sao Bernardo. He played with older teams, first being inserted in organized basketball at the age of 9, playing with
13 years old boys, impressing right away. At 11, he played with 12 years old kids, and became the MVP of the state of São Paulo. Age 12, he became the MVP of the South American continent. After his Under 14 season, achieving yearly regional and state championships, Jonathan played 2 years for the renowned club
Esporte Clube Pinheiros
The Esporte Clube Pinheiros, founded on 7 September 1899, by German immigrants, under the name Sport Club Germânia (Sport Club Germany), is a multi-sports and social club located in the Brazilian metropolis São Paulo. The full name of the cl ...
, leading them to back-to-back undefeated regional and state championships, amassing a 61–0 record. At 15, he was selected to play with the Brazilian National Team, and 16, became the Team Captain, ending the South American Tournament U16 in 2003 losing to Venezuela, featuring NBA player
Greivis Vasquez. After that year, he transferred to the US to continue his education and career.
High school

Tavernari attended
Bishop Gorman High School
Bishop Gorman High School (commonly referred to as Gorman or BGHS) is a four-year private, Roman Catholic college preparatory school located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school is administered by the Archdiocese of Las Vegas. The school opened i ...
in
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
. He averaged a state-high 23.1 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game, leading the Gaels to a 25–2 record, reaching the State Final Four. That season featured Tavernari being nominated to the McDonald's All-American team, as well as the Full-Court and Pangos All-American Teams. He led Gorman to a national ranking of 17th, with wins over many perennial powerhouses such as Mater Dei and Bishop O'Connell. Up to that point, Tavernari was considered to be the top high schooler to ever come out of Brazil. He committed to
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...
out of high school, despite over a dozen offers from schools like UCLA, Florida, Washington State, Virginia Tech and Pitt.
College career

As a freshman for the Cougars, he was named
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on Ja ...
Freshman of the Year while averaging 6.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game for the regular season conference-champion Cougars. He was named to the All-MWC Third Team in both his sophomore and junior seasons, while setting program records on both years for three points made. He was named team captain for the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons. During his senior year, Tavernari opted to become the team's 6th man, helping the Cougars climb into the Top 10. As an "luxurious reserve", he became one of the country's top 6th man, earning praises from ESPN's Jay Bilas, and becoming Mountain West Conference 6th Man of the Year. Tavernari is one of the few players in MWC history to earn two of its individual awards (Freshman & 6th Man honors). He is the first player in BYU history to win the 6th Man of The Year award. Tavernari finished his tenure at BYU as the winningest player in school history, tapping 105 wins, setting school records in games played (132), three-pointers made, (262), being in the top 15 in points and top 10 in steals and rebounds. During his 4-year tenure in Provo, Jonathan led the Cougars to 4 consecutive Top 25 finishes, including a then-best 10th ranking in over 20 years. JT is one of the all-time greats at BYU, winning back-to-back-to-back MWC championships in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Tavernari is the most decorated Brazilian basketball player in NCAA history, both in team and individual stats, such as wins, championships won and NCAA Tournament participation, points scored, three-point shots made and steals.
Professional career
After graduating from BYU, Tavernari signed a 3-year deal contract with
Pallacanestro Biella
Pallacanestro Biella, known as Angelico Biella for sponsorship reasons, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Biella, Piedmont. It plays in the second division Serie A2 Basket, Serie A2 as of the 2015–16 season.
For past club spons ...
. During his first season, 2010-2011, he did not play, due to transfer issues. At the end of the season, Jonathan received his Italian Citizenship, due to his father's heritage. In the 2011-2012 season, Tavernari started the season with Biella, playing well in the preseason games, and appearing a few times in the Italian League, Serie A. In January,
Pistoia Basket 2000
A.S. Pistoia Basket 2000, known for sponsorship reasons as Giorgio Tesi Group Pistoia, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Pistoia, Tuscany.
History
The city of Pistoia was formerly represented in the first division Lega Basket Ser ...
acquired Jonathan in a loan from Biella for the remainder of the season. On his debut for Pistoia, Jonathan had a brilliant start, going for 16 points and helping the Tuscan team to a home win against LegaDue's Imola. From January to May, Pistoia and Jonathan were neck to neck with Reggio Emilia to win the coveted promotion prize to the first division. Pistoia came up short, and had to try to win the second guaranteed spot through the playoffs. Pistoia lost to Brindisi in the finals, despite Jonathan's incredible performances in the playoffs against Veroli and Scafati. The head coach for Brindisi,
Piero Bucchi, mentioned after the game that Jonathan was the best 6th man in the league, and for sure would be part of his All-League Team. Tavernari was selected as the 2012 6th Man of The Year for the Italian League.
In July 2012, Tavernari signed a 1+1 year-deal with Scafati. In June 2013, JT signed a one-year deal with
Esporte Clube Pinheiros
The Esporte Clube Pinheiros, founded on 7 September 1899, by German immigrants, under the name Sport Club Germânia (Sport Club Germany), is a multi-sports and social club located in the Brazilian metropolis São Paulo. The full name of the cl ...
, a professional team in São Paulo, Brazil, and the club he grew up playing for.
Pinheiros
Pinheiros (, "pine trees") is a district in the subprefecture of the same name in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Prior to development, the land which this borough occupies was dominated by the dense forest which contained a Brazilian subtropi ...
participated in the São Paulo League, the
Novo Basquete Brasil
Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB; English: New Basketball Brazil) is the Brazilian premier professional men's basketball league. It is organized by the Liga Nacional de Basquete (LNB; English: National Basketball League), in a new format of Brazil's pr ...
,
FIBA Americas League
The FIBA Americas League ( Portuguese: ''FIBA Liga das Américas'', Spanish: ''FIBA Liga de las Américas''), officially abbreviated as the LDA, was the premier intercontinental basketball club competition played annually by clubs of the entire ...
, and the
World Cup for Clubs against
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...
, coming in 2nd place. In July 2014, he then moved back to Europe, to play for
Derthona Basket
Derthona Basket, known for sponsorship reasons as Bertram Derthona Tortona, is an Italian professional basketball team of the city of Tortona, in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont.
The team has achieved the promotion to the Lega Basket Serie ...
. For the 2015-2016 season, Tavernari remained in Italy, signing with Agropoli. There he led the newly promoted team to the second best record of the season, being one of the three main players along with Marc Trasolini and Terrence Roderick Jr. The Dolphins were poised for a long post season run, when Tavernari fractured his right foot and missed the remainder of the season. Following his year in Agropoli, JT signed with perennial European contenders Mens Sana Siena.
On July 6, 2018, Tavernari signed a 1-year contract with
Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) powerhouse
Dinamo Basket Sassari
Polisportiva Dinamo, commonly known as Dinamo Sassari and currently known as Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari for sponsorship reasons, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Sassari, Sardinia. They are the 2018–19 European ...
. After strong performances and a great positive presence within the locker room, Dinamo extended Jonathan's contract until 2020.
On July 17, 2018, Tavernari left Sassari after one year and signed with the Italian club
Pallacanestro Cantù
Pallacanestro Cantù, known for sponsorship reasons as Acqua S.Bernardo Cantù, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Cantù, Lombardy. On the European-wide club competition scene, Cantù is second to Real Madrid – agai ...
.
Midway through the 2018-2019 season, Tavernari forced a trade from Cantù back to Scafati, due to financial problems from the Brianzolo team. Jonathan finished the season with a 20 points performance going 6–11 from long range. He averaged 40% from behind the arc that season.
National team career
Tavernari is also a member of the
Brazilian national basketball team
The Brazil national basketball team is governed by the Brazilian Basketball Confederation (), abbreviated as CBB. They have been a member of the International Federation of Basketball (FIBA), since 1935. Brazil's national basketball team remain ...
. He made his debut for the team at the
2008 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men
The FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men 2008 was the final qualifying tournament for the Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men, 2008 Olympic men's basketball tournament. Organized by FIBA, it took place from 14 to 20 July 2008 ...
. He was also a member of the Brazil team that won the gold medal at the
2009 FIBA Americas Championship
The 2009 FIBA Americas Championship, later known as the FIBA AmeriCup, was the continental championship held by FIBA Americas, for North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. This FIBA AmeriCup championship served as a qualifying tourname ...
. Tavernari saw action in four games off the bench for the Brazilians, scoring nine points each in victories over
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
and
Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
. During the summer of 2010, Tavernari helped Brazil win gold at the South American Championships in Neiva, Colombia. While averaging a team second-best 11 points, Tavernari led the team in shooting percentage at 60%.
Profile
at usbasket.com That is, to this day, the last South American Championship won by Brazil.
Off the court
Jonathan, and his wife Kiri, do extensive volunteer work with refugees around the world. They constantly do service projects collecting food, clothes, toys and personal hygiene kits for those arriving in Utah and Italy. As an outspoken Latter-day Saint, Tavernari often speaks publicly about his faith and life experiences.
After basketball, JT worked for ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
, ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio, which is alternatively branded platform-agnostically as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the banner "SportsRadio ESPN". The netw ...
and BYUtv
BYUtv is an American television channel and free family-friendly streaming service, founded in 2000, which is owned and operated as a part of Brigham Young University (BYU). The channel, available on most smart TVs or through cable and satellite ...
until the COVID-19 pandemic halted the 2019-2020 college basketball season. That led Tavernari to become involved with tech companies and started his journey as a businessman, leading startups in global RevOps.
In 2022, Tavernari started a youth basketball team called Utah Magic, coaching boys from the 2031 graduating class. The Magic has significantly improved over the years, and starting Fall 2025, they will be a member of the Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...
Jr. 3SSB Traveling Circuit.
Personal life
Tavernari is the son of a basketball coaching legend (his mother Thelma), and of a sports administrative figure (father Roberto). He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
, being baptized on July 16, 2005. On September 9, 2009, he married Kiri Anne, his college sweetheart, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
In 2012, Jonathan and Kiri gave birth to their son, Xander. In 2020, the couple welcomed their second son, Zion.
On February 21, 2023, Jonathan officially became a United States citizen.
References
External links
LatinBasket.com Profile
Italian League Profile
*
BYU Basketball Record Book
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tavernari, Jonathan
1987 births
Living people
Bishop Gorman High School alumni
Brazilian expatriate basketball people in the United States
Brazilian men's basketball players
Brazilian people of Italian descent
BYU Cougars men's basketball players
Dinamo Sassari players
Esporte Clube Pinheiros basketball players
Italian men's basketball players
Lega Basket Serie A players
Mens Sana Basket players
Novo Basquete Brasil players
Pallacanestro Biella players
Pallacanestro Cantù players
Sportspeople from São Bernardo do Campo
Pistoia Basket 2000 players
Scafati Basket players
Shooting guards
Small forwards
Derthona Basket players
21st-century Italian sportsmen
21st-century Brazilian sportsmen