Jonas Jerebko (born March 2, 1987 in Kinna, Sweden) is a Swedish professional basketball player. He is 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) tall in shoes and he weighs 231 pounds (105 kg). He was selected in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, becoming the second Swedish-born basketball player to be selected in the NBA Draft.
[edit] Early years
He is the son of former Syracuse University player Chris Jerebko, who was Russian American[1] and played professionally in Sweden and settled in that country. In 2005, he signed a letter of intent to play U.S. college basketball for the University at Buffalo in his father's hometown. However, he decided to give up his scholarship in favor of a professional career.[2]
[edit] Pro career
[edit] Europe
Jerebko began his career playing with the Swedish club Marbo Basket in the 2005-06 season of the second tier (BasketEttan) and in the 2006-07 season he moved to the reigning Swedish champion team Plannja Basket in Sweden's premier league, where he also won a Swedish championship. He then moved to the Italian League club Angelico Biella in 2007.
He declared that he would enter the 2008 NBA Draft, but later withdrew, stating that he wanted to spend one more year in the Italian League to gain more experience before entering the NBA. Former college coach and current ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla considered Jerebko one of the top five European prospects in the 2009 NBA Draft.[2] He was selected in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. He is the second Swedish national player to be selected in the NBA, after the Swedish-born American Miles Simon, although Joakim Noah has a Swedish mother, and Maciej Lampe and Damir Markota are naturalized Swedish citizens. In August, he signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Pistons. His career in the NBA got off to a rough-and-tumble start; in a preseason game, Jerebko was accused of punching NBA veteran Jamaal Magloire in the face. Both players were suspended one regular season game for an ensuing fight.[3] Jerebko has not let up since that incident, relying on hustle and determination to get rebounds and steals. This has been appreciated by fans, and the Pistons promotional department began handing out Viking helmets and bandanas to fans in "Jerebko Row" for each point scored by Jerebko.[4]
On October 5, 2010, Jonas strained his right Achilles' tendon in a preseason game against the Miami Heat.[5] He missed the remainder of the 2010-2011 season.
[edit] NBA Statistics
[edit] Regular season
| Year |
Team |
GP |
GS |
MPG |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
BPG |
PPG |
| 2009–10 |
Detroit |
80 |
73 |
27.9 |
.481 |
.313 |
.710 |
6.0 |
.7 |
1.0 |
.4 |
9.3 |
| Career |
|
80 |
73 |
27.9 |
.481 |
.313 |
.710 |
6.0 |
.7 |
1.0 |
.4 |
9.3 |
[edit] Swedish national team
Jerebko currently has 10 caps with the Swedish national basketball team.
[edit] Notes and references
[edit] External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Jerebko, Jonas |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
|
| Date of birth |
March 2, 1987 |
| Place of birth |
Kinna, Sweden |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
