Jameer Nelson

Jameer Nelson

File:NelsonPainting.jpg
No. 14 – Orlando Magic
Position	Point guard
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1982-02-09) February 9, 1982 Chester, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school	Chester (Pennsylvania)
College	St. Joseph's
NBA draft	2004: 20th overall
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Playing career	2004–present
Career highlights and awards
2004 Oscar Robertson Trophy 2004 John R. Wooden Award 2004 Naismith College Player of the Year 2004-05 NBA All-Rookie 2nd Team
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Jameer Nelson (born February 9, 1982 in Chester, Pennsylvania) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the NBA. He is most famous for being one of the most popular stars of men's college basketball in the early 2000s, representing Saint Joseph's University of Philadelphia.

College career

Nelson began his play at Saint Joseph's in the 2000-2001 NCAA season after winning two state championships at Chester High School. He had a breakout freshman season in which he was named unanimous National Freshman of the Year. During his junior season in 2002-2003, he averaged 19.7 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, and 4.7 assists per game. He declared for the NBA Draft in 2003, but remained for his senior season because he wanted to improve his draft status. He was the brother of Corey Nelson.

Nelson became arguably the most publicized player in the country during his senior season in 2003-2004 as he led the Saint Joseph's Hawks to a 27-0 regular season record. 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' 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 hit the front of the rim and bounced out.) 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 left the Hawks as the best player in the program's history, as its all-time leader in scoring (2094 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 Rupp Trophy, the Oscar Robertson Trophy and many more accolades, including being featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Nelson was the first Atlantic Ten athlete to be on the cover of the magazine since Mark Macon in 1988.

Saint Joseph's retired Nelson's uniform number 14 following the 2003-04 season.

Professional career

Nelson was selected 20th in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, and was subsequently traded to the Orlando Magic for a 2005 first-round draft pick. Though many speculated he would be within the top 10 picks, he fell to number 20, and the Magic, eager for a point guard, acquired Nelson.

Nelson started the NBA season off slowly, coming off the bench as a backup to point guard Steve Francis. However, later in the season he earned additional minutes and became a steady backup, consistently providing a well-rounded game. Later in the season, Nelson became the starting point guard (Francis was moved to starting shooting guard). Nelson improved the Magic's overall ball-handling, reducing turnovers, and played efficiently and consistently. He kept his starting position for the remainder of the season, with the exception of a few games under new interim head coach Chris Jent. At the end of the season, Nelson was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. On February 22, 2006, the Magic dealt Francis to the New York Knicks, paving the way for Nelson to step into the starting point guard slot.

During the 2006-2007 NBA season, Jameer Nelson averaged 13.0 points, 4.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game. He averaged 14.3 points, 3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game during the NBA playoffs this year.[1]

As a professional player, Nelson signed a shoe deal with Converse, but he does not have his own line of shoes.

During the 2008 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, Jameer assisted Dwight Howard on several of his dunks. Most notably, the Superman dunk.

Personal life

On August 30, 2007, Nelson's father, Floyd "Pete" Nelson was reported missing after disappearing at his Chester tugboat 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 Sunday, Sept. 2, Floyd Nelson's body was found floating in the Delaware River. [2]

NBA career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2004–05	Orlando	79	21	20.4	.455	.312	.682	2.4	3.0	1.0	.0	8.7
2005–06	Orlando	62	33	28.8	.483	.424	.779	2.9	4.9	1.1	.2	14.6
2006–07	Orlando	77	77	30.3	.430	.335	.828	3.1	4.3	.9	.1	13.0
2007–08	Orlando	69	62	28.4	.469	.416	.828	3.5	5.6	.9	.1	10.9
Career		287	193	26.8	.457	.372	.791	3.0	4.4	1.0	.0	11.7

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2006–07	Orlando	4	4	32.3	.420	.357	.909	3.0	3.3	.8	.0	14.3
2007–08	Orlando	10	10	33.3	.504	.488	.757	4.1	4.7	.3	.2	16.2
Career		14	14	33.0	.479	.455	.792	3.8	4.3	.4	.1	15.6

External links

• Template:NBA-profile
• Template:Basketball-reference