Antawn Cortez Jamison (; born June 12, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He serves as director of pro personnel for the Washington Wizards. Jamison played college basketball for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...

, being named

national player of the year National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

in 1998. He was selected by the Toronto Raptors as the fourth overall pick of the

1998 NBA draft The 1998 NBA draft took place on June 24, 1998, at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This draft helped turn around four struggling franchises: the Dallas Mavericks, the Sacramento Kings, the Boston Celtics, and the Tor ...

before being traded to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

for former Tar Heel teammate Vince Carter. Named to the NBA All-Rookie Team with the Warriors, Jamison was a two-time All-Star and won the

NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming off the bench as a substit ...

in 2004. He was a member of the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

. Upon his retirement from the NBA, he worked as an analyst for Time Warner Cable SportsNet and as a scout for 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 league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

before being hired by the Washington Wizards as their director of pro personnel in 2019.

Early years

Jamison was born in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

. His parents named him "Antwan", but the hospital misspelled it "Antawn" on his birth certificate. The error was never corrected, but the pronunciation (as "Antoine") did not change. Jamison played basketball and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

(as a quarterback) at Quail Hollow Middle School in Charlotte, North Carolina. He went on to play high school basketball at Charlotte's Providence High School, where he was named a McDonald's All-American after his senior season, during which he averaged 27 points, 13 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game.

College career

Jamison played three seasons of college basketball for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, averaging 19.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. In his junior year, he was awarded both the Naismith and Wooden Awards as the most outstanding men's college basketball player for the 1997–98 season. Jamison decided to forgo his senior year of eligibility and enter the NBA draft in 1998. He subsequently returned and earned a B.A. in Afro-American and African studies, graduating in August 1999. On March 1, 2000, Jamison's #33 was retired at the

Dean E. Smith Center The Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center (commonly known as the Dean Smith Center, Smith Center, or the Dean Dome) is a multi-purpose arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, used primarily as the home for the University of North Carolina at Ch ...

, the seventh Tar Heel so honored.

Professional career

Golden State Warriors (1998–2003)

Jamison was selected with the fourth pick of the

by the Toronto Raptors, who then dealt his rights to the

in exchange for former North Carolina teammate and best friend Vince Carter. Jamison spent the first five years of his NBA career with the Warriors. He scored a career-high 51 points on two occasions, back-to-back against Seattle and the Lakers (the Warriors won that game). He averaged a career-high 24.9 points per game in 2000–01, his third season in the league.

Dallas Mavericks (2003–2004)

In 2003, Jamison was traded to 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 (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

in a nine-player deal that sent him, forwards

Danny Fortson Daniel Anthony Fortson (born March 27, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played the power forward and center position in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1997 to 2007. Early life Although born in P ...

and Chris Mills, and guard

Jiří Welsch Jiří Welsch () (born 27 January 1980) is a Czech former professional basketball player for BK Pardubice of the Czech Republic National Basketball League. He has also represented the senior Czech Republic national basketball team. Welsch has ...

to the Mavs and guard Nick Van Exel, center Evan Eschmeyer, guard Avery Johnson, and forwards Popeye Jones and Antoine Rigaudeau to the Warriors. With Dallas, Jamison experienced his first winning season in 2003–04 as the Mavericks finished 52–30 and made the playoffs, which also marked the first time in his career that Jamison had experienced post-season play. Jamison was named as the NBA's

Sixth Man of the Year The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming off the bench as a substitu ...

for his efforts. The Mavericks suffered a setback in the first round, falling in five games to the Sacramento Kings.

Washington Wizards (2004–2010)

At season's end Jamison was traded again, this time to the Wizards, in exchange for former Tar Heel Jerry Stackhouse, Christian Laettner, and a first-round draft pick (which turned out to be University of Wisconsin–Madison point guard, Devin Harris). In the 2004–05 season with the Wizards, he was named to the NBA All-Star team for the first time in his career and the Wizards enjoyed a solid 45–37 win–loss season, their finest effort in 26 years. They also made the playoffs for the first time since 1997 and advanced to the second round for the first time since 1982. In 2006, Jamison played for the US national team in the

2006 FIBA World Championship The 2006 FIBA World Championship was the 15th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Japan and held from 19 August to 3 September 2006. It was co-organised by ...

, winning a bronze medal. Jamison led the Wizards against 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 league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

in the first round of the 2007 playoffs. Jamison averaged 32 points and 10 rebounds per game during the series. During the 2007–08 season, Jamison was named to his second NBA Eastern All-Star team. On June 30, 2008, Jamison signed a four-year, $50 million contract with the Wizards.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2010–2012)

Antawn Jamison Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks cropped

On February 17, 2010, Jamison was traded to the

as part of a three-team, six-player trade that sent Al Thornton from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Washington Wizards, Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, a 2010 first-round pick and the rights to Emir Preldžič from Cleveland to Washington,

Drew Gooden Andrew Melvin Gooden III (born September 24, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player who is currently a broadcaster for NBC Sports Washington. The power forward played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). ...

from Washington to Los Angeles and Sebastian Telfair from Los Angeles to Cleveland. In his first game with the

against the Charlotte Bobcats, Jamison scored only two points from two free throws as he went 0 for 12 from the field. In his second game with the Cavaliers, Jamison scored 19 points against 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 establ ...

. The Cleveland Cavaliers made the NBA playoffs as the team with the best record. The Cavaliers defeated

Derrick Rose Derrick Martell Rose (born October 4, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the Memphis Tigers before being drafted ...

and the Chicago Bulls in five games, but fell to 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 t ...

in 6 games. Weeks after the series, Jamison's teammate LeBron James left the Cavaliers, to join the Miami Heat alongside

Dwyane Wade Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. (; born January 17, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Wade spent the majority of his 16-year career playing for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won three NBA champi ...

and Chris Bosh. The Cavaliers had very little success in the

2010–11 NBA season The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The season concluded with the Dallas Mavericks defeating the M ...

, setting an NBA record 26-game losing streak (breaking a mark set by the franchise in 1983). That streak was finally snapped with a 126–119 overtime win against the Los Angeles Clippers. In January 2011, Jamison said that he was considering retirement, and that his 2011–12 season could be his last. On February 27, in a loss to the 76ers, Jamison was fouled and broke his left pinky. He underwent a surgery, and would be out the rest of the season. He finished his 14th NBA season in 2011–12 with averages of 17.2 points and 6.3 rebounds.

Los Angeles Lakers (2012–2013)

On July 25, 2012, Jamison signed with the

for the NBA veteran's minimum. On November 30 against the

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 ...

, he scored a season-high 33 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, becoming the first Laker since

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

in 1998 to record a 30/10 game as a reserve. However, coach Mike D'Antoni did not play him for multiple games, partially due to Jamison's inconsistent shooting and subpar defense. On January 4, 2013, he played against the Los Angeles Clippers for the first time after six games on the bench. On January 6, he entered in the first quarter against the

and hit a jumper for his first points since December 13. He played four minutes before being benched the rest of the game. Jamison again became a part of the Lakers' regular rotation after forward Pau Gasol was out with a foot injury. After the early communication issues with D'Antoni, their relationship improved significantly.

Los Angeles Clippers (2013–2014)

On August 28, 2013, Jamison signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. On December 11, 2013, in the second quarter against the Boston Celtics, Jamison scored a 3-pointer which took his career points tally past the 20,000 mark, becoming just the 39th player in NBA history to achieve this. On February 20, 2014, Jamison was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for the draft rights to Cenk Akyol. He was waived by the Hawks the next day.

Retirement and legacy

Jamison retired from the NBA in 2014. Of all former NBA players that are (or have been) eligible for election to the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

, Jamison is one of only two players (along with

Tom Chambers Tom or Thomas Chambers may refer to: Government and politics * Sir Thomas Chambers (colonial administrator) (died 1692), British administrator and factor of the British East India Company in Madras * Sir Thomas Chambers (British politician) (1814 ...

) to have scored 20,000 or more career points without being elected to the Hall.

Post-NBA career

In October 2014, Jamison retired from professional basketball and became a broadcaster for Time Warner Cable SportsNet as a TV analyst for the Los Angeles Lakers. On October 3, 2017, Jamison was hired in a scouting role by the Los Angeles Lakers. In August 2019, he was hired by the Wizards to become their director of pro personnel.

Philanthropy

Jamison awarded his first Antawn C. Jamison Scholarship at his high school alma mater in 2003. Jamison has also launched a campaign which he calls "A Better Tomorrow" which he hopes to use to provide the underprivileged with a chance at a better future. He says of the project: "As a professional athlete, I have an obligation to help those less fortunate. I really enjoy being in a position to aid my community – both in the Bay Area and back home in Charlotte – and put a smile on somebody's face. That is what it is all about. I think it is especially important to give back during the holidays, when people tend to feel a little down if things are not going too well."

Career statistics

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1995–96 , style="text-align:left;", North Carolina , 32 , , 29 , , 32.9 , , .624 , , .000 , , .596 , , 9.7 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 1.0 , , 15.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1996–97 , style="text-align:left;", North Carolina , 35 , , * , , 34.3 , , .544 , , .182 , , .621 , , 9.4 , , 0.9 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 19.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1997–98 , style="text-align:left;", North Carolina''1997–98 UNC Team Stats (Players with 5+ MPG)'', in ''Tar Heel Tip-Off 2010–2011'', Maple Leaf Press, 2010, p. 112. , 37 , , * , , 33.2 , , .579 , , .400 , , .667 , , 10.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.8 , , 0.8 , , 22.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 104 , , * , , 33.5 , , .577 , , .296 , , .617 , , 9.9 , , 0.9 , , 0.9 , , .8 , , 19.0

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 47 , , 24 , , 22.5 , , .452 , , .300 , , .588 , , 6.4 , , .7 , , .8 , , .3 , , 9.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 43 , , 41 , , 36.2 , , .471 , , .286 , , .611 , , 8.3 , , 2.1 , , .7 , , .3 , , 19.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 82 , , 82 , , 41.4 , , .442 , , .302 , , .715 , , 8.7 , , 2.0 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , 24.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 82 , , 82 , , 37.0 , , .447 , , .324 , , .734 , , 6.8 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , .5 , , 19.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 82 , , 82 , , 39.3 , , .470 , , .311 , , .789 , , 7.0 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , .5 , , 22.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Dallas , 82 , , 2 , , 29.0 , , .535 , , .400 , , .748 , , 6.3 , , .9 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 14.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Washington , 68 , , 68 , , 38.3 , , .437 , , .341 , , .760 , , 7.6 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .2 , , 19.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Washington , 82 , , 80 , , 40.1 , , .442 , , .394 , , .731 , , 9.3 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 20.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Washington , 70 , , 70 , , 38.0 , , .450 , , .364 , , .736 , , 8.0 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , 19.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Washington , 79 , , 79 , , 38.7 , , .436 , , .339 , , .760 , , 10.2 , , 1.5 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 21.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Washington , 81 , , 81 , , 38.2 , , .468 , , .351 , , .754 , , 8.9 , , 1.9 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 22.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Washington , 41 , , 41 , , 38.9 , , .420 , , .345 , , .700 , , 8.8 , , 1.3 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 20.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Cleveland , 25 , , 23 , , 32.4 , , .485 , , .342 , , .506 , , 7.7 , , 1.3 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , 15.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Cleveland , 56 , , 38 , , 32.9 , , .427 , , .346 , , .731 , , 6.7 , , 1.7 , , .9 , , .5 , , 18.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Cleveland , 65 , , 65 , , 33.1 , , .403 , , .341 , , .683 , , 6.3 , , 2.0 , , .8 , , .7 , , 17.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Lakers , 76 , , 6 , , 21.5 , , .464 , , .361 , , .691 , , 4.8 , , .7 , , .4 , , .3 , , 9.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

L.A. Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

, 22 , , 0 , , 11.3 , , .315 , , .195 , , .720 , , 2.5 , , .4 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.8 , - , align="center" colspan="2" , Career , 1083 , , 864 , , 34.8 , , .451 , , .346 , , .724 , , 7.5 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 18.5 , - , align="center" colspan="2" , All-Star , 2 , , 0 , , 12.5 , , .375 , , .333 , , .000 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , .0 , , .5 , , 3.5

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, align="left" , Dallas , 5 , , 0 , , 21.8 , , .456 , , .250 , , .733 , , 5.0 , , .4 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 13.0 , - , align="left" ,

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, align="left" , Washington , 10 , , 10 , , 38.0 , , .451 , , .500 , , .688 , , 6.3 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .4 , , 18.5 , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , Washington , 6 , , 6 , , 42.2 , , .424 , , .313 , , .778 , , 7.2 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 19.2 , - , 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 of Pakistan, Pr ...

, align="left" , Washington , 4 , , 4 , , 43.3 , , .476 , , .346 , , .750 , , 9.8 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , 32.0 , - , 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; ...

, align="left" , Washington , 6 , , 6 , , 39.5 , , .406 , , .280 , , .571 , , 12.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , 16.8 , - , 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 ...

, align="left" , Cleveland , 11 , , 11 , , 34.1 , , .467 , , .256 , , .732 , , 7.4 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , 1.0 , , 15.3 , - , align="left" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, align="left" , L.A. Lakers , 4 , , 0 , , 19.8 , , .435 , , .417 , , .667 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , .3 , , .5 , , 7.3 , - , align="center" colspan="2" , Career , 46 , , 37 , , 34.9 , , .448 , , .341 , , .706 , , 7.2 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .7 , , 17.2

Career highs

*Points: 51 (2 times) *Rebounds: 23 vs. New York 01/30/10 *Assists: 7 (7 times) *Steals: 6 (5 times) *Blocks: 5 vs. Miami 12/15/06

References

External links

Jamison's official website

NBA.com profileFIBA interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jamison, Antawn 1976 births Living people 2006 FIBA World Championship players 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Shreveport, Louisiana Basketball players from Charlotte, North Carolina Cleveland Cavaliers players Dallas Mavericks players Golden State Warriors players Los Angeles Lakers announcers Los Angeles Lakers players McDonald's High School All-Americans National Basketball Association All-Stars North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Power forwards (basketball) Small forwards Toronto Raptors draft picks United States men's national basketball team players Washington Wizards players 20th-century African-American sportspeople