Dahntay Lavall Jones (born December 27, 1980) is an American 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 (appr ...

coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Associatio ...

. Jones played in the NBA as a

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

and

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

from 2003 to 2017. He won an

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

with 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 ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Early life

Jones grew up in

Hamilton Square, New Jersey Hamilton Square is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Hamilton Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, that is the site of a historic colonial village. Until the 2000 Census the area was p ...

, and starred at Steinert High School in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, from 1995 to 1998. He earned a McDonald's All-America honorable mention honor as a senior after averaging 24 points and 9 rebounds per game at Steinert.

College career

After playing

at Rutgers in his freshman and sophomore years, Jones transferred to

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

, where he earned All-

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

Honorable Mention honors in 2002 after averaging 11.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists as a junior. In his senior season, he played 33 games, averaging 17.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2003–2007)

Jones was selected by 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 ...

with the 20th overall pick in the

2003 NBA draft The 2003 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2003, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The NBA announced that 41 college and high school players and a record 31 international players had filed as early-entry candidates ...

, and his rights were later traded, along with the rights to

Troy Bell Troy Delvon Bell (born November 10, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and other leagues mostly in Europe. He is also a R&B producer. He was an All-American college player at ...

, to the Memphis Grizzlies for the rights to Kendrick Perkins and

Marcus Banks Arthur Lemarcus "Marcus" Banks III (born November 19, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. Banks is tall and . He played college basketball at the UNLV with the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball, Runnin' Rebels, where he was ...

. On November 21, 2003, he made his professional debut in a 98–97 win over the Seattle SuperSonics, recording one rebound, one assist and two blocks in eight minutes off the bench. In four professional seasons for the Grizzlies, Jones averaged 5.0 points per game.

Sacramento Kings (2007–2008)

On September 27, 2007, Jones signed with the Boston Celtics. However, he was later waived by the Celtics on October 25. On December 10, he signed with the Sacramento Kings. Four days later, he made his debut with the Kings in a 109–99 win over the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

, recording one assist and two steals in seven minutes off the bench. On February 16, 2008, he was waived by the Kings.

Fort Wayne Mad Ants (2008)

On March 21, 2008, Jones was acquired by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

. That night, he made his debut for the Mad Ants in a 125–102 loss to the Dakota Wizards, recording 18 points in 31 minutes.

Denver Nuggets (2008–2009)

upJones with the Nuggets in 2009 On July 30, 2008, Jones signed with 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 ...

. On October 29, he made his debut for the Nuggets in a 98–94 loss to the Utah Jazz, recording three points, three rebounds and one steal in 14 minutes off the bench. The Nuggets went on to reach the Western Conference Finals but were defeated 4 games to 2 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 league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

Indiana Pacers (2009–2012)

On July 14, 2009, Jones signed a four-year deal with the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

. On October 28, he made his debut for the Pacers in a 120–109 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, recording 17 points and five rebounds in 26 minutes.

Dallas Mavericks (2012–2013)

On July 12, 2012, Jones was traded, along with

Darren Collison Darren Michael Collison (born August 23, 1987) is an American professional basketball player who is a free agent. Collison played four seasons of college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He earned All-Pac-10 conference honors three times, and won ...

, 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 exchange for

Ian Mahinmi Ian Mahinmi (born November 5, 1986) is a French former professional basketball player. At 6'11" and 250 lb, he played the center position and was selected with the 28th overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs. Early life ...

. On October 30, he made his debut for the Mavericks in a 99–91 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Atlanta Hawks (2013)

On February 21, 2013, Jones was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for

Anthony Morrow Anthony Jarrad Morrow (born September 27, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who is an executive for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Georgia Tech. He ...

. The next day, he made his debut for the Hawks in a 122–108 win over the Sacramento Kings. On September 27, 2013, Jones signed with the Chicago Bulls. However, he was later waived by the Bulls on October 8, 2013. Jones did not play for the 2013–14 season.

Return to Fort Wayne (2014–2015)

On September 25, 2014, Jones signed with the Utah Jazz. However, he was later waived by the Jazz on October 22, 2014. On November 26, 2014, Jones was reacquired by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Two days later, he made his season debut in a 124–115 loss to the

Delaware 87ers Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, recording 14 points, one rebound, three assists, one steal and one block in 19 minutes off the bench.

Los Angeles Clippers (2015)

On January 14, 2015, Jones signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. Two days later, he made his debut for the Clippers in a 126–121 loss to the

. On January 24, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Clippers. On February 3, he signed with the Clippers for the rest of the season. On March 9, the league fined Jones $10,000 for bumping

Draymond Green Draymond Jamal Green Sr. (born March 4, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Green, who plays primarily at the Power forward (basketball), power forward ...

of 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 ...

during a postgame interview following the previous night's Warriors win over the Clippers. Jones denied that the bump was intentional.

Grand Rapids Drive (2015–2016)

On September 10, 2015, Jones signed with the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...

. However, he was later waived by the Nets on October 26 after appearing in four preseason games. On December 4, he was acquired by the

Grand Rapids Drive The Grand Rapids Gold are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and are affiliated with the Denver Nuggets. The Gold play their home games at Van Andel Arena. They began play as the Anaheim ...

of the NBA Development League. The next day, he made his debut for the Drive in a 128–99 win over

Raptors 905 The Raptors 905 are a Canadian professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Mississauga, Ontario, and are affiliated with the Toronto Raptors. Raptors 905 began play in the 2015–16 season and play their home games at Paramount Fi ...

, recording 13 points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 20 minutes off the bench.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2016–2017)

On April 13, 2016, Jones signed with the

. That night, he made his debut for the Cavaliers in a 112–110 loss to the Detroit Pistons, recording 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks in 42 minutes off the bench. On May 22, he was suspended for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals for striking Toronto Raptors' center

Bismack Biyombo Bismack Biyombo Sumba (born August 28, 1992) is a Congolese professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Sacramento Ki ...

in the groin during the final possession of Game 3. The Cavaliers went on to win the series in six games and advanced to the

2016 NBA Finals The 2016 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2015–16 season and conclusion of the 2016 playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the defending NBA champion and W ...

. Jones saw some early minutes in Game 6 of the NBA Finals after several teammates were in foul trouble. He finished Game 6 with five points, one rebound and one block. The Cavaliers came back from a 3–1 deficit to win the series in seven games, as Jones won his first NBA championship. Jones was waived by the Cavaliers on July 30, 2016, then re-signed on September 26, waived again on October 24, and re-signed yet again on April 12, 2017. Jones played three minutes at the end of the Cavaliers' 116–105 Game 1 Eastern Conference semifinals win over the Raptors on May 1 and picked up back-to-back technical fouls for talking trash to Toronto's

Norman Powell Norman WC Powell (born May 25, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Powell played college basketball with the UCLA Bruins, where he was an all-conference ...

, which earned him an ejection with 18.7 seconds remaining. The technicals came with a $3,000 fine attached to each of them, but due to earning only $9,127 in salary with the team for the postseason run—the veteran's minimum—teammate LeBron James covered the fine. The Cavaliers went 12–1 over the first three rounds of the playoffs to reach the NBA Finals for a third straight season. The Cavaliers played the Warriors in the

2017 NBA Finals The 2017 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2016–17 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeated the defending NBA champi ...

and lost the series in 5 games. Jones' final NBA game was Game 4 of that Finals series against Golden State on June 9, 2017. Cleveland would win the game 137 - 116 with Jones recording 1 rebound and playing for only 2 minutes (coming in at the very end of the 4th quarter, when the Cavs already built a 21-point lead to end the game).

Coaching career

On November 16, 2020, Jones was announced as a player development and video coach for the Los Angeles Clippers.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , Memphis , 20 , , 0 , , 7.8 , , .283 , , .250 , , .455 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .3 , , .3 , , 1.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Memphis , 52 , , 7 , , 12.5 , , .437 , , .383 , , .688 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , .3 , , .2 , , 4.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Memphis , 71 , , 4 , , 13.6 , , .414 , , .143 , , .645 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , .5 , , .2 , , 4.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Memphis , 78 , , 25 , , 21.4 , , .477 , , .417 , , .793 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , .5 , , .3 , , 7.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 25 , , 0 , , 8.2 , , .434 , , .167 , , .667 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , .3 , , .2 , , 3.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 79 , , 71 , , 18.1 , , .458 , , .647 , , .728 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .2 , , 5.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, 76 , , 26 , , 24.9 , , .461 , , .125 , , .770 , , 3.0 , , 2.0 , , .5 , , .5 , , 10.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 45 , , 2 , , 13.1 , , .467 , , .359 , , .767 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .4 , , .2 , , 6.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 65 , , 3 , , 16.2 , , .409 , , .429 , , .838 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .2 , , 5.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, 50 , , 15 , , 12.7 , , .357 , , .216 , , .805 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , .2 , , .1 , , 3.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, 28 , , 4 , , 13.6 , , .390 , , .250 , , .677 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .4 , , .0 , , 3.1 , - , 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 ...

, 33 , , 0 , , 3.7 , , .286 , , .000 , , .818 , , .3 , , .1 , , .1 , , .0 , , .6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , align = "left" ,

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, 1 , , 0 , , 42.0 , , .429 , , .500 , , .000 , , 5.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 13.0 , - , align="left" , , align = "left" ,

, 1 , , 0 , , 12.0 , , .375 , , .000 , , .750 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 9.0 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2" , Career , 624 , , 157 , , 15.7 , , .439 , , .329 , , .751 , , 1.7 , , .8 , , .4 , , .2 , , 5.4

Playoffs

, - , 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" , Memphis , 3 , , 0 , , 24.0 , , .381 , , .600 , , .750 , , 3.0 , , .3 , , .3 , , .0 , , 7.3 , - , align="left" ,

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 ...

, align="left" , Memphis , 4 , , 0 , , 11.5 , , .714 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.8 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 4.3 , - , align="left" ,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, align="left" ,

, 16 , , 16 , , 17.5 , , .481 , , .250 , , .767 , , 2.4 , , .6 , , .8 , , .3 , , 7.0 , - , align="left" ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, align="left" ,

, 3 , , 0 , , 16.7 , , .450 , , .000 , , .889 , , .7 , , .7 , , .3 , , .0 , , 8.7 , - , align="left" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, align="left" ,

, 7 , , 0 , , 8.3 , , .222 , , .222 , , 1.000 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .1 , , .0 , , 2.4 , - , 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" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 3.8 , , .250 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .2 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .8 , - , align="left" ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, align="left" ,

, 11 , , 0 , , 1.6 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .000 , , .1 , , .0 , , .2 , , .0 , , .4 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 15 , , 0 , , 3.3 , , .462 , , .333 , , .800 , , .5 , , .1 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

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

, 10 , , 0 , , 3.3 , , .500 , , .500 , , 1.000 , , .7 , , .1 , , .0 , , .1 , , 1.6 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2" , Career , 74 , , 16 , , 8.5 , , .448 , , .294 , , .812 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.2

Personal life

Jones is the son of Larry and Joanne Jones. His father played college basketball at St. Peter's College. His cousin,

Al Harrington Albert Harrington (born February 17, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Cape Town Tigers. Selected with the 25th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, Harrington played 16 seasons in the ...

, is a retired professional basketball player. He is married to Valeisha Butterfield Jones, the daughter of North Carolina Congressman

G. K. Butterfield George Kenneth Butterfield Jr. (born April 27, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 1st congressional district from 2004 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elec ...

. They have two children, Dahntay Jr. and Dillon.

References

External links

Duke Blue Devils bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Dahntay 1980 births Living people African-American basketball coaches African-American basketball players American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball coaches from New Jersey Basketball players from Trenton, New Jersey Big3 players Boston Celtics draft picks Cleveland Cavaliers players Dallas Mavericks players Denver Nuggets players Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players Fort Wayne Mad Ants players Grand Rapids Drive players Indiana Pacers players Los Angeles Clippers assistant coaches Los Angeles Clippers players Memphis Grizzlies players People from Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball players Sacramento Kings players Shooting guards Small forwards Steinert High School alumni 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people American men's 3x3 basketball players