Horace Jenkins (born October 14, 1974) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who played in 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) and several teams in Europe and Israel.

High school

Jenkins graduated from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

's Elizabeth High School in 1993.

College career

Jenkins played one season at

Union County College Union College (formerly Union County College) is a public community college in Union County, New Jersey. It was founded in 1933 as the first of New Jersey's public community colleges. The college has four campuses: Cranford, Elizabeth, Plainfie ...

, before leaving to tend to the birth of his son, Hakeem. Over the next three and a half years, Jenkins worked for the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

, as an electrician, and on the back of a garbage truck. Once he saved up some money, he decided he wanted to go back to college, and play basketball.PRO BASKETBALL; N.B.A. Dream Is Alive For Jenkins, Almost 28 – New York Times
/ref> While at

William Paterson University William Paterson University, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Founded in 1855 and was named after American ju ...

, Jenkins was a three-time

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

Player of the Year (1999, 2000, and 2001). He was also a three-time Division III All-American. He holds numerous school records, and also was named 2001 Basketball Times Division III Player of the Year. Jenkins was also the winner of the 2001 ESPN NCAA dunk contest, beating former Division I standout

Jeff Trepagnier Jeffery Trepagnier (born July 11, 1979) is a former American professional basketball player. High school Trepagnier played basketball at Compton High School, in Compton, California. College career Trepagnier played college basketball for the US ...

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

's Trepagnier, one of college's most prolific high flyers, missed his last dunk attempt, and the 6'1" (1.85 m) tall Jenkins, had one up his sleeve, wrapping it up with a foul line two-foot leaner.

Professional career

Jenkins attended all three

NBA 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 St ...

pre-draft camps, but he was undrafted in the

2001 NBA draft The 2001 NBA draft took place on June 27, 2001 in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player to be drafted with the first overall pick in the history of the NBA. The selection of Kwame Brown by the Washington Wizards, ...

. In the summer of 2001, Jenkins attended rookie camp with 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 ...

, and also received an invitation to training camp with Orlando. However, he declined the invitation, and signed with Cimberio Borgomanero, a team in the Italian second league. He received a guaranteed one-year contract. He spent the 2002

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season competition organized by the National Basketball Association. NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups ...

with the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

, and the 2003 Summer League with the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

. Horace Jenkins got his break in the summer of 2004, playing in the NBA Summer League with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

. He was previously playing with

AEK Athens A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greece, Greek multi-sport club based in Nea ...

of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

, with Pistons draft pick

Andreas Glyniadakis Andreas Glyniadakis (alternate spelling: Gliniadakis) (Greek language, Greek: Ανδρέας Γλυνιαδάκης; born 26 August 1981) is a Greek former professional basketball player. He played center (basketball), center at a height of tall ...

. Pistons President

Joe Dumars Joe Dumars III ( ; born May 24, 1963) is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is the executive vice president and head of basketball operations of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He could play either shoo ...

was watching film of Glyniadakis, and spotted Jenkins. Jenkins averaged 20.1 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals in 12 EuroLeague games with AEK Athens. Impressed, Dumars invited Jenkins to summer camp in 2004. In summer camp, he averaged 8.2 points and 2.8 assists per game in 5 games. That was enough to garner a guaranteed contract from the Pistons, which he signed on August 4, 2004. His contract was a one-year deal worth $385,277. Jenkins started the

2004–05 NBA season The 2004–05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It began on November 2, 2004 and ended June 23, 2005. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs defeating the defending-champion Detroit Pistons, 4–3, i ...

on the injured list, but he did see NBA game action 15 times. He was on the bench for the raising of the Pistons' 2004 championship banner, as well as the

Pacers–Pistons brawl The Malice at the Palace (also known as the Pacers–Pistons brawl) occurred during a National Basketball Association (NBA) game between the Indiana Pacers and the defending champion Detroit Pistons on Friday, November 19, 2004, at The Palace ...

. Rumors circulated that he was being traded to the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

, and also that he was going to leave the Pistons, and return to Italy. His NBA debut was a two-minute stint against the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

. He scored 9 points the next night against the

New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. Jenkins scored a career-high 10 points on December 10, 2004, against the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

. He was one of only three Pistons to score in double figures in that game. He scored 2 points in his hometown of New Jersey on February 5, 2005. Five nights later, in a rematch of the

2004 NBA Finals The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003–04 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. This season's NBA Finals was contested between the Western Conference playoff champion L ...

, Jenkins scored 8 points, in only 6 minutes against 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 ...

. Jenkins' final NBA game was on April 20, 2005, in a 86–97 loss to the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populous ...

where he recorded 6 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal in 20 minutes of playing time (the most minutes he ever played in a game). Although he was left off the playoff roster, the Pistons made the

NBA Finals 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 ...

for the second straight year. Jenkins was notable for being one of the oldest rookies in the NBA, and his life story was the subject of a short presentation narrated by

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film '' Ray'', for which he won the ...

, on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

, during the

2005 NBA Finals The 2005 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2004–05 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs played the Eastern Conference cham ...

. Jenkins took the long route to the NBA, working to support his family, and then playing in Europe, before signing his first NBA contract, at the age of 29. In 2005, Jenkins signed a contract with the

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i team

Hapoel Jerusalem Hapoel Jerusalem is a sport organization in Jerusalem as a local branch of the Hapoel movement. The branch was established in the 1920s and represents the city in more sports than any other sport organization in Jerusalem. Today, the club's leadi ...

, who had gotten sponsored by billionaire

Arkadi Gaydamak Arkadi ( el, Αρκάδι) is a former municipality in the Rethymno (regional unit), Rethymno regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rethymno, of which it is a municipal unit. The municip ...

shortly before. He quickly became the star of the team (rivaling the former star from 2 years prior,

Will Solomon Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

, who played for their arch rivals

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

that season), and led it to the EuroCup semifinals, and to the Israeli League Finals In the summer of 2006, he signed with the

Turkish League Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

giants Efes Pilsen. In the middle of the 2006–07 season, he returned to Hapoel Jerusalem, after personal problems with his Turkish

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

arose (after the accusation from the previous year had been dropped), and he helped the team reach the Israeli league Final Four, in which the team lost to arch rivals

. On August 3, 2007, Jenkins signed with the

Italian League The Italic League or Most Holy League was an international agreement concluded in Venice on 30 August 1454, between the Papal States, the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Milan, the Republic of Florence, and the Kingdom of Naples, following the Tr ...

team

Climamio Bologna Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna 103, commonly known as Fortitudo Bologna and currently known as Fortitudo Kiğılı Bologna for sponsorship reasons, is a basketball club based in Bologna, Italy and currently plays in the second division. Histor ...

, on a one-year contract.

Awards and accomplishments

Pro career

* NABC NCAA Division III Player of the Year: 2000–01 *

EuroLeague MVP of the Round The EuroLeague MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the Round, previously known as the EuroLeague MVP of the Week, is an award of Europe's premier level basketball league, the EuroLeague, that is given to the best player of each round of the season. Eac ...

: 2003–04 Regular season Round 13 * ULEB Cup Top Scorer: 2005–06 *

2005–06 ULEB Cup The 2005–06 ULEB Cup was the fourth season of the second-tier level European professional club basketball competition, the EuroCup. The EuroCup is the European-wide league level that is one tier below the EuroLeague level. Dynamo Moscow won th ...

Most points per game: 20.4

References

External links

Euroleague.net profileItalian League profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Horace 1974 births Living people AEK B.C. players African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Anadolu Efes S.K. players Basketball players from New Jersey Detroit Pistons players Elizabeth High School (New Jersey) alumni Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna players Greek Basket League players Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. players Israeli Basketball Premier League players Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Juvecaserta Basket players Pallacanestro Virtus Roma players Point guards Sportspeople from Elizabeth, New Jersey Undrafted National Basketball Association players Union College (New Jersey) alumni William Paterson Pioneers men's basketball players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople