James Edward "JJ" Hickson Jr. (born September 4, 1988) 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. He played one season of college basketball for North Carolina State University before being drafted 19th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2008 NBA draft. He played for the Cleveland Cavaliers,

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

and

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

, as well as in Israel for

Bnei HaSharon Bnei Herzliya Basket (, lit. ''Sons of Herzliya''), is a professional basketball club that is based in Herzliya, in the Sharon district in Israel. The club plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, the top division of Israeli basketball. I ...

during the 2011 NBA lockout.

High school career

Hickson attended

Joseph Wheeler High School Wheeler High School is located in northeast Cobb County, Georgia. It is near the U.S. city of Marietta, about 15 miles (24 km) northwest of downtown Atlanta. The school has been in operation since 1965. It is a public high school, accredited by t ...

Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth larges ...

. In the class of 2007, he was ranked as the No. 10 overall recruit and No. 2 power forward by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

and as the No. 13 overall and the No. 3 power forward by

Scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...

. In 2005–06, Hickson took Wheeler High to the 5A Final Four. As a senior in 2006–07, he averaged 25.9 points, 13.8 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game as he earned

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger s ...

honors.

College career

Hickson played one season of

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

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

in 2007–08. In his first game as a freshman, Hickson scored 31 points, making all 12 of his attempted field goals against William & Mary, setting an NCAA Division I record for field goal percentage (minimum 12 makes) by a player in his first career game. Hickson was named

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 ...

Rookie of the Week on three occasions, scored 20 or more points seven times and registered 10 double-doubles. He set an

single-game freshman record by pulling down a career-high 23 rebounds and also added 13 points and four blocked shots versus Clemson. Hickson scored a career-high 33 points on 10–of–11 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds against

Western Carolina University Western Carolina University (WCU) is a public university in Cullowhee, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. The fifth oldest institution of the sixteen four-year universities in the UNC system, WCU was founded ...

, and put up 27 points and 14 rebounds against Miami in the first round of the ACC tournament. For the season, he averaged 14.8 points and 8.5 rebounds (leading all freshmen) while shooting 59% from the field. He was selected to the All-Freshman team in the

, and an honorable mention for All-ACC.

College statistics

, - , align="left" , 2007–08 , align="left" ,

, 31 , , 31 , , 28.7 , , .591 , , .000 , , .677 , , 8.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.7 , , 1.5 , , 14.8

Professional career

Cleveland Cavaliers (2008–2011)

Hickson was selected with 19th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. On July 10, 2008, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Cavaliers. He went on to score four points in his NBA debut against 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 populou ...

, making one field goal and two free throws. On November 26, 2008, he had career-highs with 14 points, six rebounds and four blocks against the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. Hickson surpassed his career-high by grabbing seven rebounds on January 13, 2009 against the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

. Then on February 24, 2009, he surpassed his previous career-high of 7 rebounds to 9 rebounds against the Grizzlies. On October 26, 2009, the Cavaliers exercised their third-year team option on Hickson's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2010–11 season. On January 27, 2010, Hickson set a new career-high in scoring with 23 points against the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

. On October 23, 2010, the Cavaliers exercised their fourth-year team option on Hickson's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2011–12 season. On November 2, 2010, Hickson had a career-high 31 points in a losing effort to 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 Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

. On January 22, Hickson grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds, including a career-high 11 offensive rebounds, against 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 ...

. On February 25, he set a career high of five blocks in a victory over the New York Knicks.

Sacramento Kings (2011–2012)

On June 30, 2011, Hickson was traded to the

in exchange for

Omri Casspi Omri Moshe Casspi ( he, עומרי משה כספי, born June 22, 1988) is an Israeli former professional basketball player. He mainly played at the small forward position, but could play also at the power forward position. Casspi was drafted 23 ...

and Sacramento's protected first-round pick in the

2012 NBA draft The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Asso ...

. On October 21, 2011, Hickson signed with

of the Israeli Basketball Premier League for the duration of the

NBA lockout The NBA lockout may refer to any of the four lockouts in the history of the National Basketball Association: *The 1995 NBA lockout, which lasted for three months before the 1995–96 season. *The 1996 NBA lockout, which lasted for a couple of hour ...

. After making his lone appearance for Bnei on October 30, Hickson was released by the club on November 5. In December 2011, following the conclusion of the lockout, he joined the Sacramento Kings. He went on to play 35 games for Sacramento in 2011–12 before he was waived by the franchise on March 19, 2012.

Portland Trail Blazers (2012–2013)

On March 21, 2012, Hickson was claimed off waivers by the

. On July 13, 2012, Hickson re-signed with the Trail Blazers to a one-year deal. In 2012–13, he averaged a career-high 10.4 rebounds, as well as 12.7 points per game.

Denver Nuggets (2013–2016)

On July 11, 2013, Hickson signed with the Denver Nuggets. On February 25, 2014, Hickson recorded 16 points and a career-high 25 rebounds in a 95–100 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. On March 22, 2014, it was announced that Hickson would miss the rest of the season after tearing his

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligament Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and th ...

in the March 21 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. On September 17, 2014, Hickson was suspended by the NBA for the first five games of the 2014–15 season for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy. On February 19, 2016, Hickson was waived by the Nuggets.

Washington Wizards (2016)

On February 25, 2016, Hickson signed with the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

. Three days later, he made his debut with the Wizards in a 113–99 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, recording two points and two rebounds in six minutes off the bench.

Fuijan Sturgeons (2016–2017)

On August 20, 2016, Hickson signed with the

Fujian Sturgeons Fujian SBS Xunxing Sturgeons (Simplified Chinese: 福建SBS浔兴鲟) or Fujian Xunxing or Fujian SBS are a Chinese professional men's basketball team in the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Jinjiang, Quanzhou, Fujian. The "SBS" reflects c ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

Jiangsu Tongxi (2017)

On August 11, 2017, Hickson signed with Jiangsu Tongxi of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Champville (2018)

On April 2, 2018, Hickson signed with

Champville SC Champville SC ( ar, نادي الشانفيل الرياضي) is a Lebanese basketball team from Dik El Mehdi, Lebanon, which competes in the Lebanese Basketball League. History In Game 4 of the 2011–2012 Finals, Champville defeated Anibal Z ...

of the Lebanese Basketball Federation. Hickson was arrested after the season's ending along with two other persons and charged with burglary, physical assault and armed robbery with a knife of a man from

Coweta County Coweta County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of Metro Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, the population was 146,158. The county seat is Newnan. Coweta County is included in the Atlanta- ...

, Georgia.

Leones de Ponce (2019)

On May 8, 2019, Leones de Ponce announced that they had signed Hickson.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

, 62 , , 0 , , 11.4 , , .515 , , .000 , , .672 , , 2.7 , , .1 , , .2 , , .5 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 73 , , 20.9 , , .554 , , .000 , , .681 , , 4.9 , , .5 , , .4 , , .5 , , 8.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 66 , , 28.2 , , .458 , , .000 , , .673 , , 8.7 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .7 , , 13.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 35 , , 9 , , 18.4 , , .370 , , .000 , , .638 , , 5.1 , , .6 , , .5 , , .5 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, 19 , , 10 , , 31.6 , , .543 , , .000 , , .645 , , 8.3 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .9 , , 15.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 80 , , 29.0 , , .562 , , .000 , , .679 , , 10.4 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .6 , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-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 ...

, 69 , , 52 , , 26.9 , , .508 , , .000 , , .517 , , 9.2 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .7 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 8 , , 19.3 , , .475 , , .000 , , .577 , , 6.2 , , .8 , , .5 , , .5 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 20 , , 9 , , 15.3 , , .505 , , .000 , , .458 , , 4.4 , , .8 , , .5 , , .6 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 15 , , 0 , , 8.7 , , .543 , , .000 , , .432 , , 3.0 , , .5 , , .3 , , .1 , , 4.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 534 , , 307 , , 22.3 , , .505 , , .000 , , .617 , , 6.8 , , .8 , , .5 , , .6 , , 9.5

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2010 , style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 0 , , 7.2 , , .626 , , .000 , , .688 , , .8 , , .1 , , .0 , , .0 , , 3.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 11 , , 0 , , 7.2 , , .626 , , .000 , , .688 , , .8 , , .1 , , .0 , , .0 , , 3.5

References

External links

NC State bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hickson, JJ 1988 births Living people African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Lebanon American men's basketball players Basketball players from Atlanta Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Cleveland Cavaliers players Denver Nuggets players Fujian Sturgeons players Nanjing Tongxi Monkey Kings players McDonald's High School All-Americans NC State Wolfpack men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Portland Trail Blazers players Power forwards (basketball) Sacramento Kings players Washington Wizards players