Jakim Nestekaya Donaldson (born September 3, 1983), nicknamed "The Machine", 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 ...

player, who lastly played for

Bnei Herzliya 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. It ...

of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional sports, professional competition in Israeli sports club, club basketball, making ...

. 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

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania PennWest Edinboro is a campus of Pennsylvania Western University, a multi-campus public university in Pennsylvania. Located in the town of Edinboro, the campus has more than 4,600 enrolled students. History Edinboro University was founded ...

before playing professionally in Portugal, Spain, Israel and France.

Early life and college career

Donaldson attended

Oliver High School David B. Oliver High School, commonly known as Oliver High School, was a public school in the Northside area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Oliver was one of ten high schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. The school was closed in ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. He played

for

's Fighting Scots. Donaldson finished his college career as Edinboro's all-time leading rebounder (1,100), ranks third in blocked shots (185) and tenth in career scoring (1,355 points).

Professional career

In 2005, Donaldson started his professional career with the Portuguese team

Barreirense Basket Barreirense Basket is the professional basketball team of F.C. Barreirense, a sports club from Barreiro, Portugal. The club plays in the Portuguese top league, the LPB. Honors Portuguese Championships: * 2 Portuguese Championships (1956/1957; ...

. After playing four seasons in Spain with Ciudad de La Laguna, both in LEB-2 and

LEB Oro LEB or Leb may refer to: * Lausanne–Echallens–Bercher railway, Switzerland * Lebanon, UNDP country code * Lebanon Municipal Airport (New Hampshire) (FAA identifier) * Lexham English Bible * Life expectancy at birth * Liga Española de Balonces ...

, in July 2010 he signed for

Menorca Basquet Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...

to play in the

ACB League The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

. Menorca Basquet general manager said about him, "He has improved a lot since he arrived to Spain, with a high standard of professional ethics. We hope he keeps the improvement and his contribution to many fields of the game". One season later, Donaldson returned to Iberostar Canarias. Donaldson has been named LEB Oro Most Valuable Player three times – in 2009, 2010 and 2012. On July 24, 2013, Donaldson signed with the Israeli team

for the 2013–14 season. In 28 games played for Herzliya, Donaldson averaged 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. On August 2, 2014, Donaldson signed a one-year deal with the French team

ESSM Le Portel Étoile Sportive Saint-Michel Le Portel Côte d'Opale, commonly known as ESSM Le Portel or simply Le Portel, is a professional basketball team based in Le Portel, France. The team currently plays in the LNB Pro A, Pro A, the first tier in France. ...

. On May 5, 2015, Donaldson signed a one-year contract extension with Le Portel. That season, Donaldson helped the team to promote to the

LNB Pro A The LNB Pro A, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is the top-tier men's professional basketball league in France. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nationale de Basket has governed the league. ...

as the second seed. In his fourth season with Le Portel, Donaldson helped the team to reach the 2018 FIBA Europe Cup Quarterfinals, where they eventually lost to the

Bakken Bears Bakken Bears is a Denmark, Danish professional basketball club based in Aarhus. The club plays in the Basketligaen, the top tier basketball league in Denmark. Founded in 1953, the club has won the Basketligaen 20 times and holds the record for t ...

. On September 18, 2018, Donaldson signed a one-year deal with

Hapoel Be'er Sheva Hapoel Be'er Sheva Football Club ( he, מועדון הכדורגל הפועל באר שבע, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Be'er Sheva'') is an Israeli football club from the city of Be'er Sheva, that competes in the Israeli Premier League. The c ...

of the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...

. In 36 games played for Be'er Sheva, he finished the season as the

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

second-leading rebounder with 9.4 per game, to go with 11.3 points, 3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Donaldson helped Be'er Sheva reach the 2019 Israeli League Playoffs, where they eventually were eliminated by

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 ...

in the Quarterfinals. On October 17, 2019, Donaldson returned to

for a second stint, signing a one-year deal.

Titles and awards

Titles

*National competitions: ::*

LEB 2 The LEB Plata is the third basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system and the second basketball division organized by the Spanish Basketball Federation. Since 2019, three teams are promoted to Liga Española de Baloncesto, LEB Oro ...

runner-up and promotion to

with Ciudad de La Laguna: 2006/2007. ::*

Copa Príncipe de Asturias The Copa Princesa de Asturias de Baloncesto (English: ''Princess of Asturias' Cup of Basketball'') is an annual 2nd-tier level national cup competition for Spanish professional basketball teams, that is organized by Spain's 2nd-tier level professi ...

champion with Iberostar Canarias: 2012. ::*

title with Iberostar Canarias and promotion to

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

Awards

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

: 2008–2009. *

: 2009–2010. *

: 2011–2012. * 1 ACB MVP of the week, 7th week: 2010–2011. * 1 ACB 5th on the rebounds leaders :2012–2013.

Career statistics

: ''Correct as of 8 November 2010''

References

External links

RealGM profileLNB Pro B profileACB Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donaldson, Jakim 1983 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Portugal American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Barreirense Basket players Basketball players from Pittsburgh Bnei Hertzeliya basketball players CB Canarias players Edinboro Fighting Scots men's basketball players ESSM Le Portel players Hapoel Be'er Sheva B.C. players Liga ACB players Menorca Bàsquet players Power forwards (basketball)