Javaris Cortez Crittenton (born December 31, 1987) 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. During his four year career, Crittenton played 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 ...

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 ...

, and

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 (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

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), the

Zhejiang Lions The Zhejiang Guangsha Lions () are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, which plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association. Guangsha is the name of the club's corporate sponsor, but to prevent ...

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 ...

, and the

Dakota Wizards The Dakota Wizards were an American professional basketball team based in Bismarck, North Dakota. They played in the NBA Development League from 2006 until 2012. After the 2011–12 season, the team relocated to Santa Cruz, California, and now pl ...

of the

NBA D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

. He was previously the starting

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

for the

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

men's basketball team. On August 26, 2011, Crittenton was charged with the murder of Jullian Jones, a 22-year-old mother of four. After pleading guilty to manslaughter in 2015, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison.

Early life and high school

Crittenton was born to Sonya Dixon in

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 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. He attended

Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy (SACA) is a preschool to 12th grade private Christian school in southwestern Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Geraldine Thompson is the headmistress, and is the wife to Pastor Wayne C. Thompson. Pastor Thompso ...

, where, as a high school

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

, he played alongside

Dwight Howard Dwight David Howard II (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League. He is an NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team ...

. Crittenton and Howard led Southwest Atlanta to victory in the GHSA class A state championship that season. As a

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

, in 2005, Crittenton averaged 28.4 points, 7.5 assists, and 8.2

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

. He once again led Southwest Atlanta to the GHSA class A state finals, where they lost to powerhouse Randolph-Clay. As a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

, Crittenton averaged 29 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds, and led Southwest Atlanta to the GHSA class A semi-finals against Randolph-Clay. After dismissing Randolph-Clay they headed to the championship game once again. This time they were successful in beating rivals Whitefield Academy to become state champions. Following the season he was named a

McDonald's All American The McDonald's All-American Game is the all-star basketball game played each year for American and Canadian boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the concl ...

. He was also named Mr. Georgia Basketball by ''

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

''. Crittenton carried a 3.5

GPA Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...

in high school, and was a member of the Future Business Leaders of America and the Senior Beta Club.

College

While at Georgia Tech, Crittenton excelled and was considered a team leader, a rare accolade for a freshman. Tech coach

Paul Hewitt Paul Harrington Hewitt (born May 4, 1963) is an American college basketball coach and the former head coach at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and George Mason University. He grew up in Westbury, New York. In 2021, he was named ...

urged Crittenton to take over a leadership role on the team after his play in several games in February 2007. He recorded a career high of 29 points in a February 13 game against

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

. After a single season, he left school to go pro.

Professional career

Los Angeles Lakers (2007–2008)

Crittenton was drafted with the 19th pick in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. During an

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 ...

Summer League game on July 8, 2007, he had 18 points, including a game winning jump-shot with 1.6 seconds left in the game. In the Lakers' first preseason game against 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 ...

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

, Crittenton had 18 points along with one assist in a 111–110 loss.

Memphis Grizzlies (2008)

On February 1, 2008, Crittenton was traded to the

along with

Kwame Brown Kwame Hasani Brown (born March 10, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Selected by the Washington Wizards in the 2001 NBA draft, Brown was the first No. ...

Aaron McKie Aaron Fitzgerald McKie (born October 2, 1972) is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the head coach for his alma mater Temple Un ...

, rights to

Marc Gasol Marc Gasol Sáez (, ; born January 29, 1985) is a Spanish professional basketball player for Bàsquet Girona of the Liga ACB. The center is a two-time All-NBA Team member and a three-time NBA All-Star. He was named the NBA Defensive Player of ...

and

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; ...

and

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 ...

first round draft picks for

Pau Gasol Pau Gasol Sáez (, ; born July 6, 1980) is a Spanish former professional basketball player. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a four-time All-NBA team selection, twice on the second team and twice on the third team. Gasol won two NBA champion ...

and a

second round draft pick. On April 2, 2008, Crittenton had a career high of 23 points in a 130–114 win over the New York Knicks.

Washington Wizards (2008–2009)

On December 10, 2008, Crittenton was part of a three-team trade that sent him to the

along with Mike James from 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, ...

. In exchange, the Wizards sent a conditional first-round draft pick to the

and

Antonio Daniels Antonio Robert Daniels (born March 19, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the television color analyst for the New Orleans Pelicans on B ...

to the Hornets. In December 2009, Crittenton and teammate

Gilbert Arenas Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. (; born January 6, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Arenas attended Grant High School in the Valley Glen district of Los Angeles, and accepted a scholarship offer to the University of Arizona lat ...

were involved in a locker room confrontation involving guns. In a recent interview, former Washington Wizards teammate

Caron Butler James Caron Butler (born March 13, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During a 14-year career he played for the Miami ...

stated that "you never know, and that's the crazy thing about it" when questioned if there was going to be a trigger pulled in the incident between Crittenton and Arenas. On January 25, 2010 Crittenton pleaded guilty and was given a year of probation on a misdemeanor gun possession charge stemming from this incident. Two days later, Crittenton and Arenas were suspended for the rest of the season by NBA commissioner

David Stern David Joel Stern (September 22, 1942 – January 1, 2020) was an American lawyer and business executive who was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 2014. Stern oversaw NBA basketball's growth into one of ...

. He was released by the Wizards following the suspension, while Arenas rejoined the team.

Zhejiang Guangsha Lions (2010)

On September 22, 2010, 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 ...

signed Crittenton to a non-guaranteed contract. They released him three weeks later on October 15. In December 2010, Crittenton played five games for the

Zhejiang Guangsha Lions The Zhejiang Guangsha Lions () are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, which plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association. Guangsha is the name of the club's corporate sponsor, but to prevent con ...

of the

. He averaged 25.8 points per game, but he returned to the United States after just a few weeks.

Dakota Wizards (2011)

In February 2011, Crittenton joined the

of the

. He played 21 games for the minor league team, including five starts.

Murder and drug charges

On August 26, 2011, Crittenton was charged with the August 19 murder of Jullian Jones, a 22-year-old mother of four.

Atlanta Police Department The Atlanta Police Department (APD) is a law enforcement agency in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. The city shifted from its rural-based Marshal and Deputy Marshal model at the end of the 19th century. In 1873, the department was formed with 2 ...

indicated that Jones was not the intended target; they believed that Crittenton was targeting a person who robbed him in April 2011. Jones was shot in the leg and died during surgery. Crittenton was arrested by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

John Wayne Airport John Wayne Airport is a commercial and general aviation airport that serves Orange County, California, and the Greater Los Angeles area. The airport is located in an unincorporated area of Orange County, and it is owned and operated by the cou ...

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

, on August 29, while waiting to board a flight back to Atlanta. His lawyer stated that Crittenton's sole purpose for the trip to Atlanta was to surrender himself to custody. Crittenton was extradited to Atlanta to stand trial for the murder. After his arrest, he denied any involvement. Crittenton was released on a $230,000 bond. Crittenton and his cousin Douglas Gamble were officially indicted on April 2, 2013, on 12 counts in connection with Jones' death, including charges of murder, felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, giving false statements, attempted murder, and participation in criminal street gang activity. Crittenton reportedly joined the

Crips The Crips is an alliance of street gangs that is based in the coastal regions of Southern California. Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams, the Crips were initially a single alliance ...

after signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Fulton County assistant district attorney Gabe Banks, and allegedly also shot at Demontinez Stephens earlier in August 2011. The target in both shootings was reportedly Trontavious Stephens, Demontinez's brother and a member of the R. O. C. Crew, which is part of the

Bloods The Bloods are a primarily African-American street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. It is identified by the red color worn by its members and by particular gang symbols, includin ...

. While out on bond on the murder charges, Crittenton was arrested pursuant to a January 10, 2014, indictment of him and 13 other persons who were accused of selling multi-kilo quantities of cocaine and several hundred pounds of marijuana. Crittenton was charged with two counts of conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substance Act. On April 29, 2015, shortly before his trial was set to begin, Crittenton pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a weapon and aggravated assault with a firearm. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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L.A. 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 ...

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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 ...

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References

External links

* *
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crittenton, Javaris 1987 births Living people 21st-century American criminals American expatriate basketball people in China American male criminals American men's basketball players American people convicted of manslaughter American sportspeople convicted of crimes Basketball players from Atlanta Dakota Wizards players Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball players Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Los Angeles Lakers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Memphis Grizzlies players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People extradited within the United States Point guards Prisoners and detainees of Georgia (U.S. state) Washington Wizards players Zhejiang Lions players

Early life and high school

College

Professional career

Los Angeles Lakers (2007–2008)

Memphis Grizzlies (2008)

Washington Wizards (2008–2009)

Zhejiang Guangsha Lions (2010)

Dakota Wizards (2011)

Murder and drug charges

NBA career statistics

Regular season

See also

References

External links