Jerome Kersey (June 26, 1962 – February 18, 2015) was 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 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). He played for the

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 ...

(1984–1995),

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 ...

(1995–96),

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 ...

(1996–97),

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 ...

(1997–98),

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 ( ...

(1998–2000), and

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

(2000–01). Kersey won an NBA championship with the Spurs in 1999. The Trail Blazers selected Kersey in the second round of the

1984 NBA draft The 1984 NBA draft was the 37th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, on June 19, 1984, before the 1984–85 season. The draft is generally c ...

from

Longwood University Longwood University is a public university in Farmville, Virginia. Founded in 1839, it is the third-oldest public university in Virginia and one of the hundred oldest institutions of higher education in the United States. Previously a college, Lo ...

(then Longwood College) in

Farmville, Virginia Farmville is a town in Prince Edward and Cumberland counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 8,216 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Prince Edward County. Farmville developed near the headwaters of the Appomattox R ...

. He was a member of the Spurs during their

1999 NBA Finals The 1999 NBA Finals was the championship round of the shortened 1998–99 NBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs took on the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks for t ...

victory over 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 ...

. Following his playing career, Kersey worked with his former Portland teammate and then-head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks

Terry Porter Terry Porter (born April 8, 1963) is an American former college basketball coach and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was most recently the head men's basketball coach at the University of Portland. A native of Wisc ...

as an assistant in 2005. Kersey died from a

pulmonary embolism Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an pulmonary artery, artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include dyspnea, shortness of breath, chest pain p ...

caused by a

blood clot A thrombus (plural thrombi), colloquially called a blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. There are two components to a thrombus: aggregated platelets and red blood cells that form a plug, and a mesh of c ...

at his home in

Tualatin, Oregon Tualatin () is a city located primarily in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon. A small portion of the city is also located in neighboring Clackamas County. It is a southwestern suburb in the Portland Metropolitan Area that is located ...

, on February 18, 2015.

College career

Kersey attended the then

Longwood College Longwood University is a public university in Farmville, Virginia. Founded in 1839, it is the third-oldest public university in Virginia and one of the hundred oldest institutions of higher education in the United States. Previously a college, Lo ...

, at the time an

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

school, where he set school records for points, rebounds, steals and blocked shots while making 57% of his baskets. As a senior, his rebounding average of 14.2 led all Division II players. However, it was not until May 2006 that Kersey graduated from Longwood, having only needed two more college courses to graduate for some years.

Professional career

Portland Trail Blazers (1984-1995)

Coming from a school that was not known as a basketball powerhouse, Kersey was selected in the second round of the

(46th overall pick) by the

. He was a regular contributor from the bench, eventually becoming a starter, and by his third year, he began to shine, even coming in second behind

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

in the

Slam Dunk Contest The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. ''Sports Illustrated'' wrote "the dunk contest was the best halftime inventio ...

. The 1987–88 season, was his best statistically, as he averaged 19.2 points and 8.3 rebounds. He became a starter and was part of the nucleus of a strong Portland team, along with

Clyde Drexler Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player and the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association ...

Buck Williams Charles Linwood "Buck" Williams (born March 8, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player and former assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was well known for his rebounding ability and trademark goggles. Williams, ...

, and

Kevin Duckworth Kevin Jerome Duckworth (April 1, 1964 – August 25, 2008) was an American professional basketball player who played as center in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A native of Illinois, he played college basketball at Eastern Illinois U ...

that made it to the NBA Finals two out of the next three years (in

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

and

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

). However, in subsequent years Clifford Robinson would take his place and Kersey found himself spending more time on the bench.

Golden State Warriors (1995-1996)

By 1995, Portland had several talented forwards, and he was left unprotected in that year's 1995 NBA expansion draft when he was selected by the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

, but they waived him before the 1995–96 season began. He signed with the

, where he started 58 games, and had an altercation with

Latrell Sprewell Latrell Fontaine Sprewell (born September 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Du ...

, which resulted in the latter threatening to bring a gun to practice.

Los Angeles Lakers (1996-1997)

For the 1996–97 season Kersey signed with the

as a free agent, and he had a quite productive year, logging his most playing time in five seasons, because trades and injuries had left the Lakers thin.

Seattle SuperSonics (1997-1998)

The 1997–98 season saw Kersey go to his fourth team in four years, but injuries kept him out of the

' lineup for most of the season.

San Antonio Spurs (1999-2000)

For the

lockout Lockout may refer to: * Lockout (industry), a type of work stoppage **Dublin Lockout, a major industrial dispute between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers 1913 - 1914 * Lockout (sports), lockout in sports leagues **MLB lockout, lock ...

-shortened 1998–99 season, Kersey found himself on the

. The team won the 1999 NBA championship. Kersey provided frontcourt depth and experience off the bench in the team's title run, although his scoring, rebounding, and minutes played were all career lows. He stayed with the Spurs for another season.

Milwaukee Bucks (2000-2001)

Kersey spent his final season in the NBA with the

, who fell short in the Eastern Conference Finals. He retired at the conclusion of the 2000–01 season.

Legacy

As a Portland Trail Blazer, Kersey was near the top in many of Portland's career categories at the time of his leaving, including games played (second), minutes played (third), scoring (third), rebounding (second), assists (sixth), steals (third), field goals made (fourth), and blocked shots (second). Following his retirement in 2001, Kersey served as a coach in various capacities for several teams. For a short time, Kersey worked for Wells Fargo home mortgages. During the

2003–04 NBA season The 2003–04 NBA season was the 58th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Detroit Pistons defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 4–1 in the 2004 NBA Finals. Events This was the last season for the original two-div ...

, Kersey was hired by the Trail Blazers to serve as director of player programs. After a season in that capacity, Kersey was hired as an assistant coach by the

, where he served under his former Portland teammate, head coach

. He served with the Bucks for one year, but was let go (along with

Mike Schuler Michael Harold Schuler (September 22, 1940 – June 28, 2022) was an American basketball coach in both college and the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers from 198 ...

, who coached both Kersey and Porter while in Portland) on May 6, 2005. Porter was subsequently fired as the Bucks' coach later that year. For a period of time following, Kersey joined the automotive industry as an auto wholesaler. In November 2005, Kersey was in Longwood's first Hall of Fame class. Others included baseball player Michael Tucker and LPGA golfer

Tina Barrett Tina Ann Barrett (born 16 September 1976) is an English singer and actress. Her major breakthrough came in 1999 when she became a member of the pop group, S Club 7. She has been a member of spin-off group S Club Allstars (previously "S Club 3" ...

. In 2008, Kersey was inducted into the

Virginia Sports Hall of Fame The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes, coaches, administrators, journalists and other contributors to athletics. Many of the more than 350 inductees since 1972 were born in Virginia or enjoyed success in college, professional, amateur or ...

and was selected to receive the 2015 recipient of the William Henry Ruffner Alumni Award, the highest award given to a Longwood alumni. The court at

Willett Hall Willett Hall (originally Lancer Hall) is an academic facility and 1,807-seat multi-purpose arena in Farmville, Virginia. It was built in 1980 and is home to the Longwood University Lancers men's and women's basketball teams. On December 3, 2016, ...

, Longwood's basketball facility, was posthumously named in his honor on December 3, 2016.

Personal life

Kersey married his girlfriend of over nine years, Teri (Teresa Folsom) Donnerberg, on September 21, 2013 at the Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Oregon. Together, they have four children from previous relationships.

Death

On February 18, 2015, Kersey died suddenly at the age of 52. Lake Oswego Fire Department and American Medical Response responded to a call from Kersey's home shortly after 5 pm, and he was taken to Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center in

where he died. Just days prior to his death, Kersey underwent knee surgery. On the day of his death, he left the Trail Blazers'

Rose Quarter The Rose Quarter is a sports and entertainment district located in Portland's Lloyd District on the east bank of the Willamette River, just east of downtown. The Rose Quarter is bounded on the west by NE Interstate Avenue, on the north by NE Broa ...

office because he was not feeling well. Medical examiners linked his death to a blood clot that traveled to his lungs, causing a

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , 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 ...

, 77 , , 0 , , 12.4 , , .478 , , .000 , , .646 , , 2.7 , , .8 , , .6 , , .4 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 2 , , 15.4 , , .549 , , .000 , , .681 , , 3.7 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 8.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 8 , , 25.5 , , .509 , , .043 , , .720 , , 6.0 , , 2.4 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 75 , , 36.6 , , .499 , , .200 , , .735 , , 8.3 , , 3.1 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , 19.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 76 , , 35.7 , , .469 , , .286 , , .694 , , 8.3 , , 3.2 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , 17.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 34.7 , , .478 , , .150 , , .690 , , 8.4 , , 2.3 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 72 , , 32.3 , , .478 , , .308 , , .709 , , 6.6 , , 3.1 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , 14.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 76 , , 33.2 , , .467 , , .125 , , .664 , , 8.2 , , 3.2 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , 12.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , 50 , , 26.4 , , .438 , , .286 , , .634 , , 6.2 , , 1.9 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 10.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 6 , , 16.4 , , .433 , , .125 , , .748 , , 4.2 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , .6 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 63 , , 0 , , 18.1 , , .415 , , .259 , , .766 , , 4.1 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .6 , , 8.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 76 , , 58 , , 21.3 , , .410 , , .176 , , .660 , , 4.8 , , 1.5 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L. A. Lakers , 70 , , 44 , , 25.2 , , .432 , , .262 , , .602 , , 5.2 , , 1.3 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , 6.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, 37 , , 2 , , 19.4 , , .416 , , .100 , , .600 , , 3.6 , , 1.2 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , 6.3 , - , style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA", † , style="text-align:left;",

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, 45 , , 0 , , 15.5 , , .340 , , .214 , , .429 , , 2.9 , , .9 , , .8 , , .3 , , 3.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 72 , , 18 , , 18.2 , , .412 , , .000 , , .707 , , 3.1 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , .7 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, 22 , , 2 , , 11.0 , , .464 , , .000 , , .500 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .6 , , .4 , , 3.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 1,153 , , 571 , , 24.4 , , .465 , , .201 , , .690 , , 5.5 , , 1.9 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , 10.3

Playoffs

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

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

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

, 8 , , 0 , , 7.5 , , .516 , , – , , .750 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , .9 , , .3 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

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

, 4 , , 0 , , 14.0 , , .409 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 3.8 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , 5.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

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

, 4 , , 0 , , 15.0 , , .400 , , – , , 1.000 , , 4.8 , , .8 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

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

, 4 , , 4 , , 31.8 , , .492 , , .000 , , .714 , , 7.5 , , 2.3 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , 19.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

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

, 3 , , 3 , , 39.0 , , .489 , , .000 , , .789 , , 8.0 , , 2.3 , , 3.3 , , .3 , , 20.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 21 , , 21 , , 39.6 , , .460 , , .000 , , .715 , , 8.3 , , 2.1 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , 20.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

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

, 16 , , 16 , , 36.8 , , .465 , , – , , .752 , , 6.9 , , 3.1 , , 1.8 , , .4 , , 17.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 21 , , 21 , , 36.0 , , .510 , , .000 , , .693 , , 7.7 , , 3.6 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , 16.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

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

, 4 , , 1 , , 24.5 , , .524 , , 1.000 , , .706 , , 8.5 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 14.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

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

, 3 , , 0 , , 12.7 , , .313 , , – , , .200 , , 3.0 , , .0 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

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

, 3 , , 0 , , 21.0 , , .571 , , .000 , , .667 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

, style="text-align:left;", L. A. Lakers , 9 , , 0 , , 23.3 , , .486 , , .000 , , .789 , , 5.3 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

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

, 10 , , 5 , , 21.3 , , .431 , , .000 , , .842 , , 4.0 , , .9 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA",

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 14 , , 0 , , 10.9 , , .349 , , .250 , , .714 , , 2.1 , , .3 , , .4 , , .1 , , 2.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

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

, 2 , , 1 , , 12.5 , , .143 , , – , , , , 2.0 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 1.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;" colspan=2, Career , 126 , , 72 , , 26.9 , , .469 , , .095 , , .727 , , 5.7 , , 1.8 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , 12.4

References

External links

NBA biography of Kersey
(archived from 2000)
Article in ''Portland Tribune'' (Tuesday, August 23, 2005)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kersey, Jerome 1962 births 2015 deaths 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players American sports agents Basketball players from Virginia Deaths from pulmonary embolism Deaths from blood clot Golden State Warriors players Longwood Lancers men's basketball players Los Angeles Lakers players Milwaukee Bucks players People from Clarksville, Virginia Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Portland Trail Blazers players San Antonio Spurs players Seattle SuperSonics players Small forwards Toronto Raptors expansion draft picks