Dahntay Jones

Dahntay Lavall Jones (born December 27, 1980) is an American player development basketball coach for the Los Angeles Clippers. He was a former professional basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Rutgers and Duke. In 2016, he won his first and only NBA Championship with the Cavaliers.

Dahntay Jones

Jones with the Mavericks in 2012
Personal information
Born	December 27, 1980 (age 40) Trenton, New Jersey
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school	Steinert (Hamilton, New Jersey)
College	Rutgers (1998–2000) Duke (2001–2003)
NBA draft	2003 / Round: 1 / Pick: 20th overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career	2003–2017
Position	Small forward / Shooting guard
Number	30, 7, 1, 31
Career history
2003–2007	Memphis Grizzlies
2007–2008	Sacramento Kings
2008	Fort Wayne Mad Ants
2008–2009	Denver Nuggets
2009–2012	Indiana Pacers
2012–2013	Dallas Mavericks
2013	Atlanta Hawks
2014–2015	Fort Wayne Mad Ants
2015	Los Angeles Clippers
2015–2016	Grand Rapids Drive
2016–2017	Cleveland Cavaliers
Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (2016) First-team All-ACC (2003) 2× ACC All-Defensive Team (2002, 2003) Big East All-Rookie Team (1999)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men's basketball Representing  United States FIBA U21 World Championship 2001 Saitama National team

Early life

Jones grew up in Hamilton Square, New Jersey,[1] and starred at Steinert High School in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, from 1995 to 1998.[2] He earned a McDonald's All-America honorable mention honor as a senior after averaging 24 points and 9 rebounds per game at Steinert.

College career

After playing college basketball at Rutgers in his freshman and sophomore years, Jones transferred to Duke, where he earned All-ACC Honorable Mention honors in 2002 after averaging 11.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists as a junior. In his senior season, he played 33 games, averaging 17.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.[3][4]

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2003–2007)

Jones was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 20th overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft, and his rights were later traded, along with the rights to Troy Bell, to the Memphis Grizzlies for the rights to Kendrick Perkins and Marcus Banks.[5] On November 21, 2003, he made his professional debut in a 98–97 win over the Seattle SuperSonics, recording one rebound, one assist and two blocks in eight minutes off the bench.[6] In four professional seasons for the Grizzlies, Jones averaged 5.0 points per game.

Sacramento Kings / Fort Wayne Mad Ants (2007–2008)

On September 27, 2007, Jones signed with the Boston Celtics.[7] However, he was later waived by the Celtics on October 25.[8] On December 10, he signed with the Sacramento Kings.[9] Four days later, he made his debut with the Kings in a 109–99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, recording one assist and two steals in seven minutes off the bench.[10] On February 16, 2008, he was waived by the Kings.[9] On March 21, 2008, Jones was acquired by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League.[11] That night, he made his debut for the Mad Ants in a 125–102 loss to the Dakota Wizards, recording 18 points in 31 minutes.[12]

Denver Nuggets (2008–2009)

Jones with the Nuggets in 2009

On July 30, 2008, Jones signed with the Denver Nuggets.[13] On October 29, he made his debut for the Nuggets in a 98–94 loss to the Utah Jazz, recording three points, three rebounds and one steal in 14 minutes off the bench.[14] The Nuggets went on to reach the Western Conference Finals but were defeated 4 games to 2 by the Los Angeles Lakers.[15]

Indiana Pacers (2009–2012)

On July 14, 2009, Jones signed a four-year deal with the Indiana Pacers.[16] On October 28, he made his debut for the Pacers in a 120–109 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, recording 17 points and five rebounds in 26 minutes.[17]

Dallas Mavericks / Atlanta Hawks (2012–2013)

On July 12, 2012, Jones was traded, along with Darren Collison, to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Ian Mahinmi.[18] On October 30, he made his debut for the Mavericks in a 99–91 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[19]

On February 21, 2013, Jones was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Anthony Morrow.[20] The next day, he made his debut for the Hawks in a 122–108 win over the Sacramento Kings.[21]

On September 27, 2013, Jones signed with the Chicago Bulls.[22] However, he was later waived by the Bulls on October 8, 2013.[23] Jones did not play for the 2013–14 season.

Fort Wayne Mad Ants / Los Angeles Clippers (2014–2015)

On September 25, 2014, Jones signed with the Utah Jazz.[24] However, he was later waived by the Jazz on October 22, 2014.[25] On November 26, 2014, Jones was reacquired by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.[26] Two days later, he made his season debut in a 124–115 loss to the Delaware 87ers, recording 14 points, one rebound, three assists, one steal and one block in 19 minutes off the bench.[27]

On January 14, 2015, Jones signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.[28] Two days later, he made his debut for the Clippers in a 126–121 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[29] On January 24, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Clippers.[30] On February 3, he signed with the Clippers for the rest of the season.[31] On March 9, the league fined Jones $10,000 for bumping Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors during a postgame interview following the previous night's Warriors win over the Clippers. Jones denied that the bump was intentional.[32]

Grand Rapids Drive (2015–2016)

On September 10, 2015, Jones signed with the Brooklyn Nets.[33] However, he was later waived by the Nets on October 26 after appearing in four preseason games.[34] On December 4, he was acquired by the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA Development League.[35] The next day, he made his debut for the Drive in a 128–99 win over Raptors 905, recording 13 points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 20 minutes off the bench.[36]

Cleveland Cavaliers (2016–2017)

On April 13, 2016, Jones signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.[37] That night, he made his debut for the Cavaliers in a 112–110 loss to the Detroit Pistons, recording 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks in 42 minutes off the bench.[38] On May 22, he was suspended for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals for striking Toronto Raptors' center Bismack Biyombo in the groin during the final possession of Game 3.[39] The Cavaliers went on to win the series in six games and advanced to the 2016 NBA Finals. Jones saw some early minutes in Game 6 of the NBA Finals after several teammates were in foul trouble. He finished Game 6 with five points, one rebound and one block. The Cavaliers came back from a 3–1 deficit to win the series in seven games, as Jones won his first NBA championship.[40][41]

Jones was waived by the Cavaliers on July 30, 2016,[42] then re-signed on September 26,[43] waived again on October 24,[44] and re-signed yet again on April 12, 2017.[45] Jones played three minutes at the end of the Cavaliers' 116–105 Game 1 Eastern Conference semifinals win over the Raptors on May 1 and picked up back-to-back technical fouls for talking trash to Toronto's Norman Powell, which earned him an ejection with 18.7 seconds remaining. The technicals came with a $3,000 fine attached to each of them, but due to earning only $9,127 in salary with the team for the postseason run—the veteran's minimum—teammate LeBron James covered the fine.[46] The Cavaliers went 12–1 over the first three rounds of the playoffs to reach the NBA Finals for a third straight season. The Cavaliers played the Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals and lost the series in 5 games.[47][48]

NBA career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high
†	Won an NBA championship

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2003–04	Memphis	20	0	7.8	.283	.250	.455	1.1	.6	.3	.3	1.8
2004–05	Memphis	52	7	12.5	.437	.383	.688	1.3	.4	.3	.2	4.5
2005–06	Memphis	71	4	13.6	.414	.143	.645	1.5	.5	.5	.2	4.0
2006–07	Memphis	78	25	21.4	.477	.417	.793	2.0	.9	.5	.3	7.5
2007–08	Sacramento	25	0	8.2	.434	.167	.667	1.4	.5	.3	.2	3.2
2008–09	Denver	79	71	18.1	.458	.647	.728	2.1	1.0	.6	.2	5.4
2009–10	Indiana	76	26	24.9	.461	.125	.770	3.0	2.0	.5	.5	10.2
2010–11	Indiana	45	2	13.1	.467	.359	.767	1.4	.7	.4	.2	6.3
2011–12	Indiana	65	3	16.2	.409	.429	.838	1.8	1.0	.4	.2	5.3
2012–13	Dallas	50	15	12.7	.357	.216	.805	1.4	.6	.2	.1	3.5
2012–13	Atlanta	28	4	13.6	.390	.250	.677	1.1	.7	.4	.0	3.1
2014–15	L.A. Clippers	33	0	3.7	.286	.000	.818	.3	.1	.1	.0	.6
2015–16†	Cleveland	1	0	42.0	.429	.500	.000	5.0	2.0	1.0	2.0	13.0
2016–17	Cleveland	1	0	12.0	.375	.000	.750	2.0	1.0	.0	.0	9.0
Career		624	157	15.7	.439	.329	.751	1.7	.8	.4	.2	5.4

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2005	Memphis	3	0	24.0	.381	.600	.750	3.0	.3	.3	.0	7.3
2006	Memphis	4	0	11.5	.714	.000	.000	1.8	.0	.3	.0	4.3
2009	Denver	16	16	17.5	.481	.250	.767	2.4	.6	.8	.3	7.0
2011	Indiana	3	0	16.7	.450	.000	.889	.7	.7	.3	.0	8.7
2012	Indiana	7	0	8.3	.222	.222	1.000	1.0	.4	.1	.0	2.4
2013	Atlanta	5	0	3.8	.250	.000	1.000	.2	.0	.0	.0	.8
2015	L.A. Clippers	11	0	1.6	1.000	.000	.000	.1	.0	.2	.0	.4
2016†	Cleveland	15	0	3.3	.462	.333	.800	.5	.1	.1	.1	1.1
2017	Cleveland	10	0	3.3	.500	.500	1.000	.7	.1	.0	.1	1.6
Career		74	16	8.5	.448	.294	.812	1.1	.3	.3	.1	3.2

Personal life

Jones is the son of Larry and Joanne Jones. His father played college basketball at St. Peter's College.[3] His cousin, Al Harrington, is a retired professional basketball player.[49] He is married to Valeisha Butterfield Jones, the daughter of North Carolina Congressman G. K. Butterfield.[50] They have two children, Dahntay Jr. and Dillon.

References

1. Battista, Judy (February 21, 1999). "COLLEGE BASKETBALL; Rutgers Could Have a Post-Season With Meaning". NYTimes.com. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
2. Smith, Timothy W. (October 22, 1997). "COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Starting Over In New Jersey; New Coaches at Seton Hall and Rutgers Rebuild". NYTimes.com. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
3. "Dahntay Jones Biography". GoDuke.com. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
4. "Dahntay Jones Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
5. "Grizzlies Trade Draft Rights to 13th & 27th Overall Selections to the Celtics for BC's Troy Bell and Duke's Dahntay Jones". NBA.com. June 26, 2003. Archived from the original on October 11, 2003. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
6. "'Flip' Murray led Sonics' scoring". ESPN.com. November 22, 2003. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
7. May, Peter (September 26, 2007). "Camp roster set". Boston.com. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
8. Dzen, Gary (October 25, 2007). "C's waive Jones, Manuel". Boston.com. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
9. "Transactions: 2007-08 Season". NBA.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
10. "Kings become final NBA team to win first road game". ESPN.com. December 14, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
11. "Mad Ants Make Roster Change". NBA.com. March 21, 2008. Archived from the original on June 12, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
12. "Wizards Rebound at Home". OurSportsCentral.com. March 21, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
13. "Nuggets Sign Dahntay Jones". NBA.com. July 30, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
14. "Boozer, Jazz beat Nuggets who play without Anthony". ESPN.com. October 29, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
15. "2008-09 Denver Nuggets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
16. "Transactions: 2009-10 Season". NBA.com. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
17. "Hawks get timely defensive stops in defeat of Pacers". ESPN.com. October 28, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
18. "It's Official: Pacers Acquire Mahinmi for Collison, Jones". NBA.com. July 12, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
19. "Dallas stuns loaded Lakers in opener, 99-91". NBA.com. October 31, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
20. "ATLANTA HAWKS ACQUIRE DAHNTAY JONES FROM DALLAS AND JEREMY TYLER FROM GOLDEN STATE". NBA.com. February 21, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
21. "Notebook: Hawks 122, Kings 108". NBA.com. February 22, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
22. "Patrick Christopher, Mike James, Dahntay Jones, Kalin Lucas, Dexter Pittman and D.J. White in Bulls training camp". InsideHoops.com. September 27, 2013. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
23. "Chicago Bulls waive Dahntay Jones". InsideHoops.com. October 8, 2013. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
24. Sanchez, Matt (September 25, 2014). "Jazz Sign Free Agent Dahntay Jones". NBA.com. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
25. Lea, Bill (October 22, 2014). "Jazz Waive Cooley and Jones". NBA.com. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
26. "Mad Ants Acquire Dahntay Jones". NBA.com. November 26, 2014. Archived from the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
27. "Jones Returns, But Mad Ants Fall to 87ers". NBA.com. November 28, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
28. "CLIPPERS SIGN DAHNTAY JONES TO 10-DAY CONTRACT". NBA.com. January 14, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
29. "Irving scores 37, Cavaliers hold on to beat Clippers 126-121". NBA.com. January 17, 2015. Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
30. "CLIPPERS SIGN DAHNTAY JONES TO SECOND 10-DAY CONTRACT". NBA.com. January 24, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
31. "CLIPPERS SIGN DAHNTAY JONES FOR REMAINDER OF SEASON". NBA.com. February 3, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
32. Markazi, Arash (March 9, 2015). "Dahntay Jones of Los Angeles Clippers fined $10,000 for Draymond Green bump". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
33. "Brooklyn Nets Sign Dahntay Jones". NBA.com. September 10, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
34. "BROOKLYN NETS WAIVE HARPER AND JONES". NBA.com. October 26, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
35. "Drive Waive Thomas and Add Jones to the 2015-16 Season Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. December 4, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
36. "Pistons Rookie Hilliard Scores 31 in Debut to Help Drive Rout Raptors 905". NBA.com. December 5, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
37. "Cavs Sign Dahntay Jones". NBA.com. April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
38. "LeBron sits as Pistons beat Cavaliers in playoff non-preview". NBA.com. April 13, 2016. Archived from the original on January 14, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
39. Youngmisuk, Ohm (May 22, 2016). "NBA fines Dwane Casey, suspends Dahntay Jones 1 game". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
40. McCauley, Janie (June 19, 2016). "James and Cavaliers win thrilling NBA Finals Game 7, 93–89". National Basketball Association. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
41. Ziegler, P.J (June 19, 2016). "Curse broken: Cleveland Cavaliers win NBA Championship". FOX 8 Cleveland. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
42. "Cavaliers Waive Dahntay Jones". NBA.com. July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
43. "Cavaliers Announce 2016-17 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. September 26, 2016. Archived from the original on September 26, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
44. "Cavaliers Waive Dahntay Jones". NBA.com. October 24, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
45. "Cavaliers Sign Dahntay Jones and Edy Tavares". NBA.com. April 12, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
46. "LeBron James to pay Dahntay Jones' fine again after back-to-back T's". ESPN.com. May 2, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
47. "Warriors Win N.B.A. Title, Avenging Themselves Against the Cavaliers". New York Times. June 13, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
48. "NBA finals: Golden State Warriors win title against Cavaliers – as it happened". Guardian. June 13, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
49. "Chat with Al Harrington". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
50. "Dahntay Jones' Proud Father-in-Law, G.K. Butterfield". RollCall.com. Retrieved November 20, 2015.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com or Basketball-Reference.com
• Duke Blue Devils bio