Arizona Wildcats: Top 30 athletes in school history
Nov 6, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Richard Jefferson (24) at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Richard Jefferson currently plays small forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA.
Richard Jefferson helped the Cavs earn back-to-back Eastern Conference Championships in 2002 and 2003. You may remember Jefferson in black and white playing for either the Nets or the Spurs.
The Cavs are the seventh team he has played for so far in his 14-year career, this time he has a great chanced to earn his first championship ring. He started his career playing eight seasons with the New Jersey Nets after the team chose Jefferson with their No. 13 pick in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft. Here is the list of teams Jefferson has played for:
| 2001–2008 | New Jersey Nets |
|---|---|
| 2008–2009 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2009–2012 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2012–2013 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2013–2014 | Utah Jazz |
| 2014–2015 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2015–present | Cleveland Cavaliers |
The man deserves a ring! This year he just might get one if it comes down to the Golden State Warriors and a healthy Cleveland Cavaliers once again, the Cavs could come out on top.
At the age of 35, Jefferson has not lost the ‘it’ factor, earlier this season he made ‘SportsCenter’s’ Top 10 with a dunk that brought LeBron James out of his chair.
Jefferson has not forgotten where it all started for him; he is a huge donor to his Alma Mater, the University of Arizona. In 2011, Jefferson donated $3.5 million, one of the largest donations received by the school, towards a multi-use facility to be used by both the men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams. The gym was dedicated in his name on Dec. 8, 2008. The Richard Jefferson Gymnasium is 20,000 square feet and includes four cross court and two full-size basketball or volleyball courts.
Jefferson, a 2012 Pac-12 Hall of Fame inductee, played at Arizona for three years between 1998 and 2001 and averaged 11.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 26.3 minutes in 84 games.
| Season | School | Conf | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 2P | 3P | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-99 | Arizona | Pac-10 | 28 | 755 | 104 | 210 | .495 | 92 | 12 | 134 | 80 | 18 | 11 | 317 |
| 1999-00 | Arizona | Pac-10 | 21 | 495 | 84 | 167 | .503 | 67 | 17 | 92 | 58 | 6 | 24 | 230 |
| 2000-01 | Arizona | Pac-10 | 35 | 961 | 147 | 307 | .479 | 116 | 31 | 190 | 94 | 27 | 28 | 397 |
| Career | Arizona | 84 | 2211 | 335 | 684 | .490 | 275 | 60 | 416 | 232 | 51 | 63 | 944 |
Provided by Sports-Reference.com/CBB: View Original Table
Generated 11/23/2015.
Jefferson was highly accomplished in his college career, here are some of the highlights:
- Helped the Wildcats reach the NCAA Tournament three times, losing to Duke in the 2001 NCAA Championship Game
- As a junior started 34 of 35 games, finishing second on the team in blocks (24), third in rebounding (5.4 rpg), third in assists (2.7 apg) and fourth in scoring (11.3 ppg), earning All-Midwest Regional Team honors
- In the national semifinal against Michigan State, poured in 17 points, adding eight rebounds and two block
- Had a strong NCAA title game against Duke, scoring 15 of his 19 points in the second half, including sinking a career-best 4-of-8 three-pointers while hauling in eight rebounds
- Named to All-Final Four Team in 2001
- Selected to All-Pac-10 Freshman Team in 1998–99 season.
When Richard Jefferson eventually retires from the NBA, he aspires to be a sports broadcaster and has dabbled in this future career on the college media circuit.
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