Jason Terry
Jason Eugene Terry (born
September 15 1977 in
Seattle, Washington) is an
American basketball player currently with the
Dallas Mavericks. He plays
point guard, although he also can play
shooting guard. His nickname, "Jet", derives from his initials.
Terry was drafted out of the
University of Arizona by the
Atlanta Hawks in the
1999 NBA Draft as the 10th overall selection. After spending his first five seasons with the Hawks, Terry was traded to the Mavericks just prior to the start of the
2004-2005 season. He had a mediocre first few months with the Mavericks, the reason for which he cites to be he was trying to play the game of
Steve Nash, whom he'd replaced, and not his own. After realizing this, Terry put up above average numbers and by the end of the season was feared around the league, earning his spot as the Mavs' number one guard.
In the 2004-2005 NBA Playoffs, Terry averaged 17.5 points on 51% shooting while hitting 49% from three point range in his first playoff run. Yet his team failed to advance to the conference finals, losing its 2nd round series 4-2 to Nash's
Phoenix Suns. In game 6 of that series Terry got in a confrontation with teammate
Dirk Nowitzki, who was frustrated by his own erratic play during the playoffs, for committing the crucial error of backing off of Steve Nash in the final seconds of regulation with his team up by 3, who subsequently hit the 3 point shot to send the game into overtime resulting eventually in the second round ouster of the Mavericks.
In the final seconds of game 5, of the 2005-2006 NBA Western Conference playoff semifinals against the
San Antonio Spurs, Terry in closeups was shown, according to the NBA, to punch opposing guard and former teammate
Michael Finley in the groin[
1]. On May 18, 2006, Jason Terry was suspended without pay from game 6, in a controversial decision. Despite losing game six, the Mavericks were able to close out the series in game seven to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
On
July 1,
2006, after spending only 12 hours on the free-agent market, Jason Terry agreed to a 6-year contract deal with the
Dallas Mavericks.
[Jason Terry agrees to a 6-year contract with the Mavericks, AP, accessed July 1, 2006 ]Once criticized for his shot selection as a
Hawk, Terry transformed himself into a better shooter. His shooting ability elevated him into a feared "
clutch shooter" who frequently takes game-deciding shots for the Mavericks (in addition to Nowitzki). Other than his shooting, Terry is also a quick penetrator who can drive toward the basket for layups or use his favorite
teardrop shot.
*Jason Terry is one of 10 children raised by a single mother.
*One of Terry's siblings, Curtis, plays basketball for
UNLV.
*Terry wears five pairs of socks during every game because of superstition; in one game during the NCAA tournament he did not wear his traditional five pairs and did not score a single point
*Terry makes it a point to sleep in the game shorts of the next day's opponent; he has 22 pairs of shorts (including Mike Bibby's and Gilbert Arenas's) and is working to get one pair of shorts per team. He was pictured with several pairs of his shorts in a May 2006 edition of Sports Illustrated.
*He wears 12 1/2 sized shoes
*He has "206" tattooed on his chest, his area code in Seattle where he grew up.
*Terry is an avid video game player; he is one of the featured players in the video game
NBA Ballers: Phenom. He also claims that he makes it a point to trade himself to Dallas when playing NBA simulations during his
Hawks days.
*Former NBA player and current TNT sportscaster
Reggie Miller refers to him as the new "Jet" to distinguish him from "Old School Jet"
Kenny Smith.
*Terry was also a member of the United States squad for the 2001
Goodwill Games in
Australia.
*
NBA.com - Jason Terry*
Tha Reason Records - JT's record label
