Jason Terry: Where is the former star NBA guard now?
DALLAS (BVM) — After being selected No. 10 overall in the 1999 NBA Draft, Jason “The Jet” Terry proved to be a dependable player in his 19-year career. The Arizona standout won Sixth Man of the Year and saw postseason action consistently.
With a plethora of basketball knowledge, Terry has stayed close to the game and continued to give back to basketball.
Jason Terry’s early life, college career
Terry grew up in Seattle with nine brothers and sisters. He attended Franklin High School, where he’d capture back-to-back state championships in 1994 and 1995. Truly a special talent, Terry had plenty of decisions to make, including which college basketball program to play for. However, during his recruitment, he decided to head to Tucson and play for the Arizona Wildcats.
Terry joined the Wildcats basketball program, and he quickly made an impact. Starting 18 games in his sophomore year, Terry averaged 10.6 points, and his contributions helped propel Arizona to a national championship.
In his final season, Terry showed such improved play that he was named Pac-10 Player of the Year. Terry was also named National Player of the Year by numerous publications, including Sports Illustrated and CBS. He concluded his collegiate career with 1,461 points, 493 assists and 193 3-point field goals made.
Jason Terry’s NBA career
Seen as one of the top players in the draft, Terry was selected with the 10th overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks. During his rookie season, the 6-foot-2 guard played in 81 games and averaged 8.1 points.
He would take over as a starter during the 2000-01 season, averaging a career-high 19.7 points. Terry played three more seasons in Atlanta and averaged 17.8 points, 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds in that span.
(2001) Never seen this clip of Jason Terry throwing it down on John Starks. ✈️ pic.twitter.com/iqjO8poB51
— Timeless Sports (@timelesssports_) September 15, 2018
Following his five seasons in Atlanta, Terry was traded to the Dallas Mavericks prior to the start of the 2004-05 season. That season, Terry appeared in a team-high 80 games (started 57) and averaged 12.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists. Terry got his first taste of postseason play with the Mavericks, where he started all 13 postseason games and averaged 17.5 points.
That season, the Mavericks fell to the No. 1 seed, Phoenix Suns, but it was just the start of a successful run for Terry and the team.
The 2005-06 season saw Terry average 17.1 points, two rebounds and 3.8 assists. His contributions helped the Mavericks reach the 2006 NBA Finals. In Game 1 against the Miami Heat, Terry scored 32 points. He became the fifth player in NBA history to score 30 points in his first NBA Finals game, joining Michael Jordan, Shawn Kemp, Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson.
Despite going up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, the Mavericks lost in six games. It wasn’t all for not, as Terry and the Mavericks agreed upon a six-year, $50 million deal after the season.
Over the next two seasons, Terry would continue to post more solid numbers for Dallas. This included two more postseason appearances for the Mavericks. However, in the 2008-09 season, Terry would win his lone NBA award: the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 19.6 points, 3.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds.
The Mavericks once again made the playoffs as the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. However, the No. 2-seeded Denver Nuggets knocked them out of the postseason.
Terry and the Mavericks made another postseason appearance in 2010 but fell short once again. However, the story would be different in the 2010-11 season. Still coming off the bench, Terry significantly impacted 82 games in the process, averaging 15.8 points, 4.1 assists and 1.9 assists.
The Mavericks’ 2011 run led them to the franchise’s second NBA Finals appearance. Waiting for them was another Miami Heat team that included old foe Dwyane Wade and NBA superstars LeBron James and Chris Bosh. It was a tall task, but the Mavericks captured the title in six games. Helping the Mavericks close out the series was Terry, who came off the bench and scored 27 points in Game 6.
Jason Terry closed out the 2011 NBA Finals with 27 points. pic.twitter.com/ylNqYM3H3k
— ThrowbackHoops (@ThrowbackHoops) June 23, 2020
Terry’s final season in Dallas came during a lockout-shortened 2011-12 season. In 63 games, Terry averaged 15.1 points, 3.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds. The Mavericks finished the season as the No. 7 seed, and the defending champions lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the eventual Western Conference champions. This ultimately led to Terry signing a multi-year deal with the Boston Celtics.
Terry averaged 10.1 points, 2.5 assists, and two rebounds through his first season with the Celtics. At 35, Terry continued to play a pivotal role off the bench. The Celtics made it to the playoffs but fell to the New York Knicks in six games.
Losing to the Knicks triggered a rebuild for the Celtics, leading to Terry, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and draft picks being shipped off to the Brooklyn Nets. Terry only played in 35 games for Brooklyn before being traded to the Sacramento Kings in 2014. Terry didn’t make an appearance for Sacramento as he recovered from a lingering knee injury.
Terry once again found himself involved in a trade. This time he wound up with the Houston Rockets. Terry played in 149 games with Houston and averaged 6.5 points, 1.7 assists and 1.3 rebounds.
After a couple of seasons in Houston, Terry hit free agency, where he decided to join the Milwaukee Bucks. With Milwaukee, Terry saw action in 125 games. He averaged 3.8 points, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 rebounds. At the end of Terry’s two-year tenure with the Bucks, his playing career came to an end.
Terry’s 19 seasons in the NBA were full of success. Over his career, he averaged 13.4 points, 3.8 assists and 2.3 rebounds.
Jason Terry’s net worth and achievements
Throughout his career, Terry made over $107 million. He is estimated to have a net worth of around $40 million thanks to his success on the hardwood.
Terry also had the honor of having his No. 31 recognized by Arizona.
Jason Terry after the NBA
Terry quickly found his way to a front office role with the G League team, the Texas Legends. Following a year stint in the G League, Terry returned to his alma mater to be an assistant coach.
19-year NBA veteran and former Wildcat Jason Terry has accepted assistant coaching job at Arizona, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Terry departs Mavs, where he's been assistant GM of Texas Legends. Announcement expected Thursday.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 28, 2020
Terry’s return to Tucson was short-lived, and he quickly returned to the G League. He was named the head coach of Denver’s G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.
For two seasons, Terry coached the Gold. But this past July, it was announced that Terry would join new Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy’s staff as an assistant coach.
The Utah Jazz are finalizing hiring NBA G League Grand Rapids head coach Jason Terry as an assistant coach on Will Hardy’s staff, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 16, 2022
It’s evident that Terry loves the game of basketball. Just like his time on the court, the now coach has continued to find success. That isn’t likely to stop, and there remains so much more for the seasoned NBA vet to accomplish.
