Jared Jeffries wins on ‘The Price is Right’; Where is he now?
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (BVM) – Many sports fans tend to think that professional athletes have all the luck in the world. Being paid millions of dollars to play games that most young people participate in while also getting to go to the biggest parties and travel the world certainly makes it seem that way. However, in the case of former NBA player Jared Jeffries, he showed Monday that his luck extends beyond just his career on the basketball court.
Appearing as a contestant on the popular game show “The Price is Right,” Jeffries won a brand new car. During the show, Jeffries competed in the game “One Away” and correctly guessed the answer, winning him a new Toyota.
Former Knick Jared Jeffries won a car on The Price Is Right this morningpic.twitter.com/AEQwgYap7P
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 9, 2023
While his winnings certainly show the luck that Jeffries has had on his side, the former NBA veteran has also proven to be a hard worker throughout his basketball career and retirement.
Early life and high school basketball
Growing up in Bloomington, Indiana, in the heart of basketball country, Jeffries quickly took on the sport. Going to school at Bloomington High School North, Jeffries helped lead the Cougars to the IHSAA state finals in 2000 while averaging nearly 24 points per game.
He was also recognized that same year with Indiana’s Mr. Basketball award, the Gatorade National Player of the Year award and as a McDonald’s All-American. Jeffries didn’t have to go far to find his college home as he stayed in town at Indiana University.
Indiana Hoosiers
Playing under head coach Mike Davis, Jeffries quickly lived up to his billing as one of the country’s most sought-after players. During his freshman year, the 6-foot-11 forward averaged 13.8 points and 6.8 rebounds en route to Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. In his second season, Jeffries stepped up his game even more, averaging 15 points and 7.5 rebounds on his way to the conference’s player of the year award.
Happy 4⃣0⃣th to @IndianaMBB legend Jared Jeffries (@ModernFishingTV)! 🎂🎁🎈 pic.twitter.com/8kFAbVgyCP
— Indiana On BTN (@IndianaOnBTN) November 25, 2021
However, it was during the NCAA Tournament that Jeffries truly shined. With the Hoosiers as a No. 5 seed, Jeffries led the team all the way to the national championship game against Maryland. Though the team lost the game 64-52, Jeffries confirmed himself as one of the college game’s top players and thus decided to enter his name into the 2002 NBA Draft.
On this day in 2002: 5-seed Indiana beat 12-seed UNC Wilmington 76-67 in Sacramento. Jared Jeffries scored 20 of his 22 pts in the 2nd half, while Moye & Hornsby added 12 each. This set the stage for the huge sweet 16 matchup vs defending champ Duke (31-3).#iubb @ModernFishingTV pic.twitter.com/8DSfRrylVc
— Saint Tom Allen (@SaintTomAllen) March 16, 2022
NBA career
As one of the top college players in the NBA draft pool, it didn’t take long for Jeffries to hear his name called. Jeffries was selected by the Washington Wizards with the No. 11 overall pick.
Jared Jeffries, 2002 NBA Draft
11th Pick By Washington Wizards.#DraftDay // #IUBB pic.twitter.com/aNiDgE2y6L— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) June 25, 2015
An ACL tear just 20 games into his professional career relegated Jeffries to a mostly backup role over the course of his first two seasons with the Wizards. However, Jeffries became a full-time starter by year three and started 148 out of 154 games over the next two seasons. Over the course of four years with the Wizards, Jeffries averaged 6.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
Unfortunately, Jeffries’s stint in the nation’s capital would be his best. In 2006, Jeffries signed with the New York Knicks, spending the next three years there as a role player. During the 2009-10 season, Jeffries was sent to the Houston Rockets in a deal that brought Tracy McGrady to New York.
Jeffries played just 36 games over two seasons with the Rockets before he agreed to a buyout and went back to the Knicks. After spending the rest of the 2010-11 and the entire 2011-12 seasons with New York, Jeffries signed a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers where he played 38 games for the 2012-13 squad.
This marked the end of Jeffries’s career as he announced his retirement in September 2013. He averaged 4.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 629 games across 11 NBA seasons with four teams.
Retirement
Following his retirement, Jeffries stayed in the world of basketball, becoming a scout for the Denver Nuggets. Jeffries held that position for three years before he was promoted to the team’s Director of Player Personnel in April 2016.
#TBT — Congrats to Jared Jeffries (@ModernFishingTV) on his promotion to Dir. of Pro Personnel with the @nuggets. pic.twitter.com/jM54Um3PYE
— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) April 21, 2016
However, after just one year in the role, Jeffries decided to make the jump into a new field of sports, becoming the president of the esports organization Echo Fox, helmed by former NBA player Rick Fox. Echo Fox would shut down in 2019.
Though his transition into esports wasn’t as successful as his time in the NBA, Jeffries continued to stay busy. In 2013, Jeffries debuted as the host for an Outdoor Channel TV show titled “Modern Fishing with Jared Jeffries” where he chronicled his fishing exploits around the world. The show lasted numerous seasons on the channel.
— Jared Jeffries (@ModernFishingTV) August 16, 2016
Perhaps it is fitting that Jeffries once again entered the spotlight thanks to TV. With his Price is Right win, Jeffries certainly grabbed the attention of NBA fans across the country once again.
