Jamaal Magloire


Jamaal Dane Magloire is a Canadian retired professional basketball player who currently serves as a consultant and team ambassador for the Toronto Raptors. He played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association for the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, and Toronto Raptors. The, center was selected out of the University of Kentucky by the Charlotte Hornets, with the 19th overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft, after withdrawing his name from the previous draft. He was voted into the NBA All-Star Game in 2004, becoming only the second Canadian All-Star in NBA history.

Early life

Magloire was born in Toronto, Ontario to Trinidadian immigrant parents, Garth, a welder, and Marion, an insurance worker. He was raised in the city's Scarborough district and attended high school at Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute, where he led the school's AAA basketball team to back-to-back Ontario provincial championships in 1995 and 1996.

College career

In 1996, Magloire enrolled at the University of Kentucky. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman team in 1997. Magloire started 12 games as a sophomore for the Kentucky Wildcats team that won the national championship in 1998. He was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection in his senior season. He finished his college career as Kentucky's all-time leader in blocked shots, with 268. Magloire's tenure with the Wildcats earned him the nickname "Big Cat".

NBA career

Charlotte / New Orleans Hornets (2000–2005)

He was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 19th pick of the 2000 NBA draft, and filled a reserve role for his first two seasons in which he averaged 6.5 points in 16.8 minutes per game. In the 2002–03 season, the Hornets' first year in New Orleans, he started all 82 games, averaging 10.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
During the 2003–04 season, Magloire averaged 13.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while starting all 82 games, and was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. He became only the second Canadian All-Star in NBA history, after Steve Nash. Magloire played well, leading the Eastern All-Stars with 19 points, along with 8 rebounds in 21 minutes of action.

Milwaukee Bucks (2005–2006)

On October 26, 2005, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Desmond Mason, a 2006 first-round draft pick and cash considerations.

Portland Trail Blazers (2006–2007)

On July 31, 2006, during the off-season, Magloire was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Steve Blake, Ha Seung-Jin, and Brian Skinner.
Although Magloire has averaged nearly 10 points per game throughout his entire NBA career, he did not score over nine points in a single game during his first 20 games as a Trail Blazer. In fact, only eight times did Magloire record over 11 points during 81 regular season games in the 2006–07 season. Magloire finished the season with an average of only 21 minutes played per game, down from 30 minutes played in the previous two seasons. Magloire became a free agent in the off-season.

New Jersey Nets (2007–2008)

The New Jersey Nets signed Magloire on July 17, 2007. In the 2007–08 season, he played little, averaging only 1.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Magloire was waived by the Nets on February 22, 2008.

Dallas Mavericks (2008)

The Dallas Mavericks signed Magloire on February 26, 2008 to back up centre Erick Dampier after former Maverick centre DeSagana Diop was traded to the New Jersey Nets in the blockbuster trade involving point guards Devin Harris and Jason Kidd.

Miami Heat (2008–2011)

Magloire signed with the Miami Heat on August 30, 2008 for the veteran's minimum after nearing the luxury tax threshold. Magloire provided additional depth and experience at the centre position. He was upgraded to starter on Monday, January 26, 2009 vs. the Atlanta Hawks.
Miami re-signed Magloire with the Heat for the 2009–10 season.
Magloire was valued as an enforcer during his tenure with Miami.
On July 19, 2010, the Heat re-signed Magloire for the 2010–11 season. The Heat would make it to the 2011 NBA Finals, and fell short to the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

Toronto Raptors (2011–2012)

On December 9, 2011, Magloire signed a one-year deal with the Toronto Raptors for the veteran's minimum. This marked the first time a Canadian born player played for the Raptors, the only NBA franchise in Canada. Magloire re-signed with the team on September 18, 2012, but was waived by the team on October 27, 2012.
On November 18, 2012, the Raptors hired Magloire as a consultant and team ambassador.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

In the early morning hours of June 23, 2001, Magloire's half-brother, 19-year-old Justin Sheppard, was shot and killed on the footbridge that spans the ravine around Rosedale Valley Road between Bloor Street East and Glen Road near Sherbourne subway station in Toronto. Like Magloire, Sheppard was a promising basketball talent at Eastern Commerce, and was supposed to begin a scholarship at a Maryland prep school that fall. Magloire helped post a CAD$50,000 reward, but to date, there have been no arrests and the killing remains unsolved.

Jamaal Magloire Foundation

Magloire is the founder of the , which is committed to improving the lives of at-risk youth by helping them to obtain academic and social skills through the arts and sport. The foundation is currently guided by inspirational 2 objectives, including "Help Turn Potential into Possible" and "Youth Deserve a Chance to Dream".