J. R. Giddens
Justin Ray "J. R." Giddens (born February 13, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for Ferro Carril Oeste of the Argentine LNB. He was selected with the 30th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics out of the University of New Mexico. He initially played for the University of Kansas but transferred following his sophomore season.
 Giddens with Brescia in January 2013 | |
| Free agent | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 13, 1985 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | John Marshall (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 30th overall |
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | |
| Playing career | 2008–present |
| Career history | |
| 2008–2010 | Boston Celtics |
| 2008–2009 | →Utah Flash |
| 2010 | Maine Red Claws |
| 2010 | New York Knicks |
| 2010 | Asseco Prokom Gdynia |
| 2011 | Valencia Basket |
| 2011 | New Mexico Thunderbirds |
| 2011–2012 | PAOK Thessaloniki |
| 2012–2013 | Brescia Leonessa |
| 2012–2014 | Brescia Leonessa |
| 2014 | Vaqueros de Bayamón |
| 2014–2015 | Peñarol de Mar del Plata |
| 2015–2016 | Instituto |
| 2016 | Leones de Santo Domingo |
| 2017 | Trouville |
| 2017 | Gregorio Urbano Gilbert |
| 2017 | Mineros de Parral |
| 2018 | Ferro Carril Oeste |
| 2018 | Pueblo Nuevo |
| 2018 | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón |
| 2018 | Correcaminos UAT Victoria |
| 2019 | Español de Talca |
| 2019 | Domingo Paulino |
| 2019 | Cañeros del Este |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
College
Giddens accepted a scholarship offer from University of Kansas from then-head coach Roy Williams. After Williams left, Giddens was persuaded to stay by Williams' replacement Bill Self.[1] In his first year at Kansas, Giddens earned All-Big 12 Conference Freshman honors while averaging 11 points per game. In May 2005 he was involved in a fight outside a bar in Lawrence and received a stab wound. He was later charged with battery for his role in the incident and left Kansas in a mutual agreement with Self.[2][3] Giddens transferred to New Mexico and sat out the next season due to NCAA regulations. As a junior, he was suspended from the team in late February for disciplinary reasons and missed the team's summer trip to work on his academics.[1][4] New Mexico hired head coach Steve Alford, who took a no-nonsense approach to discipline, and Giddens made a dramatic transformation.[5] As a senior, he was named Mountain West Conference Co-Player of the Year and Honorable Mention All-American following career highs in points (16.3 per game) and rebounds (8.8 per game).[6]
Professional career
On June 26, 2008, Giddens was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 30th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. He had worked out with the Celtics for three days, and received praises from head coach Doc Rivers,[7] who thought he could fight for minutes on the team right away.[8] He was even mentioned as a possible replacement for restricted free agent Tony Allen.[9] Giddens was already familiar with Leon Powe and Kendrick Perkins, who were his teammates at the 2003 McDonald's All-American Game. But on behalf of his agent Aaron Mintz, Giddens declined to work out at the Celtics' minicamp in early July, because he had not signed a contract yet.[10][11]
On November 15, 2008, Giddens was assigned to the Boston Celtics' NBA Development League affiliate team, the Utah Flash.[12] He had played with the Celtics in the 2008–09 pre-season but had been on the inactive list for the first 10 games of the regular season.[12] He was recalled by the Celtics from Utah Flash development team on February 8, 2009.[13]
Giddens started his first game for the Boston Celtics on January 2, 2010.
On February 18, 2010, Giddens, Bill Walker and Eddie House were traded to the New York Knicks for Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry.[14]
On October 13, 2010, Giddens's agent said that Giddens would spend the 2010-11 season with Asseco Prokom Gdynia in Poland,[15] but Giddens left the team in December 2010 by mutual consent.[16]
In September 2011, Giddens signed with PAOK Thessaloniki of Greece.[17]
In September 2012, Giddens signed with Basket Brescia Leonessa, an Italian Legadue team.
On June 30, 2014, he signed with Vaqueros de Bayamón of Puerto Rico.[18]
On November 22, 2014, Giddens signed with Peñarol de Mar del Plata of Argentina.[19] On March 10, 2015, he was waived by the Peñarol after appearing in seventeen LNB games.[20]
In January 2017, Giddens signed with Club Trouville of the Liga Uruguaya de Basketball.[21] The next month, he left the club after appearing in five games.[22] On February 22, 2017, he signed with Mexican club Mineros de Parral.[23]
On March 22, 2018, Giddens signed with Ferro Carril Oeste of the Liga Nacional de Básquet in Argentina.[24]
Stabbing incident
On May 19, 2005, Giddens was stabbed in his right calf in a bar fight in Lawrence, Kansas, requiring 30 stitches.[1][2]
Personal
- Majored in university studies.
- Cleared 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) as a high jumper in high school.
- His parents are Charles and Dianna, and he has two sisters, Breeanna and Portia.
- Lists Steve Urkel and Mr. Rogers as his favorite television characters.
- Has sixteen tattoos, including his first initial "J" on his left triceps and his last initial "G" on his right triceps, and the Bible verse Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" - on his right shoulder.[25]
NBA career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Boston | 6 | 0 | 1.3 | .667 | .000 | .000 | .5 | .0 | .2 | .0 | .7 |
| 2009–10 | Boston | 21 | 1 | 4.7 | .429 | .000 | .500 | 1.0 | .3 | .2 | .0 | 1.1 |
| 2009–10 | New York | 11 | 0 | 12.7 | .487 | .000 | .636 | 2.8 | .6 | .5 | .1 | 4.1 |
| Career | 38 | 1 | 6.5 | .476 | .000 | .565 | 1.4 | .3 | .3 | .1 | 1.9 |
References
- DraftExpress.com NBA Draft Prospect Profile: J.R. Giddens
- Ex-Jayhawk Giddens charged with battery - Men's College Basketball - ESPN
- Mark Murphy, Celtics select J.R. Giddens with 30th pick in NBA draft, Boston Herald, June 27, 2008.
- Geoff Grammer, Steve Alford: A bitter departure, Albuquerque Journal, August 4, 2013.
- Richard Stevens, Alford Takes UNM To New Levels, But No Sweet 16 Trip, New Mexico Athletics, June 22, 2013.
- J.R. Giddens, Profile Archived March 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, New Mexico Athletics.
- Steve Bulpett, For Celts, future is now, Boston Herald, June 27, 2008.
- Julian Benbow, Taking a shot with J.R., The Boston Globe, June 27, 2008.
- Steve Bulpett, Celts drafting offseason plan, Boston Herald, June 28, 2008.
- Monique Walker, This year, Davis not one of the babies in camp, The Boston Globe, July 3, 2008.
- Scott Souza, Celtics: Giddens a no-show at mini-camp, The MetroWest Daily News, July 2, 2008.
- Celtics Assign Giddens to Utah Flash | Celtics.com
- "Boston Celtics player transactions (Boston Herald)". Archived from the original on May 10, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- "Knicks Acquire Eddie House, J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker". NBA.com. February 18, 2010. Archived from the original on February 21, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
- Giddens to play in Europe
- "JR Giddens leaves Prokom". Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- PAOK signs swingman Giddens
- "JR Giddens inks with Vaqueros de Bayamon". Sportando.com. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
- "J.R. Giddens (ex Bayamon) agreed terms with Penarol". Eurobasket.com. November 22, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
- "Penarol cut J.R. Giddens". Eurobasket.com. March 10, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
- Trouville lands J.R. Giddens, ex Leones SD
- Trouville y un nuevo recambio (in Spanish)
- Te presentamos a los nuevos refuerzos del equipo mineros de parral, de excelente nivel, el orgullo parralense y jugador reconocido en liga nacional Alan Olivas, así como el jugador ex NBA (knicks-celtics) JR Giddens (in Spanish)
- Cauchi, O. (March 22, 2018). "J.R. Giddens inks with Ferro Basquet". sportando.com. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
- Jeremy Fowler, Men's basketball: Lobo J.R. Giddens seeks to rise above the labels Archived April 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, The Alburquerque Tribune, February 10, 2007.