Javier Antonio Colón

Javier Antonio "Toñito" Colón (born June 4, 1969) is a retired Puerto Rican basketball player. Colón spent his entire career as a point guard for the Leones de Ponce of the BSN from 1987 to 2008. Colón led the team to five championships during his career, and is currently third on assists of all-time in the league. Colón also played for the Puerto Rico National Basketball Team from 1990 to 1999.

Javier Antonio Colón

Personal information
Born	(1969-06-04) June 4, 1969 Ponce, Puerto Rico
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Listed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
Playing career	1987–2008
Position	Point guard
Career history
1987–2008	Leones de Ponce
Career highlights and awards
5× BSN champion (1990, 1992, 1993, 2002, 2004) BSN Most Valuable Player (1998)
Medals Men’s basketball Representing  Puerto Rico FIBA Americas Championship 1995 Argentina Team competition 1993 Puerto Rico Team competition 1997 Uruguay Team competition Pan American Games 1991 Havana Team competition Centrobasket 1991 Mexico Team competition 1993 Puerto Rico Team competition 1997 Honduras Team competition 1995 Dominican Republic Team competition Central American and Caribbean Games 1993 Puerto Rico Team competition 1990 Mexico Team competition Goodwill Games 1994 St. Petersburg Team competition

Career

Colón was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on June 4, 1969. He debuted with the Leones de Ponce in 1987 when he was 17 years old.

Colón became a starter for the team in 1989 and became its captain until 2004. In 1990, he led the Leones to its first championship in 24 years. The team would win again in 1992 and 1993, as Colón led a sharpshooting team known for its accuracy. Colón, along with teammates Bobby Ríos, José "Papote" Agosto, and Charlie Lanauze were referred to as the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" by the media. Colón averaged 18.2 points per game in 1993, the highest of his career.[1]

Colón and the Leones would reach the Finals again in 1995, 1996, 1998, and 2003. In 2004, they beat the Vaqueros de Bayamón for their fifth championship in 15 years. Colón dedicated the championship to the Mayor of Ponce Rafael Cordero Santiago, an avid fan of the team, who had died early that year.

Colón was selected as one of the league's best players of the 1990s, along with Eddie Casiano, James Carter, Edgar de León and José "Piculín" Ortiz.[2]

In his last years as a player, Colón settled on a role of back-up point guard.[3] He retired in 2008.

Statistics

Legend

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

†	Denotes seasons in which Colón won a BSN championship

Year	Team	GP	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1987	Ponce	19	.517	.500	.808	0.8	1.0	4.6
1988	Ponce	30	.522	.320	.767	1.0	1.7	6.1
1989	Ponce	30	.584	.426	.773	2.8	5.9	12.6
1990	Ponce	24	.485	.314	.688	3.3	9.0	11.9
1991	Ponce	30	.517	.528	.743	4.3	6.3	14.0
1992	Ponce	21	.458	.407	.906	4.4	7.1	15.7
1993	Ponce	34	.525	.489	.896	4.5	5.3	18.2
1994	Ponce	26	.481	.371	.809	4.0	6.2	14.8
1995	Ponce	16	.462	.333	.772	3.7	7.2	16.8
1996	Ponce	33	.488	.343	.808	4.8	6.8	15.3
1997	Ponce	28	.488	.410	.904	5.2	6.8	16.9
1998	Ponce	30	.552	.434	.836	5.0	7.1	15.8
2000	Ponce	18	.472	.364	.829	3.0	4.2	10.8
2001	Ponce	25	.421	.406	.864	4.0	5.5	13.6
2002	Ponce	28	.466	.429	.792	4.1	5.1	15.3
2003	Ponce	29	.440	.368	.838	4.5	4.4	14.3
2004	Ponce	29	.462	.483	.736	3.6	4.8	11.2
2005	Ponce	32	.399	.414	.727	3.6	3.4	10.2
2006	Ponce	25	.356	.362	.721	2.5	2.9	9.0
2007	Ponce	28	.395	.328	.744	1.2	1.4	5.2
2008	Ponce	20	.298	.333	.750	0.5	0.8	2.6
Career		555	.475	.405	.819	3.5	5.0	12.3

Olympic career

Colón was a member of Puerto Rico's National Basketball team for 9 years (1990–1999). As a member, he participated at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics where the team finished 8th and 10th respectively. He also participated in several FIBA tournaments, winning a gold medal in 1995 and two silver medals in 1993 and 1997. Colón and the Puerto Rico team also won the gold at the 1991 Pan American Games and the 1994 Goodwill Games. Other tournaments and events were Colón participated with the Puerto Rico team were Centrobasket (winning two gold medals) and the Central American and Caribbean Games (winning one gold medal).

Colón quit the international team in 1999 after an injury had him sidelined the whole year.

References

1. Baloncesto Superior Nacional - Javier Antonio Colón on bsnpr.com
2. Escogen a los mejores jugadores del baloncesto on NoticiasOnline; Associated Press
3. "Toñito" Colón regresa a los Leones on WAPA-TV (16/1/08)

External links

• Toñito Colón Profile on BSNPR.com