Jared Scott Carter Jeffries is a retired National Basketball Association player currently working as a pro personnel scout for the Denver Nuggets.
Education
Before competing in the college ranks, Jeffries attended high school at, advancing to the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) basketball finals in 2000 before losing to Marion High School, led by current Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph. In his last two years in high school, one of his teammates was future North Carolina player Sean May. Jeffries was recognized as the 2000 Indiana Mr.
Basketball.
Jeffries played basketball for the Indiana University Hoosiers, where he played for two years before forgoing his junior and senior years to enter the National Basketball Association draft.
Jeffries was a key cog in the Hoosiers" Cinderella run to the 2002 National Collegiate Athletic Association title game. Against #1 Duke in the East Regional Semifinals, Jeffries had 24 points and 15 rebounds to lead Indiana University to a 74-73 upset victory.
Jeffries received the 2002 Silver Basketball from the Chicago Tribune as the Most Valuable Player of the Big Ten.
Career
Jeffries was drafted with the 11th overall pick of the 2002 National Basketball Association draft by the Washington Wizards. He also played for the New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, and Portland Trailblazers before retiring in 2013. At 6"11", he mainly played at the forward and center positions.
Jeffries was selected by the Washington Wizards with the 11th pick in the 2002 National Basketball Association draft.
As a lottery-level pick, Jeffries received a guaranteed three-year contract with the Wizards. Jeffries appeared in 20 games during his rookie season, which was cut short when he tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament during practice.
However, he appeared in all 82 games during his sophomore season and was a regular starter during the 2004-2005 season. On October 31, 2004, the Wizards exercised a contract option to keep Jeffries with the team through the 2005-2006 season.
The New York Knicks signed Jeffries on August 8, 2006 after the Washington Wizards declined to match the Knicks" offer.
Shortly before the 2006 season, Jeffries suffered a wrist injury and missed the first 23 games of the season. On December 16, 2006, Jeffries was involved in the Knicks–Nuggets brawl. He was suspended for four games.
On February 18, 2010, he was traded to the Houston Rockets along with Jordan Hill as part of a three team trade which sent Tracy McGrady to the New York Knicks.
Jeffries agreed to a buyout with the Rockets on February 25, 2011. On March 1, 2011, Jeffries rejoined the Knicks.
On July 16, 2012, Jeffries, Dan Gadzuric, the rights to Greek forward Giorgos Printezis and the 48th pick in the 2012 National Basketball Association draft, Kostas Papanikolaou, and a 2016 second round pick were traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Kurt Thomas and Raymond Felton. On April 18, 2013, the Trail Blazers announced that they had waived Jeffries.
In September 2013, Jeffries retired from the National Basketball Association in conjunction with accepting a front office position with the Denver Nuggets as a pro personnel scout.
During the summer of 2013, Jeffries began filming as the host of a fishing television series documenting his fishing adventures around the world. The show, Modern Fishing with Jared Jeffries, premiered December 30, 2013 on the Outdoor Channel.