Jason Terry

Jason Eugene Terry (born September 15, 1977), also known by the initialism JET, is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 19 seasons in the NBA as a combo guard. With the Dallas Mavericks, Terry won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2009 and an NBA championship in 2011. A prolific 3-point shooter, Terry has made the twelfth-most 3-point field goals in NBA history as of April 2026.

High school and college career Terry attended Franklin High School in Seattle, Washington, where he won back-to-back state championships in 1994 and 1995. On February 2, 2007, Terry's No. 31 was retired by Franklin High School.

Terry played college basketball for Arizona from 1995 to 1999. As a sophomore on Arizona's NCAA Championship team, Terry made 18 starts and was the Wildcats' fourth-leading scorer at 10.6 points (also averaged 4.4 assists and 2.5 steals). He was named Pac-10 Player of the Year and was an All-Conference First Team selection as a senior. He concluded his career at Arizona ranked 12th in points (1,461), 5th in assists (493) and 2nd in three-point field goals (192). Currently, he is the only player in Arizona history to finish with 1,000 career points and 200 career steals.

In 2015, Terry earned a bachelor's degree in general studies with an emphasis on social, behavioral and human understanding from his alma mater, profiting from their program for former athletes to finish their course work.

NBA career

Atlanta Hawks (1999–2004) Terry was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 10th overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft. That season, on November 16, 1999, Terry recorded 22 points and 5 assists off the bench in what would be among his best games as a rookie, in a 103–98 win against the Charlotte Hornets. On March 6, 2000, Terry recorded a career-high 6 steals, alongside 12 points and 11 assists, in a loss against the Milwaukee Bucks.

On December 12, 2000, Terry scored a then career-high 38 points in a 107–99 win against the Sacramento Kings. On December 15, 2000, Terry scored 17 points, recorded 13 assists, and grabbed 8 rebounds in a 85–74 win over the Chicago Bulls. During the 2000–01 season, Terry averaged a team and career-high 19.7 points with 3.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.3 steals. On January 15, 2002, he scored a career-high 46 points against the Dallas Mavericks. On February 28, 2003, he recorded his first career triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists against the Chicago Bulls.

The Hawks failed to reach the playoffs during Terry's stint in Atlanta. The closest Terry got was in 2003, when despite winning the final eight games of the season, the Hawks finished as the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 35–47 record.

Dallas Mavericks (2004–2012)

On August 4, 2004, Terry was traded by the Hawks along with Alan Henderson and a future first-round draft pick to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk.

In April 2009, Terry was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year for the 2008–09 season. A sixth man in 63 of 74 games played in 2008–09, Terry averaged 19.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals in 33.6 minutes. He shot .463 from the field.366 from beyond the three-point line and .880 from the free throw line. Among NBA leaders, Terry ranked 10th in three-pointers made (167), 11th in free throw percentage, 17th in steals, and tied for 22nd in scoring average. His 9 3-pointers tied an NBA playoff record held by Rex Chapman, who set it in April 1997 with the Phoenix Suns. As of 2022, it still stood as the most by a reserve in a playoff game. The Mavericks went on to advance to the NBA Finals for just the second time in franchise history. In the 2011 NBA Finals, against the Miami Heat, Terry averaged 18.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 32.5 minutes over the six games. He recorded 21 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists in 30 minutes in Game 5 to become the first sub to record at least 20 points and 5 assists in a Finals game since Michael Cooper in 1987. Terry had a game-high 27 points in 34 minutes in the series-clinching Game 6 to claim his first NBA Championship.

Boston Celtics (2012–2013)

On July 18, 2012, Terry signed a multi-year deal with the Boston Celtics. The deal was finalized on July 12, 2013.

On February 19, 2014, Terry was traded, along with Reggie Evans, to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Marcus Thornton. It was later announced that due to a lingering knee injury, Terry wouldn't join the team in 2013–14; instead he rehabilitated the injury in Dallas to prepare for 2014–15. He did not appear in a game for the Kings during his time with the organization.

Houston Rockets (2014–2016) On September 17, 2014, Terry was traded, along with two future second-round picks, to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Alonzo Gee and Scotty Hopson. On December 22, 2014, in a 110–95 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Terry hit a 3-pointer in the third quarter to become the third player in NBA history to make 2,000 three-pointers, joining Ray Allen and Reggie Miller.

On August 24, 2015, Terry re-signed with the Rockets. In July 2016, he parted ways with the Rockets.

Milwaukee Bucks (2016–2018) On August 22, 2016, Terry signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. On February 24, 2017, in Milwaukee's 109–95 loss to the Utah Jazz, Terry became the oldest player to play for the Bucks, at 39 years, 162 days, passing Dale Ellis (39 years, 155 days). On April 10, 2017, he had season highs of 15 points and five 3-pointers in an 89–79 win over the Charlotte Hornets. That was the only time in 74 games in 2016–17 that he finished with 10 points or more.

On September 18, 2017, Terry re-signed with the Bucks. On December 5, 2017, he was ruled out for two or more weeks after suffering a left calf strain the previous night against the Boston Celtics. On January 28, 2018, he scored a season-high 12 points in a 110–96 win over the Chicago Bulls. Terry hadn't scored in double figures since his 15-point outing against Charlotte on April 10, 2017. On February 23, 2018, he had a 14-point effort in a 122–119 overtime win over the Toronto Raptors. On March 2, 2018, in a 103–96 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Terry made his first start since January 22, 2016, with Houston. He blocked three shots for the first time since December 22, 2010, with Dallas against Philadelphia.

Career statistics

NBA Regular season

Playoffs

College

National team career Terry was a member of the United States squad that competed in the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia.

Post-playing career In September 2019, Terry was appointed assistant general manager of the Texas Legends of the NBA G League, ending his 19-year playing career. In May 2020, Terry was appointed an assistant coach for the Arizona Wildcats. After one season in Arizona, he returned to the G League as the head coach of the Grand Rapids Gold, the new affiliate of the Denver Nuggets. In July 2022, he would join the coaching staff of the Utah Jazz as an assistant coach under new head coach Will Hardy.

Player profile An elite shooter, Terry has made the tenth-most career three-pointers in NBA history.

Personal life Terry was one of ten children raised by his mother, Andrea Cheatham, and his father, Curtis Terry.

Terry and his wife, Johnyika, have five daughters.

Prior to the Mavericks' 2010–11 championship-winning season, Terry tattooed the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy on his right biceps. Two years later, prior to the 2012–13 season, Terry tattooed the Celtics' famous leprechaun spinning the trophy on his finger on his left arm. He also got a tattoo related to the Brooklyn Nets in 2013, though it did not reference a championship trophy.

Controversies NCAA Lawsuit Over Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL)

In July 2024, Terry and three other former University of Arizona basketball players initiated legal action against the NCAA. The lawsuit alleged that the NCAA had utilized their name, image, and likeness (NIL) without consent in March Madness highlight reels and promotional materials. The plaintiffs sought compensation for the unauthorized use of their identities.

"Terry became involved in a legal dispute with jeweler Eric Mavani in September 2023 over a $25,000 Rolex watch he had rented but allegedly neither paid for nor returned."

1999 NCAA Tournament Violation

While attending the University of Arizona, Terry was implicated in a controversy related to NCAA rules violations. In 1999, reports indicated that he had received approximately $11,500 in unauthorized benefits from agents. Consequently, the university forfeited its sole game in the 1999 NCAA Tournament and returned 45% of its tournament revenue share.