Richard Jefferson

Lore & Background

Jefferson played seven seasons with the New Jersey Nets and was a key element of their back-to-back Eastern Conference Championship teams of 2002 and 2003. He played in the NBA Finals with the Nets in each of his first two seasons. He competed in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 2003. On August 13, 2004, Jefferson signed a six-year, $78,000,000 contract extension with the Nets. He missed the majority of the 2004–05 regular season after rupturing a ligament in his left wrist. In August 2007, Jefferson pledged $3.5 million toward the University of Arizona's then-planned basketball and volleyball practice facility, which was eventually named in his honor. On December 4, 2007, he passed Kerry Kittles to become the Nets' second all-time leading scorer.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the newly christened Barclays Center was thick with anticipation during a tight fourth-quarter showdown in late 2012. With seconds ticking away, the crowd roared for Deron Williams to take the final shot, but instead, he found Richard Jefferson cutting hard toward the rim. 'Rip' caught the pass, absorbed a heavy contact from a defender, and laid it off with his signature soft touch. As the buzzer sounded and the Nets secured the win, Jefferson didn't celebrate wildly; he simply nodded to the bench, embodying the quiet, steady confidence that defined his Brooklyn chapter.

Reader's Guide

Jefferson was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on June 26, 2008, for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons. He was traded to the San Antonio Spurs on June 23, 2009, for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, and Fabricio Oberto. On March 15, 2012, the Golden State Warriors traded Stephen Jackson for Jefferson and a conditional first-round pick. On July 5, 2013, the Warriors traded Jefferson, Brandon Rush, Andris Biedriņš, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks to the Utah Jazz in a three-team deal. On July 21, 2014, Jefferson signed with the Dallas Mavericks. On August 5, 2015, he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning an NBA championship in 2016. On October 14, 2017, he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks and immediately waived. On October 19, 2017, he signed a one-year, $2.3 million contract with the Denver Nuggets. He announced his retirement on October 13, 2018.

Did You Know?

• Jefferson was a member of the USA Men's Olympic basketball team in the 2004 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal.
• He was inducted into the Pac-12 Basketball Hall of Honor on March 10, 2012.
• Jefferson co-hosted the podcast Road Trippin' alongside Allie Clifton and Channing Frye.
• In 2025, ESPN named Jefferson to its lead NBA on ESPN broadcast team.