Jameer Nelson (born February 9, 1982 in Chester, Pennsylvania) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the NBA.

College career

Nelson began his play at Saint Joseph's University in the 2000-2001 NCAA season. He had a breakout freshman season in which he was named unanimous National Freshman of the Year. During his junior season in 2002-2003, he averaged 19.7 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, and 4.7 assists per game. He declared for the NBA Draft in 2003, but remained for his senior season because he wanted to improve his draft status

Nelson became arguably the most publicized player in the country during his senior season in 2003-2004 as he led the Saint Joseph's Hawks to a 27-0 regular season record. The Hawks' first loss came in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Nelson and junior guard Delonte West formed what was largely considered the nation's best backcourt, helping the Hawks earn a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They advanced to the Elite Eight and were within seconds of the Final Four before Oklahoma State Cowboys' John Lucas III hit a three-pointer with only a few seconds remaining (after the make, Nelson dribbled up the court and had a chance to tie the game, but his 15-foot shot fell short.) Saint Joseph's finished with a 30-2 record, the best in the university's history. Nelson averaged 20.6 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.9 steals per game. He received the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award his final year, recognizing him as the nation's top senior men's basketball player. He left the Hawks as the best player in the program's history, as its all-time leader in scoring (2094 points), assists (714), and steals (256). Nelson's number was retired by the university on April 23, 2004.

Because of his extraordinary accomplishments as a senior, Nelson won the 2004 Wooden Award, the 2004 Naismith Award, the Rupp Trophy, the Oscar Robertson Trophy and many more accolades, including being featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Nelson was the first Atlantic Ten athlete to be on the cover of the magazine since Mark Macon in 1988.

Professional career

Nelson was selected 20th in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, and was subsequently traded to the Orlando Magic for a 2005 first-round draft pick. Though many speculated he would be within the top 10 picks, he fell to number 20, and the Magic, eager for a point guard, acquired Nelson.

Nelson started the NBA season off slowly, coming off the bench as a backup to point guard Steve Francis. However, later in the season he earned additional minutes and became a steady backup, consistently providing a well-rounded game. Later in the season, Nelson became the starting point guard (Francis was moved to starting shooting guard). Nelson improved the Magic's overall ball-handling, reducing turnovers, and played efficiently and consistently. He kept his starting position for the remainder of the season, with the exception of a few games under new interim head coach Chris Jent. At the end of the season, Nelson was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. On February 22, 2006, the Magic dealt Francis to the New York Knicks, paving the way for Nelson to step into the starting point guard slot.

During the 2006-2007 NBA season, Jameer Nelson averaged 13.0 points, 4.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game. He averaged 14.3 points, 3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game during the NBA playoffs this year

As a professional player, Nelson signed a shoe deal with Converse, but he does not have his own line of shoes. He switched to Reebok in the 2009-10 season.

During the 2008 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, Nelson assisted Dwight Howard on several of his dunks, including the Superman dunk. Nelson in the 2008-2009 season has started as a key player for the Orlando Magic having career highs in points, steals, FG% and 3 point % and therefore was selected as a 2009 All-Star and joined teammates Howard and Rashard Lewis in Phoenix, where the game was held.^[1] On February 2, 2009 in a game against the Dallas Mavericks, Nelson left in the third quarter after a foul by Dallas center, Eric Dampier. An MRI exam revealed a torn labrum in Nelson's right shoulder, a potential season-ending injury (although he was activated and played during the NBA Finals ). Nelson was averaging 16.7 points per game, 5.4 assists per game and was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game. After days of speculation leading up to Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Orlando Magic decided to play him off the bench.