Dahntay Lavall Jones (born December 27, 1980) is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jones played college basketball for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Duke Blue Devils. He played in the NBA from 2003 to 2017 as a small forward and shooting guard. These positions are for players who score points and help defend. Jones won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Jones grew up in Hamilton Square, New Jersey. He was a star player at Steinert High School from 1995 to 1998. In his senior year, he was recognized as a top high school player. He averaged 24 points and 9 rebounds per game.

College Basketball Career

Jones started his college basketball journey at Rutgers. He played there for his first two years. Later, he moved to Duke University.

Playing for Duke University

At Duke, Jones became a key player. In 2002, he averaged 11.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He also had 1.1 assists. In his final year, he played 33 games. He averaged 17.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game.

Dahntay Jones' NBA Journey

Dahntay Jones had a long career in the NBA. He played for several teams.

Starting with the Memphis Grizzlies (2003–2007)

The Boston Celtics picked Jones 20th in the 2003 NBA draft. His rights were then traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. He made his NBA debut on November 21, 2003. He played four seasons for the Grizzlies. During this time, he averaged 5.0 points per game.

Time with the Sacramento Kings (2007–2008)

In 2007, Jones signed with the Sacramento Kings. He played his first game for them on December 14. He was later waived by the Kings in February 2008.

Playing for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (2008)

Jones joined the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the NBA Development League in March 2008. He scored 18 points in his first game with the team.

Joining the Denver Nuggets (2008–2009)

Jones with the Nuggets in 2009

On July 30, 2008, Jones signed with the Denver Nuggets. He played his first game for them on October 29. The Nuggets made it to the Western Conference Finals that season. They were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers.

With the Indiana Pacers (2009–2012)

Jones signed a four-year deal with the Indiana Pacers on July 14, 2009. He made his debut for the Pacers on October 28. He scored 17 points and had five rebounds in that game.

Playing for the Dallas Mavericks (2012–2013)

In July 2012, Jones was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He played his first game for the Mavericks on October 30.

Short Stint with the Atlanta Hawks (2013)

Jones was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in February 2013. He made his debut for the Hawks the very next day. He did not play in the 2013–14 season.

Return to Fort Wayne (2014–2015)

Jones returned to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in November 2014. He made his season debut two days later. He scored 14 points in that game.

With the Los Angeles Clippers (2015)

In January 2015, Jones signed a short contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. He later signed for the rest of the season.

Playing for Grand Rapids Drive (2015–2016)

Jones joined the Grand Rapids Drive in the NBA Development League in December 2015. He scored 13 points in his first game with the team.

Winning a Championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2016–2017)

On April 13, 2016, Jones signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made his debut for the Cavaliers that night. He scored 13 points.

Key Moments in the Playoffs

During the 2016 playoffs, Jones was suspended for one game. This was for hitting a player from the Toronto Raptors. The Cavaliers went on to win their series. Jones played some important minutes in Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals. The Cavaliers came back from being down 3–1 to win the championship. This was Jones' first NBA championship.

Jones rejoined the Cavaliers in April 2017. He played in the playoffs again. In one game, he received two technical fouls for talking to an opponent. His teammate LeBron James paid the fine for him. The Cavaliers reached the 2017 NBA Finals but lost to the Golden State Warriors. Jones' last NBA game was Game 4 of those Finals on June 9, 2017.

Coaching Career

On November 16, 2020, Dahntay Jones became a player development and video coach for the Los Angeles Clippers. He helps players improve their skills and studies game videos.

NBA Career 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

Regular Season Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2003–04	Memphis	20	0	7.8	.283	.250	.455	1.1	.6	.3	.3	1.8
2004–05	Memphis	52	7	12.5	.437	.383	.688	1.3	.4	.3	.2	4.5
2005–06	Memphis	71	4	13.6	.414	.143	.645	1.5	.5	.5	.2	4.0
2006–07	Memphis	78	25	21.4	.477	.417	.793	2.0	.9	.5	.3	7.5
2007–08	Sacramento	25	0	8.2	.434	.167	.667	1.4	.5	.3	.2	3.2
2008–09	Denver	79	71	18.1	.458	.647	.728	2.1	1.0	.6	.2	5.4
2009–10	Indiana	76	26	24.9	.461	.125	.770	3.0	2.0	.5	.5	10.2
2010–11	Indiana	45	2	13.1	.467	.359	.767	1.4	.7	.4	.2	6.3
2011–12	Indiana	65	3	16.2	.409	.429	.838	1.8	1.0	.4	.2	5.3
2012–13	Dallas	50	15	12.7	.357	.216	.805	1.4	.6	.2	.1	3.5
2012–13	Atlanta	28	4	13.6	.390	.250	.677	1.1	.7	.4	.0	3.1
2014–15	L.A. Clippers	33	0	3.7	.286	.000	.818	.3	.1	.1	.0	.6
2015–16†	Cleveland	1	0	42.0	.429	.500	.000	5.0	2.0	1.0	2.0	13.0
2016–17	Cleveland	1	0	12.0	.375	.000	.750	2.0	1.0	.0	.0	9.0
Career		624	157	15.7	.439	.329	.751	1.7	.8	.4	.2	5.4

Playoff Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2005	Memphis	3	0	24.0	.381	.600	.750	3.0	.3	.3	.0	7.3
2006	Memphis	4	0	11.5	.714	.000	.000	1.8	.0	.3	.0	4.3
2009	Denver	16	16	17.5	.481	.250	.767	2.4	.6	.8	.3	7.0
2011	Indiana	3	0	16.7	.450	.000	.889	.7	.7	.3	.0	8.7
2012	Indiana	7	0	8.3	.222	.222	1.000	1.0	.4	.1	.0	2.4
2013	Atlanta	5	0	3.8	.250	.000	1.000	.2	.0	.0	.0	.8
2015	L.A. Clippers	11	0	1.6	1.000	.000	.000	.1	.0	.2	.0	.4
2016†	Cleveland	15	0	3.3	.462	.333	.800	.5	.1	.1	.1	1.1
2017	Cleveland	10	0	3.3	.500	.500	1.000	.7	.1	.0	.1	1.6
Career		74	16	8.5	.448	.294	.812	1.1	.3	.3	.1	3.2

Personal Life

Dahntay Jones is the son of Larry and Joanne Jones. His father played college basketball at St. Peter's College. His cousin, Al Harrington, was also a professional basketball player. Dahntay Jones is married to Valeisha Butterfield Jones. They have two children together, Dahntay Jr. and Dillon. Jones also has three other children.

Dahntay Jones facts for kids

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