Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. (born July 21, 1988) is a professional basketball player from the United States. He plays as a center for the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before joining the NBA, he played college basketball for one season at Texas A&M.

DeAndre Jordan was picked by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2008 NBA draft. He played for the Clippers for ten seasons. After that, he joined several other teams. These included the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Philadelphia 76ers. In 2022, he signed with the Denver Nuggets. He helped the Nuggets win their first-ever NBA championship in 2023.

Jordan has achieved many great things in his career. He has been named to the All-NBA three times. He was also part of the NBA All-Defensive Team twice. Jordan led the NBA in rebounds two times. In 2017, he was chosen as an NBA All-Star. He holds the NBA record for the highest career field goal percentage. He is also the Clippers' all-time leader in games played, rebounds, and blocks. In 2016, he won a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics with the U.S. Olympic team.

High School Basketball Journey
College Experience at Texas A&M
Professional Basketball Career
Personal Life
How DeAndre Jordan Plays Basketball
Images for kids
See also

High School Basketball Journey

DeAndre Jordan went to Episcopal High School for his first three years. As a sophomore, he averaged 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks per game. In his junior year, he improved to 16.5 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 blocks.

For his senior year, Jordan moved to Christian Life Center Academy. There, he averaged 26.1 points, 15.2 rebounds, and 8.1 blocks. He was recognized as a top high school player. He was named a third-team Parade All-American. He also set school records for points (37) and blocks (20) in a single game.

Experts ranked Jordan as one of the best high school players. He was the number-eight overall prospect in the country. He was also the second-best center and the top player in Texas. Many colleges wanted him to play for them.

In the summer of 2007, Jordan played for Team USA. They competed in the Under-19 World Championships in Serbia. The team finished second in the tournament.

College Experience at Texas A&M

DeAndre Jordan committed to play for Texas A&M University. Before he arrived, his coach, Billy Gillispie, left for another team. But Jordan decided to still play for Texas A&M.

In his first year, Jordan started 21 out of 35 games. He played about 20 minutes per game. He was very good at shooting field goals, making 61.7% of his shots. However, he struggled with free throws, only making 43.7%. Most of his shots were close to the basket.

He finished the season averaging 7.9 points and 6.0 rebounds. His strong play earned him a spot on the Big 12 All-Rookie Team. After this season, he decided to enter the 2008 NBA draft.

Before the draft, scouts noted Jordan's amazing physical skills. They saw his potential to be a great defender. But they also pointed out his need to improve his basic basketball skills.

Professional Basketball Career

Playing for the Los Angeles Clippers (2008–2018)

Starting Out in the NBA (2008–2013)

The Los Angeles Clippers picked DeAndre Jordan in the 2008 NBA draft. He was the 35th player chosen overall. Due to injuries on his team, Jordan became a starter early in his first season. In one of his first games as a starter, he had 6 blocks and 10 rebounds.

Jordan in 2011

On January 21, 2009, he scored a career-high 23 points against the Los Angeles Lakers. He made 10 dunks in that game. Only two other players had done that in the previous 10 NBA seasons.

In 2011, Jordan signed a new contract with the Clippers. He changed his jersey number from 9 to 6. On Christmas Day 2011, he set a career high with 8 blocks.

During the 2012–13 season, Jordan's free-throw shooting got worse. But he led the league in field-goal percentage, making 64.3% of his shots. This was his first season playing all 82 games.

Becoming an All-NBA and All-Defensive Star (2013–2016)

Jordan in 2013

In 2013, Jordan joined Team USA for a training camp. On November 29, 2013, he set a career high with 9 blocks. On January 3, 2014, he scored a career-high 25 points. He led the league in rebounds for the 2013–14 season. He averaged 13.6 rebounds per game.

In the 2014 playoffs, Jordan had an amazing game. He scored 25 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, and had 4 blocks. This was a rare achievement for an NBA player.

Blake Griffin and Jordan in 2013.

On February 9, 2015, Jordan had 22 points and a career-high 27 rebounds. This was against the Dallas Mavericks. On May 21, he was named to the All-NBA third team. He became only the fifth player in NBA history to average 10 points, 15 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks in a season.

In July 2015, Jordan almost left the Clippers to join the Dallas Mavericks. But the Clippers convinced him to stay. He re-signed with them for four years.

On November 4, 2015, Jordan became the Clippers' all-time leader in rebounds. He passed Elton Brand. On November 30, he grabbed 24 rebounds. But he also missed 22 free throws in that game. This tied an NBA record set by Wilt Chamberlain. On January 13, he missed a game due to illness. This ended his streak of 360 straight games played.

First All-Star Selection and Last Clippers Years (2016–2018)

Jordan watching as Chris Paul runs the offense in 2017.

Jordan helped the Clippers start the 2016–17 season with a great record. On November 9, he played his 600th career game. This made him one of only three players to play that many games for the Clippers. On December 28, he had 25 rebounds in a game.

On January 14, 2017, he scored 24 points and had 21 rebounds. Five days later, he set a new career high with 29 points. On January 26, he was chosen as an All-Star for the first time. He also took part in the Slam Dunk Contest.

In the first game of the 2017–18 season, Jordan had 14 points and 24 rebounds. On January 4, 2018, he scored 26 points. On January 24, he tied the record for most games played in Clippers history. Two days later, he broke that record. On February 14, 2018, Jordan scored a career-high 30 points. He also had 13 rebounds and 4 steals.

Dallas Mavericks (2018–2019)

On July 6, 2018, Jordan signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks. He started the season with three straight games where he had a "double-double" (double-digit points and rebounds). This was a first for a Mavericks player since 1994.

On October 28, he had 12 points, 19 rebounds, and a career-high 9 assists. He continued to get at least 10 rebounds for 11 straight games. This set a new franchise record. On December 2, he had 16 points and a season-high 23 rebounds. He had 23 rebounds again on December 16 and December 22.

New York Knicks (2019)

On January 31, 2019, Jordan was traded to the New York Knicks. He was part of a big trade that involved several players. On March 15, he had 11 points, 13 rebounds, and tied his career high with 9 assists.

Brooklyn Nets (2019–2021)

Leading the Team in Stats (2019–2020)

On July 6, 2019, the Brooklyn Nets signed Jordan to a four-year contract. He made his debut for the Nets on October 23. On November 2, he got his first double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

On December 21, Jordan had a season-high 20 rebounds. He also scored 12 points and had 6 assists. On February 20, 2020, he got his tenth double-double of the season. In June 2020, Jordan tested positive for COVID-19. He decided not to play in the rest of the season. He still led the Nets in field goal percentage and rebounds per game.

Missing the Playoffs (2020–2021)

Jordan started the 2020–21 season on December 22, 2020. On January 18, 2021, he had his first double-double of the season. On March 13, he scored a season-high 14 points. On April 14, he had a season-high 14 rebounds. He did not play in the last 16 games of the season. He also did not play in the playoffs.

Los Angeles Lakers (2021–2022)

On September 3, 2021, Jordan was traded to the Detroit Pistons. Four days later, he left the Pistons after reaching an agreement. On September 9, Jordan signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was waived by the Lakers on March 1, 2022.

Philadelphia 76ers (2022)

On March 3, 2022, Jordan signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. This reunited him with his former coach, Doc Rivers. He also played with his former teammate, James Harden.

Denver Nuggets (2022–Present)

On July 12, 2022, Jordan signed with the Denver Nuggets. On November 22, he grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds. The Nuggets went on to defeat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. This win gave Jordan his first NBA championship. It was also the Nuggets' first championship ever.

On July 21, 2023, Jordan re-signed with the Nuggets. On November 27, he had a season high in points (21), rebounds (13), and assists (5). This helped the Nuggets win a game against his former team, the Clippers. On July 24, 2024, Jordan re-signed with the Nuggets again.

Personal Life

DeAndre Jordan is a Christian. He often talks about his faith. He has tattoos that show his beliefs. These include Bible verses and a Christian cross.

Jordan is also a vegan. This means he does not eat meat or animal products. He chose this diet for environmental reasons. He has even hosted a vegan cooking show called Cooking Clean.

His younger brother, Avery Jordan, played professional football. He played in the Canadian Football League.

How DeAndre Jordan Plays Basketball

Jordan, a regular recipient of the Hack-a-Shaq strategy, about to take a free throw in 2013.

DeAndre Jordan is known for being a very strong rebounder. He averages 10.2 rebounds per game in his career. He has led the league in rebounding in two seasons. He is also an excellent defender near the basket. He averages 1.5 blocks per game. Some people compare his defense to Bill Russell, a famous Hall of Fame center.

On offense, Jordan scores mostly from close to the basket. He is very good at "put-backs" (scoring after an offensive rebound) and "alley-oops" (catching a pass in the air and dunking). He has led the league in field goal percentage in five seasons.

However, Jordan is not a good free-throw shooter. He only makes about 47.5% of his shots from the free-throw line. Because of this, opponents sometimes use a strategy called "Hack-a-Shaq". This means they intentionally foul him to send him to the free-throw line. Jordan is also known for being a very durable player. At one point, he played in 360 games in a row.

Images for kids

Jordan with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2013
Jordan in 2011
Jordan in 2013
Blake Griffin and Jordan in 2013.
Jordan watching as Chris Paul runs the offense in 2017.
Jordan, a regular recipient of the Hack-a-Shaq strategy, about to take a free throw in 2013.