JJ Hickson facts for kids
Hickson with the Cavaliers in 2009
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 4, 1988 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| High school | Joseph Wheeler (Marietta, Georgia) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 242 lb (110 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | NC State (2007–2008) |
| NBA Draft | 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 19th overall |
| Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers | |
| Pro career | 2008–2019 |
| Career history | |
| 2008–2011 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2011 | Bnei HaSharon |
| 2011–2012 | Sacramento Kings |
| 2012–2013 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2013–2016 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2016 | Washington Wizards |
| 2016–2017 | Fujian Sturgeons |
| 2017 | Jiangsu Tongxi |
| 2018 | Champville SC |
| 2019 | Leones de Ponce |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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James Edward "JJ" Hickson Jr., born on September 4, 1988, is an American former professional basketball player. He played one season of college basketball for North Carolina State University. After that, he was chosen 19th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2008 NBA draft. He played in the NBA for teams like the Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings, and Portland Trail Blazers. He also played in Israel for Bnei HaSharon during the 2011 NBA lockout.
Contents
High School Basketball Journey
JJ Hickson went to Joseph Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia. He was a top player in the class of 2007. Experts like Rivals.com and Scout.com ranked him as one of the best power forwards in the country.
In the 2005–06 season, Hickson helped Wheeler High reach the 5A Final Four. During his senior year in 2006–07, he was amazing on the court. He averaged about 26 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game. Because of his great performance, he was named a McDonald's All-American.
College Basketball Career
Hickson played college basketball for NC State during the 2007–08 season. In his very first game as a freshman, he scored 31 points. He made all 12 of his shots against William & Mary. This set a new NCAA Division I record for shooting accuracy in a player's first game.
He was named ACC Rookie of the Week three times. JJ scored 20 or more points in seven games. He also had 10 "double-doubles," which means he got double digits in two stats like points and rebounds. He set an ACC freshman record by grabbing 23 rebounds in one game against Clemson. He also scored 13 points and blocked four shots in that game. Hickson scored a career-high 33 points and grabbed 13 rebounds against Western Carolina University. He also had 27 points and 14 rebounds against Miami in the first round of the ACC tournament.
For the whole season, he averaged 14.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He led all freshmen in rebounds. He also shot 59% from the field. He was chosen for the All-Freshman team in the ACC. He also received an honorable mention for All-ACC.
College Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | NC State | 31 | 31 | 28.7 | .591 | .000 | .677 | 8.5 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 14.8 |
Professional Basketball Journey
Cleveland Cavaliers (2008–2011)
The Cleveland Cavaliers picked Hickson 19th overall in the 2008 NBA draft. He signed his first NBA contract on July 10, 2008. In his first NBA game against the Charlotte Bobcats, he scored four points. On November 26, 2008, he had a great game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He scored 14 points, grabbed six rebounds, and blocked four shots. He kept improving, getting more rebounds in later games.
In October 2009, the Cavaliers extended Hickson's contract through the 2010–11 season. On January 27, 2010, Hickson scored a new career-high of 23 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Cavaliers extended his contract again in October 2010, through the 2011–12 season. On November 2, 2010, Hickson scored a career-high 31 points against the Atlanta Hawks. On January 22, he grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds against the Chicago Bulls. He also set a career high of five blocks in a win over the New York Knicks on February 25.
Sacramento Kings (2011–2012)
On June 30, 2011, Hickson was traded to the Sacramento Kings. The Kings sent Omri Casspi and a future draft pick to the Cavaliers.
During the NBA lockout in October 2011, Hickson played for Bnei HaSharon in Israel. He played one game for them before the lockout ended. In December 2011, he joined the Sacramento Kings. He played 35 games for the Kings in the 2011–12 season. He was then released by the team on March 19, 2012.
Portland Trail Blazers (2012–2013)
On March 21, 2012, the Portland Trail Blazers picked up Hickson. He re-signed with the Trail Blazers for one year on July 13, 2012. In the 2012–13 season, he had his best year for rebounds, averaging 10.4 per game. He also averaged 12.7 points per game.
Denver Nuggets (2013–2016)
Hickson signed with the Denver Nuggets on July 11, 2013. On February 25, 2014, Hickson had an amazing game against the Portland Trail Blazers. He scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 25 rebounds. Sadly, on March 22, 2014, it was announced that Hickson would miss the rest of the season. He had torn a ligament in his knee during a game against the Dallas Mavericks.
On February 19, 2016, the Nuggets released Hickson.
Washington Wizards (2016)
On February 25, 2016, Hickson signed with the Washington Wizards. Three days later, he played his first game with the Wizards. They won against the Cleveland Cavaliers 113–99. He scored two points and grabbed two rebounds in six minutes.
Playing in China (2016–2017)
On August 20, 2016, Hickson signed with the Fujian Sturgeons in the Chinese Basketball Association. He then signed with Jiangsu Tongxi, another Chinese team, on August 11, 2017.
Champville (2018)
On April 2, 2018, Hickson signed with Champville SC in the Lebanese Basketball Federation.
Leones de Ponce (2019)
On May 8, 2019, the Leones de Ponce team announced they had signed Hickson.
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
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Cleveland | 62 | 0 | 11.4 | .515 | .000 | .672 | 2.7 | .1 | .2 | .5 | 4.0 |
| 2009–10 | Cleveland | 81 | 73 | 20.9 | .554 | .000 | .681 | 4.9 | .5 | .4 | .5 | 8.5 |
| 2010–11 | Cleveland | 80 | 66 | 28.2 | .458 | .000 | .673 | 8.7 | 1.1 | .6 | .7 | 13.8 |
| 2011–12 | Sacramento | 35 | 9 | 18.4 | .370 | .000 | .638 | 5.1 | .6 | .5 | .5 | 4.7 |
| 2011–12 | Portland | 19 | 10 | 31.6 | .543 | .000 | .645 | 8.3 | 1.2 | .6 | .9 | 15.1 |
| 2012–13 | Portland | 80 | 80 | 29.0 | .562 | .000 | .679 | 10.4 | 1.1 | .6 | .6 | 12.7 |
| 2013–14 | Denver | 69 | 52 | 26.9 | .508 | .000 | .517 | 9.2 | 1.4 | .7 | .7 | 11.8 |
| 2014–15 | Denver | 73 | 8 | 19.3 | .475 | .000 | .577 | 6.2 | .8 | .5 | .5 | 7.6 |
| 2015–16 | Denver | 20 | 9 | 15.3 | .505 | .000 | .458 | 4.4 | .8 | .5 | .6 | 6.9 |
| 2015–16 | Washington | 15 | 0 | 8.7 | .543 | .000 | .432 | 3.0 | .5 | .3 | .1 | 4.6 |
| Career | 534 | 307 | 22.3 | .505 | .000 | .617 | 6.8 | .8 | .5 | .6 | 9.5 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Cleveland | 11 | 0 | 7.2 | .626 | .000 | .688 | .8 | .1 | .0 | .0 | 3.5 |
| Career | 11 | 0 | 7.2 | .626 | .000 | .688 | .8 | .1 | .0 | .0 | 3.5 | |
More About JJ Hickson
- List of North Carolina State University people
See also
In Spanish: J. J. Hickson para niños
