Jamal Faulkner facts for kids
| Power forward / center | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | July 3, 1971 Brooklyn, New York |
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| Nationality | American | |||||||||||||
| High school | Christ the King (Middle Village, New York) |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College |
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| NBA Draft | 1995 / Undrafted | |||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1995–2003 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 1995 | Oklahoma City Cavalry | |||||||||||||
| 1996 | AZS Elana Toruń | |||||||||||||
| 1996 | Treasure Coast Tropics | |||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Chorale Roanne | |||||||||||||
| 1997 | Titanes de Morovis | |||||||||||||
| 1997 | Ericsson Bobry Bytom | |||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Benfica | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Portugal Telecom | |||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Sallen Basket | |||||||||||||
| 2001 | Cupes de Los Pepines | |||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Hapoel Holon | |||||||||||||
| 2002 | Maccabi Ashdod | |||||||||||||
| 2002 | Leicester Riders | |||||||||||||
| 2002 | Ironi Ramat Gan | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Jamal Faulkner, born on July 3, 1971, is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He was a talented forward who could play both small forward and power forward. Jamal was considered one of the best high school basketball players in 1989. After facing some academic challenges, he played two seasons at Arizona State University. Later, he transferred to the University of Alabama. After college, he played professional basketball for eight years, mostly in Europe.
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High School Basketball Journey
Jamal Faulkner was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in the Bedford–Stuyvesant area with his mother, Connie. He attended Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, New York, which is in the Queens part of New York City. Jamal joined the varsity basketball team in his sophomore year and wore jersey number 35.
He played alongside other talented players like Khalid Reeves and Derrick Phelps. Jamal was known for being a great team player. While Khalid was the main scorer, Jamal focused on helping his teammates and making sure everyone was involved. After his junior year, he was recognized as one of the best players in the country, earning a spot on the Parade All-America Fourth Team.
Senior Year Success
Jamal's senior year was very successful. His team, Christ the King, won the Class A state championship. In the final game against Adlai Stevenson, Jamal scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. That season, he averaged 24 points and 15 rebounds per game.
He was one of the top high school recruits in the nation. He was named to the Parade Second Team and also selected for the McDonald's All-American team. In the 1989 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, he scored 5 points.
College Basketball Career
Playing for Arizona State
After high school, Jamal was recruited by several top colleges, including Temple, Clemson, Texas, and Pitt. He first committed to Texas, then signed with Pitt. However, Jamal needed to improve his grades to play college basketball right away. He spent a year at Cheshire Academy to focus on his studies.
Once he was eligible, he decided to attend Arizona State. He made a big impact in his first year, scoring 18 points in his very first game on November 23, 1990, against Kansas. Jamal became a starter, playing in 28 out of 30 games.
He set new freshman records at Arizona State for points per game (15.4), rebounds per game (6.2), total blocks (33), and total points (462). He also had seven games where he scored 20 points or more. These records have since been broken. He scored a career-high 29 points against Arkansas on March 17, 1991. At the end of the season, Jamal was named the Pacific-10 Freshman of the Year.
During his sophomore year, Jamal's statistics changed a bit, but he was still an important player for Arizona State. He averaged 12.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 29 games. However, Jamal faced some challenges during his time at Arizona State, which eventually led to him leaving the team in September 1992.
He finished his career at Arizona State averaging 14.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.
Time at Alabama
After leaving Arizona State, Jamal missed the entire 1992–93 basketball season. He returned to college basketball in 1993, joining the Alabama Crimson Tide team, where he wore jersey number 30. In his first year at Alabama, he often came off the bench but still led the team in scoring with 13.5 points per game. He also averaged 6.1 rebounds and had his best numbers for assists (1.9 per game) and steals (1.1). He started 12 of his 26 games.
His strong junior year helped him become a starter for his senior season. He averaged 12.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 33 games for Alabama. The team made it to the 1995 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament but was eliminated by Oklahoma State in the second round. Jamal was the second-highest scorer on the team, behind Antonio McDyess, and the third-best rebounder. He formed a strong front court with McDyess and Jason Caffey.
Jamal's college career at Alabama ended with averages of 12.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.
College Statistics Overview
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–91 | Arizona State | 30 | 28 | 29.1 | .492 | .302 | .699 | 6.2 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 15.4 |
| 1991–92 | Arizona State | 29 | 20 | 28.9 | .408 | .316 | .643 | 5.6 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 12.6 |
| 1993–94 | Alabama | 26 | 12 | 25.2 | .430 | .286 | .646 | 6.1 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 13.5 |
| 1994–95 | Alabama | 33 | 16 | 24.7 | .489 | .326 | .688 | 5.8 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 12.3 |
| Career | 118 | 76 | 27.0 | .456 | .309 | .670 | 5.9 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 13.4 |
Professional Basketball Career
After finishing college, Jamal Faulkner was eligible for the 1995 NBA draft. Experts thought he might be picked in the second round, and he even worked out for the Houston Rockets. However, he was not chosen by any NBA team. He was later drafted by the Oklahoma City Cavalry in the fourth round of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) draft. In October 1995, he signed with the New York Knicks as a free agent, but he didn't make their final team roster.
Playing in Europe and Beyond
Jamal didn't play for the Oklahoma City Cavalry in the 1995–96 CBA season. Instead, he moved to Poland in January 1996 to play for AZS Elana Toruń in the Polish Basketball League. He found success there and was named an All-Star, scoring 20 points in the Polish All-Star game in May 1996. He finished that season averaging 25.5 points per game. In June 1996, he played for the Treasure Coast Tropics in the USBL.
He then joined the French club Chorale Roanne, which played in the LNB Pro B, the second-highest basketball league in France. During the 1996–97 season, he played 21 games, averaging 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds. After that, he had short stints playing in Puerto Rico and again in Poland with Ericsson Bobry Bytom.
In 1997, Jamal signed with the Portuguese club Benfica, where he played until 1999. He then joined Portugal Telecom, playing there until July 2000. After that, he moved to Sweden and played one season for Sallen.
He had a brief experience with the Dominican club Cupes de Los Pepines before moving to Israel. He played in Israel from 2001 to 2002 for Hapoel Holon and Maccabi Ashdod. In 2002, he played 4 games for the Leicester Riders in the UK, averaging 22.5 points and 8.8 rebounds before leaving the team in November 2002. He finished his professional career back in Israel, playing for Ironi Ramat Gan. He played 18 games there, averaging 14.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assist.
