Jodie Meeks (born August 21, 1987) is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before becoming a coach, he was a professional basketball player.

Meeks played college basketball for the University of Kentucky. He became well-known on January 13, 2009, when he set a new scoring record for Kentucky in a single game. He scored 54 points against Tennessee. In that same game, he also broke the university's record for most three-pointers made, hitting 10 shots from long range. Jodie Meeks won an NBA championship in 2019 while playing for the Toronto Raptors. In 2024, he was honored by being added to the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Jodie Meeks went to Norcross High School in Georgia. He helped his team win its first state basketball championship in 2006. During his last year of high school, Meeks was a top scorer. He averaged 23.6 points per game in the regular season. In the state playoffs, he scored even more, averaging 28.3 points per game.

Because of his great performance, Meeks received several awards. He was named the 2006 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Player of the Year. He also earned the Gwinnett Daily Post Player of the Year award. Many experts considered him a top player. Rivals.com ranked him as the 7th best shooting guard in the nation in 2006.

College Career at Kentucky

Jodie Meeks played college basketball for the University of Kentucky. He was a standout player for the Wildcats.

Freshman Year (2006–2007)

Meeks played his first college game on November 2, 2006. He scored 17 points, showing his skills early on. He was named CBS/Chevrolet Player of the Game after scoring 18 points against Louisville. This was a career high for him at the time. He also earned the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Week award three times. He was chosen for the SEC All-Freshman team. This means he was one of the best new players in the conference.

Sophomore Year (2007–2008)

People had high hopes for Meeks in his second year. He scored 34 points in an exhibition game, showing his potential. However, an injury limited him to playing only 11 games that season. He had to take time off to recover.

Junior Year (2008–2009)

Meeks had an amazing junior year. On November 15, 2008, he scored 39 points in the season's first game. Later, on November 28, he scored 37 points in a tournament in Las Vegas. He even outscored the entire Kansas State team by halftime in that game.

On December 20, Meeks scored a new career high of 46 points against Appalachian State. He tied a record for most three-pointers in a game with 9. He also set a record for the most points scored by a Wildcat in Freedom Hall. Just two days later, he scored 32 points in only 28 minutes.

A major highlight came on January 13, 2009. Meeks broke Kentucky's single-game scoring record by scoring 54 points. This was in a big win against rival Tennessee. In that same game, he made 10 three-pointers, breaking another record. He also made all 14 of his free throws.

On February 11, 2009, Meeks hit a game-winning three-point shot with only 4.7 seconds left. This shot helped Kentucky beat the Florida Gators. He scored over 40 points again on February 14, with 45 points against Arkansas. He also broke the record for most three-pointers in a season at Kentucky, with 117.

Meeks was chosen for the All-SEC First team. This means he was one of the best players in the SEC conference. He was also named a Second Team All-American. This honor means he was recognized as one of the best college players in the entire country.

Years later, on May 10, 2014, Meeks returned to Kentucky to get his degree in business marketing. He had been taking classes during his off-seasons. He said that having a degree is something you have forever, no matter how long your basketball career lasts.

Professional Basketball Career

Jodie Meeks decided to enter the 2009 NBA draft after his junior year. He was picked 41st overall by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Milwaukee Bucks (2009–2010)

Meeks started his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks. He had limited playing time because the team had many guards.

Philadelphia 76ers (2010–2012)

In February 2010, Meeks was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. In his second year, he became the team's starting shooting guard. In one game, he scored 26 points, with 20 of those points coming in the first quarter. He continued to be a starter for the 76ers in the 2011–12 season. On March 27, 2012, Meeks scored a new career high of 31 points.

Los Angeles Lakers (2012–2014)

Meeks with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2013

Meeks signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in August 2012. On November 30, he scored 21 points, making a career-high seven three-pointers. On March 9, 2014, Meeks had an amazing game. He scored a career-high 42 points in a win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Detroit Pistons (2014–2016)

In July 2014, Meeks joined the Detroit Pistons. He missed the first 22 games of the 2014–15 season due to a back injury. He made his debut for the Pistons in December 2014, scoring 12 points. On December 30, he scored 34 points and made nine three-pointers. This was close to the team record for three-pointers in a game.

In October 2015, Meeks had surgery on his right foot and was out for several months. He returned to play in April 2016, scoring 20 points in the season finale.

Orlando Magic (2016–2017)

Meeks was traded to the Orlando Magic in June 2016. He had another surgery on his right foot in July. He finally made his debut for the Magic in December 2016. On January 2, 2017, he scored a season-high 23 points. Later that month, he injured his thumb and needed surgery, missing more games. He returned to play in March 2017.

Washington Wizards (2017–2018)

Meeks with the Washington Wizards in 2018

In July 2017, Meeks signed with the Washington Wizards. In April 2018, he faced a suspension and was unable to play for 25 games. In October 2018, Meeks was traded back to the Milwaukee Bucks, but was later released.

Toronto Raptors (2019)

Meeks signed a 10-day contract with the Toronto Raptors in February 2019. He later signed with the team for the rest of the season in March. On March 30, 2019, he scored a season-high 14 points.

Meeks was part of the Raptors team that won the 2019 NBA Finals. They defeated the Golden State Warriors, and Meeks became an NBA champion.

Raptors 905 (2022)

In January 2022, Meeks played for the Raptors 905 in the NBA G League. He was released from the team in March.

National Team Career

Jodie Meeks played for the United States men's national basketball team. He represented his country in the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup.

Coaching Career

After his playing career, Meeks became a coach. On September 15, 2022, he was hired as an assistant coach for the Birmingham Squadron. Then, on September 26, 2024, Meeks was hired as an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Player Profile

Jodie Meeks was known as a player who was very good at offense. He especially excelled at shooting three-point field goals. He was great at making these shots, especially when his team was moving quickly down the court. While he was a bit smaller for a shooting guard, he was also considered a good defensive player.

Career Statistics

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2009–10	Milwaukee	41	0	11.9	.362	.280	.857	1.8	.5	.3	.1	4.1
2009–10	Philadelphia	19	0	12.3	.440	.380	.722	1.4	.9	.3	.1	5.9
2010–11	Philadelphia	74	64	27.9	.425	.397	.894	2.3	1.1	.9	.1	10.5
2011–12	Philadelphia	66*	50	24.9	.409	.365	.906	2.4	.8	.6	.0	8.4
2012–13	L.A. Lakers	78	10	21.3	.387	.357	.896	2.2	.9	.7	.1	7.9
2013–14	L.A. Lakers	77	70	33.2	.463	.401	.857	2.5	1.8	1.4	.1	15.7
2014–15	Detroit	60	0	24.4	.416	.349	.906	1.7	1.3	1.0	.1	11.1
2015–16	Detroit	3	0	14.3	.350	.444	1.000	1.7	1.0	.0	.0	7.3
2016–17	Orlando	36	10	20.5	.402	.409	.878	2.1	1.3	.9	.1	9.1
2017–18	Washington	77	0	14.5	.399	.343	.863	1.6	.9	.4	.1	6.3
2018–19†	Toronto	8	0	13.0	.538	.444	.619	1.5	1.0	.1	.1	6.4
Career		539	204	22.5	.420	.373	.879	2.1	1.1	.8	.1	9.3

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2011	Philadelphia	5	5	25.0	.419	.444	.833	2.0	.8	.6	.0	7.8
2012	Philadelphia	13	1	7.8	.346	.231	1.000	.3	.3	.2	.1	2.7
2013	L.A. Lakers	1	0	20.0	.250	.000	1.000	2.0	.0	1.0	.0	4.0
2016	Detroit	1	0	2.0	1.000	.000	.000	.0	.0	.0	.0	2.0
2019†	Toronto	14	0	4.9	.310	.154	.667	.6	.1	.3	.1	1.6
Career		34	6	9.3	.363	.283	.920	.7	.3	.3	.1	3.0

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2006–07	Kentucky	34	1	22.1	.419	.364	.897	2.8	1.5	.9	.1	8.7
2007–08	Kentucky	11	5	23.2	.307	.320	.794	2.6	1.5	.5	.1	8.8
2008–09	Kentucky	36	36	34.4	.463	.406	.902	3.4	1.8	1.3	.1	23.7
Career		81	42	27.7	.436	.386	.890	3.0	1.6	1.1	.1	15.4

Jodie Meeks facts for kids

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