Jameer Nelson (born February 9, 1982 in Chester, Pennsylvania) is currently the starting point guard for the Orlando Magic. Nelson attended Chester High School, lettering in basketball. He played under legendary coach Fred Pickett and helped his team to two PIAA state championships.

College Career

Nelson began his play at Saint Joseph’s University in the 2000-2001 NCAA season. He played and started in 125 career games for SJU, averaging 16.8 ppg., 5.7 apg,. 4.6 rpg., and 2.05 stlpg. He was unanimously named National Freshman of the Year after a breakout first season leading the conference and set a school single-season record with 213 assists. As a senior, Nelson was the Consensus National Player of the Year, earning the Associated Press, Wooden, Naismith, Rupp, Robertson, and Chevrolet Player of the Year awards. He was also chosen as Player of the Year by The Sporting News,ESPN.com, SI.com, and FoxSports.com. Nelson was unanimously selected as a First Team All-American and Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. He led the Saint Joseph’s Hawks to a perfect regular season (27-0), a top ranking in the national polls, the school’s first #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and a trip to the Elite Eight! He left the Hawks as the best player in the program’s history, as its all-time leader in scoring (2094 points), assists (714), and steals (256). His jersey #14 was retired by SJU on April 23, 2004. Jameer was inducted into the SJU Hall of Fame in 2011.

Professional Career

Jameer Nelson was selected 20th in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, and then traded to the Orlando Magic for a 2005 first-round draft pick. Nelson started his career coming off the bench as a backup to point guard Steve Francis. By mid-season, Nelson became the starting point guard. Nelson improved the Magic’s overall ball-handling while also reducing turnovers. At the end of the season, Nelson was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team During the 2008 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, Nelson assisted Dwight Howard on several of his dunks, including the Superman dunk. Jameer has become a key component to the success of the Orlando Magic during the past few seasons. In 2009, Jameer was selected as an All Star reserve by the Eastern Conference coaches. He was unable to participate in the game due to injury.