Jamaal Tinsley
Encyclopedia
Jamaal Lee Tinsley is an American
professional basketball
player. Tinsley was drafted out of Iowa State University
by the Vancouver Grizzlies
(now Memphis Grizzlies
) with the 27th pick of the 2001 NBA Draft
, and was immediately dealt to the Atlanta Hawks
, and then on to the Indiana Pacers
on draft night. He played in the NBA for the Pacers and the Grizzlies.
at New York City
's legendary Rucker Park
. Tinsley's streetball nickname is "Mel Mel The Abuser". He played college basketball for two schools in his four year collegiate career, Mt. San Jacinto Community College (MSJC) and Iowa State.
During the two seasons he played at MSJC, Jamaal was the two-time Foothill Conference MVP (1998 & 1999) and the Eagles' career leader in assists and steals.
In Jamaal's senior year, he received Second Team All-American and Big 12 Conference Player of the Year honors. He led Iowa State to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament
's West region. But, his team was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by the No. 15-seeded Hampton in the tournament's first round.
00/01- 14.3 PPG, 3.8 REBS, 6.0 ASTS, 32.2 MINS
Tinsley established himself as the starting point guard under Pacers coach Isiah Thomas
. He put up statistics of 9.4 points and 8.1 assists per game in 2001–02.
Tinsley played 73 games for the Pacers in 2002–03, starting 69 of them, and his averages dipped to 7.8 points and 7.5 assists per contest.
The following year, Rick Carlisle
replaced Thomas as the Pacers' head coach, and promoted veteran guard Kenny Anderson
to the starting point guard slot, with Anthony Johnson
as his backup.
When Anderson and Johnson went down with injuries, Tinsley regained his status as a starter. Tinsley never relinquished his starter's role after that as the Pacers advanced to the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals.
Tinsley spent the majority of the 2004–05 season on injured reserve, but the team played its way to a 44–38 record and the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Tinsley missed the first four games of the Pacers' first-round series against the Boston Celtics
, but made a return in a Game 5 victory. Tinsley's injury problems continued during the 2007–08 season; he only played in 39 games, during which he averaged a career-high 8.4 assists.
Jim O'Brien, the Pacers' head coach, confirmed with The Indianapolis Star
that Tinsley would be replaced in the starting lineup by point guard T. J. Ford
for the 2008–09 season. O'Brien and Pacers' President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird
informed Tinsley that he was not permitted to attend team practices or games during the 2008–09 season while the Pacers worked out a trade for him. Tinsley then requested a contract buyout through his agent. The NBA Players Association filed a grievance against the Pacers on Tinsley's behalf on February 11, 2009. On July 22, 2009, the Pacers waived Tinsley.
On November 14, 2009, the Memphis Grizzlies
signed Tinsley as a free agent. Chris Wallace
, the General Manager of the Grizzlies, stated that he "was the best available player out on the board." The Grizzlies did not guarantee Tinsley a starting spot, but told him he would be allowed to compete for the point guard position.
On November 3, 2011, Tinsley was picked 1st overall by the Los Angeles D-Fenders
in the NBA Development League Draft.
| align="left" | 2001–02
| align="left" | Indiana
| 80 || 78 || 30.5 || .380 || .240 || .704 || 3.7 || 8.1 || 1.7 || .5 || 9.4
|-
| align="left" | 2002–03
| align="left" | Indiana
| 73 || 69 || 30.6 || .396 || .277 || .714 || 3.6 || 7.5 || 1.7 || .2 || 7.8
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | Indiana
| 52 || 43 || 26.5 || .414 || .372 || .731 || 2.6 || 5.8 || 1.6 || .3 || 8.3
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Indiana
| 40 || 40 || 32.5 || .418 || .372 || .744 || 4.0 || 6.4 || 2.0 || .3 || 15.4
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | Indiana
| 42 || 27 || 26.7 || .409 || .229 || .637 || 3.2 || 5.0 || 1.2 || .1 || 9.3
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Indiana
| 72 || 72 || 31.2 || .389 || .316 || .720 || 3.3 || 6.9 || 1.6 || .3 || 12.8
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Indiana
| 39 || 36 || 33.2 || .380 || .284 || .720 || 3.6 || 8.4 || 1.7 || .3 || 11.9
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" |Memphis
| 38 || 1 || 15.5 || .371 || .179 || .815 || 1.7 || 2.8 || .9 || .1 || 3.5
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 436 || 366 || 28.9 || .395 || .303 || .716 || 3.3 || 6.6 || 1.6 || .3 || 9.8
| align="left" | 2001–02
| align="left" | Indiana
| 5 || 5 || 17.6 || .421 || .000 || .667 || 2.0 || 5.0 || .4 || .0 || 3.6
|-
| align="left" | 2002–03
| align="left" | Indiana
| 6 || 6 || 30.8 || .571 || .615 || .500 || 3.0 || 6.5 || .7 || .0 || 8.5
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | Indiana
| 16 || 16 || 26.4 || .398 || .296 || .938 || 2.9 || 5.0 || 1.8 || .2 || 8.1
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Indiana
| 9 || 9 || 27.4 || .360 || .111 || .571 || 3.3 || 5.7 || 1.6 || .3 || 8.7
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | Indiana
| 1 || 0 || 7.0 || .333 || .000 || .000 || .0 || 1.0 || 1.0 || .0 || 2.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 37 || 36 || 25.6 || .409 || .295 || .696 || 2.8 || 5.3 || 1.3 || .2 || 7.5
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. Tinsley was drafted out of Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
by the Vancouver Grizzlies
Vancouver Grizzlies
The Vancouver Grizzlies were a professional basketball team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They were part of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Toronto Raptors, as part of the NBA's...
(now Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...
) with the 27th pick of the 2001 NBA Draft
2001 NBA Draft
The 2001 NBA Draft took place on June 27, 2001 in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player drafted with the first overall pick...
, and was immediately dealt to the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
, and then on to the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
on draft night. He played in the NBA for the Pacers and the Grizzlies.
Early years and college career
As a teenager, Tinsley developed his game playing streetballStreetball
Streetball or street basketball is a variation of the sport of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less by way of formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules...
at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's legendary Rucker Park
Rucker Park
Rucker Park is a basketball court in the Harlem neighborhood of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard across the street from the former Polo Grounds site...
. Tinsley's streetball nickname is "Mel Mel The Abuser". He played college basketball for two schools in his four year collegiate career, Mt. San Jacinto Community College (MSJC) and Iowa State.
During the two seasons he played at MSJC, Jamaal was the two-time Foothill Conference MVP (1998 & 1999) and the Eagles' career leader in assists and steals.
In Jamaal's senior year, he received Second Team All-American and Big 12 Conference Player of the Year honors. He led Iowa State to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament
2001 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2001 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 2001 with the play-in game, and ended with the championship game on April 2 in...
's West region. But, his team was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by the No. 15-seeded Hampton in the tournament's first round.
Collegiate statistics
99/00- 11.0 PPG, 5.1 REBS, 6.6 ASTS, 32.8 MINS00/01- 14.3 PPG, 3.8 REBS, 6.0 ASTS, 32.2 MINS
NBA career
Isiah Thomas
Isiah Lord Thomas III , nicknamed "Zeke",is the men's basketball coach for the FIU Golden Panthers, and a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association from 1981 until 1994. He led the "Bad Boys" to the NBA...
. He put up statistics of 9.4 points and 8.1 assists per game in 2001–02.
Tinsley played 73 games for the Pacers in 2002–03, starting 69 of them, and his averages dipped to 7.8 points and 7.5 assists per contest.
The following year, Rick Carlisle
Rick Carlisle
Richard Preston Carlisle is the head coach of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. He has also coached the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, and was previously a player in the NBA. He is also one of the only 11 people to win an NBA championship both as a player and as a coach.-Playing career:Carlisle...
replaced Thomas as the Pacers' head coach, and promoted veteran guard Kenny Anderson
Kenny Anderson
Kenneth "Kenny" Anderson is a retired American basketball player. After a college career at Georgia Institute of Technology, he played point guard professionally from 1991 to 2006, mostly in the National Basketball Association....
to the starting point guard slot, with Anthony Johnson
Anthony Johnson (basketball)
Anthony Mark Johnson is an American professional basketball player who most recently played with the Orlando Magic of the NBA. Johnson is a 6'3" point guard. He found success in pro basketball, becoming the first NBA D-League player to participate in a NBA Finals...
as his backup.
When Anderson and Johnson went down with injuries, Tinsley regained his status as a starter. Tinsley never relinquished his starter's role after that as the Pacers advanced to the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals.
Tinsley spent the majority of the 2004–05 season on injured reserve, but the team played its way to a 44–38 record and the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Tinsley missed the first four games of the Pacers' first-round series against the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
, but made a return in a Game 5 victory. Tinsley's injury problems continued during the 2007–08 season; he only played in 39 games, during which he averaged a career-high 8.4 assists.
Jim O'Brien, the Pacers' head coach, confirmed with The Indianapolis Star
The Indianapolis Star
The Indianapolis Star is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903. It has won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting twice, in 1975 and 1991. It is currently owned by the Gannett Company.-History:...
that Tinsley would be replaced in the starting lineup by point guard T. J. Ford
T. J. Ford
Terrance Jerod "T. J." Ford is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for KK Zagreb. Having been awarded numerous top basketball accolades in high school and college, Ford entered the 2003 NBA Draft and was selected eighth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks...
for the 2008–09 season. O'Brien and Pacers' President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
informed Tinsley that he was not permitted to attend team practices or games during the 2008–09 season while the Pacers worked out a trade for him. Tinsley then requested a contract buyout through his agent. The NBA Players Association filed a grievance against the Pacers on Tinsley's behalf on February 11, 2009. On July 22, 2009, the Pacers waived Tinsley.
On November 14, 2009, the Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...
signed Tinsley as a free agent. Chris Wallace
Chris Wallace (NBA General Manager)
Chris Wallace, from Buckhannon, West Virginia is the general manager and vice president of basketball operations for the Memphis Grizzlies basketball team in the National Basketball Association ....
, the General Manager of the Grizzlies, stated that he "was the best available player out on the board." The Grizzlies did not guarantee Tinsley a starting spot, but told him he would be allowed to compete for the point guard position.
On November 3, 2011, Tinsley was picked 1st overall by the Los Angeles D-Fenders
Los Angeles D-Fenders
The Los Angeles D-Fenders are a NBA Development League team based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2006, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, which became the first National Basketball Association franchise to own a D-League team...
in the NBA Development League Draft.
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2001–02
| align="left" | Indiana
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
| 80 || 78 || 30.5 || .380 || .240 || .704 || 3.7 || 8.1 || 1.7 || .5 || 9.4
|-
| align="left" | 2002–03
| align="left" | Indiana
| 73 || 69 || 30.6 || .396 || .277 || .714 || 3.6 || 7.5 || 1.7 || .2 || 7.8
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | Indiana
| 52 || 43 || 26.5 || .414 || .372 || .731 || 2.6 || 5.8 || 1.6 || .3 || 8.3
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Indiana
| 40 || 40 || 32.5 || .418 || .372 || .744 || 4.0 || 6.4 || 2.0 || .3 || 15.4
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | Indiana
| 42 || 27 || 26.7 || .409 || .229 || .637 || 3.2 || 5.0 || 1.2 || .1 || 9.3
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Indiana
| 72 || 72 || 31.2 || .389 || .316 || .720 || 3.3 || 6.9 || 1.6 || .3 || 12.8
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Indiana
| 39 || 36 || 33.2 || .380 || .284 || .720 || 3.6 || 8.4 || 1.7 || .3 || 11.9
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| align="left" |Memphis
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...
| 38 || 1 || 15.5 || .371 || .179 || .815 || 1.7 || 2.8 || .9 || .1 || 3.5
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 436 || 366 || 28.9 || .395 || .303 || .716 || 3.3 || 6.6 || 1.6 || .3 || 9.8
Playoffs
|-| align="left" | 2001–02
2002 NBA Playoffs
The 2002 NBA Playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2001–02 season. This would be the final postseason that held a best-of-5 first-round series; next year's postseason would see those series expanded to a best-of-7 format...
| align="left" | Indiana
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
| 5 || 5 || 17.6 || .421 || .000 || .667 || 2.0 || 5.0 || .4 || .0 || 3.6
|-
| align="left" | 2002–03
2003 NBA Playoffs
The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2002-03 NBA season. This postseason was notable for being the first time all series were conducted in a best-of-7 format. It was also the only time in playoff history that no team was swept in a first-round series....
| align="left" | Indiana
| 6 || 6 || 30.8 || .571 || .615 || .500 || 3.0 || 6.5 || .7 || .0 || 8.5
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
2004 NBA Playoffs
The 2004 NBA Playoffs were the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2003–04 season. Consisting of 16 teams in two conferences, the playoffs involved about two months of play. The playoffs were conducted in seven-game series, with the team with the better record holding home court...
| align="left" | Indiana
| 16 || 16 || 26.4 || .398 || .296 || .938 || 2.9 || 5.0 || 1.8 || .2 || 8.1
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
2005 NBA Playoffs
The 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season.The San Antonio Spurs, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, 4-3 in the NBA Finals...
| align="left" | Indiana
| 9 || 9 || 27.4 || .360 || .111 || .571 || 3.3 || 5.7 || 1.6 || .3 || 8.7
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
2006 NBA Playoffs
The 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals...
| align="left" | Indiana
| 1 || 0 || 7.0 || .333 || .000 || .000 || .0 || 1.0 || 1.0 || .0 || 2.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 37 || 36 || 25.6 || .409 || .295 || .696 || 2.8 || 5.3 || 1.3 || .2 || 7.5