Al Jefferson

Straight out of tiny Prentiss, Mississippi — where he averaged an astonishing 42.6 points as a high school senior — Jefferson skipped college and went 15th to Boston in the 2004 draft. Three years later he was the centerpiece of the trade that sent Kevin Garnett to the Celtics, and in Minnesota he became a 20-point, 11-rebound man. Utah landed him in 2010, and his old-school post game anchored the Jazz frontcourt for three seasons.

Recognition arrived late: third-team All-NBA with Charlotte in 2014, deep into a 14-season career. Away from the floor he once hired a personal chef and dropped 30 pounds in a summer, and his first son, Tyeric, was born back home in Mississippi in 2008.

HOW HE CAME & WENTUtah sent Kosta Koufos and two first-round picks to Minnesota for him on July 13, 2010, using the trade exception from Carlos Boozer's departure to replace Boozer in the post. In 2013 the club chose to go younger and let him leave for Charlotte.

Full name

Al Ricardo Jefferson

Utah Jazz tenure

2010–13

Position

Center

Born

1985, Monticello, Mississippi

Height

6′10″ (208 cm)

Weight

289 lb (131 kg)

Drafted

2004, 1st round (No. 15), Boston

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