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Guard · 1988–90

Jim Les

Persistence was the whole game: waived by Atlanta, Philadelphia and Milwaukee before ever playing an NBA minute, Les was grinding through the CBA and the World Basketball League when the Jazz signed him in November 1988. He answered by playing all 82 games that season. Sacramento later got his best years — he led the NBA in three-point percentage in 1990-91 and was runner-up in the 1992 long-distance shootout. At Bradley he had compiled the second-most assists in NCAA history.

Coaching brought him back to Bradley as head coach from 2002, with a Sweet Sixteen run in 2006, and since 2011 he has led UC Davis, taking the Aggies to their first Division I NCAA tournament.

HOW HE CAME & WENTUndrafted, he came to Utah in 1988 after Milwaukee signed and waived him inside two days. He played all 82 games as Stockton's backup, then the Jazz waived him on November 6, 1989, a game into the next season, giving the role to Delaney Rudd.

Full name
James Alan Les
Utah Jazz tenure
1988–90
Position
Guard
Born
1963, Niles, Illinois
Height
5′11″ (180 cm)
Weight
165 lb (75 kg)
College
Bradley
Drafted
undrafted
Signature in the archive Basketball Card 1991-92 Hoops Sacramento Kings

No photograph of this signature is online yet.

With the Jazz

JIM LES · 1988–90 · PER GAME
SEASONTEAMGMPGPPGRPGAPGSPGBPGFG%3P%FT%
1988–89UTA829.51.71.12.60.30.1.301.071.781
1989–90UTA16.02.00.01.00.00.0.500
JAZZ TOTAL2 SEASONS839.51.71.02.60.30.1.301.071.766

Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗  ·  Wikipedia ↗

Did you know

JIM LES · 8 NOTES
  • Led the NBA in three-point percentage in 1991, after leaving Utah.
  • He finished runner-up to Craig Hodges in the NBA's Long Distance Shootout in 1992.
  • In 1988 he starred in the World Basketball League, a circuit open only to players under 6-foot-5 — a rule built for a 5-foot-11 guard.
  • For Saskatchewan in July 1990 he put up 38 points and 17 assists, hitting six of seven threes to rally his team from 16 down.
  • His older brother Tom is still Bradley's all-time assists leader, and Jim followed him to the same school.
  • At UC Davis he coached Tyrell Corbin, son of Tyrone Corbin, his Atlanta teammate and another name on this checklist.
  • Before the 1989-90 season the Deseret News wrote that Les 'will try to keep his job of backing up Stockton, amid competition from second-round draft choice Junie Lewis and others.'
  • Back in the CBA with the Santa Barbara Islanders he averaged 14.6 points and 9.8 assists, which brought Sacramento calling on two 10-day contracts at the end of 1990.