Al Jefferson

Playing in all 82 games, he ranked 20th in the NBA in points per game (11th in total points), averaging 21.0 points per game while shooting .500 from the field.

Jefferson also defined himself as one of the premier big men in the NBA by being only one of four players to average 20 points and 10 rebounds (the others being Dwight Howard, Carlos Boozer and Antawn Jamison).

Al Ricardo Jefferson (born January 4, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player.

Born in Monticello, Mississippi, Jefferson attended Prentiss High School in the small nearby town of Prentiss from 2000 to 2004.

After starting for his varsity team as a freshman at Prentiss, he became one of the elite players in the country as a junior, drawing the attention of both college coaches around the country, and the scouts of the NBA.

In his senior year for the Bulldogs, he averaged an astounding 42.6 points, 18 rebounds and seven blocks per game as his Bulldogs team went on to lose in the Mississippi state class 3A semi-finals to Byhalia High School 88–73, in which Jefferson finished with 56 points.

He was a high school All-American for Prentiss High School in Mississippi before skipping college to enter the 2004 NBA draft, where he was drafted 15th overall by the Boston Celtics.

Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Jefferson was listed as the No. 1 center and the No. 4 player in the nation in 2004.

He had originally committed to Arkansas, but opted instead to make the jump to the NBA straight out of high school.

Jefferson was drafted with the 15th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2004 NBA draft, becoming the first high school player to be drafted by the Celtics (Kendrick Perkins was drafted by the Grizzlies, then traded to Boston on draft day in the 2003 NBA draft).

He played primarily as a power forward and averaged 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game during his rookie season.

Jefferson's 2005–06 season was widely considered a disappointment, mostly due to a series of ankle injuries and a torn meniscus in his right knee which limited him to playing in 59 games.

He averaged 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game during his sophomore season.

The previous occasion was on December 10, 2005, against the Dallas Mavericks where he scored 21 points.

His third and fourth 20-point game came six and seven days after the second, on December 15 and December 16, when he scored 28 against the Denver Nuggets and 22 against the Charlotte Bobcats.

These efforts punctuated a five-game win streak by the Boston Celtics.

In the off-season prior to the 2006–07 season, Jefferson hired a personal chef and lost about 30 pounds.

After experiencing lingering pain after participating in the Las Vegas Summer League, a CAT scan revealed bone spurs.

On August 2, 2006, he underwent ankle surgery to remove the bone spurs.

On November 8, 2006, prior to the fourth game of the season, Jefferson had appendectomy surgery at New England Baptist Hospital and subsequently missed seven games as he returned to the lineup on November 22, 2006.

While already playing increased minutes (9.3 points and 7.0 rebounds in 22.0 minutes per game over nine games as a reserve), Jefferson's role expanded due to an injury to starting center Kendrick Perkins.

With backup centers Michael Olowokandi and Theo Ratliff already on the injured list, Celtics' coach Doc Rivers started Jefferson at center on December 6, 2006, against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Over the next seven games, Jefferson averaged 16.3 points and 11.1 rebounds in 33.7 minutes per game.

In what some considered a breakout performance against the New Jersey Nets on December 9, 2006, he scored a career-high 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, which tied a career high (set on May 5, 2005, in a playoff game against the Indiana Pacers).

It was the second time he had scored more than 20 points in a game.

On March 3, 2007, Jefferson scored a career-high 32 points to go along with 18 rebounds against the New Jersey Nets, against whom he had previously set his career high in points against earlier in the season.

On March 5, Jefferson was named the NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week starting February 26 through March 4.

On July 31, 2007, Jefferson was traded, along with Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair and draft picks, to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Kevin Garnett.

After landing in Minnesota, Jefferson quickly signed a large contract extension before the season.

At $65 million over five years, it was satisfactory but he could have gotten a max deal.

Instead he chose not to pursue one, due to "having not really proved" himself.

In his first season with the Timberwolves, Jefferson was the team's scoring leader.

In January 2008, Jefferson won Western Conference Player of the Week honors after averaging 33.3 points and 15.3 rebounds and leading the Timberwolves to a 3–1 record from January 21 to 27.

on November 10th, 2008 al jefferson first son Tyeric ricardo Randolph was born in jackson,Mississippi

Jefferson scored a career-high 40 points against the New Jersey Nets on January 27, 2008 and repeated such a performance against the Charlotte Bobcats on April 8, 2008.

Jefferson was having a career best year, averaging 23.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game in the first 50 games of the season, until suffering a serious right knee injury after landing awkwardly on one leg in a game at New Orleans.

Jefferson claimed that he felt a pop in his knee and the injury resulted in a complete tear to the ACL which required reconstructive surgery that ended his season.

Jefferson ranked 5th in the NBA in rebounding, averaging 11.1 (4th in total rebounds) and 2nd in offensive rebounds per game (3.8), only behind Tyson Chandler (4.1).

Jefferson is ranked 12th in the NBA efficiency and is 3rd in the NBA in double-doubles.

He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers, earning third-team All-NBA honors in 2014 with the Hornets.