Jason Terry Day: Get to Know Jason Terry

Jason Terry grew up in Seattle, Washington and was the second of 10 children. His mother, Andrea Cheatham, was a Metro bus driver. His father, Curtis Terry, was a high school hoops legend. For most of his young life, Jason had to be the man of the house. He changed diapers, got his younger siblings to bed on time, and filled in when his single mom just didn't have enough hours in the day to accomplish everything.

Jason enrolled at Franklin High School and by that time, he was the hardest working player in Seattle. Other city players, such as Jimmy Rainwater and Lovell Brown, made the headlines, but Jason made continual progress with his game. Jason had unusually long arms and a terrific all-around game. He absorbed all the basketball he could while in high school. .Jason led Franklin to the state championship in 1993 and 1994. Though never a scorer in high school, Jason was not afraid to take the final shot for his team.

Jason went to the University of Arizona. He spent most of his freshman year acclimating himself to Division I play, playing just 10 minutes per game. As a sophomore, he played more minutes, playing alongside freshman sensations Mike Bibby and Miles Simon. He still had not polished his offensive game, but he was one of the team’s defensive stoppers setting a school record with 79 steals. Arizona finished fifth in the Pac 10, but with only nine losses the Wildcats earned a postseason berth with a #4 seed in the Southeast Region. The Wildcats advanced to the Final Four, where Jason turned out to be a media and fan favorite. He was always ready to talk with them and always had a smile. Jason played well, as the Wildcats made it into the Final Four. Jason finished the title game with eight points and five assists in 33 minutes as Arizona won the national championship.

In his junior year, Jason was the first guard off the bench for the Wildcats. He averaged 10 points in 20 minutes a game for the second straight season. He played behind both Bibby and Simon, and as a herald of things to come, Jason was regarded as the best sixth man in college basketball. He was a defensive stopper and was becoming a clutch scorer. The Wildcats failed to repeat as national champions, but finished with a 30-5 record.

In his senior year, Bibby and Simon were gone and Jason finally got his chance to run the Arizona offense. Now, an offensive threat as well as a defensive stopper, he singlehandedly led the Wildcats into the Top 10. He led the conference in scoring, assists and steals. Jason was named NCAA Player of the Year beating out Richard Hamilton, Andre Miller and Elton Brand for the honor.

Jason was chosen with the 10th pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1999 NBA Draft. After spending his first five seasons with the Hawks, Terry was traded to the Mavericks just prior to the start of the 2004–05 season. Jason spent 8 years in Dallas, becoming a fan favorite and winning 6th Man of the Year in 2009. Before the 2010-11 season, Jason had the Larry O'Brien trophy tattooed on his arm. Using that as motivation, the Dallas Mavericks won the 2011 championship. In a playoff game that year against the Lakers, Terry tied Rex Chapman, Vince Carter, and Ray Allen in an NBA playoff record with nine made three-pointers.

Jason Terry is an elite scorer and has made the fourth most career three-pointers in NBA history behind only Ray Allen, Reggie Miller and Jason Kidd. He frequently pulls up for midrange jump shots off the dribble, making him difficult to guard. He has earned the nickname "Mr Fourth Quarter because of his ability to play his best at the end of games. He is both comfortable and effective playing the point, running the wing, or coming off the bench. He can nail three-pointers or take defenders off the dribble. He is quick and fast and relentless at both ends of the court. In short, Jason is one of the most complete all-around backcourt players in the league. He knows what it takes to win and has won championships on every level: high school, college and the NBA.

Jason Terry is an exciting player and Celtics fans are in for an exciting season! The Jet has landed in Boston and any way you look at it, it's a very good thing.