After entering the NBA, one of Michael Jordan’s former teammates transitioned into television.
Forward Jared Jeffries, 41, enjoyed an 11-year NBA career before bursting onto American television screens in a new role.
Jeffries was a star player at Indiana University, named the Big Ten Rookie of the Year in 2001 and a year later named the Big Ten Player of the Year and All-Big Ten First Team.
His performance in college was enough to convince the Washington Wizards to select him with the 11th overall pick in 2002.
One of his teammates in his rookie year was Jordan, and Jordan was the same in his final season.
Speaking about their time as teammates, Jeffries told FS1’s Fair Game in 2019: “He was always the first one in the gym.
“He did an outstanding job coaching and leading all of us that year with his dedication.
“As a 40-year-old player, he would do knee exercises before games and you could tell he was on his last leg, but he still had two 40-point games that year and he was the only one in the league. Players. The NBA has yet to score 40 points at the age of 40.”
In fact, Jeffries revealed that he owns one of the shoes Jordan wore during a 40-point game that season.
Jeffries played in just 20 games as a rookie before his role was expanded in 2003.
He spent four seasons in Washington, then spent the best of six seasons with the New York Knicks – two one-year stints with the Houston Rockets from 2010 to 2011. .
He then spent one lone season with the Portland Trail Blazers before retiring in 2013.
Jeffries went on to serve as a scout for the Denver Nuggets, eventually becoming their director of player personnel.
Later, he entered the esports world as president of Echo Fox.
Meanwhile, Jeffries hosted Modern Fishing with Jared Jeffries on the Outdoor Channel for five seasons from 2013 to 2018.
In 2023, he appeared on The Price Is Right, fulfilling what he later described in a tweet as a “lifetime dream” and winning a Toyota Corolla in the process.