DeAndre Jordan has made a sizable impact during his career, almost as large as his 6’11” 265lb frame. The Houston, Texas native came into the NBA in 2008, an under-the-radar second round pick out of Texas A&M.
He has since carved out an impressive 15-year career in the NBA. The former second-round pick even won his first NBA championship this past season with the Denver Nuggets. DeAndre Jordan has had the kind of career in the NBA that any player would kill to have.
DeAndre Jordan’s Impact on the Brooklyn Nets
We will jump around in the career of DeAndre Jordan. Perhaps his most notable time was with the Brooklyn Nets. It would be the fourth stop in the career of the former second round pick but was without a doubt the most talent the Houston native had ever played with.
Jordan had been dominant with the Los Angeles Clippers during his decade there. A regular in the NBA playoffs, the Clippers had been familiar with regular season success but failed when it mattered most, often falling by the second round.
DeAndre Jordan remained an important part of the Nets, but it was clear that things just weren’t working. The superstars on the team couldn’t stay healthy year in and year out, putting the Nets in cap hell with little chance for improvement.
Jordan’s Importance to the Brooklyn Nets
The former second round pick, despite being on the NBA All-Defensive First Team twice, joined a roster on the Nets like no other. He had played with Blake Griffin for years with the Los Angeles Clippers, so there was some familiarity there.
After signing with the Nets, rejoining Blake Griffin and playing for the first time with major names like Chris Paul, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving, it felt like the center was really going all out for his first NBA Championship. Escaping the tough Western Conference after spending time with the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks, it felt like DeAndre Jordan might finally have more than a memorable regular season.
As a defensive stalwart, the pressure was taken off of him. His game has always been rebounding and defense, but that summer everything was focused on Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Kyrie Irving, and the others. Jordan could focus on his game in pursuit of a championship. Adding one of the premier defensive players in the league would surely pay dividends with the Nets. Unfortunately, it all fell apart.
The Nets fell apart in the playoffs, failing to win an NBA Championship with an absolutely loaded roster. They would often coast through the regular season, struggling with injuries heading into the playoffs.
Comparison of DeAndre Jordan with Other NBA Players
For just about every player, being compared to peers is a part of life. For DeAndre Jordan, there were few that could stack up to the Texas native during his first 10 seasons in the league. A quiet but dominant big man, he helped make the Clippers contenders every season.
How does DeAndre Jordan compare to the rest of his peers? How he looks now is drastically different than the early part of his career. Let’s take a look at his early career before eventually getting further into his game down below.
College Career and Early Years
Staying in Texas, DeAndre Jordan decided to play his college ball at Texas A&M. He came in at a time of transition as head coach Billy Gillispie had recently left to take the job at Kentucky. Jordan honored his commitment and stayed with Texas A&M.
Coming into the 2008 NBA Draft, the Big 12 All-Rookie member was seen as a project. He was called a freakish athlete with huge defensive potential, but others found him to have high bust potential. He was projected as high as 10th overall according to some mock drafts.
Unfortunately for Jordan, he fell to 35th overall to the Los Angeles Clippers. It may have been a blessing in disguise. Injuries pushed him into the lineup, where he enjoyed 10 rebounds, six blocks, and eight points in 34 minutes. It was clear that Jordan could be a force and the potential was there.
Jordan really started to put it together by the 2012-13 season. In the summer of 2013, he was brought to Team USA’s minicamp and upped his game. In the 2014 playoffs, he became the first NBA player to score 25 points, have 18 rebounds, and block four shots since Tim Duncan did it in 2008.
Jordan in 2011
How Jordan Stacks Up
Though he has played his best basketball, there was a time when DeAndre Jordan was one of the elite players in the game. The Texas native was known for being a strong rebounder, changing games by dominating the glass.
Offensively, he was dangerous around the glass. The Clippers managed to win a lot of games with he and Blake Griffin dominating. He even led the league in field goal percentage in five different seasons, mostly due to his ability to put back missed shots.
One criticism of Jordan throughout his career is that he was abysmal at the free-throw line. Every member of the other team knew to employ the Hack-a-Shaq strategy on Jordan, a career 47.5% shooter from the line. That was the clear flaw in his game that never got better.
At his peak, Jordan was one of the elite defenders in the game. From 2014-17, there were few defensive players as valuable to their team as Jordan was to the Clippers. Though he has been a member of quite a few teams since Jordan became a star during his time on the West Coast.
DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers
Why Rings are So Important
Rings are important not only to DeAndre Jordan but to the entire league. The Texas native is one of hundreds of players attempting to win on the big stage. Honing your game as an NBA player is all in the quest to have a season that will never be forgotten.
For star players, which DeAndre Jordan was for a time, winning a title underscores how good you are and what kind of impact you have had. There have been legends who have played that their entire career without managing to even win for the first time.
DeAndre Jordan Net Worth
According to Forbes, the 35 year old basketball player currently occupies the 84th place in the list of highest paid athletes in the world. His current salary for the Nuggets in the NBA is $22.7 M and his estimated net worth is $80 million.
Jordan is currently not married and he is allegedly dating former miss Kansas Bethany Gerber.
DeAndre height is 6’11” feet and his weight is 265lb.
DeAndre Jordan’s Journey to Winning a Championship
After years and failed seasons in the past, DeAndre Jordan joined the Denver Nuggets during the 2022 free agency period. Like Jordan, the Nuggets were looking to reach get past the “good regular season” tag and reach the NBA mountaintop for the first time.
2022-23 Season
Far away from the Clippers, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and the rest of the star-studded teams he’d played with, this is the first season where DeAndre Jordan felt like a role player. It became all about the quest to win a ring with the Denver Nuggets.
The regular season was a huge success, with the Nuggets dominating the competition. In the playoffs, the Nuggets got past all of the disappointing seasons to reach the NBA Finals for the first time. The former second-round pick out of Texas contributed here and there throughout the season.
In the end, the Nuggets dominated, crushing the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals in five games. It was the first time the Nuggets had managed to win a title and the first time that DeAndre Jordan had played for a championship team.
2023-24
In the summer of 2023, Jordan re-signed with the Denver Nuggets. He had a strong season, even helping a depleted Nuggets team get past his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers. The Nuggets, with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, were once again the team to be beaten going into the playoffs.
Unfortunately for Jordan, this wasn’t the same as last year. The Nuggets dominated in the first round but ultimately fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Whether Jordan will be a member of the Nuggets for 2024-25 remains to be seen. He had a solid season but is getting up there in age. He will no doubt have a place on the team if he wants it, especially given the lack of cap flexibility going into the next season and beyond.
Check here the Denver Nuggets odds for next season.
Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Importance of Championship Rings in the NBA
Winning an NBA Championship is not only an important team achievement but something that every player hopes to achieve when joining the league. There are two key areas where winning a championship can have an impact on a player throughout their time in the league.
Reputation
When talking about DeAndre Jordan and his NBA career, winning an NBA Championship is a big deal. The former second round pick did a lot to make his name as a premier player in the league, but a championship changes everything.
With his first NBA title, DeAndre Jordan goes to another level. He won for the first time in 2023, giving the center something more to his time in the NBA. Each season, the goal is to win a title. Though there aren’t more DeAndre Jordan rings, that first NBA title certainly adds to his impressive reputation.
Legacy
A ring can do everything for a player and their career. After he won a ring with the Denver Nuggets, Jordan automatically joined an important club. Every signing, every summer training session, and his time with the Clippers, Mavs, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, and others become worth it.
For the Houston, Texas native, winning a ring was everything. All the seasons spent in the NBA have taken the formerly shy star to the top of the mountain. Though the Denver Nuggets have fallen short in the Western Conference semifinals, the former second round pick had to enjoy the past two seasons.
Final Thoughts
Whether or not he returns to the Nuggets for a second ring is to be determined. That said, DeAndre Jordan has played for some of the best teams in the NBA over the last several years. Getting to the top of the mountain for the first time no doubt instilled a hunger to get another ring.
What the summer holds remains to be seen. Free agency is coming up and Jordan will no doubt be back for the 2024-25 season. Though many remember him from his time with the Clippers and Nets (not so much with the Mavericks or Lakers), DeAndre Jordan has done well for himself. There are many players who would love to have the kind of career that he has had.
