There are barely any words that sum up the career of Richard Jefferson, who has given seventeen years of his life to the game of basketball. Even today, he still associates himself with the sport.
From the Nets to the Warriors, Cavaliers, and Nuggets, he has played for many of the well-known teams in the National Basketball Association League. As of now, Richard is a sports analyst for one of the biggest American sports channels, ESPN.
Furthermore, the basketballer can be widely seen over various ESPN platforms such as NBA Countdown, The Jump, First Take, Get Up, SportsCenter, and Hoop Streams.
Quick Facts about Richard Jefferson:
| Full Name | Richard Allen Jefferson |
| Birth Date | June 21, 1980 |
| Birth Place | California, Los Angeles, United States |
| Nick Name | RJ |
| Religion | Christian |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African/American |
| Education | University of Arizona |
| Horoscope | Cancer |
| Father’s Name | Richard Allen Jefferson Senior |
| Mother’s Name | Meekness LeCato |
| Siblings | None |
| Age | 42 Years Old |
| Height | 6 feet 7 inches |
| Weight | 233lbs (106kg) |
| Hair Color | None |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Build | Athletic |
| Profession | ESPN annalist |
| Current Team | None |
| Position | Small Forward |
| Active Years | 2001 – 2018 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Teresa Lourenco |
| Kids | A son |
| Net Worth | $50 million |
| Social Media | Twitter, Instagram |
| Merchandise | Trading Card |
| Jersey Number | #24, #44, #22 |
| Last Updated | August, 2022 |
Richard Jefferson | Childhood, Families, and Education
California’s Los Angeles is where Richard Jefferson was born in the US. State-born Meekness LeCota and Richard Jefferson Sr. are his parents.
As a single child, he lived in a typical home. Additionally, they forced him to join a Christian religious organization as they raised him as a devout Christian.
Being devoted members of this organization, Jefferson’s parents used to travel quite a bit. As a result, during their journey, he attended several schools.
He eventually graduated from Moon Valley High School while they were living in Phoenix, Arizona, where they had finally settled for a while.
Richard, who was still a young boy, had mastered excellent basketball skills by this point. He consequently contributed to his high school team’s state championship victory during his senior year.
The University of Arizona offered Jefferson a scholarship after recognizing his enormous potential, which he gratefully accepted. His three years on the university’s men’s basketball team saw him play an important role as well.
RJ excelled during his time starting in 77 of his 84 collegiate games. But in the 2001 national championship game, Duke prevailed despite their best efforts.
Because NBA scouts gave him a very high projection, he ultimately made the decision to enter the draft.
Aside from that, his family and peers have a good reputation for praising the former NBA player as a smart, trustworthy, and diligent person.
Throughout his 17-year basketball career, his teammates acknowledged him as a reliable team member. You may also like to know about Richard Gasquet
Age, height, and weight information for Richard Jefferson
Having turned 42 in 2022, the former NBA champion was born on June 21, 1980. He still maintains excellent care of his diet and health despite being a former athlete.
As a result, despite not needing to engage in rigorous training, Jefferson is in excellent shape. He continues to go to the gym frequently for exercise.
In addition, he stands 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 233 lb (106 kg). You may like to know about Chris Richard
Sports Career of Richard Jefferson
Career after High School
Because of the frequent moves his family made, Jefferson played high school basketball at several different institutions. The Jefferson family did, however, relocate to Arizona for his senior year.
He consequently played basketball for Moon Valley High School in his senior year of high school. His height advantage allowed him to wreck havoc in the rim while playing the small forward position.
Richard favored shooting over bringing the ball down the post despite having a height advantage. He consequently acquired proficient shooting techniques that were helpful to him throughout his career.
RJ also served as the offensive hub for his high school team. In his senior year, the ex-NBA player coached his squad to victory in the state championship.
Academic Career
Following his admission to the University of Arizona, the basketball analyst’s abilities grew more. He began most of the season’s games despite being a rookie.
He was his team’s go-to player in both offense and defense, always picking up the slack. On the court, Richard consistently stood out as the best player.
As a result, the rookie was able to secure a spot in the team’s regular starting lineup for his sophomore season rather quickly. They failed to advance to the finals of the national championship, which is unfortunate.
As they advanced to the tournament finals and were considered favorites to win it, this quickly changed during Jefferson’s junior year.
They weren’t expecting their rivals, the Duke Blue Devils, to give up easily, so they were shocked. No team has ever maintained such a strong momentum throughout a game as the Blue Devils.
The Devils won, though, and ultimately handed Richard’s team a defeat they will never forget. Jefferson received high praise for his outstanding performance, despite the team’s defeat.
As a result, he made the decision to forego finishing college and instead declare for the 2001 NBA draft.
an NBA career
After his junior year of college, Jefferson declared for the NBA draft. The 13th overall pick in the first round by the New Jersey Net was him as well.
In the beginning, as a rookie, he didn’t play a lot. When he started raining fire in his second season, however, this quickly changed as a result of his skillfully designed offensive strategy.
Richard was becoming more like a bucket machine every season. The Nets were a very dysfunctional group of players, though. The Nets were consistently eliminated before they even got to the playoffs.
After seven seasons, the Nets therefore made the decision to trade RJ to the Bucks. Jefferson had just finished a season in which he averaged a career-high 22.6 points per game, so this trade was extremely unusual.
He did not belong on the Bucks. He was allowed to leave in free agency because of this. As a new member of the Spurs, Richard was contributing to the team’s success.
In spite of that, after three years, that also failed. Therefore, Jefferson spent a season with each of the Warriors, Jazz, and Mavericks.
The player found a home with the Cavaliers after switching teams several times. He and LeBron grew a very close relationship during this time, one that is still widely reported on.
He also won the first NBA championship in NBA history during his first season with the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers extended his contract by one year as a result of his excellent help in the team’s championship victory.
This might have been the turning point for him, but it was obvious that age was a factor. So, in his final NBA season, he traded to the Nuggets.
Career as an analyst following basketball
Following the 2017-18 season with the Denver Nuggets, Jefferson announced his retirement on October 13, 2018.
Shortly after that, he joined YES Network to start his broadcasting career.
At YES Network, he became the Nets’ game and studio commentator. Furthermore, the former basketballer has also offered FS1, ESPN, and the Pac-12 Network with his analyst services.
Basketball Achievements and Highlights
- 2016 NBA Champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers
- Named to the 2002 NBA All-Rookie Second Team
- 1998 McDonald’s All-American
- Named to the Fourth-team Parade All-American in 1998
- Bronze medalist at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics
- Gold medalist at the 2003 FIBA Americas Championship in San Juan
Richard Jefferson | Marriage, Wife, and Kids
The basketball expert is reported to be happily married to Teresa Lourenco.
However, the two dated for a short amount of time during Jefferson playing career. Not to mention, Lourenco was a former model that was relatively successful during her peak.
She was won the “Best New Face” and the “Best New Generation Model” honors at a beauty contest. Following her triumph, Lourenco sought a modeling career.
Therefore, she began modeling for numerous private agencies. Slowly, Teresa began to lead the modeling community by working as a Victoria’s Secret and Christian Dior model.
During this time of her life, the model met Richard, who had recently called off his wedding. Hence, they started dating one another, which evolved to a serious relationship.
Nevertheless, they always wanted to keep their life out of the media’s attention while dating. Hence, there are very few images of them on the internet.
Besides that, the pair didn’t have any kids. Nevertheless, Lourenco had two kids from her previous relationship, and Jefferson has a son.
As of now, the basketballer’s relationship status remains unknown, and he barely talks about it in the public.
Richard Jefferson Calling Off the Wedding at the Very Last Moment
The ESPN analyst was in a very committed relationship with Kesha Ni’Cole Nichols from the start of his NBA career.
They were very vocal about their connection as they constantly used to admire each other in the media. Therefore, when the news of Richard marrying former Nets dancer Kesha got around, everyone took it seriously.
Of course, some people made a major mess about his revelation as it seemed a bit immoral for a Nets player to date a Nets dancer.
Hence, the media expanded this topic as wide as they could by running it over and over again. Nevertheless, these media stories didn’t seem to influence the couple as they verified the news of their marriage.
As a consequence, everything was set. The bride and the guest had already arrived at the alter. However, Jefferson had cold feet and called off the wedding.
He called his friend two hours before the wedding and said he wouldn’t come. The news was a great shock and tragedy for all the people attending the wedding.
Not to mention, the wedding that never took place cost the NBA player $2 million. That’s a huge price to pay for not showing up at your wedding.
Richard Jefferson | Net Worth, Salary, and Career Earnings
The former NBA champion has built a gigantic amount as a former NBA player and ESPN analyst. However, his exact wealth amount is unknown.
Nevertheless, many sources believe his net worth ranges up to $50 million.
Further, most of his earnings are accumulated through his NBA career. For example, he earned $2.3 million in his final season for just sitting out the whole season.
Not to mention, the broadcaster’s career earnings amount to $115,046,209.
His highest salary in the NBA was during the 2009-10 NBA season with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he earned $14,200,000.
Furthermore, he made $13.2 million with the Bucks and made over $40.2 million with the Nets. Likewise, the athlete made over $30 million with the San Antonio Spurs.
Similarly, the ESPN analyst earned over $10 million with the Warriors during the 2012-13 season and over $11 million with the Spurs during the 2013-14 season.
On top of that, Richard earns a fair amount through appearing on multiple ESPN platforms. Nonetheless, his proper earnings from his current job are not disclosed.
However, it can be easily estimated that he makes plenty to live a luxurious life.
Richard Jefferson | Social Media
Jefferson is quite active on various social media platforms. He is active on Instagram with over 280 thousand followers.
He mostly shares his life as a post NBA player and broadcaster through his handle. Hence, the broadcaster is on his job alongside his colleagues in most of his posts.
Moreover, RJ can be seen enjoying his job as he takes friendly hits against the NBA players and teams. Likewise, he has many memes related to NBA and basketball.
Besides that, he is on Twitter with nearly 109 thousand followers. The sports analyst usually shares basketball and NBA-related news, events, and highlights through his account.
Not to mention, he is followed by well-known broadcasters and athletes like LeBron James, Kevin Love, etc. Furthermore, Jefferson recently made a Tiktok account with over 572 thousand followers 13 million likes.
Many well-known NBA players like Luka Doncic, etc., are featured in his videos.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Did Richard Jefferson play with Steph Curry?
Yes, the basketballer turned analyst has played with and against Stephen Curry during his playing career. After the Spurs traded Jefferson to the Warriors, Richard had a chance to play with the Warriors’ star player for the 2012-13 NBA season.
What is Richard Jefferson known for?
Jefferson is well known for being an NBA player who played for eight prominent NBA teams. Furthermore, he is known for winning the 2016 NBA Championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Besides that, he is a popular figure in the sports broadcasting world. The athlete has worked as an analyst for ESPN since 2019 and has appeared on other sports networks as well.
Is Richard Jefferson in the Basketball Hall of Fame?
No, the former NBA player has not been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame just yet. However, he was inducted into the Pac-12 Basketball Hall of Honor in 2012.