The 6’0″ vet sat for wide-ranging conversation with Bally Sports Network’s Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson. When the topic of discussion turned to Howard’s missing out on the NBA 75 team this past February, Nelson advocated for the 6’10” big man’s inclusion. Here’s a transcription of Nelson’s full thoughts on the snub, courtesy of Robinson: “A no brainer. Absolutely. It shouldn’t be a thing. He’s top 75 in my book, right? And he’s a Hall of Famer. I don’t understand how you CANNOT put him in those two categories. Nothing against anybody else who’s a Hall of Famer or who’s Top 75; I’m not either of those so I can comment on it all I want and I’m not being biased because he was my teammate and all that stuff — again, the dude got double teamed EVERY single night, you know what I’m sayin’? The dude was the anchor of the defense. He was the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year multiple times so the stats pretty much speak for themselves and I’m sure that he WILL be a Hall of Famer but, I definitely think that he should’ve been in that Top 75.”
Jameer Nelson Rumors
All NBA Players
#0
Jameer Nelson
Position: -
Born: 02/09/82
Height: 6-0 / 1.83
Weight:190 lbs. / 86.2 kg.
Earnings: $72,802,422 ($95,257,002*)
Born: 02/09/82
Height: 6-0 / 1.83
Weight:190 lbs. / 86.2 kg.
Earnings: $72,802,422 ($95,257,002*)
George Karl: We got to spend quality time with Jameer Nelson the past couple days. He’s one of the most underrated players of the past couple decades and a total winner everywhere he’s been!! pic.twitter.com/UnSZAqwnTE
Then trouble started. There were rumblings Howard wanted out of Orlando. Nelson recalled trade rumors emerging about other players. Sometimes those players wondered if Howard was behind them. “It was a painful time even coming to work,” Nelson said.
StatMuse: Franz Wagner tonight: 28 PTS 10-18 FG 5-9 3P He’s the first Magic rookie with 25+ points and 5+ threes in a game since Jameer Nelson in 2005.
Now, 11 months later, Nelson is the newly-minted Assistant General Manager of the Blue Coats. He will also serve as a 76ers scout. “I hope I didn’t say too many bad things,” Nelson said with a laugh. Nelson is not far removed from his own playing days. He last suited up in an NBA game in the spring of 2018. The 38-year-old Chester, PA native and former National Player of the Year at Saint Joseph’s University holds 14 seasons’ worth of NBA playing experience. In 878 career games, the bulk of which were played with the Orlando Magic, he averaged 11.3 points and 5.1 assists.
Rondo signed with New Orleans in 2017-18, his fifth team in four seasons. Veteran Jameer Nelson, who spent the first half of that year on the Pelicans, marveled at Rondo’s preparation, growing accustomed to receiving texts at 2 or 3 a.m. with stream-of-consciousness basketball ideas. “Rondo will challenge everyone — coaches, teammates, the front office,” Nelson says. “But never once was it, ‘We need to do X, Y and Z to make me look better.’ It was about getting the best out of the team.”
