Jerry Stackhouse

Jerry Stackhouse Biography

Jerry Stackhouse bio

Jerry Darnell Stackhouse was born on November 5, 1974 in Kinston, NC to George and Minnie Stackhouse. He grew up the youngest of 11 children (seven brothers and four sisters.) Its no wonder that Jerry became so athletic as he spent his childhood trying to keep pace with his seven half-brothers. Jerry’s older brother, Thomas Dawson, was a basketball star at Lenoir Community College in Kinston, NC during the 1970’s. At one point during his tenure at LCC, he led the nation in scoring, averaging better than thirty-five points per game. "And that’s before they had the three-point line," he boasts. Thomas’s son, (Jerry’s nephew) Craig Dawson, is a rising star at Wake Forest University. Athletic talent runs deep in Jerry’s family. From the time Jerry could dribble a basketball, he tried to imitate his seven older brothers. "You try to do what they can do," Jerry said. "Then, you try to outdo them."

Jerry traces his ambition and unflinching intensity to his upbringing. His father, George, never missed his 4 a.m. shift as a sanitation-truck driver in Kinston. Even today, while he battles diabetes and has a millionaire for a son, George refuses to let anyone else chop his firewood or mow his lawn. Jerry’s mom, Minnie, is a minister and worked for years as a short-order cook at the Surf & Turf restaurant in Kinston. Jerry put in some time washing dishes at Surf & Turf during high school. He also briefly worked at a tobacco warehouse, suckering tobacco. "Jerry worked about three hours and barely made it through one row of tobacco before he decided that he had to try something else," says George.

Jerry was very athletic growing up as he played baseball and football in addition to basketball. In 1987, he won a baseball championship. "I hit so many homeruns, that they stopped pitching to me," claims Jerry. While at Savannah Middle School, Jerry earned an MVP award as quarterback of the football team. "I played quarterback because I was the best we had, but if I had played in high school, I would have been a wide receiver," says Jerry. "I could catch anything. I didn’t play in high school but I went to every game, home and away." The sport that Jerry did play in high school was basketball. He became a legend as he scored a total of 2,039 in only three seasons at Kinston High School. His highest scoring game of 43 points came against Wilson High School. "My mom raised us to have confidence in what we did and to show respect for our opponents no matter what sport we were playing," says Stack. After a junior year in which he averaged 29.8 points, 13.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists, he was so overwhelmed by college recruiters, overzealous reporters and jealous classmates that he decided to play his senior season at Oak Hill Academy in quiet Mouth of Wilson, Va.

"Some of my friends had given up on school."I just didn’t want to be coerced into trying some of those things. A couple of my friends dropped out of school and were selling drugs and trying to come up with fast money. I felt it could really jeopardize what I wanted to do," says Jerry about leaving Kinston for Oak Hill.

Oak Hill

Tucked deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with no fast-food franchise or shopping mall in sight, the 175-student co-ed boarding school 120 miles southwest of Roanoke became Jerry’s new home. Some of Oak Hill’s strict regulations are: students must attend classes six days a week; Sunday church service and all campus social functions are mandatory; students cannot leave campus without a staff member or parent; and no corporal punishment for girls, but boys may choose spanking instead of another discipline, such as clearing brush or splitting firewood.

Jerry was part of the Oak Hill team that went 30-0, finished third in USA Today Super 25 rankings and won the mythical high school national championship. As one of the nation’s most heralded high school players, all the major colleges recruited him. As he made his obligatory circuit of the major summer camps, Jerry was regarded as the No.1 high school player in America by each of the major official ranking institutions and coaches. Many college recruiters visited his home and sent tons of letters offering Jerry full scholarships to play for them. Jerry’s large family helped to give him advice on what school to attend. Jerry’s brother, Tony Dawson, played basketball at Florida State. Tony had a nice collegiate career and averaged about 21 points per game during his senior year. Although he wasn’t drafted into the NBA, he played in 17 games in the 1990-91 season for the Sacramento Kings and went on to continue his professional basketball career in Israel, Italy and Spain before joining the CBA. He was a first-team All-CBA selection with the Rockford Lightening in 1994-95 after averaging 27 points per game and shooting 59% from the field and 82% from the free throw line. Just before the Lightening was about to enter the playoffs, he got called up to join the Boston Celtics, where he stayed briefly.

McDonald’s All-American Game

Jerry was invited to play in the 1993 McDonald’s All American high school all-star game in Memphis, Tennessee. He scored 27 points, including nine of his team’s final 16 points in the last four minutes, to earn co-Most Valuable Player honors (with Jacque Vaughn) and propel the East to a 105 95 victory over the West in the 16th McDonald’s All American Game at the Mid-South Coliseum. Jerry’s late outburst, which was then the third highest in McDonald’s history, was needed. The West cut the East lead to 99-95 with 40 seconds left before Jerry took a Randy Livingston pass and soared over two defenders on the baseline for a two-handed dunk with 30 seconds remaining. "I just tried to play the same way I played in high school. ’Some guys get in all-star games and get away from the things they normally try to do. The more chance I had to play and get in a flow in the second half, the more comfortable I felt." Jerry also won the McDonald’s Dunk Contest. He had his Oak Hill backcourt mate, Jeff McInnis, stand in front of the basket, then he took a running start and soared spread-eagle over McInnis’ head for a right-handed power slam. The dunk earned a perfect score from the seven judges and gave Jerry the title in a one-shot ’’dunk-off’’ over second-place Jerald Honeycutt of Grambling (La.) Laboratory Magnet. He also had two other impressive slams. For one, he leaped over a kneeling Keith Booth of Baltimore Dunbar High. McInnis sat on Booth and lobbed the ball to Jerry while Randy Livingston of New Orleans Isidore Newman stood behind Booth and McInnis. Jerry took a full court run and leaped from the free-throw line for another. Jerry won six different dunk contests in his senior year at Oak Hill.

UNC Freshman Year

Jerry had been pegged as Michael Jordan’s heir apparent years before he’d even played a single college basketball game. Needless to say when he decided to attend Jordan’s alma mater, he had some huge shoes to fill. Jerry entered Carolina ranked the best high school basketball player in America. One can find it very hard to believe that Jerry didn’t feel lots of pressure to achieve success on the court soon after his arrival. Jerry easily adjusted to UNC campus life after coming from Oak Hill. On the court, many factors helped Jerry adjust to the college game, such as having his Oak Hill backcourt mate Jeff McInnis and fellow freshman Rasheed Wallace as teammates. Stack, McInnis, and Wallace found out together what people mean when they talk about Coach Smith’s basketball system. With a senior class that had won the national championship in 1993, the coach’s seniority system gave more playing time to Eric Montross, Brian Reese and Derrick Phelps than to the freshmen.Jerry’s first to the NCAA Tournament was shortened as Carolina suffered a second round loss to Boston College, 75-72. Jerry was Carolina’s second leading scorer with 15 points.

UNC Sophomore Year

During Jerry’s sophomore season, he was cocky without being obnoxious, a line that few college basketball players had avoided crossing in recent years. He didn’t point fingers. How he performed in midair had everything to do with being grounded. He knew who he was, which was Minnie Stackhouse’s son. "Me and him talked about things," she said. "He listened. I could see a little bit further than he could."After a sensational sophomore year in which he improved his averages and percentages in virtually every statistical category, Jerry became only the ninth UNC player to be named National Player of the Year (Sports Illustrated National College Player of the Year). He was named as a first-team All American by the Associated Press, the United Press International, the USBWA, and the NABC. He was also named to the Wooden Team and received All-ACC honors. He was named to the second team All-America by Sporting News and Basketball Times. Jerry was also named to the All-District 3-B team by members of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. During Jerry’s sophomore year, he had two constants - basketball and church. It helped that his mother, was a Baptist minister. Every day, Jerry read an inspirational verse provided by his mother: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can’t change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. "Sometimes, I feel like I am somewhat different than the rest of the guys," Jerry said. "In a way, I’m apart from them. We just have different outlooks on life. I know life doesn’t offer any guarantees. The basketball ability is really great, but I know it isn’t a lifetime thing. And it could all be taken away in the blink of an eye. That’s why I try so hard and savor every moment."

NBA Draft

On June 28, 1995, Jerry’s professional hoop dreams materialized as he was drafted third by the Philadelphia 76ers. Joe Smith was drafted first by the Golden State Warriors, followed by Antonio McDyess at second to the Clippers. Rasheed Wallace was drafted fourth by the Washington Bullets. Within 24 hours of Stack’s draft-day selection, 1,200 re-energized fans inquired about season tickets.

Rookie Season

After being deemed as an "upper-echelon athlete" by countless top pro scouts, Jerry was drafted third overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1995 draft. With his leaping skills and ability to drive to the basket, Stack was seen as a dynamic scorer who could help generate some excitement. The 76ers felt he would be the cornerstone in a rebuilding effort that would put the team in the playoffs for the first time since 1991. Despite some thoughts that he might be more suited for small forward, the 76ers made him into a shooting guard. Stack showed right away that he was a big-time player, as he hit a game-winning three-pointer against Detroit in the 76ers’ opening exhibition game. After averaging close to 20 points in the exhibition season despite a fractured left hand, Jerry proved to be the real deal with his 27-point season debut against the Bullets. His 27 points were the most by a rookie in his first game since Willie Anderson got 30 for San Antonio in 1988.

Jerry’s 278 total assists also led the team. His 1,384 points were a rookie franchise record, eclipsing Clarence Weatherspoon’s 1,280, and he scored 20 points or more a team-high 31 times. His 19.2 points per game led the 76ers in scoring and was tops among all rookies. Besides leading the 76ers in scoring as a rookie, Jerry earned a berth on the NBA’s All-Rookie team. Joining Jerry on the All-Rookie First team were Damon Stoudamire, Joe Smith, Antonio McDyess, Arvydas Subonis, and Michael Finley. Stoudamire was named Rookie of the Year, however, as Jerry finished fourth in voting.

Changes in Philly

During the summer after Stack’s rookie year, the 76ers made four major moves. Harold Katz sold the team to Pat Croce, former 76ers strength and conditioning coach, and the Comcast Corporation. The coaching reins were handed from John Lucas to Johnny Davis. The team relocated from the Spectrum, their longtime home, into the new CoreStates Center. And finally, having won the first overall pick in the 1996 NBA Lottery, they drafted point guard Allen Iverson to run the team’s offense. At the start of Jerry’s second season with the 76ers everyone heavily anticipated the excitement of watching Jerry team up with his new teammate Allen Iverson in what was deemed the backcourt of the future. Jerry and Allen didn’t disappoint fans as they combined to be one of the NBA’s most dynamic backcourts. Jerry boosted his scoring average to 20.7 (which ranked fifteenth in the NBA) and teamed with Iverson (23.5) to put up 44.2 total points per game. Jerry led all NBA guards in blocked shots with 63 and played a team-high 3,166 minutes (39.0 per game). Jerry also contributed 4.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.15 steals, and sank 102 three-pointers. He played in 81 games, missing a game on Feb. 16 to witness the birth of his son, Jaye Alexander. Jerry led the 76ers in scoring 26 times, tallying a career-high 39 points in a 115-113 loss at Charlotte on April 5. That was one of nine games in which he scored 30 points or more. The 76ers still managed to have a 22-60 record as they missed the playoffs again. Jerry also participated in both the Dunk Contest and All-Star Rookie Game during All-Star Weekend in Cleveland in 97.

Leaving Philly

At the end of the 1996-97 season, Larry Brown was named as the team’s head coach, replacing Johnny Davis. Brown began to reshape his team after the 1997 NBA Draft by acquiring veterans Eric Montross and Jimmy Jackson and draftees Tim Thomas and Anthony Parker in exchange for second overall pick Keith Van Horn and three expendable veterans. On November 13, 1998, Jerry joined his fellow Tar Heel Rasheed Wallace to have their jerseys retired at halftime of the Carolina-Appalachian State game. It was one of Jerry’s finest achievements since only 37 UNC players have had the honor of having their jerseys hung from the rafters of the prestigious Dean Dome. Despite Iverson’s flashy, lightening quick game, and Stack’s above the rim, flamboyant playing style, and the new additions to the 76ers roster, they managed to begin the season with a 6-16 record. With Iverson taking more shots, and more minutes being given to Jimmy Jackson and Tim Thomas, Jerry’s shot attempts decreased and his scoring average dipped to 16 points per game. It became evident that some changes needed to be made. With Jerry’s minimal interest in returning to the 76ers after the end of the season and his somewhat rocky relationship with Iverson, Coach Larry Brown decided that a major move must be made. In one of his last games as a 76er, Jerry registered a game-high 25 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists against the Boston Celtics on December 15. On December 18, 1997, Philadelphia traded Jerry along with Eric Montross to the Detroit Pistons for Theo Ratliff, Aaron Mckie and a first round draft pick. "I got an early Christmas present," Jerry said after being traded. "For me to fulfill my potential, it’s good to get with a team where the ball is being shared a lot."

Playing for the Pistons

Jerry was traded to the Detroit Pistons on December 18, 1997 after playing in less than half of his third season with the 76ers. Since Detroit already had one of the NBA’s best all around players in Grant Hill, head coach Doug Collins decided to use Jerry as an energizer off the bench to ignite the Piston’s offense. In two and a half seasons with the 76ers, Jerry appeared in a total of 175 games, started 174 and played an average of 38.3 minutes per game. Although it was initially a somewhat difficult adjustment for Jerry, in his first game as a Piston, he came off the bench to score a game-high 33 points (13-20 FG, 7-7 FT) and 4 assists against the Indiana Pacers on December 19. In his first start for the Pistons, he recorded 24 points and 8 rebounds in a 100-95 victory over the Toronto Raptors on December 30. Jerry settled into his sixth-man role with the Pistons and averaged 15.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1 steal per game in approximately 29.8 minutes off the bench. Playing limited minutes and coming off the bench after being accustomed to starting was difficult for Jerry, but he was happy to play for a team that he felt really appreciated his presence. He scored a season-high 35 points (13-20 FG), adding 5 rebounds and 4 assists, against the New York Knicks on January 24. Forty-five games into the season, the Pistons fired head coach Doug Collins and hired Alvin Gentry to take over for the rest of the season. The Pistons finished the season with a 37-45 record and Jerry missed the chance to play in the NBA playoffs once again.

The Lockout Season

On January 22, Jerry decided that he wanted to make Detroit his home and re-signed after he had become a free agent. Jerry’s fourth NBA season came after the infamous "lockout." The NBA season was shortened to only 50 games and began in February. Jerry started the season primarily coming off the bench, backing up one of the greatest shooting guards in Detroit history, Joe Dumars. His shortened minutes didn’t hurt him much as he averaged 24.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists during the Pistons’ opening three-game winning streak.In Jerry’s first trip to the NBA playoffs, his Pistons were matched up against the Atlanta Hawks. Jerry received only 25 minutes per game as the Pistons pushed the Hawks to five games before being eliminated. Jerry shot 39% from the field and 86% from the free throw line, while scoring 10.0 points and grabbing 1.6 rebounds per game. Despite receiving limited playing time, Jerry was very excited to make his first trip to the playoffs and couldn’t wait to return.

Getting Comfortable

Before the season started Jerry witnessed the birth of his daughter Alexis on September 2, 1999. She was born very healthy despite doctor’s worries that there was a high probability that she may be born with Down’s Syndrome. Jerry played his first full season with the Pistons like a man possessed. He set career highs in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals and started in all 82 regular season games for the first time in his career. Jerry finished thirteenth in the league in minutes played per game (38.4). For the first time in his professional career, he really looked comfortable on the court. His hard slashing to the basket earned him enough trips to the free throw line to lead the NBA in free throws made (618). His 618 free throws made were the second highest ever by a Piston and the most since George Yardley made 655 during the 1957-58 season.Detroit finished the season with a 42-40 record (fourth in the Central Division), which was good enough to make it to the NBA playoffs for the second straight year. With Grant Hill injured, Stack had to step in against Miami and put Detroit’s offense on his shoulders. While being double and triple teamed, Jerry shot 41% from the field, 74% from the free throw line, scored 24.7 points, and grabbed 4.0 rebounds. He also played 40.0 minutes per game, shot 43% from three-point range and dished out 3.3 assists per game as the Pistons were swept in three games.

A Season to Remember

After a summer of being wooed by numerous teams, free agent Grant Hill, half of the Detroit "dynamic duo", decided to leave the Pistons and sign with the Orlando Magic. Detroit also signed George Irvine as their head coach for the season. Grant’s departure prompted many basketball critics to predict that Detroit would finish with the worst record in the Eastern Conference, considering that with Grant, the team finished only two games above .500. Jerry spent the summer working on his game, getting himself in the best shape of his career in order to prove all of the critics wrong and to help bring greatness back to Detroit. Jerry had long desired to be the featured player on a team, and was determined to prove to everyone that he deserved that role.On April 9, in a 81-69 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, Jerry had the first triple double of his career by scoring 28 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and dishing out 11 assists (tying his career high). All in all, Jerry had 8 games of 40 points or more, 4 of which were 44 points or more. Of the 80 games that Jerry played in 2000-2001, Jerry scored 30 points or more 45 times. He scored more total points than any other player in the NBA (2,380) and finished second in scoring to former backcourt mate Allen Iverson with 29.8 points per game. His 57 points against Chicago were the most individual points scored in the NBA during the regular season and playoffs. Jerry led the NBA in shot attempts (1,927), third in three point attempts (473), fifth in field goals made (774) and fifth in three point field goals made (166). Jerry led the NBA in free throws made (666) for the second straight year and was second to Shaquille O’Neal again in free throw attempts (810). Jerry played a career high 3,215 minutes (ranking seventh in the NBA) and averaged 40.2 minutes per game (ranking eleventh). Although Jerry enjoyed one of the finest seasons of his career statistically, his Pistons finished the season with a 30-52 record and missed the playoffs.

Re-Writing Detroit’s Record Books

Not only did Jerry break the Pistons’ record for the most points scored in a single game (57), his 29.8 scoring average also set a new record for the highest single season scoring average topping George Yardley’s 27.8 back in 1957-58. Jerry’s 2,380 points topped Dave Bing’s 2,213 for the most total points ever scored by a Piston in one regular season. Jerry’s 1,927 field goal attempts topped Dave Bing’s 1,903 for the most field goal attempts taken in a single regular season.

Jerry’s 666 free throws made and 810 free throws attempted topped George Yardley’s 655 free throws made and 810 attempted for the most free throws made and attempted by a Piston in a regular season. Jerry’s 473 three-point attempts were the most ever attempted by a Piston, topping Lindsay Hunter’s 468 attempts back in 96-97.

Sacrificing 4 Success

After coming off such a mediocre season with a record of 32-50, highlighted only by Stack’s emergence as one of the NBA’s most dominant scorers, the Pistons needed to make some major changes. During the summer they did exactly that. One of their biggest moves was bringing in former Indiana Pacers’ Assistant Coach Rick Carlisle as the new Head Coach. They went on to bring in veterans Cliff Robinson and Jon Barry along with rookies Rodney White and Zeljko Rebraca. The Pistons even changed their team colors back to Red, White and Blue!

Off To Be a Wizard

After leading the Detroit Pistons to a surprising turnaround season, Stack was traded to the Washington Wizards to try to do the same thing. "I was just disappointed ... because I had to leave my home," Stack said. "I had to leave a fan base that had grown with me since I’d been there and who had been just unbelievably great for me. It wasn’t easy, but at the same time it comes with this business and I understood that."Stack’s most memorable moment of the season was when he got a game-winning, buzzer-beating dunk to defeat the defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers, 100-99, at the MCI Center on November 8, 2002. Stack finished with a game-high of 29 points and was named NBA Player of the Week for that week of November 4-10.

Marred by Injury

Most accounts, prior to the season it was figured that the Wizards would have a starting five of Gilbert Arenas, Larry Hughes, Jerry Stackhouse and Kwame Brown. Also by most accounts, it was guessed that that group would enjoy a high level of success together. Unfortunately injuries limited the fearsome foursome to just three games together on the starting line. On October 21st, Stack was forced to have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Stack missed the first 46 games of the season. "It felt good to get back on the court," Stackhouse said after his first game back - a 104-100 loss in Cleveland in which he scored 13 points. "It has been a long time and my muscle memory usually kicks in. It was just unfortunate that we couldn’t get a win." "I really have a passion for the game of basketball," says Stack. "I don’t feel like myself if I’m not on the court. I’m not one of those guys in the league who simply plays to get paid, I play because I truly have love for the game. Even though I’m still not 100% healthy, I’m trying to work my way back." Stack went on to start in 17 of the 26 games he played in. He finished third on the team in scoring at 13.9 points per game while playing 29.8 minutes and shooting .399 from the field. He finished second on the team in free throw shooting at .806 while also shooting .354 from the three-point line. He finished second on the team in assists per game at 4.0 while averaging 3.6 rebounds per game. He had 6 games of 20 points or more with his season-high of 29 coming in a 138-124 loss in Atlanta to the Hawks on March 12, 2004. He had a season-high of 11 assists in a 106-88 win in Cleveland over the Cavs on Feb. 7 to go along with 19 points and 5 rebounds. The Washington Wizards finished the season with at 25-57 record, good for sixth place in the Atlantic Division. "My knee injury has inspired me to really improve my level of conditioning and make myself stronger," say Stack. "I’m planning on working harder than ever this summer to get back to full strength so I can be the player that I know I am and not settle for being anything less. I’ve been in a situation this season where I’m the best player on the team and even if I’m 60 or 70% healthy, they still want to have me out there playing and I understand that."

Stack the Maverick

On June 24, 2004, Stack was traded along with Christian Laettner and the draft rights to Devin Harris to the Dallas Mavericks for Antawn Jamison. While in Washington, Stack averaged 17.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Stack has career averages of 20.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.

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