Jim Cleamons

Cleamons was born on September 13, 1949, in Lincolnton, North Carolina. He grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Linden-McKinley High School in 1967. He played on an Ohio state championship basketball team at Linden-McKinley.{{Cite web |title=Jim Cleamons : 2008 : Inductees : Hall of Fame : Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame |url=https://ohiobasketballhalloffame.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/2008/jim-cleamons.html |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=ohiobasketballhalloffame.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Ghose |first=Dave |date=September 11, 2020 |title=Seven Questions: Jim Cleamons Comes Home |url=https://www.columbusmonthly.com/story/news/2020/09/11/seven-questions-jim-cleamons-comes-home/115177922/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Columbus Monthly |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Where Are They Now: Jim Cleamons |url=https://www.nba.com/cavaliers/features/wherearethey-cleamons-200518 |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=www.nba.com |language=en}}

Cleamons attended Ohio State University in Columbus, earning a degree in education. He played on its basketball team as a swingman. He played forward as a sophomore and junior, and point guard his senior year (1970–71). In 1971, he was team captain and led the team to a Big Ten championship. The team had a 20–6 record overall. In the 1971 NCAA tournament, the Buckeyes defeated Marquette in the regional semifinals, but lost to Western Kentucky in overtime at the regional finals. Ohio State finished the season ranked 10th in the nation by the Associated Press (AP).{{Cite web |title=1970-71 Men's Big Ten Conference Season Summary |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-ten/men/1971.html |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=1971 NCAA tournament: Bracket, scores, stats, records {{!}} NCAA.com |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2020-05-19/1971-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=www.ncaa.com |language=en}}

He averaged 18.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game over three years.{{Cite web |title=Jim Cleamons College Stats |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/jim-cleamons-1.html |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}} He was selected first team All-Big Ten for the 1970-71 season.{{Cite web |title=Men's All-Big Ten Conference Winners |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/awards/men/all-big-ten.html |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}

Cleamons was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 13th pick of the 1971 NBA draft.{{Cite web |title=1971 NBA Draft |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1971.html |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}} He had a nine-year NBA career for four teams (the Lakers, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the New York Knicks, and the Washington Bullets). In 1976, Cleamons was selected to the NBA All-Defense 2nd team.{{Cite web |title=Year-by-year NBA All-Defensive Teams |url=https://www.nba.com/news/history-all-defensive-team |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=NBA.com |language=en}} His playing height and weight are listed as 6 ft 3 in (1.91m), 185 pounds (84 kg).

In 1971-72, Cleamons was the only rookie playing on a Lakers team that won 33 straight games, finished the regular season 69–13, and won the NBA championship. It is considered one of the greatest teams in league history.{{Cite web |title=1971 - 1972 Lakers |url=https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/1971-72-lakers#:~:text=Among%20the%20greatest%20teams%20in,an%20American%20professional%20sports%20record. |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=www.nba.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=NBA at 50: Top 10 Teams |url=https://www.nba.com/history/nba-at-50/top-10-teams |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=NBA.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1972.html |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}} As back-up point guard to future hall of fame player Jerry West, Cleamons averaged only 5.3 minutes per game.{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Jerry West |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/jerry-west/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}

In August 1972, the Lakers traded Cleamons to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second round draft pick. On hearing he was traded, Cleamons cried. He was a part-time player during his first two years in Cleveland, but in the 1974-75 season his playing time increased to over 36 minutes per game.{{Cite web |title=Jim Cleamons Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cleamji01.html |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}

He started every game in the 1975-76 season for the Cavaliers, averaging a career high 12.2 points per game, along with 4.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. This was the Cavaliers first truly successful squad in its six-year history, and became known as the "Miracle of Richfield" team under coach Bill Fitch.{{Cite web |last=Graeff |first=Burt |date=2017-04-30 |title=The Miracle of Richfield ranks as iconic period for Cavaliers (Cleveland Plain Dealer) |url=https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2017/04/the_miracle_pd_175th.html |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=cleveland.com |language=en}} Cleamons was a key young player on a team that included a focus on "dogged defense".

The team won its first playoff round over the Washington Bullets in a dramatic seven game series decided by two points in the final game,{{Cite web |title=1976 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals - Bullets vs. Cavaliers |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1976-nba-eastern-conference-semifinals-bullets-vs-cavaliers.html |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}} but lost to the Boston Celtics in the next round.{{Cite web |title=1976 NBA Eastern Conference Finals - Cavaliers vs. Celtics |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1976-nba-eastern-conference-finals-cavaliers-vs-celtics.html |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}} Cleamons' most memorable play as a Cavalier came in Game 5 of the Bullets series, when he grabbed a Bingo Smith air ball and put in the game-winning layup in the game's last seconds.

Cleamons played one more season in Cleveland, and signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks in October 1977, with the Cavaliers receiving the 32-year old Walt Frazier as compensation.{{Cite web |title=Walt Frazier Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/fraziwa01.html |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}} Cleamons played two full seasons with the Knicks, and early in his third season (1979–80), he was traded to the Bullets for a 1981 third round draft pick. He was the first Knick to make a three-point field goal in the regular season. He averaged 26.9 minutes per game in 57 games for the Bullets, in what was his final NBA season as a player.

After retiring as a player, Cleamons began coaching at the college level. He was an assistant coach at Furman (1982–83) and Ohio State (1983-1987), and became head coach at Youngstown State from 1987-89.{{Cite web |last=Bailey |first=Joseph |date=2021-12-13 |title=Jim Cleamons, former NBA player and coach, coming to Lompoc High Wednesday |url=https://syvnews.com/sports/local/jim-cleamons-former-nba-player-and-coach-coming-to-lompoc-high-wednesday/article_a7dd2153-d001-5b99-98e6-61e8ba42017f.html |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Santa Ynez Valley News |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=October 20, 2014 |title=Jim Cleamons |url=https://www.nba.com/knicks/jim-cleamons |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=www.nba.com |language=en}}

Cleamons had been a teammate of Phil Jackson when they played together with the Knicks. They both knew basketball and had "basketball chemistry" in discussing the game. A decade later, in 1989, when Jackson became head coach of the Chicago Bulls, he invited Cleamons to join his staff, and Cleamons eventually did so. He would be Jackon's assistant on nine NBA championship teams with the Bulls and Lakers, coaching both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant (among others).

Cleamons worked as an assistant coach for the Bulls from 1989 to 1996.{{Cite web |title=Jim Cleamons: Coaching Record, Awards |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/cleamji01c.html |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}} He was the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks for slightly over one year, from 1996 to 1997. He then was the head coach of the Chicago Condors of the American Basketball league, a short-lived women's professional basketball league in the mid Nineties.{{Cite web |last=Ballow |first=Jonah |date=October 11, 2015 |title=Jim Cleamons |url=https://www.nba.com/knicks/jim-cleamons-0 |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=www.nba.com |language=en}}

He was an assistant coach again with Jackson with the Lakers, from 1999-2004 and 2006-11.{{Cite web |title=Phil Jackson: Coaching Record, Awards |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/jacksph01c.html |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}} Between the two periods with the Lakers, he was an assistant with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (2004-2006). In 2011, Cleamons became a coach in the Chinese Basketball Association.[http://articles.boston.com/2011-09-25/sports/30201515_1_wilson-chandler-chris-luchey-coach-cleamons Chandler is rolling the dice by going to China] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110054408/http://articles.boston.com/2011-09-25/sports/30201515_1_wilson-chandler-chris-luchey-coach-cleamons|date=2011-11-10}} In 2013, he became an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks for one season. For a few games during his tenure with the Lakers, he served as acting head coach while Phil Jackson was absent.{{Cite web |date=2003-05-12 |title=Jackson misses game after surgery |url=https://www.deseret.com/2003/5/12/19721794/jackson-misses-game-after-surgery/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Deseret News |language=en}}

In 2014, Jackson hired Cleamons to join the New York Knicks coaching staff under Derek Fisher.{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/knicks/2014/09/03/new-york-knickerbockers-hire-jim-cleamons-rasheed-hazzard-brian-keefe-joshua-longstaff/15036411/|title=Knicks hire Jim Cleamons, 3 others to fill out Derek Fisher's staff|website=USA Today}}

In 2017, Cleamons accepted a position as an assistant coach for the Yeshiva University of Los Angeles (YULA) high school boys basketball team.{{cite web |url= http://www.cooperinvitational.com/yula-panthers-roster |title= YULA Roster |work= Cooper Invitational |date=2017 |access-date= January 1, 2018 }}{{Cite web |last=Amico |first=Sam |date=2018-05-03 |title=Cleamons drawing interest from Bucks, Hornets |url=https://www.si.com/nba/cavaliers/nba/cavaliers/nba-amico/nba-rumors-milwaukee-bucks-charlotte-hornets-jim-cleamons |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Cleveland Cavaliers On SI |language=en-US}} He was not on the coaching staff for the 2019-2020 season.{{Cite web |title=2019-20 Men's Basketball Roster |url=https://yumacs.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/2019-20 |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Yeshiva University Athletics |language=en}}

In late 2019 and early 2020, Cleamons served as an NBA basketball ambassador in Africa and Australia. In 2020, he and his wife returned to live in Columbus. He coached the Ohio team in the 2022 HCBU College Basketball All Star Game.{{Cite web |last=Jardy |first=Adam |date=April 21, 2022 |title=Columbus' own Jim Cleamons ready to coach Ohio team in HBCU all-star game |url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/college/basketball/2022/04/21/college-basketball-all-star-game-celebrity-extravaganza-ohio-team/7383181001/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=The Columbus Dispatch |language=en-US}} Since moving back to Columbus he has served as a motivational speaker and basketball instructor to high school youth.{{Cite web |author=Staff report |date=2021-12-13 |title=Santa Maria Elks Hoop Shoot set for Sunday |url=https://santamariatimes.com/sports/local/santa-maria-elks-hoop-shoot-set-for-sunday/article_13a43092-e226-5068-9885-3a4ea9107319.html |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Santa Maria Times |language=en}}

In 1984, he was inducted into the Ohio State Hall of Fame.{{Cite web |title=Jim Cleamons (1984) - Hall of Fame Inductees |url=https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/honors/hall-of-fame-inductees/jim-cleamons/63 |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Ohio State |language=en}} In 2008, he was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2019, he was inducted into the Ohio High School Circle of Champions.{{Cite web |date=March 19, 2019 |title=OHSAA Award Winners Announced, Including Four into Circle of Champions |url=https://www.ohsaa.org/news-media/articles/ohsaa-award-winners-announced-including-four-into-circle-of-champions |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=OHSAA |language=en-US}}

{{NBA player statistics legend|champion=y}}

Source{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cleamji01.html|title=Jim Cleamons NBA stats|website=Basketball Reference|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=30 December 2024}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"

!Year

!Team

!GP

!GS

!MPG

!FG%

!3P%

!FT%

!RPG

!APG

!SPG

!BPG

!PPG

|-

| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| {{nbay|1971}}†

| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers

| 38 || || 5.3 || .350 || || .778 || 1.0 || .9 || || || 2.6

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1972}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland

| 80 || || 17.4 || .454 || || .743 || 2.1 || 2.6 || || || 5.7

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1973}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland

| 81 || || 20.3 || .433 || || .699 || 2.8 || 2.8 || .8 || .2 || 7.0

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1974}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland

| 74 || || 36.4 || .480 || || .796 || 4.4 || 5.1 || 1.1 || .3 || 11.9

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1975}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland

| 82 || 82 || 34.6 || .466 || || .798 || 4.3 || 5.2 || 1.5 || .2 || 12.2

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1976}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland

| 60 || || 34.1 || .434 || || .757 || 4.6 || 5.1 || 1.1 || .4 || 10.4

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1977}}

| style="text-align:left;"| New York

| 79 || 44 || 25.4 || .480 || || .786 || 2.7 || 3.6 || .9 || .2 || 6.5

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1978}}

| style="text-align:left;"| New York

| 79 || 71 || 30.3 || .473 || || .760 || 2.8 || 4.8 || .9 || .1 || 9.5

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1979}}

| style="text-align:left;"| New York

| 22 || 0 || 11.5 || .435 || .375 || .800 || .9 || 1.8 || .6 || .1 || 3.4

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1979|nolink=y}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Washington

| 57 || || 26.9 || .483 || .174 || .735 || 2.3 || 4.4 || .8 || .2 || 7.8

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career

| 652 || 197 || 26.1 || .460 || .226 || .765 || 3.0 || 3.9 || 1.0 || .2 || 8.3

{{S-end}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"

!Year

!Team

!GP

!MPG

!FG%

!3P%

!FT%

!RPG

!APG

!SPG

!BPG

!PPG

|-

| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| 1972†

| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers

| 6 || 2.8 || .571 || || – || .7 || .7 || || || 1.3

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 1976

| style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland

| 13 || 38.7 || .397 || || .825 || 5.5 || 4.7 || .6 || .2 || 13.8

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 1978

| style="text-align:left;"| New York

| 6 || 21.2 || .389 || || 1.000 || 2.2 || 3.8 || .5 || .0 || 5.7

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 1980

| style="text-align:left;"| Washington

| 2 || 10.0 || .000 || – || – || .5 || .5 || .5 || .0 || .0

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career

| 27 || 24.7 || .396 || – || .848 || 3.3 || 3.3 || .6 || .1 || 8.2

{{S-end}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Start

|type=coach

|conference=

|postseason=

|poll=no

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead

|name=Youngstown State Penguins

|startyear=1987

|conference=Ohio Valley Conferencehttp://ovcsports.com/documents/2013/10/21/2013-14%20OVC%20Basketball%20Media%20Guide.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}

|endyear=1988

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 1987–88

| name = Youngstown State http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/statsPDFArchive/MBB1/A/Men%27s%20Basketball_Men%27s_Division%20I_1988_817_Youngstown%20State%20University.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}

| overall = 7–21

| conference = 2–12

| confstanding = 7th

| postseason =

| ranking =

| ranking2 =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead

|name=Youngstown State

|startyear=1988

|conference=Independent

|endyear=1989

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 1988–89

| name = Youngstown Statehttp://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/statsPDFArchive/MBB1/A/Men%27s%20Basketball_Men%27s_Division%20I_1989_817_Youngstown%20State%20University.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}

| overall = 5–23

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

| ranking =

| ranking2 =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Youngstown State

| overall = {{Winning percentage|12|44|record=y}}

| confrecord = {{Winning percentage|2|12|record=y}}

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record End

|overall= {{Winning percentage|12|44|record=y}}

|poll=no

}}

{{NBA coach statistics legend}}

{{NBA coach statistics start}}

|-

| align="left" |Dallas

| align="left" |{{nbay|1996}}

|82||24||58||.293|| align="center" |5th in Midwest||—||—||—||—

| align="center" |Missed Playoffs

|-

| align="left" |Dallas

| align="left" |{{nbay|1997}}

|16||4||12||.250|| align="center" |(fired)||—||—||—||—

| align="center" |—

|-class="sortbottom"

| align="left" |Career

| ||98||28||70||.286|| ||—||—||—||—

{{S-end}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Portal bar|Sports}}

{{commons}}

• [https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/cleamji01c.html BasketballReference.com: Jim Cleamons (as coach)]
• [https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cleamji01.html BasketballReference.com: Jim Cleamons (as player)]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleamons, Jim}}

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