The Los Angeles Lakers have signed center DeAndre Jordan, it was announced today by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka.
Per the Los Angeles Times, “the team signed the 33-year-old center and 13-year NBA veteran to a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract after he was released by the Pistons and cleared waivers. He’s the latest in a lengthening line of former All-NBA players looking for a championship run on a team loaded with veteran star power. “I had great years when I was with the Clippers. And that franchise was amazing to me. And I appreciate the time I was there, for sure,” Jordan said. “But like I said, I’m focused on now and this team, what our goals are ultimately and what we want to do. And I’m just really excited to be here. This is a great opportunity for me. And I just want to take full advantage of it.”
A 13-year NBA veteran, Jordan appeared in 57 games (43 starts) for the Nets last season, where he averaged 7.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 blocks in 21.9 minutes, while shooting a career-best 76.3 percent (190-249) from the field. Jordan is the NBA’s all-time leader in career field goal percentage, having shot 67.4 percent (3527-5234) from the field throughout his career and is the only player in NBA history with multiple seasons shooting over 70 percent from the field.
A one-time NBA All-Star, Jordan has played in 932 games (756 starts) for the Nets, Knicks, Mavericks and Clippers, holding career averages of 9.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.6 blocks in 27.4 minutes. He has appeared in 57 playoff games (all starts) for the Clippers, averaging 9.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.
Jordan is a three-time All-NBA selection, including one First Team selection (2016) and two Third Team selections (2015 & 2017), and led the league in rebounding in consecutive seasons from 2013-15. He was named to the All-Defensive First Team in 2015 and 2016 and helped the United States win a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
