Javaris Cortez Crittenton is an American former professional basketball player who last played
for the Dakota Wizards of the NBA D-League. He was previously the starting point guard
for the Georgia Tech men's basketball team.
Early life and high school Crittenton was born to Sonya Dixon in Atlanta,
Georgia. He attended Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, where, as a high school sophomore,
he played alongside Dwight Howard. Crittenton and Howard led Southwest Atlanta to victory
in the GHSA class A state championship that season. As a junior, Crittenton averaged 28.4
points, 7.5 assists, and 8.2 rebounds. He led Southwest Atlanta to the GHSA class A
state final again which they lost to powerhouse Randolph-Clay, finishing the season with a
state championship and finals appearance for the year 2005. As a senior, Crittenton averaged
29 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds, and led Southwest Atlanta to the GHSA class A state
championship. Following the season he was named a McDonald's All American. He was also
named Mr. Georgia Basketball by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Crittenton carried a
3.5 GPA in high school, and was a member of the Future Business Leaders of America and
the Senior Beta Club. College
While at Georgia Tech, Crittenton excelled and was considered a team leader, a rare accolade
for a freshman. Tech coach Paul Hewitt urged Crittenton to take over a leadership role
on the team after his play in several games in February 2007. He recorded a career high
of 29 points in a February 13 game against Florida State. After a single season, he left
school to go pro. Professional career
Los Angeles Lakers Crittenton was drafted with the nineteenth
pick in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. During an NBA Summer
League game on July 8, 2007, he had 18 points, including a game winning jumpshot with 1.7
seconds left in the game. In the Lakers' first preseason game against the Golden State Warriors
in Honolulu, Crittenton had 18 points along with one assist in a 111–110 loss.
Grizzlies/Lakers trade On February 1, 2008, Crittenton was traded
to the Memphis Grizzlies along with Kwame Brown, Aaron McKie, rights to Marc Gasol and
2008 and 2010 first round draft picks for Pau Gasol and a 2010 second round draft pick.
On April 2, 2008, as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, Crittenton had a career high of
23 points in a 130–114 win over the New York Knicks.
Washington Wizards
On December 10, 2008, Crittenton was part of a three-team trade that sent him to the
Washington Wizards along with Mike James from the New Orleans Hornets. In exchange the Wizards
sent a conditional first-round draft pick to the Memphis Grizzlies and Antonio Daniels
to the Hornets. In December 2009, Crittenton and teammate
Gilbert Arenas were involved in a locker room confrontation involving guns. On January 25,
2010 Crittenton pleaded guilty and was given a year of probation on a misdemeanor gun possession
charge stemming from this incident. Two days later, Crittenton and Arenas were suspended
for the rest of the season by NBA commissioner David Stern. Crittenton had not played a single
minute before he was suspended. He was released by the Wizards following the suspension. Arenas
did rejoin the team. Charlotte Bobcats
On September 22, 2010, the Charlotte Bobcats signed him to a non-guaranteed contract. They
released him three weeks later on October 15.
Zhejiang Guangsha Lions In December 2010, Crittenton played 5 games
for the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association. He averaged 25.8 points
per game, but he returned to the United States after just a few weeks.
Dakota Wizards In February 2011, Crittenton joined the Dakota
Wizards of the NBA D-League. He played 21 games for the minor league team, including
five starts. Murder and drug charges
On August 26, 2011, Crittenton was charged with the August 19 murder of Jullian Jones,
a 22-year-old mother of four. Atlanta police indicated that Jones was not the intended
target; they believe that Crittenton was targeting a person who robbed him in April 2011. Jones
was shot in the leg and died during surgery. Crittenton was arrested by the FBI in John
Wayne Airport in Orange County, California on August 29, while waiting to board a flight
back to Atlanta. His lawyer stated that Crittenton's sole purpose for the trip to Atlanta was to
surrender himself to custody. Crittenton was extradited to Atlanta to stand trial for the
murder. He has denied any involvement. Crittenton was released on a $230,000 bond.
Crittenton and his cousin Douglas Gamble were officially indicted on April 2, 2013 on 12
counts in connection with Jones's death, including charges of murder, felony murder, aggravated
assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony,
giving false statements, attempted murder, and participation in criminal street gang
activity. Crittenton reportedly joined the Crips after signing with the Los Angeles Lakers,
according to Fulton County assistant district attorney Gabe Banks, and allegedly also shot
at Demontinez Stephens earlier in August 2011. The target in both shootings was reportedly
Trontavious Stephens, Demontinez's brother and a member of the R. O. C. Crew, which is
part of the Bloods. While out on bond on the murder charges, Crittenton
was arrested pursuant to a January 10, 2014, indictment of him and 13 other persons who
were accused of selling multi-kilo quantities of cocaine and several hundred pounds of marijuana,
Crittenton being charged with two counts of conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled
Substance Act. NBA career statistics
Regular season See also
2006 high school boys basketball All-Americans 2006-07 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's
basketball team Notes
External links Career statistics and player information from
NBA.com Javaris Crittenton at Basketball-Reference.com
Javaris Crittenton at usbasket.com Ramblinwreck biography