Jay Vincent

Former NBA player

What is Jay Vincent known for?

Jay Fletcher Vincent, an American former professional basketball player, was born on June 10, 1959, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He is a respected alumnus of Eastern High School in Lansing, Michigan. After his high school years, Vincent moved on to excel in the college basketball domain as a player for the Michigan State Spartans. He played under the coach Jud Heathcote and emerged as a key player alongside Magic Johnson and Greg Kelser. Vincent's contributions led to their victory in the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. Interestingly, Vincent also held the Big Ten scoring championship in his junior and senior years.

In 1981, Vincent was the 24th overall pick in the NBA draft, selected by the Dallas Mavericks. From there, Vincent steamrolled an impressive NBA career spanning from 1981 to 1993. During this period, he played for several prominent NBA franchises including the Dallas Mavericks, Washington Bullets, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers. His NBA career was marked with 8,729 career points, 3,167 career rebounds, and 1,124 career assists which indeed reflect his invaluable contributions on the court. His performance in his rookie year was so impressive that he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1982.

Vincent also had a stint playing professionally in Italy post his NBA career, for teams like Philips Milano, Baker Livorno, Robe di Kappa Torino, and Goccia di Carnia Udine. His influence on the game was acknowledged when his No. 31 was retired by Michigan State Spartans, a significant honor for any player.

Off the court, he is known to be the older brother to Sam Vincent, another NBA player, and former NBA coach. Unfortunately, in 2010, a company owned by Vincent in East Lansing, Michigan became embroiled in a scam that defrauded thousands of people.

Check out more stats and insights about Jay Vincent at NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com.