Jumaine Jones
Retired NBA Hall of Famer, Gold Medalist, Author, Philanthropist, Mental Health Advocate, Motivational Speaker
A 16-year professional basketball veteran, Jumaine Jones utilizes his “pro-athlete status” as a platform to educate youth that thegame of basketball is bigger than just skills and the game itself.
Jumaine Jones also known as the “Thrilla from Camilla” graduated from Mitchell-Baker High school in 1997. He attended theUniversity of Georgia on a full basketball scholarship. After two years of college, Jumaine decided to enter the 1999 NBA draft andwas drafted 27th in the first round. He was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks but traded immediately to the Philadelphia 76ers. Jones#33 first made a name for himself in the 2001 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers flying high with his dunks off of alley-oopsfrom Allen Iverson. After 8 years in the NBA, Jumaine also played an impressive 8 years of International Basketball and traveledthe world.
Committed to holistic community outreach, in 2017, Jumaine Jones became the founding President of Beyond the HardwoodAcademy, LLC. In four years, he has built this organization that began from his need to empower youth. Beyond the HardwoodAcademy, LLC was developed to support youth by creating athletic events and mentoring programs that empower them to excel in athletics, leadership, literacy and community service.
Jumaine has been very active in giving back to the community. He has partnered with multiple organizations and more forcommunity events providing free food; basketball camps, school supplies, fundraising, motivational speaking, and mentoring youth.
Jumaine, born in Cocoa, Florida and raised by a single mother, experienced the pressures of real life early on when he witnessed amurder at the tender age of 13. To protect her son, Jumaine’s mother made the difficult decision to send her son back to herhometown of Camilla, Georgia to live with a relative. Jumaine uses his childhood to encourage youth to make important strategictransitions that will lead them to success.
In 2015, Jumaine walked away from the game of basketball. During his retirement, he became despondent and could no longeridentify his purpose. Jumaine found himself indulging in alcohol and inexplicable relationships. This behavior went on for 3 yearsbefore he gained the courage to ask for help. During this process, he uncovered childhood issues that were suppressed during hisbasketball years. “He who lacks purpose, distracts himself with pleasure”, by Anonymous!
After receiving the help he needed, Jumaine decided to help others by becoming a mental health advocate and motivationalspeaker. Jumaine has a passion for speaking his truth about past experiences. “I want to use my platform in every waypossible to educate our youth and the community at large to eliminate the stigma of mental health”, Jumaine said.That’s what led him to write his very first book, “The Last Man Standing, Behind the Game”, available now on Amazon.In 2021, Jumaine Jones became the founding President of Beyond the Hardwood, Inc., a nonprofit focused on breaking the stigmaof mental health. Beyond the Hardwood is committed to educating and empowering athletes and the community by building their self-esteem, raising mental health awareness and creating transformative life skills
If you would like to book for Jumaine for a basketball clinic, basketball camp, a speaking engagement, or an autograph session
please contact:
premiertalentrelations@gmail.com
Jumaine's Premier Stops
August 24th, 2023: Los Angeles Camp
September 11th, 2023: Otis Nixon Celebrity Golf Tournament
December 15th-16th: Tampa, FL Tournament
December 20th - 22nd: Top 25 High School Tournament (Memphis, TN)
December 28th-30th: Irvine, CA Tournament