Richard Jefferson Credits Spurs, Gregg Popovich for 'Extending Career'

The San Antonio Spurs were a big part of revitalizing Richard Jefferson's career from 2009-12.

Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Richard Jefferson is a rising name in the NBA media world, but it didn't come until after a long and fruitful career in the league.

Jefferson spent 17 seasons in the NBA, three of those came with the San Antonio Spurs from 2009-12, where his career began to take a shift.

Instead of being a top option like he was with the New Jersey Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, Jefferson transitioned to a new role in San Antonio, playing alongside Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Playing within the Spurs' system gave Jefferson a reinvention, one he credits with giving him a longer career in the league.

"My career would not have been extended to the length it was if I didn't learn those skills," Jefferson said on The Old Man & The Three Podcast.

In the first seven years of his career with the Nets, Jefferson averaged 17.4 points per game and was often the team's No. 2 option behind Jason Kidd, and later Vince Carter.

Then, a trade to the Bucks allowed Jefferson to play next to Michael Redd, another player to create a dynamic duo with. But his 19.6 points per game in his lone year with the Bucks was the most he would average in a single season for the rest of his career.

Jefferson mentions on the podcast that he was given more opportunities to shoot threes, drive into the lane and create in the first half of his career, but that changed towards more of a 3-and-D role when he came to the Spurs.

He struggled in his first year with the Spurs, making just 31.6 percent of his threes, a mark he credits due to the transition period that first year in San Antonio had. However, he was able to fix his philosophies on the game with the credit to Gregg Popovich and shooting coach Chip Engelland.

The next season, Jefferson made 44 percent of his triples, best for fourth in the league behind Stephen Curry, Ray Allen and teammate Matt Bonner.

The following season, Jefferson was traded to the Golden State Warriors for Stephen Jackson, but the skills he learned with the Spurs allowed him to play six more seasons in the NBA, including his lone championship in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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