What’s in a name?
What does a name mean to you when you first hear it? If it’s a new name, you want to find out about it. You do some research, ask some people, maybe even google the name.
If that name is one you’ve heard before, you automatically associate it with old thoughts. Good, bad and everything in between, that name you heard before automatically gets related to something.
What about the name, Jamario Moon?
Maybe you think about his high-flying in-game dunks or his slam dunk contest appearance during his tenure with the Toronto Raptors.
A stint with the Miami Heat and Charlotte Bobcats -now Hornets- was also sprinkled in during his career, so that may spark a memory for some people.
You might think about his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and how he was a teammate of LeBron James’ in Cleveland. You might think of Moon as the man that replaced his former teammate in the Cavs lineup as the staring small forward, the position that was LeBron’s until ‘The King’ took his talents to south beach.
You might even think about Jamario Moon as the guy who was traded with Mo Williams from the Cavaliers to the Los Angeles Clippers for Baron Davis and the Clippers first round draft pick in 2011. The draft pick that ended up being Kyrie Irving.
Something you might not know is that he’s been to the ‘moon and back’, he’s been everywhere. He was in the NBA, NBA D-League, CBA, WBA, ABA, Harlem Globetrotters along with leagues in Greece, Venezuela and Mexico.
So what does a name you might not have heard since 2012 mean to you now?
Jamario Moon wants you to start saying that name once again but now you can associate it with new memories. Memories of his return to the NBA, a league with a new style of play that works perfectly with Moon’s skillset.
The NBA is going into a new era. The ‘3 and D’ era, where three-point shooting and defensive-minded long athletes rule the league. It was validated when the Golden State Warriors won the NBA Championship, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors used ‘3 and D’ to their advantage along with the plethora of long, athletic players in their lineup to stop the isolation-heavy offense of the Cavs. A team concept, with the willingness of different players to sacrifice all season long and even in the NBA Finals proved to be the key for a Warriors win.
Jamario Moon sees the new NBA and how the game is changing to his strengths. He knows now more than ever, this is his time to come back and prove his worth to NBA teams.
I’m 6’8, I’m long, I can run, I’m athletic, I can finish on the break and I’m going to give it 120% on defense. Every team needs a guy that can defend and make it tough on whoever. Make it tough on the LeBron’s, the Kobe Bryant’s, make it tough on the elite scorers. You can’t stop those guys but I’m one of those long, athletic guys who can make them work. Every team needs a defender and I feel like I’m that guy who can do that, for any team. I played over in Greece and they played me more as a stretch-four so I just shot jumpers all day. Now I feel my three-point shot is even better.
Just like every basketball fan, Moon watched this all unfold in the NBA Finals. How NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala, a man who spent the entire season on the bench, stepped up for his team when they needed him the most. Andrew Bogut, a rim protecting 7-footer, was benched in favor of Iguodala being added to the lineup. The super small Warriors lineup had their listed ‘center’ as Draymond Green, who stands at 6’8″, replace Bogut as the starting center. Moon took notice of Green and what kind of contract a guy with a similar skill set went through in free agency.
I’m watching the free agency just like everyone else and I noticed Draymond Green got a hefty contract. He got that from Golden State for playing hard nose defense and knocking down open 3’s. He’s making plays for his teammates, making everybody better. I’m the same kind of guy. I rebound great, I play great defense, I finish at the rim and I knock down open shots. I’m looking to come in and be that Draymond Green type of guy. Come in and lockdown whoever on defense and you kick it out to me and I’ll knock down that open jumper and I feel like I’m a lot more athletic.
The way teams like the Warriors are playing is new and innovative. The ‘position-less’ basketball works well for many guys who can fit right into that kind of system, much like Jamario Moon can. You might be doubting him because of what you’ve heard before. He’s been all around the world playing basketball but that hasn’t stopped the 35 year old swingman from continuing to have a love for the game. His path to the league was the reason he continues to work as hard as he does.
I don’t know too many guys who would take the road I did to get to where I wanted to be. I don’t know too many guys who can stay focused and keep that motivation. All that motivated me because I watch the NBA and I feel like I can help a team a lot more. My journey to the NBA wasn’t just a handout. I had to take the long route. Actually, I had to take the extra long route. I’m dedicated to the game, I’m dedicated to doing whatever I got to do to help my team win. Michael Ray Richards, my coach in the CBA with the Albany Platoons told me for the most part, everyone in the NBA has that one niche. That one thing they’re good at and you just got to find that one thing you’re good at and master it and you’ll be there.
Don’t let that age of 35 scare you. Moon doesn’t believe it’s anything to be concerned about as long as he still has some game left in his body.
Right now, I’m just trying to keep my body ready. I’m not going to say get my body ready, but I’m trying to keep my body ready for this return. My body still feels like it did when I was a rookie in the league. I know a lot of people think when you get into your thirties that ‘oh he’s too old to play’ but I feel like being too old for the game is when you can’t move. When you can’t move, when you can’t go out and contribute. When you can’t help teams win, that’s when you’re too old.
While Moon has gone everywhere around the world to play basketball, It was his time alongside two of the all-time greats in the NBA that might have helped him the most. His time spent alongside Dwyane Wade with the Miami Heat and LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers influenced Moon to work even harder.
With me playing on the wing and one of them playing on the opposite wing, they just made my job so much easier. It gave me an opportunity to watch those guys, watch how they carry themselves and the things they do. It helped me better my game. When you’re playing with LeBron you just got to always keep your eye on the ball and get ready for those kickouts. LeBron makes everybody on his team better. D-Wade is the same type of guy. They’re both willing passers, they want to make sure everybody is happy on the team. When I play at these pro-ams in Atlanta, I pretty much try to pattern my game after LeBron. I got to find my teammates but at the same time, I got to get my own shots up. Playing with those two guys helped my IQ in the game.
So what’s in that name now? What does that name mean to you after learning about Jamario Moon and what he’s doing now? I see a 35-year old, world traveling, dedicated, passionate, intelligent, experienced and skilled basketball player trying to make a comeback into a league that properly fits his skillset.
Why not give him a chance? Just always remember, Jamario Moon’s message is that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to be back on an NBA team. Just don’t forget his name and what his name is all about.
