Road to Duke
Dahntay Lavall Jones was born December 27, 1980, in Trenton, New Jersey, and raised in nearby Hamilton Square. Basketball ran in the family: his father Larry played at St. Peter’s College, and his cousin Al Harrington would play sixteen NBA seasons.
At Steinert High School in Hamilton Township, Jones became one of the most decorated players in Mercer County history. He scored a school-record 1,675 career points, averaged 24 points and 9 rebounds as a senior, earned first-team All-State honors, honorable mention McDonald’s All-America, and Prep High School Academic All-American status. He captained his team as both a junior and senior.
Duke recruited Jones out of high school, but Corey Maggette’s commitment closed that door. He enrolled at Rutgers. By his sophomore year, he was the Scarlet Knights’ best player — 16 PPG, 4.6 RPG, Big East All-Rookie honors as a freshman. But Rutgers was an NIT program and Jones said publicly that coach Kevin Bannon wasn’t helping him get better.
When Maggette left Duke after one season — the first Blue Devil to go to the NBA after a single year — the spot reopened. Jason Williams, Jones’s best friend from New Jersey, was already at Duke and helped seal the deal. Jones became Coach K’s second transfer ever, following Roshown McLeod five years earlier. He sat out the 2001 championship season but contributed in practice daily against Battier, Dunleavy, and Boozer.
At Duke
Jones played two Duke seasons (2001–03) and the arc tells a story of transformation.
Junior year, 2001–02: stepped into the starting lineup alongside Williams, Dunleavy, and Boozer on a #1-ranked team. Averaged 11.2/4.2/1.1. Honorable mention All-ACC. Named to the ACC All-Defensive Team and the national All-Defensive Team. Duke’s primary defensive stopper, tasked with shutting down the opponent’s most dangerous scorer every night. Duke won the ACC Tournament.
Then the exodus: Williams drafted 2nd overall. Boozer to Cleveland. Dunleavy to Golden State. Three of Duke’s four best players gone in one offseason.
Senior year, 2002–03: Jones emerged as Duke’s best player. He improved his three-point shooting from 23% to 40% in a single offseason. Averaged 17.7/5.5/1.2 steals across 33 games. All-ACC. ACC All-Defensive Team for the second straight year. Against UNC in February 2003: 23 points, 13 rebounds in an 83–74 Duke victory. He had become a complete two-way player — guard the other team’s best scorer, then score 17 of his own.
After Duke
Boston selected Jones 20th overall in 2003. His rights were traded to Memphis for Kendrick Perkins and Marcus Banks. Four seasons in Memphis as a defensive role player (5.0 PPG).
What followed was one of the great NBA odysseys of his generation. Sacramento Kings. G-League with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Denver Nuggets (2009 Western Conference Finals). A four-year deal with Indiana (peaked at 10.2 PPG in 2009–10). Dallas Mavericks. Atlanta Hawks. Los Angeles Clippers on 10-day contracts. Back to the G-League with Grand Rapids Drive, where at age 35 he scored 45 points in a single game — because he refused to stop playing.
On April 13, 2016, Cleveland signed Jones. He scored 13 in his debut. Fifteen games later, he was in the NBA Finals. He played key minutes in Game 6 as Cleveland completed the historic 3–1 comeback to win its first championship. In the 2017 playoffs, he was ejected for trash-talking Toronto’s Norman Powell — fine: ,000 against his ,127 postseason salary. LeBron covered the fine. His final game: 2 minutes in the 2017 Finals. Nine teams. Fourteen seasons. 624 games. One ring.
Where Is He Now
On July 23, 2011, Jones married Valeisha Butterfield — daughter of Congressman G.K. Butterfield — in the Duke University Chapel. Two hundred guests. People Magazine coverage. They later divorced.
In November 2020, Jones joined the LA Clippers as player development and video coach. By 2024–25, he was promoted to full assistant under Tyronn Lue, with expanded responsibilities in player development, film, and strategy. He coached the Clippers’ 2024 Summer League team. His coaching emphasizes the defensive fundamentals and toughness that defined his playing career. He is the father of five children; his son Dahntay Jr. plays youth basketball as a combo guard.
Dahntay Jones was born in Trenton. His father played at St. Peter’s, his cousin Al Harrington played sixteen NBA seasons. He scored 1,675 points at Steinert and was an Academic All-American. He went to Rutgers and became the best player on the team, then transferred to Duke because Jason Williams — his best friend — told him to come. He was Coach K’s second transfer, following McLeod through the same door. He sat out a championship. He became Duke’s defensive stopper, then Duke’s best player when Williams and Boozer and Dunleavy left. He improved his three-point shooting from 23% to 40% in one summer. He was drafted 20th overall. He played for nine teams across fourteen seasons. He went to the G-League at 35 and scored 45 in a single game. He won a championship in Cleveland and LeBron paid his fines. He got married in the Duke Chapel. He is now an assistant coach for the LA Clippers, teaching defensive fundamentals to a new generation. The kid from Trenton who couldn’t get to Duke the first time found his way there the second time, and the second time changed everything.