There is a saying in basketball that many things can be taught to the players, but “you can’t teach height”.
It has been reported that Magloire has a 7-7 wingspan. Combine that with his listed height of 6-11 and he is a big body for NBA teams to put in the paint.
Born in Toronto, Canada, Jamaal Magloire played basketball at the Eastern School of Commerce. During his professional career, Magloire created JAMBA which is the Jamaal Magloire Basketball Association.
This endeavour was one of many reasons why he was inducted into the Scarborough Walk of Fame in Ontario.
After dominating high school basketball in Toronto, Magloire went from being a proverbial big fish in a small pond to the high-profile University of Kentucky program.
He played four seasons there and was asked to rebound and play defense. In his senior year he shot 50% from the field as he scored 13.2 points per game and also brought down 9.1 rebounds.
In the 2000 NBA draft, Magloire lasted a bit longer than many thought he would. A potential lottery choice, he was drafted at pick 19 by the Charlotte Hornets.
Teams with higher picks drafted players like Etan Thomas, Jerome Moiso and Marcus Fizer but if they had the chance to make those picks again it could be Magloire that they would have taken.
While he was a draft steal by the Hornets, they didn’t have a lot of minutes available for him with veterans Elden Campbell, P.J. Brown, Derrick Coleman, Jamal Mashburn and Otis Thorpe on the team. Magloire would play 74 games in his rookie season but with only 14.8 minutes a game.
Over the next three seasons his minutes and stats would go up and he was an All-Star in season 2004. That was his best year in the NBA, he averaged a double-double with 13.6 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game.
He blocked 1.2 shots per game, shot 47.3% from the field as he took 10 shots per game and Magloire surprised many by hitting his free throws at 75.1%. Those free throw numbers are much better than his career numbers, around 64% from the foul line.
Magloire was then traded away in October of 2005. The Hornets got swingman Desmond Mason and a first round draft choice while Magloire was traded to Milwaukee.
He played all 82 games that season and averaged close to a double-double but it would be his only season with the Bucks as they would trade him to Portland for the interesting package of Steve Blake, Ha Seung-Jin and Brian Skinner. It was another short stay for Magloire, he then moved as a free agent to New Jersey.
He didn’t do a lot for the Nets and was waived. Dallas quickly signed him as they were looking for size. The next stop, as a free agent, was Miami and he has stayed there a lot longer.
He signed there in September, 2008 and has played three seasons in a row there. Magloire started 12 games for them in his first season in Miami but is usually someone they bring off the bench to rebound and block shots.