Jerome Kersey (born June 26, 1962 in Clarksville, Virginia) is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA for a number of teams, but most notably for the Portland Trail Blazers. He also has served in various coaching roles in the NBA. is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Clarksville is a town located in Virginia. ... Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by throwing a ball through a 10-foot high hoop (the basket) under organized rules. ... “NBA” redirects here. ... The Portland Trail Blazers are a professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. ...

Kersey attended the then Longwood College, at the time a NCAA Division II school, where he set school records for points, rebounds, steals and blocked shots while making 57% of his baskets. As a senior, his rebounding average of 14.2 led all Division II players. However, it was not until May 2006 that Kersey graduated from Longwood, having only needed two classes to graduate. [1] Longwood University is a four-year public, liberal-arts university located in Farmville, Virginia. ... The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often said NC-Double-A) is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletics programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ...

Coming from a school not known as a basketball powerhouse, Kersey was not selected until late in the second round of the 1984 NBA Draft (46th overall pick) by Portland. He was a regular contributor from the bench, and by his third year, he began to shine, even coming in second behind Michael Jordan in the NBA Slam-Dunk Competition. The 1984 NBA Draft saw the selection of four players who would be named among the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History at the leagues 50th anniversary in 1996: Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton. ... For other persons named Michael Jordan, see Michael Jordan (disambiguation). ...

The following season, 1987–88, was his best statistically, as he averaged 19.2 points and 8.3 rebounds. He became a starter and was part of the nucleus of a strong Portland team, along with Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter, that made it to the NBA Finals two out of the next three years (1990 and 1992). However, in subsequent years Clifford Robinson would take his place and Kersey found himself spending more time on the bench. Despite the demotion, Portlanders continued to revere Kersey for his effort and energy whenever he was on the court. Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a former National Basketball Association shooting guard. ... Terry Porter (born April 8, 1963 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a former NBA player and former head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. ... Clifford Ralph Robinson (referred to as Clifford (or Cliff) Robinson) (born December 16, 1966, in Buffalo, New York) is an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. ...

By 1995 Portland had a glut of forwards and he was left unprotected in that year's expansion draft, where he was selected by the Toronto Raptors, but they sent him to the Golden State Warriors, where he started 58 games. At the end of that year, he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent and had a very productive year, logging his most playing time in five seasons, due to trades and injuries to the rest of the team. The following season (1997–98) saw him go to his fourth team in four years, but injuries kept him out of the Seattle SuperSonics lineup for most of the season. The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario. ... The Golden State Warriors are a professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. ... Lakers logo 1966-1991 The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in Los Angeles, California. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The nomadic trend continued and for the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season, he found himself on the San Antonio Spurs, providing frontcourt depth and experience off the bench in the team's title run, although his scoring, rebounding, and minutes played were all career lows. He stayed with the Spurs for another year, and spent one final year in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks, retiring at the end of the 2000–01 season. A lockout is a work stoppage in which an employer prevents employees from working. ... The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

As a Trail Blazer, Kersey was near the top in many of Portland's career categories at the time of his leaving, including games played (second), minutes (third), scoring (third), rebounding (second), assists (sixth), steals (third), field goals made (fourth), and blocked shots (second).

After his retirement in 2001; Kersey has served as a coach in various capacities for several teams. During the 2003-2004 season, Kersey was hired by the Trail Blazers to serve as Director of Player Programs for the team; an assignment that many critics of the team dismissed as a public relations ploy (Kersey's job was essentially to try to keep the "Jail Blazers" out of trouble). After a season in that capacity, Kersey was hired as an assistant coach by the Milwaukee Bucks, where he served under his former Portland teammate, head coach Terry Porter. He served with the Bucks for one year, but was let go (along with Mike Schuler, who coached both Kersey and Porter while in Portland) on May 6, 2005. Porter was subsequently fired as the Bucks' coach later that year. Kersey has since indicated that he may not return to the NBA, claiming that NBA players of the current era don't respond well to constructive criticism and must be "babied". Public relations (PR): Building sustainable relations with all publics in order to create a postive brand image. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Terry Porter (born April 8, 1963 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a former NBA player and former head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. ... Mike Schuler is a former head coach in the National Basketball Association. ... is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In November 2005, Kersey was among the first selection of Longwood's Hall of Fame class, including baseball outfielder Michael Tucker and LPGA golf player Tina Barrett. Michael Anthony Tucker (born June 25, 1971 in South Boston, Virginia) is an outfielder in Major League Baseball who has played for the Philadelphia Phillies since 2005. ...

External links

• Article in Portland Tribune (Tuesday, August 23, 2005)