“I had my best years under Coach Lenny,” Jerome said. “I know the players I’m playing with. I know the coach, I know the City. The Dog is built for New York. Boos, cheers, the whole thing. What I want to tell the fans is that this is going to be really exciting. You’ll be in for a treat. I can’t wait to get started. When the Dawg Pound comes playing, it’ll be something to see.”
As A Professional: One of the game’s most emotional and animated players, and a perennial fan favorite throughout his career...Jerome joins the Knicks for his ninth NBA season, following stints with Pistons, Raptors and Bulls...Career averages of 6.9 ppg and 6.8 rpg over 22.7 mpg in 508 games (155 starts)...Owns two career 20+ rebound games...Fifth on all-time Raptors list in rebounds (1,268)...Ninth in NBA in rebounding in 2002-03 (9.2 rpg), and has ranked in NBA Top 10 in steals-to-turnover ratio in both of last two seasons...Career .502 FG shooter, with three +.500 seasons from the floor...Has appeared in 25 post-season games and was key member of Toronto squad that ousted Knicks from 2001 Playoffs...Finalist for 2000 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award...Drafted by Detroit in first round (26th overall) of 1996 NBA Draft.
Milestones In Sight: Jerome needs 101 FTM for 1,000 career; 540 rebounds for 4,000 career; 67 assists for 500 career and 494 points for 4,000 career.
They Said It: Quoting President, Basketball Operations Isiah Thomas: “Jerome Williams is a tremendous player. He’s a rebounding machine. A lot of times we pay so much attention to scoring that we forget the most important parts of the game which is defending and rebounding. We got a tenacious defender and we got a tenacious rebounder. He had some of his best years under Lenny Wilkens, so I’m really excited to get him.”
2003-04 (Raptors-Bulls): Splitting the season between Toronto and Chicago, Jerome averaged 6.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg and .470 shooting (158-336) over 24.1 mpg in 68 games (44 starts)...Tied for fifth in NBA in steals-to-turnover ratio (1.22)...Played in 15 games (12 starts) for Raptors, 53 games (32 starts) for Bulls...Notched 18 double-figure rebound games and eight double-doubles...Double-figure points 16 times...Season Highs: Points: 17 (Oct. 31; Toronto vs. Washington); Assists: 4, three times; Rebounds: 16, twice...Scored season-high 17 points (6-10 FGA) for Raptors vs. Wizards, Oct. 31, grabbing his 3,000th career rebound...Hauled in season-best 16 rebounds twice, for Raptors on Nov. 1 at Minnesota, and for Bulls on Dec. 29 vs. Heat...Traded to Bulls with Antonio Davis and Chris Jefferies for Lonny Baxter, Donyell Marshall and Jalen Rose, Dec. 1, 2003...Led Bulls in rebounds 14 times...Had seven double-doubles with Chicago (Bulls 4-3)...Logged season-high 44 minutes (one shy of career high) on Dec. 13 vs. Pacers (10 pts, 15 reb)...Notched Bulls season high nine offensive boards (11 reb overall) vs. Jazz, Dec. 22...With the Bulls, missed a total of 12 games due to injuries that included strained left knee tendon (one game), ingrown toenail, left foot (2), sprained left ankle (6) and strained right hamstring (3), all in season’s second half...DNP (CD) on Mar. 20 vs. Knicks...Traded with Jamal Crawford to Knicks in six-player deal, Aug. 5, 2004.
1996-97 (Pistons): As lone rookie on Pistons squad, saw limited action with 1.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg and .392 shooting over 5.4 mpg in 33 games off the bench...Season high nine points vs. Clippers, Mar. 28...DNP (CD) 29 times...Missed 20 games with two stints on Injured List (sprained left wrist, Nov. 12-22 and Dec. 6-Jan. 3)...Had four points (2-2 FGA) over five total minutes in first round of Playoffs vs. Hawks.
1997-98 (Pistons): Cracked Pistons rotation as a sophomore, averaging 5.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg and .524 shooting (151-288, second on team) over 16.9 mpg in 77 games (three starts)...Logged 1,305 total minutes, as opposed to just 177 in rookie season...Led Pistons in rebounds 12 times...Had 15 10+ scoring games and eight double-figure rebound games...Season highs 22 points vs. Sixers, Dec. 20; 14 rebounds vs. Mavs, Mar. 2...DNP (CD) four times, also missed one game with stomach virus.
1998-99 (Pistons): One of three Pistons to appear in all 50 games (10 starts), averaging 7.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg and .500 shooting over 23.1 mpg...Led Pistons in rebounds 15 times, including seven of the season’s final 10 games...Season highs 22 points vs. Hornets, Apr. 21; 15 rebounds vs. Nets, Apr. 28 (high board game of season for Pistons)...Started season’s final 10 contests...In the Playoffs, appeared in all five games of first round loss to Hawks with 6.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg and .444 shooting (12-27) over 24.6 mpg.
1999-2000 (Pistons): In his final full season in Detroit, Jerome appeared in a career-high 82 games (one start) and put together perhaps his finest season as a pro, averaging 8.4 ppg, career-high 9.6 rpg (10th in NBA) and 1.16 spg over 25.6 mpg...Ranked 10th in NBA in rpg, despite playing the fewest minutes (2,102) of any player in Top 10...Hauled in more total rebounds (789) than in three prior seasons combined (778)...Shot a career-high .564 from the field (257-456), but fell 43 FGM shy of qualifying for NBA Top 10...Had team-high 23 double-doubles, all coming off the bench...Hauled in a career-high 21 rebounds vs. Hornets, Dec. 26, 1999...Season-high 26 points at Toronto, Nov. 16...Played in all three games of first-round Playoff loss to Heat with 5.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 7-14 FGA (.500) over 24.3 mpg.
2000-01 (Pistons-Raptors): Traded to Raptors in mid-season, totaled season averages of 6.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg and .463 shooting over 20.0 mpg in 59 games (two starts)...Shot a career-high .741 from the line (100-135)...Had five double-doubles, all with Pistons... Season-high 15 points at New Jersey, Jan. 31...Prior to trade, missed 21 games due to illness/injury (20 with sprained right ankle, one with flu)...Traded with Eric Montross to Raptors for Corliss Williamson, Tyrone Corbin, Kornel David and a future first-round draft pick (acquired from Orlando), Feb. 22, 2001...Season-best 17 rebounds, twice...Came off the bench in 11 games during Raptors’ post-season run vs. Knicks and Sixers with 3.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 12-24 FGA (.500) over 14.9 mpg...Key factor in Lenny Wilkens-led Raptors’ first-round triumph over Knicks, with 4.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 6-13 FGA (.462) over 18.0 mpg in four games off the bench...DNP (CD) in Game One...Then had six rebounds (17 min) in Raps’ Game Two win and seven points (3-3 FGA), five rebounds and three steals in 17 bench minutes in Game Five clincher at MSG (May 4, 2001).
2001-02 (Raptors): In first full season with Toronto, played in 68 games (32 starts) with 7.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg and .490 shooting over 24.1 mpg...Led Raptors in rebounds 12 times and had six double-doubles...Raptors were 19-13 in his 32 starts...Season highs 22 points vs. Cavs, Apr. 17; 13 rebounds twice...Missed 13 games due to injury (five with bruised right knee, eight with sprained right ankle)...Appeared in all five games (one start) of first round Playoff loss to Pistons with 7.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg and 14-33 FGA (.424) over 28.6 mpg...In Game One, had 11 points and Playoff career high 13 rebounds (Apr. 21, 2002)...Scored Playoff career high 13 points in Game Two (Apr. 24, 2002).
2002-03 (Raptors): Etched name on NBA leader board in rebounding (ninth with 9.2 rpg), steal-to-turnover ratio (sixth with 1.21), steals (18th with 1.63 spg) and offensive rebounds per game (fourth with 3.3)...Appeared in 71 games (career-high 63 starts) with career highs in points (9.7 ppg), steals (1.63 spg) and minutes (33.0 mpg) and posted his second-best rebounding season with team-high 9.2 rpg (ninth in NBA)...Shot .499 from the field (267-535)...Notched team-high 20 double-doubles and led Raptors in rebounds 37 times...Had Raptors record 10 straight double-figure rebound games, Jan. 6-26...Scored a career-high 30 points at Orlando, Nov. 12, 2002...Season-high 20 rebounds at Washington, Jan. 14, 2003 (season’s high board game for Raptors)...Career-high eight steals vs. Bulls, Feb. 26, 2003...Tied Raptors record with 14 rebounds in one half, Apr. 2 vs. Pistons...Scored 3,000th career point on Apr. 4 vs. Spurs...Nailed first career 3PT FG on Apr. 9 vs. Magic...Missed 11 games due to injury (five with sore left elbow, four with stiff neck, two with sprained neck).
As A Collegian: Spent junior and senior seasons at Georgetown after transferring from Montgomery Junior College in Maryland...Averaged 10.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg and .544 shooting over 19.6 mpg (68 games) in his two Georgetown seasons...Third Team All-Big East selection in both seasons as a Hoya...Had 24 double-doubles at Georgetown...As a senior in 1995-96, led Hoyas in rebounding (8.8 rpg) and finished third on team in scoring (10.3 ppg)...At Montgomery JC, named Maryland’s Junior College MVP in 1993-94, averaging 26 ppg and 17 rpg as a sophomore.
