Terrance Jerod Ford Sr. (born March 24, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. Having been awarded numerous top basketball accolades in high school and college, Ford entered the 2003 NBA draft and was selected eighth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks. Ford's recurring back injuries resulted in him missing many games in his three seasons with the Bucks, but in 2005, it was announced that he was fit to play basketball again. Ford was traded to the Raptors prior to the 2006–07 NBA season, and established himself as the starting point guard, helping the team win the Atlantic Division crown and reach the 2007 NBA Playoffs. Following an injury sustained in the 2007–08 NBA season, however, Ford had difficulties reclaiming the starting spot and was traded to the Indiana Pacers. He signed with KK Zagreb of Croatia during the 2011 NBA lockout where he appeared in three games. On December 9, 2011, Ford signed a contract with the San Antonio Spurs.
Off the court, Ford set up the T. J. Ford Foundation in 2004 to help participants achieve their academic, personal and civil goals.
Early life
Born in Houston, Texas to Leo and Mary Ford, Terrance Jerod Ford was nicknamed "T. J." at birth by his mother. From a young age, Ford dreamed of being a basketball player, having also witnessed his home team Houston Rockets win back-to-back championships in the 1990s. Subsequently, Ford was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, but he went on to play basketball for the Texas Longhorns for the 2001–02 and 2002–03 seasons.
In his first season at Texas, Ford not only led the team in steals and minutes per game, he became the first freshman player in NCAA history to lead the nation in assists (8.27 per game). Ford's play ensured that Texas made it to the Sweet Sixteen, while he recorded 15 double-digit assist games, and was named a consensus Big 12 Freshman of the Year. In 2017, he graduated from the University of Texas, earning a bachelor's degree from Texas in youth and community studies, with a minor in educational psychology.
NBA career
Rookie season
Having felt he had nothing more to prove at college level, Ford was also selected to the NBA All-Rookie 2nd Team. However, he played in only 55 games that season before an injury forced him to miss the final 26 games of the regular season and the 2004 NBA Playoffs. The injury occurred on February 24, 2004, during a home game versus the Minnesota Timberwolves where he fell on his tail bone after being fouled by center Mark Madsen. He suffered a contusion of the spinal cord, a career-threatening injury. The point guard had trained intensively for months in his hometown of Houston under the supervision of former NBA player John Lucas; together they worked on Ford's shooting, stamina, and strength. As the season progressed Ford showed almost no effects from his injury, playing with the same intensity and hustle as he did in his rookie season. He ended the regular season with 12.2 ppg and 6.6 apg,
Following the 2005–06 season, newly appointed Toronto Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo overhauled Toronto's roster in preparation for the 2006–07 season. He was looking for a true point guard, and acquired Ford in exchange for promising Raptors forward Charlie Villanueva. This trade was initially criticised by basketball observers as "lopsided" due to Ford's injury history, Ford also forged a solid partnership with sophomore and fellow point guard José Calderón, the latter backing him up when Ford was injured for several games in the middle of the season. Apart from his quick speed (Ford was voted the fastest player in the NBA in a 2007 Sports Illustrated survey of 271 NBA players), Ford's clutch play was instrumental for the Raptors throughout his inaugural season. On December 20, 2006, he scored the winning basket against the Los Angeles Clippers and two days later, converted almost every shot in overtime and provided the vital assist in the win against the Portland Trail Blazers. Ford's clutch play was again evident in a 120–119 overtime win against the Seattle SuperSonics on March 11, 2007, when he scored almost all of the team's overtime points. His form continued when he equaled his career-high of 18 assists in a game against the New York Knicks on March 14, 2007 — one short of the Raptors franchise record set by Damon Stoudamire. Ford ended the 2006–07 regular season with 14.0 ppg and 7.9 apg, both career highs, In the 2007 NBA Playoffs, he averaged 16.0 ppg and 4.0 apg,
Prior to the 2007–08 season, Ford focused on improving his turnover-to-assist ratio. When the season began, coach Sam Mitchell continued to rotate between Ford and Calderón to good effect. On December 11, 2007, following a flagrant foul committed by Al Horford, Ford suffered what appeared to be a serious injury in a game against the Atlanta Hawks. He was conscious but did not appear to move before he was strapped to a stretcher and wheeled off the court. In his absence, Calderón earned rave reviews for his performances and surpassed Ford as the starting point guard for the Raptors. However, after spending several weeks with his old trainer John Lucas in Houston, Ford made his return on February 4, 2008, to the bench. By the end of the season, there was much speculation that the Raptors would try to trade Ford, originally a central piece of the Raptors' long-term plans, and rebuild their team around the more efficient Calderón. In the 2008 NBA Playoffs, Toronto was pitted against the Orlando Magic in the first round and the perception was that Toronto's depth at the point guard position could prove to be key. While Ford played poorly in the first two games which the Raptors lost, he was pivotal in the third, bringing the series score to 2–1. The Raptors, however, were eliminated in five games, and the coaches' decision not to deploy Ford to close out games during the playoffs—coupled with Ford's subsequent alleged refusal to play backup on the team—led to further speculation about his future.
Moving to Indiana
thumb|upright|Ford with the Pacers
On the eve of the 2008 NBA draft, it was reported that the Raptors had traded Ford to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Jermaine O'Neal and the 41st pick in the draft (Nathan Jawai). The Raptors sent Indiana Rasho Nesterovič, Maceo Baston and the 17th pick in the draft (Roy Hibbert), and because Ford's contract made him a "base-year compensation" player, the trade was only finalized on July 9, 2008. Ford got off to a good start with his new team, with the Pacers alternating between him and Jarrett Jack for the starting point guard position. While the occasional injury prevented Ford from performing at the optimal level all the time, he was able to keep up his game of attacking the basket. On February 1, 2009, he scored a career-high 36 points in a game against the New York Knicks, a week after tying his previous career-high of 34 points. However, the Pacers were eventually edged out of playoffs qualification by Detroit. The bright spot in Ford's first campaign with the Pacers was his recording of a career-best in points per game.
On March 12, 2012, after playing 14 games, he announced on Twitter that he would retire. On March 15, 2012, the Spurs traded Ford, Richard Jefferson and a 2012 first-round pick to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Stephen Jackson. Ford was then waived by the Warriors.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Milwaukee
| 55 || 55 || 26.8 || .384 || .238 || .816 || 3.2 || 6.5 || 1.1 || .1 || 7.1
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Milwaukee
| 72 || 70 || 35.5 || .416 || .337 || .754 || 4.3 || 6.6 || 1.4 || .1 || 12.2
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Toronto
| 75 || 71 || 29.9 || .436 || .304 || .819 || 3.1 || 7.9 || 1.3 || .1 || 12.0
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Toronto
| 51 || 26 || 23.5 || .469 || .294 || .880 || 2.0 || 6.1 || 1.1 || .0 || 12.1
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Indiana
| 74 || 49 || 30.5 || .452 || .337 || .872 || 3.5 || 5.3 || 1.2 || .2 || 14.9
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Indiana
| 47 || 32 || 25.3 || .445 || .160 || .770 || 3.2 || 3.8 || .9 || .2 || 10.3
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Indiana
| 41 || 3 || 18.9 || .386 || .188 || .729 || 2.0 || 3.4 || .9 || .2 || 5.9
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | San Antonio
| 14 || 0 || 13.6 || .442 || .250 || .786 || 1.3 || 3.2 || .6 || .1 || 3.6
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 429 || 306 || 27.7 || .433 || .289 || .815 || 3.1 || 5.8 || 1.2 || .1 || 11.2
Playoffs
|-
| align="left" | 2006
| align="left" | Milwaukee
| 5 || 5 || 32.4 || .490 || .400 || .917 || 4.0 || 6.4 || .6 || .0 || 12.6
|-
| align="left" | 2007
| align="left" | Toronto
| 6 || 5 || 22.7 || .487 || .500 || .810 || 1.7 || 4.0 || 1.2 || .3 || 16.0
|-
| align="left" | 2008
| align="left" | Toronto
| 5 || 5 || 24.8 || .362 || .125 || .938 || 4.4 || 6.6 || 1.0 || .0 || 11.6
|-
| align="left" | 2011
| align="left" | Indiana
| 2 || 0 || 7.0 || 1.000 || 1.000 || .000 || .5 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || 3.5
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 18 || 15 || 24.2 || .457 || .375 || .878 || 2.9 || 5.1 || .8 || .1 || 12.4
Croatia
During the 2011 NBA lockout, Ford signed to play with KK Zagreb of Croatia. He played in two EuroLeague games. First one was with Brose Baskets in Zagreb Arena and the second one was against Panathinaikos in O.A.C.A. Olympic Indoor Hall, Athens. He also played in one Adriatic League game, against Radnički in Jezero Hall, Kragujevac.
Off the court
Ford started the T. J. Ford Foundation in September 2004, an organization that seeks to enhance individuals through programs designed to develop their educational, recreational, physical and social well-being in collaboration with family and community.
References
External links
- T. J. Ford's official website