23 Jodie Meeks

Jodie Meeks was born Orestes Jodie Meeks II on August 21, 1987, in Nashville, Tennessee, to Orestes and Margaret Meeks. He attended Norcross High School in Georgia, where he helped lead the Blue Devils to their first state championship in 2006. As a senior, Meeks averaged 23.6 points during the regular season and 28.3 in the state playoffs, earning Atlanta Journal-Constitution Player of the Year honors along with several other regional awards. A four-star prospect rated among the nation’s top shooting guards, he committed to Tubby Smith and Kentucky in October 2005 after being drawn to the program’s tradition and his relationship with Smith.

Meeks quickly established himself as one of Kentucky’s most dangerous perimeter scorers, earning unanimous SEC All-Freshman honors in 2006–07 before injuries limited him to only 11 games as a sophomore. Healthy again in 2008–09, he produced one of the greatest individual seasons in school history. Meeks was a unanimous First Team All-SEC selection, USBWA District IV Player of the Year and a consensus Second Team All-American while setting Kentucky’s single-season record with 117 three-pointers. His accomplishments eventually earned him induction into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2024.

His defining performance came on January 13, 2009, when he erupted for a Kentucky-record 54 points in a 90–72 victory at Tennessee, surpassing Dan Issel’s previous school mark. Meeks made 10 three-pointers, also establishing a Kentucky single-game record, and went a perfect 14-for-14 from the free-throw line. The remarkable night was the centerpiece of a season that also included 46 points against Appalachian State, a game-winning three against Florida and 45 points at Arkansas.

Meeks entered the 2009 NBA Draft after his junior season and was selected 41st overall by the Milwaukee Bucks. He went on to play for Milwaukee, Philadelphia, the Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit, Orlando, Washington and Toronto during a lengthy NBA career, with his best scoring season coming for the Lakers in 2013–14. He capped his NBA career as a member of the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 championship team and later represented the United States internationally before moving into coaching.