Jason Kapono

Jason Kapono is a professional athlete playing in the National Basketball Association for the Philadelphia 76ers. Kapono was born on February 4, 1981 in Long Beach, California.

Kapono grew up in Southern California where he attended Artesia High School, where he won several awards, including being selected as a McDonald's All-American. He then moved on to play college basketball at UCLA where he lead the school in scoring for four straight years, while also completing a degree in history.

Kapono is listed at 6-8, and he usually fills in the Small Forward position, but has also played Shooting Guard as well. Kapono was selected with the 2nd pick in the 2nd round of the NBA Draft in 2003 by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although he currently plays for the 76ers, Kapono has also played for the Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, Charlotte Bobcats, and the Cavaliers.

Kapono married his wife Ashley on August 28, 2004. His father-in-law Tony Cline Sr played football in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders, and his brother-in-law Tony Cline Jr, played football in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/jason_kapono/bio.html

Kapono had a mediocre season for the 76ers. Although he had a very strong finish to the season, starting the last 12 games for the Sixers and having a big impact, the season was already lost in terms of the NBA Playoffs. Coach Eddie Jordan was reluctant to use Kapono very much which is strange considering the Sixers were one of the worst three point shooting teams, and Kapono is tied with Steve Kerr for the best three-point percentage in NBA History.

Kapono will be looking to prove himself this offseason to new coach Doug Collins as he fights for regular gametime. Kapono was able to average just 5.7 points per game registering 17 minutes per game under coach Jordan.

Kapono has had the life of a journeyman the last six years in the NBA. He has bounced between five teams, staying at one team for a maximum of two seasons.

Kapono played the 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons with the Toronto Raptors. He participated in almost every game over the two seasons, missing just three games. Although his averages were not his best, he was a vital bench player for the Raptors, helping to spread the floor for Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon. At the end of the '08/09 season on June 9, 2009, Kapono was aquired by the 76ers in exchange for Reggie Evans.

In the 2005/06 and 2006/07 seasons, Kapono announced himself as a geniune contributor off the bench and starting for the Miami Heat, as he posted career highs in points (10.9), field goal percentage (49.4%), three-point percentage (51.4%) and free throw percentage (89.2%). He also won the Foot Locker Three Point Shootout at All Star Weekend in Las Vegas in 2007. He would go on to defend his title in 2008 at All Star Weekend in New Orleans.

Kapono's first two years in the league with the Cavaliers and the Bobcats were mainly getting his feet wet in the NBA. He did have a productive season in 2004/05 with the Bobcats playing in 81 games and averaging 8.5 points per game.

Kapono has a career high of 29 points against the Indiana Pacers on 12/14/2007, a career high of 11 rebounds twice, and a career high of 8 assists against the Washington Wizards on 02/28/2007. He has also made 6 three-pointers in a single game on two occasions.http://www.nba.com/playerfile/jason_kapono/career_stats.html http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3734/gamelog;_ylt=Aibp9gO13H0ZFhs_i0x38qvfPKB4