 Calderon playing for the Hawks in 2017. | ||
| No. 8, 3, 5, 13, 81 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position: | Point Guard | |
| League: | NBA | |
| Personal information | ||
| Full name: | José Manuel Calderón Borrallo | |
| Born: | September 28, 1981 Villanueva de la Serena, Spain | |
| Nationality: |  Spanish
| |
| Physical stats | ||
| Listed height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | |
| Listed weight: | 211 lbs (96 kg) | |
| National Basketball Association career | ||
| Debut: 2005 for the Toronto Raptors | ||
| Final game: 2019 for the Detroit Pistons | ||
| Career information | ||
| NBA Draft: | 2003 / Undrafted | |
| Playing career: | 1998-2019 (21 years) | |
| Career history | ||
| 1998–1999 | Diputación Foral Alava | |
| 1999–2001 | CB Lucentum Alicante | |
| 2001–2002 | Baloncesto Fuenlabrada | |
| 2002–2005 | Tau Cerámica | |
| 2005-2013 | Toronto Raptors | |
| 2013 | Detroit Pistons | |
| 2013–2014 | Dallas Mavericks | |
| 2014-2016 | New York Knicks | |
| 2016–2017 | Los Angeles Lakers | |
| 2017 | Atlanta Hawks | |
| 2017–2018 | Cleveland Cavaliers | |
| 2018–2019 | Detroit Pistons | |
| Career highlights and awards | ||
| ||
| Medals | ||
| Men's basketball | ||
| Representing Spain
| ||
| Summer Olympics | ||
 Silver
|
2008 Beijing | |
| Silver
|
2012 London | |
 Bronze
|
2016 Rio de Janeiro | |
| FIBA World Cup | ||
 Gold
|
2006 Japan | |
| EuroBasket | ||
| Gold
|
2011 Lithuania | |
| Silver
|
2003 Sweden | |
| Silver
|
2007 Spain | |
| Bronze
|
2013 Slovenia | |
| FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup | ||
| Gold
|
1999 Portugal | |
| FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship | ||
| Bronze
|
2000 Macedonia | |
| FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship | ||
| Gold
|
1998 Bulgaria | |
José Manuel Calderón Borrallo (born September 28, 1981) is a Spanish retired professional basketball player and basketball executive.
Early Life[]
Calderón was born and raised in the town of Villanueva de la Serena, Spain. His main inspiration for basketball came from his father, who used to play basketball for the village's team, Doncel La Serena. José greatly used to enjoy seeing his father plays. He accompanied him to his games and practices.
NBA career[]
Toronto Raptors (2005–2013)[]
Rookie Season[]
Calderón played mostly off the bench in his rookie season (2005–06) with the Raptors.
Calderón entered the NBA when former Raptors GM Rob Babcock persuaded the Spanish guard to sign with the Toronto Raptors on August 3, 2005. Known as a talented playmaker, Calderón struggled with his shooting in his first year in the NBA. By the end of the 2005–06 season, he was ranked third among all rookies in assists with 4.5 per game. He finished the season with 64 played games, having started in 11 of them. He averaged 5.5 points, 4.5 assists, 2.2 rebounds, and an assists-per-turnover ratio of 2.85.
2006–07 season[]
Calderón taking a jump shot in a 2006–07 game against the Washington Wizards.
Throughout the 2006–07 season, Calderón played primarily as backup to T. J. Ford, turning in solid numbers from the bench. As acknowledged by coach Sam Mitchell as well as his teammates, Calderón's form was instrumental to the Raptors' push for a playoff spot, and later, the Atlantic Division title. He ended his regular season with improved averages of 8.8 points and 5.1 assists per game and .525 in field goal percentage, even though he had less playing time compared to his rookie season. In the 2007 NBA Playoffs, Calderón played in all of Toronto's games in the series against the New Jersey Nets, but the Raptors were defeated 4–2. Calderón averaged 13.0 points and 5.3 assists per game in his first NBA playoff season.
2007–08 season[]
Toronto continued to deploy Ford and Calderón in tandem for the point guard position to good effect. Ford was injured for several games in November and December and the Spaniard stepped in with impressive performances. In three games against the Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Chicago Bulls, Calderón provided 37 assists while committing only three turnovers. 14 games into the season, he was also leading the league in assist-to-turnover ratio with 5.67 to 1, but even so, he said: "But how I feel about the team right now is that we need T.J. Ford [for the next game]." 35 games into the season, the Spaniard increased the turnover ratio to 6.15 to 1, setting him on course to break an NBA record (he went to end the season as the league-leader with 5.38 to 1). He shot at least 50% on field goals, 40% on three-pointers, and 90% on free-throws, and is sometimes listed as a member of the NBA's 50–40–90 Club, even though he was sixteen free-throws shy of attaining the NBA league minimum number of makes in this category. By mid-season, he was touted as a possibility for making the All-Star reserve team. Even after Ford returned from injury for the final third of the campaign, Calderón was able to keep his place in the starting lineup. Ford had initially agreed to playing backup, but reportedly became frustrated at not being able to start. Calderón eventually asked the coaching staff to play Ford as starter instead, leading to widespread praise from the coaching staff, teammates, and fans. Given that he was going to become a free agent by the end of the campaign, there were even calls for Ford to be traded so that the team could be built around Calderón as point guard. By the end of the regular season, Calderón was fifth in the league for assists per game, and in the 2008 NBA Playoffs, Ford split the playing time with him about equally, with the two players combining for averages of 23.4 points and 13.6 assists per game. However, the Raptors were eliminated by the Orlando Magic in the first round four games to one.
2008–09 season[]
On July 9, 2008, Calderón re-signed with the Raptors to a multi-year deal, reported to be worth $7.5 million to $8.5 million a season. With the departure of Ford to the Indiana Pacers, the Spaniard was slated to start the point guard position for the Raptors. At the same time, new acquisition Jermaine O'Neal formed the frontcourt with Bosh. However, 17 games into the season, Toronto fired head coach Sam Mitchell and the line-ups were constantly shuffled. By the end of 2008, the Raptors were 12–20, but with Calderón out for almost a month thereafter, the team slipped to 16–28. When Calderón returned to the Raptors lineup, he helped snap a seven-game losing streak with a 114–94 victory over Chicago, recording 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting and 10 assists. Not long after, he set the second-longest streak in NBA history for consecutive free throws made (87). On March 13, 2009, Calderón surpassed Alvin Williams' franchise record for career assists with 1795. On March 29, 2009, in a game against Chicago, he tied the franchise record for most assists in game with 19, and not long after, set an NBA record for highest free-throw percentage in a season. These records, however, were overshadowed by the Raptors rapidly falling out of the playoffs picture soon after the All-Star break, and the criticism Calderón faced for being unable to defend and play an up-tempo game. Toronto eventually finished with a 33–49 record, with the Spaniard leading the Eastern Conference in assists per game and the league in free throw percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio.
2009–10 season[]
Going for a layup against the Orlando Magic on November 22, 2009.
The Raptors underwent a significant roster overhaul in the preseason, such as bringing Jarrett Jack from Indiana to play as Calderón's back-up and Point Forward Hedo Türkoğlu to share in ball-handling duties. With a third of the season gone, the Spaniard picked up an injury that put him out for 12 games, resulting in Jack holding on to the starting spot even upon the former's return, paralleling the Ford-Calderón scenario in 2007–08. Still, the pair combined well and helped bring the Raptors to a 21–20 record at the mid-season mark.
During the early stages of the 2010 offseason, the Raptors had a deal in place to send Calderon and Reggie Evans to the Charlotte Bobcats for Tyson Chandler and Boris Diaw. However, Michael Jordan, the owner of the Bobcats, nixed the deal right before it was finalized, which allowed Calderon to remain with the Raptors.
2010–11 season[]
Calderón was ranked fifth in assists per game (8.9) at the conclusion of the regular season.
2011–12 season[]
On February 12, 2012, Calderón scored a career high 30 points in a 94–92 loss against the Lakers. Calderón led the league in assists per turnover (4.5) for the third time in five years at the conclusion of the regular season.
Detroit Pistons (2013)[]
On January 30, 2013, Calderón was traded to the Detroit Pistons in a three-team trade which sent Tayshaun Prince, Austin Daye, and Ed Davis to the Memphis Grizzlies and Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi to Toronto. He became the starting point guard for the Pistons, and in just his fourth game for the franchise, he recorded 23 points and 10 assists in the 105-100 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Calderón finished the season averaging 11.3 points and 7.1 assists per game. He also led the league in three-point shooting percentage (.461) and was second in assists per turnover (4.1).
Dallas Mavericks (2013–2014)[]
On July 11, 2013, Calderón signed with the Dallas Mavericks to a reported four-year, $28 million contract. He became the Mavericks lead point guard, starting in 81 games. He had his best game on December 20, 2013 against his former team, the Toronto Raptors, where he recorded 23 points and 9 assists. Calderón finished the season averaging 11.4 points and 4.7 assists per game.
New York Knicks (2014–2016)[]
Calderon playing for the Knicks.
On June 25, 2014, Calderón, along with Shane Larkin, Wayne Ellington, Samuel Dalembert, and two 2014 second-round picks, was traded to the New York Knicks in exchange for Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton. In the process, he re-joined former Raptor teammate Andrea Bargnani. After a preseason injury kept him on sidelines for the first 13 games of the season, he made his Knicks debut on November 22, 2014 as he recorded 3 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in the 91-83 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
On March 23, 2015, Calderón was ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing a procedure on his strained left Achilles tendon.
On March 13, 2016, Calderón made a game-winning three-point shot with 0.2 seconds left on the clock to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers.
Chicago Bulls (2016)[]
On June 22, 2016, the Chicago Bulls traded Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday, 2017 first-round and second-round draft picks to New York Knicks for Calderón, Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant.
Los Angeles Lakers (2016–2017)[]
On July 7, the Chicago Bulls traded him to Los Angeles Lakers for Ater Majok. On December 5, 2016, he was ruled out for two to four weeks with a right hamstring strain. On February 27, 2017, he was waived by the Lakers.
After being waived by the Lakers, Calderón was set to join the Golden State Warriors. However, after Kevin Durant suffered a possible season-ending knee injury, the Warriors felt they needed a forward instead of a point guard to fill Durant's role. The Warriors still honored their agreement with Calderón, signing him on March 1, 2017 before waiving him later that day. While he was only with the team for two hours, the Warriors agreed to pay Calderón the $415,000 he would have earned if he had been on the team for the rest of the season.
Atlanta Hawks (2017)[]
Calderón defending Bradley Beal during Game 1 of the Hawks' 2017 first-round playoff match-up with the Washington Wizards.
On March 4, 2017, Calderón was claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Hawks.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2017–2018)[]
On July 10, 2017, Calderón signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers made it to the 2018 NBA Finals, but lost 4–0 to the Golden State Warriors.
Return to Detroit (2018–2019)[]
On July 7, 2018, Calderón signed with the Detroit Pistons, whom he previously played for in 2013.
Retirement[]
On November 4, 2019, José Calderón announced his retirement from the NBA. On the same day, the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) announced that Calderón had joined them as the special assistant to the executive director for the 2019–20 NBA season.
National team career[]
Calderón has enjoyed a successful international career. When he played for Spain's national youth team, he won the gold medal at the 1998 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, as well as the bronze medal at the 2000 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. As his career advanced, the point guard began appearing for the Spain national team. Calderón was part of the Spain national team which finished fifth at the 2002 FIBA World Championship and second at the 2003 EuroBasket. He was later named the team captain during the 2004 Summer Olympics, and on September 3, 2006, Calderón and his Spanish squad defeated Greece, and won the 2006 FIBA World Championship, along with future Raptors teammate, Jorge Garbajosa. In 2007 EuroBasket, Calderón and Garbajosa again featured for the Spanish team. In the knockout stages, Calderón recorded a game-high 17 points as Spain defeated Germany 83–55 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Calderón scored 18 points in Spain's defeat of Greece. The Spaniard led his team in points again in the final, but Spain lost 60–59 to Russia. In the 2008 Summer Olympics, Calderón was part of the squad that won the silver medal, but was injured and therefore could not play in the semifinal and the final games. He averaged 7.3 points per game in the tournament. Calderón won another silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He also made Spain's squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics, but played only sparingly.
At the end of the Olympics, he announced his retirement from the national team.
External links[]
| New York Knicks 2014–15 season roster | |
|---|---|
| 1 Amar'e Stoudemire | |
| 2 Langston Galloway | |
| 3 Jose Calderon | |
| 4 Quincy Acy | |
| 5 Tim Hardaway, Jr. | |
| 7 Carmelo Anthony | |
| 9 Pablo Prigioni | |
| 14 Jason Smith | |
| 17 Cleanthony Early | |
| 21 Lou Amundson | |
| 42 Lance Thomas | |
| 45 Cole Aldrich | |
| 77 Andrea Bargnani | |
| 0 Shane Larkin | |
| Head coach: Derek Fisher | |
| Regular season | |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals | |
| New York Knicks 2015–16 season roster | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Shved • 2 Galloway • 3 Calderon • 4 Afflalo • 6 Porzingis • 7 Anthony • 8 Lopez • 9 O'Quinn • 11 Early • 13 Grant • 17 Amundson • 42 Thomas • 43 Antetokounmpo • 67 Williams | ||||
| Players who left during the season | ||||
| N/A | ||||
| Head coach: Jeff Hornacek | ||||
| Regular Season • Playoffs • Finals | ||||