BIO: Jett grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota and was raised by his single mother in a home with a sister, brother and two cousins Jett considers brothers.

His mother, a track star, used to take him to the park where he’d watch his brother and cousins play basketball and football. By the age of nine, Jett was playing organized basketball.

For his first two years of high school, Jett attended Saint Agnes High School in Saint Paul, Minnesota where he played basketball and football.

In 2007, he transferred to Saint Bernard’s High School, where as a senior in 2008/09, he averaged 20 points, five assists and five steals per game.

He then moved to Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Massachusetts for a prep season in 2009/10.

There, he played for coach Ryan Hurd, and averaged a team-high 14 points to go with seven rebounds, and five assists.

He helped the Crusaders to a 27–7 record, and the No.4 seed at the 2010 National Prep Championship tournament.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Jordair Jett made his NBL debut with the Townsville Crocodiles at 24 years of age. He scored eight points in his first game.

After finishing the previous season with an 11-17 record, including an 8-6 record at home but only three road wins, Townsville entered the off-season in voluntary administration before regaining control of its Deed of Company Arrangement and receiving clearance to compete in 2015/16. Todd Blanchfield (to Melbourne), Steven Markovic (to Sydney), Mickell Gladness (not retained), Jacob Holmes (retired) and Greg Vanderjagt (retired and joined Townsville’s coaching staff) departed. Brian Conklin, Clint Steindl, Mitchell Norton, Mirko Djeric and Leon Henry returned under coach Shawn Dennis, who added Nicholas Kay (via Metro State), Luke Schenscher (via Adelaide), Corey Maynard and Mitchell Young (both via Cairns), while the Crocodiles completed their import combination with an American guard who had been encouraged by former Saint Louis teammate Conklin to inquire about playing in Townsville.

Townsville opened the season against Melbourne United at the Townsville Entertainment Centre on October 9, where Jordair Jett (8 points, 1 steal, and 1 block) made his NBL debut as the Crocodiles lost 99-84. Conklin (25 points and 5 rebounds) and Steindl (13 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals) led Townsville, while former Crocodile Blanchfield (29 points and 8 rebounds) was Melbourne’s leading scorer.

Jett (15.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists across 28 games) started all 28 games and did not miss a game through injury or illness. He had signed with Townsville on July 31 after an off-season knee injury requiring surgery disrupted his planned NBA workouts and led him back to Saint Louis for rehabilitation, with Dennis describing him as “a beast off the dribble and a very good defender.” Townsville recovered from its 0-2 start with consecutive road victories to move to 2-2 before a difficult stretch left the Crocodiles 4-10 at the end of November.

Townsville’s early struggles included a 93-62 loss to Melbourne at Hisense Arena on October 21, where Jett (8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) was held to eight points. Steindl (19 points) and Kay (9 points and 5 rebounds) were Townsville’s other leading scorers, while Daniel Kickert (22 points) led Melbourne.

With Townsville 4-10, captain Conklin (13.5 points and 6.6 rebounds across 13 games) was released after the club cited a number of “sub-par performances”. Earlier in November his elbow had broken Perth captain Damian Martin’s jaw during Townsville’s victory over the Wildcats, with the NBL clearing Conklin of wrongdoing, before another elbow on Adelaide forward Mitch Creek resulted in a three-match suspension with two games suspended for the remainder of the season. Conklin later argued financial constraints were behind the decision to release him. Omar Samhan (13.3 points and 8.9 rebounds across 12 games; via Texas Legends) was signed for the remainder of the season as his replacement.

Schenscher (4.1 points and 3.1 rebounds across 13 games) battled injuries during the season, with Townsville junior Harry Froling (1.6 points across 9 games; injury replacement) used as his injury replacement. Maynard (6.1 points across 25 games) was ruled out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury in January, leading former Crocodile Chris Cedar (1.5 points across 2 games; via Mackay) to return on a two-game injury-replacement contract after Vanderjagt contacted him on December 31.

Townsville produced one of its most memorable wins against Adelaide on December 10, when Jett (21 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal) helped the Crocodiles recover from 15 points down inside the final four minutes to win 101-100. Kay (19 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Steindl (15 points and 2 steals) provided support, while Djeric (12 points) made two three-pointers in the final 42 seconds before Steindl’s late steal set up Kay’s game-winning dunk, and Jerome Randle (28 points and 7 assists) led Adelaide.

Jett (29 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) produced his best game of the season against Adelaide at the Townsville Entertainment Centre on January 16, making 11-of-28 shots, but the 36ers defeated Townsville 108-103. Norton (21 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Samhan (21 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks) provided support, while Randle (34 points and 6 assists) led Adelaide.

Jett’s play improved during the second half of the season as Townsville split its final 14 games 7-7, and he led the Crocodiles in scoring before being awarded the Kevin Sugars Medal as club MVP and named Townsville’s Defensive Player of the Year. Steindl (12.7 points and 3.5 rebounds across 28 games) was named the NBL’s Most Improved Player, Kay (10.7 points and 6.6 rebounds across 28 games) won Rookie of the Year, while Norton (8.8 points across 28 games) and Djeric (5.3 points across 24 games) provided the other main contributions. Dennis was named NBL Coach of the Year, while Jett agreed to join the Southland Sharks for the 2016 New Zealand NBL season once Townsville’s campaign was complete.

Townsville closed the season against Sydney at the Townsville Entertainment Centre on February 13, where Jett (21 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) helped the Crocodiles defeat the Kings 126-123 in overtime. Samhan (25 points and 13 rebounds) and Steindl (25 points) led Townsville in scoring, while Jason Cadee (32 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists) was Sydney’s leading scorer. The win left Townsville seventh and second-last with an 11-17 record, including an 8-6 record at home and only three road wins.

Financial pressure continued after the season and in April Townsville’s directors withdrew the Crocodiles from the 2016/17 NBL season after deciding the club could no longer remain financially viable. Kay (to Illawarra) and Norton (to Illawarra) departed, Young (to Brisbane) moved south, Steindl and Djeric moved overseas, Schenscher retired and Dennis moved to Japan.

ILLAWARRA HAWKS
2018/19
After finishing fifth with a 12-16 record and narrowly missing the playoffs the previous season, Illawarra reshaped its roster under coach Rob Beveridge. Nick Kay (to Perth), Mitch Norton (to Perth), Rotnei Clarke (to Italy), Demitrius Conger (to France) and Delvon Johnson (to Slovakia) departed, while Cody Ellis and Rhys Martin became free agents and Oscar Forman retired. AJ Ogilvy, Tim Coenraad, Nic Pozoglou and captain Kevin White returned, with Todd Blanchfield (via Sydney), David Andersen (via Melbourne), Brian Conklin (via France), Cedric Jackson (via USA), Emmett Naar, Daniel Grida and Marshall Nelson added to the roster.

Jordair Jett (via Townsville Heat) returned to the NBL after previously playing with the Townsville Crocodiles during the 2015/16 season. Jett spent the 2018 winter playing for the Townsville Heat in the QBL, with his move to Illawarra agreed during June and confirmed by early July. He helped the Heat win the 2018 QBL championship before joining the Hawks for the NBL season.

Illawarra opened the season against defending champions Melbourne at WIN Entertainment Centre on October 12, where Jett (16 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists) started and played almost 47 minutes in a remarkable quadruple-overtime game. With the Hawks facing defeat late in the third overtime, Blanchfield found Jett underneath the basket and he converted a difficult reverse lay-up to force a fourth overtime before Melbourne eventually won 123-122. Blanchfield (26 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Ogilvy (15 points, 21 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks) were Illawarra’s other standouts, while Josh Boone (24 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks) led Melbourne.

Talk about putting on the JETS…@jjett5 sends this thing to quadruple OT#NBL19 #MELatILL pic.twitter.com/jDFiC2AOdD

— The NBL (@NBL) October 12, 2018

Jett (11.8 points and 1.5 steals across 28 games) played every game and did not miss any time through injury. After starting six of Illawarra’s first six games he was shifted primarily to the bench, finishing the season with eight starts and becoming one of the Hawks’ main scoring and defensive options in the second unit.

His season-high scoring performance came in Cairns on October 21, where Jett (22 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals) helped Illawarra collect its first win of the season with a 104-93 victory over the Taipans. Blanchfield (32 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals) and Conklin (21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) combined with Jett to lead the Hawks, while Melo Trimble (28 points and 5 assists) was Cairns’ leading scorer.

Jett’s best all-around game came against Adelaide on November 25, producing 18 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals off the bench as Illawarra snapped a three-game losing streak with a 120-109 win. Blanchfield (24 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Ogilvy (19 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 assists) led the starters, while former Hawk Demitrius Conger (22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists) was Adelaide’s best. The physical game included a heated exchange between Jett and Jacob Wiley that resulted in Wiley being ejected, with David Andersen and Tim Coenraad also ejected later in the game.

Two weeks later Jett produced one of the Hawks’ most dramatic wins of the season in Adelaide. Having been booed by the crowd following his earlier altercation with Harry Froling during Illawarra’s previous visit, Jett (16 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) took possession on the final play and banked home the game-winner as time expired to give the Hawks an 87-86 victory. Andersen (11 points and 5 rebounds) and Ogilvy (10 points and 8 rebounds) provided support, while Nathan Sobey (24 points and 4 rebounds) led Adelaide. Beveridge said afterwards, “He’s probably the most underrated import in the league.”

Jett (19 points) delivered his second-highest scoring game of the season in Perth on February 1, providing a spark from the bench alongside Conklin (20 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Jackson (11 points and 5 assists), but the Wildcats defeated Illawarra 104-90 behind Bryce Cotton (27 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists) and secured their 33rd consecutive playoff appearance.

With Illawarra still attempting to remain in the finals race, Jett (16 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block) led the Hawks in Brisbane on February 7 before the Bullets pulled away in overtime for a 98-87 win. Grida (13 points and 2 steals) and Jackson (11 points and 5 rebounds) provided support, while Lamar Patterson (24 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Brisbane, with the loss leaving Illawarra at 12-14 and effectively ending its playoff hopes.

Conklin (14.4 points and 5.1 rebounds) led Illawarra in scoring, while Blanchfield (13.5 points and 4.2 rebounds) was named Hawks MVP. Ogilvy (9.4 points and 6.6 rebounds), Coenraad (8.7 points and 4 rebounds), Andersen (8.3 points and 3.5 rebounds), Jackson (7.9 points, 3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists) and Grida (5.1 points across 28 games) were the other major contributors. Jett’s work after moving to the bench saw him finish third in NBL Best Sixth Man voting behind Reuben Te Rangi and Jarrad Weeks, while Grida finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.

Following the season, Jett (to Nelson Giants) signed with Nelson on April 4 for the 2019 New Zealand NBL season. He was not retained by Illawarra for 2019/20 and was one of the Hawks’ major departures alongside Conklin and Jackson as the club rebuilt its import group around Aaron Brooks and Josh Boone and added Next Star LaMelo Ball. The season proved to be Jett’s final year in the NBL.

Illawarra finished its season against New Zealand on February 14, where Jett (7 points) made his 28th appearance before the Breakers defeated the Hawks 130-96. Grida (17 points) and Ogilvy (12 points and 4 rebounds) led Illawarra, while Shawn Long (21 points and 8 rebounds) was New Zealand’s leading scorer as the Hawks finished seventh with a 12-16 record.

Jordair Jett played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Townsville Crocodiles and the Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 13.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3 assists in 56 NBL games.