Jackson Vroman

Jackson Vroman
Vroman with Lebanon against Japan
Personal information
Born June 6, 1981
Laguna, California
Died June 29, 2015 (aged 34)
Los Angeles County, California
Nationality American / Lebanese
Listed height 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight 220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school Viewmont (Bountiful, Utah)
College
NBA draft 2004: 2nd round, 31st overall pick
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Playing career 2004–2015
Position Power forward / center
Number 4
Career history
2004–2005 Phoenix Suns
2005–2006 New Orleans Hornets
2006–2007 CB Gran Canaria
2007–2008 CB Girona
2008 BC Lietuvos Rytas
2009 Saba Mehr
2009–2010 Mahram
2010–2011 Dongguan Leopards
2011 Incheon ET Land Elephants
2011–2012 Jiangsu Dragons
2012 Barangay Ginebra Kings
2012–2013 Shandong Lions
2013–2014 Jiangsu Dragons
2014 Capitanes de Arecibo
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Jackson Brett Vroman (June 6, 1981 – June 29, 2015) was an American-born Lebanese professional basketball player. He was naturalized as a Lebanese citizen to play for the Lebanon national basketball team, replacing the other naturalized American Lebanese player, Joe Vogel. He is the son of former NBA player Brett Vroman, who played briefly for the Utah Jazz in the 1980–81 NBA season.

Early life and education

His senior year in high school, he played at Viewmont High School in Bountiful, Utah for coach Emery. He later attended and played basketball at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah and Iowa State University.

During his time at Iowa State, Vroman was a subject of an NCAA rule violation when it was revealed that his former head coach Larry Eustachy paid players, including Vroman, for making free throws during practice and games during the 2002–03 season.

Professional career

Vroman was a second-round draft pick of the Chicago Bulls in the 2004 NBA draft. He played for the Phoenix Suns and the New Orleans Hornets/New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, averaging 4.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

During the 2004–05 NBA season he was part of a trade that saw him and teammates Casey Jacobsen and Maciej Lampe being sent to the Hornets for guard Jim Jackson.

In the 2006–07 season, he played for CB Gran Canaria in the Spanish ACB. He began the 2007/08 season with CB Girona before being signed by BC Lietuvos Rytas in February 2008. In October 2010 he signed with the Dongguan Leopards in China. For the 2011–12 season, he signed with the Incheon ET Land Elephants in South Korea, but in December 2011, he signed a contract with the Jiangsu Dragons.

He then signed for the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippines and played his first game for them on March 4, 2012. Later that year, he joined the Shandong Lions of China.

Personal life

His father, Brett, had a 12-year basketball career and played for the Utah Jazz during the 1980–81 NBA season.

Death

Vroman was found dead in a swimming pool at his friend's home in Hollywood, California on June 29, 2015. The death was ruled accidental; security camera footage showed him falling into his pool.

Autopsy showed an enlarged heart, with toxicology reports showing ketamine, cocaine, and GHB in his system.

Honours

Club

Individual