Jordan Farmar

Farmar in 2008

Farmar impressed NBA scouts at the pre-draft combine with a 42-inch (110 cm) vertical leap, the highest of any player there. Later, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 26th pick in the NBA draft, which was acquired along with Brian Grant, Caron Butler and Lamar Odom in a trade that sent Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat.[17] On July 8, 2006, he made his debut at the Summer Pro League, which was held at the Walter Pyramid. His final game totals were 17 points and 3 assists in 31 minutes of play.

For most of the 2006–07 NBA season, Farmar played backup to Smush Parker. On March 31, 2007, Farmar was assigned to the Lakers' D-League team, the Los Angeles D-Fenders.[18] On April 1, Farmar scored 18 points in a 109–101 home loss against the Anaheim Arsenal.[19] Later on that afternoon, he was re-called by the Lakers to play against the visiting Sacramento Kings. Farmar added 4 points and 4 rebounds in 7:38 minutes playing time, helping the Lakers take a home victory, thereby making history by becoming the first player ever to participate in both a D-League and an NBA game on the same day.[20] On April 15, against the Seattle SuperSonics, Farmar got his first professional career start, replacing Smush Parker in the starting lineup.[21] Along with two starts in the regular season, Farmar started all five playoff games at point guard. In those games against first round opponent the Phoenix Suns, he averaged 6.4 ppg and 1.2 spg against Steve Nash.[22]

With the departure of Smush Parker, Aaron McKie, and Shammond Williams, the Lakers lacked a point guard. Therefore, with the 19th selection in the 2007 NBA draft the Los Angeles Lakers selected point guard Javaris Crittenton, who was later traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. As a result, during the summer and fall of 2007 Farmar became a denizen of the team training facility, working on his shot from June through September. He knew his job was in jeopardy with a new point guard in town, and knew he had to work to keep his position within the organization. His hard work paid off, and he averaged 9.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, in 20.6 minutes per game, as the backup to veteran point guard Derek Fisher, who made his return to the Lakers. He played in all 82 games in the 2007–08 season, and shot 46.1% from the field, 3.9% up from the prior season, as well as 37.1% from three-point range, 4.3% up from the prior season. "I'm just trying to shorten [my shot], square my shoulders up and just knock it down", Farmar said. "It's all hand–eye coordination, and I believe in my ability."[23] He had a career high of 24 points in a game against the Miami Heat.[24]

Farmar shooting against the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2010

On December 24, 2008, Farmar underwent surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee after suffering an injury in a game against the Miami Heat. He was expected to miss 8 weeks. Farmar was averaging 7.9 points and 2.4 assists before his injury. On January 25, 2009, Farmar returned to action nearly a month earlier than expected, recording 14 points and 2 assists against San Antonio.[25]

After winning two championship rings with his hometown Los Angeles Lakers, Farmar agreed to a three-year, $12 million contract with the New Jersey Nets on July 14, 2010. A large factor in his decision was his feeling stifled playing behind the established Fisher with the Lakers.[26] In 2010–11, he averaged 9.6 points per game on .467 field goal percentage.

On August 3, 2011, Farmar signed a one-year contract with the Israeli Basketball Super League champion Maccabi Tel Aviv, in the wake of the 2011 NBA lockout.[27] Farmar was very excited to go to Tel Aviv, because his step-father is from the city, and he spent time there as a child.[12][28][29]

Because Farmar is Jewish, he is eligible to apply for Israeli citizenship, and he has expressed an interest in doing so.[29][30] That way he would be considered an Israeli player, and thereby avoid being counted against the Israeli league's limit of four non-Israeli players per team.[30] He would also be eligible to play for the Israel national basketball team in the Olympics and other international competitions.[29]

Farmar with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2011

Farmar began playing for the team when its season began on October 1, 2011.[29][30][31][32] His teammates included former All-American Duke guard Jon Scheyer, who joined the team in June.[33] In the first week of November 2011, he won EuroLeague Player of the Week honors after a 27-point game against Real Madrid.[34][35] His final game with the team was a 74–71 loss to Partizan Belgrade.[36] He averaged 14.1 points in seven EuroLeague games.[37]

Farmar returned to the New Jersey Nets after the NBA lockout ended.

On March 7, 2012, Farmar hit an open game-winning 3-point shot against the Los Angeles Clippers, leaving the clock with 0.2 seconds left. The final score was 101–100.[38] In 2011–12, he averaged 10.4 points per game and 5.0 assists per game, as he played 24.6 minutes per game.

On July 11, 2012, Farmar, Anthony Morrow, Jordan Williams, Johan Petro, DeShawn Stevenson, and a 2013 first round draft pick were traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Joe Johnson.[39] Five days later, he was waived by the Hawks.[40]

On July 12, 2012, Farmar signed a three-year $15 million contract, with opt-outs after each season,[41] with the Turkish League team Anadolu Efes.[42] He averaged 13.8 points in 29 EuroLeague games.[37]

On July 17, 2013, Farmar returned to the Lakers, signing for the 2013–14 season.[43] On December 1, Farmar tore his left hamstring and was expected to miss a month of action. He only played 56 seconds before leaving the game. On February 28, 2014, he scored a career-high 30 points in a 126–122 win over Sacramento. He was a career-high 8-for-10 on 3-pointers in the game, and the Lakers set a franchise record for most threes made in a regulation game, shooting 19-for-27.[26] In 2013–14, he averaged 10.1 points per game, 4.9 assists per game, and 2.5 rebounds per game.

On July 9, 2014, Farmar signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.[44] The team signed him to replace former UCLA teammate Darren Collison, who left the Clippers as a free agent.[45] Farmar never quite fit in with the team, and was waived on January 16, 2015, after agreeing to a buyout. He had complained of an inconsistent role and playing time on the team, while coaches were unhappy with his performance.[45][46] In 36 games, he averaged 4.6 points, 1.9 assists and 1.2 rebounds.[46]

On February 7, 2015, Farmar signed with Darüşşafaka of Turkey for the rest of the 2014–15 Turkish Basketball League season.[47] He averaged 14.9 points in 14 Turkish national league games.[37]

On July 6, 2015, he returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv, signing a contract for the 2015–16 season.[48] On January 10, 2016, he parted ways with Maccabi.[49] He averaged 8.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in eight EuroLeague games.[37]

On March 21, 2016, Farmar signed a 10-day contract with the Memphis Grizzlies.[50] That night, he made his debut for the Grizzlies in a 103–97 win over the Phoenix Suns, recording 12 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 23 minutes.[51] On March 31, he signed with the Grizzlies for the rest of the season.[52] Then, on the same day, Farmar scored a season-high 14 points and dished out 5 assists in a losing effort against the Denver Nuggets.[53] On April 5, Farmar, scored a new season-high with 15 points in a 108–92 victory over the visiting Chicago Bulls. He also grabbed 2 rebounds and dished out 4 assists.[54]

On September 14, 2016, Farmar signed with the Sacramento Kings.[55] He was waived by the Kings on October 24,[56] and later re-signed on November 2.[57] On November 7, he was waived by the Kings after appearing in two games.[58]