Donaldson played three seasons with Seattle before moving on to the San Diego (later Los Angeles) Clippers. During the1984–85 NBA season, he led the league in field goal percentage at 0.637 — still one of the ten highest percentages in NBA history.
Donaldson joined the Dallas Mavericks in 1985. He had his finest years while playing for the Mavericks, providing reboundingand shot-blocking to complement Dallas’ star-studded line-up, which included Mark Aguirre, Rolando Blackman, Roy Tarpley,Derek Harper, and Brad Davis. Donaldson himself earned a spot on the 1988 All-Star Team during a season in which the Mavericks reached the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.
After brief stints with the New York Knicks (traded midway through 1991-92 for Brian Quinnett) and Utah Jazz (49 games in two seasons combined) in the early 1990s, injuries forced Donaldson into retirement from the NBA. He left the league in 1995, with 8,203 career points, 7,492 career rebounds and 1,267 career blocks. He played in 957 NBA games without ever attempting a 3-point shot, a record among players from the 3-point era.
Smallthoughts: Old School Tuesday salutes …James Donaldson.
| Career history | |
|---|---|
| 1980–1983 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1983–1985 | San Diego / Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1985–1991 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 1991–1992 | New York Knicks |
| 1993 | Utah Jazz |
| 1993–1994 | Iraklis Thessaloniki (Greece) |
| 1995 | Utah Jazz |
| 1996–1997 | Caja San Fernando (Spain) |
| 1997 | Snai Montecatini (Italy) |
| 1998 | Breogán (Spain) |
| 1998–1999 | AEL 1964 (Greece) |
| 1999 | Breogán (Spain) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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|
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 8,203 (8.6 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 7,492 (7.8 rpg) |
| Blocks | 1,267 (1.6 bpg) |
smallthoughtsinasportsworld 