Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Former Rebel Dejean-Jones killed in Dallas
Dave Rice remembered former UNLV basketball player Bryce Dejean-Jones for his “great passion.” Ex-assistant Justin Huston recalled him as “very passionate.”
Dejean-Jones, a 6-foot-6-inch guard who helped UNLV to its last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2013 and went on to play for the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans this season, was killed early Saturday after he broke into a Dallas apartment he believed belonged to his child’s mother and instead startled a man who shot him in apparent self-defense, The Dallas Morning News and ESPN reported.
Dejean-Jones, 23, “kicked open the front door” to an apartment at about 3:20 a.m. and the commotion startled the man sleeping inside, who police said grabbed his handgun and “called out” but got no answer. Police said Dejean-Jones then kicked the door to the bedroom — and the man fired.
Dejean-Jones ran out of the apartment and “collapsed in the breezeway,” police said. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died.
The Dallas County medical examiner’s office confirmed his death Saturday, but said an autopsy had not yet been performed. His agent told ESPN that Dejean-Jones died from a gunshot wound to his abdomen.
Rice, the former UNLV coach and now an assistant at UNR, said Dejean-Jones “absolutely loved playing basketball.”
“He brought great energy, great competitiveness and great passion every single day,” Rice said.
Hutson, who recruited Dejean-Jones to UNLV as a transfer from Southern California, said: “He was very passionate, very loyal, very hard-working and a little misunderstood. I had a great relationship with him. I really enjoyed seeing him every day.”
Hutson said he recently tried to contact Dejean-Jones to tell him he was proud of him for making it to the NBA.
“It’s very ironic. I just tried to reach out to him a week or so ago but I think I had the wrong number,” Hutson said. “I was excited for him and his family to have the opportunity (in the NBA). He had a great family. A great family.”
Rice said he had remained in contact with Dejean-Jones over the past year and they last spoke about a month ago.
“He was just so excited about his future and I was so happy for him and his family,” Rice said. “We talked about his journey and the adversity he’d overcome and how he’d worked so hard. It was his lifelong dream to play in the NBA and now he was there.”
Details of the shooting death were sketchy late Saturday, but Camden Belmont Apartments management sent an email to residents that stated “an individual who believed to be breaking into the apartment of an estranged acquaintance inadvertently broke into the wrong apartment.”
ESPN’s Marc Spears reported via Twitter that Jones was “shot to death while trying to go to his child’s mom’s home.”
A reporter for the New Orleans Advocate wrote on Twitter that Dejean-Jones was in Dallas to celebrate his daughter’s first birthday.
Police said “there is no information that suggests” Dejean-Jones was armed.
The Los Angeles native signed a three-year contract with the Pelicans in February after signing consecutive 10-day contracts with the team. New Orleans had released him last fall following stints in the Las Vegas summer league and training camp.
Dejean-Jones started 11 of 14 games for the Pelicans, averaging 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds and compiling 17 points and nine rebounds in a 99-96 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 4 before suffering a season-ending broken wrist.
“It is with deep sadness that the Pelicans organization acknowledges the sudden passing of Bryce Dejean-Jones,” the team said in a statement. “We are devastated at the loss of this young man’s life who had such a promising future ahead of him. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bryce’s family during this difficult time.”
After finishing his college career at Iowa State and going undrafted in 2015, Dejean-Jones starred for the Pelicans in the Las Vegas summer league and signed with them in August before being waived a few days before the season opener. He played for the NBA D-League’s Idaho Stampede before making his NBA debut for New Orleans on Jan. 21.
“The NBA family mourns the tragic loss of New Orleans Pelicans guard Bryce Dejean-Jones,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “Bryce inspired countless people with his hard work and perseverance on his journey to the NBA, and he had a bright future in our league. Our thoughts and sympathies are with Bryce’s family and the entire Pelicans organization during this difficult time.”
Dejean-Jones began his college career at Southern California (2010-11) before transferring to UNLV, where he averaged 11.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game over two seasons (2012-13, 2013-14). He transferred to Iowa State for the 2014-15 season.
Dejean-Jones had altercations with teammates at USC and UNLV and was arrested on three charges while at Iowa State.
He left the Trojans in January 2011 amid reports he threw a punch that broke a teammate’s nose in a locker room feud.
Dejean-Jones left the Rebels in similar fashion, following a heated argument in March 2014 with former UNLV guard Jelan Kendrick in the locker room after a season-ending loss to San Diego State at the Mountain West tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center. Dejean-Jones, who was the team’s leading scorer with 13.6 points per game, had been suspended that year after a postgame blowup March 5 and sat out the regular season finale at UNR.
At Iowa State, Dejean-Jones was suspended for a game against Iowa after he was arrested in December 2014 on misdemeanor charges of gathering where marijuana is used, a nuisance party violation and a noise ordinance violation. The charges were later dismissed.
Several of Dejean-Jones’ former UNLV teammates, including Kendrick, shared their sadness over his death on Twitter:
Kendrick: “Rip #BDJ we had our differences but I had love for you and was proud of you!”
Christian Wood: “RIP brother @ B2nyce thanks for everything u taught me as a freshman and as a kid growing up together in cali sad to see you go man.”
Katin Reinhardt: “So saddened right now to have lost a friend and teammate of mine @B2nyce rest easy brother SMH.”