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<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Now, New Jersey Nets forward Richard Jefferson has eclipsed them all, making the largest donation ever by a current professional athlete to his former school when he pledged $3.5 million to Arizona's new $14 million basketball/volleyball practice facility.
The massive donation, paid in installments, means the 27-year old Jefferson will have the naming rights to the building.
According to the University of Arizona sports information department, the previous high donations were made by Denver's Anthony to Syracuse for $3 million while Smith gave $2.5 million to Michigan State. New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez donated $3.9 million to the University of Miami. But he only signed to play for the Hurricanes and never suited up for them.
"I had heard a long time ago that they were looking for someone to handle the naming rights and the word was that coach [Lute] Olson wanted to hold off to get a player to do it," Jefferson told ESPN.com Friday night from Tucson where he was working an Arizona elite camp.
"They started coming up to me and said, 'you're from Phoenix, you're an Arizona guy, and you have always represented the University of Arizona.' So we started talking about the right amount."
Jefferson played three seasons for the Wildcats from 1998-2001 and started 77 of 84 games. He averaged 11.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He helped lead the Wildcats to the 2001 national championship game where they lost to Duke. He was chosen No. 13 in the 2001 NBA draft. </div>
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The massive donation, paid in installments, means the 27-year old Jefferson will have the naming rights to the building.
According to the University of Arizona sports information department, the previous high donations were made by Denver's Anthony to Syracuse for $3 million while Smith gave $2.5 million to Michigan State. New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez donated $3.9 million to the University of Miami. But he only signed to play for the Hurricanes and never suited up for them.
"I had heard a long time ago that they were looking for someone to handle the naming rights and the word was that coach [Lute] Olson wanted to hold off to get a player to do it," Jefferson told ESPN.com Friday night from Tucson where he was working an Arizona elite camp.
"They started coming up to me and said, 'you're from Phoenix, you're an Arizona guy, and you have always represented the University of Arizona.' So we started talking about the right amount."
Jefferson played three seasons for the Wildcats from 1998-2001 and started 77 of 84 games. He averaged 11.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He helped lead the Wildcats to the 2001 national championship game where they lost to Duke. He was chosen No. 13 in the 2001 NBA draft. </div>
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