National Basketball Association

Arizona retires Jason Terry's No. 31

Published Feb. 20, 2015 12:21 a.m. ET

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TUCSON, Ariz. -- Of course, Jason Terry wore his knee high white socks.

It was natural when he arrived Thursday night at McKale Center to be honored as the fifth Arizona men's basketball player to have his jersey retired. It's been a long and winding road to see it get done, 16 years after leaving Arizona in what was an All-American season for the player with the 100-watt smile.

"I've dreamt about this day for so long and now it's actually here," Terry said in a pregame interview with the local media before his moment at halftime of No. 7 Arizona's blowout victory over USC. "It's not only about me but about the people who have helped me along the way in my journey. They are a huge reason why I was able to achieve what I've been able to achieve."

And in his four years at Arizona -- and beyond -- he's been able to achieve plenty. He helped Arizona win a national title in 1997, coming off the bench as the team's sixth man on what was a No. 4 seed.

It's still one of the top moments of his career as a basketball player -- that from a player who has played 16 years in the NBA and played in two NBA Finals, winning one. He's now with the Houston Rockets.

"The most special is '97 (because) it never had been done at the school and what it meant to coach (Lute) Olson and in the fashion we won it."

Arizona was down in the first round and second rounds and won. It knocked off No. 1 overall seed Kansas, beat Providence and then proceeded to beat No. 1 seed North Carolina and No. 1 seed and defending national champion Kentucky.

He was inspired -- all the players were -- from a speech former Arizona stars Sean Elliott and Steve Kerr gave before the final game.

"They told us, 'Nobody remembers second place.' I never forgot that," Terry said. "I thought, 'They will remember us.' Them getting on the bus meant a lot to us."

And the rest is history.

Terry was lightly recruited but highly thought of recruit out of Seattle who made his mark with savvy, grit and determination to become one of Arizona's all-time best players and arguably one of the program's all-time great NBA players. He's scored more than 17,000 points in his NBA career, far more than any other former Wildcat.

"He's represented the university so well on and off the floor," said Olson, who was in attendance for the ceremony. "He's won a world championship ... his senior season here was spectacular. I'm really pleased for him."

Former Arizona assistant coach Jim Rosborough said Terry's senior season -- one in which he averaged 21.9 points, hit 84 percent from the free throw line, averaged 5.5 assists and 2.8 steals -- was "a perfect season and a tremendous year."

He added of all the great players he coached Terry is probably in the top seven, but in the top three if you combined a "great personality and friendship."

Oh boy goose bumps #BearDown http://t.co/NwwGhvm6Ce pic.twitter.com/sWAH4oTZZ2
— Jason Terry (@jasonterry31) February 19, 2015

It seems so long ago and yet still doesn't to Terry, now 37 years old. He said he got nervous coming back to Tucson, thinking wearing his socks would ease the tension.

"That didn't help much," he said.

But he was as cool as ever on the McKale Center floor when the uniform was displayed near the jerseys of Mike Bibby and Jason Gardner.

He thanked Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne and Arizona president Ann Weaver Hart for helping making the event happen. He said it took a lot of letters and work from Arizona to make it happen. In 2000, he was found to have received more than $11,000 from agents in violation of NCAA rules. At the time, Arizona officials made an agreement with the Pac-10 Conference that he would be banned from the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame and ineligible for his jersey to be retired.

He also had to repay the university more than $45,000 the school forfeited for its appearance in the 1999 NCAA tournament.

Terry repaid the money from his NBA earnings and in the past year Bryne succeeded in his appeal to conference presidents and chancellors to allow for the jersey retirement. Terry last summer also earned his degree in general studies from Arizona.

"That is just as big as this honor today," he said. "I set out and made a promise to my mother and 19 years later I made good on that promise."

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