DeAndre Jordan has spent 17 seasons in the NBA, won a championship with the Denver Nuggets in 2023, and made an All-NBA First Team appearance. But on Monday night, the 37-year-old big man traded his sneakers for a camera and a credential around his neck at Dodger Stadium.
Jordan was on hand for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays — not just as a courtside fan, but as a credentialed photographer in the Dodgers’ photo pit. He posted proof of the gig on X, writing simply: “Side quest ✅ @Dodgers photo pit.”
For a player who spent a decade anchoring the paint for the Lob City Clippers, the moment felt like a full-circle kind of tribute. The Dodgers organization welcomed him behind the lens, a nod to his long-standing connection to Los Angeles basketball.
While Jordan’s on-court role has diminished — he spent last season with the New Orleans Pelicans as a mentor for rookie center Derik Queen — his off-court interests have clearly expanded. The photography side quest isn’t just a whimsical one-off; it reflects the mindset of a veteran who’s already checked most major boxes in his career.
Jordan’s resume is legit: an All-Star in 2017, All-NBA First Team in 2016, and a key piece of those Clippers teams that contended year after year but never broke through. The most painful miss came in 2015, when they blew a 3-1 lead in the second round to the Houston Rockets. That series still stings for Clippers fans who watched Jordan dominate the paint but ultimately come up short.
Since the 2018-19 season, Jordan has transitioned into a backup and locker-room presence, suiting up for the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Nuggets, and Pelicans. His championship ring with Denver in 2023 capped a winding journey that started in Texas A&M and peaked under the bright lights of Staples Center.
The Dodgers’ gesture — letting a longtime L.A. sports figure play photog for a night — underscores the overlapping worlds of entertainment and athletics in Southern California. And for Jordan, who’s never been shy about embracing offbeat opportunities, the photo pit was just another sidestep on a long, accomplished path.
Whether this leads to a second career behind the camera or remains a one-night adventure, Jordan has proven that side quests can be just as memorable as the main mission.
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