Javier Antonio Colón

Javier Antonio Colón
Personal information
Born (1969-06-04) June 4, 1969
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Nationality Puerto Rican
Listed height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight 180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
Playing career 1987–2008
Position Point guard
Career history
1987–2008 Leones de Ponce
Career highlights and awards
  • 5x BSN Champion (1990, 1992, 1993, 2002, 2004)

Javier Antonio "Toñito" Colón (born June 4, 1969) is a retired Puerto Rican basketball player. Colón spent his entire career as a point guard for the Leones de Ponce of the BSN from 1987 to 2008. Colón led the team to five championships during his career, and is currently third on assists of all-time in the league. Colón also played for the Puerto Rico National Basketball Team from 1990 to 1999.

Career

Colón was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on June 4, 1969. He debuted with the Leones de Ponce in 1987 when he was 17 years old.

Colón became a starter for the team in 1989 and became its captain until 2004. In 1990, he led the Leones to its first championship in 24 years. The team would win again in 1992 and 1993, as Colón led a sharpshooting team known for its accuracy. Colón, along with teammates Roberto Ríos, José "Papote" Agosto, and Charlie Lanauze were referred to as the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" by the media. Colón averaged 18.2 points per game in 1993, the highest of his career.[1]

Colón and the Leones would reach the Finals again in 1995, 1996, 1998, and 2003. In 2004, they beat the Vaqueros de Bayamón for their fifth championship in 15 years. Colón dedicated the championship to the Mayor of Ponce Rafael Cordero Santiago, an avid fan of the team, who had died early that year.

Colón was selected as one of the league's best players of the 1990s, along with Eddie Casiano, James Carter, Edgar León and José "Piculín" Ortiz.[2]

In his last years as a player, Colón settled on a role of back-up point guard.[3] He retired in 2008.


Statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Denotes seasons in which Colón won a BSN championship
Year Team GP FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG PPG
1987 Ponce 19 .517 .500 .808 0.8 1.0 4.6
1988 Ponce 30 .522 .320 .767 1.0 1.7 6.1
1989 Ponce 30 .584 .426 .773 2.8 5.9 12.6
1990 Ponce 24 .485 .314 .688 3.3 9.0 11.9
1991 Ponce 30 .517 .528 .743 4.3 6.3 14.0
1992 Ponce 21 .458 .407 .906 4.4 7.1 15.7
1993 Ponce 34 .525 .489 .896 4.5 5.3 18.2
1994 Ponce 26 .481 .371 .809 4.0 6.2 14.8
1995 Ponce 16 .462 .333 .772 3.7 7.2 16.8
1996 Ponce 33 .488 .343 .808 4.8 6.8 15.3
1997 Ponce 28 .488 .410 .904 5.2 6.8 16.9
1998 Ponce 30 .552 .434 .836 5.0 7.1 15.8
2000 Ponce 18 .472 .364 .829 3.0 4.2 10.8
2001 Ponce 25 .421 .406 .864 4.0 5.5 13.6
2002 Ponce 28 .466 .429 .792 4.1 5.1 15.3
2003 Ponce 29 .440 .368 .838 4.5 4.4 14.3
2004 Ponce 29 .462 .483 .736 3.6 4.8 11.2
2005 Ponce 32 .399 .414 .727 3.6 3.4 10.2
2006 Ponce 25 .356 .362 .721 2.5 2.9 9.0
2007 Ponce 28 .395 .328 .744 1.2 1.4 5.2
2008 Ponce 20 .298 .333 .750 0.5 0.8 2.6
Career 555 .475 .405 .819 3.5 5.0 12.3

Olympic career

Colón was a member of Puerto Rico's National Basketball team for 9 years (1990–1999). As a member, he participated at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics where the team finished 8th and 10th respectively. He also participated in several FIBA tournaments, winning a gold medal in 1995 and two silver medals in 1993 and 1997. Colón and the Puerto Rico team also won the gold at the 1991 Pan American Games and the 1994 Goodwill Games. Other tournaments and events were Colón participated with the Puerto Rico team were Centrobasket (winning two gold medals) and the Central American and Caribbean Games (winning one gold medal).

Colón quit the international team in 1999 after an injury had him sidelined the whole year.

References

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