Javaris Cortez Crittenton is a former professional basketball player whose promising NBA career was clouded by legal issues and personal choices.
A former professional basketball player, Crittenton, was born to parents Sonya Dixon and James Crittenton Jr on December 31, 1987, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sonya Dixon, Javaris Crittenton’s mother, was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, where she raised Javaris during his formative years.
Although it remains unascertained if his parents were separated, his mother played a significant role in his upbringing.
She was in the scene during his formative years; Sonya provided a nurturing environment that supported his academic and athletic success.
At Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, Javaris maintained a 3.5 GPA, was involved in the Future Business Leaders of America, and joined the Senior Beta Club.
Whereas, details surrounding his father remain concealed. The former basketball player barely talked about his personal life.
Despite his promising career, Crittenton faced legal troubles that overshadowed his achievements.
His family, particularly his mother, remained a key figure during these difficult times. However, details about how his parents handled his legal issues remain private.
Julian Jones’s Mother, June Woods, Was Disheartened Over Crittenton’s Early Release!
Crittenton, a former Georgia Tech standout, was arrested in 2011 alongside his cousin for the shooting death of Julian Jones, a 22-year-old mother of four, in Atlanta.
Prosecutors claimed Crittenton was targeting someone who had allegedly robbed him, but Jones, an innocent bystander, was fatally shot.
After pleading guilty to a lesser charge in 2015, Crittenton received a 23-year sentence.
However, in 2016, former Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard, reportedly an uncle of NBA star Dwight Howard, quietly struck a deal to reduce Crittenton’s sentence to 10 years.
Paul Howard proposed the deal with the condition that Crittenton would demonstrate rehabilitation and serve as a positive example.
June Woods, the mother of Julian Jones, expressed heartbreak after learning that Crittenton was released from prison early.
Crittenton, who was sentenced to 23 years in 2015 for Jones’ murder, walked free on April 21, 2023, after serving only 10 years. Woods felt the early release was unfair to her daughter’s memory and her children.
Woods poured her agitation, saying that she was never informed of the deal, which she called a “slap in the face” to her family.
That wasn’t fair for the family not to know what Paul Howard was doing. I would’ve spoken up then. It’s not fair to us. It’s not fair to her children what he did.
If her children would’ve been out there, he would’ve shot them, too.
On April 13, 2023, Crittenton was resentenced to 10 years, including time served, and 10 years of probation.
He was released from Wilcox State Prison just days later. Attorney Fani Willis attempted to block the release by filing a motion, but a judge upheld Howard’s deal.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Crittenton was accused of physically abusing the mother of his child, Tyress Daniels. She alleged multiple incidents of violence, including one while she was pregnant.
- While playing for the Washington Wizards, Crittenton was involved in a heated dispute with teammate Gilbert Arenas over a gambling debt.
- Javaris Crittenton is the subject of a new Netflix documentary, Untold: Shooting Guards, released on May 6, 2025.
