As a child growing up in Sweden, Jerebko was involved in many sports, but he excelled at basketball. Having parents who played basketball was good for Jerebko because there was very little interest in the game among his friends. In 2005, Jerebko signed to play basketball at the University of Buffalo in his father's hometown. Ultimately, he gave up a basketball scholarship for a professional career.
Professional career
Europe (2005–2009)
Jerebko began his career playing with second-tiered Swedish club Borås Basket in the 2005–06 season before joining first-tiered Swedish club Plannja Basket for the 2006–07 season. He averaged 20.0 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 19 games for Borås, and 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 22 games for Plannja. In 2007, Jerebko moved to Italy where he joined Angelico Biella, playing for the club for two seasons.
Detroit Pistons (2009–2015)
In May 2009, ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla considered Jerebko one of the top five European prospects in the 2009 NBA draft. He was subsequently selected with the 39th overall pick by the Detroit Pistons, becoming the second Swedish national player to be selected in the NBA after the Swedish-born American Miles Simon. His career in the NBA got off to a rough-and-tumble start; in a preseason game, Jerebko was accused of punching NBA veteran Jamaal Magloire in the face. Both players were suspended for the opening game of the regular season game for the ensuing fight. Jerebko's hustle and determination early on in 2009–10 made him a fan favorite. He was selected as a member of the Rookie Team as part of the 2010 Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam during the NBA All-Star Weekend. He appeared in 80 games for the Pistons as a rookie, averaging 9.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.99 steals in 27.9 minutes per game. He was among NBA rookie leaders ranked third in rebounds, fourth in blocks, fifth in minutes, eighth in steals, 10th in scoring and T-18 in assists. His 73 games as a starter ranks second in franchise history amongst rookies behind Kelly Tripucka who started all 82 games during the 1981–82 season. On October 5, 2010, Jerebko strained his right Achilles' tendon in a preseason game against the Miami Heat. He subsequently missed the entire 2010–11 season. On December 9, 2011, Jerebko re-signed with the Pistons on a four-year deal.
On February 19, 2015, Jerebko was traded, along with Luigi Datome, to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Tayshaun Prince. On July 9, 2015, Jerebko re-signed with the Celtics.
On July 12, 2018, Jerebko signed with the Golden State Warriors. On October 19, he tipped in a shot against his former team with 0.3 seconds remaining to lift the Warriors to a 124–123 victory over the Jazz. On November 13, he posted his 11th career double-double with season bests of 14 points and 14 rebounds in a 110–103 win over the Atlanta Hawks. On December 22, he scored a career-high 23 points on 10-for-12 shooting with six rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench in a 120–116 win over the Dallas Mavericks. A hampered and severely injured Warriors team made it to the 2019 NBA Finals, where they were defeated by the Toronto Raptors in six games.
Jerebko is the son of former Syracuse forward Chris Jerebko, a Russian American who played professionally in Sweden with Borås Basket for five seasons before settling in that country. Jerebko's mother also played basketball professionally. Jerebko and his wife Johanna have two daughters. On August 26, 2016, Jerebko purchased the Renegades Esports organization from Chris Badawi and Christopher "MonteCristo" Mykles.
