Jay was born on Christmas Eve, and grew up to play basketball for Duke University. Bilas was drafted to the NBA in 1986, after helping to lead the Blue devils to the NCAA Championship. Later, he played basketball in Italy before becoming one of Duke's assistant coaches for 3 seasons. He has received his Law Degree from Duke, and now is a broadcaster for ESPN and a well known sports annalist. He had a short acting career while an assistant coach. He normally plays himself in sports movies, but his best known role was as an alien (an inter-galactic law officer) in Dark Angel, a.k.a. I Come in Peace (1990). His athletic, 6'8 frame made him a good fit. He is considered one of the foremost experts on college basketball, and gives seminars and retreats all over the country.