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Darryl Dawkins

2012-02-29T08:39:00.000+01:00

Darryl Dawkins
Darryl Dawkins (born January 11, 1957 in Orlando, Florida) is a retired American professional basketball player, most noted for his days with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he also played briefly for the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz late in his career. He was nicknamed "Chocolate Thunder" for his powerful dunks, which notably led to the NBA adopting breakaway rims due to him shattering the backboard on two occasions in 1979.
Dawkins averaged double figures in scoring nine times in his 14 years in the NBA, often ranking among the league leaders in field-goal percentage. He also played in the NBA Finals three times as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. On the flip side, Dawkins set an NBA record for fouls in a season (386 in 1983-84), and he never quite lived up to the expectations that had been heaped upon him when he was drafted out of high school.
"Many of us will judge him solely on what he could have been," said Dave Wohl, who played against and coached Dawkins, in Sports Illustrated. "Too many will be blinded by the flashes of brilliance that never materialized into consistent greatness. There were times when he teased us with a hint of how he could dominate a game. And we went home in awe and yet sad because we knew of no spell to make it happen more frequently. But few players could make us feel that way even once."

Hoping to follow in Malone’s footsteps, the 18-year-old Dawkins renounced his college eligibility and applied for the 1975 NBA Draft as a hardship candidate. The Philadelphia 76ers made him the fifth overall pick, behind David Thompson, David Meyers, Marvin Webster, and Alvan Adams. According to the New York Daily News, when Dawkins made his debut with the 76ers, New York Knicks guard Walt Frazier took one look and said, "I bet his teachers called him ‘Mr. Darryl.’"
With his size, speed, and touch, Dawkins was expected to take over the league. But he handled the expectations in typical fashion. "When I walked into the league, they wanted me to be Wilt Chamberlain right away—without one minute of college ball," he told the Daily News. "I can’t be Wilt Chamberlain. Wilt is much taller than me."
A raw talent who needed time to develop, Dawkins languished on the Sixers’ bench for his first two seasons. As a rookie in 1975-76 he played in only 37 games, averaging 2.4 points in 4.5 minutes per game. The next year he played a limited role during the regular season but began to emerge during the playoffs. The Sixers advanced all the way to the NBA Finals that year, and Dawkins was called upon to help battle Portland’s Bill Walton. The Trail Blazers won the series in six games, but Dawkins earned respect among the Philadelphia coaching staff with 7.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest in the postseason.

In the 1977-78 season Dawkins finally found a regular role, coming off the bench for nearly 25 minutes per game. Now a robust 20 years old, he averaged 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds and ranked second in the league in field-goal percentage at .575. With a club that included Julius Erving, George McGinnis, Lloyd Free, and Doug Collins, the Sixers made another solid postseason run, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Washington Bullets in six games.
Prior to the 1978–79 season Philadelphia traded McGinnis to the Denver Nuggets for Bobby Jones and Ralph Simpson. The move was made in part to clear space for Dawkins on the Sixers’ front line, which also included 6-foot-11 Caldwell Jones. Over the next three seasons Dawkins and Caldwell Jones split time at the center and power forward positions, and Dawkins had the most productive stretch of his career. In 1979–80 he averaged 14.7 points and a career-high 8.7 rebounds, helping the Sixers back to the NBA Finals, which they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
In a game against the Kansas City Kings in November 1979, Dawkins threw down such a massive dunk that the backboard shattered, sending the Kings' Bill Robinzine ducking. Three weeks later he did it again. A few days after that the NBA ruled that breaking a backboard was an offense that would result in a fine and suspension.
Dawkins named the first backboard-breaking dunk "The Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Robinzine-Crying, Teeth-Shaking, Glass-Breaking, Rump-Roasting, Bun-Toasting, Wham-Bam, Glass-Breaker-I-Am-Jam." [1]
He named other dunks as well: the Rim Wrecker, the Go-Rilla, the Look Out Below, the In-Your-Face Disgrace, the Cover Your Head, the Yo-Mama, and the Spine-Chiller Supreme. The 76ers also kept a separate column on the stat sheet for Dawkins’s self-created nicknames: "Sir Slam", "Dr. Dunkenstein", and "Chocolate Thunder."
Also, he claimed to be an alien from the planet Lovetron where he spent the off-season practicing "interplanetary funkmanship" and where his girlfriend Juicy Lucy still lived.

At age 25, Dawkins joined a Nets club that included Albert King, Buck Williams, and Otis Birdsong. He had two productive seasons in a Nets uniform before injuries destroyed the rest of his career. In the 1982-83 season Dawkins averaged 12.0 points and shot .599 from the floor, ranking third in the league in field-goal percentage behind Gilmore and Steve Johnson. The next season he poured in a career-high 16.8 points per game on .593 field-goal shooting and grabbed 6.7 rebounds per contest. Dawkins also set a dubious NBA record that year when he committed 386 personal fouls for the season.
The 1983-84 campaign was Dawkins’s last full season. Injuries limited him to only 39 games in 1984-85, and then a back injury in the 1985-86 campaign all but ended his career. At the time, Dawkins was averaging 15.3 points and shooting .644 from the floor, but the injury sidelined him for 31 of the Nets’ final 32 games and led to abortive playing attempts over the next three seasons. With New Jersey, then the Utah Jazz, then the Detroit Pistons, Dawkins kept trying to come back, but his back wouldn’t let him. He played only 26 games from 1986-87 through 1988-89, finally retiring at the end of the 1988-89 season at age 32. He attempted a comeback in 1994 attending Denver Nuggets training camp and again in 1995 with the Boston Celtics. Dawkins also spent several seasons after 1989, playing in the Italian league for Torino, Olimpia Milano and Telemarket Forli.
Dawkins has the record for most personal fouls committed in a season, with 386 in 1984, which is seven more than his 379 fouls the previous year, which ranks second all time.[3] He committed one more personal foul during his career than Michael Jordan, despite playing nearly 350 fewer games.

Following his NBA career, Dawkins had a brief stint with the Harlem Globetrotters, followed by a season spent with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the Continental Basketball Association in 1995-1996. During this season, the Skyforce games versus the Florida Beach Dogs were covered by ESPN as Florida featured former NBA center Manute Bol, and ESPN could not resist the novelty of Darryl Dawkins versus Manute Bol. In 2005, along with other former pro basketball players, Dawkins auditioned for an NBA analyst position with ESPN as part of the network's reality series Dream Job.
He was the head coach of the American Basketball Association's Newark Express. He was also the player/coach of the short-lived Winnipeg Cyclone.
He was the head coach of the Allentown, Pennsylvania-based Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs of the United States Basketball League until they folded.
On August 20, 2009, Lehigh Carbon Community College (located in Schnecksville, PA) announced that Dawkins would be the head coach of their men's basketball team for the upcoming 2009-2010 season.

Grant Hill part 2

2012-01-17T07:38:00.000+01:00

Grant Hill part 2
Much like Scottie Pippen with the Bulls, Hill assumed the role of a "point forward" in Detroit, running the Pistons offense. As a result, between the 1995–96 and 1998–99 NBA seasons, Hill was the league leader in assists per game among non-guards all four seasons. In the lockout-shortened 1999 season, as he led his team in points, rebounds and assists for the third time, Grant Hill joined Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor as the only players in NBA history to lead their teams in scoring, rebounding and assists more than once. Hill and Chamberlain are the only two players in league history to lead their teams in points, rebounds and assists per game three times. Hill was selected to play in the 1998 FIBA World Championship, but in the end no NBA players played in this tournament due to the lockout.
Hill's 1999–2000 season showed that he could be one of NBA's truly dominant scorers. He averaged 25.8 points while shooting 49% from the field, the season's third highest scoring average, behind MVP Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson. He maintained solid overall numbers, averaging 6.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. However, despite Hill's individual accomplishments in Detroit, the Pistons never made it far in the playoffs, either losing in the first round (1996, 1997 and 1999), or missing the playoffs entirely in the 1994–95 and 1997–98 seasons. The 2000 playoffs would be no different. On April 15, 2000, 7 days before the start of the playoffs, Hill sprained his left ankle in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers. He continued to play until the first round playoff series against the Miami Heat, in which his injured ankle got worse and Hill was forced to leave halfway through game 2. Eventually, the Heat swept the Pistons 3–0. Hill was initially selected for the 2000 Olympics U.S. team, but could not play due to his ankle injury, which would prove to be a major liability for many years to come.
After the first six seasons of his career, before his ankle injury, Hill had a total of 9,393 points, 3,417 rebounds and 2,720 assists. Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, and LeBron James are the only three players in league history to eclipse these numbers after their first six seasons.

As an unrestricted free agent, Hill had planned to sign with the Orlando Magic. However, on August 3, 2000, a sign and trade deal allowed Hill to receive a slightly more lucrative contract while Detroit received at least some compensation for losing him. The Pistons traded Hill to Orlando for Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace. The Magic hoped he would team up with budding superstar Tracy McGrady, who had been signed away from the Toronto Raptors at that time, to return Orlando among the NBA elite. But Hill had been hampered by ankle injuries ever since his arrival in Orlando, playing in only four games in his first season with the Magic, 14 games in his second and 29 in his third. He was forced to sit out his entire fourth year with Orlando (2003–04). Meanwhile, the Pistons, who had defeated the Magic in the 2003 Playoffs but ended up losing to the New Jersey Nets in Eastern Conference Finals, won the championship the following year in 2004.
In March 2003, Hill underwent a major surgical procedure in which doctors re-fractured his ankle and realigned it with his leg bone. Five days after the surgery was performed, Hill developed a 104.5 °F (40.3 °C) fever and convulsions. He was rushed to a hospital. Doctors removed the splint around his ankle and discovered that Hill had contracted a potentially fatal methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. He was hospitalized for a week and had to take intravenous antibiotics for six months.
The 2004–05 season saw a return to the old Grant Hill, who was so popular earlier in his career. Hill, though hampered by a bruised left shin that caused him to miss several games, started and played 67 games for the Magic, well over the combined amount of games he played for the Magic the previous four seasons. He was named the Eastern Conference player of the week for the week between November 15–21, 2004. Over the season, Hill averaged 19.7 points per game on a .509 field goal percentage. Fans voted him an All-Star starter again, and he led the Eastern Conference All-Star Team to a victory over the West. In addition, at the conclusion of the season, Hill was awarded the Joe Dumars Trophy presented to the NBA Sportsmanship Award Winner.
During the 2005–06 season, Hill was once again injured frequently as nagging groin injuries kept him sidelined for much of the first half of the season, limiting him to 21 games. He got a sports hernia that was caused by an uneven pressure on Hill's feet while he was running, due to concerns that he could re-aggravate the injury on his left ankle if it got too much pressure. Hill underwent surgery for the hernia and has since stated that he would consider retirement if he has to get another surgery.

In the 2006–07 season, Hill returned from injuries despite numerous rumors surrounding his retirement. Hill received ankle rotation therapy from specialists in Vancouver, BC during the off-season and has stated that he has regained much motion in his left ankle. Hill returned to the Magic lineup, starting at the shooting guard position. Despite having problems with injuries on his left knee and a tendon in his left ankle, Hill managed to play 65 games, two short of the highest number of games he played over a single season as a member of the Magic. He finished the season with averages of 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. This season would see Hill return to the playoffs for the first time since 2000, his first playoff appearance with the Magic. The 8th seed Magic would meet Hill's old team, the Detroit Pistons, in the first round. The Pistons' vast playoff experience would prevail over the inexperienced Magic, who had not seen significant post-season action for some years, and despite having some close games, the series would end with a 4–0 Pistons sweep, leaving Hill undecided on whether to return for the 2007–08 season with the Magic, sign with another team, or retire.

Hill became an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2007. On July 5, Hill's agent, Lon Babby, said Hill intended to sign with the Phoenix Suns on July 11 (the first day free agents can officially sign contracts).[5] Hill earned $1.83 million for 2007–08 with a $1.97 million player option for the next year. Hill was named captain along with Steve Nash. Hill was given permission by Suns Ring of Honor member Alvan Adams to wear his familiar No. 33 with the Suns. Hill adapted well to the Suns' up-tempo style, averaging double figures in points as a key role player for Phoenix in the early months of the 2007–08 season. He played in the team's first 34 games before an emergency appendectomy on January 9, 2008, sidelined him for two weeks. Despite being bothered by multiple injuries throughout the season, Hill had his first 70-game season since leaving Detroit, averaging 13.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 2.9 apg in the process.
Playing for the Phoenix Suns in the 2008–2009 season, Hill appeared in all 82 games for the first time in his career and averaged 12.0 ppg, 4.90 rpg, and 2.3 apg, scoring 27 points and 10 rebounds in the Suns' season finale.
On July 10, 2009, the Associated Press reported that Hill decided to re-sign with the Phoenix Suns for a 2-year deal, despite an offer from the New York Knicks for the full mid-level exception and the Boston Celtics offering Hill the bi-annual exception.[6] The first year of the contract is believed to be worth around $3 million with the second year at Hill's option.
In 2010, the Phoenix Suns advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals, marking Hill's first playoff series victory, and making him the first NBA player in history to win his first playoff series after 15 years in the league. After sweeping the San Antonio Spurs 4-0, the Suns then moved to the Western Conference Finals to face the Los Angeles Lakers but lost in the sixth game.
On June 8, Hill exercised his option for the 2010–11 season.[7] The Suns underwent two major roster changes in 2010–11. During the pre-season, teammate Amar'e Stoudemire left for New York while Hedo Türkoğlu, Josh Childress and Hakim Warrick joined the Suns. Not long after the season began, Hedo Türkoğlu, Jason Richardson and Earl Clark were traded to the Orlando Magic for Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat and Mickaël Piétrus. Hill became one of six all-time NBA players to average 13 or more points at 38 years of age. On January 15, 2011, Hill passed the 16,000 career points milestone in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
On December 9, 2011, Hill decided to stay with the Phoenix Suns for a one year, $6.5 million contract.

Grant Hill part 1

2012-01-12T07:26:00.002+01:00

Grant Hill part 1
Grant Henry Hill (born October 5, 1972) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the NBA. As a collegian with Duke University and early in his professional career with the Detroit Pistons, Hill was widely considered to be one of the best all-around players in the game, often leading his team in points, rebounds and assists. His time in the league has been hampered by career-threatening injuries, notably during the prime of his career. At age 39, Hill is the second-oldest player in the NBA, one day younger than the oldest player, Kurt Thomas.
Grant Hill was born in Dallas, Texas. His father, Calvin Hill, graduated from Yale University with a degree in history, later attended Southern Methodist University and was a three-time All-Pro running back for the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys, winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in 1969. His mother, Janet, is a Wellesley College graduate. After his father's NFL career ended, the family settled in Reston, Virginia, where Grant became a high-school superstar at South Lakes High School and he was selected for the 1990 McDonald's All-American Team.
When the time came to choose a college, Hill's mother states in the Fox Sports documentary Beyond the Glory that she wanted him to attend Georgetown University, while his father preferred the University of North Carolina. Hill chose a neutral path and decided to attend Duke University. Hill played four years with the Duke Blue Devils, winning national titles in 1991 and 1992. Duke became the first Division I program to win consecutive titles since UCLA in 1973. Despite losing two of the biggest contributors on the Blue Devils, Christian Laettner (in 1992) and Bobby Hurley (who both went on to play in the NBA), Hill led Duke to the championship game once again in 1994, but ended up losing to the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Hill won the Henry Iba Corinthian Award as the nation's top defensive player in 1993, and in 1994 he was the ACC Player of the Year. During his collegiate career, Hill became the first player in ACC history to collect more than 1,900 points, 700 rebounds, 400 assists, 200 steals and 100 blocked shots. As a result of his successful college career, he became the 8th player in Duke history to have his jersey number (33) retired. After his freshman season at Duke, Hill played on the bronze medal-winning U.S. team at the 1991 Pan American Games, held in Havana, Cuba.
Hill is also widely known for his role in a desperation play in an NCAA tournament regional final against Kentucky in 1992, which is considered by many to be one of the greatest college basketball games of all time. With Duke down 103–102 in overtime and only 2.1 seconds remaining after Kentucky's Sean Woods hit a floater, an unguarded Hill heaved the in-bounds pass 75 feet across the court into the hands of Laettner, who dribbled once and spun before pulling up to make the game-winning jumper from just outside the free-throw line as time expired.
As of March 28, 2010, he was tied for sixth-most career double-figure scoring games at Duke with Mike Gminski, behind Jon Scheyer.

Grant Hill was drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the third pick in the NBA Draft after graduating from Duke in 1994. He entered the league to high expectations, where many expected him to be the future face of the league in a time when Michael Jordan was retired. In his first season, he averaged 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.77 steals per game, and became the first Pistons rookie since Isiah Thomas in 1981–82 to score 1000 points. Hill ended up sharing NBA Rookie of the Year Award honors with Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks, becoming the first Piston since Dave Bing in 1966–67 to win the award. Hill also won the Sporting News Rookie Of the Year award. He was named to the all-NBA First Team in 1997, and all-NBA Second Teams in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. Hill also regularly played in the NBA All-Star Game, where he made history by being the first rookie ever to lead an NBA All-Star fan balloting in (1994–95) with 1,289,585 votes,[3] narrowly defeating Shaquille O'Neal. In fact, Hill became the first rookie in all major sports to get the most votes for an All-Star game.
In his second season (1995–96), he once again led the All-Star fan balloting, this time edging Michael Jordan (Jordan's first All-Star game after returning since retiring in 1993). During the 1995–96 season, Hill showcased his all-round abilities by leading the NBA in triple-doubles (10). He also won a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta as a member of the U.S. men's basketball team, where he had the team's fifth highest scoring average (9.7) and led the team in steals (18). Hill's 1996–97 season was his finest yet, with averages of 21.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He became the first player since Larry Bird in 1989–90 to average 20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in a season, an accomplishment that has not been duplicated since. Once again, Hill led the league in triple-doubles, where his 13 triple-doubles represented 35 percent of the league's triple-double total that season. He was the league's Player of the Month for January and was also awarded NBA's IBM Award, given to the player with the biggest statistical contributions to his team. He finished third in MVP voting, behind Karl Malone and Michael Jordan.

Nenad Krstić

2012-01-04T07:47:00.000+01:00

Nenad Krstić
Nenad Krstić (Serbian Cyrillic: Ненад Крстић; born July 25, 1983 in Kraljevo, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Serbian professional basketball player for CSKA Moscow. Krstić is officially listed at 7'0" (2.13 m) tall.
His first professional club was KK Partizan where he played for three years, making his debut in the 2001–02 season. In the 2003–04 season, his last with Partizan, he averaged 13.4 points per game in the Euroleague. With Partizan, he also won three national championships in a row, and one national cup in his first season.

He was drafted 24th overall in the 2002 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets. But he then went on to play the next two seasons with Partizan Belgrade.[1]
During the 2004–05 NBA season, Krstić logged an impressive rookie campaign for the New Jersey Nets, averaging 10.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.84 blocked shots per game.[2] He was honored as part of the All-Rookie NBA second team.[3]
In his debut in the playoffs against the Miami Heat, Krstić averaged 18.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game;[2] an exceptional performance for a rookie in the playoffs. This followed a greater trend where Krstić had consistently improved at a great pace as his rookie season progressed. He has a wide skill set for a big man, including refined post moves and a fantastic shooting touch from eighteen feet.
Throughout the 2005–06 season, Krstić's play had continued to rapidly improve. Three quarters of the way through the season, he averaged 13.4 points and 6.1 rebounds, and had become an integral part of the Nets offense. In the first round of the 2006 NBA playoffs against Indiana he averaged 18 points per game along with 7.1 rebounds.

In 2006–07 despite the rough Nets start, Nenad Krstić was averaging career highs in points (16.6), rebounds (6.8), and assists (1.8)[2] before falling to the ground after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee versus the L.A. Lakers at Continental Airlines Arena on December 22, 2006.[4] His surgery was successful.[5] Krstić was out for the rest of the 2006–07 NBA season, but returned ahead of schedule to start the 2007–08 NBA season.[6]
His 2007–08 season was a disappointment, as his injury disrupted his play and confidence on the court and he was largely a liability. Krstić later stated in his blog that he felt he let the team down, and vowed to return to his old form at the start of the 08–09 season.
During the 2008 summer off-season, Krstić entered negotiations with the Russian Super League team Triumph Lyubertsy and eventually signed a 2 year contract (with the NBA an opt-out option) worth €6 million euros net income with them on July 29, 2008.[7][8] He averaged 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in seven games in the Russian Super League[9][10] and 13.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in 6 games in the EuroChallenge.
On December 19, 2008, two NBA league sources told ESPN.com that the Oklahoma City Thunder had agreed in principle to sign Krstić to a three-year offer sheet.[12] On December 22, Krstić officially signed the offer sheet. The New Jersey Nets had seven days to match the offer, or Krstić would be free to join the Thunder.[13] The Nets declined to match, and the Thunder waived Steven Hill to make room for Krstić.[14]
He played for the first time in a Thunder uniform on January 7, 2009, versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, scoring six points and blocking 2 shots in 16 minutes.

On February 24, 2011, Krstić was traded along with Jeff Green and a 2012 first round pick to the Boston Celtics for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson. In his first game as a Celtic, he recorded 9 points and 6 rebounds in a win against the Los Angeles Clippers on February 26.
On June 22, 2011 he signed a two-year contract with CSKA Moscow in Russia.
Krstić played with the Serbia and Montenegro national basketball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics and Eurobasket 2005.
As captain of Serbian national basketball team he played at the Eurobasket 2009, where he won the silver medal and 2010 FIBA World Championship, where he won the fourth place.

Shawn Marion

2011-12-27T10:20:00.000+01:00

Shawn Marion
Shawn Dwayne Marion (born May 7, 1978) is an American professional basketball player currently with the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Marion attended high school in Clarksville, Tennessee. Before transferring to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Marion attended the junior college Vincennes University for two years. In 1999, the Phoenix Suns drafted Marion, who was the ninth overall pick and would remain with the Suns until midway through the 2007-2008 season. The Suns traded Marion to the Miami Heat, and Marion joined the Toronto Raptors for the 2008-2009 season. Marion joined the Dallas Mavericks in 2009 and was the team's starting small forward when the Mavericks won the NBA Championship in June, 2011.
Nicknamed "The Matrix" by TNT analyst Kenny Smith during the pre-season of his rookie year for his seemingly bionic athleticism,[1] he is widely regarded as one of the most versatile players in the league thanks to his athleticism and ability to play and defend many positions.

Marion was born in Waukegan, Illinois and played high school basketball in Clarksville, Tennessee at Clarksville High School, where he was a teammate of future NBA player Trenton Hassell of the New Jersey Nets.[2]
After high school he played collegiate basketball at Vincennes University, a junior college in Indiana, for two years before transferring to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in 1998.[3] In his second year with Vincennes, Marion played 36 games and averaged each game 23.5 points and 13.1 rebounds.[4] He was also the 1998 NJCAA Male Student Athlete of the Year.
Marion was selected by the Suns in the first round and ninth overall in the 1999 NBA Draft. Showing explosive scoring potential and double-digit rebounding ability by his sophomore season, he was selected to the Western Conference All-Star team for the first time in 2002–03 season. In 2004 he was selected to the US Olympic men's basketball team.
In 2005, Marion was named a reserve on the Western Conference All-Star Team and selected to the 2004–05 All-NBA Third Team. That year he became the first player since David Robinson in 1991–92 to average in the top five in rebounding and steals since the league began tracking steals in 1973, a feat he repeated in 2005–06. During the 2005 All-Star Weekend, Marion teamed up with WNBA Rookie of the Year Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury, and Suns legend Dan Majerle in the RadioShack Shooting Stars to run away with the title. Marion was also selected as a Western Conference reserve on the 2006 All-Star team, and the 2007 All-Star team.

The 2005–06 NBA season was perhaps the best season of his career. He was the only player in the NBA ranked in the top 20 in points, rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal percentage and minutes. He finished the season leading the Suns in points per game (21.8), rebounds per game (11.8), blocks per game (1.7), and steals per game (2.0). Marion also ranked 3rd in efficiency.[6] He helped fill in the void left by star Amar'e Stoudemire, who missed nearly the entire season due to injury. Marion also earned a spot in the NBA All-Star Game for the third time.
During the 2006–07 season, only Marion and superstar Kevin Garnett ranked in the top 40 in points per game, rebounds per game, field goal percentage, blocks per game, steals per game, and minutes per game.[7] He was named to his fourth NBA All-Star Team and collected 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals in 22 minutes in his hometown of Las Vegas at the 2007 contest.
Following a summer filled with rumors and trade speculation involving possible deals with the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Utah Jazz, Marion requested a move. Citing the rumors and a refusal on the part of Phoenix management to negotiate a contract extension, Marion called his relationship with the Suns a "bad marriage", and stated in September 2007 it was time for him to leave Phoenix.[8] By the start of the season, though, Marion continued to play well for the Suns.
On February 6, 2008, the Phoenix Suns traded Shawn Marion and teammate, Marcus Banks, to the Miami Heat for center Shaquille O'Neal. His last basket with the Heat was a game-winning dunk against the Chicago Bulls
On February 13, 2009, Marion was traded to the Toronto Raptors along with Marcus Banks and cash considerations for Jermaine O'Neal, Jamario Moon and a future conditional draft pick.
On July 9, 2009, Marion signed a five-year $39 million contract and was immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks as part of a four-team swap among Raptors, Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic.[11] He won the first championship of his career in the 2010–2011 season by beating the Miami Heat 4–2 in the 2011 NBA Finals.
On April 13, 2011, Marion became the fifth man to compile 1,500 steals and 1,000 blocks in the NBA. He joined Hakeem Olajuwon, Karl Malone, Kevin Garnett and Julius Erving in the exclusive club.
Marion played for the senior United States National Basketball Team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship and the 2004 Athens Olympics. He was named to the 2006 USA men's senior national team but he was forced to withdraw before the tournament began due to a knee injury. The squad finished third in the 2006 FIBA World Championship without him. He has earned 22 total international caps for the United States.

Ron Harper

2011-12-23T07:29:00.001+01:00

Ron Harper
Ronald "Ron" Harper (born January 20, 1964) is a retired American professional basketball player whose career spanned from 1986 to 2001 with four teams in the NBA. At 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), his position was shooting guard/point guard.
Harper starred at Miami University in Ohio, where his high flying playing style drew rousing comparisons to Julius Erving. Harper averaged 24.3 points per game, 11.2 rebounds per game, 3.2 steals per game, and 2.4 blocked shots per game.

After Harper's collegiate basketball career he was selected 8th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1986 NBA Draft. He averaged 22.9 points per game in his rookie season, placing second in Rookie of the Year balloting, finishing behind Chuck Person of the Indiana Pacers.[2] After initially spending 3 seasons with the Cavaliers, Harper was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Danny Ferry.
While with the Clippers, Harper sustained a knee injury which robbed him of much of his speed and jumping ability, though he averaged just under 2 steals per game which still remains a team record.

In 1994, he signed a lucrative free agent deal with the Bulls, who were rebuilding following the initial retirement of Michael Jordan. After his first tumultuous season in Chicago, he reinvented himself as a defender and jump shooter. With the return of Jordan in late 1995, Harper remained a key component of the Bulls' perimeter defense and a scoring option on offense. He became a fan favorite in Chicago. Although he suffered an injury late in the Bulls' record-setting 72-win season in 1996, he returned to the starting lineup during the 1996 NBA Finals.
He was a mainstay of five of Phil Jackson's eleven championship teams, following Jackson to Los Angeles to win two more championships (after winning 3 with the Bulls). Along with Harper, Dennis Rodman and Robert Horry are the only players to win consecutive NBA Championships with each of two different teams.
In 2005, Harper signed as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons.[2] His two-year deal was not renewed in 2007.
On November 1, 1997, Ron Harper appeared in the Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel, in the episode titled "Foul Bull". In the episode, Harper, as a Chicago Bull, slips on some orange soda and gets injured, and all of Chicago is angry with Kenan & Kel, who try to apologize.

No. 4, 9
Guard / Small forward
Personal information
Date of birth January 20, 1964 (age 47)
Place of birth Dayton, Ohio
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight 185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
College Miami (Ohio) (1982–1986)
NBA Draft 1986 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8th overall
Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Pro career 1986–2001
Career history
1986–1989 Cleveland Cavaliers
1989–1994 Los Angeles Clippers
1994–1999 Chicago Bulls
1999–2001 Los Angeles Lakers

Danny Granger

2011-12-19T08:11:00.000+01:00

Danny Granger
Danny Granger, Jr. (born April 20, 1983) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the NBA. He is mainly a small forward, though he does log time at the power forward position. [1] He is also able to initiate the team's offense and so is regarded as one who can play the point forward position. [2] Before his professional career, he went to Grace King High School in Metairie, Louisiana where he was a McDonald's All-American nominee before his senior year.[3] He was a good student who scored a 30 on the ACT[4] and was offered admission to Yale University. He played for Bradley University and then transferred to University of New Mexico before his junior year.
Granger started his collegiate career at Bradley University where he played the 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 seasons.[5] After a lackluster 12–18 season in 2002–2003,[6] he transferred to the University of New Mexico for the 2003–2004 and 2004–2005 seasons. In 2004–2005, he became the first player in school history to get 60 assists, 60 blocks, and 60 steals in a season. He won the Mountain West Conference tournament MVP and led the Lobos to the NCAA tournament.
Granger graduated with a degree in civil engineering.

Granger was selected 17th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers,[7] as the organization included former Lobo Mel Daniels[8] and Hall of Famer Larry Bird, who was coached in college by the father of New Mexico Lobo Basketball, coach Bob King.[9]
In his first NBA season, Granger played in 78 regular season games, averaging 7.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while making the All-NBA Rookie Second Team. He added 8.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in 6 playoff games.[5]
With the departure of Peja Stojaković[10] and arrival of Al Harrington[11] during the 2006 offseason, Granger became the Pacers' starting small forward for 2006–07. After the first 15 games, he became the first man off the bench.
Since a January 17, 2007 eight-player trade with the Golden State Warriors,[12] Granger started at the small forward and shooting guard spots, mainly due to the departure of Harrington. With the second and third scoring options (Harrington and Stephen Jackson, respectively) on the team gone, he was given more chances for scoring and averaged 13.9 points per game in 2006–07.[5]
In 2007–08, Granger led the Pacers in scoring for the first time, averaging 19 PPG, while starting all 80 games he appeared in.[13]
On October 31, 2008, Granger and the Pacers agreed on a 5-year contract extension.[14] The contract pays him $9,930,500 starting in 2009–2010 and escalates ten percent each year, ending after the 2013–2014 season.[15] The finalization of the deal was announced that night, mere hours before the midnight deadline which, if passed without any agreement, would have made Granger a restricted free agent the following summer.

In the 2008–2009 season, he scored a career high 42 points against the Detroit Pistons on December 12, 2008[16] and again against the Golden State Warriors on January 11, 2009.[17] On January 29, 2009 Granger was announced as an All-Star reserve for the Eastern conference. On May 12, 2009 Danny Granger was named the Most Improved Player for the 2008-2009 NBA Season.[18] At the end of the 2008-2009 season, Granger had raised his scoring average by at least five points per game each year (7.5, 13.9, 19.6, 25.8) for three consecutive years, becoming the only player in league history to do so.
Following his breakout season in 2008-2009, the next season was a bit of a disappointment, marred by injuries and losses. On March 26, 2010, however, Granger scored a new career-high 44 points against the Utah Jazz.[19]
Medal record
Competitor for United States
FIBA World Championship
Gold 2010 Turkey Team competition
In the summer of 2010, Granger participated in the FIBA World Championships, playing for the US Senior National team. On September 12, the US team won the gold medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, beating host country Turkey 81-64.

Jaycee Carroll

2011-12-15T10:03:00.000+01:00

Jaycee Carroll
Jaycee Don Carroll (born April 16, 1983) is an American professional basketball player. While playing for the Utah State University Aggies, he was best known for his scoring prowess, shooting ability, range, and endurance. He has the 4th highest 3 point field goal percentage, 14th most 3 pointers made, and 52nd most points in NCAA history. He is the Aggies' all-time scoring leader and holds 9 other school records. He is currently playing for Real Madrid, a team in the Spanish ACB.

As a sophomore at Evanston High School, in Evanston, Wyoming, Jaycee earned a spot on the varsity squad. During his junior year, he averaged 27.4 points, 3.3 steals and 2.8 assists per game. In his senior year, he set the state record for points per game at 39.4. Additionally, he averaged 9.1 rebounds and 3.6 steals per game. During a game against Green River, Jaycee scored 56 points, making 14 of 16 three-point attempts. Jaycee was named the Wyoming Gatorade Player of the Year as both a junior and senior. Carroll chose to play college ball at Utah State University in nearby Logan, Utah.
As a freshman, after taking a two-year break from basketball to serve an LDS mission in Chile, Carroll was outstanding, breaking many school and league records and earning multiple conference and national honors. Carroll was named a Freshman All-American by CollegeInsider.com and Rivals.com. He finished the year scoring 18 points against ninth-ranked Arizona in the first round of the NCAA tournament. He averaged 14.7 points per game, making 47.5 percent of his three-point shots and 53.2 percent overall. He broke Utah State's freshman single-game scoring record (with 28 points) and season scoring record (with 407 points). Carroll also became the first freshman in the history of the Big West Conference to be named the Most Valuable Player of the league's postseason tournament.

During his sophomore season, Carroll continued to break records. On February 2, 2006 versus New Mexico State, Carroll made 10 three-pointers, which broke both the team and conference records. He averaged 16.3 points per game, converting 45.1 percent of his three-pointers (which led the WAC) and 46.5 percent overall. He scored 21 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists against Washington in a losing effort in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in March. For the second straight season, he earned second-team all-conference honors. By the end of his sophomore year, Carroll was ranked 33rd all-time in career scoring, and 5th all-time in three-pointers made at Utah State.
Carroll continued to increase his scoring in his junior year. His 21.3 points per game led the WAC and was 10th in the nation. He also led the WAC in three-point shooting percentage (43.2 percent), shot 52.7 from the field and pulled down 6.3 rebounds per game. Carroll had a career-high scoring game against New Mexico St. on scoring 44 points in 34 minutes, shooting 12 of 16 from the field, 5 of 7 from three-point range, and 15-15 from the free throw line. The 44-point mark was the most points ever scored by a Utah State Aggie in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in a single game. By the end of his junior season, he ranked 7th all-time at USU for career points with 1,737, needing only 391 points to pass the mark of 2,127 set by Greg Grant in 1986. Carroll was named to the Associated Press All-American Team as an honorable mention.
Carroll spent much of the summer prior to his senior year in the gym practicing his shot. He attempted 23,963 shots, making 20,010 of them.[1] He was named the WAC Preseason player of the year for the 2007-08 season by both the media and WAC coaches, one of the top 15 seniors by SportsIllustrated.com, and a first-team high-major All-American by Collegehoops.net. Amongst all active Division 1 basketball players, Carroll started the season ranked first in career three-point shooting percentage (45.2), third in career scoring and third in career scoring average (17.5) (among returning seniors).[2] Carroll's 32 points versus Utah Valley State on December 20, 2007 propelled him past Wayne Estes to reach second place on USU's all-time scoring list with 2,009. Carroll became Utah State's all-time leading scorer on January 19, 2008 in a game against Idaho in Logan. He passed Greg Grant on his first basket – a three-pointer – which gave him 2,129 career points. After leading his team to a regular-season conference championship, he was named WAC player of the year.
Carroll completed his career at Utah State with a loss to Illinois State in the first round of the NIT. He scored a total 2,507 career points, falling 35 short of breaking the record, at the time held by Keith Van Horn, for all-time leading scorer in the state of Utah. That record is now 2,599 career points, currently held by Jimmer Fredette of BYU. Carroll was selected as one of the best three-point shooters in the nation and along with 7 others competed in the 3-Point Shootout at the 2008 NCAA Final Four in San Antonio, Texas. The final event of his collegiate career was the NABC All-Star Game at the Final Four.

Carroll was one of 64 players in his first NBA pre-draft camp event – the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament – on April 9–12, 2008. Undrafted, he played for the New Jersey Nets in the 2008 Orlando Pro Summer League camp, earning second-team honors. He also signed contracts to play for the Nets in the 2008 Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City and for the Toronto Raptors in the 2008 Las Vegas Summer League.
After the completion of the summer leagues, Carroll signed a contract with Teramo Basket, a team in the Italian first division where, after hitting two three-point shots in less than 7 seconds, he was nicknamed JayCee "Boom-Boom" Carroll. He is also known as "sharp-shooter" and "Wyoming squirrel".
In 2009, he started playing for CB Gran Canaria in the Spanish ACB. According to his agent: "Jaycee hopes to develop his combo guard skills this year and sign a contract with an NBA team in the near future".[3]
Carroll played for the Boston Celtics in the Orlando Pro Summer League in 2010,[4] and later with the New York Knicks in the NBA Summer League.[5]
In July 2011, he signed a three-year contract with Real Madrid.

Juan Ignacio Sánchez

2011-12-12T07:19:00.000+01:00

Juan Ignacio Sánchez
Juan Ignacio Sánchez Brown, also known as Pepe Sánchez (born May 8, 1977 in Bahía Blanca), is an Argentine professional basketball player. He is a point guard. He was part of Argentina's 2004 Olympic gold medal team. Pepe Sánchez (1.93 metres, 6 feet 4 inches tall) was the first Argentine to play in the NBA. He played three seasons, with the Atlanta Hawks (5 games) Philadelphia 76ers (24 games), Detroit Pistons (9 games) and the Golden State Warriors, averaging only 5 minutes per game.
At age 12, he began playing for the youth team of Club Bahiense del Norte, together with future NBA star Emanuel Ginóbili. At age 17 he moved to Deportivo Roca for the 1994/95 season of the Argentine League, where he played point guard. The following year, he accepted a scholarship offer from Temple University in Philadelphia, but stayed in Argentina during the 1995/96 season, playing for Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca.
After his participation in the 1996 Youth Panamerican Tournament in Puerto Rico, where he represented Argentina's national basketball team, he moved to Philadelphia where he played for the Temple Owls college team for 4 years under Hall of Fame coach John Chaney, and finished his career as the #2 player in the NCAA in steals. As a junior, the crafty point guard guided the Owls to an appearance in the Elite Eight, where they fell to Duke. Despite averaging only 5.6 points per game as a senior, he was named a Third Team All-American by the Associated Press. He earned a degree in history at Temple in 2000.

In Europe, Sánchez won the Euroleague championship in the Euroleague 2001-02 season while playing with the Greek league club Panathinaikos, and in the Spanish League with Etosa Alicante. He transferred to Spanish Unicaja Málaga in 2004, with whom he won the 2005/06 ACB League; Unicaja's first Spanish League title. After three years at Unicaja, he left as a free agent when his contract expired at the end of the 2006-07 season.[1] On August 13, 2007, he signed with FC Barcelona.[2]
In July 2008, he signed with Real Madrid,[3] but he was released in April 2009.

Sánchez was first called up to the Argentine senior national team in 1998. With Argentina, he played at the World Championships at both the 1998 FIBA World Championship and the 2002 FIBA World Championship (where he won the silver medal), the South American Championship 1999 (where he won the silver medal), and at the 2004 Olympic Basketball Tournament (where he won the gold medal).
Sánchez's performance at the 2006 FIBA World Basketball Championship was quite satisfactory, with the Argentine press choosing him as the most outstanding player in the team.

1994/1995 Deportivo Roca (Argentina)
1995/1996 Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca (Argentina)
1996/2000 Temple Owls (United States)
2000/2001 Philadelphia 76ers (United States)
2001/2001 Atlanta Hawks (United States)
2001/2002 Panathinaikos (Greece)
2002/2003 Detroit Pistons (United States)
2003/2004 Golden State Warriors, pre-season (United States)
2003/2004 Etosa Alicante (Spain)
2004-2007 Unicaja Málaga (Spain)
2007-2008 AXA FC Barcelona (Spain)
2008-2009 Real Madrid (Spain)
2010-present Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca (Argentina)

Richard Hamilton

2011-12-07T07:08:00.000+01:00

Richard Hamilton
Richard "Rip" Hamilton (born February 14, 1978) is an American basketball player who currently plays for the Detroit Pistons. Hamilton is 6'7" tall, weighs 193 lbs (2.01 m, 87.5 kg), and plays shooting guard. He currently is the Pistons' team captain.
Hamilton played college basketball at the University of Connecticut from 1996–99. He was named the 1999 NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after UConn's run to that year's national title.
Hamilton was the 7th pick overall in the 1999 NBA Draft and played for the Washington Wizards for his first three seasons as a professional. Hamilton, Hubert Davis and Bobby Simmons were then traded to the Detroit Pistons for Jerry Stackhouse, Brian Cardinal and Ratko Varda. Since the trade, Hamilton has become one of the NBA's top shooting guards,[1] and was leading scorer on the Pistons 2004 NBA Championship team.

Hamilton began wearing the clear plastic mask that would become his trademark during the 2003–2004 season. His nose had been broken twice that season (it happened once before in 2002) and Hamilton was advised to wear the mask the rest of his career or risk significant nasal reconstructive surgery. Wearing the mask on a nightly basis, Hamilton led the Pistons in scoring as they marched to the NBA title.[2] He has continued to wear the mask, calling it his "Superman cape."[3]
Hamilton is the only player in NBA history to lead his team in scoring in a game despite not making a single field goal. On January 6, 2005, Hamilton was 0-for-10 from the field, but hit 14-of-14 from the line to pace the Pistons in a 101–79 home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.[4]
On February 9, 2006, Hamilton earned his first selection to the 2006 NBA All-Star Game as a reserve guard for the Eastern Conference.
On December 27, 2006, Hamilton scored a career-high 51 points with 19-for-37 field goal shooting in a 151–145 triple-overtime Pistons loss to the New York Knicks, becoming the first opposing player since Michael Jordan to score over 50 points at Madison Square Garden.[5][6]
He represented the Eastern Conference for the second time at the 2007 NBA All-Star Game.
On February 17, 2008, Hamilton represented the Eastern Conference for the third consecutive season at the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. On February 6, Hamilton was selected to be a part of the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, held on February 16 during All Star Weekend in New Orleans. He was defeated, however, by defending champion Jason Kapono.

On May 13, 2008, Hamilton surpassed Isiah Thomas as the Pistons' all-time leading scorer in the playoffs.[7]
On November 3, 2008, Hamilton signed a three-year, $34 million contract extension with the Pistons. The first two years of the contract are guaranteed and the third is partially.
On February 7, 2009, Hamilton scored 38 points off the bench against the Milwaukee Bucks, the most by a Piston reserve in history.
On March 13, 2009, Hamilton posted a career-high 16 assists in a 99–95 overtime win against the Toronto Raptors.

In the 2006–07 NBA season Hamilton appeared in the NBA Fundamentals series, hosted by TNT, where basketball players showcase certain aspects of the game. Hamilton explained the topic "moving without the ball" to shake off your defender. He was also a contestant on an episode of the game show series Wanna Bet?. He has also worked with many charities, including the Read to Achieve* program and reading books to children. As part of his long-time work with children, he has appeared on an episode of Disney Channel's "Imagination Movers". He helped the gang play basketball and learn a lesson of friendship.

Bob Lanier

2011-12-05T08:33:00.001+01:00

Bob Lanier
Robert Jerry "Bob" Lanier, Jr. (born September 10, 1948) is a retired American professional basketball player who played for the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA.
Lanier was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.
Lanier was born in Buffalo, New York. Under coach Irving J. Sarecki, he played at Buffalo's Bennett High School, where he graduated in 1966.[2] He then played collegiately at St. Bonaventure University, in Olean, New York.
Lanier was a three-time Converse All-America selection (1968-1970), and in 1970, he led St. Bonaventure to the NCAA Final Four, however, he was injured late in the regional championship game and did not participate in Bona's national semi-final loss to Artis Gilmore-led Jacksonville University. That year he was named Coach and Athlete Magazine player of the year, and the ECAC Player of the Year.

Lanier was drafted number one overall by the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons and was named to the All-Rookie Team following the 1970-71 season. He starred for Detroit until being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1980. In his five seasons with the Bucks, they won the division championship each year. The same year he retired, in 1984, he was awarded the Oscar Robertson Leadership Award.
In his 14 NBA seasons, Lanier averaged 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting a respectable 51.4 percent from the field. He played in eight NBA All-Star Games, and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1974 game. Lanier was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992[1] and had his #16 jersey retired by both the Pistons and the Bucks.

In 1994-95, he became interim head coach of the Golden State Warriors for 37 games after Don Nelson stood down, in which he compiled a 12-25 win-loss record.
At the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, visitors are able to compare the size of their foot to that of Lanier's.
The basketball court at Lanier's alma mater, St. Bonaventure, is named after him.

No. 16
Center
Personal information
Date of birth September 10, 1948 (age 63)
Place of birth Buffalo, New York
Nationality American
High school Bennett (Buffalo, New York)
Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight 250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
College St. Bonaventure
NBA Draft 1970 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Pro career 1970–1984
Career history
As player:
1970–1980 Detroit Pistons
1980–1984 Milwaukee Bucks
As coach:
1995 Golden State Warriors

Jason Kapono

2011-12-01T07:18:00.000+01:00

Jason Kapono
Jason Alan Kapono (born February 4, 1981) is an American professional basketball player who is a free agent. Drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft, Kapono later also played for the Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and Philadelphia 76ers. He twice led the NBA in three-point field goal percentage, and he also won the NBA All-Star Weekend Three-Point Shootout twice.
Kapono played college basketball at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was the first player in the school's history to earn First Team All-Pac-10 honors for four years and was also the first UCLA player to lead the team in scoring four straight years.
Kapono was born in Long Beach, California to Joe and Toni Kapono. Jason prepped at Southern California basketball powerhouse Artesia High School in Lakewood, where he was a McDonald's All-American and won several accolades and titles. After a successful high school career, Jason enjoyed an outstanding college career at UCLA, where he finished as the third all-time leading scorer with 2,095 points,[1] was the first Bruin to earn First Team All-Pac-10 honors all four years, and was the only UCLA player to lead the school in scoring four straight years.[2] He also graduated with a degree in history. Kapono was a second-round draft choice of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft.

Kapono only played 41 games and started 3 in his first NBA season, although he led the team in three-point field goal percent at 47.7%. After his rookie season with Cleveland, he was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2004 expansion draft, where he increased his scoring average from 3.5 to 8.5 points per game. He also made the first block in Bobcats history. Later, he was signed as a free agent by the Miami Heat where he was part of the 2005–06 NBA championship team.
In the 2006–07 season, Kapono's points-per-game average and minutes played significantly increased, and he led the league in three-point percentage with .514, which is close to the all-time single-season three-point percentage record held by Steve Kerr (.524), and is the fourth best percentage in league season history. Kapono also won the 2007 All-Star Weekend three-point shoot-out competition by defeating Dirk Nowitzki and Gilbert Arenas in the final round with a score of 24 points which tied Mark Price's record for most points in a final round of the three-point contest.
Kapono repeated the feat in 2008, having led the league in three-point percentage going into the All-Star weekend. In the final round of the contest, he scored 25 points, tying the all-time single round record set in 1986 and also setting a new finals record.[3] On December 14, 2007, he had a career-high 29 points and pulled down 8 rebounds. He also ended the 2007–08 season as the top three-point shooter in the league.[4]
On June 9, 2009, Kapono was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Reggie Evans.[5] The Sixers were victims of several starting lineup changes throughout the season. Kapono started the season with sparing minutes off the bench, but was later given the starting SF spot, near the end of the season. However, after losing his starting spot two games into the following season, Kapono is back to coming off the bench for sparing minutes. After the 2010-2011 NBA season came to an end, Kapono's contract with the 76ers expired and he became a free agent.

At one point, Kapono was the most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history. On November 25, 2007, he made his 250th three-point shot, qualifying him for the NBA record in 3-point shooting accuracy. He immediately moved into first place with a .461 ratio of 3-point shots made to shots attempted, moving ahead of Steve Kerr, who had the previous lifetime best at .454. Kapono has since dropped behind Kerr and others.
Born to Joe and Joni Kapono, Jason Kapono is of Hawaiian and Portuguese descent.[8] He married on August 28, 2004 to the former Ashley Cline. He has a sister Jillian, his father-in-law Tony Cline played football at the University of Miami and in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders, while his brother-in-law Tony Cline Jr. played football at Stanford University and with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers.

Elgin Baylor

2011-11-29T07:34:00.000+01:00

Elgin Baylor
Elgin Gay Baylor (born September 16, 1934 in Washington, D.C.) is a retired Hall of Fame American basketball player and former NBA general manager who played 13 seasons as a forward for the NBA's Minneapolis Lakers/Los Angeles Lakers.
Baylor was a gifted shooter, strong rebounder, and an accomplished passer. Renowned for his acrobatic maneuvers on the court, Baylor regularly dazzled Lakers fans with his trademark hanging jump shots. The No. 1 draft pick in 1958, NBA Rookie of the Year in 1959, and an 11-time NBA All-Star, he is regarded as one of the game's all-time greatest players.[1] In 1977, Baylor was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[2]
Baylor spent twenty-two years as GM of the Los Angeles Clippers, being named the NBA Executive of the Year in 2006, before being relieved of his duties slightly before the 2008-09 season began
An inadequate scholastic record kept him out of college until a friend arranged a scholarship at the College of Idaho, where he was expected to play basketball and football. After one season, the school dismissed the head basketball coach and restricted the scholarships. A Seattle car dealer interested Baylor in Seattle University, and Baylor sat out a year to play for Westside Ford, an AAU team in Seattle, while establishing eligibility at Seattle.
Baylor led the Seattle Chieftains (now known as the Redhawks) to the NCAA championship game in 1958, falling to the Kentucky Wildcats, Seattle's last trip to the Final Four. Following his junior season, Baylor joined the Minneapolis Lakers in 1958.
In his three collegiate seasons, one at Idaho and two at Seattle, Baylor averaged 31.3 points per game. Baylor is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

The Minneapolis Lakers used the No. 1 overall pick in the 1958 NBA Draft to select Baylor, then convinced him to skip his senior year at SU and instead join the pro ranks. The team, several years removed from its glory days of George Mikan, was in trouble on the court and at the gate. The year prior to Baylor's arrival the Lakers finished 19-53 with a squad that was slow, bulky and aging. Baylor, whom the Lakers signed to play for $20,000 per year (a great amount of money at the time), was the franchise's last shot at survival.
With his superb athletic talents and all-round game, Baylor was seen as the kind of player who could save a franchise, and he did. According to Minneapolis Lakers owner Bob Short in a 1971 interview with the Los Angeles Times: "If he had turned me down then, I would have been out of business. The club would have gone bankrupt."
As a rookie in 1958-59, Baylor finished fourth in the league in scoring (24.9 points per game), third in rebounding (15.0 rebounds per game), and eighth in assists (4.1 assists per game). He registered 55 points in a single game, then the third-highest mark in league history behind Joe Fulks's 63 and Mikan's 61. Baylor won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award and led the Lakers from last place the previous year to the NBA finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics in the first four game sweep in finals history. Thus began the greatest rivalry in the history of the NBA. During his career, Baylor helped lead the Lakers to the NBA Finals seven more times.

From the 1960-61 to the 1962-63 seasons, Baylor averaged 34.8, 38.3 and 34.0 points per game, respectively. On November 15 of the 1960-61 season, Baylor set a new NBA scoring record when he scored 71 points in a victory against the New York Knicks while grabbing 25 rebounds.[4] In doing so, Baylor had broken his own NBA record of 64 points that he had set in the previous season. Baylor, a United States Army Reservist, was called to active duty during the 1961-62 season, and being stationed in Washington state, he could play for the Lakers only when on a weekend pass. Despite playing only 48 games during the 1961–62 season, he still managed to score over 1,800 points. Later that season, in a game five NBA Finals victory against the Boston Celtics, Baylor grabbed 22 rebounds and set the still-standing NBA record for points in an NBA Finals game with 61.
Baylor began to be hampered with knee problems during the 1963-64 season. The problems culminated in a severe knee injury, suffered during the 1965 Western Division playoffs. Baylor, while still a very powerful force, was never quite the same, never again averaging above 30 points per game.
Baylor finally retired nine games into the 1971-72 season because of his nagging knee problems. The timing of his retirement could not have been worse as this caused him to coincidentally miss two great achievements. First, the Lakers' next game after his retirement was the first of an NBA record of 33 consecutive wins.[5] Second, the Lakers went on to win the NBA Championship that season, something that Baylor never achieved.
In 1974, Baylor was hired to be an assistant coach and later the head coach for the New Orleans Jazz, but had a lackluster 86-135 record and retired following the 1978-79 season. In 1986, Baylor was hired by the Los Angeles Clippers as the team's vice president of basketball operations. He stayed in that capacity for 22 years before resigning in October 2008 at the age of 74. During his tenure, the Clippers managed only two winning seasons and amassed a won loss record of 607 and 1153. They also won only one playoff series during this time.
Baylor was selected as the NBA Executive of the Year in 2006. That year the Clippers won their first playoff series since 1976, when the franchise was located in Buffalo, New York and named the Buffalo Braves.
In February 2009, Baylor filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against the Clippers, team owner Donald Sterling, team president Andy Roeser, and the NBA. He alleged that he was underpaid during his tenure with the team and then fired because of his age and race.[6] Baylor's claim was rejected by a Los Angeles state court jury on March 30, 2011 by a unanimous 12-0 vote.

Predrag Danilović

2011-11-24T07:19:00.000+01:00

Predrag Danilović
Predrag "Saša" Danilović (Serbian Cyrillic: Предраг "Саша" Даниловић), usually referred to in English as Sasha Danilovic (born February 26, 1970 in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia), is a retired professional basketball player, considered one of the best European shooting guards during the 1990s. He is president of his former team, KK Partizan.

Even though he was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 43rd pick overall in the 1992 NBA Draft (his rights were later dealt to another team), Danilović spent time playing in Europe before debuting in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for KK Bosna (youth), KK Partizan and Virtus Bologna, before he was a member of the NBA's Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks. During his two NBA seasons (1995–1997), Danilović averaged 12.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2 assists per game.
CAREER SEASON AVERAGES

Year Team G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
1995-96 Miami 19 18 28.5 .451 .436 .764 0.6 1.8 2.4 2.5 0.8 0.2 1.95 2.60 13.4
1996-97 Miami 43 33 31.4 .442 .358 .777 0.5 1.9 2.4 1.8 0.9 0.2 2.19 2.90 11.3
1996-97 Dallas 13 9 33.7 .420 .367 .842 0.6 2.0 2.6 1.9 1.2 0.1 1.69 2.80 16.6
1996-97 - 56 42 31.9 .435 .360 .801 0.5 1.9 2.4 1.8 1.0 0.2 2.07 2.90 12.5
Career 75 60 31.1 .439 .379 .789 0.5 1.9 2.4 2.0 0.9 0.1 2.04 2.80 12.8
Danilović was voted Mister Europa Player of the Year in 1998, and was Italian Basketball League MVP the same year. During his years in Virtus Bologna, he became an idol among team's fans. Still a legendary hero in Bologna, Danilović remains one of the most charismatic and winning players in European basketball history.

With the Yugoslav national team, Danilović won four European Championships in 1989, 1991, 1995 and 1997. He was also a member of the silver medal winning Yugoslav team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Danilović was co-vice president of his old club KK Partizan, along with Vlade Divac. In 2007 he got involved once more with KK Partizan, this time as president. Danilović is also involved with Group Seven, a charity organization run by Serbian basketball players.

Predrag Danilović
Position Shooting guard
Height 2.01 metres (6 ft 7 in)
Weight 97 kg (210 lb)
Born February 26, 1970 (age 41)
Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
Draft 2nd round, 43rd overall, 1992
Golden State Warriors
Pro career 1988–2000
Career history Partizan (1988–1992)
Virtus Bologna (1992–1995)
Miami Heat (1995–1997)
Dallas Mavericks (1997)
Virtus Bologna (1997–2000)
Awards Euroleague Final Four MVP (1992)
Italian League MVP (1998)
Mr. Europa (1998)
Olympic medal record
Competitor for Yugoslavia
European Championship
Gold 1989 Yugoslavia National team
Gold 1991 Italy National team
Competitor for Yugoslavia
European Championship
Gold 1995 Greece National team
Gold 1997 Spain National team
Bronze 1999 France National team
Summer Olympics
Silver 1996 Atlanta National team

William Walton "Bill" Sharman

2011-11-21T07:43:00.000+01:00

William Walton "Bill" Sharman
William Walton "Bill" Sharman (born May 25, 1926 in Abilene, Texas) is a former professional basketball player and coach. Sharman completed high school in the rural city of Porterville, California and is mostly known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, partnering with Bob Cousy in what some consider the greatest backcourt duo of all time. While Cousy was primarily the playmaker, Sharman was the shooter.
From 1950 to 1955 Sharman played professional baseball in the Brooklyn Dodgers minor league system. He was called up to the Dodgers late in the 1951 season but did not appear in a game; as a result of a September 27 game in which the entire Brooklyn bench was ejected from the game for arguing with the umpire, Sharman holds the distinction of being the only player to have ever been ejected from a major league game without ever appearing in one.

Sharman was one of the first guards to shoot better than .400 from the field. He led the NBA in free throw percentage seven times, and his mark of 93.2% in the 1958–59 season remained the NBA record until Ernie DiGregorio topped it in 1976–77. Sharman still holds the record for consecutive free throws in the playoffs with 56. Sharman was named to the All-NBA First Team from 1956 through 1959, and was an All-NBA Second Team member in 1953, 1955, and 1960. Sharman played in eight NBA All-Star games, and was named the 1955 NBA All-Star Game MVP. Sharman ended his career after 11 seasons in 1961.

In 1970–71 he coached the Utah Stars to an ABA title and was a co-recipient of the ABA Coach of the Year honors. After resigning as coach for the Utah Stars, Sharman signed a contract to coach the Los Angeles Lakers. Controversy later ensued when the owner of the Utah Stars brought suit against Sharman for breach of contract stemming from his resignation, and a tort case against the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers for inducing such breach of contract. Sharman was originally ordered to pay $250,000 in damages, but later appealed the trial court decision and reversed the judgement (see external link below). The following season he guided the Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West-led Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA record 33 game win streak, a then-record 69-13 win-loss mark, the first Lakers championship in more than a decade, and was named NBA Coach of the Year. He is one of two men to win NBA and ABA championships as a coach; coincidentally, the other, Alex Hannum, also coached a Chamberlain-led team (the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers) to an NBA championship.
Sharman was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976 as a player and in 2004, he was also enshrined as a coach. He is one of only three people to be enshrined in both categories, after John Wooden and Lenny Wilkens. On October 29, 1996, Sharman was named one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players.

He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and served during World War II from 1944 to 1946 in the US Navy.
Sharman is the author of two books, Sharman on Basketball Shooting and The Wooden-Sharman Method: A Guide to Winning Basketball with John Wooden and Bob Selzer.
The gymnasium at Porterville High School is named after him. After his former basketball team the Los Angeles Jets dissolved in 1962, he sued to enforce his employment contract with the Jets, culminating in the case Sharman v. Longo (1967) 249 Cal.App.2d 948.

Qyntel Deon Woods

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000+01:00

Qyntel Deon Woods
Qyntel Deon Woods (born February 16, 1981, in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American professional basketball player who plays for Maccabi Haifa B.C. in Israel.[1] Mainly a small forward, he can play as a shooting guard on occasion.
After attending Carver High School in Memphis, Tennessee, and having one season each at Moberly Area Community College and Northeast Mississippi Community College, Woods was selected by the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers with the 21st pick of the 2002 NBA Draft. Coming out of college, Woods was known to pro scouts as a player with exceptional potential (sometimes compared to Tracy McGrady), but with a history of off-court problems.
He was an early entry candidate in the 2002 Draft, and committed to the University of Memphis before making himself available for selection.

In his first two seasons with the Trail Blazers, Woods played in 115 games (53 and 62 respectively), averaging 2.4 and 3.6 points per game and appearing sparingly in the 2003 postseason. The 2004-05 season was packed with off-court trouble for Woods, as he was charged with animal cruelty following an investigation. He pled guilty to first-degree animal abuse for staging dog fights in his house, some involving his pit bull named Hollywood. Both Hollywood and Woods' other pit bull, Sugar, were confiscated, and Woods was given 80 hours of community service and also agreed to donate $10,000 to the Oregon Humane Society.[2]
In response to these events, the Trail Blazers suspended and eventually released Woods, in a settlement that involved pay withheld from Woods in 2004-05, when he was supposed to be paid $1.1 million for the third year of a three-year contract. The Trail Blazers kept about $500,000, said spokesman Art Sasse.
Upon finally leaving Portland in January 2005, Woods subsequently joined the Miami Heat, playing in three regular season games (with averages of 3.3 points and 2 rebounds per game), but he was not used in the playoffs. He was part of a 13-player mega deal that sent him to the Boston Celtics on August 2, 2006, being waived after having played in only three exhibition games, and he was subsequently signed by the New York Knicks on December 6, 2005.
He played more under then Knicks head coach Larry Brown, starting sixteen games and averaging career highs in minutes per game, field goal percentage, points per game, rebounds and assists. However, he was not kept for the following season, and he would end up playing a month (from February to March) in the NBA Development League with the Bakersfield Jam.

Woods signed a two-year contract with Greek league team Olympiacos on July 16, 2007.[3] In 10 appearances in the regular season, he averaged 12.5 points per game in 26.3 minutes per game.[4] In 2007-08's playoffs, his numbers went down (8.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, in 20.7 minutes per game).[5]
Woods was caught using marijuana during the Greek finals, and thus committed a breach of his contract, which led to Olympiacos terminating the final year of his deal. Subsequently, he signed with the Italian league's Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna after being released by Olympiacos.[6]
He played with Asseco Prokom Gdynia in Poland, where he contributed to their seventh straight national championship.[7]
In November 2010 he signed a one-year contract with the Russian club BC Krasnye Krylya Samara[8], but he was waived in December because of unsatisfactory performance.
On January 30, 2011 he returned to play for Asseco Prokom Gdynia [9] with whom he spent his best years in Europe .

Bill Russell part 3

2011-11-17T07:12:00.000+01:00

Bill Russell part 3
In the 1959–60 season, the NBA witnessed the debut of legendary 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) Philadelphia Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain, who averaged an unprecedented 37.6 points per game in his rookie year.[31] On November 7, 1959, Russell's Celtics hosted Chamberlain's Warriors, and pundits called the matchup between the best offensive and best defensive center "The Big Collision" and "Battle of the Titans".[32] Both men awed onlookers with "nakedly awesome athleticism",[32] and while Chamberlain outscored Russell 30 to 22, the Celtics won 115–106, and the match was called a "new beginning of basketball".[32] The matchup between Russell and Chamberlain became one of basketball's greatest rivalries.[1] In that season, Russell's Celtics won a record 59 regular season games (including a then-record tying 17 game win streak) and met Chamberlain's Warriors in the Eastern Division Finals. Chamberlain outscored Russell by 81 points in the series, but the Celtics walked off with a 4–2 series win.[33] In the 1960 Finals, the Celtics outlasted the Hawks 4–3 and won their third championship in four years.[25] Russell grabbed an NBA Finals-record 40 rebounds in Game 2, and added 22 points and 35 rebounds in the deciding Game 7, a 122–103 victory for Boston.[1][18]
In the 1960–61 season, Russell averaged 16.9 points and 23.9 rebounds per game,[22] leading his team to a regular season mark of 57–22. The Celtics earned another post-season appearance, where they defeated the Syracuse Nationals 4–1 in the Eastern Division Finals. The Celtics made good use of the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers had exhausted St. Louis in a long seven-game Western Conference Finals, and the Celtics convincingly won in five games.[34][35]
The following season, Russell scored a career-high 18.9 points per game, accompanied by 23.6 rebounds per game.[22] While his rival Chamberlain had a record-breaking season of 50.4 points per game and a 100-point game,[31] the Celtics became the first team to win 60 games in a season, and Russell was voted as the NBA's Most Valuable Player. In the post-season, the Celtics met the Philadelphia Warriors of Chamberlain, and Russell did his best to slow down the 50-points-per-game scoring Warriors center. In Game 7, the game was tied with two seconds left when Sam Jones sank a clutch shot that won the Celtics the series. In the 1962 NBA Finals, the Celtics met the Los Angeles Lakers of star forward Elgin Baylor and star guard Jerry West. The teams split the first six games, and Game 7 was tied one second before the end of regular time when Lakers guard Rod Hundley faked a shot and instead passed out to Frank Selvy, who missed an open eight-foot last-second shot that would have won L.A. the title.[36] Though the game was tied, Russell had the daunting task of defending against Baylor with little frontline help, as the three best Celtics forwards, Loscutoff, Heinsohn and Tom Sanders, had fouled out. In overtime, Baylor fouled out the fourth forward, Frank Ramsey, so Russell was completely robbed of his usual four-men wing rotation. But Russell and little-used fifth forward Gene Guarilia successfully pressured Baylor into missed shots.[36][37] Russell finished with a clutch performance, scoring 30 points and tying his own NBA Finals record with 40 rebounds in a 110–107 overtime win.[18]
The Celtics lost playmaker Bob Cousy to retirement after the 1962–63 season, but they drafted John Havlicek. Once again, the Celtics were powered by Russell, who averaged 16.8 points and 23.6 rebounds per game, won his fourth regular-season MVP title, and earned MVP honors at the 1963 NBA All-Star Game following his 19 point, 24 rebound performance for the East.[22] The Celtics reached the 1963 NBA Finals, where they again defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, this time in six games.[38]
In the following 1963–64 season, the Celtics posted a league-best 58–22 record in the regular season. Russell scored 15.0 ppg and grabbed a career-high 24.7 rebounds per game, leading the NBA in rebounds for the first time since Chamberlain entered the league.[22] Boston defeated the Cincinnati Royals 4–1 to earn another NBA Finals appearance, and then won against Chamberlain's newly-relocated San Francisco Warriors 4–1.[39] It was their sixth consecutive and seventh title in Russell's eighth year, a streak unreached in any U.S. professional sports league. Russell later called the Celtics' defense the best of all time.

Russell again excelled during the 1964–65 season. The Celtics won a league-record 62 games, and Russell averaged 14.1 points and 24.1 rebounds per game, winning his second consecutive rebounding title and his fifth MVP award.[22] In the 1965 NBA Playoffs, the Celtics played the Eastern Division Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, who had recently traded for Wilt Chamberlain. Russell held Chamberlain to a pair of field goals in the first three quarters of Game 3. In Game 5, Russell contributed 28 rebounds, 10 blocks, seven assists and six steals.[18] However, that playoff series ended in a dramatic Game 7. Five seconds before the end, the Sixers were trailing 110–109, but Russell turned over the ball. However, when the Sixers’ Hall-of-Fame guard Hal Greer inbounded, John Havlicek stole the ball, causing Celtics commentator Johnny Most to scream: “Havlicek stole the ball! It's all over! Johnny Havlicek stole the ball!”[1] After the Division Finals, the Celtics had an easier time in the NBA Finals, winning 4–1 against the Los Angeles Lakers of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.[40]

Russell defending Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia 76ers
In the following 1965–66 season, the Celtics won their eighth consecutive title. Russell’s team again beat Chamberlain’s Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 1 in the Division Finals, proceeding to win the NBA Finals in a tight seven-game showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers.[41] During the season, Russell contributed 12.9 points and 22.8 rebounds per game. This was the first time in seven years that he failed to average at least 23 rebounds a game.
Before the 1966–67 season, Celtics coach Red Auerbach retired. Initially, he had wanted his old player Frank Ramsey as coach, but Ramsey was too occupied running his three lucrative nursing homes.[42] His second choice Bob Cousy declined, stating he did not want to coach his former teammates,[42] and the third choice Tom Heinsohn also said no, because he did not think he could handle the often surly Russell.[42] However, Heinsohn proposed Russell himself as a player-coach, and when Auerbach asked his center, he said yes.[42] Russell thus became the first African American head coach in NBA history,[1] and commented to journalists: "I wasn't offered the job because I am a Negro, I was offered it because Red figured I could do it."[42] The Celtics’ championship streak ended that season at eight, however, as Wilt Chamberlain's Philadelphia 76ers won a record-breaking 68 regular season games and overcame the Celtics 4–1 in the Eastern Finals.[43] The Sixers simply outpaced the Celtics, shredding the famous Boston defense by scoring 140 points in the clinching Game 5 win.[44] Russell acknowledged his first real loss in his career (he had been injured in 1958 when the Celtics lost the NBA Finals) by visiting Chamberlain in the locker room, shaking his hand and saying, "Great".[44] However, the game still ended on a high note for Russell. After the loss, he led his grandfather through the Celtics locker rooms, and the two saw white Celtics player John Havlicek taking a shower next to his black teammate Sam Jones and discussing the game. Suddenly, Russell Sr. broke down crying. Asked by his grandson what was wrong, his grandfather replied how proud he was of him, being coach of an organization in which blacks and whites coexisted in harmony.[44]
In Russell's penultimate season, the 1967–68 season, his numbers slowly declined, but at age 34, he still tallied 12.5 points per game and 18.6 rebounds per game[22] (the latter good for the third highest average in the league).[45] In the Eastern Division Finals, the 76ers had the better record than the Celtics and were slightly favored. But then, national tragedy struck as Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1968. With eight of the ten starting players on Sixers and Celtics being African American, both teams were in deep shock, and there were calls to cancel the series.[46] In a game called as "unreal" and "devoid of emotion", the Sixers lost 127–118 on April 5. In Game 2, Philadelphia evened the series with a 115–106 win, and in Games 3 and 4, the Sixers won, with Chamberlain suspiciously often defended by Celtics backup center Wayne Embry, causing the press to speculate Russell was worn down.[46] Prior to Game 5, the Celtics seemed dead: no NBA team had ever come back from a 3–1 deficit.[46] However, the Celtics rallied back, winning Game 5 122–104 and Game 6 114–106, powered by a spirited Havlicek and helped by a terrible Sixers shooting slump.[46] In Game 7, 15,202 stunned Philadelphia fans witnessed a historic 100–96 defeat, making it the first time in NBA history a team lost a series after leading 3–1. Russell limited Chamberlain to only two shot attempts in the second half.[18] Despite this, the Celtics were leading only 97–95 with 34 seconds left when Russell closed out the game with several consecutive clutch plays. He made a free throw, blocked a shot by Sixers player Chet Walker, grabbed a rebound off a miss by Sixers player Hal Greer, and finally passed the ball to teammate Sam Jones, who scored to clinch the win. Boston then beat the Los Angeles Lakers 4–2 in the NBA Finals, giving Russell his tenth title in 12 years.[1] For his efforts Russell was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. After losing for the fifth straight time against Russell and his Celtics, Hall-of-Fame Lakers guard Jerry West stated, “If I had a choice of any basketball player in the league, my No.1 choice has to be Bill Russell. Bill Russell never ceases to amaze me.

However, in the 1968–69 season, Russell seemed to reach a breaking point. Shocked by the murder of Robert F. Kennedy, disillusioned by the Vietnam War, and weary from his increasingly stale (and later divorced) marriage to his wife Rose, he was convinced that the U.S. was a corrupt nation and that he was wasting his time playing something as superficial as basketball.[47] He was 15 pounds overweight, skipped mandatory NBA coach meetings and was generally lacking energy: after a New York Knicks game, he complained of intense pain and was diagnosed with acute exhaustion.[47] Russell pulled himself together and put up 9.9 points and 19.3 rebounds per game,[22] but the aging Celtics stumbled through the regular season. Their 48–34 record was the team's worst since 1955–56, and they entered the playoffs as only the fourth-seeded team in the East.[48] In the playoffs, however, Russell and his Celtics achieved upsets over the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks to earn a meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. L.A. now featured new recruit Wilt Chamberlain next to perennial stars Baylor and West, and were heavily favored. In the first two games, Russell ordered not to double-team West, who used the freedom to score 53 and 41 points in the Game 1 and 2 Laker wins.[49] Russell then ordered to double-team West, and Boston won Game 3. In Game 4, the Celtics were trailing by one point with seven seconds left and the Lakers having the ball, but then Baylor stepped out of bounds, and in the last play, Sam Jones used a triple screen by Bailey Howell, Larry Siegfried and Havlicek and hit a buzzer beater which equalized the series.[49] The teams split the next two games, so it all came down to Game 7 in L.A., where Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke angered and motivated the Celtics by putting "proceedings of Lakers victory ceremony" on the game leaflets. Russell used a copy as extra motivation and told his team to play a running game, because in that case, not the better, but the more determined team was going to win.[49]
The Celtics were ahead by nine points with five minutes remaining; in addition, West was heavily limping after a Game 5 thigh injury and Chamberlain had left the game with an injured leg.[49] West then hit one basket after the other and cut the lead to one, and Chamberlain asked to return to the game. However, Lakers coach Bill van Breda Kolff kept Chamberlain on the bench until the end of the game, saying later that he wanted to stay with the lineup responsible for the comeback.[31][50] The Celtics held on for a 108–106 victory, and Russell claimed his eleventh championship in 13 years. At age 35, Russell contributed 21 rebounds in his last NBA game.[18] After the game, Russell went over to the distraught West (who had scored 42 points and was named the only NBA Finals MVP in history from the losing team), clasped his hand and tried to soothe him.[49] Days later, 30,000 enthusiastic Celtics fans cheered their returning heroes, but Russell was not there: the man who said he owed the public nothing ended his career and cut all ties to the Celtics.[49] It came as so surprising that even Red Auerbach was blindsided, and as a consequence, he made the "mistake" of drafting guard Jo Jo White instead of a center.[51] Although White became a standout Celtics player, the Celtics lacked an All-Star center, went just 34–48 in the next season and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1950.[25] In Boston, both fans and journalists felt betrayed, because Russell left the Celtics without a coach and a center and sold his retirement story for $10,000 to Sports Illustrated. Russell was accused of selling out the future of the franchise for a month of his salary.
Russell's No. 6 jersey was retired by the Celtics in 1972,[52] and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. Russell, who had a difficult relationship with the media, was not present at either event.[53] After retiring as a player, Russell had stints as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics (1973 to 1977) and Sacramento Kings (1987 to 1988)

Bill Russell part 2

2011-11-14T07:10:00.000+01:00

Bill Russell part 2
In the 1956 NBA Draft, Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach had set his sights on Russell, thinking his defensive toughness and rebounding prowess were the missing pieces the Celtics needed.[1] In perspective, Auerbach’s thoughts were unorthodox. In that period, centers and forwards were defined by their offensive output, and their ability to play defense was secondary.[18] However, Boston's chances of getting Russell seemed slim. Because the Celtics had finished second in the previous season and the worst teams had the highest draft picks, the Celtics had slipped too low in the draft order to pick Russell. In addition, Auerbach had already used his territorial pick to acquire talented forward Tom Heinsohn. But Auerbach knew that the Rochester Royals, who owned the first draft pick, already had a skilled rebounder in Maurice Stokes, were looking for an outside shooting guard and were unwilling to pay Russell the $25,000 signing bonus he requested.[19] The St. Louis Hawks, who owned the second pick, originally drafted Russell, but were vying for Celtics center Ed Macauley, a six-time All-Star who had roots in St. Louis. Auerbach agreed to trade Macauley, who had previously asked to be traded to St. Louis in order to be with his sick son, if the Hawks gave up Russell. However the owner of St Louis called Auerbach later and demanded more in the trade. Not only did he want Macauley, who was the Celtics premier player at the time, he wanted Cliff Hagan, who had been serving in the military for three years and had not yet played for the Celtics. After much debate, Auerbach agreed to give up Hagan, and the Hawks made the trade.[20] During that same draft, Boston also claimed guard K.C. Jones, Russell's former USF teammate. Thus, in one night, the Celtics managed to draft three future Hall of Famers: Russell, K.C. Jones and Heinsohn.[1] The Russell draft-day trade was later called one of the most important trades in the history of North American sports.
Before his NBA rookie year, Russell was the captain of the U.S. national basketball team that competed at the 1956 Olympic tournament. Avery Brundage, head of the International Olympic Committee, argued that Russell had already signed a professional contract and thus was no longer an amateur, but Russell prevailed.[19] He had the option to skip the tournament and play a full season for the Celtics, but he was determined to play in the Olympics. He later commented that he would have participated in the high jump if he had been snubbed by the basketball team.[5] Under coach Gerald Tucker, Russell helped the national team win the gold medal in Melbourne, defeating the Soviet Union 89–55 in the final game. The United States dominated the tournament, winning by an average of 53.5 points per game. Russell led the team in scoring, averaging 14.1 points per game for the competition. His Celtics teammate K.C. Jones joined him on the Olympic squad and contributed 10.9 points per game.

Russell could not join the Celtics for the 1956–57 season until December, due to his Olympic commitment. After rejoining the Celtics, Russell played 48 games, averaging 14.7 points per game and a league-high 19.6 rebounds per game.[22] During this season, the Celtics featured six future Hall-of-Famers: center Russell, forwards Heinsohn and Jim Loscutoff, guards Bill Sharman and Bob Cousy, and forward Frank Ramsey, who came off the bench. (K.C. Jones did not play for the Celtics until 1958 because of military service.)[23]
Russell's first Celtics game came on December 22, 1956 against the St. Louis Hawks, led by star forward Bob Pettit, who held several all-time scoring records.[24] Auerbach assigned Russell to shut down St. Louis's main scorer, and the rookie impressed the Boston crowd with his man-to-man defense and shot-blocking.[24] In previous years, the Celtics had been a high-scoring team, but lacked the defensive presence needed to close out tight games. However, with the added defensive presence of Russell, the Celtics had laid the foundation for a dynasty. The team utilized a strong defensive approach to the game, forcing opposing teams to commit many turnovers, which led to many easy fast break points.[24] Russell was an elite help defender who allowed the Celtics to play the so-called "Hey, Bill" defense: whenever a Celtic requested additional defensive help, he would shout "Hey, Bill!" Russell was so quick that he could run over for a quick double team and make it back in time if the opponents tried to find the open man.[24] He also became famous for his shot-blocking skills: pundits called his blocks "Wilsonburgers", referring to the Wilson NBA basketballs he "shoved back into the faces of opposing shooters".[24] This skill also allowed the other Celtics to play their men aggressively: if they were beaten, they knew that Russell was guarding the basket.[24] This approach allowed the Celtics to finish with a 44–28 regular season record, the team's second-best record since beginning play in the 1946–47 season, and guaranteed a post-season appearance.[25]
However, Russell also received negative attention. Constantly provoked by New York Knicks center Ray Felix during a game, he complained to coach Auerbach. The latter told him to take matters into his own hands, so after the next provocation, Russell punched Felix unconscious, paid a 25-dollar fine and was no longer a target of cheap fouls.[24] With his teammates, Russell had a cordial relationship, with the notable exception of fellow rookie and old rival Heinsohn. Heinsohn felt that Russell resented him because the former was named the 1957 NBA Rookie of the Year: many people thought that Russell was more important, but Russell also had only played half the season. Russell also ignored Heinsohn's plea to give his cousin an autograph, and openly said to Heinsohn that he deserved half of his 300-dollar Rookie of the Year check. The relationship between the two rookies remained reserved.[26] On the other hand, despite their different ethnic backgrounds and lack of common off-court interests, his relationship with Celtics point guard and fan favorite Bob Cousy was amicable.

In Game 1 of the Eastern Division Finals, the Celtics met the Syracuse Nationals, who were led by Dolph Schayes. In Russell's first NBA playoff game, he finished with 16 points and 31 rebounds, along with a reported 7 blocks. (At the time, blocks were not yet an officially registered statistic.) After the Celtics' 108–89 victory, Schayes quipped, “How much does that guy make a year? It would be to our advantage if we paid him off for five years to get away from us in the rest of this series.”[18] The Celtics swept the Nationals in three games to earn the franchise's first appearance in the NBA Finals.[28]
In the NBA Finals, the Celtics met the St. Louis Hawks, who were again led by Bob Pettit, as well as former Celtic Ed Macauley. The teams split the first six games, and the tension was so high that, in Game 3, Celtics coach Auerbach punched his colleague Ben Kerner and received a $300 fine.[26] In the highly competitive Game 7, Russell tried his best to slow down Pettit, but it was Heinsohn who scored 37 points and kept the Celtics alive.[26] However, Russell contributed by completing the famous “Coleman Play”. Here, Russell ran down Hawks guard Jack Coleman, who had received an outlet pass at midcourt, and blocked his shot despite the fact that Russell had been standing at his own baseline when the ball was thrown to Coleman. The block preserved Boston's slim 103–102 lead with 40-odd seconds left to play in regulation, saving the game for the Celtics.[18] In the second overtime, both teams were in serious foul trouble: Heinsohn had fouled out, and the Hawks were so depleted that they had only 7 players left.[26] With the Celtics leading 125–123 with one second left, the Hawks had the ball at their own baseline. Reserve guard Alex Hannum threw a long alley oop pass to Pettit, and Pettit's tip-in rolled indecisively on the rim for several seconds before rolling out again. The Celtics won, earning their first NBA Championship.[26]
In the 1957–58 season, Russell averaged 16.6 points per game and a league-record average of 22.7 rebounds per game.[22] An interesting phenomenon began that year: Russell was voted the NBA Most Valuable Player, but only named to the All-NBA Second Team. This would occur repeatedly throughout his career. The NBA reasoned that other centers were better all-round players than Russell, but no player was more valuable to his team. The Celtics won 49 games and easily made the first berth in the 1958 NBA Playoffs, and made the 1958 NBA Finals against their familiar rivals, the St. Louis Hawks.[29] The teams split the first two games, but then Russell went down with a foot injury in Game 3 and could no longer participate in the playoffs. The Celtics surprisingly won Game 4, but the Hawks prevailed in Games 5 and 6, with Pettit scoring 50 points in the deciding Game 6.[29]
In the following 1958–59 season, Russell continued his strong play, averaging 16.7 points per game and 23.0 rebounds per game in the regular season.[22] The Celtics broke a league record by winning 52 games, and Russell's strong performance once again helped lead the Celtics through the post-season, as they returned to the NBA Finals. In the 1959 NBA Finals, the Celtics recaptured the NBA title, sweeping the Minneapolis Lakers 4–0.[30] Lakers head coach John Kundla praised Russell, stating, “We don’t fear the Celtics without Bill Russell. Take him out and we can beat them... He’s the guy who whipped us psychologically.

Bill Russell part 1

2011-11-11T07:26:00.002+01:00

Bill Russell part I
William Felton "Bill" Russell (born February 12, 1934) is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A five-time winner of the NBA Most Valuable Player Award and a twelve-time All-Star, Russell was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won eleven NBA Championships during Russell's thirteen-year career. Along with Henri Richard of the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens, Russell holds the record for the most championships won by an athlete in a North American sports league. Before his professional career, Russell led the University of San Francisco to two consecutive NCAA championships (1955, 1956). He also won a gold medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics as captain of the U.S. national basketball team.[1]
Russell is widely considered one of the best players in NBA history. Listed as between 6'9" (2.06 m) and 6'10" (2.08 m), Russell's shot-blocking and man-to-man defense were major reasons for the Celtics' success. He also inspired his teammates to elevate their own defensive play. Russell was equally notable for his rebounding abilities. He led the NBA in rebounds four times and tallied 21,620 total rebounds in his career. He is one of just two NBA players (the other being prominent rival Wilt Chamberlain) to have grabbed more than fifty rebounds in a game. Though never the focal point of the Celtics' offense, Russell also scored 14,522 career points and provided effective passing.
Playing in the wake of pioneers like Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper, and Sweetwater Clifton, Russell was the first African American player to achieve superstar status in the NBA. He also served a three-season (1966–69) stint as player-coach for the Celtics, becoming the first African American NBA coach.[1] Frequent battles with racism left Russell with a long-standing contempt for fans and journalists. When he retired, Russell left Boston with a bitter attitude, although in recent years his relationship with the city has improved. For his accomplishments in the Civil Rights Movement on and off the court, Russell was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in 2011.
Russell is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was selected into NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971, into NBA 35th Anniversary Team in 1980 and named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996, one of only four players that selected into all three teams. In 2007, he was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame. In 2009, the NBA announced that the NBA Finals MVP trophy would be named the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in honor of Russell.

Bill Russell was born to Charles and Katie Russell in West Monroe, Louisiana. West Monroe was strictly segregated, and the Russells often struggled with racism.[3] Once, Russell's father was refused service at a gasoline station until the staff had taken care of all the white customers. When his father attempted to leave and find a different station, the attendant stuck a shotgun in his face, threatening to kill him unless he stayed and waited his turn.[3] At another time, Russell's mother was walking outside in a fancy dress when a policeman accosted her. He told her to go home and remove the dress, which he described as "white woman’s clothing".[3] Because large numbers of blacks were moving to Oakland, California during WWII to look for work there, Russell's father moved the family out of Louisiana when Russell was eight years old and settled them in Oakland.[3] While there the family fell into poverty, and Russell spent his childhood living in a series of project homes.[3]
Charlie Russell is described as a "stern, hard man" who was initially a janitor in a paper factory (a typical low paid, intellectually unchallenging "Negro Job", as sports journalist John Taylor commented),[4] but later became a trucker when World War II broke out.[4] Being closer to his mother Katie than to his father,[4] Russell received a major emotional blow when she suddenly died when he was 12. His father gave up his trucking job and became a steel worker to be closer to his semi-orphaned children.[4] Russell has stated that his father became his childhood hero, later followed up by Minneapolis Lakers superstar George “Mr. Basketball” Mikan, whom he met when he was in high school.[5]
In his early years, Russell struggled to develop his skills as a basketball player. Although Russell was a good runner and jumper and had extremely large hands,[4] he simply did not understand the game and was cut from the team in junior high school. As a sophomore at McClymonds High School, Russell was almost cut again.[6] However, coach George Powles saw Russell's raw athletic potential and encouraged him to work on his fundamentals.[4] Russell, who was used to racist abuse, was delighted by the warm words of his white coach. He worked hard and used the benefits of a growth spurt to become a decent basketball player, but it was not until his junior and senior years that he began to excel.[6] Russell soon became noted for his unusual style of defense. He later recalled, "To play good defense... it was told back then that you had to stay flatfooted at all times to react quickly. When I started to jump to make defensive plays and to block shots, I was initially corrected, but I stuck with it, and it paid off."[7]
One of Russell's high school teammates was future Baseball Hall-of-Famer Frank Robinson.

Russell was ignored by college recruiters and did not receive a single letter of interest until Hal DeJulio from the University of San Francisco (USF) watched him in a high school game. DeJulio was not impressed by Russell's meager scoring and "atrocious fundamentals",[8] but sensed that the young center had an extraordinary instinct for the game, especially in clutch situations.[8] When DeJulio offered Russell a scholarship, the latter eagerly accepted.[6] Sports journalist John Taylor described it as a watershed in Russell's life, because Russell realized that basketball was his one chance to escape poverty and racism; as a consequence, Russell swore to make the best of it.[4]
At USF, Russell became the new starting center for coach Phil Woolpert. Woolpert emphasized defense and deliberate half-court play, concepts that favored defensive standout Russell.[9] Woolpert was unaffected by issues of skin color. In 1954, he became the first coach of a major college basketball squad to start three African American players: Russell, K.C. Jones and Hal Perry.[10] In his USF years, Russell used his relative lack of bulk to develop a unique style of defense: instead of purely guarding the opposing center, he used his quickness and speed to play help defense against opposing forwards and aggressively challenge their shots.[9] Combining the stature and shot-blocking skills of a center with the foot speed of a guard, Russell became the centerpiece of a USF team that soon became a force in college basketball. After USF kept Holy Cross star Tom Heinsohn scoreless in an entire half, Sports Illustrated wrote, "If [Russell] ever learns to hit the basket, they're going to have to rewrite the rules."[9]
However, the games were often difficult for the USF squad. Russell and his African American teammates became targets of racist jeers, particularly on the road.[11] In one notable incident, hotels in Oklahoma City refused to admit Russell and his black teammates while they were in town for the 1954 All-College Tournament. In protest, the whole team decided to camp out in a closed college dorm, which was later called an important bonding experience for the group.[10] Decades later, Russell explained that his experiences hardened him against abuse of all kinds. "I never permitted myself to be a victim," he said.[12][13]
Racism also shaped his lifelong paradigm as a team player. "At that time," he has said, "it was never acceptable that a black player was the best. That did not happen...My junior year in college, I had what I thought was the one of the best college seasons ever. We won 28 out of 29 games. We won the National Championship. I was the MVP at the Final Four. I was first team All American. I averaged over 20 points and over 20 rebounds, and I was the only guy in college blocking shots. So after the season was over, they had a Northern California banquet, and they picked another center as Player of the Year in Northern California. Well, that let me know that if I were to accept these as the final judges of my career I would die a bitter old man." So he made a conscious decision, he said, to put the team first and foremost, and not worry about individual achievements.[14]
On the hardwood, his experiences were far more pleasant. Russell led USF to NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956, including a string of 55 consecutive victories. He became known for his strong defense and shot-blocking skills, once denying 13 shots in a game. UCLA coach John Wooden called Russell "the greatest defensive man I've ever seen".[10] During his college career, Russell averaged 20.7 points per game and 20.3 rebounds per game.[1] Besides basketball, Russell represented USF in track and field events. He competed in the 440 yard (402 m) race, which he could complete in 49.6 seconds.[15] He also participated in the high jump; Track & Field News ranked him as the seventh-best high jumper in the world in 1956. That year, Russell won high jump titles at the Central California AAU meet, the Pacific AAU meet, and the West Coast Relays. One of his highest jumps occurred at the West Coast Relays, where he achieved a mark of 6 feet 9¼ inches (2.06 m).[16]
After his years at USF, the Harlem Globetrotters invited Russell to join their exhibition basketball squad. Russell, who was sensitive to any racial prejudice, was enraged by the fact that owner Abe Saperstein would only discuss the matter with Woolpert. While Saperstein spoke to Woolpert in a meeting, Globetrotters assistant coach Harry Hanna tried to entertain Russell with jokes. The USF center was livid after this snub and declined the offer: he reasoned that if Saperstein was too smart to speak with him, then he was too smart to play for Saperstein. Instead, Russell made himself eligible for the 1956 NBA Draft.

Giorgi Shermadini

2011-11-10T07:17:00.000+01:00

Giorgi Shermadini
Giorgi Shermadini (Georgian: გიორგი შერმადინი) or Georgi Shermantini is a Georgian professional basketball player. He was born in the village of Natakhtari, in the then Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic on April 2, 1989. He is 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in) in height and he plays at the center position. He is currently playing for Bennet Cantù.

Shermadini is a legitimate seven-footer who understands well how to use his body to maintain good post positioning. He possesses a nice jump hook shot and he has excellent fundamentals and offensive skills. He is a defensive presence with his long wingspan and his shot-blocking ability.
In the 2004-05 season, Giorgi was the top scorer of the Georgian Youth League. His highest point total in one game was 89 points scored against the Sokhumi State University team and he also had a 76 point, 16 rebound, and 6 assist game as well.[1] He also had a 52 point game, a 54 point game, and another game where he scored 60 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists. He also participated in the Adidas Superstar Camp. His performance at the Adidas Superstar Camp earned him a selection to the World All-Star Team. In January 2005, he had his first practice with Maccabi Tbilisi’s Junior Team. Shermadini started playing basketball professionally when he was 16 years old on the Georgian basketball team Maccabi Tbilisi.
In his first season in the Georgian League, during the 2005-06 season, he averaged 28.5 points per game, 14.7 rebounds per game, 2.8 assists per game, 3.0 blocks per game, and 1.2 steals per game at the age of 17. Following the 2005-06 season, Giorgi was invited to the “Basketball Without Borders” (BWB) Europe camp conducted at Vilnius, Lithuania from June 30 to July 3. During the 2006-07 season, at 18 years old, he averaged the highest points per game ever in the Georgian League. He averaged 35.1 points per game, 16.4 rebounds per game, 4.7 assists per game, 3.4 blocks per game, and 2.6 steals per game. This included a game where he scored 60 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists. During the 2007-08 season, at the age of 19, he averaged 33.5 points per game, 18.4 rebounds per game, 4.8 assists per game, 3.2 blocks per game, and 2.3 steals per game in the Georgian League.[2]
In April 2007, Giorgi Shermadini was invited to the “Nike Hoop Summit” World Select Team. Unfortunately, Giorgi did not participate with the World Select Team due to an injury to his meniscus, which required surgery. He declared as an early-entry candidate for the NBA Draft in 2008, and he went undrafted in the 2008 NBA Draft as some concerns still remain among NBA scouts over his injury.
Shermadini signed with the Euroleague giants, the Greek League club Panathinaikos in 2008.[3] He debuted on the 29th of November 2008, at the game against Egaleo, playing for 6 minutes and scoring 4 points. His Euroleague debut came on the 17th of December 2008, playing for 10 minutes and scoring 1 point against SLUC Nancy. His next game came in the Greek League on the 15th of February 2009, against Trikala 2000. He scored 9 points (a personal high for him to that date while at Panathinaikos) with two dunks and 5/5 free throws. He surpassed his personal best again, although playing only for 12 minutes, by scoring 13 points at a home game against Union Kavala-Panorama on 15 of April 2009.
In October 2010 he was sent by Panathinaikos on a one-year loan to KK Union Olimpija in Slovenia.[4]
In October 2011, he was again loaned by Panathinaikos, this time to Italian Bennet Cantù.

In June 2005, despite his brief playing experience, Giorgi was picked for the Under-16 National Team of Georgia and he played in the Youth Olympic Games in Moscow. Later in 2005, he played in the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship in Bulgaria.
Later in August 2006, he was the youngest player ever picked to the senior men's Georgian National Basketball Team when he made the men's senior national team at the age of just 17. He played alongside teammates, Zaza Pachulia (Atlanta Hawks), Nikoloz Tskitishvili (Teramo Basket), Shammond Williams (Pamesa Valencia), Viktor Sanikidze (Tartu Ülikool/Rock), Manuchar Markoishvili (Olimpija Ljubljana) and Vladimir Boisa (Menorca Bàsquet).
Following his surgery and rehabilitation for his meniscus injury that he suffered in 2007; he was invited to the Under-20 National Team of Georgia. At 18 years old, he played in the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship in Nova Gorica, Slovenia. Despite playing at much less than full strength due to his recent surgery and rehabilitation, he was the top scorer on the Georgian Under-20 National Team, averaging 12.5 points per game, 7.4 rebounds per game, and 1.5 assists per game in 23.8 minutes played per game. He was also the second-leading shot blocker in the Under-20 European Championship, averaging 2.1 blocked shots per game.[6] At the 2008 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, Shermadini shot 74% from the field, averaged 21.5 points per game, 10.5 rebounds per game, 1.2 assists per game, and 3.7 blocks per game.[7]
Currently, Giorgi is a member of the senior men's Georgian national basketball team.

Chris Andersen

2011-11-07T07:14:00.000+01:00

Chris Andersen
Chris Andersen (born July 7, 1978) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association. Nicknamed "Birdman",[1] the 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), 228 lb (103 kg; 16.3 st) center/power forward received a two year ban from the NBA in 2006 for violating the league's drug policy,[2] but was reinstated on March 4, 2008, and re-signed by the Hornets the next day.
Andersen was born in Long Beach, California, grew up in Iola, Texas, and played one year at Blinn College. He went undrafted in the 1999 NBA Draft and began his professional career in the Chinese Basketball League, and has played in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets and the New Orleans Hornets.
Andersen was the first overall pick in the 2001 NBDL Draft and played one season with the Fayetteville Patriots.
Andersen appeared in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest during NBA All-Star Weekend in 2004 and 2005, finishing 2nd and 4th (out of 4), respectively.

On January 25, 2006, Andersen was disqualified from the NBA for violating the league's anti-drug policy by testing positive for a banned substance.[4] Andersen's suspension fell under the league's category of "drugs of abuse," violation of which is possible grounds for expulsion from the NBA under the league's collective bargaining agreement.[5] Andersen attempted to appeal the ruling through arbitration, but the arbitrator ruled to uphold his dismissal in March 2006.[5] He was eligible for reinstatement effective January 25, 2008.[6]
On March 4, 2008, the NBA and NBA Players Association granted Andersen's request to be reinstated as an NBA player.[7] The reinstatement was effective immediately, and the rights to his services belonged to his former team, the New Orleans Hornets, who signed him to a contract on March 5, 2008. On March 25, 2008, in a game against the Indiana Pacers, he played for the first time in an NBA game since being banned.

Following the 2007–08 NBA season, Andersen was released by the Hornets. Andersen signed a one-year contract with the Nuggets on July 24, 2008.[8] Andersen finished the season 2nd in the league in blocks per game at 2.42 per contest, despite a mere 20.5 minutes of playtime per game. His 5.68 blocks per 48 minutes played was the best in the NBA.
On July 8, 2009, Andersen and the Nuggets agreed on a five-year contract that could be worth up to $26 million. In order to help the Nuggets financially, the deal is backloaded and will pay Andersen $3.7 million in 2010–11.
His trademark has been his "Birdman" celebration, wherein he would cross his arms and flap his hands like the wings of a bird after scoring on an emphatic dunk or blocking a shot. He is known for brightly colored tattoos on his arms, chest, neck, back, hands and legs.
No. 11 Denver Nuggets
Power forward / Center
Personal information
Date of birth July 7, 1978 (age 33)
Place of birth Long Beach, California
Nationality American
High school Iola (Iola, Texas)
Listed height 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight 228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
College Blinn College
NBA Draft 1999 / Undrafted
Pro career 1999–present
Career history
1999–2000 Jiangsu Nangang (China)
2000–2001 Fargo-Moorhead Beez (IBA)
2001 Fayetteville Patriots (D-League)
2001–2004 Denver Nuggets
2004–2006, 2008 New Orleans / Oklahoma City Hornets
2008–present Denver Nuggets

Rasheed Wallace

2011-11-01T07:39:00.000+01:00

Rasheed Wallace
Rasheed Abdul Wallace (born September 17, 1974) is a retired American professional basketball power forward and center who played from 1995 to 2010 in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he played college basketball at the University of North Carolina before joining the NBA.
Originally selected by the Washington Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) as the fourth pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, Wallace was named to the All-Rookie second team following his first season. He was then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers after the season. With Portland he was a key member of the Blazers team that made it to the Western Conference Finals in 1999 and 2000, and was an NBA All-Star in 2000 and 2001. Wallace averaged a career best 19.4 points per game in 2002 for the Blazers.
During the 2003–04 season Portland traded him to the Atlanta Hawks where he played one game before he was traded to the Detroit Pistons. With the Pistons he won the NBA championship in 2004 and lost the NBA Finals the following season, and individually he was an All-Star in 2006 and 2008. After the 2008–09 season he left Detroit as a free agent and signed with the Boston Celtics.
Wallace is currently the NBA's all-time leader in technical fouls (as a player) with 304.[1] Wallace also holds the single-season record for technical fouls. In the 2000-01 season, Wallace received 41 technical fouls over a span of 80 games (about 1 technical every 2 games).
University of North Carolina coach Dean Smith recruited Wallace to Chapel Hill, North Carolina for his college years. Smith was a revered mentor both to Wallace and Wallace's eventual Detroit coach Larry Brown; Wallace has indicated that this North Carolina bond with Brown helped him adjust quickly to the Piston system. During his brief time at North Carolina, Wallace had success in the national spotlight. Named a second-team All-American by the AP his second year at UNC, Wallace ranks as the leading career field goal shooter in Atlantic Coast Conference history with a 0.635 percentage.
Wallace and fellow future NBA player Jerry Stackhouse helped lead the Tar Heels to the NCAA Final Four in 1995. He left North Carolina to enter the 1995 NBA Draft after his sophomore season, being selected with the 4th pick overall by the Washington Bullets.

As a rookie with the Washington Bullets, Wallace played in 65 games, of which he started 51 for the injured Chris Webber. Wallace was selected to the rookie team for the All-Star Weekend. Later that year, he fractured his left thumb during a game against Orlando and could not return until the following year. Wallace scored 655 points during his rookie season at Washington. He played 1,788 minutes.
After the season, Wallace was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Rod Strickland, a move that proved beneficial for both sides: Strickland averaged 17.2 ppg and 8.9 apg after the trade, helping the Bullets make the playoffs in 1997 for the first time in 8 seasons, and upped those stats to 17.8 ppg and a league-leading 10.5 apg the following year.
Meanwhile, Wallace ranked third in the league in field goal percentage.[3] However, just as his season was gaining momentum, Wallace again broke his left thumb and was forced to miss the next month of the season,[4] but he returned in time for a strong performance in the first round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, which the Blazers lost.
Next season, he signed a long-term contract to stay with the Portland Trail Blazers. He began extending himself into the community more than ever, most notably with his Rasheed Wallace Foundation, but his career suffered from numerous missteps on and off the court. In the NBA season, he set an NBA record with 38 technical fouls for the season.[5] However, he would be fifth in the league in field goal percentage.[6] The following year, he would break his own record with 40 technicals.[5] Wallace was also suspended by the NBA for seven games for threatening then referee Tim Donaghy on an arena loading dock after a home game in 2003. That was the league's longest suspension for an offense that did not involve violence or substance abuse.[7]
Wallace was named an NBA All-Star in 2000 and 2001 and led the Trail Blazers to the Western Conference Finals in 1999 and 2000, losing to the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers, respectively. Both teams would go on to win the NBA Finals. The 2000 series against the Lakers was most noted for the underdog Blazers squandering a 15-point lead going into the fourth quarter of Game 7.

On February 9, 2004 Wallace was traded to the Atlanta Hawks along with Wesley Person for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Theo Ratliff, and Dan Dickau.[8] Wallace played only one game for the Hawks, scoring 20 points. He also had 6 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 assists and a steal in a close loss against the New Jersey Nets.[9] Wallace was again traded, in a deal that saw him go from the Atlanta Hawks along with guard Mike James from the Boston Celtics to the Detroit Pistons. In turn, Detroit sent guards Chucky Atkins, Lindsey Hunter, and a first-round draft pick to Boston and guard Bobby Sura, center Zeljko Rebraca, and a first-round draft pick to Atlanta. The Boston Celtics also sent forward Chris Mills to Atlanta to complete the deal.
After falling behind against the Indiana Pacers in the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals, he stated boldly in an interview that "We will win Game 2",[11] a promise he helped fulfill.[12]
Wallace helped the Pistons win an unexpected NBA title, beating the heavily favored Lakers 4 games to 1.[13] After the championship season, he paid for replica WWE World Heavyweight Championship belts to be made for each of his teammates and presented them as gifts when the 2004–05 regular season started.[14]
In the off-season following the Pistons' championship win, Wallace signed a 5-year, $57 million contract to remain with Detroit.[15] He also changed the number of his jersey from #30 to #36.
Throughout the 2004–05 season, Wallace often carried the belt into his locker before games to inspire the Pistons' title defense. He had several notable moments in the playoffs. After the second-round elimination of the Pacers, Wallace played his best series of the postseason in the Eastern Conference finals against the top-seeded Miami Heat. After falling behind again, he again "guaranteed success". He shot a 50% field goal percentage and averaged 14.5 points per game in the series' seven games, and saved his hottest-shooting night for the decisive Game 7. Against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, Wallace was criticized for leaving Robert Horry, one of the greatest clutch shooters of all time, open for the game-winning three-pointer in Game 5. Wallace's tenacious defense and clutch shooting helped the Pistons to split the series 3–3,[16] but in the final game, the Pistons lost 81–74.
In the 2005–06 season, he helped lead them to a 64–18 record, and the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs. The Pistons beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 4–1 in the first round and then beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 4–3 in the second round of the playoffs. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons played the Heat in a rematch of the previous year's Conference Finals. The Pistons lost in six games to the Miami Heat, who went on to capture their first NBA title.
On March 26, 2007, in a game against the Denver Nuggets, Wallace threw up a 60-foot shot off a stolen inbound pass with 1.5 seconds, called "GLASS!", and banked it in from just behind halfcourt to force overtime letting out a huge roar from what was left of the diminishing Palace crowd, who had assumed the game to be a loss. The Pistons went on to win the game, 113–109.[17]
On June 2, 2007, Wallace fouled out of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals after committing a foul on LeBron James and then received two technical fouls, resulting in an automatic ejection, for arguing with a referee.[18]
Prior to the 2007–08 NBA season, the Pistons would not re-sign Chris Webber, and putting Antonio McDyess as a starting power forward, put Wallace at center. On February 10, 2008, it was announced that Wallace would be replacing Boston Celtics' injured forward Kevin Garnett in the 2008 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans.[19] The decision was made by NBA commissioner David Stern. This was Wallace's fourth All-Star appearance.
In the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons played Garnett and the Celtics. This marked the sixth consecutive time that the Pistons had made it to this point, and five times they had gotten there with Wallace in the lineup. Still, Detroit lost a third consecutive year in the Conference Finals, losing to Boston 4–2. After the game, Wallace reportedly told reporters, without taking any questions, "It's over, man," perhaps indicating that Pistons' General Manager Joe Dumars would break up the core of the team following the defeat. He changed his number from 36 back to his original 30, perhaps to change his and the team's fortunes, but sure enough, Dumars did indeed break up the core: at the beginning of the 2008–2009 campaign, Dumars traded longtime starting point guard Chauncey Billups to Denver. It was to be Wallace's last year with the team; after the season came to a close, Wallace and the Pistons decided to part ways.

Wallace signed a three-year contract with the Boston Celtics on July 8, 2009.[20] During the regular season, Rasheed struggled, averaging career lows in points per game and rebounds per game. Also, he only shot 28% on three pointers and 40% from the field. The Celtics made the NBA Finals in 2010 but lost the series to the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3. In Game 6 of the Finals, the Celtics' starting center Kendrick Perkins injured his right knee, so Wallace started Game 7. In Game 7, Wallace scored 11 points and was 5 of 11 from the field.[21] Wallace's agent Bill Strickland announced on June 25, 2010 that Wallace would likely retire from the NBA,[22] which was made official on August 10, following the buyout of his contract by the Celtics.

Jan Veselý

2011-10-24T07:20:00.000+02:00

Jan Veselý
Jan Veselý (born April 24, 1990 in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech professional basketball player with the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association in the United States. Standing at 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m), Veselý plays the small forward and power forward positions. After deciding not to enter the 2010 NBA Draft, he was selected sixth in 2011 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards.
Jan Veselý was born on April 24, 1990 in Ostrava (Czechoslovakia then, Czech Republic now). His father, Jan, is a former basketball player, and his mother a former volleyball player.[1] Veselý's younger sister, [2] and his girlfriend Eva are both basketball players.[3] Reportedly, he is fluent in Czech, Slovenian, Serbian and English.[4] Jan Veselý's girlfriend Eva Kodouskova, shown on NBA draft night, is said to be 6'3".

Veselý began playing basketball with the youth clubs of Příbor and BK Snakes Ostrava in the Czech Republic. He joined Geoplin Slovan in 2007. He then moved to Partizan Belgrade in 2008. He won nine club trophies with the club,[5] and also reached the 2009–10 Euroleague Final Four. In 2010, Veselý was presented the FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award. At his last match with Partizan, the final of the 2010–11 Serbian League, the team captain Petar Božić let Veselý lift the winning trophy, while the audience gave him a standing ovation.
Veselý was drafted by the Washington Wizards with the sixth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Veselý has been a member of the senior men's Czech Republic national basketball team, having previously played for the junior national teams.
Due to his speed and court movement, Veselý has been compared to European NBA superstars Dirk Nowitzki and Andrei Kirilenko.
Jan Veselý has been the favorite of the Partizan supporters.[9] He stated he was "surprised by his popularity in Serbia, as no one in Czech Republic knew who he was".[4] He would later add his popularity in his homeland had been increasing since the success of his club in the 2009–10 Euroleague.[10] The Partizan supporter created two joke slogans, "When Jan plays, we are all joyful" (Serbian: "Kad Jan igra, svi smo veseli") and "We are all happy, only Jan is joyful" (Serbian: "Svi smo srećni, samo se Jan Veseli"), as his surname means "joyful" in both Czech and Serbian.[11]
After the end of the 2010–11 season, which had been confirmed to be his last in Partizan, Veselý stated, "My first destionation in Europe will always be Belgrade. [...] Partizan, Belgrade and Serbia have given me a great opportunity, which now I can continue in the other place. Serbia has become my second home".[7] He also added he would like to wear number 24 once again and that his wish was to end his career in Partizan.[7][12] Years of life in Serbia left permanent trace on his music taste as he said he likes Serbian music better than American or Czech music.

No. 24 Washington Wizards
Forward
Personal information
Date of birth April 24, 1990 (age 21)
Place of birth Ostrava, Czechoslovakia
Nationality Czech
Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight 239 lb (108 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft 2011 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall
Selected by the Washington Wizards
Pro career 2007–present
League NBA
Career history
Geoplin Slovan (2007–08)
Partizan Belgrade (2008–11)
Washington Wizards (2011–present)
Career highlights and awards
3× Adriatic League Champion (2009, 2010, 2011)
3× Serbian Champion (2009, 2010, 2011)
3× Serbian Cup Winner (2009, 2010, 2011)
FIBA European Young Player of the Year (2010)

Nikolaos Zisis

2011-10-21T07:25:00.002+02:00

Nikolaos Zisis
Nikolaos "Nikos" Zisis (alternate spelling: Zissis) (Greek: Νικόλαος "Νίκος" Ζήσης) (born August 16, 1983 in Thessaloniki, Greece) is a Greek professional basketball player. He is currently with the pro club Montepaschi Siena.
He is 1.97 m (6 ft 5 ¾ in) tall and he can play at both the point guard and shooting guard positions. His primary position with his pro club teams is point guard, while his primary position with the Greek national team is shooting guard. Zisis is known as "The Lord of the Rings" because he is the Greek player with the most combined medals won at the cadet, junior, young men's and men's FIBA European and world tournaments.

Zisis started his playing career in the year 1996 at a local Saloniki youth basketball team, at the YMCA (in Greek: ΧΑΝΘ). At the age of 17, he moved to Athens and to the Greek League team AEK Athens, where he began his professional basketball career. With AEK he won the Greek Cup in 2001, and also the Greek Championship in 2002. He also won the Greek League Young Player of the Year award in 2002.
He then moved to Treviso, Italy and played on the Italian League team Benetton Treviso. With Benetton, he won the Italian Super Cup and the Italian Championship in the year 2006, and also the Italian Cup in the year 2007. He then left Italy and moved to Moscow, Russia.
On June 13, 2007, he signed a 3-year contract worth €5 million euros net income with the Russian League team CSKA Moscow.[3][4] With CSKA, Zisis won the Euroleague Championship during the Euroleague 2007-08 season. In 2009, he left CSKA and signed a 2 year contract worth €1.8 million euros net income with the Italian League club Montepaschi Siena.[5] In 2010, he signed a 2 year extension with Siena.

With Greece's junior national teams, Zisis won the silver medal at the 1999 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship and he also led the tournament in scoring. He also won the bronze medal at the 2000 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship. He was an All Star at the 2001 Albert Schweitzer Tournament. Zisis also won the gold medal with the Greek junior national team at the 2002 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, where he was also named the tournament's MVP. His first game with Greece's senior national team took place in Tunis, at the 2001 Mediterranean Games, on September 3, 2001. At the Mediterranean Games, he helped Greece win the silver medal at the tournament.
As a member of the senior Greek national basketball team, Zisis won the gold medal at the EuroBasket 2005, which was held in Serbia and Montenegro. He was Greece's leading scorer during the tournament, averaging 10.6 points per game. At the end of the semifinal game against the French national basketball team, Zisis drove the length of the court, drove into the middle of the floor, drew a double team, and then dished the ball out to Dimitris Diamantidis, who hit a game-winning 3 pointer. After his great performance at the EuroBasket in 2005, Zisis was named the FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year.[7]
The next year, at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, which was held in Japan, Zisis hit a game winning 3 point shot at the end of the game against the Australian national basketball team to give Greece a 72-69 victory. However, in the next game in the tournament he was hit on the cheekbone and eye socket bone by the elbow of the Brazilian national basketball team's Anderson Varejão. Zisis suffered a severe facial injury that forced him to sit out for the remaining entirety of the World Championship, as the injury required surgery. Even though Greece lost Zisis, who was their leading scorer the year before at the EuroBasket 2005, they were still able to win the silver medal (including an improbable upset victory over Team USA in the semifinal game) during the World Championship tournament.
At the EuroBasket 2007, Zisis was one of the two key Greek players along with Theo Papaloukas, that led Greece's national team to the biggest comeback in the history of the European Championship, against the Slovenian national basketball team, called "the miracle". Greece finished the tournament in 4th place.
Zisis has also competed with Greece at the 2004 Olympic Basketball Tournament, where Greece finished in 5th place in the world, and at the 2008 Olympic Basketball Tournament, where Greece finished in 5th place in the world. He also played at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
Zisis is very close friends with fellow Greek national basketball team player Vassilis Spanoulis, and he is also friends with Italian NBA player Andrea Bargnani.

Nickname(s) The Lord of the Rings
Position Point Guard
Shooting Guard
Height 6 ft 5.75 in (1.97 m)
Weight 215 lb (98 kg)
League Italian League
Euroleague
Team Montepaschi Siena
Born August 16, 1983 (age 28)
Thessaloniki, Greece
Nationality Greek
Pro career 2000–present
Career history AEK Athens (2000-05)
Benetton Treviso (2005-07)
CSKA Moscow (2007-09)
Awards Greek League Young Player of the Year 2002
FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship MVP 2002
FIBA Europe Young Player of The Year 2005

Latrell Sprewell

2011-10-20T12:12:00.000+02:00

Latrell Sprewell
Latrell Fontaine Sprewell (born September 8, 1970) is a former American professional basketball player. During his time as a professional, Sprewell was named to the NBA All-Star game during four seasons, and played for the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves. He helped lead the Knicks to the NBA Finals and the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals. Despite his accomplishments, his career was largely overshadowed by a 1997 incident in which he choked his coach, P.J. Carlesimo, during a practice, which ultimately resulted in a 68-game suspension.
Sprewell's career came to a premature end in 2005 when he refused a $21-million three-year contract offer from the Timberwolves, which he said would not be enough to feed his children. Since that time, he has made headlines for grounding his million dollar yacht, having two of his homes foreclosed upon, and being prohibited from seeing his children.
After attending Washington High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Sprewell played competitively with the Three Rivers Community College Raiders Basketball Team in Poplar Bluff, Missouri from 1988–1990, and from 1990–1992 with the University of Alabama, where he was a teammate of future NBA players Robert Horry, Jason Caffey and James Robinson.
He was selected 24th overall in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. Sprewell, nicknamed "Spree," made an immediate impact, starting 69 of the 77 games he played in during his rookie season and averaging 15.4 points per game. His performance would improve over the next few years, leading the team in scoring and playing for the Western Conference All-Star team in 1994, 1995, and 1997, scoring 24.2 ppg in 1996-97, fifth in the league. Additionally, in 1993-1994 he led the league in games played and minutes per game.

Though a four-time All-Star, a significant mark on Sprewell's career was an incident which took place on December 1, 1997, in which he attacked head coach P. J. Carlesimo during a Warriors practice. When Carlesimo yelled at Sprewell to make crisper passes (specifically asking him to "put a little mustard" on a pass[2]), Sprewell responded that he was not in the mood for criticism and told the coach to keep his distance. When Carlesimo approached, Sprewell threatened to kill him and dragged him to the ground by his throat, choking him for 10–15 seconds before his teammates pulled Sprewell off his coach. Sprewell returned about 20 minutes later and landed a glancing blow at Carlesimo before being dragged away again. It was not his first violent incident with the Warriors; in 1995, Sprewell fought with teammate Jerome Kersey and returned to practice carrying a two-by-four, and reportedly threatened to return with a gun.[3] In a 1993 practice, Sprewell fought with Byron Houston, who was 50 pounds heavier than Sprewell and had what many teammates describe as having a Mike Tyson-like demeanor and physique.[4]
Sprewell was suspended for 10 days without pay. The next day, in the wake of a public uproar, the Warriors voided the remainder of his contract, which included $23.7 million over three years, and the NBA suspended him for one year. Sprewell took the case to arbitration, and, as a result, the contract voiding was overturned and the league suspension was reduced to the remaining 68 games of the season—at the time, the longest suspension for an on-court incident in NBA history. During his suspension, Sprewell was charged with reckless driving for his role in a 90 mph accident that injured two people, and spent three months under house arrest as part of a no-contest plea.
Due to the NBA lockout, Sprewell did not play again until February 1999,[6] after the Warriors traded him to the New York Knicks for John Starks, Chris Mills and Terry Cummings. Sprewell played 37 games for the Knicks that season; all but four off the bench.
Many pundits felt that signing the volatile Sprewell was too big a gamble for the Knicks to take, but Sprewell himself vowed that he was a changed man. New York narrowly qualified for the 1999 playoffs, making the field as the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. New York shocked the NBA as they navigated past the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, and finally the Indiana Pacers en route to becoming the first eighth seeded team to make it to the NBA Finals, where they met the San Antonio Spurs. They eventually succumbed to the Spurs in 5 games, though Sprewell enjoyed a good series for the most part, averaging 26.0 ppg. He tallied 35 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Knicks' 78-77 Game 5 loss. He was featured on the cover of the September 1999 issue of SLAM Magazine.
Sprewell moved into the Knicks starting line up for the 1999-2000 season at small forward, and averaged 18.6 points. The Knicks gave him a five-year/$62-million contract extension.[3]
Sprewell made his only All-Star appearance for the Knicks in 2001, scoring 7 points off the bench. In 2001-02, Sprewell averaged 19.4 ppg, including 49 points in a game against the Boston Celtics, one of three times he scored 40 or more points that season.
However, prior to the 2002 season, Sprewell reported to training camp with a broken hand, which he claimed occurred when he slipped on his yacht; the Knicks fined him a record $250,000 for failing to report the incident to them. Sprewell sued the New York Post for claiming that he broke his hand in a fight.[3]
In 2003, Sprewell made NBA history as he connected 9 of 9 from the three-point arc, making the most three pointers without a single miss en route to a season-high 38 points versus the Los Angeles Clippers (the record has since been tied by the Detroit Pistons' Ben Gordon). After the season, Sprewell was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a four-team trade involving Keith Van Horn, Glenn Robinson, and Terrell Brandon.

During that regular season, Sprewell became part of the league's highest-scoring trio, alongside Kevin Garnett and point guard Sam Cassell. Sprewell helped the team earn the first seed in the Western Conference playoffs, but Minnesota's franchise-record playoff run drew to an end when they were defeated by the Lakers in 6 games in the Western Conference Finals. Sprewell finished second in team scoring, pacing at 19.9 ppg behind Garnett's 24.0 ppg.
On October 31, 2004, the Minnesota Timberwolves offered Sprewell a 3-year, $21 million contract extension, substantially less than what his then-current contract paid him. Claiming to feel insulted by the offer, he publicly expressed outrage, declaring, "I have a family to feed ... If Glen Taylor wants to see my family fed, he better cough up some money. Otherwise, you're going to see these kids in one of those Sally Struthers commercials soon."[7] He declined the extension, and, having once more drawn the ire of fans and sports media, had the worst season of his career in the final year of his contract. In the summer of 2005, the Nuggets, Cavs, and Rockets all expressed interest in signing Latrell Sprewell, but no agreements were reached.
One month into the 2005-06 season and without a contract, Sprewell's agent, Bob Gist, said his client would rather retire than play for the NBA minimum salary, telling Sports Illustrated, "Latrell doesn't need the money that badly. To go from being offered $7 million to taking $1 million, that would be a slap in the face." Several days later, Gist said that Sprewell planned to wait until "teams get desperate" around the trade deadline in February, and then sign with a contending team (an eventuality that never materialized). Gist said that Sprewell would not be interested in signing for any team's $5 million mid-level exception, calling that amount "a level beneath which [Sprewell] would not stoop or kneel!"
In March 2006, Sprewell was offered contracts by the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs, both of whom were considered at the time to be strong favorites to win the NBA Championship, but Sprewell failed to respond and remained a free agent as the season came to a close. There was also some interest in Sprewell by the Los Angeles Lakers at the beginning of the 2005-2006 season, but a disagreement in the contract offer resulted in a failure to reach a deal.[citation needed]
Over the course of his career, Sprewell started 868 of 913 games he played in, averaging 18.8 ppg, 4.2 apg and 4.1 rpg with playoff career averages of 19.7 ppg, 3.4 apg and 4.3 rpg. Sprewell was named to the All-NBA First Team at the end of his second season, and to the All-NBA Defensive second team that same year.
Latrell Sprewell is currently the number one delinquent taxpayer in the state of Wisconsin. He owes $3,533,426.49 in back income taxes.