The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). They only team in the "big four" sports leagues located in Sacramento, they play their home games in ARCO Arena.

The Kings trace their origins to a local semi-professional team based in Rochester, New York in the early 1920s, making them one of the oldest basketball clubs still in existence. The team joined the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1945 as the Rochester Royals, and joined its successor league, the modern NBA, in 1949. Though the Royals were often successful on the court, they had trouble turning a profit in the comparatively small market of Rochester, and relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1957, becoming the Cincinnati Royals. In 1972 the team relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, initially splitting its games between Kansas City and Omaha, Nebraska, and taking up the name Kansas City Kings. The team again failed to find success in its market, and moved to Sacramento in 1985.

The team won the NBL championship in 1946 and the NBA championship in 1951. Since 1945 they have won one conference championship and five division championships.

Franchise history

Rochester

The franchise that would become the Sacramento Kings initially started in the city of Rochester, New York, as the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League.

In the early 1920s, the team was a semi-pro group sponsored by a local Seagram's distillery. The team was known as the Rochester Seagrams for over two decades. Pro basketball 1920-1940 folded many a strictly pro operation, but the sponsored Seagrams stayed afloat as others fell by the wayside during the Great Depression. Under the watch of Hall Of Famer Les Harrison, the team grew in talent, hosted increasingly better competition, and became a greater local treasure as years went by.

At the conclusion of World War II, the National Basketball League was returning to success after waiting out the War Years. It was looking to add successful operations to its circuit, and Rochester was a natural candidate. The team had changed its name to the Rochester Pros, and moved to the 4500-seat Edgerton Sports Arena in 1942. Invited to join the NBL for the 1945–46 season, Les Harrison and brother Jack parted ways with sponsor Seagram's, who doubted the team would profit from the jump. The team then held a rename-the-team contest in Rochester's largest newspaper. The winner was 15-year old Richard Paeth for his entry, the "Royals."

Success for the Royals was almost immediate. Founded in 1945 by owner/coach/general manager Les Harrison (Hall of Famer) and his brother and co-owner/business manager Jack Harrison, the team won the NBL championship in 1945–46, its very first year in the circuit. The team was led by Bob Davies, Al Cervi, George Glamack, and Otto Graham, a future NFL Hall of Famer, who, in his only season in professional basketball, won a league championship before moving on to football and leading the Cleveland Browns to ten straight championship games, winning seven. Additionally, the Royals had doubled the original investment of the Harrisons in just one season. Playing numerous exhibitions in addition to the NBL schedule, the team was arguably at its Rochester peak in 1946.

The following season, NBL Governors voted that the regular season "Pennant Winner" would be declared as the official NBL Champion, and the post-season would consist of a separate, non-championship tournament. The Royals finished 31–13 (.705), capturing their second NBL Championship in as many years, but lost in the post-season tournament finals to George Mikan and the Chicago American Gears.

The following season the NBL scrapped their one-year "pennant" experiment, and from that point forward the post-season playoffs would determine the NBL Champion. The Royals again finished with the league's best overall record at 44–16, but lost to George Mikan's new team, the Minneapolis Lakers, 3 games to 1 in the NBL Finals.

The countless exhibitions, plus the season schedules, had worn the team down by 1948, with injuries figuring in the 1947 and 1948 NBL Finals. The team added Bobby Wanzer, a Seton Hall recruit made by Davies, to replace Cervi, among other roster moves. The team's strong reputation also soon made it part of the NBL - BAA merger.

In 1948, the Royals moved to the Basketball Association of America along with the Fort Wayne Pistons, Minneapolis Lakers, and Indianapolis (Kautskys) Jets. A year later, the BAA merged with the remaining NBL teams to become the National Basketball Association.

The move to the BAA took away Rochester's profitable exhibition schedule, and placed it in the same Western Division that Minneapolis was in. Of the two best teams in pro basketball, only one of them could play in the league finals, 1949-1954. Minneapolis, with Mikan, was almost always a little better at playoff time than the Royals. With their smallish arena and now-limited schedule, the Royals became less profitable even as Harrison maintained a remarkably high standard for the team, which finished no lower than second in its division, 1945-1954. He would spend much of the 1950s looking for a buyer for his team as debts mounted.

The Royals won the NBA title in 1951 by defeating the New York Knickerbockers 4 games to 3. It is the only NBA championship in the franchise's history to date. But the victory did not translate into profit for the franchise. The roster completely turned over in 1955, with only Wanzer remaining, and the team moved to the larger Rochester Memorial. Now a losing team filled with rookies, the Royals still did not turn a profit. Meanwhile the NBA was putting pressure on Harrison to sell or relocate his team to a larger city. With this in mind, the 1956-57 season was the Royals' last in Rochester.

The Royals' twelve-year stay in Rochester featured the services of nine future members of the Basketball Hall of Fame, one member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a Hollywood Walk of Famer: Al Cervi, Bob Davies, Alex Hannum, Les Harrison, Red Holzman, Arnie Risen, Maurice Stokes, Jack Twyman, Bobby Wanzer, Otto Graham, and Chuck Connors.

Cincinnati

In April 1957, the Royals were moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, by the Harrison brothers. This move followed a well-received regular season game played at Cincinnati Gardens on February 1 of 1957. The change of venue had been said to have been suggested by Jack Twyman and Dave Piontek, who were two of several roster players on the new Royals from that region. Cincinnati, which had a strong college basketball fan base and no NFL franchise to compete with, was deemed the best choice for the Harrisons.

During the team's first NBA draft in Cincinnati, the team acquired Clyde Lovellette and guard George King. They teamed with the 1-2 punch of Maurice Stokes and Twyman to produce a budding contender in the team's very first season in the Queen City. Injury to Marshall and the loss of star guard Si Green to military service dropped the team into a tie for second place in the NBA Western Division during the 1957–58 season's second half.

In the season's finale, All-Pro star Maurice Stokes struck his head when he fell after pursuing a rebound. He shook off the effects of the fall, even as he had briefly been unconscious. After Game One in the playoffs three days later, Stokes' head injury was greatly aggravated by airplane cabin pressure during the flight back to Cincinnati for Game Two. He suffered a seizure and was permanently hospitalized, a tragedy that greatly shook the team. Stokes, a tremendous talent who could play center, forward and guard, was 2nd in the NBA in rebounds and 3rd in assists, a double-feat only Wilt Chamberlain has matched for a full season. Without Stokes, the team nearly folded.

Fellow All-Star Twyman rose to All-Pro level the next two seasons for Cincinnati, even as the team posted two 19-win seasons. The 1958–59 Cincinnati team featured five rookies, with Lovellette, King and other key players having left the team in the wake of Stokes' tragic injury. The Harrisons, under pressure to sell to a local group, sold to a local ownership headed by Thomas Woods. The fact that Stokes was simply dumped by the team and the new ownership infuriated many.

Jack Twyman came to aid of his teammate and even legally adopted Stokes. Raising funds for Stokes' medical treatment, Twyman helped his fallen teammate until his death in April, 1970. The 1973 feature film Maurie, which co-starred actors Bernie Casey and Bo Svenson, later dramatized their story.

Shooting often for the beleaguered team, Twyman was the second NBA player ever to average 30 points per game for a full NBA season. Both Twyman and Stokes were later named Hall of Famers.

In 1960, the team was able to land local superstar Oscar Robertson. Robertson led a team that included Twyman, Wayne Embry, Bob Boozer, Bucky Bockhorn, Tom Hawkins and Adrian Smith over the next three seasons. The Royals reversed their fortunes with Robertson and rose to title contender. An ownership dispute in early 1963 scuttled the team's playoff chances when new owner Louis Jacobs booked a circus for Cincinnati Gardens for the week of the playoff series versus the champion Boston Celtics. Jacobs, an aloof owner, would prove no ally to the team's title hopes.

In late 1963, another local superstar, Jerry Lucas, joined the team. The Royals rose to second-best record in the NBA. From 1963–66, the Royals contended strongly against Boston and the Philadelphia 76ers, but fell short of their title hopes. The team's star players throughout the 1960s were Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas. Robertson met with individual success, averaging a triple-double in 1961–62 and winning the Most Valuable Player award in 1964. Robertson was a league-leading scorer and passer each season. Lucas was Rookie Of the Year in 1964, led the league in shooting, and later averaged 20 rebounds per game over three seasons. Both were All-NBA First Team selections multiple times.

The Royals were an also-ran throughout the era anyway. The team failed to keep promising players and played in the tough NBA East division, dominated by the Boston Celtics, even as a Baltimore team played in the West Division for three years, denying the team likely visits to the NBA Finals.

In 1966, the team was sold to a pair of brothers named Max and Jeremy Jacobs. That same season, the Royals began playing some of their home games in neutral sites such as Cleveland (until the Cavaliers began play in 1970), Dayton & Columbus, which was the norm for the rest of the Royals tenure in the Queen City.

New coach Bob Cousy, a loyal Boston Celtic, traded Lucas in 1969. Robertson was traded to Milwaukee in 1970, where he would immediately win an NBA title. The declining franchise left Cincinnati shortly thereafter, moving to Kansas City in 1972.

Kansas City/Omaha

The Royals were renamed the Kings because Kansas City already had the Royals baseball team. The basketball team agreed to change its nickname, even though it had used the name for 25 years before the baseball team was established. The team initially divided its home games between Kansas City and Omaha until 1975, when it abandoned the Omaha market. During that time the team was officially called the "Kansas City-Omaha Kings". The team netted a new superstar in Nate Archibald, who led the league in scoring and assists.

While still in Cincinnati, the Kings introduced a most unusual uniform design, which placed the player's surname below his number. The design remained intact through the first several seasons of the team's run in Sacramento, even when the shade of blue on the road uniforms was changed from royal blue to powder blue, and the script "Kansas City" which adorned the road jerseys was scrubbed after the move in favor of a repeat of the "Kings" script on the home shirts.

The Kings had some decent players throughout. Tom Van Arsdale, the shooting forward, "Jumpin" Johnny Green, and Matt Guokas helped Archibald in the first year in Kansas City. Toby Kimball was a fan favorite. Jimmy Walker teamed with Archibald as the Kings made the playoffs the second year. Sam Lacey, an effective passing center, became one of the most dependable players in the league. Archibald became the first player to lead the league in scoring and assists in the first season in Kansas City. However, the management traded Archibald, and wasted high draft picks. Bob Cousy gave way to Phil Johnson, who was fired midyear in 1977 and replaced by Larry Staverman, a player on the team on two separate occasions when it was in Cincinnati and who later became the Cleveland Indians groundskeeper.

The Kings finally achieved some success in their new home when they hired Cotton Fitzsimmons as coach. Coach Fitzsimmons won the Midwest Division in 1978–79 with rookie point guard Phil Ford. Kansas City was led by shooting guard Otis Birdsong, strong on both offense and defense, all around shooting forward Scott Wedman, and passing center Sam Lacey, who had a trademark 25 foot bank shot. They also drew an average of 10,789 fans to Kemper Arena that season, the only time during their tenure in KC that average attendance was in five figures. The Kings made the playoffs in 1979–80 and again in 1980–81, despite finishing the regular season at 40–42. The Kings made a surprise run in the NBA Playoffs, reaching the Western Conference Finals. Big Ernie Grunfeld played the point in this run, as KC used a slow half court game to win the first two rounds. Power forward Reggie King had a remarkable series, dominating the opposition.

However, a series of bad luck incidents prevented the team from building on its success. Ted Stepien, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers lured Wedman and Birdsong away with big contract offers, the roof literally fell in at Kemper Arena because of a severe storm, forcing the team to play most of the 1979–80 season at Municipal Auditorium, and the ownership group sold the team to Sacramento interests for just eleven million dollars. The general manager was fired in a bizarre scandal in which he was found to be reusing marked postage stamps. When the Kings rehired Joe Axelson as general manager, they brought back the man who had previously traded superstars Oscar Robertson, Norm Van Lier, Nate Archibald and Jerry Lucas, and used the third pick in the ABA dispersal draft on Ron Boone. Axelson would stay on after the Kings left Kansas City where, in their last game ever, fans wore Joe Axelson masks. Axelson later would say he hoped his plane would never touch down in Kansas City.

Axelson later would be the first general manager in the history of sports to fail with the same franchise in four different cities: Cincinnati, Kansas City, Omaha and Sacramento. He would not be fired for good until he rehired as coach Phil Johnson, whom he had fired in midseason in Kansas City ten years before. The Kings also had the misfortune of entering this period competing with the Kansas City Comets for the winter sports dollar, when the Comets were led by marketers—the Leiweke brothers. Their final season, 1984–85, resulted in a dismal 31–51 record as fans stayed away from Kemper Arena in droves, with average attendance of just 6,410. The most notable moment of this season lives in infamy, when New York Knicks standout Bernard King suffered a devastating knee injury on March 23. The writing was on the wall for Kansas City.

Move to Sacramento

The Kings moved to their current home of Sacramento, California in the 1985–86 NBA season, with their first Sacramento season ending in the first round of the Western Conference 1986 NBA Playoffs. However, they saw little success in subsequent years, and the team did not make the playoffs again until the 1996 NBA Playoffs in the 1995–96 NBA season. Some of their failure was attributable to misfortunes such as the career-altering car crash suffered by promising point guard Bobby Hurley and the suicide of Ricky Berry; some was attributed to poor management such as the long tenure of head coach Garry St. Jean and the selection of "Never Nervous" Pervis Ellison with the first overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft. Current Kings television broadcaster Jerry Reynolds and NBA legend Bill Russell were among the early coaching staff.

1991–1996

The early 1990s were difficult for the Kings. Sacramento was known for having strong fan support, and while they won over 60% of their home games, the team struggled on the road, going 1–40 on the road in a single season. The Kings made the playoffs in 1996 largely due to the efforts of star player Mitch Richmond but they did not see postseason success. The team was eventually sold to the Maloof Family, who finally changed the direction of the team.

1997–1999

The Kings began to emerge from mediocrity with the draft selection of Jason Williams, the signing of Vlade Divac, and the trade of Mitch Richmond for Chris Webber prior to the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season. These acquisitions coincided with the arrival of Peja Stojakovic, who had been drafted in 1998. Each of these moves was attributed to general manager Geoff Petrie, who has won NBA Executive of the Year twice. Following these acquisitions, the Kings improved and became perennial playoff contenders. Led by new head coach Rick Adelman, and aided by former Princeton head coach and Kings assistant Pete Carril, the so-called "Princeton offense" impressed others for its quick style and strong ball movement. Some criticized the Kings for their poor team defense, Williams's "flash over substance" style of play with its many turnovers, and Webber's failure to step up in important match-ups. Still, they quickly garnered many fans outside of California, and even around the world, many of which were drawn to Williams' and Webber's talent. Despite their successes, they were still a young team and were ultimately defeated by more experienced teams in the playoffs, losing to the Utah Jazz in 1999 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000.

2000–2005

Following the 1999-2000 season, the Kings traded starting small forward Corliss Williamson to the Toronto Raptors for defensive shooting guard Doug Christie. Peja Stojakovic and Chris Webber proved to complement each other well, and as the Kings continued to improve, their popularity steadily rose, culminating in a February 2001 Sports Illustrated cover story entitled "The Greatest Show On Court" with Williams, Christie, Stojakovic, Webber, and Divac gracing the cover. In 2001, they won their first playoff series in twenty years, defeating the Phoenix Suns four games to one, before being swept in four games by the Los Angeles Lakers, who eventually won the NBA championship.

In July 2001, starting point guard Jason Williams was traded to the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies for point guard Mike Bibby. The trade solved the Grizzlies' need for an exciting, popular player to sell tickets after transplanting to a new city, while the Kings sought more stability and control at the point guard position. This move was complemented by the re-signing of Webber to a maximum-salary contract, securing the star power forward over the long term.

With the addition of Bibby, the Kings had their best season to date in 2001–02. The team finished with a league-best record of 61–21, winning 36 of 41 games at home. The Kings would go on to play the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, and in a controversial series, lose in seven games.

After winning another division championship by going 59–23 in 2002–03, the Kings lost Webber to a knee injury in the playoffs, and they ultimately lost to the Dallas Mavericks in a seven game series. Webber's knee required major surgery. Although he returned mid-season in 2003–04, he had lost some of his quickness and athleticism; the Kings ended the season with a playoff defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves in seven games.

The 2004–05 season marked more change for the Kings, who lost three of their starting players from the 2002 team. In the off-season of 2004, Divac signed with the rival Lakers, giving Brad Miller the starting spot at the center position. Early in the season, Christie was traded to the Orlando Magic for shooting guard Cuttino Mobley, and in February, Chris Webber was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for three forwards (Corliss Williamson, Kenny Thomas, and Brian Skinner). The Kings ultimately lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Seattle SuperSonics. The 2005 off-season continued with more changes, with the Kings trading fan-favorite Bobby Jackson for Bonzi Wells and acquiring free agent forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

2005–present

The 2005–06 season started off poorly, as the Kings had a hard time establishing team chemistry. Newcomers Bonzi Wells and Shareef Abdur-Rahim made major contributions early in the season, but both were injured and missed a significant number of games. As the Kings' dismal season continued, the Maloofs decided to make a major move.

Popular sharpshooting small forward Peja Stojakovic was traded for Ron Artest, long known for his volatile temper. With Artest in the lineup, the Kings had a 20–9 record after the 2006 NBA All-Star Weekend, which was the second best post-All-Star break record that season. The Kings finished the regular season with a 44–38 record, which placed them 4th in the Pacific Division. The Kings were seeded 8th in the Western Conference playoffs, and were matched up in the first round against the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs eliminated the Kings 4 games to 2.

The 2006 off-season began with the announcement that head coach Rick Adelman's contract would not be renewed. The Kings named Eric Musselman as Adelman's replacement.

In 2006–2007, the disappointing play of the Kings was coupled with the distraction of legal troubles. Coach Eric Musselman pleaded no contest to DUI charges early in the season, while star Ron Artest got in trouble for neglect of his dogs, and was later accused of domestic assault. The Kings relieved Artest of basketball duties, pending investigation, then later reinstated him. The Kings finished the 2006-07 NBA season with an overall record of 33–49 (their worst in 9 years) landing them in fifth place in the Pacific Division. They posted a losing record (20–21) at home for the first time since 1993–94. Their season included a seven game losing-streak that lasted from January 4 to January 19. Consequently, the Sacramento Kings missed the 2007 NBA Playoffs, the first time in eight seasons. Musselman was fired on April 20, 2007. The Kings' future appeared to rest on the shoulders of breakout star Kevin Martin, who was a leading candidate for 2007 NBA Most-Improved Player of the Year.

The 2007 off season was a time of change for the Kings. Head coach Eric Musselman was replaced by former Kings player, Reggie Theus. On June 28, 2007, the Kings selected center Spencer Hawes as the 10th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.

In addition to these changes, the Sacramento Kings acquired center-forward Mikki Moore from the New Jersey Nets. Kevin Martin signed a contract worth $55 million, extending his period with the team for five more years.

However, the Kings also lost some key players over the off-season, with backup point guard Ronnie Price leaving for the Utah Jazz, and Corliss Williamson retiring.

The team claimed fourth-year point guard Beno Udrih off waivers from Minnesota. Udrih quickly assumed the starting point guard job, as Bibby was injured.

It was announced on February 16, 2008 that the Kings had traded longtime point guard Bibby to the Atlanta Hawks for Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson, Shelden Williams, Lorenzen Wright and a 2nd round draft pick. The move was presumably made mostly to clear space under the salary cap. Bibby was the last remaining player from the Kings team that had reached the Western Conference Finals back in 2002.

The Kings improved by 5 games and finished the 2007–08 season with a 38–44 record, missing the playoffs by a bigger margin (12 games) than the previous season (8 games). They went 26–15 at home and 12–29 on the road. After selling out every home game since 1999, the Kings during the 2007–08 season sold out only three games at ARCO Arena (against the Celtics and Lakers) with attendance averaging 13,500 fans per home game, almost 4,000 below capacity.

Following a quiet 2008 off-season, it was confirmed on July 29, 2008 that the Kings would trade forward Ron Artest and the rights to Patrick Ewing, Jr. and Sean Singletary to the Houston Rockets in exchange for former King Bobby Jackson, Donté Greene, a future first round draft pick, and cash considerations for Rashad McCants and center Calvin Booth.

Reggie Theus was fired in the middle of the 2008–09 season, giving way to Kenny Natt as the interim head coach. The Kings continued to struggle under Natt, ending up with the NBA's worst record for the 2008–09 season at 17–65. On April 23, 2009, Kings' Vice President Geoff Petrie announced the firing of Natt and his four assistants, Rex Kalamian, Jason Hamm, Randy Brown and Bubba Burrage.

With the worst record of the 2008–09 season, the Sacramento Kings had a 25% chance of obtaining the first overall pick in th NBA draft. Overall, the Kings had a 64.3% chance of obtaining one of the top three picks in the NBA draft and could not draft any lower than number four overall. Due to the Houston Rockets finishing with a playoff spot, the Kings also owned the rights to Houston's pick as part of the Ron Artest trade.

When the 2009 NBA Draft Lottery occurred on May 19, 2009, the Kings failed to make it into the top three picks and ended up with the fourth selection in the 2009 NBA Draft.

On June 9, 2009, former Phoenix Suns coach and player Paul Westphal was named the new head coach for the Kings.

On June 25, 2009 in the NBA draft, the Sacramento Kings selected Memphis point guard Tyreke Evans with the 4th overall pick. With the 23rd pick, the Kings selected Omri Casspi from Israel.

On December 21, the Kings overcame a 35-point deficit to defeat the Chicago Bulls, marking the largest comeback in franchise history.

The Kings finished the 2009-2010 season with a 25-57 Win-Loss record, making them the 3rd lowest performing team in the NBA for the season.

On April 27, 2010 Tyreke Evans was the first Sacramento era player to receive the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Tyreke Evans also became the 4th player in NBA history, joining Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James, to average 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game for the whole season as a rookie.

On June 24, 2010, the Kings selected DeMarcus Cousins, a power forward and center from University of Kentucky, as the 5th pick of the 2010 NBA Draft. The Kings also selected Hassan Whiteside, a center from Marshall University, as the 33rd pick of the 2010 NBA Draft.

On July 23, 2010, the Kings signed shooting guard free agent Antoine Wright, a former player from the Toronto Raptors during the 2009–2010 season. In addition they signed Pooh Jeter, a point guard who came out of University of Portland and spent the last four seasons playing overseas.

Shortly after the NBA Summer League, the Kings signed Donald Sloan to a one year contract. As a shooting guard who came out of Texas A&M; University, Sloan averaged 17.8 points per game during his senior year and was selected to the first team All-Big 12 Conference. Donald Sloan was waived by the Kings on October 4, 2010.

New arena or Relocation

In light of declining attendance at ARCO Arena and also in light of the increasing obsolescence of the building compared to newer NBA venues, there was a campaign to build a new $600 million facility in downtown Sacramento, which was to be funded by a quarter cent sales tax increase over 15 years. In 2006, voters overwhelmingly rejected ballot measures Q and R, leading to the NBA publicly calling for a new arena to be built at another well-known Sacramento facility, Cal Expo, the site of California's state fair. Negotiations between the Cal Expo governing board and the NBA (serving on behalf of the Maloof family) are ongoing; the Cal Expo board is looking for improvements to the entire facility (including $40 million in deferred maintenance) as well as a new arena. The NBA promises that no public money will be used for the project; the Cal Expo board has long sought state legislation that would allow Cal Expo to form a joint-powers authority to issue bonds and lease land to developers, it is thought that negotiations for an NBA arena will more quickly bring this to fruition. On September 25, 2010 the land swap was voted down by the California Expo Board. Since then, the NBA has ceased assistance to the Maloofs in helping find a new arena for Sacramento but not give up on the franchise itself, possibly leading to Relocation. Rumored cities include Las Vegas, Nevada, Louisville, Kentucky, Anaheim, California, San Jose, California and Kansas City, Missouri. he could of did better to me

Kings Mascot

Since the fall of 1998, the official Kings mascot is Slamson the Lion. Previous to Slamson (1985 to 1998), the Kings mascot was "The Gorilla."

Season-by-season records

Home arenas

Edgerton Park Arena (1945–1955)

Rochester War Memorial (1955–1957)

Cincinnati Gardens (1957–1972)

Kansas City Municipal Auditorium (1972–1974)

Omaha Civic Auditorium (1972–1978)

Kemper Arena (1974–1985)

ARCO Arena I (1985–1988)

ARCO Arena II (1988–present)

Power Balance Pavilion (TBA)

Players of note

Current roster

Basketball Hall of Famers

Nate Archibald (Cincinnati/Kansas City/Omaha)

Al Cervi (Rochester)

Bob Davies (Rochester)

Jerry Lucas (Cincinnati)

Lester Harrison (Franchise founder, Rochester)

Arnie Risen (Rochester)

Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati)

Maurice Stokes (Rochester/Cincinnati)

Jack Twyman (Rochester/Cincinnati)

Bobby Wanzer (Rochester)

Retired numbers

#1 Nate Archibald, G, 1970–76 (1970–72 Cincinnati, 1972–76 Kansas City)

#2 Mitch Richmond, G, 1991–98

#4 Chris Webber, F, 1998–2005

#6 (Sixth Man) – The Fans of Sacramento, 1985–present

#11 Bob Davies, G, 1948–55 (all in Rochester)

#12 Maurice Stokes, F, 1955–58 (career-ending injury in team's first season in Cincinnati)

#14 Oscar Robertson, G, 1960–70 (all in Cincinnati)

#21 Vlade Divac, C, 1998–2004

#27 Jack Twyman, F, 1955–66 (1955–57 in Rochester, 1957–66 in Cincinnati)

#44 Sam Lacey, C, 1970–81 (1970–72 in Cincinnati, 1972–81 in Kansas City)

Archibald and Robertson were named two of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1996.

The 2005 Sacramento Monarchs WNBA Champions banner, as well as the Monarchs 2006 Western Conference Champions banner, also hang from the rafters of ARCO Arena.

See also

Pete Carril

References

The Rochester Sports Project, by Douglas Brei

External links

Sacramento Kings official web site

SCSR / Cincinnati Royals

}}

Category:National Basketball Association teams Category:Sports clubs established in 1945 Category:Basketball Association of America teams Category:National Basketball League (United States) teams Category:Basketball teams in Sacramento, California Category:Basketball teams in California

Width	200px
Position	Center
Number	12, 21
Height ft	7|height_in=1
Weight lbs	260
Birthdate	February 03, 1968Prijepolje, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Debutyear	1983
Finalyear	2005
Draftyear	1989
Draftround	1
Draftpick	26
Teams
Stat1label	Points
Stat1value	13,398
Stat2label	Rebounds
Stat2value	9,326
Stat3label	Blocks
Stat3value	1,631
Letter	d
Bbr	divacvl01
Highlights

}} }}

Vlade Divac (, ) (born February 3, 1968 in Prijepolje, Serbia, Yugoslavia) is a retired Yugoslav and Serbian professional basketball player who spent most of his career in the United States' NBA. At , he played center and was known for his passing skills. Divac was among the first group of European Basketball players to transfer to the NBA in the late 1980s and was named as one of Euroleague's 50 greatest contributors. Divac is one of six players in NBA history to record 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists and 1,500 blocked shots, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett and Hakeem Olajuwon. (The NBA hasn't always kept track of blocked shots, so some other players, such as Bill Russell, probably also had similar career achievements.) Divac is also the only NBA player born and trained outside of the United States to play in over 1,000 games in the NBA. On August 20, 2010, Divac was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in recognition of his play in international competition.

Aside from being noticed for his basketball abilities, Divac is also known as a great humanitarian, helping children in his native country of Serbia, as well as in Africa. On October 16, 2008, Divac was appointed as a government adviser in Serbia for humanitarian issues. On February 24, 2009, he was elected as the President of the Serbian Olympic Committee for a 4-year term. Divac received a prestigious honor from the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame.

Basketball career

He began playing basketball in his home town Prijepolje for the team KK Elan. He began his professional career in Yugoslavia playing for KK Sloga Kraljevo, and was immediately noted for scoring 27 points against Red Star. In summer 1986, he was the top star of the transfer season, signing for KK Partizan Belgrade for DM14,000. as well as the EuroBasket 1991 title, with Aleksandar Đorđević at point guard.

In 1987, with Divac, Đorđević, Paspalj and Obradović, and Dušan Vujošević at the helm, Partizan had a "dream team", which took the Yugoslavian league title, but failed to reach the Euroleague top the next season, having lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv from Israel in the semi-finals in Belgian Ghent. Jugoplastika with Rađa and Kukoč was a stronger team in the subsequent 3 years, reigning both in Yugoslavia and in Europe.

Divac had an unusual style for centers of the time: despite the height, he possessed good mobility, had good control of the ball and was a good shooter from distance. On occasion, he would also act as a playmaker. His trademark moves included a midrange shot at the top of the key and flip shots around the rim while facing the complete opposite direction. His quirky moves complemented how he liked playing gags on the field: in the 1989 Eurobasket, he lifted teammate Zoran Radović for a slam dunk. In just 4 professional seasons in Europe, he became the most sought-after tall player in the continent after Arvydas Sabonis.

This action, along with the Yugoslav Wars, alienated Divac from many of his former Croatian friends, particularly Dražen Petrović, whom he considered his best friend. He also appeared in American sitcoms Married... with Children and Coach, as well as in the short lived Good Sports sitcom starring Farrah Fawcett. On the big screen Divac took part in basketball based movies Eddie, Space Jam and Juwanna Mann. Later in his career, he appeared on Larry King Live in 1999 and The Late Late Show in 2002.

Divac earned a reputation for flopping, or deceiving the officials into calling a foul on the other team by purposely falling to the floor upon contact with an opposing player. Veteran NBA forward P.J. Brown claimed that Divac might have been the best of all time at flopping. Divac freely admitted doing so, adding that he usually did it when he felt like the officials had missed some calls and owed him.

He was traded to the Charlotte Hornets for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant in 1996 and spent two seasons playing there. During the lockout period, he played 2 games for Partizan's "eternal rival" Red Star in Euroleague season 1998/99. He then signed as a free agent with the Sacramento Kings in 1998 where he would play for six seasons alongside fellow countryman Peja Stojakovic. Along with Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, and Peja Stojakovic, Divac revitalized the Sacramento Kings franchise. The Kings rose in the NBA ranks, becoming a perennial playoff contender and later on a championship contender and was at one point the best team in the NBA, leading the league in number of wins in 2001–02. The Kings however, could not get past the Los Angeles Lakers, who beat them in a 7-game series in 2002.

After the 2003–04 NBA season, he became a free agent. He signed a deal to return to the Lakers and was part of a grand plan to overhaul Laker basketball. The Lakers, following a defeat in the NBA Finals, had traded away or released most of their players, including Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton, Karl Malone, Derek Fisher and more; Divac was supposed to fill that void. However, Divac suffered back problems and was unable to play for most of the season, and even when he returned, was only able to play about nine minutes per game, averaging 2.3 points per game and 2.1 rebounds per game in 15 games, he played 8 games early in the season and 7 more in the final month of the season. On 14 July 2005, Divac announced his retirement, ending his sixteen-year NBA basketball career.

The Kings retired his No. 21 jersey in a ceremony on March 31, 2009.

Over his 16 years in the NBA, Divac made over $93,000,000 in salary.

Post-basketball career

Through the twilight of his playing career and afterwards, Divac focused on three fields: humanitarian work, sport management, and investment.

Sport management

KK Partizan

In late 2000, following the overthrow of the Milošević regime, Divac and former teammate Predrag Danilović took over their former club KK Partizan. They did so on initiative by Ivica Dačić, the club's outgoing president and, more importantly at that moment, a suddenly marginalized politician who due to his association with Milošević's regime got forced into leaving his post at the club. Seeing that various state-owned companies and community property were being taken over in dodgy fashion during the power vacuum that resulted from the regime overthrow, Dačić saw it prudent to bring the club's two former greats as a safe guard against the same happening to KK Partizan. Divac became the club's president while Danilović took the vice-president role. Freshly retired from playing, Danilović was actually running the club's day-to-day operations since Divac was still very actively involved with the Sacramento Kings at the time. The head coach they inherited, Darko Russo, finished out the 2000-01 season before they decided in summer 2001 to bring back their mentor Duško Vujošević to be the new head coach.

Though the duo never stated so outright, their additional motivation in getting involved with KK Partizan again was perceived to be gaining the upper hand on club's eventual privatisation process once the new Law on Sports gets passed in Serbian parliament. Since the exact ownership structure of publicly owned KK Partizan wasn't and still isn't really clear, potential investors decided to stay away, at least until the law appears. Divac and Danilović appeared pretty much out of nowhere in this regard but enjoyed plenty of fan and public support because most preferred to see their beloved club owned and operated by its former stars rather than a faceless corporation or a group of politicians, managers or businessmen close to the ruling coalition. However, after few years the duo ran out of patience and pulled out of the venture in late 2004 because it became too much of a financial burden with no end goal in sight. While he stopped performing any official functions at the club, Divac continues to be involved with it in lesser capacity.

LA Lakers

From 2005 to 2006, Divac was employed as European scout for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Real Madrid

In June 2006, through his friendship with Predrag Mijatović, Divac linked up with Ramón Calderón as part of the lawyer's candidate bid for the presidency of Real Madrid polideportivo. When Calderón closely won the club elections on July 2, 2006, Divac was introduced as the head of operations at Real Madrid basketball club.

However, Divac's role in the club's day to day operations was largely symbolic, and even he himself admitted as much in a March 2007 interview for Croatian weekly Globus: "I literally do nothing and I only serve as part of the royal club's image. I only accepted the job because of Mijatović, who is currently the football director at Real".

Serbian Olympic Committee

In February 2009 Divac ran for presidency of the Olympic Committee of Serbia against incumbent president Ivan Ćurković. He won the race after Ćurković withdrew just before the scheduled voting. In the repeated bid, Divac and Danone eventually withdrew and the sale went to FPP Balkan Ltd., a privatization fund from Cayman Islands. The entire messy affair caused great friction within the Serbian government, wide speculation about corruption, resignation of the Securities Commission chief, and even police investigation.

Another similar, though less spectacular, episode happened with 2005 Divac's attempt to take over the Večernje novosti, a Serbian high-circulation daily. He made an agreement with small shareholders to take over the company by means of registering a new company with joint capital, which would increase the share capital. However, the Serbian Government intervened and halted what should have been a mere technical move. While the attempted takeover was a "backdoor" one indeed, it was legal and similar cases had already happened. The government ostensibly feared lack of control over the influential daily. Even through the Supreme Court of Serbia eventually ruled in Divac's favor, he withdrew from the contest, citing "friendly advice" by unnamed persons. Embittered, he decided to stop his attempts to invest in Serbia: "All of this is ugly and I'm very upset... I realized that there's no place for me in Serbia and my friends can meet me in Madrid from now on... In Serbia, some different rules are in effect, and I can't conceive them".

However, that turned out not to be true, as in October 2007 Divac got legally registered as 100% owner of Voda Voda, a bottled water brand previously owned by businessman Vojin Đorđević. That transaction was also followed by a stir of controversy, as Đorđević publicly accused Divac of deceit, asserting that he broke a gentlemen's agreement they had, and questioning the validity of the contract that Divac presented to the Serbian Business Registers Agency. The circumstances surrounding the deal (as of November 2007) are still unclear: Divac claims that he indeed loaned some money to the Đorđević's Si&Si; company, which was in financial troubles, and after Đorđević failed to fulfill his part of the deal, just used the contract, already properly signed by Đorđević, to claim ownership of the company.

Humanitarian work

's family in 2005, at an event for World Heart Day]] Divac is a proactive humanitarian worker, focusing on aid to children worldwide and refugees in his home country. Along with six Serbian basketball teammates, Divac established the charity called Group Seven, later renamed to "Divac's Children Foundation", and works closely with International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), helping them to raise around US$500,000 for humanitarian assistance in Serbia since 1997. Divac's own foundation, presided by his wife Snežana, provided over $2,500,000 in humanitarian assistance through 1998–2007.

In late 2007 Divac has founded a humanitarian organization, "You Can Too" (Serbian: Можеш и ти/Možeš i ti), bent on assisting the refugees in Serbia. Serbia has around 500,000 refugees from the 1990s Yugoslav wars, making it the country with the largest refugee problem in Europe.

On 21–23 September 2007, Divac organized an official farewell from active basketball career in his hometown Prijepolje and Belgrade, simultaneously promoting the "You Can Too" campaign. The spectacle culminated in gathering of Divac and his worldwide friends in front of 10,000 people outside the National Assembly building.

Domestic fame

Divac is genuinely adored by most of the public in his native Serbia.

Presidential candidate Boris Tadić received a major boost when Divac backed him in the 2004 Serbian presidential elections. The two played a game of one-on-one street basketball as part of a campaign photo-op leading up to the second round runoff vote. Tadić ended up winning the election.

Back in early 1990s, the song "Vlade Divac" by Belgrade band Deca Loših Muzičara, devoted to his transfer to Lakers, was a big hit; the band finally got to personally meet Divac and perform the song with him on his farewell party in 2007.

Divac is in major demand for high profile marketing campaigns, even well after his playing career has ended. He regularly appears in commercials pitching products ranging from Atlas Beer to Societe Generale Bank mortgage credit plans. He recently appeared in a national TV commercial in the United States alongside former NBA star Darryl Dawkins for Taco Bell.

Divac appeared as a special guest on Eurovision 2008. He threw a ball into audience, and that was sign for the beginning of televoting.

Divac appears in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Once Brothers, where he discusses the exploits of the Yugoslavia national basketball team in the late 1980s and early 1990s and how the Yugoslav Wars tore them apart, especially in context of his broken friendship with Croatian player Dražen Petrović.

Major career achievements

KK Partizan

KK Partizan Belgrade Yugoslavia Championship in 1987

KK Partizan Belgrade Final-four of Euroleague 1988

KK Partizan Belgrade National Cup Winner 1989

KK Partizan Belgrade Korać Cup Winner 1989

Yugoslavia national team

Earned gold medal with Yugoslavia's under-18 nationals at the European Cadet Championships in Rousse, Bulgaria in 1985

Earned gold medal with Yugoslavia's under-21 nationals at the European Junior Championships in Gmunden, Austria in 1986

Earned gold medal with Yugoslavia's under-21 nationals at the FIBA Junior World Championships of Basketball in Bormio, Italy in 1987, defeating the U.S. team twice in that tournament

Earned silver medals in 1988 (for SFRY) and 1996 Olympics (for FRY)

Earned gold medals with SFRY at the 1990 (Argentina) and with FRY at the 2002 FIBA World Championship (U.S.)

Earned gold medals at European Championships in Zagreb 1989 and Rome 1991 (with SFRY), and in Athens 1995 (with FRY)

NBA

Named to the 1989–90 NBA All-Rookie First Team after averaging 8.5 ppg and 6.2 rpg for the Lakers

Appeared in the 1991 NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls and averaged 12.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 2.4 apg in 121 career NBA Playoff games

Ranks 4th in Lakers franchise history with 830 blocked shots

Ranked 2nd on the Kings in scoring (14.3 ppg), rebounds (10.0 rpg, 10th in the NBA), assists (4.3 apg) and blocked shots (1.02 bpg) in 1998–99

Ranked 12th in the NBA in field-goal percentage (.503) in 1999–2000

Named NBA All-Star, 2001

Only basketball player born and trained in Europe to play at least 1,000 NBA games (1,134)

One of only two basketball players born and trained in Europe (Dražen Petrović is the other) to have his number retired by an NBA team

See also

List of National Basketball Association players with 1000 games played

List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders

List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders

List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders

List of National Basketball Association players with 10 or more blocks in a game

Filmography

Movies

Mi nismo anđeli 3: Rock & roll uzvraca udarac (2008) -Pretpostavljeni

Crossover (2004) -Himself

Juwanna Mann (2002) -Beat Player Morse

Driving Me Crazy (TV) (2000) -Viglione, Gene

Space Jam (1996) -Himself (Los Angeles Lakers)

Eddie (1996) -Himself (Los Angeles Lakers)

Television

Želite li da postanete milioner? - Serbia, New Year's 2008 celebrity charity edition – Himself (Answered 13 questions, won RSD1,250,000)

Crni Gruja, "Kolac" (2003) -Vampir Toza

Rachel Gunn, R.N., "Rachel Sees Red" (2000)

Married... with Children, " A Tisket, a Tasket, Can Peg Make a Basket?" (1993) – Himself

Coach, "Dateline-Bangkok" (1992) -Delivery Man

Good Sports, "The Reviews are in" (1991) -Himself

Once Brothers -Documentary about Dražen Petrović and Vlade Divac on ESPN - October 2010

Notes

External links

Vlade Divac playerfile @ NBA.com

Divac's Charity

Euroleague.net 50 greatest contributors

Vlade Divac Statistics @ Basketball-Reference.com

Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:FIBA Hall of Fame inductees Category:Serbian expatriate basketball people in the United States Category:Basketball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:KK Partizan players Category:Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Category:Los Angeles Lakers players Category:Charlotte Hornets players Category:KK Crvena zvezda players Category:Sacramento Kings players Category:Yugoslav basketball players Category:Serbian basketball players Category:National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Category:Olympic basketball players of Yugoslavia Category:Olympic silver medalists for Yugoslavia Category:American basketball players Category:American sportspeople of Serbian descent Category:Centers (basketball) Category:Serbian businesspeople Category:Eurobasket-winning players

Name	Tyreke Evans
Width	200px
Team	Sacramento Kings
Number	13
Position	Shooting guard/Point guard
Career start	2009
Height ft	6
Height in	6
Weight lb	220
League	NBA
Nationality	American
Birth date	September 19, 1989
Birth place	Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
High school	American Christian
College	Memphis
Draft round	1
Draft pick	4
Draft year	2009
Draft team	Sacramento Kings
Highlights

Tyreke Jamir Evans (born September 19, 1989 in Chester, Pennsylvania) is an American professional basketball player with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of Memphis, and was selected by the Sacramento Kings as the 4th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. He attended American Christian Academy in Aston, Pennsylvania, and by his sophomore year began drawing comparisons to NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady. As a senior, he averaged 32.1 points per game and was named the Most Valuable Player of the McDonald's All-American Game, where he posted 21 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists to help lead the East team to a 107-102 victory over the West. At the age of 16, he was featured in the documentary Gunning for That #1 Spot directed by Adam "MCA" Yauch of the Beastie Boys. Evans was chosen to be the keeper of the SLAM Magazine High School Diary for the 2008 season.

College

In April 2008, Evans announced that he would attend the University of Memphis, after also considering Villanova University and the University of Texas.

Evans transitioned from playing small forward in high school to guard in college. He struggled at times at the beginning of his freshman season at the shooting guard position. This continued until coach John Calipari inserted him as the starting point guard in the 11th game of the season, a 60-45 win over the University of Cincinnati. In 33 minutes, Evans nearly put up a triple-double, with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. The Tigers would not lose another game until falling to the Missouri Tigers in the NCAA Tournament.

Evans was named the Conference USA Rookie of the Week eight times.

Evans was the only freshman finalist for the 2009 U.S. Basketball Writers of America National Player of the year award, named in honor of Oscar Robertson.

NBA

2009-2010 (Rookie Season)

On March 31, 2009, Evans declared himself eligible for the 2009 NBA Draft. Evans decided to forgo his remaining three seasons of collegiate eligibility. On June 25, 2009, Evans was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the fourth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

On December 1, 2009, Evans was named NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played from the beginning of the season through November. During that time he averaged 18.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.33 steals in 36.1 minutes per game.

On December 21, 2009, he was instrumental in leading the Sacramento Kings back from a 35-point deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls, 102-98. Evans scored 9 of the Kings last 11 points, single-handedly outscoring the Bulls in the 4th quarter (11 points for Evans vs. 10 for the Bulls).

On January 4, 2010, Tyreke Evans was named Western Conference T-Mobile Rookie of the Month for the second straight month.

On February 12, 2010 Tyreke Evans won the 2010 Rookie/Sophomore Game MVP award after recording 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals on 11/15 shooting. In an act of sportsmanship, he chose to share the award with DeJuan Blair, who had scored 22 points and pulled down 23 rebounds.

On March 11, 2010, Evans recorded his first career triple-double in a win against the Toronto Raptors on Rally for RekeROY night. Evans scored 19 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds.

He also became the fourth NBA player in history to ever average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in his rookie year, joining Oscar Robertson (1960), Michael Jordan (1984) and LeBron James (2003).

On April 27, 2010, Evans was recognized for his accomplishments by being awarded the 2009-2010 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

NBA Statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Sacramento | 72 || 72 || 37.2 || .458 || .255 || .748 || 5.3 || 5.8 || 1.5 || 0.4 || 20.1 |- | align="left" | 2010–11 | align="left" | Sacramento | 31 || 31 || 36.9 || .393 || .276 || .741 || 4.7 || 5.4 || 1.7 || 0.5 || 17.2 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 103 || 103 || 37.1 || .438 || .263 || .747 || 5.1 || 5.7 || 1.6 || 0.4 || 19.3

As of January 14, 2011

Awards and honors

NBA Rookie of the Year: 2010

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2010

NBA Rookie Challenge MVP: 2010

McDonald's All-American Game MVP: 2008

Notes

External links

Memphis Bio

Tyreke Evans at NBA.com

Tyreke Evans News

Category:1989 births Category:People from Delaware County, Pennsylvania Category:American basketball players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Memphis Tigers men's basketball players Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:Living people Category:Sacramento Kings draft picks Category:Sacramento Kings players

Position	PG
Name	Ricky Rubio Vives
Nickname	Ricky BusinessLa Pistola
Caption	Rubio warming up with DKV Joventut
Height ft	6
Height in	3+3/4
Weight lbs	190
Number	9
League	Liga ACBEuroleague
Team	FC Barcelona
Nationality	Spanish
Birth date	October 21, 1990
Birth place	El Masnou, Barcelona, Spain
Draft	5th overall
Draft year	2009
Draft team	Minnesota Timberwolves
Career start	2005
Former teams	DKV Joventut (2005–09)
Awards	FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship MVP 2006Spanish League Rising Star Award 20073× FIBA European Young Player of the Year 2007, 2008, 20092× Spanish League Best Point Guard 2008, 2010Mr. Europa European Player of the Year 2008Spanish League Defensive Player of the Year 2009Catalan Tournament MVP 2009 Euroleague Rising Star 2010

Ricard "Ricky" Rubio Vives (born October 21, 1990 in El Masnou, Catalonia, Spain) is a Spanish professional basketball player with Regal FC Barcelona. Rubio became the youngest player ever to play in the Spanish ACB League on October 15, 2005, at age 14. On June 25, 2009, he was drafted with the fifth pick in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, making him the first player born in the 1990s to be drafted by the NBA. The Timberwolves had an agreement in principle with his former Spanish team, DKV Joventut, to buy out his contract, but Rubio backed out of the deal. On August 31, 2009, Joventut traded the rights to Rubio to FC Barcelona, and Rubio signed a six-year contract with FC Barcelona the following day.

Player profile

Rubio weighs 86 kg (190 lbs.), is 1.92m (6'3¾") in height and has a 2.06m (6'9") wingspan. He is regarded by some as the best European guard prospect ever. Rubio has been compared by some to Pete Maravich. Says former NBA guard Pepe Sánchez, who at the time played at the point guard position for Liga ACB rivals Unicaja Málaga:

}}

Despite his notability, he has been carefully shielded. DKV Joventut and Rubio's parents agreed not to make him available for interviews until his 18th birthday, on 21 October 2008.

Rubio held his first press conference in early June 2008. During the event, he criticized what he saw as the NBA's emphasis on individual play and blamed poor team play for the recent struggles of the US national team, saying in Catalan, "Basketball isn't one-on-one. It's five-on-five, plus the bench."

He made his Euroleague debut on October 24, 2006, versus Panathinaikos of Athens as Joventut's backup point guard for Elmer Bennett. Rubio averaged 2.8 assists per game in his first season of Euroleague play. He won the Eurocup championship with Joventut in 2008. He was also voted the Spanish ACB League's best point guard in 2008 and 2010.

Rubio won the 2008 Mr. Europa Award. In 2009, his club Badalona raised the amount of money that his contract paid per year from 80,000 euros net income to 300,000 euros net income. He was named the Defensive Player of the Year for the Spanish ACB League 2008-09 season, and he also led the league in steals that season. Rubio declared himself eligible for the 2009 NBA Draft on April 20, 2009. Rubio's agent is Dan Fegan.

2009 NBA Draft

On June 24, 2009, the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired the 5th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov from the Washington Wizards, in exchange for Randy Foye and Mike Miller. With the 5th pick, Minnesota selected Rubio, making him the first player born in the 1990s to be drafted. The Timberwolves had a total of four first round picks in the 2009 NBA Draft. They used the 6th and 18th picks in the first round and chose two other point guards, Jonny Flynn from Syracuse and Ty Lawson from North Carolina, surprising many in the NBA. Lawson's draft rights were soon traded to the Denver Nuggets. Rubio had a buyout clause in his Joventut contract reported by various media outlets as ranging from USD 6.6 million to 8.2 million, and Timberwolves general manager David Kahn admitted that Rubio may have to play one more season in Spain to reduce or avoid the buyout. In another development, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported on August 4 that Rubio's representatives had been actively seeking endorsement deals in Minnesota to help finance his buyout (the NBA buyout rules are binding on teams, but not on third parties).

However, on August 31, 2009, ESPN reported that Rubio will not come to the NBA until 2011 at the earliest. with ESPN reporting that the buyout at that time will be a more manageable $1.4 million (of which the Timberwolves can pay $500,000). His decision to stay in Spain will save him millions in the short term, but may have long-term consequences. The Timberwolves will retain his NBA rights for one year after he stops playing professional basketball of any sort, at which time he may reenter the NBA draft (but does not become a free agent). Under the current NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, when Rubio arrives in the NBA he will be subject to the rookie wage scale of the year he signs his contract. In the current CBA, there is a clause that states if Rubio were to play overseas for three or more years, he could negotiate past the rookie scale. The current CBA ends before Rubio could negotiate a raise, however, and it is widely thought that the new CBA will be worse for players (including foreign draft picks), not better. He will also be two years further away from restricted free agency by playing two years in Europe.

Spanish national team

Under-16 national team

In August 2006, Rubio led the junior Spanish national team to the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship. During the tournament Rubio achieved two triple-doubles and a quadruple-double. In the 110–106 double overtime finale victory over Russia, Rubio scored 51 points, the first player to do so in FIBA tournaments since Luol Deng (in 2001), grabbed 24 rebounds, made 12 assists, and stole the ball seven times—a performance unprecedented in the tournament's history. He also forced the first overtime with a three-point, buzzer-beating shot from mid-court. Rubio was subsequently named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament after leading it in points, rebounds, assists and steals.

Senior national team

}} The young Spaniard was selected to take part in the Spanish National Team which participated at the 2008 Olympics Basketball Tournament in Beijing, China. The team was composed of current and former NBA players such as Pau Gasol, José Calderón, Rudy Fernández, Marc Gasol, Raúl López, Jorge Garbajosa, and Juan Carlos Navarro, among others.

He played in the 2008 Olympics Basketball Tournament's gold medal game against Team USA, and thus at 17 became the youngest basketball player to ever play in an Olympic basketball final. Rubio shared the Spanish national team's silver medal after his team suffered a 118–107 defeat.

The next year he was chosen to play for Spain at the EuroBasket 2009 in Poland, where Spain won the gold medal by defeating Serbia by a score of 85–63. During the tournament, Rubio averaged 22.7 minutes, 5.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

In 2010 he took part in the FIBA World Championships held in Turkey. Spain failed to medal after winning gold in 2006.

Awards and accomplishments

Joventut

Spanish King's Cup (1): 2008

EuroChallenge (1): 2006

Eurocup (1): 2008

Catalan Tournament (3): 2005, 2007, 2008

FC Barcelona

Spanish King's Cup (1): 2010

Euroleague (1): 2010

Spanish Supercup (2): 2009, 2010

Catalan Tournament (2): 2009, 2010

Spanish national team

FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship: Bronze Medal (2005)

FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship: Gold Medal (2006)

2008 Olympics Basketball Tournament: Silver Medal

2009 FIBA European Championship: Gold Medal

Personal awards

MVP of the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship: he averaged 22.3 points, 12.8 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 6.5 steals. In the final, accumulated 51 points, 24 rebounds, 12 assists and 7 steals.

2× led the Spanish ACB League in steals: (2007, 2009)

Won the Spanish ACB League Rising Star Award: (2007)

3× FIBA European Young Player of the Year: (2007, 2008, 2009)

2× Spanish ACB League's Best Point Guard: (2008, 2010)

2× All-Spanish ACB League Team: (2008, 2010)

Mr. Europa European Player of the Year: (2008)

Spanish ACB League Defensive Player of the Year: (2009)

Catalan Tournament MVP: (2009)

Euroleague Rising Star: (2010)

Won the Spanish ACB League Top 5 Trophy: Most Spectacular Player of the Year (2010)

Notes

External links

Ricky Rubio's Official Site / Ricky Rubio On Twitter Ricky Rubio On Facebook /

NBA.com Profile

Euroleague.net Profile

2010 FIBA World Championship Profile

Spanish ACB League Profile

ESPN.com NBA Draft Bio

FantasySP.com Ricky Rubio News

NBADraft.net Profile

Category:1990 births Category:Living people Category:Spanish basketball players Category:Olympic basketball players of Spain Category:Olympic silver medalists for Spain Category:Catalan basketball players Category:Joventut Badalona players Category:FC Barcelona Bàsquet players Category:Liga ACB players Category:Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Guards (basketball) Category:Point guards Category:Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks Category:Eurobasket-winning players

Name	Mike Bibby
Caption	Bibby with the Hawks
Number	10
Position	Point guard
Height ft	6 | height_in = 2
Weight lb	195
Team	Atlanta Hawks
Nationality	American
Birth date	May 13, 1978
Birth place	Cherry Hill, New Jersey
High school	Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Arizona)
College	Arizona
Draft round	1
Draft pick	2
Draft year	1998
Draft team	Vancouver Grizzlies
Career start	1998
Teams	Vancouver Grizzlies (1998–01)Sacramento Kings (2001–08)Atlanta Hawks(2008-present)
Highlights	1996–97 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year 1997–98 First Team All-American1997–98 Pac-10 Player of the Year1997–98 All-Pac-101998–99 NBA All-Rookie First Team

}}

Michael "Mike" Bibby (born May 13, 1978, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey) is an American professional basketball point guard for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. He is a 6'2" point guard and he attended Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, Arizona. He is the son of former NBA player Henry Bibby and Virginia Bibby.

College career

As a freshman at Arizona, Bibby helped lead the Wildcats to the NCAA championship in 1997, scoring 20 points in the title game versus the University of Kentucky. Following his sophomore season, Bibby entered the 1998 NBA Draft and was selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies with the second pick.

NBA career

Vancouver Grizzlies

In his first season with the Grizzlies, Bibby averaged 13.2 points, 6.5 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game earning NBA All-Rookie honors during the season which was abbreviated by a labor dispute. but the Grizzlies continued to struggle. On June 27, 2001, just after the Grizzlies had re-located to Memphis, Bibby and Brent Price were traded to the Sacramento Kings for Jason Williams and Nick Anderson. Currently, Mike Bibby is the last remaining player in the NBA to have played for the Vancouver Grizzlies.

Sacramento Kings

During the 2001–02 season, Bibby guided the Kings to the Western Conference Finals where they lost to the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. Bibby's performance during the series, perhaps most memorably his Game 5 game winner, earned him a reputation as a clutch performer, and as a reward, he was granted a 7-year, $80.5 million contract.

During the 2002–03 season, Bibby was hampered by injuries, playing in only 55 games, but still averaged a respectable 15.9 points per game with the Kings going 59–23 and securing second seed in the west. For the 2003–04 season, Bibby posted some of the best numbers of his career, scoring 1,506 points (18.4 per game) and helping the Kings reach the playoffs. Bibby helped to lift the Kings over the Dallas Mavericks in the first round, scoring a career playoff-best 36 points in the clinching Game 5.

Atlanta Hawks

On February 16, 2008 the Atlanta Hawks acquired Bibby in exchange for Shelden Williams, Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Lorenzen Wright and a 2008 second-round draft pick.

Even though he battled through thumb, heel and quad injuries Bibby put up 14.1 points and 6.6 assists per game while working in an unfamiliar offense to lead the Hawks to their first playoff berth in almost ten years.

On July 7, 2009 Bibby and the Hawks agreed to a three-year deal worth about $18 million.

Career transactions

June 24, 1998: Drafted 2nd overall by Vancouver Grizzlies in 1998 NBA Draft.

June 27, 2001: Traded by Vancouver along with Brent Price to the Sacramento Kings for Jason Williams and Nick Anderson.

February 16, 2008: Traded by Sacramento to the Atlanta Hawks for Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Shelden Williams, Lorenzen Wright and a future second-round draft pick.

Personal life

Bibby is the son of Henry Bibby, a former NBA and UCLA player, former USC basketball coach and current Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach. Mike's mother, Virginia, is a native of Trinidad and Tobago. Mike Bibby is the nephew of former Major League Baseball player Jim Bibby and the brother-in-law of NBA player Eddie House, who was also his Sacramento Kings teammate during the 2004–05 season. Mike also has two cousins in sports: Nottingham Forest forward Robbie Findley and wide receiver Shaun McDonald of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers. Bibby and his wife, Darcy, have four children: Michael, Janae, Mia, and Nylah.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 1998–99 | align="left" | Vancouver | 50 || 50 || 35.2 || .430 || .203 || .751 || 2.7 || 6.5 || 1.6 || .1 || 13.2 |- | align="left" | 1999–00 | align="left" | Vancouver | 82 || 82 || 38.5 || .445 || .363 || .780 || 3.7 || 8.1 || 1.6 || .2 || 14.5 |- | align="left" | 2000–01 | align="left" | Vancouver | 82 || 82 || 38.9 || .454 || .379 || .761 || 3.7 || 8.4 || 1.3 || .2 || 15.9 |- | align="left" | 2001–02 | align="left" | Sacramento | 80 || 80 || 33.2 || .453 || .370 || .803 || 2.8 || 5.0 || 1.1 || .2 || 13.7 |- | align="left" | 2002–03 | align="left" | Sacramento | 55 || 55 || 33.4 || .470 || .409 || .861 || 2.7 || 5.2 || 1.3 || .2 || 15.9 |- | align="left" | 2003–04 | align="left" | Sacramento | 82 || 82 || 36.3 || .450 || .392 || .815 || 3.4 || 5.4 || 1.4 || .2 || 18.4 |- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Sacramento | 80 || 80 || 38.6 || .443 || .360 || .775 || 4.2 || 6.8 || 1.5 || .4 || 19.6 |- | align="left" | 2005–06 | align="left" | Sacramento | 82 || 82 || 38.6 || .432 || .386 || .849 || 2.9 || 5.4 || 1.0 || .1 || 21.1 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Sacramento | 82 || 82 || 34.0 || .404 || .360 || .830 || 3.2 || 4.7 || 1.1 || .1 || 17.1 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Sacramento | 15 || 12 || 31.5 || .406 || .393 || .742 || 3.7 || 5.0 || 1.3 || .1 || 13.5 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Atlanta | 33 || 32 || 33.3 || .414 || .369 || .797 || 3.2 || 6.5 || 1.1 || .1 || 14.1 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Atlanta | 79 || 79 || 34.7 || .435 || .390 || .789 || 3.5 || 5.0 || 1.2|| .1 || 14.9 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Atlanta | 80 || 80 || 27.4 || .416 || .389 || .861 || 2.3 || 3.9 || .8|| - || 9.1 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 882 || 878 || 35.3 || .438 || .375 || .806 || 3.2 || 5.9 || 1.2 || .2 || 15.8

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2001–02 | align="left" | Sacramento | 16 || 16 || 41.3 || .444 || .424 || .826 || 3.8 || 5.0 || 1.4 || .2 || 20.3 |- | align="left" | 2002–03 | align="left" | Sacramento | 12 || 12 || 33.7 || .422 || .282 || .794 || 2.6 || 5.0 || 1.2 || .4 || 12.7 |- | align="left" | 2003–04 | align="left" | Sacramento | 12 || 12 || 41.4 || .429 || .436 || .873 || 4.2 || 7.0 || 1.9 || .4 || 20.0 |- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Sacramento | 5 || 5 || 40.0 || .391 || .217 || .778 || 4.4 || 6.6 || 1.4 || .4 || 19.6 |- | align="left" | 2005–06 | align="left" | Sacramento | 6 || 6 || 42.5 || .348 || .346 || .900 || 3.8 || 5.2 || 1.5 || .0 || 16.7 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Atlanta | 7 || 7 || 36.0 || .338 || .292 || .656 || 3.1 || 3.1 || .6 || .3 || 10.3 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Atlanta | 11 || 11 || 35.5 || .462 || .542 || .955 || 3.4 || 4.2 || .9 || .2 || 13.2 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Atlanta | 11 || 11 || 26.5 || .450 || .412 || .700 || 2.5 || 2.5 || .8 || .0 || 8.5 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 80 || 80 || 36.9 || .420 || .393 || .821 || 3.4 || 4.8 || 1.2 || .2 || 15.3

See also

List of National Basketball Association career 3-point scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders

Notes

External links

Player profile @ NBA.com

Official website

Statistics @ Basketball-reference.com

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:American expatriate basketball people in Canada Category:Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players Category:Atlanta Hawks players Category:Basketball players from Arizona Category:Basketball players from New Jersey Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Cherry Hill, New Jersey Category:People from Phoenix, Arizona Category:Point guards Category:Sacramento Kings players Category:American people of Trinidad and Tobago descent Category:Vancouver Grizzlies draft picks Category:Vancouver Grizzlies players

Name	Jrue Holiday
Width	300px
Height ft	6
Height in	4
Weight lb	180
Team	Philadelphia 76ers
Position	Point guard/shooting guard
Number	11
Birth date	June 12, 1990
Birth place	Chatsworth, California
High school	Campbell Hall School
College	UCLA
Nationality	American
Draft round	1
Draft pick	17
Draft team	Philadelphia 76ers
Draft year	2009
Career start	2009| career_end =

Jrue Randall Holiday (born June 12, 1990 in Chatsworth, California) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA. He is the first player born in the 1990s to play in the NBA. He played his only college basketball season for the UCLA Bruins before jumping to the pros. His older brother Justin plays for the Washington Huskies.

High school

Holiday attended Campbell Hall School in North Hollywood, California and was ranked as one of the best college recruits in the nation in the class of 2008. He was ranked #2 in the nation by Rivals.com and #4 by Scout.com.

He played on the varsity basketball team all four years of high school. As a senior he was named the 2008 Gatorade Player of the Year. In his senior year he averaged 25.9 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 6.9 apg and 4.8 spg and lead Campbell Hall to a 31-5 record and the California Division IV state title over Cardinal Newman High School. Holiday was selected as a 2008 McDonald's All-American where he scored 14 points and had five rebounds, five steals and three assists for the West Team. He also participated in the 2008 Jordan Brand Classic.

College

In July 2007 Holiday committed to play basketball at UCLA, where he was recruited and later coached by head coach Ben Howland. He chose UCLA over Washington.

Holiday had 11 points in his first career regular season game in a December 4, 2008 win over Prairie View A&M;. Despite being a natural point guard, Holiday started at shooting guard with senior (and New Orleans Hornets 2009 1st round draft pick) Darren Collison starting at point guard.

NBA career

Holiday was drafted 17th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2009 NBA Draft. He became the team's starting point guard in March of the 2009-2010 season. When Louis Williams returned from injury, Holiday lost his starting job for a few games, but since the Sixers kept on losing, Holiday regained the starting job, and kept it for the rest of the season. On April 3, 2010 Holiday scored a career high 25 points against the Toronto Raptors. He finished the game with 25 points, 7 assists and two steals. On November 5, 2010, Holiday beat his career-high, scoring 29 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 73 || 51 || 24.2 || .442 || .390 || .756 || 2.6 || 3.8 || 1.1 || .2 || 8.0 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 73 || 51 || 24.2 || .442 || .390 || .756 || 2.6 || 3.8 || 1.1 || .2 || 8.0

See also

2008–09 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

References

External links

Category:1990 births Category:Living people Category:American basketball players Category:Basketball players from California Category:People from Chatsworth, California Category:UCLA Bruins men's basketball players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:Shooting guards Category:Point guards Category:Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Category:Philadelphia 76ers players

Name	Donté Greene
Profile	donte_greene
Team	Sacramento Kings
Number	20
Position	Small forward/power forward
Height ft	6
Height in	11
Weight lb	226
Nationality	American
Birth date	February 21, 1988
Birth place	Munich, Bavaria, West Germany
High school	Towson Catholic,Baltimore, Maryland
College	Syracuse
Draft round	1
Draft pick	28
Draft year	2008
Draft team	Memphis Grizzlies
Career start	2008
Teams

Donté Dominic Greene (born February 21, 1988 in Munich, Bavaria, West Germany) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the NBA. A 6-foot-11, 226 pound forward from Baltimore, Maryland, he played for the Syracuse Orange's basketball team in his freshman year. Greene was selected as the 28th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2008 NBA Draft.

High school career

Greene attended Towson Catholic High School, where he averaged 18.4 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 3.0 apg., 2.1 spg. and 4.3 bpg. as a senior in 2006–07 and helped Towson Catholic to a 32–6 record and to its second consecutive Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference and Baltimore Catholic League titles.

He was a 2007 McDonald's All-American, Maryland's 2007 Gatorade Player of the Year, was named to the Nike Brand All-America Team and selected to play in the 2007 Jordan Classic. In the class of 2007, he ranked as the No. 7 overall recruit and No. 2 power forward by scout.com and as No. 10 overall and the No. 3 small forward by rivals.com.

Team USA

Greene was named as a 2006 USA Men's U18 National Team member on June 26, 2006. He averaged 3.5 ppg. and 1.0 rpg. as the USA captured a 4–0 mark and the gold medal at the 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men in San Antonio, Texas.

Greene would once again play on Team USA in the 2007 USA Basketball U19 World Championships. Although he was slowed by a shoulder injury, Greene played in eight-of-nine contests and averaged 4.3 points and 1.5 rebounds. The team took home the silver medal after losing to Serbia in the championship game.

College career

In his freshman year of college, Greene started all 35 games he appeared in and led Syracuse in scoring with 17.7 points to go along with 7.2 rebounds per game. He became the first Syracuse freshmen since Carmelo Anthony to lead Syracuse in scoring, while setting a new SU freshmen record for 3-pointers in one season, notching 90, surpassing Gerry McNamara, who previously held the record with 85. Greene also led Syracuse with 57 blocks. He was named to the Big East All Rookie Team.

However, Greene struggled in Big East play, where he shot just 28.6 percent (40-for-140) from downtown. While he led Syracuse in scoring, he also took more shots than anyone on the team, and had more turnovers (91) than assists (71). He was also criticized for his poor shot selection and porous defense. Greene and Jonny Flynn were the country's second-highest scoring freshman duo. In April, 2008 Greene declared himself eligible for the NBA draft. Greene had 19 points and 13 rebounds in an 85–73 Syracuse victory over Seton Hall on March 5, 2008. Greene also scored a season-high 27 points in an 87–81 NIT win over Robert Morris on March 18, 2008.

Professional career

NBA

In the pick that they received from the Los Angeles Lakers as part of the Pau Gasol trade, the Memphis Grizzlies selected Greene as the 28th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Greene signed with the Rockets on July 15, 2008 and proceeded to score 40 points in his summer league debut at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. He hit 12–20 field goals, including 5-of-10 threes, to go along with 11-of-12 free throws. On July 30, 2008, according to NBA front-office sources confirmed to ESPN.com, it was agreed that Greene, along with Bobby Jackson, a 2009 first-round draft pick and an excess of 1 million dollars, were to be traded by the Rockets to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Ron Artest. The deal was made official on August 14, when Greene (per NBA rules) was eligible to be traded after signing a contract with Houston on July 14. He was the first player the Kings had ever sent to the D-League. In his first game with Reno, he scored 26 points in a 93–91 Bighorns win over the Bakersfield Jam. After performances of 14, 18, and 16 points in his next three games, he scored 28 points, with 14 scored in the final quarter, in a 117–103 win over the Utah Flash on January 17. Greene was recalled to the Kings that same day.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Sacramento | 55 || 4 || 13.2 || .326 || .260 || .853 || 1.6 || .5 || .3 || .2 || 3.8 |- | align="left" | 2009-10 | align="left" | Sacramento | 76 || 50 || 21.4 || .441 || .377 || .643 || 3.1 || .9 || .5 || .7 || 8.5 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 131 || 54 || 18.0 || .407 || .336 || .684 || 2.4 || .8 || .4 || .5 || 6.5

References

External links

Donte Greene NBA.com Profile

Donte Greene 2008 Summer League Statistics

Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:People from Baltimore, Maryland Category:Syracuse Orange men's basketball players Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Memphis Grizzlies draft picks Category:Sacramento Kings players Category:People from Munich Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Reno Bighorns players Category:Small forwards Category:Basketball players from Maryland

Caption	Chris Webber during his days with the Sacramento Kings
Position	Power forward
Height ft	6 | height_in = 10
Weight lbs	245
Number	4, 84, 2
Birth date	March 01, 1973
Birthplace	Detroit, Michigan
Career start	1993
Career end	2008
Draft year	1993
Draft round	1
Draft pick	1
College	Michigan
Former teams
Stat1label	Points
Stat1value	17,182 (20.7 ppg)
Stat2label	Rebound
Stat2value	8,124 (9.8 rpg)
Stat3label	Assists
Stat3value	3,526 (4.2 apg)
Stat4label	Steals
Stat4value	1,197
Letter	w
Bbr	webbech01
Highlights

Mayce Edward Christopher Webber, III (born March 1, 1973, in Detroit, Michigan), better known as Chris Webber and nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a former All-NBA First Teamer, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA Draftee. As a collegian, he was an NCAA Men's Basketball first team All-American and led the University of Michigan Wolverines' 1991 incoming freshman class known as the Fab Five that reached the 1992 & 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games as freshmen and sophomores. However, Webber was indicted by a federal grand jury, and stripped of his All-American honors by the NCAA, as a result of his direct involvement in the Ed Martin scandal. He is also a former National High School Basketball Player of the Year who led his high school Detroit Country Day to three Michigan State High School Basketball Championships.

High school career

Chris Webber prepped at Detroit Country Day School and at the time was the most recruited Michigan high school basketball player since Magic Johnson. Chris led Country Day to three MHSAA State championships. As a senior in high school Webber averaged 29.4 points and 13 rebounds per game. He was named Michigan's Mr. Basketball and the 1990–1991 National High School player of the year. He was named MVP in both the McDonald's and Dapper Dan All-Star games.

College career

's Fab Five (left to right) Jimmy King, Jalen Rose, Webber, Ray Jackson and Juwan Howard|alt=five Black males in gold athletic uniforms in the foreground on the sidelines of an athletic court while a few opposing athletes in green wait in the middle of the court.]] After graduating from Detroit Country Day School, Webber attended the University of Michigan for two years. While a Michigan Wolverine, Webber led the group of players known as the Fab Five, which included himself, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson. This group, all of whom entered Michigan as freshmen in the fall of 1991, took the basketball team to the NCAA finals twice, losing both times. The Fab Five, sporting long, baggy shorts and black socks, became immensely popular as they were seen as bringing a hip hop flavor to the game. Four of the Fab Five (Webber, Rose, Howard, and King) made it to the NBA.

On April 5, 1993, at Michigan's second consecutive NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship game, Webber called a time-out with 11 seconds left in the game when his team, down 73–71, did not have any remaining, resulting in a technical foul that effectively clinched the game for North Carolina. The game marked the end of Webber's acclaimed two year collegiate basketball career. In his second season, he was a first team All-American selection and a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award and Naismith College Player of the Year. These awards and honors have been vacated due to University of Michigan and NCAA sanctions related to the University of Michigan basketball scandal. In that scandal, Webber received over $200,000 from a local bookmaker to play basketball for Michigan. Webber was convicted of perjury and banned from any affiliation with the Michigan program until 2013.

NBA career

Chris Webber was selected by the Orlando Magic with the first pick of the 1993 NBA Draft, becoming the first sophomore since Magic Johnson to be a #1 overall draft pick.

Golden State Warriors

Webber had an outstanding first year, averaging 17.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game and winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He was instrumental in leading the Warriors back into the playoffs. However, he had a long-standing conflict with his coach, Don Nelson. Nelson wanted to make Webber primarily a post player, despite Webber's superb passing ability and good ball handling skills for someone his size at tall. Webber also disliked playing a substantial amount of time at center, given Nelson's propensity towards smaller, faster line ups. In the 1994 off-season, the Warriors acquired Rony Seikaly so that Webber could play primarily at power forward. However, at the time, the differences between Webber and Nelson were considered to be irreconcilable. Webber exercised a one-year escape clause in his contract, stating he had no intentions of returning to the Warriors. With few alternatives, Golden State agreed to a sign and trade deal, sending Chris Webber to the Washington Bullets (now the Wizards) for forward Tom Gugliotta and three first round draft picks.

Washington Bullets/Wizards

Webber was traded in his second year to the Washington Bullets, where he was reunited with his college teammate and friend, Juwan Howard. He spent the next three years with the Bullets (later renamed the Washington Wizards), although in the 1995–96 season injuries limited him to only 15 games. Webber rebounded the following year and was named to his first All-Star team in 1997. The same season, Webber led the Bullets into the playoffs for the first time in nine years, but they were swept by the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. By 1998, Webber had established himself as a great power forward, but his time in Washington had also worn out.

Sacramento Kings

On May 14, 1998, Webber was traded to the Sacramento Kings for Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe. Webber originally did not want to go to Sacramento, as they were a perennially losing team.

When Webber arrived, the Kings also signed small forward Peja Stojakovic, center Vlade Divac and drafted point guard Jason Williams. In his first year with the Kings (the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season), Webber won the rebounding title averaging a league high 13.0 rebounds per game. The surprising Kings team made the playoffs, almost upsetting the veteran Utah Jazz. In years to come, Webber and the Kings became arguably the most exciting team in the league, and NBA title contenders. He was named to the All-Star team again in 2000 and 2001 while cementing his status as one of the premier power forwards in the NBA. Webber peaked in the 2000–01 season where he averaged a career-high 27.1 points. He also averaged 11.1 rebounds and was 4th in MVP voting. Webber was an All-NBA player five years in a row as a Sacramento King (1999–2003), making the 1st team in 2001 for the only time in his career.

On July 27, 2001, Webber signed a $127 million, seven-year contract with the Kings. In the 2001–02 NBA season, Webber played in 54 games and helped lead the Kings to a Pacific division title and a franchise record 61–21 season. He also made his fourth All-Star team and the All-NBA Second Team. The Kings reached the Western Conference Finals, against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Kings led the series 3–2 but eventually lost in 7 games.

The next season, Webber put up another superb year, averaging 23 points and 11 rebounds per game. He was cited as a possible MVP candidate, and made his fifth consecutive All-Star team. In a bad sign of what was to come, Webber missed the All Star game with an injured knee. Nevertheless, he returned and the Kings were among the favorites to win the NBA Championship.

In the second game of the 2003 Western Conference Semifinals against the Dallas Mavericks, Webber suffered a career-threatening knee injury while running down the lane untouched that forced him to miss nearly a year of action. After microfracture surgery, he returned for the final 23 games of the 2003–04 season, but his athleticism, agility, and mobility were never the same.

On February 6, 2009, Webber returned to Arco Arena, home of the Sacramento Kings to participate in the ceremonies surrounding the retirement of his jersey, #4.

Philadelphia 76ers

In February 2005, Webber, along with Michael Bradley and Matt Barnes, were traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for power forward Kenny Thomas, forward/center Brian Skinner, and former King Corliss Williamson. Webber took some time to fit in with the 76ers offense, where he was the second scoring option, behind Allen Iverson. He eventually helped catapult the Sixers to a berth in the 2005 playoffs, where the Sixers lost to the Detroit Pistons. However, they did not reach the playoffs in 2006, despite Webber putting up a resurgent 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. Because of the microfracture surgery on his knee, Webber lost his lateral quickness and jumping ability. While he still possessed offensive skills, he was seen as a defensive liability and was usually benched for the 4th quarters. This caused Webber to reportedly call for a trade.

On Tuesday, April 18, 2006, Webber and Iverson were fined for not showing up at the Philadelphia 76ers final home game of the season, which was Fan Appreciation Night, although both of them were injured and not expected to play. The following day they both apologized for being absent.

During the 2006–07 season Webber only played 18 of 35 games for the Sixers leading the media to question his motivation. On January 11, 2007 Sixers GM Billy King announced that the Sixers and Webber had agreed to a reported $25 million contract buyout on the remaining two years left on his contract, in effect paying him not to play. Later that day, the Sixers waived Webber, making him a free agent.

Detroit Pistons

On January 16, 2007, Chris Webber signed with the Detroit Pistons. He has stated throughout his career that he always wanted to play for the Pistons. His usual number 4 had been retired in honor of Joe Dumars, so Webber donned the number 84, because his nephew had a dream of him making a buzzer beater with that number on. The Pistons were a much improved basketball team after Webber's acquisition, improving their record in the Eastern Conference and solidifying the first seed in the East. However, the Eastern Conference favorites failed to advance to the finals after losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals, leaving Chris Webber short of an NBA Finals appearance yet again. Indeed, Webber performed well in the 2007 NBA Playoffs despite receiving limited minutes. Webber still managed to average 10 points and 6 rebounds per game in the playoffs and shot an impressive 52.4% from the field. His efforts were highlighted by a game 5 performance in the Eastern Conference Finals in which Webber scored 20 points (including 5 points in the double overtime period) on 9 of 13 shooting and grabbed 7 boards. Nevertheless, Detroit still lost what turned out to be the key game in the series in double overtime and Webber ended up averaging a career low 11.2 PPG in his run with the Pistons. During the off season, Detroit did not resign Webber. Despite receiving lucrative proposals from teams in Europe, he was in free agency at the beginning of the regular season.

Second run with Warriors and subsequent retirement

On January 29, 2008, the Golden State Warriors signed Webber for the rest of the season. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the San Francisco Chronicle reported that he would receive the pro-rated veteran's minimum of $1.2 million (approximately $570,000). This comes after a rejected offer by the Los Angeles Lakers who were trying to coax Webber in with two 10-day contracts so they could decide afterwards if they wanted him the rest of the season. He played in only nine games for the Warriors, averaging 3.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 14 minutes per game.

On March 25, 2008, Webber officially retired from basketball due to persistent problems with his surgically repaired knee and was waived by the Warriors. On March 27, 2008, Webber made his first appearance on television on Inside the NBA on TNT, alongside Charles Barkley and host Ernie Johnson. On April 25, 2008, TNT offered Webber a job to be a commentator for the post season.

Legal trouble

In 1998, Webber was arrested and charged with second-degree assault, resisting arrest, possession of marijuana, driving under the influence of marijuana and five other traffic-related violations after being pulled over for speeding on the way to the practice center at the MCI Center in downtown Washington, D.C. Webber was eventually acquitted by a jury of the assault, resisting arrest, possession of marijuana and driving under the influence charges, and paid $560 in fines for lesser violations.

Later in 1998 during the off-season, while leaving Puerto Rico on a promotional tour for Fila sneakers, Webber paid a $500 fine after U.S. Customs found marijuana in his bag. Soon after Fila dropped Webber as an endorser. Webber sued Fila for wrongful dismissal, but the case was thrown out of court.

University of Michigan basketball scandal

See University of Michigan basketball scandal

In 2002, Webber was charged for lying to a grand jury as part of a larger investigation of a numbers gambling operation, run by Ed Martin, a booster of the University of Michigan basketball program, in Ford Motor Company plants in the Detroit area. The investigation, originally focused on the numbers operation and tax evasion, soon widened to include the University of Michigan basketball program. Martin was convicted on counts of tax evasion and robbery and was scheduled to testify on the financial connections between himself and Webber at a sentencing hearing, but died of a heart attack before the hearing.

As a result of evidence admitted during the course of Martin's trial, Webber pled guilty to one count of criminal contempt for lying about his role in a scandal in which four players, including himself, had accepted illicit loans from Martin. Martin had been giving money to Webber since the 8th grade. He admitted in the plea that in 1994 he gave Martin about $38,000 in cash as partial repayment for expenditures Martin made on his behalf.

Due to concerns that Webber's amateur status had been compromised, Michigan forfeited its victory in the 1992 Final Four over Cincinnati, as well as its runner-up status in the 1992 tourney. Michigan also forfeited the entire 1992–93 season, removed the 1992 and 1993 Final Four banners from the Crisler Arena rafters, and deleted Webber's records from its record book. The NCAA also ordered Michigan to disassociate itself from Webber until 2012. Webber later called Michigan's decision "hurtful" because he and his Fab Five teammates "gave everything to Michigan" while they played there.

After Webber's plea, the Michigan State High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) recommended that Detroit Country Day forfeit all games in which Webber appeared (including three state championships), since according to his own admission, Webber had been accepting money from Martin since junior high school. The school conducted its own investigation, and called a press conference to announce it had found "no credible evidence" that Webber had accepted "substantial" amounts of cash from Martin while in high school, and therefore refused to forfeit any games. The MHSAA claimed it had no legal authority to force the games to be forfeited.

Webber was suspended by the NBA for a total of eight games—five for an unnamed violation of the league substance abuse policies and three for lying to the grand jury. Webber received the suspensions once he recovered from an injury that kept him out for half of the 2003–04 season.

Legacy

In spite of his talent, Webber never led a team to an NBA championship. The closest he came to a title was in 2002, when the Lakers defeated the Kings in the Western Conference Finals in seven games. Injury plagued and seemingly always on the wrong side of luck, Webber has been considered by some to be "cursed," and his inability to win the big games was prevalent since his final game at Michigan.

However, Webber always put up big numbers (he averaged 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists for his whole career.) and will likely be a candidate for the Hall of Fame. Webber's soft hands and natural court sense made him one of the most prolific big-man passers in NBA history. The Golden State Warriors did not make the playoffs during the first 12 years after they traded Webber. In 1997, he led Washington to their first playoff appearance since 1989. They would not reach the playoffs again until 2005, seven years after trading Webber. Prior to Webber's arrival in 1998, the Kings made the playoffs only twice (1985 and 1996) since they moved to Sacramento from Kansas City in 1985.

Webber was ranked #64 in SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of all time in 2003.

Webber was ranked #72 on a list of the Top 96 NBA Players of all time in the bestseller published in 2009.

Webber was ranked #11 in an ESPN.com experts poll of the top power forwards of all time in 2008.

Webber is one of only six players to have career averages of 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists (Four of which are Hall of Famers: Baylor, Bird, Chamberlain, Cunningham. Kevin Garnett is still active)

The Sacramento Kings retired Webber's Number 4 jersey on February 6, 2009 when the Kings hosted the Utah Jazz.

Post-basketball life

Since retiring from the NBA, Webber has become an analyst on NBA TV's NBA Gametime Live. He does the Tuesday Fan Night alongside Ernie Johnson and Kevin McHale. He also continues to serve as an occasional guest analyst on TNT's Inside the NBA for the 2008–09 season. During Charles Barkley's leave of absence, Webber substituted for him along with other guests such as Gary Payton and Mike Fratello. Webber has also expressed interests in eventually becoming a GM and owner.

Webber has also stated he is working on a book. Outside of basketball, Webber has been active in his investment company representing basketball and football players, real estate, and film projects.

Webber was the owner of Center Court With C-Webb, a restaurant in Sacramento, California. The restaurant closed on November 17, 2009. Earlier that year, Webber married his longtime girlfriend Erika Dates during a private ceremony at his Atlanta home. In attendance were 200 guests including family and close friends.

African American artifacts

Chris Webber has a personal collection of African American artifacts which he began collecting in 1994. Upon entering the NBA, he began collecting artifacts, starting with the purchase of two slave records. Webber believes that these artifacts are a reflection of his beliefs and aspirations. He initially collected them as encouragements to face life obstacles. However, he had no intentions on exhibiting them until the growth of his collection prompted additional storage. His collection includes an original 1901 publication of an autobiography by Booker T. Washington, various documents, letters, and postcards signed by Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X. When not on public exhibit, the artifacts are stored at the Sacramento Public Library's Archival Vault. In previous years the Chris Webber Collection has previously been featured in Crocker Art Museum and Wayne State University. More detailed information can be found on his official website. On June 28, 2007, Webber unveiled his collection of African American artifacts during the Celebrating Heritage Exhibition at Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. During a news conference, Webber said he believed that children can learn from these artifacts, "Hopefully, when children see them they will see there is no excuse for us not to be successful. There's no excuse not to find something that you love to do. There's no excuse to not work hard at it."

Charity

Webber is active in various charities and created The Timeout Foundation in 1993. The foundation's mission is to provide positive educational and recreational opportunities to youth.

In 1999, Webber created C-Webb's Crew where a group of tickets at every Kings regular home season game would be donated to at-risk youth and their families. To date, over 3,000 youths and their families have attended a game through C-Webb's Crew.

Community awards Webber has won include the inaugural Sacramento Kings/Oscar Robertson Triple Double Award, which is annually awarded to a Kings player who exemplifies: team leadership, all-around game, and sportsmanship; the NBA Community Assist Award for his contributions in February 2003, and the Wish Maker of the Year in 2003 awarded by the Sacramento Chapter of the Make a Wish Foundation.

More recently, Webber held a celebrity weekend, Bada Bling!, at the Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas. The event was held from July 28–30, 2006 and included a live auction and celebrity poker tournament. Many renowned NBA players participated including then-current and former teammates: Mike Bibby, Brad Miller, Andre Iguodala, Bobby Jackson, Kyle Korver, and his then-current coach, Maurice Cheeks. Other notable participants included Charles Barkley, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Gary Payton, Kenny Smith, Moses Malone, and Stephon Marbury. Numerous entertainers attended as well such as Nas and Common. All of the proceeds were donated to The Timeout Foundation.

Webber hosted his second annual Bada Bling charity weekend from July 20–22, 2007 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Discography

Chris Webber also has produced a few hip hop records, more famous for producing two songs for rapper Nas: "Blunt Ashes" and "Surviving the Times".

Awards

5 time All-Star

5 times All-NBA – 2001 first team, 1999, 2002, & 2003 second team, 2000 third team

All Rookie NBA – 1994

1994 NBA Rookie of the Year

1990–1991 National High School player of the year

NCAA Men's Division I Basketball All-American 1993

NCAA All Tournament 1st Team (1992, 1993)

Jerseys: #44 Detroit Country Day School, #4 Sacramento Kings

1999 NBA rebounding champ (13.0 rpg)

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 1993–94 | align="left" | Golden State | 76 || 76 || 32.1 || .552 || .000 || .532 || 9.1 || 3.6 || 1.2 || 2.2 || 17.5 |- | align="left" | 1994–95 | align="left" | Washington | 54 || 52 || 38.3 || .495 || .276 || .502 || 9.6 || 4.7 || 1.5 || 1.6 || 20.1 |- | align="left" | 1995–96 | align="left" | Washington | 15 || 15 || 37.2 || .543 || .441 || .594 || 7.6 || 5.0 || 1.8 || .6 || 23.7 |- | align="left" | 1996–97 | align="left" | Washington | 72 || 72 || 39.0 || .518 || .397 || .565 || 10.3 || 4.6 || 1.7 || 1.9 || 20.1 |- | align="left" | 1997–98 | align="left" | Washington | 71 || 71 || 39.6 || .482 || .317 || .589 || 9.5 || 3.8 || 1.6 || 1.6 || 21.9 |- | align="left" | 1998–99 | align="left" | Sacramento | 42 || 42 || 40.9 || .486 || .118 || .454 || 13.0 || 4.1 || 1.4 || 2.1 || 20.0 |- | align="left" | 1999–00 | align="left" | Sacramento | 75 || 75 || 38.4 || .483 || .284 || .751 || 10.5 || 4.6 || 1.6 || 1.7 || 24.5 |- | align="left" | 2000–01 | align="left" | Sacramento | 70 || 70 || 40.5 || .481 || .071 || .703 || 11.1 || 4.2 || 1.3 || 1.7 || 27.1 |- | align="left" | 2001–02 | align="left" | Sacramento | 54 || 54 || 38.4 || .495 || .263 || .749 || 10.1 || 4.8 || 1.7 || 1.4 || 24.5 |- | align="left" | 2002–03 | align="left" | Sacramento | 67 || 67 || 39.1 || .461 || .238 || .607 || 10.5 || 5.4 || 1.6 || 1.3 || 23.0 |- | align="left" | 2003–04 | align="left" | Sacramento | 23 || 23 || 36.1 || .413 || .200 || .711 || 8.7 || 4.6 || 1.3 || .9 || 18.7 |- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Sacramento | 46 || 46 || 36.3 || .449 || .379 || .799 || 9.7 || 5.5 || 1.5 || .7 || 21.3 |- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 21 || 21 || 33.4 || .391 || .267 || .776 || 7.9 || 3.1 || 1.2 || .9 || 15.6 |- | align="left" | 2005–06 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 75 || 75 || 38.6 || .434 || .273 || .756 || 9.9 || 3.4 || 1.4 || .8 || 20.2 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 18 || 18 || 30.2 || .387 || .400 || .643 || 8.3 || 3.4 || 1.0 || .8 || 11.0 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Detroit | 43 || 42 || 29.7 || .489 || .333 || .636 || 6.7 || 3.0 || 1.0 || .6 || 11.3 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Golden State | 9 || 8 || 14.0 || .484 || .000 || .417 || 3.6 || 2.0 || .4 || .7 || 3.9 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 831 || 827 || 37.1 || .479 || .299 || .649 || 9.8 || 4.2 || 1.4 || 1.4 || 20.7 |- | align="left" | All-Star | align="left" | | 4 || 4 || 19.0 || .371 || .333 || .375 || 6.0 || 3.3 || 1.0 || - || 7.5

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 1993–94 | align="left" | Golden State | 3 || 3 || 36.3 || .550 || .000 || .300 || 8.7 || 9.0 || 1.0 || 3.0 || 15.7 |- | align="left" | 1996–97 | align="left" | Washington | 3 || 3 || 35.3 || .633 || .455 || .500 || 8.0 || 3.3 || .7 || 2.3 || 15.7 |- | align="left" | 1998–99 | align="left" | Sacramento | 5 || 5 || 38.4 || .388 || .286 || .400 || 9.4 || 4.0 || 1.8 || 1.0 || 14.8 |- | align="left" | 1999–00 | align="left" | Sacramento | 5 || 5 || 39.2 || .427 || .200 || .794 || 9.6 || 5.4 || 1.6 || 2.0 || 24.4 |- | align="left" | 2000–01 | align="left" | Sacramento | 8 || 8 || 43.5 || .388 || .000 || .694 || 11.5 || 3.1 || 1.1 || 1.0 || 23.3 |- | align="left" | 2001–02 | align="left" | Sacramento | 16 || 16 || 41.7 || .502 || .000 || .596 || 10.8 || 4.7 || .9 || 1.6 || 23.7 |- | align="left" | 2002–03 | align="left" | Sacramento | 7 || 7 || 35.1 || .496 || .000 || .653 || 8.3 || 3.6 || 1.4 || 1.1 || 23.7 |- | align="left" | 2003–04 | align="left" | Sacramento | 12 || 12 || 37.2 || .452 || .250 || .615 || 8.3 || 3.7 || 1.3 || .8 || 18.4 |- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 5 || 5 || 37.2 || .411 || .357 || .750 || 5.8 || 2.8 || 1.2 || .2 || 19.0 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Detroit | 16 || 16 || 25.2 || .524 || .000 || .531 || 6.3 || 1.5 || .9 || .6 || 9.9 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 80 || 80 || 36.2 || .464 || .269 || .611 || 8.7 || 3.6 || 1.1 || 1.1 || 18.7

Quotes

"You can do anything—that's the message I want to give. It's not about being a basketball player and it's not about being a doctor or being a lawyer. It's about finding something that you love to do, cultivate it, work hard at it and make a life better for you."

See also

List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders

References

External links

Washington Post: Bullets negotiating with Warriors for Webber

Chris Webber's Official Site

University of Michigan Basketball Statistical Archive

Category:1973 births Category:African American basketball players Category:Detroit Pistons players Category:Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year Category:Golden State Warriors players Category:Living people Category:Michigan Wolverines men's basketball players Category:Orlando Magic draft picks Category:Collectors Category:Philadelphia 76ers players Category:Sacramento Kings players Category:National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Category:Washington Bullets players Category:Washington Wizards players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:NCAA sanctions Category:People from Detroit, Michigan Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:Centers (basketball) Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Basketball players from Michigan

Name	Allen Iverson
Caption	Iverson during a 2008 game playing for the Detroit Pistons
Height ft	6
Height in	0
Weight lb	165
Position	Point guard / Shooting guard
Number	4
Team	Beşiktaş Cola Turka
Birth date	June 07, 1975
Birth place	Hampton, Virginia
High school	Bethel HS (Hampton, Virginia)
College	Georgetown
Nationality	American
Draft round	1
Current club	Beşiktaş
Draft pick	1
Draft team	Philadelphia 76ers
Draft year	1996
Teams
Career start	1996
Highlights

Allen Ezail Iverson (born June 7, 1975, in Hampton, Virginia) is an American professional basketball player for Beşiktaş in the Turkish Basketball League and the Eurocup. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season. Iverson is an eleven-time NBA All-Star which includes winning the All-Star MVP award in 2001 and 2005.

Winning the NBA scoring title during the 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2004–05 seasons, Iverson has become one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, despite his small stature (listed at 6 feet, 0 inches). His regular season career scoring average of 26.7 points per game ranks sixth all-time, and his playoff career scoring average of 29.7 points per game is second only to Michael Jordan. Iverson was also the NBA Most Valuable Player of the 2000–01 season and led his team to the 2001 NBA Finals the same season. Iverson represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics, winning the Bronze medal. He also played for the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and the Memphis Grizzlies, before returning to the 76ers for part of the 2009-10 season.

Early life

Allen Iverson was born to his single 15-year old mother, Ann Iverson, in Hampton, Virginia, and was given his mother's maiden name after his father Allen Broughton left her.

At Bethel High School, Iverson started as quarterback for the school football team, and started as point guard for the school basketball team. Allen was able to lead both teams to state championships.

On February 14, 1993, Iverson and several of his friends became involved in an altercation with a group of white teenagers at the Circle Lanes bowling alley in Hampton, Virginia. Allegedly, Iverson's crowd was raucous and had to be asked to quiet down several times, and eventually a shouting duel began with another group of youths. Shortly thereafter, a huge fight erupted, pitting the white crowd against the blacks. During the fight, Iverson allegedly struck a woman in the head with a chair. He, along with three of his friends who are also African-American, were the only people arrested. Iverson, who was 17 at the time, was convicted as an adult of the felony charge of maiming by mob, a rarely used Virginia statute that was designed to combat lynching. Iverson and his supporters maintained his innocence, claiming that he left the alley as soon as the trouble began. Iverson said, "For me to be in a bowling alley where everybody in the whole place know who I am and be crackin' people upside the head with chairs and think nothin' gonna happen? That's crazy! And what kind of a man would I be to hit a girl in the head with a damn chair? I rather have 'em say I hit a man with a chair, not no damn woman."

Iverson drew a 15-year prison sentence, with 10 years suspended. After Iverson spent four months at Newport News City Farm, a correctional facility in Newport News, Virginia, he was granted clemency by Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder, and the Virginia Court of Appeals overturned the conviction in 1995 for insufficient evidence.

At Georgetown, Iverson won the Big East Rookie of the Year award, two Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards, and was named to the All Rookie Tournament 1st Team. He ended his college career as the Hoyas' all-time leader in career scoring average, at 23.0 ppg.

Iverson was the first of just two basketball players, Victor Page being the other, to leave Georgetown early for the NBA.

Professional career

Philadelphia 76ers

First four seasons (1996–00)

After two seasons at Georgetown, Iverson was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1996 NBA Draft. He played with the Sixers for 10 years. During his tenure he was Rookie of the Year, League MVP, 2x All-Star MVP, and led the league in scoring for four years. After his rookie season, during which he led the 76ers in points, assists and minutes, Iverson was named the 1997 NBA Rookie of the Year and was a member of the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

After the 1998–1999 season, during which he averaged 26.8 points, earned his first scoring title and was named to his first All NBA first team., Iverson made his first trip to the playoffs. He started all ten playoff games and averaged 44.4 minutes per game despite being hampered by a number of nagging injuries. Iverson led the Sixers to an upset over the Orlando Magic, before losing to the Indiana Pacers in the second round.

Prior to the next season, Iverson signed a six-year, $70 million contract extension. That year, Iverson averaged 28.4 points and again led the 76ers into the playoffs. In the process, Iverson was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the first time of what would be 11 straight appearances. In the playoffs, Iverson averaged 26.2 points, 4.8 assists, 4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, with a high of 40 points in the first round opener at Charlotte on April 22, 2000. Philadelphia advanced past Charlotte, but was eliminated again by Indiana in the second round. That season, he was the only player other than Shaquille O'Neal to receive a NBA Most Valuable Player vote.

MVP season and trip to the finals (2000–01)

In the 2000 off-season, the 76ers actively tried to trade Iverson, and had agreed to terms with the Detroit Pistons before Matt Geiger, who was included in the deal, refused to forfeit his $5 million trade kicker.

During the 2000–01 season, Iverson led his team to wins in the first ten games of the season, and was named starter at the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, where he won the game MVP. The Sixers also posted a 56–26 record, the best in the Eastern Conference that season. He also averaged a then-career high 31.1 points, winning his second NBA scoring title in the process. Iverson won the NBA steals title at 2.5 a game. Iverson was named NBA Most Valuable Player, and named to the All NBA First team for his accomplishments. In the playoffs, Iverson and the Sixers defeated the Indiana Pacers in the first round, before meeting Vince Carter-led Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Semifinals. The series went the full seven games. In the next round, the Sixers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, also in seven games, to advance to the 2001 NBA Finals against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Iverson led the Sixers to their first finals since their 1983 championship. In game one of the 2001 NBA Finals, Iverson scored a playoff high 48 points and beat the heavily favored Lakers 107–101. In the game he notably stepped over Tyronn Lue after hitting a crucial shot. Iverson would go on to score 23, 35, 35, 37 in games 2–5, all losing efforts though the Sixers were not swept like many predicted. Iverson enjoyed his most successful season as an individual and as a member of the Sixers during the 2000–01 NBA season. In the 2001–02 season, the Sixers failed to repeat their success. Iverson and others struggled with injury, and despite Iverson averaging a league high 31.4 points per game the Sixers fell to the sixth seed in the 2002 Playoffs, where they fell to the Boston Celtics in the first round.

Iverson began using a basketball sleeve during this season during his recovery from bursitis in his right elbow. Other players, including Carmelo Anthony, and Kobe Bryant, have adopted the sleeves as well, as did fans who wore the sleeve as a fashion statement. Iverson continued wearing his sleeve long after his elbow had healed. However, the two frequently clashed; for example, when the 76ers were defeated in the first round of the 2002 NBA Playoffs, Brown criticized Iverson for missing team practices. Iverson responded by saying, "We're sitting here, I'm supposed to be the franchise player, and we're in here talking about practice," and went on a rant that included the word "practice" over twenty times.

In the 2002–2003 season, Iverson once again put up stellar scoring numbers (27.6 points per game), was named an NBA All-Star and led the Sixers to the playoffs. This time they were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in the second round after a 6-game series. Brown left the 76ers in 2003, following the playoff loss. After his departure from the 76ers, both he and Iverson indicated that the two were on good terms and genuinely fond of one another. Iverson later reunited with Brown when Iverson became a member and co-captain of the 2004 United States Olympic men's basketball team.

Fallout with Sixers

During the latter part of the 2003–2004 season, Iverson bristled under the disciplinarian approach of the Sixers' new head coach Chris Ford. This led to a number of contentious incidents, including Iverson being suspended for missing practice, fined for failing to notify Ford that Iverson would not attend a game because he was sick, and refusing to play in game because he felt "insulted" that Ford wanted Iverson to come off the bench as he worked his way back from an injury.

The 2005–06 NBA season would be the last full season for Iverson in a Sixers uniform. He averaged a career high 33.0 points per game, but the Sixers missed the playoffs for the second time in three years. He had also begun to clash with coach Jim O'Brien, who was fired after the season.

On April 18, 2006, Iverson and Chris Webber arrived late to the Sixers' fan appreciation night and home game finale. Players are expected to report 90 minutes before game time, but both Iverson and Webber arrived around tipoff. Coach Maurice Cheeks notified the media that neither would be playing and general manager Billy King announced that Iverson and Webber would be fined. During the 2006 off-season, trade rumors had Iverson going to Denver, Atlanta, or Boston. None of the deals were completed. Iverson had made it clear that he would like to stay a Sixer.

On November 29, 2006, following a conflict at practice, Iverson stormed out of the gymnasium. That same evening, Iverson missed a corporate sponsor night at Lucky Strike Lanes in Philadelphia. All the 76ers besides Iverson attended this mandatory event. Iverson was fined an undisclosed amount by the 76ers. Iverson claimed he overslept after taking medication for pain related to having two abscessed teeth pulled but it was reported that Iverson told teammates earlier in the day he planned to blow off the event and was simply going to take the fine.

On December 8, 2006, Iverson reportedly demanded a trade from the Sixers (although he would deny that). As a result of the demand and missing practice prior to a matchup against the Washington Wizards, Iverson was told not to play nor attend any further games. During that game, which was televised nationally on ESPN, Sixers Chairman Ed Snider confirmed the trade rumors by stating "We're going to trade him. At a certain point, you have to come to grips with the fact that it's not working. He wants out and we're ready to accommodate him."

Denver Nuggets

On December 19, 2006, the Philadelphia 76ers sent Iverson and forward Ivan McFarlin to the Denver Nuggets for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two first-round picks in the 2007 NBA Draft. At the time of the trade, Iverson was the NBA's number two leading scorer with teammate Carmelo Anthony being number one.

On December 23, 2006, Iverson played his first game for the Nuggets. He had 22 points and 10 assists in a losing effort to the Sacramento Kings. In Iverson's first year as a Nugget they made the playoffs. They won the first game and lost the next four to the San Antonio Spurs.

Iverson was fined $25,000 by the NBA for criticizing referee Steve Javie following a game between the Nuggets and Iverson's former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, played January 2, 2007. During the course of the game, Iverson committed two technical fouls and was ejected from the game. After the game, Iverson said, "I thought I got fouled on that play, and I said I thought that he was calling the game personal I should have known that I couldn't say anything anyway. It's been something personal with me and him since I got in the league. This was just the perfect game for him to try and make me look bad."

Former referee Tim Donaghy supported the claim that Javie had a longstanding hatred for Iverson in his book, Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA, which a Florida business group published through a self-publishing arm of Amazon.com after it was dropped by a division of Random House, who cited liability issues after reviewing the manuscript.

In a December 2009 interview with 60 Minutes, Donaghy said he and fellow referees thought the punishment was too light. Before Iverson's Nuggets played the Utah Jazz on January 6, 2007, Donaghy said he and the two other officials working the game agreed not to give Iverson favorable calls as a way to "teach him a lesson". Iverson attempted 12 free throws, more than any other player on either team. On 12 drives to the basket, he drew five fouls, three of which Donaghy whistled himself, and did not receive a call on one play in which he was obviously fouled by Utah's Mehmet Okur.

Iverson returned to Philadelphia on March 19, 2008 to a sell-out crowd and received a standing ovation in a 115–113 loss.

Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies

On November 3, 2008, Iverson was dealt from the Denver Nuggets to the Detroit Pistons for guard Chauncey Billups, forward Antonio McDyess and center Cheikh Samb.

Iverson, who had worn a number 3 jersey his entire NBA career, switched to number 1 for the Pistons. The number 3 was being worn by Rodney Stuckey, and although Stuckey stated that he would be willing to give up the number, the NBA ruled that a change in numbers could not take place until after the season.

Iverson scored at least 24 in four of his first five games with Detroit (They won 3 of the 5), and would score 20 or more and 6 or more assists on a consistent basis, but as the season wore on he would lose playing time to Rodney Stuckey.

On April 3, 2009, it was announced by Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars that Iverson would not play the remainder of the 2008–09 season. Dumars cited Iverson's ongoing back injury as the reason for his deactivation, although two days prior Iverson stated publicly that he'd rather retire than be moved to the bench as Piston's coach Michael Curry had decided.

On September 10, 2009, Iverson signed a one-year contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. Iverson stated that "God chose Memphis as the place that I will continue my career," and that "I feel that they are committed to developing a winner."

However, Iverson again expressed his displeasure at being a bench player, and left the team on November 7, 2009 for "personal reasons." On November 16, the Grizzlies announced the team terminated his contract by "mutual agreement". Iverson played three games for the Grizzlies.

Return to the 76ers

On November 25, 2009, commentator Stephen A. Smith published on his blog a statement attributed to Iverson announcing plans for retirement, which also said, "I feel strongly that I can still compete at the highest level."

Less than a week later on November 30, Iverson and his representatives met with a Philadelphia 76ers delegation about returning to his former team, and accepted a contract offer two days later. General manager Ed Stefanski declined to go into the terms of the agreement, but an unnamed source told the Associated Press that Iverson agreed to a one-year non-guaranteed contract at the league minimum salary. Iverson would receive a prorated portion of the $1.3 million minimum salary for players with at least 10 years of experience, and the contract would become guaranteed for the remainder of the 2009-10 season if he remained on the roster on January 8, 2010. Stefanski said the team made the decision to pursue Iverson after starting guard Louis Williams suffered a broken jaw and was expected to miss at least 30 games.

On December 7, 2009, Iverson made his return to Philadelphia, garnering a thunderous ovation from the sold-out crowd, in a loss against his former team, the Denver Nuggets. He finished the game with 11 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, a steal and no turnovers. Iverson's first win in his return to Philadelphia came one week later, in a 20-point effort against the Golden State Warriors, ending the Sixers' 12-game losing streak. (which stood at 9 games before Iverson returned)

On February 22, 2010, Iverson left the 76ers indefinitely, citing the need to attend to his 4-year-old daughter, Messiah's health issues. He had missed five games earlier in February and missed the All-Star Game after he was voted in as starter. On March 2, Stefanski announced Iverson would not return to the 76ers for the rest of the season.

Beşiktaş

On October 26, 2010, Yahoo! Sports reported that Iverson agreed in principle to a two-year, $4 million net income contract with Beşiktaş, a Turkish Basketball League team competing in the second-tier level of European professional basketball, the Eurocup (the competition below the Euroleague level). The club announced the signing at a press conference in New York City, on October 29, 2010.

On December 27, 2010, Besiktas players refused to practice over delayed wage payments. It was reported on the same occasion that Iverson's pay is always on time.

International career

Iverson was a member of the USA World University Games Team in Japan in 1995, that included future NBA stars Ray Allen, Tim Duncan, Kerry Kittles, Othella Harrington, Austin Croshere and others. Iverson led all USA players in scoring, assists and steals, averaging 16.7 points per game, 6.1 assists per game, and 2.9 steals per game. He led the team to an undefeated record in route to a 141-81 victory over the host country, Japan, for the gold medal.

Iverson helped the USA to a 10–0 record, the gold medal and a qualifying berth for the 2004 Olympics at the August 20–31 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico. Started all eight games he played in, and averaged a team second best 14.3 ppg., 3.8 apg., 2.5 rpg., 1.6 spg., while shooting 56.2 percent (41–73 FGs) from the field and 53.6 percent (15–28 3pt FGs) from 3-point and 81.0 percent (17–21 FTs) from the foul line.

In the USA's 111–71 victory over Canada on August 25, he accounted for an USA Olympic Qualifying single game record 28 points and made a single game record seven 3-pointers. Playing just 23 minutes, he shot 10-for-13 overall, 7-for-8 from 3-point, 1-for-1 from the foul line and added three assists, three steals and one rebound. All seven of his 3-point field goals were made during the final 7:41 of the third quarter.

He finished the tournament ranked overall tied for 10th in scoring, tied for fourth in steals, fifth in 3-point percentage, tied for seventh in assists, and ninth in field goal percentage (.562). Iverson also missed the USA's final two games because of a sprained right thumb which was suffered in the first half of the August 28 Puerto Rico game. In a game against Puerto Rico, he recorded 9 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field overall, and added five assists and three rebounds in 26 minutes of action in the USA's 101–74 exhibition game victory on August 17 in New York. He was also named to the 2003 USA Senior National Team on April 29, 2003.

2004 Olympics

}} The team's performance at the Olympic Games, however, would ultimately prove to be a disappointment. During the exhibition period prior to the games, Iverson and LeBron James were benched for a game, for having arrived late at a practice session. The United States' team won a close game against Germany, which had failed to qualify for the Olympic competition. Iverson did succeed in keeping the game from going into overtime with a half-court shot in the closing seconds. Despite the win, the team continued to struggle. After losing to the Puerto Rican team during round robin play, they would ultimately win a bronze medal.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 1996–97 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 76 || 74 || 40.1 || .416 || .341 || .702 || 4.1 || 7.5 || 2.1 || .3 || 23.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1997–98 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 80 || 80 || 39.4 || .461 || .298 || .729 || 3.7 || 6.2 || 2.2 || .3 || 22.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1998–99 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 48 || 48 || 41.5 || .412 || .291 || .751 || 4.9 || 4.6 || 2.3 || .2 || 26.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1999–00 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 70 || 70 || 40.8 || .421 || .341 || .713 || 3.8 || 4.7 || 2.1 || .1 || 28.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2000–01 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 71 || 71 || 42.0 || .420 || .320 || .814 || 3.8 || 4.6 || 2.5 || .3 || 31.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2001–02 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 60 || 59 || 43.7 || .398 || .291 || .812 || 4.5 || 5.5 || 2.8 || .2 || 31.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 82 || 82 || 42.5 || .414 || .277 || .774 || 4.2 || 5.5 || 2.7 || .2 || 27.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 48 || 47 || 42.5 || .387 || .286 || .745 || 3.7 || 6.8 || 2.4 || .1 || 26.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 75 || 75 || 42.3 || .424 || .308 || .835 || 4.0 || 7.9 || 2.4 || .1 || 30.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 72 || 72 || 43.1 || .447 || .323 || .814 || 3.2 || 7.4 || 1.9 || .1 || 33.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 15 || 15 || 42.7 || .413 || .226 || .885 || 2.7 || 7.3 || 2.2 || .1 || 31.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 50 || 49 || 42.4 || .454 || .347 || .759 || 3.0 || 7.2 || 1.8 || .2 || 24.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 82 || 82 || 41.8 || .458 || .345 || .809 || 3.0 || 7.1 || 2.0 || .2 || 26.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 3 || 3 || 41.0 || .450 || .250 || .720 || 2.7 || 6.7 || 1.0 || .3 || 18.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Detroit | 54 || 50 || 36.5 || .416 || .286 || .786 || 3.1 || 4.9 || 1.6 || .1 || 17.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| Memphis | 3 || 0 || 22.3 || .577 || 1.000 || .500 || 1.3 || 3.7 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 12.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 25 || 24 || 31.9 || .417 || .333 || .824 || 3.0 || 4.1 || .7 || .1 || 13.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 914 || 901 || 41.1 || .425 || .313 || .780 || 3.7 || 6.2 || 2.2 || .2 || 26.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| All-Star | style="text-align:left;"| | 9 || 9 || 26.6 || .414 || .667 || .769 || 2.6 || 6.2 || 2.3 || .1 || 14.4

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 1998–99 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 8 || 8 || 44.8 || .411 || .283 || .712 || 4.1 || 4.9 || 2.5 || .2 || 28.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1999–00 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 10 || 10 || 44.4 || .384 || .308 || .739 || 4.0 || 4.5 || 1.2 || .1 || 26.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2000–01 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 22 || 22 || 46.2 || .389 || .338 || .774 || 4.7 || 6.1 || 2.4 || .3 || 32.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2001–02 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 5 || 5 || 41.8 || .381 || .333 || .810 || 3.6 || 4.2 || 2.6 || .0 || 30.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 12 || 12 || 46.4 || .416 || .345 || .737 || 4.3 || 7.4 || 2.4 || .1 || 31.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 5 || 5 || 47.6 || .468 || .414 || .897 || 2.2 || 10.0 || 2.0 || .4 || 31.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 5 || 5 || 44.6 || .368 || .294 || .806 || .6 || 5.8 || 1.4 || .0 || 22.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 4 || 4 || 39.5 || .434 || .214 || .697 || 3.0 || 4.5 || 1.0 || .2 || 24.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 71 || 71 || 45.1 || .401 || .327 || .764 || 3.8 || 6.0 || 2.1 || .2 || 29.7

Personal life

Iverson married his high school sweetheart, Tawanna in August 2001. Together they have 5 children.

During the 1997 offseason, Iverson and his friends were stopped by policemen for speeding late at night and was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon and for possession of marijuana. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to community service.

During the 2000 offseason, Iverson recorded a rap single called "40 Bars". However, after being criticized for its controversial lyrics, he eventually was unable to release it. Going under his moniker, Jewelz, the album was alleged to have made derogatory remarks about homosexuals. After criticism from activist groups and NBA Commissioner David Stern, he agreed to change the lyrics, but ultimately never released the album.

On February 24, 2004, Iverson urinated in a trash can at Bally's Atlantic City casino in full view of staff and patrons. He was told by casino management not to return.

On December 9, 2005 after the Sixers defeated the Charlotte Bobcats, Iverson paid a late-night visit to the Trump Taj Mahal. After winning a hand at a three-card-stud poker table, Iverson was overpaid $10,000 in chips by a dealer. When the dealer quickly realized the mistake and requested the chips back, Iverson refused and a heated head-turning argument between him and casino staff began. Atlantic City casino regulations reportedly state that when a casino makes a payout mistake in favor of the gambler, he or she must return the money that they did not legitimately win by playing.

In a Philadelphia Inquirer column published March 7, 2010, Stephen A. Smith wrote that according to "numerous NBA sources", Iverson would "either drink himself into oblivion or gamble his life away", and that Iverson had already been banned from casinos in Detroit and Atlantic City. Smith also wrote that Tawanna, his wife of eight years, had separated from him and filed for divorce, seeking custody of their five children, as well as child support and alimony payments.

In November 2010, Kate Fagan, a 76ers beat writer for the Inquirer reported that Iverson was "broke" and heavily in debt, "by all accounts except his own", and that a member of Iverson's family had perviously contacted NBA teams about a contract for him, as he would not be able to pay that person without a contract.

See also

List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders

List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders

List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders

List of National Basketball Association players with most points in a game

List of National Basketball Association players with most steals in a game

List of National Basketball Association players with 50 or more points in a playoff game

List of Individual NBA Scoring Champions

Notes

External links

Official Website

Player Profile at NBA.com

Eurocup Basketball Profile

Turkish Basketball League Profile

U.S. Olympic Team bio

Basketball-Reference.com: Allen Iverson

ESPN Profile

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