The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being moved to Houston.

In the Rockets' debut season, they won only 15 games. But after drafting Elvin Hayes first overall in the 1969 NBA Draft, they made their first appearance in the playoffs in 1969. After Hayes was traded, Moses Malone was acquired to replace him. Malone won two MVPs during his time in Houston, and he led the Rockets to the conference finals in his first year with the Rockets. He also took the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981, but they were defeated in six games by the Boston Celtics.

Franchise history

San Diego Rockets (1967–1971)

.]] The Rockets were founded in 1967 in San Diego, and after being bought by Robert Breitbard for 1.75 million dollars, The San Diego franchise nickname became the "Rockets" due to the local development (General Dynamics) of the famed Atlas missile/booster rocket program. Jack McMahon was named the Rockets' coach, and the team's first draft pick, in 1967, was the future Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley. However, the Rockets went on to lose 67 games in their inaugural season, which was then an NBA record for losses in a season.

In 1968, after the Rockets won a coin toss against the Baltimore Bullets to determine who would have the first overall pick in the 1968 NBA Draft, they selected Elvin Hayes from the University of Houston. Hayes led the team to the franchise's first ever playoff appearance in 1969, but the Rockets lost in the semi-finals of the Western Division to the Atlanta Hawks, four games to two.

Despite being coached by Hall of Fame coach Alex Hannum, the Rockets only tallied a 57–97 record in the following two seasons, and did not make the playoffs in either season. Because of the low performance and attendance, Breitbard looked to sell the team, and the team's nickname of "Rockets" kept its relevance after the move.

Improving in Houston (1971–1981)

Before the start of the 1971–72 NBA season, Hannum left for the Denver Nuggets of the American Basketball Association, and Tex Winter was hired in his place. However, Winter, who said that Hayes had "the worst fundamentals of any player" he had ever coached, applied a system that contrasted with the offensive style to which Hayes was accustomed. Because of the differences between Winter and Hayes, Houston traded Hayes, who had led the Rockets in scoring for four straight years, to the Baltimore Bullets for Jack Marin at the end of the 1971–72 season. Winter left soon after, in the spring of 1973, following the Rockets 10th straight loss,

In the 1975–76 NBA season the Rockets finally had a permanent home in Houston as they moved into The Summit, which they would call home for the next 29 years. Under Egan's guidance, and as Tomjanovich, Murphy, and Mike Newlin led the way, the Rockets finished over .500 for the first time in franchise history, and they made their first appearance in the playoffs since arriving in Houston.

Early into the 1977–78 season, at a game on December 9, 1977, Kevin Kunnert got into a fight with Kermit Washington of the Los Angeles Lakers. As Tomjanovich approached the altercation, Washington turned and threw a punch that landed squarely in the face of an approaching Tomjanovich, causing numerous fractures in his face. Tomjanovich spent the next five months in rehabilitation and returned to appear in the 1978 All-Star Game, but his averages significantly declined after the injury, and Houston finished with just 28 wins in the season.

In the following season, Malone, Murphy, and Tomjanovich all played in the 1979 NBA All-Star Game, and Malone received the 1979 MVP Award. The Rockets also sent John Lucas II to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Rick Barry, who went on to set the NBA record at the time for free throw percentage in a season by shooting 94.7%. The Rockets went 47–35 in Nissalke's last season as coach, and finished second in the Central Division, but they lost to Atlanta in a best-of-three first-round series. In Houston's 1979–80 campaign, Del Harris replaced Nissalke as head coach, and he led the Rockets to a 41–41 record, tying the San Antonio Spurs for second place in the Central Division. The Rockets defeated the Spurs two games to one in their first-round playoff series, they were swept by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. the NBA restructured the conferences and sent the Rockets, who had previously played in the Eastern Conference, to the Midwest Division of the Western Conference. In Harris's second season, Houston tied with Kansas City for second place in the Midwest Division behind San Antonio with a 40–42 record, and qualified for the playoffs with just one game left. During the season, Murphy set two NBA records, by sinking 78 consecutive free throws to break Rick Barry's mark of 60 set in 1976, and achieving a free-throw percentage of .958, breaking Barry's record set with the Rockets in 1979.

In the playoffs, Houston began a run that began when they upset Los Angeles two games to one, and then defeated George Gervin's Spurs four games to three in the Western Conference semifinals. This resulted in a conference finals matchup with the Kansas City Kings, who were led by Otis Birdsong, Scott Wedman, and Phil Ford. When the Kings fell to the Rockets in five games, However, after blowing a late lead in Game 1 against the Celtics, and actually winning Game 2 in the hostile Boston Garden, the Rockets failed to capitalize on the early surprising success against the favored Boston, Houston eventually lost in six games. During the Playoff run, the Rockets received strong play from Mike Dunleavy, Calvin Murphy, Tom Henderson, Bill Willoughby, Billy Paultz, Allen Leavell, Major Jones, and even an older Rudy Tomjanovich who hit critical free throws in game 2, in addition to the superb performance of Moses Malone.

The Twin Towers (1981–1987)

The following season, the Rockets improved their regular season mark to 46–36 but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Although Malone won the league's Most Valuable Player award in that season, Celtics coach Bill Fitch was hired to replace outgoing Del Harris, and after winning a coin flip with the Indiana Pacers to obtain the first pick of the 1983 NBA Draft,

Although the Rockets finished only 29–53 in the 1983–1984 season, Ralph Sampson was awarded the NBA Rookie of the Year award, after averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds per game. In his first season, Olajuwon finished second to Michael Jordan in NBA Rookie of the Year balloting, and the Rockets record improved by 19 games, although they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. In the following season, both Olajuwon and Sampson were named to the Western Conference All-Stars in that year's all-star game, and the duo was nicknamed the "Twin Towers".

The next season Houston 1985-86 won the Midwest Division with a 51-31. One game against the Phoenix Suns epitomized the effectiveness and promise of the Twin Towers in which Ralph Sampson bringing the ball upcourt passed an alley-oop to an eager Hakeem Olajuwon far above the reach of mere mortals. In the playoffs, the Rockets breezed past the then Kansas City Kings, but struggled with the Alex English Denver Nuggets, including one game going to double overtime, which had the positive effect of getting the Rockets to play together as a team. When faced with defending champion Lakers in the Conference Finals, the Rockets were ready to knock off their rivals who had the best of them during the season. The Rockets lost game 1, Hakeem Olajuwon's spinning reverse dunks notwithstanding, but the Rockets came back with 4 straight wins against the star-studded defending champs and won in an impressive four games to one. In Game 5 of that series in Los Angeles, Robert "Bobby Jo" Reid hit a crucial 3 pointer to tie the game with less than 30 seconds left. Perennial back-up guard Alan Leavell pulled down a defensive rebound and wisely called time out with only fractions of a second left, allowing the Rockets to inbounds the ball at half-court. Pat Riley did not have anybody guard the inbounds pass which allowed Rodney McCray a clean pass to Sampson who provided one of the most memorable moments in NBA Playoff history. With the score tied at 112 apiece, Olajuwon ejected, and a mere second remaining on the clock, Sampson launched a miraculous, twisting turnaround jumper that bounced straight up off the rim before sailing through the hoop at the buzzer, giving the Rockets a 114-112 victory and a shocking but strong series upset, 4 games to 1, with the 4 being four straight wins against the defending champions. Replays show in the corner of the screen a disbelieving Michael Cooper comically collapsing to the floor under the basket.

In the NBA Finals the Rockets faced the Boston Celtics. Boston sportswriters were not happy about not getting a shot at revenge against the Lakers who had beaten the Celtics in the Finals the year before, yet the matchup was interesting with the young front court challenging the old guard of the Celtics front court of Bird, McHale and Parish. During the season at the Boston Garden, the Rockets were playing the Celtics well until Sampson suffered a jarring fall on his back. At the start of the Finals, Sampson quickly found himself in foul trouble early in game one as Boston held its serve easily leading 2-0 going back to Houston. Houston won a close game 3 under the leadership of Sampson (and the national anthem sung by one Willie Nelson). Game 4 also went down to the wire with the Celtics pulling it out on late Larry Bird 3 pointer heroics and untimely turnovers by Rockets guard Mitch Wiggins. In a similarly close Game 5 in Houston (under the 2-3-2 format) Sampson inexplicably and unprofessionally succumbed to taunting by the much smaller and less significant 6-foot-1 Boston guard Jerry Sichting resulting in Sampson taking a swing and an ejection from the game. Strangely, this fired up the Rockets who won game 5 by 15 points without Ralph thanks to the inspired play of Akeem Olajuwon, Jim Peterson and Robert "Bobby Jo" Reid. Game 6 went back to Boston with Sampson finding himself again in foul trouble and of little effect against the older and wiser Celtic front court of Bird, McHale and Parish. After the series, Boston coach KC Jones called the Rockets, "the new monsters on the block" with the future looking very bright for the Rockets. During the six-game championship series loss against the Celtics, Sampson averaged 14.8 points on .438 shooting, 9.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

In the next year, the Rockets again made the playoffs, and advanced to the second round, before being eliminated by the Seattle SuperSonics. Early in the 1987-88 season, Sampson was traded to the Golden State Warriors, bringing the Twin Towers era to an end. Sampson's once-promising career was shortened due to chronic knee injuries, which forced his retirement in 1993. The Rockets would also lose their entire backcourt of Lew Lloyd, Mitch Wiggins, and John Lucas, to substance abuse problems. KC Jones' prophecy of the Rockets being the "new monsters on the block" never materialized.

Rebuilding with Hakeem (1987–1993)

In the next three seasons, the Rockets were eliminated three straight times in the first round of the playoffs, despite Don Chaney replacing Fitch as head coach in 1988.

Chaney, also a former Celtic, was named the Coach of the Year for the 1990–91 season, While Olajuwon continued to post all-star numbers, he didn't receive the needed support from his teammates. Nevertheless, the Rockets began to rebuild their nucleus that would later make an impact in the years to come, with players such as Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell and Otis Thorpe arriving during this period.

Midway through the next season, with the Rockets' record only 26–26, Chaney was replaced by former Houston player Tomjanovich. Although the Rockets did not make the playoffs, However, the Seattle SuperSonics eliminated them in the conference semifinals. In Tomjanovich's second full year as head coach, the Rockets began the 1993–94 season by tying an NBA record with start of 15–0. Led by Olajuwon, who was named the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, the Rockets won a franchise-record 58 games. The Rockets recovered from being two games down to the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the playoffs, to advance to the finals. and ended up winning only 47 games, which was 11 games lower than their previous year's total. In a midseason trade with Portland, the Rockets obtained guard Clyde Drexler, a former teammate of Olajuwon at the University of Houston, in exchange for Otis Thorpe. Houston entered the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Western Conference, but managed to defeat the 60–22 Utah Jazz in the first round. The Rockets then beat the 62–20 San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals, When Houston swept the series in four straight games, Olajuwon, who had averaged 35.3 points and 12.5 rebounds against the Spurs and regular-season MVP David Robinson in the conference finals, was named the Finals MVP, becoming only the second player after Michael Jordan to win the award two years in a row. in which Olajuwon became the NBA's all-time leader in blocked shots. They beat the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, but were swept by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round. The resulting "Big Three" of Olajuwon, Drexler, and Barkley led the Rockets to a 57–25 record, and Houston swept Minnesota in the first round. However, after a 7-game battle with Seattle, the Rockets fell in the Western Conference finals to the Utah Jazz, a team they had beaten on their way to championships in 1994 and 1995. and the team finished 41–41 with the 8th seed in the Western Conference. Houston once again faced the Jazz, this time in the first round, and they lost the series 3–2. and the Rockets made another bold trade to bring in Scottie Pippen to take his place. In the strike-shortened 1998–99 season, the Rockets went 31–19, but lost to the Lakers in the first round 3–1 of the playoffs. After the 1999 draft, the Rockets traded for the second overall pick Steve Francis from the Vancouver Grizzlies, in exchange for four players and a first-round draft pick. However, after Houston traded a discontented Pippen to Portland, and Barkley suffered a career-ending injury, the rebuilt Rockets went 34–48 and missed the playoffs, for only the second time in 15 years. In the following offseason, a 38-year old Olajuwon requested a trade, and, despite stating their desire to keep him, the Rockets reached a sign-and-trade agreement, sending him to the Toronto Raptors. The proceeding season was unremarkable, as Houston's first season without Hakeem in almost 20 years was a disappointing 28–54. However, after Houston was awarded the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, they selected Yao Ming, a 7 foot 6 inch Chinese center. The Rockets' record improved by 15 games, but they missed the playoffs by one game.

2004–2009: Yao and T-Mac duo

in the 2008 playoffs.]] In the following season, Houston began playing in their new arena, the Toyota Center, and redesigned their uniforms and logo, as long-time coach Tomjanovich resigned after being diagnosed with bladder cancer, and was replaced by Jeff Van Gundy. The Rockets finished the regular season with a record of 45–37, and earned their first playoff berth since 1999, The 2004–05 season saw McGrady and Yao lead the Rockets to their best record in ten years, However, their season ended in the first round of the playoffs as they lost to their in-state rival, the Dallas Mavericks, in seven games,

The following season, after an injury-plagued year in which McGrady and Yao missed a total of 70 games, the team finished with only 34 wins, and missed the playoffs. The Rockets improved by 18 games the next year, with 52 wins, but once again lost in the first round after leading 2–0, when they lost in seven games to Utah. After the loss, Van Gundy was fired, and the Rockets hired Rick Adelman to replace him. In the following year, despite Yao suffering a season-ending injury for the second time in three years, the Rockets won 22 consecutive games, which is the second longest winning streak in NBA history. Houston finished their season 55–27, but were eliminated for the second year in row by the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs, 4 games to 2. In 2008–2009 the Rockets ended the season 53–29, reaching the number 5 spot. With McGrady out with season-ending surgery the Rockets were still able to get out of the first round, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 2. The series win was their first since 1997. However Yao Ming suffered yet another season-ending injury, this time a hairline fracture in his left foot during Game 3 of their second round series against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Rockets lost the series 4–3. In the Trail Blazers series, Dikembe Mutombo injured his knee, which forced him to retire.

2009–present: Rebuilding

On July 8, 2009, the Rockets signed forward Trevor Ariza to a 5 year, 32 million dollar contract using the Disabled Player Exception allowed by the league through the injury of Yao Ming. Ariza used to play for the Los Angeles Lakers.

On September 23, 2009, the Rockets unveiled new alternate uniforms, which were inspired from the 1994-95 championship uniforms and featured similar colors.

On February 18, 2010, hours before the trade deadline, the Rockets acquired Kevin Martin, Jordan Hill, Hilton Armstrong, and Jared Jeffries in a 3-way team trade that sent Tracy McGrady to the New York Knicks, and Joey Dorsey and Carl Landry to the Sacramento Kings.

Despite the stellar play of Carl Landry and Aaron Brooks before the McGrady trade and the arrival of Martin, the Rockets could not make it to the playoffs, finishing 42–40, 3rd in the Southwest. At that time, the Rockets set an NBA record for best record by a team with no All-Stars.

On April 22, Aaron Brooks was named the NBA Most Improved Player, beating Kevin Durant and George Hill who both came in second place.

The Rockets drafted Patrick Patterson of Kentucky with the 14th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

On July 15, the Rockets signed free agent Brad Miller. He is expected to back-up Yao Ming.

On August 11, Trevor Ariza was traded to the New Orleans Hornets in a 4 team, 5 player trade. The Rockets received Courtney Lee from the New Jersey Nets in return.

At the start of the new season, after five games Yao Ming injured his left ankle. After being examined, what was thought to be a mild sprain turned out to be a stress fracture which will keep Yao out of the court for at least another season. Yao, already 30, is speculated to retire after series of unfortunate injuries.

Home arenas

at the start of the 2003–2004 season.]] During the four years the Rockets were in San Diego, they played their games in the San Diego Sports Arena, In their first season after moving to Houston, the Rockets did not have their own arena in Houston, and they played their first two years at various venues in Houston, including the Astrodome, AstroHall, Sam Houston Coliseum and Hofheinz Pavilion. They also had to play "home" games in other cities such as San Antonio, Waco, Albuquerque, and even San Diego. During their first season, the Rockets averaged less than 5,000 fans per game, and in one game in Waco, there were only 759 fans in attendance. was their home for the next 28 years. However, the Rockets averaged 17,379 spectators in the past year, their best average attendance ever.

Honors and statistics

Individual honors

NBA MVP of the Year Moses Malone – 1979, 1982 Hakeem Olajuwon – 1994

NBA Finals MVP Hakeem Olajuwon – 1994, 1995

NBA Most Improved Player Aaron Brooks - 2010

NBA Coach of the Year Tom Nissalke – 1977 Don Chaney – 1991

NBA Executive of the Year Ray Patterson – 1977

J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award Calvin Murphy – 1971

All-NBA First Team Moses Malone – 1979, 1982 Tracy McGrady – 2007

All-NBA Third Team Hakeem Olajuwon – 1991, 1995, 1999 Yao Ming – 2004, 2006, 2008

NBA All-Defensive Second Team Moses Malone – 1979 Ron Artest – 2009

NBA Rookie First Team Elvin Hayes – 1969 Calvin Murphy – 1971 Joe Meriweather – 1976 John Lucas – 1977 Ralph Sampson – 1984

NBA Rookie Second Team Robert Horry – 1993 Matt Maloney – 1997 Cuttino Mobley – 1999 Michael Dickerson – 1999 Eddie Griffin – 2002 Luther Head – 2006 Carl Landry – 2008

Statistics and records

Season-by-season records

Players

Current roster

:''For the complete list of Houston Rockets players see: Houston Rockets all-time roster :For the players drafted by Houston Rockets, see: List of Houston Rockets first and second round draft picks.

International rights

{| style="border:1px solid black;" |}

Notable former players

Hall of Famers

Rick Barry (1987)Elvin Hayes (1990)Calvin Murphy (1993)Moses Malone (2001)Clyde Drexler (2004)Charles Barkley (2006)Hakeem Olajuwon (2008)

Scottie Pippen (2010)

Retired numbers

22 Clyde Drexler, G, 1995–98 23 Calvin Murphy, G, 1970–83 24 Moses Malone, C, 1976–82 34 Hakeem Olajuwon, C, 1984–2001 45 Rudy Tomjanovich, F, 1970–81; Head Coach, 1991–2003

Management

General Managers

Mar 1967–June 1968: Jack McMahon June 1968–May 1972: Pete Newell September 1989–August 1993: Steve Patterson August 1993–3January 1994: Tod Leiweke January 1994–May 1996: Bob Weinhauer May 1996–May 2007: Carroll Dawson May 2007–present: Daryl Morey

Owners

January 1967–June 1971: Robert Breitbard June 1971–December 1973: Billy Goldberg, Wayne Duddlesten, Mickey Herskowitz |1968–1970 |190 |61 |129 |.321 |6 |2 |4 |.333 | |- |2 |Alex Hannum |1973–1976 |281 |129 |152 |.459 |8 |3 |5 |.375 | |- |5 |Tom Nissalke |- |6 |Del Harris |1979–1983 |328 |141 |187 |.430 |31 |15 |16 |.484 | |- |7 |Bill Fitch |1983–1988 |410 |216 |194 |.527 |39 |21 |18 |.538 |One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history |- |8 |Don Chaney |1992–2003 |900 |503 |397 |.559 |90 |51 |39 |.567 |2 NBA championships (1994, 1995) |- |10 |Jeff Van Gundy |2003–2007 |328 |182 |146 |.555 |19 |7 |12 |.368 | |- |11 |Rick Adelman |2007–present |164 |108 |56 |.659 |19 |9 |10 |.474 |2nd longest winning streak in NBA history |}

Mascots

From 1993 to 1995, the mascot of the Houston Rockets was Turbo, a costumed man that performed acrobatic dunks and other maneuvers. In 1995, the Rockets debuted Clutch the Bear as a second mascot, a large teddy bear-like mascot that performs a variety of acts during the games. After eight years of serving as dual mascots, the performer playing Turbo retired, making Clutch the sole mascot for the team.

References

External links

Houston Rockets page at basketball-reference.com

}}

Category:National Basketball Association teams Category:Houston Rockets Category:Sports clubs established in 1967 Category:Basketball teams in the United States

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C		Frédéric Weis	1999 NBA Draft	Originally drafted by the New York Knicks with the 15th pick
C		Venson Hamilton	1999 NBA Draft	50th pick
PG		Kyle Hill	2001 NBA Draft	44th pick
C		Sergei Lishouk	2004 NBA Draft	49th pick
PF		Axel Hervelle	2005 NBA Draft	Originally drafted by the Denver Nuggets with the 52nd pick
PF		Lior Eliyahu	2006 NBA Draft	Originally drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 44th pick
SF		Brad Newley	2007 NBA Draft	54th pick
PF		Jordan Poor	2008 NBA Draft	54th pick
PG		Sergio Llull	2009 NBA Draft	34th pick

Name	Tracy McGrady
Caption	Tracy McGrady during his tenure with the Rockets.
Height ft	6
Height in	8
Weight lb	223
Team	Detroit Pistons
Position	Guard / Small Forward
Number	1
Birth date	May 24, 1979
Birth place	Bartow, Florida
High school	Auburndale High School (Auburndale, Florida) Mount Zion Christian Academy (Durham, North Carolina)
Nationality	American
Draft round	1
Draft pick	9
Draft team	Toronto Raptors
Draft year	1997
Career start	1997
Teams
Highlights

Tracy Lamar McGrady, Jr., (born May 24, 1979, in Bartow, Florida) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons. He is a shooting guard, but can also play as a small forward and recently as a point guard.

Entering the league after graduating from high school, McGrady eventually became a seven-time All-Star. He led the league in scoring in 2003 and 2004. He has also played for the Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets and New York Knicks. McGrady was ranked on SLAM Magazine's "Top 75 Players of All-Time" in 2003. McGrady's style of play has been compared to that of George Gervin.

Early years

Tracy McGrady played high school basketball at Auburndale High School in Auburndale, Florida for three years. He then transferred to Mount Zion Christian Academy, in Durham, North Carolina. McGrady created a national buzz after his performance in the Adidas ABCD Camp, where the best high school players in the U.S. are invited annually. He was named High School Player of the Year by USA Today.

NBA career

Toronto Raptors (1997–2000)

McGrady was drafted ninth overall in the first round of the 1997 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors.

In McGrady's first two seasons with the Raptors, he averaged less than 10 points per game, mainly coming off the bench. In his second season, he began playing alongside his third cousin, Vince Carter, who won the Rookie of the Year Award that season. The 1999–2000 season was McGrady's first breakout season in the NBA. He was a starter in 34 games out of 79, averaging 15.4 points per game, and a career-high 1.9 blocks per game. McGrady also competed in the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest, finishing third, behind Carter and Steve Francis.

In 2000, the duo of McGrady and Carter helped lead the Raptors to the playoffs, for the first time in franchise history. However, the team was swept 3–0 by the New York Knicks in the first round. McGrady was often overshadowed by Carter during his time in Toronto, and he became a free agent in the summer of 2000. In the off-season, he expressed interest in playing for family and friends in his home state of Florida.

Orlando Magic (2000–2004)

On August 3, 2000, McGrady was dealt to the Orlando Magic in a sign-and-trade deal for a first round pick. In Orlando, he played alongside Grant Hill, who had been acquired that summer in hope of bringing Orlando back among the Eastern Conference's elite teams. However, an ankle injury limited Hill to only 4 games and McGrady became the leader and 1st scoring option of the team. For the first time in his career McGrady was selected as an All-Star when he was voted by the fans to start in the midseason classic for the Eastern Conference. At season's end he was presented with the 2001 NBA Most Improved Player Award. Even though McGrady had elevated his game from solid contributor to star, the Magic were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks.

The following season, McGrady continued his great play. With Hill struggling with injuries, the Magic were a one-man show. He made his second All-Star team and First Team All-NBA while averaging 26 points per game. The Magic posted a 44–38 record for the year but they were beat again in the first round of the playoffs, this time by the Charlotte Hornets.

In the 2002–03 season, McGrady averaged 32.1 points per game and captured the NBA scoring title, becoming the youngest player to do so since the ABA-NBA merger. Despite McGrady's personal accolades, the Magic failed to reach the second round of the playoffs. In a rather infamous moment, during the 2003 NBA Playoffs, the Magic (who were an #8 seed) surprisingly took a 3–1 series lead against the heavily favored #1 seed Detroit Pistons. Prior to the fifth game in Detroit, McGrady was quoted as saying that how wonderful it was to "finally be in the position to advance to the second round (of the playoffs)". Orlando, however, lost Games 5, 6, and 7 by an average of more than 20 points, and Detroit advanced to the second round.

In the 2003–04 season, he once again captured the NBA scoring title, averaging 28 points per game, and set a career high with 62 points against the Washington Wizards at the TD Waterhouse Centre on March 10, 2004. With this performance, he became the fourth player in the past 12 years to score over 60 points in a game.

Houston Rockets (2004–2010)

.]] On June 29, 2004, McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, and Reece Gaines were traded to the Houston Rockets in a seven-player deal that sent Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato to the Magic. In his first year with the Houston Rockets, McGrady teamed with 7' 6" center Yao Ming, to end the season ranked 5th in the Western Conference. On December 9, 2004, he scored 13 points in the last 33 seconds of a game against the San Antonio Spurs, with four consecutive 3 pointers (one of which was part of a four-point play), including a steal and the game-winning 3 pointer with 1.7 seconds left in the game that helped the Rockets win 81–80.

The Rockets first season with McGrady started off slowly as they struggled to find a compatible point guard to play with McGrady's skill set in the backcourt. The solution was found when they named Bob Sura, who was returning from an injury, played well enough to earn the starting PG job. The Rockets traded Tyronn Lue for Jon Barry for 3-point shooting off the bench. The Rockets also acquired David Wesley from the Hornets to bolster their backcourt defense, particularly on smaller guards. With these new trades, McGrady was moved to SF, with a starting lineup of Bob Sura, David Wesley, Juwan Howard, and Yao Ming. The Rockets then ran the offense through McGrady, utilized the inside game of Yao, and used the perimeter game of Howard's baseline jumper and 3-point shooting effectively. The Rockets finished the 2004–05 season 51–31 as the 5th seed in the playoffs.

.]] Despite McGrady's stellar play in the first round of the 2005 NBA Playoffs where he averaged 30.7 ppg, 6.7 asg, and 7.4 rpg, Houston was eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in game seven by 40 points, despite having a 2–0 lead to start the series. McGrady missed 6 of his first 7 shots in Game 7 and the Rockets were never able to match the intensity of the Dallas Mavericks. McGrady's signature moment in the Dallas playoffs series was in Game 2, where he blew past Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki and dunked over Dallas center Shawn Bradley.

In the early 2005–06 season, McGrady missed eight games because of multiple back spasms. His back problems resurfaced on January 8, 2006 when he had to be taken out at halftime in a game against the Denver Nuggets on a stretcher to the hospital because of severe back spasms. He had been out for five games. Since his return, the spasms have still been a problem for McGrady. In the 2005–06 season the Rockets were 2–15 in games he did not play in and 2–16 in games McGrady did not finish. While McGrady was injured for five games with his back injury, the Rockets did not win a single game. Other injuries include him falling on his back in a game against the Indiana Pacers. Despite his back injuries, McGrady was voted into the 2006 All-Star Game in Houston. His western conference teammates constantly put the ball in his hands to put him in contention for the All-Star MVP award in front of his Houston home crowd. A controversy resulted in the final minute when McGrady attempted a jump shot that would have given the West the lead and control of the game. Replays showed LeBron James, who was guarding McGrady appearing to make contact with McGrady's elbow, causing the shot attempt to fall way short of the basket. However, no foul was whistled, the East won, and LeBron James was named All-Star MVP.

.]] In the 2006–07 season, McGrady started out slowly, and after missing 7 games with back spasms he visited a doctor. In an interview with TNT, McGrady said that he thought that his body was slowing down. He believed that he could no longer be as explosive as he was in the past due to his back injury. Shortly after another bout with back spasms, McGrady went to Waco, Texas where Dr. John Patterson performed "Synergy Release Therapy" to cure his chronic back problems, particularly the back spasms. However, since Yao Ming was having another breakout season, he was deferring to Yao as the number one option. Since Yao went down with a leg injury, McGrady stepped up his overall play, re-establishing himself as one of the game's premier players and by doing so led Houston to the 5th best record in the league. On December 29, 2006, he became the third youngest player in NBA history to reach 14,000 points and 4,000 rebounds. However, in the playoffs, the Rockets lost their first round series to the Utah Jazz 4–3, again preventing McGrady from advancing to the second round of the playoffs. A tear fell down his cheek during the press-conference after losing game seven 103–99 to the Utah Jazz in the 2007 Playoffs. Prior to the series with the Jazz, McGrady had stated in an interview with Stephen A. Smith that if he and the Rockets failed to make it out of the first round again, it was "on me".

After the 2006–07 season, following the Rockets first round playoff defeat, Jeff Van Gundy was fired as head coach by Rockets management. Rick Adelman was hired as head coach as Rockets owner Leslie Alexander wanted a more uptempo offense to utilize the offensive skill set of Yao and McGrady.

The 2007–08 season for the Rockets was decimated by injuries, most notable Yao Ming being placed on injured reserve in February. Incredibly, the Rockets won 22 straight games (10 without Yao). The Rockets finished as the 5th seed in the West and earned a rematch with the Utah Jazz. However, by the time playoffs came, McGrady was already nursing shoulder and knee injuries as he had bandages placed on his shoulder and his knee throughout the playoff series. McGrady took pain-killing injections in and had fluid drained from both his shoulder and knee to allow him to play. The Jazz again eliminated the Rockets in six games, despite McGrady recording 40 points and 10 rebounds in the decisive Game Six, a 113–91 loss.

In May 2008, McGrady underwent arthroscopic surgery on both his left shoulder and left knee.

On February 18, 2009, McGrady announced on his website that he would have surgery on his left knee and would miss the remainder of the 2008–09 season. He had already missed 18 games before the All-Star break, including a two-week stretch in January, and said before the season that his knee was not healed from his off-season surgery. Head coach Rick Adelman, who found out about the announcement when he read the newspaper in the morning, criticized McGrady for not informing the team of the decision. He decided to have microfracture surgery in Chicago on February 24, 2009. The cartilage damage to be repaired by the microfracture surgery was in a small area on a non-weight-bearing surface, and the rest of his knee was otherwise healthy, according to the team doctor.

Despite McGrady being on injured reserve, the Rockets beat the Trail Blazers 4–2 in the first round of the playoffs to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997. The Rockets would compete in a memorable series against the eventual NBA champion LA Lakers, before losing Game 7 in LA. Since McGrady was on the Rockets' roster during the 2009 NBA Playoffs, he officially advanced past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in his career.

McGrady only played in six games with the Rockets during the 2009–10 season, all in limited minutes as a reserve due to injuries, before being traded to the New York Knicks in February.

New York Knicks (2010)

On February 18, 2010, McGrady was traded to the New York Knicks as part of a three-team trade involving Houston, New York, and the Sacramento Kings. On February 20, 2010, McGrady made his debut for the Knicks against the Oklahoma City Thunder, to a sold-out Madison Square Garden, amid many "We Want T-Mac!" chants. He scored 26 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and dished 5 assists in 32 minutes of play as New York lost in overtime. This was McGrady's first game since December 23, 2009 against the Orlando Magic. His first win as a member of the Knicks came six days later, in a 23-point effort against the Washington Wizards.

Detroit Pistons (2010–present)

On August 16, 2010, McGrady signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Pistons. On December 7, 2010, McGrady returned to Houston for the first time and scored 11 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and dished 3 assists in a 97-83 loss to the Rockets. On December 29, 2010, McGrady scored a season-high 21 points in a 104-92 win over the Boston Celtics. He scored a new season-high of 22 points in a 101-95 win against the Toronto Raptors.

Off the court

Personal life

McGrady has four children—daughters Layla Clarice, Laycee Aloe, and sons Laymen Lamar, Layden—with his wife CleRenda Harris, whom he had dated for 10 years. Their first son was born on December 27, 2005 during a 82–74 loss against the Utah Jazz in which McGrady left during halftime to see his girlfriend going into labor. The couple were married on September 12, 2006 in Mexico. McGrady and Vince Carter are third cousins; McGrady learned that his grandmother and Carter's grandmother were cousins at a family reunion while he was still in high school and Carter played at the University of North Carolina. The two played together with the Toronto Raptors for two years before McGrady left for free agency. After McGrady left, he and Carter had a short feud- but this was resolved in a short period of time.

Tracy's younger brother, Chancellor "Chance" McGrady, played for the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Runner-Up Memphis Tigers basketball team.

In 2008, McGrady was criticized for his comments on the All-Star game being held in New Orleans, only 3 years removed from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. McGrady publicly questioned the quality of public safety and protection of NBA players.

Endorsements

In 2002, McGrady signed a longterm partnership with Adidas, agreeing to an endorsement deal that will last through his playing career and beyond. He also appeared on the cover of NBA Live 07.

Philanthropy

McGrady has traveled to the Darfurian refugee camps in Chad with John Prendergast and Omer Ismail of the ENOUGH Project. McGrady is actively recruiting NBA players to support a sister schools initiative linking schools in Darfurian refugee camps to American middle schools, high schools and universities.

In 2009, McGrady changed his jersey number to #3. He made the switch to promote his humanitarian efforts in the Darfur region of the Sudan and a documentary on his summer 2007 visits to refugee camps in the region. The documentary is called 3 Points.

USA career

}}

He was a member of the United States men's national basketball team in the 2003 Tournament of the Americas where the USA team won the tournament.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 1997–98 | align="left" | Toronto | 64 || 17 || 18.4 || .450 || .341 || .712 || 4.2 || 1.5 || .8 || .9 || 7.0 |- | align="left" | 1998–99 | align="left" | Toronto | 49 || 2 || 22.6 || .436 || .229 || .726 || 5.7 || 2.3 || 1.1 || 1.4 || 9.3 |- | align="left" | 1999–00 | align="left" | Toronto | 79 || 34 || 31.2 || .451 || .277 || .707 || 6.3 || 3.3 || 1.1 || 1.9 || 15.4 |- | align="left" | 2000–01 | align="left" | Orlando | 77 || 77 || 40.1 || .457 || .355 || .733 || 7.5 || 4.6 || 1.5 || 1.5 || 26.8 |- | align="left" | 2001–02 | align="left" | Orlando | 76 || 76 || 38.3 || .451 || .364 || .748 || 7.9 || 5.3 || 1.6 || 1.0 || 25.6 |- | align="left" | 2002–03 | align="left" | Orlando | 75 || 74 || 39.4 || .457 || .386 || .793 || 6.5 || 5.5 || 1.6 || .8 || 32.1 |- | align="left" | 2003–04 | align="left" | Orlando | 67 || 67 || 39.9 || .417 || .339 || .796 || 6.0 || 5.5 || 1.4 || .6 || 28.0 |- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Houston | 78 || 78 || 40.8 || .431 || .326 || .774 || 6.2 || 5.7 || 1.7 || .7 || 25.7 |- | align="left" | 2005–06 | align="left" | Houston | 47 || 47 || 37.1 || .406 || .312 || .747 || 6.5 || 4.8 || 1.3 || .9 || 24.4 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Houston | 71 || 71 || 35.8 || .431 || .331 || .707 || 5.3 || 6.5 || 1.3 || .5 || 24.6 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Houston | 66 || 62 || 37.0 || .419 || .292 || .684 || 5.1 || 5.9 || 1.0 || .4 || 21.6 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Houston | 35 || 35 || 33.7|| .388 || .376 || .801 || 4.4 || 5.0 || 1.2 || .4 || 15.6 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Houston | 6 || 0 || 7.7 || .368 || .500 || .667 || 0.8 || 1.0 || .0 || .3 || 3.2 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | New York | 24 || 24 || 26.1 || .389 || .242 || .754 || 3.7 || 3.9 || .6 || .5 || 9.4 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 814 || 664 || 34.6 || .435 || .337 || .749 || 6.0 || 4.7 || 1.3 || .9 || 21.5 |- | align="left" | All-Star | align="left" | | 7 || 6 || 24.6 || .500 || .351 || .619 || 3.0 || 3.9 || 1.6 || .4 || 17.1

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 1999–00 | align="left" | Toronto | 3 || 3 || 37.0 || .386 || .286 || .875 || 7.0 || 3.0 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 16.7 |- | align="left" | 2000–01 | align="left" | Orlando | 4 || 4 || 44.5 || .415 || .200 || .816 || 6.5 || 8.3 || 1.8 || 1.2 || 33.8 |- | align="left" | 2001–02 | align="left" | Orlando | 4 || 4 || 44.5 || .462 || .313 || .739 || 6.3 || 5.5 || .5 || 1.8 || 30.8 |- | align="left" | 2002–03 | align="left" | Orlando | 7 || 7 || 44.0 || .448 || .340 || .773 || 6.7 || 4.7 || 2.0 || .9 || 31.7 |- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Houston | 7 || 7 || 43.0 || .456 || .370 || .824 || 7.4 || 6.7 || 1.6 || 1.4 || 30.7 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Houston | 7 || 7 || 40.0 || .394 || .250 || .737 || 5.9 || 7.3 || .7 || .9 || 25.3 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Houston | 6 || 6 || 41.2 || .425 || .208 || .623 || 8.2 || 6.8 || 1.5 || .8 || 27.0 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 38 || 38 || 42.2 || .430 || .301 || .756 || 6.9 || 6.2 || 1.3 || 1.1 || 28.5

NBA career achievements

2× NBA Scoring Champion: 2003 (32.1), 2004 (28.0)

7× NBA All-Star: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

7× All-NBA:

:* First Team: 2002, 2003 :* Second Team: 2001, 2004, 2007 :* Third Team: 2005, 2008

NBA Most Improved Player Award: 2001

Orlando Magic franchise records

All-Time Free Throws Made (1,819)

Most points in one game with 62 (March 10, 2004 vs. Washington Wizards)

Most points in one half with 37 in the first half (March 9, 2003 vs. Denver Nuggets)

Most points in one quarter with 25 in the second quarter (March 9, 2003 vs. Denver Nuggets)

Most free throws made in one game with 18 (December 25, 2002 vs. Detroit Pistons)

Most points in a playoff game with 46 (in Game 2 of the 2003 Eastern Conference playoffs, First Round vs. Detroit Pistons)

Most three-point field goals made in one half with 8 (January 26, 2004 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers)

Career achievements

Career 40+ point games (regular season): 45

Career 50+ point games (regular season): 4

Career 60+ point games (regular season): 1

Career triple-doubles (regular season): 4

Shares NBA record for most three-point field goals made in one half with 8 (January 26, 2004 Orlando vs. Cleveland)

See also

List of individual National Basketball Association scoring leaders by season

List of National Basketball Association players with 60 or more points in a game

References

External links

Tracy McGrady's Official Website

NBA.com profile

Category:1979 births Category:African American basketball players Category:American expatriate basketball people in Canada Category:Living people Category:Detroit Pistons players Category:Houston Rockets players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:National Basketball Association high school draftees Category:New York Knicks players Category:Orlando Magic players Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Florida Category:Toronto Raptors draft picks Category:Toronto Raptors players Category:Shooting guards Category:Small forwards

Playername	Patrick Patterson
Country	West Indies
Fullname	Balfour Patrick Patterson
Living	yes
Dayofbirth	15
Monthofbirth	9
Yearofbirth	1961
Placeofbirth	Williamsfield
Countryofbirth	Jamaica
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm fast
International	true
Testdebutdate	21 February
Testdebutyear	1986
Testdebutagainst	England
Lasttestdate	27 November
Lasttestyear	1993
Lasttestagainst	Australia
Odidebutdate	18 February
Odidebutyear	1986
Odidebutagainst	England
Lastodidate	25 February
Lastodiyear	1993
Lastodiagainst	Pakistan
Club1	Jamaica
Year1	1982–1998
Club2	Lancashire
Year2	1984–1990
Club3	Tasmania
Year3	1984–1985
Columns	4
Column1	Tests
Matches1	28
Runs1	145
Bat avg1	6.59
100s/50s1	0/0
Top score1	21*
Deliveries1	4,829
Wickets1	93
Bowl avg1	30.90
Fivefor1	5
Tenfor1	0
Best bowling1	5/24
Catches/stumpings1	5/–
Column2	ODIs
Matches2	59
Runs2	44
Bat avg2	8.80
100s/50s2	0/0
Top score2	13*
Deliveries2	3,050
Wickets2	90
Bowl avg2	24.51
Fivefor2	1
Tenfor2	0
Best bowling2	6/29
Catches/stumpings2	9/–
Column3	FC
Matches3	161
Runs3	618
Bat avg3	5.83
100s/50s3	0/0
Top score3	29
Deliveries3	24,346
Wickets3	493
Bowl avg3	27.51
Fivefor3	25
Tenfor3	2
Best bowling3	7/24
Catches/stumpings3	32/–
Column4	LA
Matches4	100
Runs4	106
Bat avg4	10.60
100s/50s4	0/0
Top score4	16
Deliveries4	5,115
Wickets4	144
Bowl avg4	24.27
Fivefor4	1
Tenfor4	0
Best bowling4	6/29
Catches/stumpings4	15/–
Date	19 October
Year	2010
Source	http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1798/1798.html Cricket Archive

Balfour Patrick Patterson (born 15 September 1961) is a former fast bowler for the West Indian cricket team in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Early life

Born in Portland, Jamaica to Maurice and Emelda, Patterson attended Happy Grove High School and Wolmer's School, receiving his Jamaica School Certificate.

Patterson's father and grandfather played parish level cricket in Jamaica In a Test Match in Melbourne, 1988–89, during Christmas, just before second last days play, Steve Waugh decided to bounce Patterson. At the end of the day's play, Patterson stormed into the Australian dressing room and threatened to kill all the opposition batsmen on the pitch on the fifth and final day of play. Australia were then dismissed for 114 chasing 400. Patterson finished with five wickets in the innings and nine wickets for the match.

He was dropped for disciplinary reasons after the 1992/3 tour to Australia, the last time the West Indies won a series in Australia. Patterson's career strike rate of 51.9 is amongst the best of all time, although his 93 Test wickets came at a slightly high average of 30.9 owing to his excessively attacking nature and subsequent field settings, which always provided opportunity for runs as well as wickets.

Notes

Category:Jamaican cricketers Category:Lancashire cricketers Category:Tasmania cricketers Category:West Indies One Day International cricketers Category:West Indies Test cricketers Category:West Indian cricketers Category:1961 births Category:Living people

Width	235px
Caption	James with the Heat
Position	Small forward/Guard
Height ft	6
Height in	8
Weight lb	250
Team	Miami Heat
Number	6
Nationality	American
Birth date	December 30, 1984
Birth place	Akron, Ohio, United States
Draft round	1
Draft pick	1
Draft year	2003
Draft team	Cleveland Cavaliers
Career start	2003
High school	St. Vincent – St. Mary High School
Profile	lebron_james
Teams
Highlights

LeBron Raymone James (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a sophomore at St. Vincent – St. Mary High School. At just 18, he was selected with the number one pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers and signed a shoe contract with Nike before his professional debut. Listed as a small forward, James has set numerous youngest player records since joining the league. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2003–04, NBA Most Valuable Player in 2008–09 and 2009–10, and has been both All-NBA selection and an All-Star every season since 2005. In 2010, a much-publicized free agency process ended with James going to the Miami Heat. He became the third reigning NBA MVP to change teams and the first since Moses Malone in 1982.

The focal point of the Cleveland offense, James led the team to consecutive playoff appearances from 2006 through 2010. In 2007, the Cavaliers advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1992 and to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. James has been a member of the USA national team, winning a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and gold at the 2008 Olympics.

Off the court

James was born on December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio, to a 16-year-old mother, Gloria. His biological father, Anthony McClelland, was an ex-convict who left Gloria and forced her to raise LeBron by herself.

James has two children with his high school sweetheart, Savannah Brinson. The first, LeBron James Jr., was born on October 6, 2004,

Endorsements

James has endorsement contracts with Nike, Sprite, Glacéau, Bubblicious, Upper Deck, McDonald's and State Farm. With Nike, James has released six signature shoe styles, and four additional shoes (20–5–5, Soldier, Soldier 2, Ambassador). He has acted in a 2007 series of commercials called "The LeBrons", as well as had his likeness voiced by Kenan Thompson in a 2009 commercial series titled "MVPuppets". In December 2007, James was ranked at #1 in the Forbes Top 20 Earners Under 25 with annual earnings of $27 million.

.]] James and Ice Cube have paired up to pitch a one-hour special to ABC based on James' life. James will act as executive producer if the show is greenlighted. James appeared on the cover of the February 2009 edition of GQ magazine. He stars in the Lions Gate film, More Than a Game (2009).

Public image

During the 2007 NBA Playoffs, James drew criticism when he declined to sign a petition started by his teammate, Ira Newble, regarding the Chinese government's alleged involvement in the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan, stating that he did not know enough about the issue. A year later, James did talk publicly about the issue, saying, "At the end of the day we're talking about human rights. And people should understand that human rights and people's lives are in jeopardy. We're not talking about contracts here. We're not talking about money. We're talking about people's lives being lost and that means a lot more to me than some money or a contract."

James has received criticism from Cleveland fans and critics for attending Cleveland Indians games against the New York Yankees dressed in a Yankees hat. James said, "As individuals I want every Indian to succeed. I love all these fans for coming out and supporting us. But team-wise I want the Yankees to win." Despite residing in Ohio for all of his childhood, James added that he grew up as a Yankees fan, a Dallas Cowboys fan and a Chicago Bulls fan. In January 2008, Nike released the Air Zoom V LeBron shoe, which featured a Yankees-type motif and was made available only in New York City.

In March 2008, James became the first black man to appear on the cover of Vogue, posing with Gisele Bündchen. He was the third man to appear on the cover of Vogue, after Richard Gere and George Clooney. Some sports bloggers and columnist considered the cover offensive, describing the demeanor of James and his holding Bündchen as a reference to classic imagery of the movie monster King Kong, a dark savage capturing his light-skinned love interest.

In June 2008, James donated $20,000 to a committee to elect Barack Obama. On October 29, 2008, James gathered almost 20,000 people at the Quicken Loans Arena for a viewing of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's 30-minute American Stories, American Solutions television advertisement. It was shown on a large screen above the stage, where Jay-Z later held a free concert.

In August 2008, a source close to James said he would strongly consider playing in Europe for Olympiacos if given a $50-million annual salary. James later said he may sign a contract extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the conclusion of the 2008–2009 NBA season.

On July 6, 2009, James courted controversy when he ordered organizers to confiscate CBS video tape of him being dunked on by Xavier University guard Jordan Crawford at the Nike LeBron James Skills Academy.

On July 23 in an interview for his upcoming book "Shooting Stars", James admitted to smoking marijuana at one point during his high school career to help cope with all the stress resulting from constant media attention he was receiving at the time.

James, with comedian Jimmy Kimmel, co-hosted the 2007 ESPY Awards. James himself was nominated for three ESPYs: Best Male Athlete, Best NBA Player (winner), and Best Record Breaking Performance. The performance for which he was nominated was when he scored 48 points in Game 5 of the 2007 NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons, including 29 of the last 30 points and all of the team's 25 points in overtime.

In September, 2010, The Q Score Company ranked James as the sixth most disliked sports personality behind Michael Vick, Tiger Woods, Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco and Kobe Bryant. James bought a home in Coconut Grove, a Miami, Florida suburb, on November 12, 2010 for $9 million.

Tattoos

James has a number of tattoos on his body. Across his back is an emblazoned banner, "Chosen 1," a name he received from the cover of Sports Illustrated while in high school. On his right leg vertically, "Witness." On his right arm, a lion with a crown and "Gloria" for his mother. On his upper left arm, the word "Beast" and "Hold my own." On his lower left arm, a rendition of the face of his first son, and the words, "Prince James" for his first son, and "Maximus Bryce" for his second son. On his lower right arm, "Akron", and "330" the telephone area code for Akron, Ohio, James' hometown. Additionally on his lower right forearm, the slogan, "No one can see through what I am except for the one that made me." On his chest, the words, "Gifted Child" and a large animal across his pectorals resembling a "lion-dragon."

High school career

James attended St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in Akron, where he became a starter during his freshman year for the Fighting Irish. He averaged 21 points and 6.2 rebounds, and led the team to a 23–1 record, en route to the Division III state title. Keith Dambrot, now head coach at the University of Akron, was the head coach at St. Vincent–St. Mary. Coach Dambrot started working with James doing $1 clinics at a local recreation center.

In James' junior year his stats improved again. He averaged 29.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.3 steals and was again named Mr. Basketball of Ohio. The petition was unsuccessful, but it ensured him an unprecedented level of nation-wide attention as he entered his senior year. By then, James had already appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine. His popularity forced his team to move their practices from the school gym to the nearby James A. Rhodes Arena at the University of Akron. NBA stars such as Shaquille O'Neal attended the games, and a few of James' high school games were even televised nationally on ESPN2 and regionally on pay-per-view.

In 2003, James' mother, Gloria James, got approval of a loan to buy a Hummer H2 for her son's 18th birthday. Under the OHSAA guidelines, no amateur may accept any gift valued over $100 as a reward for athletic performance. James appealed and a judge blocked the ruling, reducing the penalty to a two-game suspension and allowing him to play the remainder of the season. James' team was forced to forfeit one of their wins as a result. That forfeit was the team's only official loss that season.

Despite the distractions, the Irish won a third state title, with James averaging 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals on the season. James finished his high school career with 2,657 points, 892 rebounds and 523 assists.

NBA career

Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-2010)

Rookie season

James was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Facing the Sacramento Kings in his first NBA game, James recorded 25 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals and shot 60% from the floor. After recording a season-high 41 points against the New Jersey Nets, James became the youngest player in league history to score at least 40 points in a game. He was scheduled to compete in the 2004 Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star weekend, although due to an ankle injury he suffered in January 2004, he was unable to participate in the contest. James averaged 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game for the season, and was named 2003–04 NBA Rookie of the Year; becoming the first Cavalier and youngest NBA player to ever receive the award. The Cavaliers improved by 18 wins and concluded the regular season with a 35–47 record, but failed to make the playoffs.

2004–05 season

In the 2004–05 season, James was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game and recorded 13 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds, as the Eastern All-Stars defeated the Western All-Stars 125–115. During the season, James became the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double and make the All-NBA Team.

2005–06 season

In the 2005–06 season, James was elected to his second straight All-Star Game appearance and led the Eastern All-Stars to a 122–120 victory, with 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. He became the youngest All-Star MVP at 21 years, 51 days. He was named NBA Player of the Week for an unprecedented three consecutive weeks and concluded the season with five honors. He scored 35 or more points in nine consecutive games, joining Jordan and Kobe Bryant as the only players since 1970 to accomplish the feat. The Cavaliers made the playoffs for the first time since 1998, and improved from a record of 17–65 in 2002–03 to 50–32 in 2005–06.

Following the regular season, James was named as one of the candidates for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Although he finished second to Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns in MVP voting, he was awarded co-MVP honors with Nash by The Sporting News; an award given by the publication that is based on the voting of thirty NBA general managers.

James made his playoff debut against the Washington Wizards in 2006. He recorded a triple-double with 32 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, as the Cavaliers defeated the Wizards 97–86. He joined Johnny McCarthy and Magic Johnson as the only players in NBA history to register a triple-double in their playoff debut. In the process, James set a new record for turnovers in a 6-game series, with 34. In the second round of the playoffs, James and the Cavaliers lost in seven games to the defending Eastern Conference champion and divisional rival Detroit Pistons. James averaged 30.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in the playoffs. Although it is for fewer years and less money than the maximum he could sign, it allows him the option of seeking a new contract worth more money as an unrestricted free agent following the 2010 season.

2006–07 season

against the Dallas Mavericks]] James was elected to his third consecutive All-Star game appearance during the 2006–07 season. He played a game high 32 minutes and finished with 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. In the regular season, the Cavaliers tied the previous season's record with 50 wins and clinched the second seed of the Eastern Conference on the last day of the season. For the season, James averaged 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.

In the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs, James led the Cavaliers to their first sweep in franchise history over the Washington Wizards in four games. It was the first time the franchise had won consecutive road playoff games.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, James led the Cavaliers from an 0–2 deficit against the Detroit Pistons to win the series in six games. His performance in Game 5 was especially memorable. James recorded a franchise-record 48 points on 54.5% field goal shooting, to go with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. In addition, James scored 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points, including the team's final 25 points in a double-overtime victory. He concluded the night with a game-winning lay-up with 2 seconds left. NBA analyst Marv Albert referred to James' performance as "one of the greatest moments in postseason history," while color commentator Steve Kerr called it "Jordan-esque."

In the 2007 NBA Finals, James averaged 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists, as the Cavaliers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs, losing 4 consecutive games. and once again positioning himself as one of the front runners for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. He won the 2008 All-Star Game MVP with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals as the Eastern Conference All-Stars defeated their Western counterparts, 134–128.

On February 19, 2008, James recorded his fifth triple-double of the 2007–08 season by putting up 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists against the Houston Rockets. It was the fifteenth triple-double of his career. He is the third youngest player to post 15 triple-doubles, behind Robertson and Johnson. He scored his sixth triple-double of the season and sixteenth of his career against the Indiana Pacers the very next game. It was the second time during the season that he had a triple-double in back-to-back games. The last player to accomplish that feat was Johnson in 1988. James finished the season with seven triple-doubles, breaking his personal and team records for triple-doubles in a season and 17 career triple-doubles broke his team record as well.

On February 27, 2008, against the Boston Celtics, James became the youngest person to score 10,000 points in his career at 23 years and 59 days, achieving the feat in style with a slam-dunk over 11-time All-Star Kevin Garnett, eclipsing the old mark by more than a year. James did so in 368 games, the ninth fastest in league history. On March 5, 2008, James scored 50 points with 8 rebounds and 10 assists on the New York Knicks, becoming only the third player since the ABA-NBA merger to record a 50-point 10-assist game. On March 21, 2008, James scored 29 points against the Toronto Raptors, taking him past Brad Daugherty's all-time Cavaliers scoring record of 10,389 points. Daugherty achieved this record over the course of 548 games, while James took only 380 games to score 10,414 points.

All told, James propelled Cleveland to a 45–37 record, good for second place in the Central Division and the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Prior to Cleveland's first-round series versus the Washington Wizards, Wizards guard Deshawn Stevenson said James was "overrated," prompting James to say that he would not return the insult, as that would be "almost like Jay-Z [responding to a negative comment] made by Soulja Boy." In response, Soulja Boy himself made an appearance at Game 3 of the series (played in Washington) in support of the Wizards, and his music was played over the PA system. James would later say that he meant no disrespect to Soulja Boy with his comment, and that his young son is a big fan of the rapper. Jay-Z responded by producing a freestyle version of the Too Short single "Blow the Whistle", named "Playoff", in which he "disses" Stevenson and Soulja Boy on James' behalf. The Cavaliers won the series against the Wizards in 6 games (4–2). The Cavaliers were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the next round (4–3). During the decisive seventh game, which was played in Boston, James scored 45 points, but opponent Paul Pierce's 41 led the Celtics to a narrow victory.

2008–09 season

In the 2008–09 season James continued to improve facets of his game while setting new career highs. He had 23 chase-down blocks (93 blocks in total, a career-high) and improved his free-throw shooting (78.0%, a career-high, with league-leading 594 free-throws made). He was the NBA Player of the Month four times, making him the second player in NBA history to do that after Kevin Garnett did so in his 2003–04 MVP season. In addition, he became the fourth player in NBA history to lead his team in all five major statistical categories (total points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) in one season. of the Boston Celtics in October 2008]] After a win on March 25 against the New Jersey Nets the Cleveland Cavaliers improved their record to 58–13 exceeding their previous franchise best of 57–25 set in the 1988–89 and 1991–92 NBA seasons. They ended the regular season with a league best of 66–16 after losing their final home game to the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime. The Cavaliers had a chance to tie the 1985–86 Boston Celtics for the all-time best NBA home record but ended at 39–2 after home losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and 76ers. In the playoffs, the Cavaliers swept the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs. James averaged 32.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists in the series and became just the third player in NBA history to average at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in a postseason series. At the end of the last game, in which he tallied 36 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists on 16–17 free throw shooting, there were MVP chants for him in The Palace of Auburn Hills. On May 4, he was announced as the NBA Most Valuable Player. He became the first Cavaliers player in history to win the award.

He was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team for the first time in his career.

In the next series in the playoffs, James once again led his team to a sweep against the Atlanta Hawks.

On May 22, during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Orlando Magic's Hedo Türkoğlu shot a 12-foot jumper to give the Magic a 2-point lead with 1 second left. Following a Cleveland timeout, Williams inbounded the ball to James, but heavy defense by Türkoğlu denied James a chance at a tying layup. James then attempted and successfully made a three-point shot over Türkoğlu, giving the Cavs a 96–95 victory to tie the series 1–1. Following a Game 3 loss, James missed a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer in Game 4 and the Cavaliers were down 3-1. After a Game 5 home win, he scored a playoff low 25 points in Game 6 and Cleveland lost the series to Orlando. James' postgame behavior incited some controversy when he left the game floor without shaking hands with his opponents. Jalen Rose, a former NBA player and current ESPN commentator, said James' actions were "immature and ingracious." James later told reporters: }}

2009–10 season

.]] Before the 2009–10 season, Cleveland traded for four-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal to address an inside presence that was missing against Orlando. O'Neal's goal was to "Win a Ring for the King." James was selected to his sixth consecutive All-Star game appearance. James recorded 25 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals as the Eastern Conference All-Stars defeated the Western Conference All-Stars 141–139. In a 118–116 loss to the Denver Nuggets, James tallied 43 points, 13 rebounds, 15 assists, two steals and four blocks in a game. All-Star Antawn Jamison was acquired by the Cavs on February 17, 2010. On March 13, 2010, James became the youngest player in NBA history to score 15,000 regular season points during a 92–85 win over the Chicago Bulls.

At the end of the regular season, Cleveland finished with the best regular season record for the second year consecutive year. James won the Most Valuable Player for the second time in his career, becoming the tenth NBA player in history to do so. James received 116 of a possible 122 first-place votes to win. James was criticized for not playing well, especially in Game 5 of the series, in which he shot only 3 for 14 and scored 15 points. He walked off the court in that game, his final home game as a Cavalier, "to a smattering of boos and rows of empty seats" and Cleveland lost 88-120 in their worst home playoff loss in team history. Cleveland was eliminated in Game 6, James' last playing for Cleveland, as he recorded 27 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, but also 9 turnovers. He filed papers to formally change his jersey number 23 to 6 for the season. James was courted by several teams, including the Knicks, Nets, Heat, Bulls, Mavericks, Clippers, and his hometown Cavaliers.

On July 8, 2010, James announced on a live ESPN special, The Decision, that he will be playing for the Miami Heat for the 2010–11 season and teaming with Miami's other All-Star free agent signees Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The Decision was broadcast from the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich, Connecticut.

|Lebron James}}

The Cavaliers were informed of James' decision minutes before the show began. The television program drew high ratings as well as criticism for the prolonged wait until James' actual decision and the spectacle of the show itself.

In Cleveland, fans considered James' departure a betrayal that ranks second to Art Modell's efforts to relocate the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore. Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert almost immediately published an open letter to fans, denouncing James' decision as a "selfish", "heartless", "callous", and "cowardly betrayal", while guaranteeing that the Cavs would win an NBA title before the "self-declared former King." Gilbert's sports-memorabilia company Fathead also lowered the price of wall graphics depicting James from $99.99 to $17.41, the birth year of Benedict Arnold. William Rhoden of The New York Times defended James by stating that Gilbert's "venomous, face-saving personal attack", along with the ensuing "wrath of jersey-burning fans", only validated James’ decision to leave Cleveland. Reverend Jesse Jackson, American civil rights activist, said Gilbert's feelings "personify a slave master mentality", and he was treating James as "a runaway slave". J. A. Adande of ESPN said, however, that James chose to promote the drama of his decision in an hour-long television special instead of showing "common courtesy" to notify Cleveland and other teams of his plans. On July 12, 2010, NBA Commissioner David Stern fined Gilbert $100,000 for the letter's contents, while also criticizing the way James handled free agency. On July 14, James told J.R. Moehringer for a GQ article that there was "nothing at all" he would change about his handling of free agency.

Former NBA players criticized his decision to not stay with Cleveland and continuing to try to win a championship as "the guy". Michael Jordan stated that he would not have contacted his rivals from other teams like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird to play on one team together, as "I wanted to defeat those guys." Jordan added that "...things are different [now]. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today." Johnson echoed Jordan's sentiments on teaming with rivals.

On September 29, 2010, asked by Soledad O'Brien of CNN if race was a factor in the fallout from The Decision, James said, "I think so, at times. There's always -- you know, a race factor. James had previously stayed clear of racial issues. When the earlier controversy over his cover on Vogue became a national debate, James had no comment. Adande, however, said James "didn't claim to be a victim of racial persecution" and "caused us to examine the bias that's always lurking".

Miami Heat (2010–present)

On July 9, James officially completed a sign-and-trade deal with the Heat. On the same day, the Heat threw a welcome party and introduced James, Wade and Bosh to the 13,000 Heat fans at American Airlines Arena. The rock concert atmosphere featured the trio arriving to plumes of smoke with Bosh and Wade pointing to the crowd and James strutting around. Howard Beck of The New York Times described the national fan reaction to the party: "Everyone saw something: greatness, arrogance, self-indulgence, boldness, cowardice, pride, friendship, collusion, joy, cynicism, heroes, mercenaries."

In New Jersey on October 31, he was booed by Nets' fans as expected. Boos came when James’ name was called during the pregame introductions, and continued whenever he touched the ball. When James was running the point, fans had more time to notice and the booing was more intense. On November 2, James had a game-high 12 assists in a 129-97 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Heat public relations announced that James's 12 assists was the highest in franchise history by a forward. On November 9 in a 116-114 loss to the Utah Jazz, James finished with 20 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, his first triple-double with the Heat. It was his 29th career triple-double, the seventh that came in a loss. In a well publicized arrival after spurning the franchise, LeBron James had his second triple double of the season with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in a blowout victory.

International career

in the Group B men's Olympic basketball game between the U.S. and China on August 10, 2008, at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.]] }} After his rookie season, James played on the 2004 U.S. Olympic basketball team in Athens, where the United States won the bronze medal in men's basketball. It was the first time a U.S. Olympic team with NBA players failed to win the gold medal. Limited to 14.6 minutes per game, James averaged just 5.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. James competed in the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan and averaged 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. The team finished with an 8–1 record, and was again awarded the bronze medal. After failing to win the 2006 World Championships, the team competed at the 2007 Tournament of Americas Olympic qualifiers to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. During the gold medal game against Argentina, James recorded 31 points, the most by an American in an Olympic qualifier, as the United States captured gold medal honors. He averaged 18.1 points (on tournament-high field-goal percentage (76%) and three-point percentage (62.2%), 4.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 22.2 minutes per game.

James, along with the rest of Team USA reclaimed the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, defeating Spain 118 to 107. He finished the gold medal game with 14 points along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists as the U.S. went unbeaten, winning their first Gold Medal since the 2000 Olympics. It was later reported that James' "immaturity and downright disrespectfulness" were a risk to his being included on the Beijing Olympic team as Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski and managing director Jerry Colangelo believed that Bryant joining the national team could allow the team to win the gold medal with or without James. with 28 in the regular season and six in the postseason. James' skills have led to many comparisons to NBA legends Robertson, Johnson, and Jordan. James was not named to the NBA All-Defensive Team until the 2008–09 season, when he finished second in voting for Defensive Player of the Year.

James started a petition saying that no one should be allowed to wear the #23 in the NBA to honor Jordan. On March 1, 2010, James filed an application to the NBA to wear the #6 starting the 2010/2011 season.

Salaries

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Season !! Team !! Salary |- | 2003–04 || Cleveland || $4,018,920 |- | 2004–05 || Cleveland || $4,320,360 |- | 2005–06 || Cleveland || $4,621,800 |- | 2006–07 || Cleveland || $5,828,090 |- | 2007–08 || Cleveland || $13,041,250 |- | 2008–09 || Cleveland || $14,410,581 |- | 2009–10 || Cleveland || $15,779,912 |- | 2010–11 || Miami || $14,500,000 |}

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 79 || 79 || 39.5 || .417 || .290 || .754 || 5.5 || 5.9 || 1.6 || .7 || 20.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 80 || 80 || 42.4 || .472 || .351 || .750 || 7.4 || 7.2 || 2.2 || .6 || 27.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 79 || 79 || 42.5 || .480 || .335 || .738 || 7.0 || 6.6 || 1.6 || .8 || 31.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 78 || 78 || 40.9 || .476 || .319 || .698 || 6.7 || 6.0 || 1.6 || .7 || 27.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 75 || 74 || 40.4 || .484 || .315 || .712 || 7.9 || 7.2 || 1.8 || 1.1 || 30.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 81 || 81 || 37.7 || .489 || .344 || .780 || 7.6 || 7.2 || 1.7 || 1.1 || 28.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 76 || 76 || 39.0 || .503 || .333 || .767 || 7.3 || 8.6 || 1.6 || 1.0 || 29.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 548 || 547 || 40.3 || .475 || .329 || .742 || 7.0 || 7.0 || 1.7 || .9 || 27.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| All-Star | style="text-align:left;"| | 6 || 6 || 25.3 || .504 || .350 || .667 || 6.3 || 5.3 || 1.8 || .3 || 23.7 |}

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06 | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 13 || 13 || 46.5 || .476 || .333 || .737 || 8.1 || 5.8 || 1.4 || .7 || 30.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 20 || 20 || 44.7 || .416 || .280 || .755 || 8.1 || 8.0 || 1.7 || .5 || 25.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 13 || 13 || 42.5 || .411 || .257 || .731 || 7.8 || 7.6 || 1.8 || 1.3 || 28.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 14 || 14 || 41.4 || .510 || .333 || .749 || 9.1 || 7.3 || 1.6 || .9 || 35.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 11 || 11 || 41.8 || .502 || .400 || .733 || 9.3 || 7.6 || 1.7 || 1.8 || 29.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 71 || 71 || 43.5 || .459 || .316 || .743 || 8.4 || 7.3 || 1.6 || 1.0 || 29.3 |}

Awards and honors

2× NBA Most Valuable Player: 2009, 2010

NBA Rookie of the Year: 2004

NBA Scoring Champion: 2008

2× NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2006, 2008

6× NBA All-Star: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

6× All-NBA:

* First Team: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010

* Second Team: 2005, 2007

2× NBA All-Defensive:

* First Team: 2009, 2010

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2004

'''Bronze medal with Team USA, 2004 Summer Olympic Games

'''Bronze medal with Team USA, 2006 FIBA World Championship

'''Gold medal with Team USA, 2007 FIBA Americas Championship

'''Gold medal with Team USA, 2008 Summer Olympic Games

References

External links

Official website

LeBron: The Moment

U.S. National Team Bio

LeBron James: NBA.com Draft Profile

"LeBron James", n°1 on Times list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"

LeBron James: Monster Dunks – slideshow by Life magazine

LeBron James on ESPN Video Archive

LeBron James on FoxSports Video Archive

Category:1984 births Category:American basketball players Category:African American basketball players Category:Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from Ohio Category:Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Category:Cleveland Cavaliers players Category:Miami Heat players Category:Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year Category:Living people Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:National Basketball Association high school draftees Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Akron, Ohio Category:People from Cleveland, Ohio Category:Small forwards Category:United States men's national basketball team members

Caption	Drexler in 2005
Position	Shooting guard/Small forward
Number	22
Height ft	6 |height_in=7
Weight lbs	210
Birthdate	June 22, 1962New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Debutyear	1983
Finalyear	1998
Draftyear	1983
Draftround	1
Draftpick	14
College	Houston
Teams
Stat1label	Points
Stat1value	22,195
Stat2label	Assists
Stat2value	6,125
Stat3label	Steals
Stat3value	2,207
Bbr	drexlcl01
Letter	d
Highlights
Hof player	clyde-drexler

}}

Clyde Austin "Clyde The Glide" Drexler (born June 22, 1962 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a former National Basketball Association shooting guard and small forward. A ten-time All-Star and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, the NBA named him one of basketball's fifty greatest players as of 1996. Drexler won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and an NBA championship in 1995 with the Houston Rockets. He is currently the color commentator for Rockets home games.

Early years

Drexler lived in the South Park community in Houston. Drexler attended Ross Sterling High School in Houston, Texas, where he was a classmate of tennis player Zina Garrison. As a sophomore, he made the varsity baseball team as a first baseman, but soon quit in order to focus on basketball. He didn't try out for the basketball team until his junior year, and was promptly cut during tryouts due to lack of conditioning. He finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but in the championship game against North Carolina State, Drexler failed to make an impact after picking up four fouls before halftime, and scored only four points on one-of-five shooting and two free throws in NC State's upset victory.

Drexler declared for the NBA Draft as a junior, leaving Houston with career averages of 14.4 points, 3.3 assists and 9.9 rebounds in three seasons. In addition to being named the Southwestern Conference Player of the Year and a first-team All American his final season, he remains the only player in school history with combined totals of at least 1,000 career points, 900 rebounds and 300 assists, in addition to being Houston's all-time steals leader with 268.

NBA career

Drexler was selected in the 1st round, 14th overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He was passed over in the 1983 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, who drafted Ralph Sampson and Rodney McCray, before Drexler was selected. Along with teammates Terry Porter, Jerome Kersey, Buck Williams, Kevin Duckworth, and Clifford Robinson, Drexler helped lead Portland to the NBA Finals in against the Detroit Pistons and versus the Chicago Bulls.

In 1992 he was selected to the U.S. Olympic basketball team, nicknamed "The Dream Team", which won the gold medal in Barcelona. In the 1991-92 season he finished second to Michael Jordan in MVP voting. He met Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals that same season only to fall short, as Jordan and the Bulls went on to win their second consecutive championship. In the six-game series against Chicago, Drexler averaged 24.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.

On February 14, 1995, with the Blazers out of serious contention for a championship, Portland honored Drexler's request to be traded to a contender and sent the Blazer great to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Otis Thorpe in mid-season, right before the trade deadline. Despite finishing the regular season with a record of 47–35, which placed the Rockets 6th out of 8 playoff teams in the Western Conference, Drexler and long-time friend Hakeem Olajuwon helped propel them to an improbable second consecutive championship in 1995, sweeping the Orlando Magic. In his third NBA Finals appearance, Drexler averaged 21.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game.

During the 1995 NBA Playoffs, Drexler was the subject of a controversial ejection during a game between the Rockets and the Phoenix Suns by referee Jake O'Donnell, which allegedly stemmed from a personal feud between the two at the time. This would turn out to be the last NBA game O'Donnell would referee, as he was not assigned any further games in the playoffs that year, and eventually retired a few months later. In 1996, on ESPN's "NBA Today", O'Donnell commented, "I wouldn't give Clyde Drexler much leeway because of the way he reacted with me all the time. I thought at times he would give cheap shots to people, and I just would not allow it."

On February 13, 2009, Drexler participated in the NBA All-Star Weekend's Celebrity Game. Other celebrities participating include NBA Hall of Famer's Dominique Wilkins, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Terrell Owens, actor Chris Tucker and four Harlem Globetrotters.

NBA statistics

Awards

First-team NCAA All-American (1983)

Southwest Conference Player of the Year (1983)

10-time NBA All-Star (1986, 1988–1994, 1996, 1997)

All-NBA First Team (1992)

All-NBA Second Team (1988, 1991)

All-NBA Third Team (1990, 1995)

Olympic Gold Medalist (1992)

NBA Championship (1995)

Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996)

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Player Inductee (2004)

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame Inducted (2001)

NBA records

Regular season

Steals, half: 8, second half, Houston Rockets vs. Sacramento Kings,

Offensive rebounds by a guard, career: 2,615

Drexler came within one stat of achieving a quadruple-double on two occasions: Portland Trail Blazers at Milwaukee Bucks, : 26 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, 10 steals Houston Rockets vs. Sacramento Kings, : 25 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 10 steals

Playoffs

Points, overtime: 13, Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers,

Steals, 3-game series: 13, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Dallas Mavericks, 1990 Western Conference First Round

Steals, half: 6, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Phoenix Suns,

Part of the third pair of players in NBA playoff history to score 40 points in the same game: Houston Rockets vs. Utah Jazz, Drexler: 41 points Hakeem Olajuwon: 40 points

All-Star Game

Highest free throw percentage, career: 1.000 (12—12)

Ranks 2nd in NBA history

Regular season

Steals, game: 10, twice 10, Portland Trail Blazers at Milwaukee Bucks, 10, Houston Rockets vs. Sacramento Kings,

Steals, half: 7, twice 7, Portland Trail Blazers at Philadelphia 76ers, 7, first half, Portland Trail Blazers at Chicago Bulls,

Playoffs

Steals, half: 5, first half, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Utah Jazz,

Ranks 3rd in NBA history

Regular season

Rebounds by a guard, career: 6,677

Trailing Jason Kidd and Oscar Robertson

Blocked shots by a guard, career: 719

Trailing Michael Jordan and Ron Harper

Playoffs

Steals, one postseason: 53 (1990)

Ranks 4th in NBA history

Regular season

Steals, game: 8, thrice 8, Portland Trail Blazers at Indiana Pacers, 8, Portland Trail Blazers at Chicago Bulls, 8, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Indiana Pacers,

Playoffs

Steals, game: 6, thrice 6, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 6, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Utah Jazz, 6, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Phoenix Suns,

Playing style

Clyde "The Glide" Drexler, as he was nicknamed at the University of Houston and throughout his professional career, was famed for his speed and athleticism on the court and his easygoing and quiet demeanor off the court. At the University of Houston, Drexler became well known for his exceptional abilities as a finisher, but generally was not considered a great shooter. During his pro career Drexler developed a much more well rounded game, even becoming an effective post player and more consistent outside shooter. His extraordinary leaping abilities allowed him to be an acrobatic dunker and Drexler participated in numerous NBA All-Star dunk contests during the late eighties.

Drexler was regarded as a versatile player, and he was consistently among the leaders at his position in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. He also posted a considerable number of blocked shots for a player his size, ranking third for his career totals among guards.

He is one of only three players in NBA history to have posted career totals of at least 20,000 points, 6,000 rebounds and 6,000 assists (the two others being Oscar Robertson and John Havlicek). As of 2008, Drexler leads all guards with his career average of offensive rebounds with 2.4 per game.

College coaching career

Drexler stayed with the Rockets for three more seasons before retiring from the NBA after the 1997-98 season in order to become head men's basketball coach at his alma mater, the University of Houston.

Drexler coached the Cougars in 1998–1999 and 1999–2000. After compiling a 19–37 record in his two seasons, Drexler decided to resign to spend more time with his family.

Head coaching record

Honors and tribute

men's basketball team, Drexler's #22 hangs in Hofheinz Pavilion.]]

Drexler's #22 jersey has been retired by the Cougars (pictured), Rockets, and Trail Blazers. He was inducted as a player into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 10, 2004, in his first year of eligibility.

In 2004 Drexler co-authored his biography, Clyde the Glide, with Portland Tribune sports writer Kerry Eggers, and University of Houston classmate and CBS Sports broadcaster Jim Nantz providing the "foreword".

Drexler set a Trail Blazer record in 1989 by dunking on an 11' 1" rim.

Family

Drexler married his wife, Gaynell, on December 30, 1988. He has four children, Erica, Austin, Elise, and Adam (the last three with Gaynell). The Drexlers have a home in the River Oaks-Memorial neighborhood of Houston and another one in the Dunthorpe neighborhood of Portland.

His brother James and his two sisters, Denise and Virginia, run the family barbecue restaurants in Houston called Drexler's World Famous BBQ & Grill, which includes the "22 Bar". His mother, Eunice Scott, also works at the downtown restaurant that was started by his uncle in 1967. There are two locations, downtown Houston and Bush Intercontinental Airport. Drexler also started investing in real estate in his rookie NBA season, and although he is now mostly retired, he does do some managing of his Drexler Holdings LLC, based in downtown Houston.

Books

Drexler is the subject of the book Clyde Drexler: Clyde the Glide. He wrote the introduction to the children's book Shrews Can't Hoop.

TV appearances

Drexler made a guest appearance on Married... with Children, a cameo appearance in an episode of Arliss, and was also a guest star in an episode of The Sentinel. In 2006 he made a cameo appearance in the basketball movie . That same year, Drexler participated in the first season of the Spike TV show Pros vs. Joes, which features three amateur contestants matching themselves against five professional athletes. Drexler was a member of the regular season Green Team and the season finale Orange Team.

On February 21, 2007, it was announced that Drexler would participate in the fourth season of the American version of Dancing with the Stars with partner Elena Grinenko. Drexler was the fourth celebrity to be voted off in round five on April 17, 2007.

On April 11, 2010, Drexler appeared as a guest on NBC's Celebrity Apprentice in which he helped the men's team "Rock Solid" complete a task to create video advertisements for Right Guard.

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 9 or more steals in a game

Notes

External links

Clyde Drexler at NBA

Clyde Drexler at the Basketball Hall of Fame

University of Houston Digital Library photos of Clyde Drexler

Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:Houston Cougars men's basketball players Category:Houston Cougars men's basketball coaches Category:Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:Houston Rockets players Category:Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Category:Portland Trail Blazers players Category:National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:University of Houston alumni Category:Dancing with the Stars (US TV series) participants Category:Olympic competitors from Oregon Category:National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Category:College men's basketball head coaches in the United States

Name	Chris Paul
Position	Point guard
Height ft	6
Height in	0
Weight lb	175
Team	New Orleans Hornets
Number	3
Nationality	American
Birth date	May 06, 1985
Birth place	Lewisville, North Carolina
High school	West Forsyth
College	Wake Forest
Draft round	1
Draft pick	4
Draft year	2005
Draft team	New Orleans Hornets
Career start	2005
Teams

Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985) is an American professional basketball point guard for the New Orleans Hornets.

Paul was born and raised in North Carolina. Despite only playing two varsity basketball seasons in high school, he was a McDonald's All-American and accepted a scholarship with nearby Wake Forest University. After his sophomore year with the Demon Deacons, he declared for the draft. Since being selected 4th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by New Orleans, Paul has been a NBA Rookie of the Year (2006), a three-time All-Star, and an All-NBA and All-Defensive team honoree. He led the Hornets to the second round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs. He has also won an Olympic Gold Medal with the United States national basketball team.

Off the court, Paul is a notable ten-pin bowler and a sponsored spokesperson for the United States Bowling Congress (USBC). He has participated in numerous celebrity and youth bowling events as the head of the CP3 Foundation to benefit programs in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, and charities in Winston-Salem.

Early years

Chris Paul was born in Lewisville, North Carolina as the second son of Charles Edward Paul and Robin Jones after Charles "C.J." Paul. Growing up, Chris and C.J. took summer to work at their grandfather's gas station.

High school

Paul played at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina, where he was a 2003 McDonald's All-American and was named North Carolina's Mr. Basketball for 2003 by The Charlotte Observer. Paul averaged 30.8 points, 9.5 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.0 steals per game as a senior in leading his team to a 27–3 record and the Class 4A Eastern Regional finals. That same year, at the beginning of the season, Paul scored 61 points in honor of his grandfather, Nathaniel Jones, who, days before, had been beaten to death. Paul scored one point for every year his grandfather lived. When Paul reached the 61-point mark, he intentionally missed a free throw, then took himself out of the game even though the state high school scoring record of 66 points was well within reach.

Summer circuit

Though he did not win a state championship while in high school, Paul did take the Winston-Salem-based Kappa Magic (alongside future University of North Carolina rival Reyshawn Terry), to the 2002 National U-17 AAU Championship over an All-Ohio team led by 2003 McDonald's All-American Drew Lavender, taking home the tournament's MVP award in the process.

College career

Paul attended Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He played there for two years leading the Demon Deacons to two NCAA Tournaments, and one Sweet Sixteen appearance. In his freshman year he was named the ACC Rookie of the Year, and National Freshman of the Year by several publications. Paul also earned ACC All-Defensive Team honors during his time at Wake and was among the Consensus First Team All-Americans in his sophomore year. By the time he declared for the 2005 NBA Draft as a sophomore, he had finished near the top of almost every offensive category at Wake Forest.

NBA career

2005–2006: Rookie stardom

Paul was selected fourth overall by the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft. Due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina that summer to the city of New Orleans, Paul did not play his first full season in New Orleans. Instead, the team played in various arenas and relocated to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Hornets only played three games in New Orleans Arena.

Paul led all rookies in points, assists, steals, and minutes, earning him the 2006 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Paul was a near-unanimous winner for the award, but one voter (Ron Boone, television analyst for the Utah Jazz) gave Deron Williams his vote instead of Paul. This, along with the fact that both were taken back to back in the draft and play the same position, has led to an on-court rivalry between Paul and Williams. Their rivalry began on December 1, 2004 when Paul led his No. 1-ranked Wake Forest into Champaign to face Williams' Illini. Illinois thrashed the Demon Deacons 91–73 and took the top spot from there into their run to the 2005 NCAA Championship Game. Williams had 8 points and 11 assists while Paul was held to 10 points.

Paul finished the 2005–06 season averaging 16.1 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.1 rebounds. He was also the only unanimous selection to the 2005–06 NBA All Rookie First Team and was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month every month in the 2005–06 season. After the season, Paul won the ESPY Award for Best Breakthrough Athlete. He recorded his first triple-double on April 2, 2006 against the Toronto Raptors with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists.

2006–07 season

Still playing in Oklahoma City, Paul followed up his impressive rookie campaign with a solid sophomore season. He improved his scoring average to 17.3 points, and improved his assists average with 8.9 per game. He averaged 4.4 rebounds per game. Paul's season was riddled with injuries though, as he was limited to playing in only 64 games.

Paul was not named an All-Star in 2007, but he was named to replace Steve Nash in the 2007 PlayStation Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend. He played in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and dished out 17 assists and had 9 steals, both T-Mobile Rookie Challenge records. When interviewed during the Rookie Challenge, Paul vowed that he would be an All-Star next season, as the All-Star Game would be held in New Orleans.

2007–08 season

The 2007–08 season brought the full return of the Hornets to the city of New Orleans. Emerging as a true superstar, Paul averaged 21.1 points and 4 rebounds, and led the NBA in steals with 2.71 per game and assists with 11.6 per game. He was selected by NBA coaches to play in the 2008 NBA All-Star Game which was hosted by the city of New Orleans, thereby fulfilling his vow from the previous season. Paul's teammate David West was named as an All-Star reserve and Hornets coach Byron Scott coached the Western Conference All-Stars. During All-Star Weekend, Paul participated again in the 2008 All-Star PlayStation Skills Challenge winning the first round but losing in the final round to Deron Williams. Paul sparked a 4th quarter comeback for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game, but the East held on to win 134–128. He finished the game with 16 points, 14 assists and 5 steals.

Paul continued his stellar play following the All Star game, leading the New Orleans Hornets to one of the best records in the West. After a 37 point, 13 assist, and 3 steal performance by Paul against the Chicago Bulls on March 17, 2008, Paul led a 4th quarter comeback win, the Hornets ascended to the top of the standings in the Western Conference. On April 4, 2008, Chris Paul helped the Hornets clinch a playoff spot for the first time since the 2003–04 season. The Hornets ultimately finished the season with a 56–26 record, the best record in team history, and finished #2 overall in the NBA Western Conference standings. Paul ended the season leading the NBA with 11.6 assists and 2.71 steals per game, along with 10 assists and 4 steals. In Game 2, he scored 32 points and set a franchise playoff-record 17 assists, leading the Hornets to a 127–103 victory to go 2–0 against Dallas. After splitting Games 3 and 4 in Dallas, the Hornets eliminated the Mavericks, 4–1, in Game 5 for their first ever playoff series victory behind a 24 point, 11 rebound, and 15 assist performance from Paul.

He finished second in MVP voting, behind Kobe Bryant, who beat him with a margin of 306 votes. He was selected for the All-NBA First Team, 3 votes shy of a unanimous choice.

Paul has reportedly reached an agreement on a three-year extension with the Hornets with a player option with a fourth year, with a total value of $68 million.

2008–09 season

in a March 2009 game.]] For the second season in a row Paul finished the season as the league leader in assists and steals. He also scored a career best 22.8 points per game on a career best percentage of 50.3%. Paul participated in his second NBA All Star Game starting for the Western Conference All Stars. On December 17, 2008, against the San Antonio Spurs, Paul broke Alvin Robertson's 22-year-old NBA record by registering at least one steal in 106 consecutive games. The new record reached 108 consecutive games before ending on Christmas Day against the Orlando Magic.

After the season, Paul was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team first team, and the All-NBA second team. He was also fifth in the 2009 MVP voting, receiving two first place votes and a total of 192 points.

2009–10 season

After a 3–6 start to the season, the New Orleans Hornets fired Scott on November 12 and replaced him with general manager Jeff Bower, who has been involved with the franchise since 1995. Paul stirred controversy by announcing his displeasure with the move and thought the team management should have "consulted with me and asked how I felt before it happened", but clarified that he didn't expect to be asked to give approval. The next day, Paul suffered a left ankle sprain against the Portland Trail Blazers that resulted in eight missed games as the Hornets went 4–4. Once Paul returned on December 9, New Orleans won 18 of their next 28 games, including a six-game winning streak. He earned his third All-Star appearance as a reserve guard, finishing third with 1,055,789 votes behind Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash.

In early February, an MRI revealed a torn meniscus in Paul's left knee after it was tweaked in two consecutive games in late January. On February 4, he underwent arthroscopic surgery performed by renowned sports physician James Andrew in Florida. Sidelined for nearly eight weeks, Paul, who was averaging 20.4 points and an NBA-best 11.2 assists, missed 25 Hornets games and the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, where his reserve spot was filled by Denver Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups. On March 22, Paul returned to action since January 29 against the Chicago Bulls, and was inserted in the starting lineup for the game against the Dallas Mavericks, moving Darren Collison out of the starting lineup, who started at point guard during Paul's absence.

International

}} in Beijing.]]

Paul has earned 10 caps for various junior national teams. He made his debut for the senior United States national basketball team on August 4, 2006 in a friendly against Puerto Rico. Paul made the final cut and remained on the Team USA roster for the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Team USA finished with an 8–1 record and defeated 2004 Olympic gold medal winner Argentina for a third-place finish. Paul set a Team USA World Championship total assist record with 44 assists, to go along with only 9 turnovers.

He participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where the USA went unbeaten en route to the gold medal, defeating 2006 world champion Spain. Playing as back up to starter Jason Kidd, the "Redeem team" captured gold for the first time since the 2000 Olympics.

Awards and honors

NBA All-Star: 2008, 2009, 2010

All-NBA Team:

:*First Team: 2008 :*Second Team: 2009

NBA All-Defensive Team:

:*First Team: 2009 :*Second Team: 2008

NBA Rookie of the Year: 2006

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2006

Bronze medal with Team USA, 2006 FIBA World Championship

Notched second place on ESPN's greatest player of the 2007–2008 regular season

Gold medal with Team USA, 2008 Summer Olympic Games

NBA records

Consecutive games with a steal: 108, to

Most games with at least one steal, season: 80 ()

Recorded a steal in every game he played.

Tied with Michael Jordan ()

Fifth player in NBA history to lead the league in assists and steals in the same season Don "Slick" Watts (Seattle SuperSonics, ), Don Buse (Indiana Pacers, ), Micheal Ray Richardson (New York Knicks, ), and John Stockton (Utah Jazz, , ) also achieved this.

Only player in NBA history to lead the league in assists and steals in consecutive seasons (–)

2nd in NBA history

Seasons leading the league in steals: 2 (–)

Consecutive seasons leading the league in steals: 2 (–)

Steals, half: 7, first half, vs. Dallas Mavericks,

3rd in NBA history

Highest average, assists per game, career: 10.0 (3,446/345)

Trailing Earvin "Magic" Johnson and John Stockton

Steals, game: 9, vs. Dallas Mavericks,

New Orleans Hornets records

Regular season

Free throws made, career: 1,634

Highest average, assists per game, career: 10.0 (3,446/345)

Assists, season: 925 () (11.6 apg)

Assists, game: 21, at Los Angeles Lakers,

Assists, half: 14, second half, at Los Angeles Lakers,

Games with 10 or more assists, season: 59 ()

Point-assist double-doubles, career: 150

Point-assist double-doubles, season: 56 ()

Point-assist double-doubles: 8, twice 8, to 8, to

Triple-doubles, career: 11

Triple-doubles, season: 6 ()

Steals, season: 217, (2.7 spg)

Steals, game: 9, vs. Dallas Mavericks,

Steals, half: 7, first half, vs. Dallas Mavericks,

Rookie

Paul's rookie year was .

Highest free throw percentage, season: .847 (394-465)

Free throws made, game: 14, at New York Knicks,

Free throw attempts, game: 17, at New York Knicks,

Assists, season: 611 (7.8 apg)

Assists, game: 16, vs. Golden State Warriors,

Steals, season: 175 (2.2 spg)

Steals, game: 7, vs. Utah Jazz,

Playoffs

Highest average, assists per game, career: 11.0 (187/17)

Assists, game: 17, vs. Dallas Mavericks,

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | | align="left" | NO/Oklahoma City | 78 || 78 || 36.0 || .430 || .282 || .847 || 5.1 || 7.8 || 2.2 || .1 || 16.1 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | NO/Oklahoma City | 64 || 64 || 36.8 || .437 || .350 || .818 || 4.4 || 8.9 || 1.8 || .1 || 17.3 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | New Orleans | 80 || 80 || 37.6 || .488 || .369 || .851 || 4.0 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 11.6 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 2.7 || .1 || 21.1 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | New Orleans | 78 || 78 || 38.5 || .503 || .364 || .868 || 5.5 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 11.0 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 2.8 || .1 || 22.8 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | New Orleans | 45 || 45 || 38.0 || .493 || .409 || .847 || 4.2 || 10.7 || 2.4 || .2 || 18.7 |- | align="left" colspan=2| Career | 345 || 345 || 37.3 || .473 || .353 || .848 || 4.7 || 10.0 || 2.4 || .1 || 19.3 |- | align="left" colspan=2| All-Star | 3 || 2 || 28.0 || .472 || .200 || .000 || 4.7 || 13.0 || 4.0 || .0 || 12.7

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2008 | align="left" | New Orleans | 12 || 12 || 40.5 || .502 || .238 || .785 || 4.9 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 11.3 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 2.3 || .2 || 24.1 |- | align="left" | 2009 | align="left" | New Orleans | 5 || 5 || 40.2 || .411 || .313 || .857 || 4.4 || 10.4 || 1.6 || .0 || 16.6 |- | align="left" colspan=2| Career | 17 || 17 || 40.4 || .480 || .270 || .800 || 4.8 || 11.0 || 2.1 || .1 || 21.9

Personal life

Paul is an official member of the Nike Team Jordan brand. He was one of only three athletes (Derek Jeter and Carmelo Anthony being the others) to have had his own shoe made with the brand.

Paul was the cover athlete for the video game NBA 2K8.

Paul and New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush are close friends and live in the same complex in the Central Business District of New Orleans. They also share a personal chef.

Chris Paul and LeBron James, are best-friends. Paul stated that "He's like my brother"

Chris Paul and Utah Jazz Point guard Deron Williams, are close friends.

During the second season of ESPN's It's the Shoes, Paul revealed to Bobbito Garcia that the "CP3" nickname comes from family tradition. The combination of his initials and jersey number is strictly a coincidence. His father (Charles Paul) and older brother (C.J. Paul) are nicknamed CP1 and CP2, respectively. Paul also notes that all three men's initials are CEP."

Whenever Chris scores during a Hornets home game the PA Announcer will simply say "CP3!" and then play a sound byte of legendary pro wrestler Ric Flair's famous "Wooooo!" quote. Flair, who is an avid Hornets fan and whose loyalty stuck with the team even after they relocated from his hometown Charlotte to New Orleans, attended every Hornets home game in their 2008 Western Conference Semi-Final Series against the San Antonio Spurs and introduced the starting lineups at a home game against the Golden State Warriors.

In 2008, Paul appeared on the NPR news quiz show "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!," where he went three-for-three in the "Not My Job" game.

Chris Paul was named the best point guard in the NBA by Gary Payton.

See also

List of National Basketball Association season assists leaders

List of National Basketball Association season steals leaders

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

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

Notes

External links

ChrisPaul3.com - The Official Website of Chris Paul

The Official MySpace of Chris Paul

Chris Paul fan forum

Chris Paul NBADraft.net profile

IGN.com: Chris Paul interview

"Chris Paul", n°18 on Times list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"

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Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:American bowling players Category:Basketball players from North Carolina Category:People from Winston-Salem, North Carolina Category:People from Charlotte, North Carolina Category:Point guards Category:New Orleans Hornets draft picks Category:New Orleans Hornets players Category:Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States