
- Order:
- Duration: 4:05
- Published: 09 Oct 2007
- Uploaded: 23 Mar 2011
- Author: TheKingMisiek
Width | 200 |
---|---|
Caption | Grant (center) battles for the tip-off jumpball in November 2003 |
Position | Power forward/Center |
Height ft | 6|height_in= 10 |
Weight lbs | 215 |
Number | 54 |
Birth date | July 04, 1965 |
Birthplace | Augusta, Georgia |
Career start | 1987 |
Career end | 2004 |
Draft year | 1987 |
Draft round | 1 |
Draft pick | 10 |
Draft team | Chicago Bulls |
College | Clemson |
Teams | |
Stat1label | Points |
Stat1value | 12,996 |
Stat2label | Rebound |
Stat2value | 9,443 |
Stat3label | Assists |
Stat3value | 2,575 |
Letter | g |
Bbr | grantho01 |
Highlights |
In 1989, Grant moved into the starting lineup when Oakley was traded to the New York Knicks for center Bill Cartwright. He immediately became the Bulls' main rebounder, and established himself as the Bulls' third scoring option after Michael Jordan and Pippen, forming one of the league's best trios. Grant was noted for his defensive play; he was selected four times for the NBA All-Defensive Team. He helped Chicago win three consecutive NBA championships (1990–91, 1991–92, and 1992–93), securing the third with a last-second block.
After Jordan's first retirement following the 1992–93 season, Grant became the number-two star behind Pippen, and helped the Bulls push the Knicks to seven games in the second-round playoff series before being eliminated. Grant played in the 1994 NBA All-Star Game, posting four points and eight rebounds in 17 minutes. After posting career-bests in scoring (15.1 ppg), rebounding (11.0 rpg) and assists (3.4 apg), he left the Bulls as a free agent and joined the Orlando Magic, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway. Grant helped the Magic reach the 1995 NBA Finals, where they were swept in four games by the more experienced Houston Rockets. Grant spent the next several seasons with the Magic, until he was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics just before start of the 1999–2000 season.
After one year with the Sonics, he was involved in a three-way trade in which Glen Rice of the Los Angeles Lakers was sent to New York, Patrick Ewing of the Knicks was sent to Seattle, and Grant to the defending champion Lakers. He helped them win another championship in 2000–01, but in the offseason decided to leave Los Angeles and sign back with the Magic. Grant was cut by the Magic after then-coach Doc Rivers implied Grant was a "cancer" on the team.
Grant retired at the beginning of the 2002–03 season, but decided to return for another run with the Lakers for the 2003–04 season as a backup to Karl Malone. He then retired permanently following the Lakers' loss to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 Finals.
Category:1965 births Category:African American basketball players Category:American basketball players Category:Chicago Bulls draft picks Category:Chicago Bulls players Category:Clemson Tigers men's basketball players Category:Clemson University alumni Category:Identical twins Category:Living people Category:Los Angeles Lakers players Category:Orlando Magic players Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Seattle SuperSonics players Category:People from Augusta, Georgia Category:Basketball players from Georgia (U.S. state)
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
Width | 200 |
---|---|
Caption | Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls in 1997 |
Position | Shooting guard-Small forward |
Height ft | 6|height_in= 6 |
Weight lbs | 215 |
Number | 23, 45, 9, 12 |
Birthdate | February 17, 1963 |
Birthplace | Brooklyn, New York, United States |
High school | Emsley A. Laney High School (Wilmington, North Carolina) |
Career start | 1984 |
Career end | 2003 |
Draftyear | 1984 |
Draftround | 1 |
Draftpick | 3 |
Draftteam | Chicago Bulls |
College | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Teams | |
Stat1label | Points |
Stat1value | 32,292 (30.1 ppg) |
Stat2label | Rebounds |
Stat2value | 6,672 (6.2 rpg) |
Stat3label | Assists |
Stat3value | 5,633 (5.3 apg) |
Letter | j |
Bbr | jordami01 |
Highlights | |
Hof player | michael-jordan |
After a standout career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he led the Tar Heels to a National Championship in 1982, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in slam dunk contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness". He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball. In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a "three-peat". Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball at the beginning of the 1993–94 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (1996, 1997, and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995–96 NBA season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons in 2001 as a member of the Washington Wizards.
Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances, three All-Star Game MVP awards, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame on April 6, 2009 and was inducted on September 11, 2009.
Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today. Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film Space Jam as himself. He is the majority owner and head of basketball operations for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats; he recently won a bidding war to buy controlling interest in the team from founding owner Robert L. Johnson.
Motivated to prove his worth, Jordan became the star of Laney's junior varsity squad, and tallied several 40 point games. The following summer, he grew four inches (10 cm) and trained rigorously. Upon earning a spot on the varsity roster, Jordan averaged about 20 points per game over his final two seasons of high school play. As a senior, he was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team after averaging a triple-double: 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists.
In 1981, Jordan earned a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in cultural geography. As a freshman in coach Dean Smith's team-oriented system, he was named ACC Freshman of the Year after he averaged 13.4 points per game (ppg) on 53.4% shooting (field goal percentage). He made the game-winning jump shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship game against Georgetown, which was led by future NBA rival Patrick Ewing. Jordan later described this shot as the major turning point in his basketball career. He was selected by consensus to the NCAA All-American First Team in both his sophomore (1983) and junior (1984) seasons. After winning the Naismith and the Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984, Jordan left North Carolina one year before his scheduled graduation to enter the 1984 NBA Draft. The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick, after Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers). Jordan returned to North Carolina to complete his degree in 1986. He quickly became a fan favorite even in opposing arenas, Controversy arose before the All-Star game when word surfaced that several veteran players, led by Isiah Thomas, were upset by the amount of attention Jordan was receiving. This led to a so called "freeze-out" on Jordan, where players refused to pass him the ball throughout the game. The controversy left Jordan relatively unaffected when he returned to regular season play, and he would go on to be voted Rookie of the Year.
Jordan's second season was cut short by a broken foot which caused him to miss 64 games. Despite Jordan's injury and a 30–52 record, the Bulls made the playoffs. Jordan recovered in time to participate in the playoffs and performed well upon his return. Against a 1985–86 Boston Celtics team that is often considered one of the greatest in NBA history,
Jordan had recovered completely by the 1986–87 season, and had one of the most prolific scoring seasons in NBA history. He became the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to score 3,000 points in a season, averaging a league high 37.1 points on 48.2% shooting. In addition, Jordan demonstrated his defensive prowess, as he became the first player in NBA history to record 200 steals and 100 blocks in a season. Despite Jordan's success, Magic Johnson won the league's Most Valuable Player Award. The Bulls reached 40 wins, and advanced to the playoffs for the third consecutive year. However, they were again swept by the Celtics.
In the 1988–89 season, Jordan again led the league in scoring, averaging 32.5 ppg on 53.8% shooting from the field, along with 8 rpg and 8 assists per game (apg). The Bulls finished with a 47–35 record, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks along the way. The Cavaliers series included a career highlight for Jordan when he hit a series-winning shot over Craig Ehlo in the closing moments of the deciding fifth game of the series. by utilizing their "Jordan Rules" method of guarding Jordan, which consisted of double and triple teaming him every time he touched the ball.
The Bulls entered the 1989–90 season as a team on the rise, with their core group of Jordan and young improving players like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, and under the guidance of new coach Phil Jackson. Jordan averaged a league leading 33.6 ppg on 52.6% shooting, to go with 6.9 rpg and 6.3 apg in leading the Bulls to a 55–27 record. They again advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals beating the Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers en route. However, despite pushing the series to seven games, the Bulls lost to the Pistons for the third consecutive season.
In 1992–93, despite a 32.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 5.5 apg campaign, Jordan's streak of consecutive MVP seasons ended as he lost the award to his friend Charles Barkley. Coincidentally, Jordan and the Bulls met Barkley and his Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals. The Bulls captured their third consecutive NBA championship on a game-winning shot by John Paxson and a last-second block by Horace Grant, but Jordan was once again Chicago's catalyst. He averaged a Finals-record 41.0 ppg during the six-game series, He scored more than 30 points in every game of the series, including 40 or more points in 4 consecutive games. With his third Finals triumph, Jordan capped off a seven-year run where he attained seven scoring titles and three championships, but there were signs that Jordan was tiring of his massive celebrity and all of the non-basketball hassles in his life. In 2005, Jordan talked to Ed Bradley of the CBS evening show 60 Minutes about his gambling and admitted that he made some reckless decisions. Jordan stated, "Yeah, I've gotten myself into situations where I would not walk away and I've pushed the envelope. Is that compulsive? Yeah, it depends on how you look at it. If you're willing to jeopardize your livelihood and your family, then yeah."
In the 1996–97 season, the Bulls started out 69–11, but narrowly missed out on a second consecutive 70-win season by losing their final two games to finish 69–13. For the fifth time in as many Finals appearances, Jordan received the Finals MVP award. During the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, Jordan posted the only triple double in All-Star Game history in a victorious effort, however he did not receive the MVP award.
Jordan and the Bulls compiled a 62–20 record in the 1997–98 season. Jordan led the league with 28.7 points per game, securing his fifth regular-season MVP award, plus honors for All-NBA First Team, First Defensive Team and the All-Star Game MVP. The Bulls captured the Eastern Conference Championship for a third straight season, including surviving a grueling seven-game series with Reggie Miller's Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals; it was the first time Jordan had played in a Game 7 since the 1992 series with the Knicks. After prevailing, they moved on for a rematch with the Jazz in the Finals.
The Bulls returned to Utah for Game 6 on June 14, 1998 leading the series 3–2. Jordan executed a series of plays, considered to be one of the greatest clutch performances in NBA Finals history. The Jazz brought the ball upcourt and passed the ball to forward Karl Malone, who was set up in the low post and was being guarded by Rodman. Malone jostled with Rodman and caught the pass, but Jordan cut behind him and swatted the ball out of his hands for a steal. Jordan then slowly dribbled upcourt and paused at the top of the key, eyeing his defender, Jazz guard Bryon Russell. With fewer than 10 seconds remaining, Jordan started to dribble right, then crossed over to his left, possibly pushing off Russell, having led all scorers by averaging 33.5 points per game, including 45 in the deciding Game 6. The 1998 Finals holds the highest television rating of any Finals series in history, and Game 6 holds the highest television rating of any game in NBA history. in the summer of 2001 Jordan expressed interest in making another comeback,
Playing in his 14th and final NBA All-Star Game in 2003, Jordan passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in All-Star game history. That year, Jordan was the only Washington player to play in all 82 games, starting in 67 of them. He averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He also shot 45% from the field, and 82% from the free throw line. Even though he turned 40 during the season, he scored 20 or more points 42 times, 30 or more points nine times, and 40 or more points three times. On February 21, 2003, Jordan became the first 40-year-old to tally 43 points in an NBA game.
With the recognition that 2002–03 would be Jordan's final season, tributes were paid to him throughout the NBA. In his final game at his old home court, the United Center in Chicago, Jordan received a four-minute standing ovation. On May 7, 2003, Wizards owner Abe Pollin fired Jordan as Washington's President of Basketball Operations. Jordan later stated that he felt betrayed, and that if he knew he would be fired upon retiring he never would have come back to play for the Wizards.
Jordan kept busy over the next few years by staying in shape, playing golf in celebrity charity tournaments, spending time with his family in Chicago, promoting his Jordan Brand clothing line, and riding motorcycles. also indicate his willingness to defer to his teammates. In later years, the NBA shortened its three-point line to 22 feet (from 23 feet, 9 inches), which coupled with Jordan's extended shooting range to make him a long-range threat as well—his 3-point stroke developed from a low 9 / 52 rate (.173) in his rookie year into a stellar 111 / 260 (.427) shooter in the 1995–96 season. For a guard, Jordan was also a good rebounder (6.2 per game).
In 1988, Jordan was honored with the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award and became the first NBA player to win both the Defensive Player of the Year and MVP awards in a career (since equaled by Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, and Kevin Garnett; Olajuwon is the only player other than Jordan to win both during the same season). In addition he set records for blocked shots by a guard, In his first game in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, Jordan received a prolonged standing ovation, a rarity for an opposing player. After Jordan scored a playoff record 63 points against the Boston Celtics in 1986, Celtics star Larry Bird described him as "God disguised as Michael Jordan."
Jordan led the NBA in scoring in 10 seasons (NBA record) and tied Wilt Chamberlain's record of seven consecutive scoring titles. He was also a fixture on the NBA All-Defensive First Team, making the roster nine times (NBA record shared with Gary Payton). Jordan also holds the top career regular season and playoff scoring averages of 30.1 and 33.4 points per game, respectively. By 1998, the season of his Finals-winning shot against the Jazz, he was well known throughout the league as a clutch performer. In the regular season, Jordan was the Bulls' primary threat in the final seconds of a close game and in the playoffs, Jordan would always demand the ball at crunch time.
With five regular-season MVPs (tied for second place with Bill Russell; only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has won more, six), six Finals MVPs (NBA record), and three All-Star MVPs, Jordan is the most decorated player ever to play in the NBA. Jordan finished among the top three in regular-season MVP voting a record 10 times, and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
Many of Jordan's contemporaries label Jordan as the greatest basketball player of all time. An ESPN survey of journalists, athletes and other sports figures ranked Jordan the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century, above icons such as Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali. a fact which Jordan himself has lamented. Although Jordan has done much to increase the status of the game, some of his impact on the game's popularity in America appears to be fleeting.
In August 2009, the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, opened a Michael Jordan exhibit containing items from his college and NBA careers, as well as from the 1992 "Dream Team". The exhibit also has a batting glove to signify Jordan's short career in baseball.
As of 2007, Jordan lived in Highland Park, Illinois, and both of his sons attended Loyola Academy, a private Roman Catholic high school located in Wilmette, Illinois. The hype and demand for the shoes even brought on a spate of "shoe-jackings" where people were robbed of their sneakers at gunpoint. Subsequently Nike spun off the Jordan line into its own division named the "Jordan Brand". The company features an impressive list of athletes and celebrities as endorsers.
Jordan's yearly income from the endorsements is estimated to be over forty million dollars.
Category:1963 births Category:ACC Athlete of the Year Category:African American basketball players Category:African American sports executives Category:Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Category:Basketball players at the 1983 Pan American Games Category:Basketball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from North Carolina Category:Birmingham Barons players Category:Charlotte Bobcats executives Category:Charlotte Bobcats owners Category:Chicago Bulls draft picks Category:Chicago Bulls players Category:Living people Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Minor league baseball players Category:National Basketball Association executives Category:National Basketball Association owners Category:NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award winners Category:NBA Finals MVP Award winners Category:NBA Slam Dunk Contest champions Category:North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Category:National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Brooklyn Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:People from Highland Park, Illinois Category:People from Wilmington, North Carolina Category:Shooting guards Category:Sportspeople of multiple sports Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:Washington Wizards executives Category:Washington Wizards players
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
Name | Robert Pack |
---|---|
Position | Point guard |
Height ft | 6 |
Height in | 2 |
Weight lb | 180 |
Nationality | American |
Birth date | February 03, 1969 |
Birth place | New Orleans, Louisiana |
College | USC |
Highschool | Alfred Lawless |
Draft | Not drafted |
Draft year | 1992 |
Career start | 1992 |
Career end | 2004 |
Robert John Pack (born February 3, 1969 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a retired American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Pac-Man", the point guard had a thirteen season career in the NBA, most notably with the Denver Nuggets. He is currently an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers.
In August 2009, Pack joined the New Orleans Hornets as an assistant coach.
Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:American basketball players Category:Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Category:USC Trojans men's basketball players Category:Portland Trail Blazers players Category:Denver Nuggets players Category:Washington Bullets players Category:New Jersey Nets players Category:Dallas Mavericks players Category:Minnesota Timberwolves players Category:New Orleans Hornets players Category:New Orleans Hornets assistant coaches Category:People from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:Basketball players from Louisiana Category:Point guards Category:Undrafted National Basketball Association players Category:Tyler Junior College alumni
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
Name | Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway |
---|---|
Height ft | 6 |
Height in | 7 |
Weight lbs | 195 |
Number | 1, 7 |
Position | Guard/Small forward |
Birth date | July 18, 1971 |
Birth place | Memphis, Tennessee |
College | Memphis |
Draft round | 1 |
Draft pick | 3 |
Draft team | Golden State Warriors |
Draft year | 1993 |
Former teams | |
Career start | 1993 |
Career end | 2007 |
Awards | |
Stat1label | Points |
Stat1value | 10,684 |
Stat2label | Assists |
Stat2value | 3,525 |
Stat3label | Rebounds |
Stat3value | 3,146 |
Hardaway was named #5 on the list of top 100 modern college point guards by collegehoopsnet.com. Injuries to Hardaway's foot and Kidd's ankle allowed them to play just 45 games together (33–12 with both in lineup). In 60 games Hardaway averaged 16.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.6 steals with a 42–18 record. The Suns finished with a 53–29 record and a 5th seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. The ankle injury to Kidd forced him to miss most of the first-round series against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. Hardaway stepped up and recorded a 17-point, 13-assist, 12-rebound triple-double in a crucial Game 3 win. He averaged 2.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2 assists in those games.
In 83 games for the Knicks he averaged 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists.
Hardaway was traded back to Orlando, along with Trevor Ariza, for Steve Francis on February 22, 2006, and waived by the Magic on February 27 to save money when his contract expired the following summer.
Playoff Totals
Hardaway's popularity reached its peak in the summer of 1996 as he was coming off two consecutive All-NBA first team selections and a selection to the USA Olympic Team. In addition he had the most popular basketball shoe on the market complete with the "Lil' Penny" commercial campaign for Nike, featuring a tiny puppet voiced by Chris Rock.
Many NBA players such as LeBron James, Gilbert Arenas, Joe Johnson, Tracy McGrady, Hakim Warrick, Tyreke Evans, Jamal Crawford,Trevor Ariza, Rawle Marshall, and Antonio Burks have said that they idolized Hardaway when they were growing up.
Many of the shoes in Hardaway's signature shoe line, "Air Penny", have been reissued over the years as a testament to his popularity. The Nike Air Penny signature line includes the Air Penny I, Air Penny II, Air Penny III, Air Penny IV, as well as the Nike Air Foamposite One and the Nike 1/2 Cent that both featured Penny's "1 cent" logo on the shoe.
Category:1971 births Category:African American basketball players Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from Tennessee Category:Golden State Warriors draft picks Category:Living people Category:American shooting survivors Category:People from Memphis, Tennessee Category:Memphis Tigers men's basketball players Category:New York Knicks players Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Orlando Magic players Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:Phoenix Suns players Category:Miami Heat players Category:Point guards Category:Shooting guards Category:Small forwards
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
Category:Living people Category:1964 births Category:English soap opera actors
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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.
After graduating in 1980, he was recruited by New Mexico State, Texas Tech, and the University of Houston, the latter after childhood friend Michael Young told an assistant to head coach Guy V. Lewis that Drexler was the best player he had faced in high school; Houston was able to recruit them both due to Drexler's friendship with Young and his desire to stay home. In addition to basketball, he majored in finance and worked at a bank during the summer. Lewis recalled in 2003 that he initially received hate mail from Houston supporters and alumni for recruiting Drexler, as they felt that he wasn't good enough to play for the school.
The 1982-83 campaign saw Houston return to the Final Four ranked #1. They were matched up against #2 Louisville and the "Doctors of Dunk" in the semifinals, which Houston won 94-81 following a brilliant dunking display by both sides, including a double-pump slam by Drexler that Sports Illustrated writer Curry Kirkpatrick called "your basic play of the century."
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.
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
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
Name | Charles Barkley |
---|---|
Width | 200px |
Caption | Barkley with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1991 |
Position | Power forward/Small forward |
Number | 34, 32, 14, 4 |
Height ft | 6|height_in=6 |
Weight lbs | 252 |
Birthdate | February 20, 1963 |
Birthplace | Leeds, Alabama, United States |
High school | Leeds High School (Leeds, Alabama) |
Career start | 1984 |
Career end | 2000 |
Draftyear | 1984 |
Draftround | 1 |
Draftpick | 5 |
Draftteam | Philadelphia 76ers |
College | Auburn |
Teams | |
Stat1label | Points |
Stat1value | 23,757 |
Stat2label | Rebounds |
Stat2value | 12,546 |
Stat3label | Assists |
Stat3value | 4,215 |
Letter | b |
Bbr | barklch01 |
Highlights | |
Hof player | charles-barkley |
Barkley later admitted to receiving money from an agent during his years at Auburn. In the postseason, the Sixers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals but were defeated in five games by the Boston Celtics.
During his second year, Barkley became the team's leading rebounder and number two scorer, averaging 20.0 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. He became the Sixers' starting power forward and helped lead his team into the playoffs, averaging 25.0 points on .578 shooting from the field and 15.8 rebounds per game. Despite his efforts, Philadelphia was defeated 4–3 by the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team.
Before the 1986–87 season, Moses Malone was traded to the Washington Bullets and Barkley began to assume control as the team leader. He earned his first rebounding title, averaging 14.6 rebounds per game and also led the league in offensive rebounds with 5.7 per game. He averaged 23.0 points on .594 shooting, earning his first trip to an NBA All-Star game and All-NBA Second Team honors for the second straight season. In the playoffs, Barkley averaged 24.6 points and 12.6 rebounds in a losing effort, Playing in 80 games and getting 300 more minutes than his nearest teammate, Barkley had his most productive season, averaging 28.3 points on .587 shooting and 11.9 rebounds per game. He appeared in his second All-Star Game and was named to the All-NBA First Team for the first time in his career. His celebrity status as the Sixers' franchise player led to his first appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated. For the first time since the 1974–75 season, however, the 76ers failed to make the playoffs. In the 1988–89 season, Barkley continued to play well, averaging 25.8 points on .579 shooting and 12.5 rebounds per game. He earned his third straight All-Star Game appearance and was named to the All-NBA First team for the second straight season. Despite Barkley contributing 27.0 points on .644 shooting, 11.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, the 76ers were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the New York Knicks. He averaged 25.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game and a career high .600 shooting. He was named to the All-NBA First Team for the third consecutive year and earned his fourth All-Star selection. He helped Philadelphia win 53 regular season games, only to lose to the Chicago Bulls in a five-game Eastern Conference Semifinals series. His exceptional play continued into his seventh season, where he averaged 27.6 points on .570 shooting and 10.1 rebounds per game. His fifth straight All-Star Game appearance proved to be his best yet. He led the East to a 116–114 win over the West with 17 points and 22 rebounds, the most rebounds in an All-Star Game since Wilt Chamberlain recorded 22 in 1967. Barkley was presented with Most Valuable Player honors at the All-Star Game and, at the end of the season, named to the All-NBA First Team for the fourth straight year. In the postseason, Philadelphia lost again to Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, with Barkley contributing 24.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
The 1991–92 season was Barkley's final year in Philadelphia. In his last season, he wore number 32 instead of his 34 to honor Magic Johnson, Barkley earned his sixth straight All-Star appearance and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, his seventh straight appearance on either the first or second team. He ended his 76ers career ranked fourth in team history in total points (14,184), third in scoring average (23.3 ppg), third in rebounds (7,079), eighth in assists (2,276) and second in field-goal percentage (.576). He led Philadelphia in rebounding and field-goal percentage for seven consecutive seasons and in scoring for six straight years. However, Barkley demanded a trade out of Philadelphia after the Sixers failed to make the postseason with a 35–47 record.
During Barkley's eight seasons in Philadelphia, he became a household name and was one of the few NBA players to have a figure published by Kenner's Starting Lineup toy line. He also had his own signature shoe line with Nike. His outspoken and aggressive play, however, also caused a few scandals; notoriously a fight with Detroit Pistons center Bill Laimbeer in 1990, an event which drew record fines, Rod Thorn, the then-NBA's president of operations, suspended Barkley without pay and fined him $10,000 for spitting and using abusive language at the fan. Barkley, however, eventually developed a friendship with the girl and her family. He apologized and, among other things, provided tickets to future games. leading the Suns to an NBA best 62–20 record. Despite Barkley's proclamation to Jordan, that it was "destiny" for the Suns to win the title, they were defeated in six games by the Bulls. including 27.3 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game throughout the championship series. Playing through the worst injury problems of his career, Barkley managed 21.6 points on .495 shooting and 11.2 rebounds per game. He was selected to his eighth consecutive All-Star Game, but did not play because of a torn right quadriceps tendon, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. With Barkley fighting injuries, the Suns still managed a 56–26 record and made it to the Western Conference Semifinals. Despite holding a 2–0 lead in the series, Despite his injuries, in Game 3 of a first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors, Barkley hit 23 of 31 field-goal attempts and finished with 56 points, the then-third-highest total ever in a playoff game. After contemplating retirement in the offseason, Barkley returned for his eleventh season and continued to battle injuries. He struggled during the first half of the season, but managed to gradually improve, earning his ninth consecutive appearance in the All-Star Game. He averaged 23 points on .486 shooting and 11.1 rebounds per game, while leading the Suns to a 59–23 record. the Suns once again lost to the defending champion Rockets in seven games. Barkley averaged 25.7 points on .500 shooting and 13.4 rebounds per game in the postseason, but was limited in Game 7 of the semifinals by a leg injury.
The 1995–96 season was Barkley's last on the Phoenix Suns. He led the team in scoring, rebounds and steals, averaging 23.3 points on .500 shooting, 11.6 rebounds and a career high .777 free throw shooting. He earned his tenth appearance in an All-Star Game as the top vote-getter among Western Conference players and posted his 18th career triple-double on November 22. He also became just the tenth player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points and 10,000 rebounds in their career. In the postseason, Barkley averaged 25.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game in a four-game first round playoff loss to the San Antonio Spurs. He stated, "A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be role models?" In 1993, his argument prompted national news when he wrote the text for his "I am not a role model" Nike commercial. Dan Quayle, the former Vice President of the United States, called it a "family-values message" for Barkley's oft-ignored call for parents and teachers to quit looking to him to "raise your kids" and instead be role models themselves.
Barkley's message sparked a great public debate about the nature of role models. He argued,
I think the media demands that athletes be role models because there's some jealousy involved. It's as if they say, this is a young black kid playing a game for a living and making all this money, so we're going to make it tough on him. And what they're really doing is telling kids to look up to someone they can't become, because not many people can be like we are. Kids can't be like Michael Jordan.
Barkley was a prolific scorer who averaged 22.1 points-per-game for his season career and 23.0 points-per-game for his playoff career. He was one of the NBA's most versatile players and accurate scorers capable of scoring from anywhere on the court and established himself as one of the NBA's premier clutch players. During his NBA career, Barkley was a constant mismatch because he possessed a set of very uncommon skills and could play in a variety of positions. He would use all facets of his game in a single play; as a scorer, he had the ability to score from the perimeter and the post, using an array of spin moves and fadeaways, or finishing a fast break with a powerful dunk. He was one of the most efficient scorers of all-time, scoring at 54.13% total field goal percentage for his season career and 51.34% total field goal shooting for his playoff career (including a career season high of 60% during the 1989–90 NBA season).
Frequently listed as 6 feet 6 inches, but measuring slightly under 6 feet 5 inches (1.95 mt), Barkley topped the NBA in offensive rebounding for three straight years and was most famous among very few power forwards who could control a defensive rebound, dribble the length of the court and finish at the rim with a powerful dunk.
Barkley also possessed considerable defensive talents led by an aggressive demeanor, foot speed and his capacity to read the floor to anticipate for steals, a reason why he established his career as the second All-Time leader in steals for the power forward position Despite being undersized for both the small forward and power forward positions, he also finished among the all-time leaders in blocked shots.
In a SLAM magazine issue ranking NBA greats, Barkley was ranked among the top 20 players of All-Time. In the magazine, NBA Hall-of-Famer Bill Walton commented on Barkley's ability. Walton stated, "Barkley is like Magic [Johnson] and Larry [Bird] in that they don't really play a position. He plays everything; he plays basketball. There is nobody who does what Barkley does. He's a dominant rebounder, a dominant defensive player, a three-point shooter, a dribbler, a playmaker."
Barkley was frequently fined for on-court fights with NBA players, such as Shaquille O'Neal, Bill Laimbeer, and Charles Oakley, among others. He employed a physical style of play that earned him the nicknames "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound". He retired as one of only four players in NBA history to record at least 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists in their career, although a fifth player, Kevin Garnett, has since accomplished that feat.
In recognition of his collegiate and NBA achievements, Barkley's number 34 jersey was officially retired by Auburn University on March 3, 2001. In the same month, the Philadelphia 76ers also officially retired Barkley's jersey. On 20 March 2004, the Phoenix Suns honored Barkley as well by retiring his jersey and including him in the "Suns Ring of Honor".
|- | align="left" | 1984-85 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 82 || 60 || 28.6 || .545 || .167 || .733 || 8.6 || 1.9 || 1.2 || 1.0 || 14.0 |- | align="left" | 1985–86 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 80 || 80 || 36.9 || .572 || .227 || .685 || 12.8 || 3.9 || 2.2 || 1.6 || 20.0 |- | align="left" | 1986–87 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 68 || 62 || 40.3 || .594 || .202 || .761 || 14.6 || 4.9 || 1.8 || 1.5 ||23.0 |- | align="left" | 1987–88 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 80 || 80 || 39.6 || .587 || .280 || .751 || 11.9 || 3.2 || 1.3 || 1.3 || 28.3 |- | align="left" | 1988–89 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 79 || 79 || 39.1 || .579 || .216 || .753 || 12.5 || 4.1 || 1.6 || .9 || 25.8 |- | align="left" | 1989–90 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 79 || 79 || 39.1 || .600 || .217 || .749 || 11.5 || 3.9 || 1.9 || .6 || 25.2 |- | align="left" | 1990–91 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 67 || 67 || 37.3 || .570 || .284 || .722 || 10.1 || 4.2 || 1.6 || .5 || 27.6 |- | align="left" | 1991–92 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 75 || 75 || 38.4 || .552 || .234 || .695 || 11.1 || 4.1 || 1.8 || .6 || 23.1 |- | align="left" | 1992–93 | align="left" | Phoenix | 76 || 76 || 37.6 || .520 || .305 || .765 || 12.2 || 5.1 || 1.6 || 1.0 || 25.6 |- | align="left" | 1993–94 | align="left" | Phoenix | 65 || 65 || 35.4 || .495 || .270 || .704 || 11.2 || 4.6 || 1.6 || .6 || 21.6 |- | align="left" | 1994–95 | align="left" | Phoenix | 68 || 68 || 35.0 || .486 || .338 || .748 || 11.1 || 4.1 || 1.6 || .7 || 23.0 |- | align="left" | 1995–96 | align="left" | Phoenix | 71 || 71 || 37.1 || .500 || .280 || .777 || 11.6 || 3.7 || 1.6 || .8 || 23.2 |- | align="left" | 1996–97 | align="left" | Houston | 53 || 53 || 37.9 || .484 || .283 || .694 || 13.5 || 4.7 || 1.3 || .5 || 19.2 |- | align="left" | 1997–98 | align="left" | Houston | 68 || 41 || 33.0 || .485 || .214 || .746 || 11.7 || 3.2 || 1.0 || .4 || 15.2 |- | align="left" | 1998–99 | align="left" | Houston | 42 || 40 || 36.3 || .478 || .160 || .719 || 12.3 || 4.6 || 1.0 || .3 || 16.1 |- | align="left" | 1999–00 | align="left" | Houston | 20 || 18 || 31.0 || .477 || .231 || .645 || 10.5 || 3.2 || .7 || .2 || 14.5 |- |- class="unsortable" | align="left" colspan=2| Career | 1,073 || 1,012 || 36.7 || .541 || .266 || .735 || 11.7 || 3.9 || 1.5 || .8 || 22.1 |- |- class="unsortable" | align="left" colspan=2| Playoffs | 123 || || 39.4 || .513 || .255 || .717 || 12.9 || 3.9 || 1.6 || .9 || 23.0 |- |- class="unsortable" | align="left" colspan=2| All-Star | 9 || 7 || 23.2 || .495 || .250 || .625 || 6.7 || 1.8 || 1.3 || .4 || 12.6
Offensive rebounds, quarter: 11, Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks,
Free throw attempts, 7-game series: 100, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 1986 Eastern Conference Semifinals
Free throw attempts, half: 17, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Chicago Bulls, Broken by Earvin "Magic" Johnson on Barkley later had a game with 20 free throw attempts in a half, on , but it was not a record at the time.
Free throw attempts, quarter: 13, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Chicago Bulls, Broken by Michael Jordan on
Defensive rebounds, one postseason: 233, Phoenix Suns, 1993
Turnovers, 7-game series: 37, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 1986 Eastern Conference Semifinals
Turnovers, quarter: 6, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Sacramento Kings,
Points, quarter: 27, first quarter, Phoenix Suns at Golden State Warriors,
Field goals made, game: 23, Phoenix Suns at Golden State Warriors,
Field goals made, half: 15, first half, Phoenix Suns at Golden State Warriors,
Field goals made, quarter: 11, first quarter, Phoenix Suns at Golden State Warriors,
Offensive rebounds, 5-game series: 35, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Chicago Bulls, 1990 Eastern Conference Semifinals
Turnovers, 5-game series: 28, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Washington Bullets, 1986 Eastern Conference First Round
Consecutive seasons leading the league in offensive rebounds: 3 (Philadelphia 76ers, —)
Highest average, offensive rebounds per game, career: 4.0 (4,260/1,073)
Steals by a forward, career: 1,648
Steals, game: 7, Phoenix Suns vs. San Antonio Spurs,
Turnovers, game: 9, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Milwaukee Bucks,
Offensive rebounds, 4-game series: 24, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Washington Bullets, 1985 Eastern Conference First Round
Steals, game: 6, Philadelphia 76ers at Milwaukee Bucks,
Barkley's career total (4,260) and career high (16) for offensive rebounds both rank fifth in NBA history His career high for defensive rebounds (25) also ranks fifth in NBA history
During the broadcast of a game, in which Barkley was courtside with Marv Albert, Barkley poked fun at NBA official Dick Bavetta's age. Albert replied to Barkley, "I believe Dick would beat you in a footrace." In response to that remark, Barkley went on to challenge Bavetta to a race at the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend for $5,000. The winner was to choose a charity to which the money would be donated. The NBA agreed to pitch in an additional $50,000, and TNT threw in $25,000. The pair raced for three and a half lengths of the basketball court until Barkley ultimately won. After the event, the two embraced in a show of good sportsmanship. In addition, he also admitted to losing $2.5 million, "in a six-hour period", while playing blackjack. Although Barkley openly admits to his problem, he claims it is not serious since he can afford to support the habit. When approached by fellow TNT broadcaster Ernie Johnson about the issue, Barkley replied, "It's not a problem. If you're a drug addict or an alcoholic, those are problems. I gamble for too much money. As long as I can continue to do it I don't think it's a problem. Do I think it's a bad habit? Yes, I think it's a bad habit. Am I going to continue to do it? Yes, I'm going to continue to do it."
In May 2008, the Wynn Las Vegas casino filed a civil complaint against Barkley, alleging that he had failed to pay a $400,000 debt stemming from October 2007. Barkley responded by taking blame for letting time lapse on the repayment of the debt and promptly paid the casino.
In February 2008, Barkley announced that he would be running for Governor of Alabama in 2014 as an Independent. On October 27, 2008, he officially announced his candidacy for Governor of Alabama in an interview with CNN, stating that he planned to run in the 2014 election cycle, but he began to back off the idea in a November 24, 2009 interview on The Jay Leno Show.
A reality series known as "The Haney Project" premiered on The Golf Channel starring Charles Barkley and Hank Haney, one of the world's top golf instructors. Haney believes he can help Barkley lower his handicap and notes that Barkley's short game is strong and that his putting is even stronger.
Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:African American sports journalists Category:African American television personalities Category:American basketball players Category:American television personalities Category:Auburn Tigers men's basketball players Category:Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Category:Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from Alabama Category:Houston Rockets players Category:Male basketball forwards Category:National Basketball Association broadcasters Category:National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Category:National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Category:Philadelphia 76ers players Category:Phoenix Suns players Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:People from Leeds, Alabama
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.