Coordinates: 37°42′N 112°24′E / 37.7°N 112.4°E / 37.7; 112.4

Shanxi Province
Chinese : 山西省 Shānxī Shěng
Abbreviations: simplified Chinese: 晋; traditional Chinese: 晉  (pinyin: Jìn)
Origin of name	山 shān - mountain 西 xī - west "west of the Taihang Mountains"
Administration type	Province
Capital (and largest city)	Taiyuan
CPC Ctte Secretary	Yuan Chunqing
Governor	Wang Jun
Area	156,800 km2 (60,500 sq mi) (19th)
- Latitude	34° 35' to 40° 44' N
- Longitude	110° 13' to 114° 33' E
Population (2010)  - Density	35,712,111 (18th) 213 /km2 (550 /sq mi) (19th)
GDP (2011)  - per capita	CNY 1110.0 billion US$ 176.2 billion (21st) CNY 26,283 US$ 3,883 (17th)
HDI (2008)	0.800 (high) (14th)
Ethnic composition	Han - 99.7% Hui - 0.2%
Languages and dialects	{{{Dialects}}}
Prefectural level	11 divisions
County level	119 divisions
Township level*	1388 divisions
ISO 3166-2	CN-14
Official website www.shanxigov.cn (Chinese)
Source for population and GDP data: 《中国统计年鉴—2005》 China Statistical Yearbook 2005 ISBN 7503747382 Source for nationalities data: 《2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料》 Tabulation on nationalities of 2000 population census of China ISBN 7105054255 *As at December 31, 2004
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 Shanxi (help·info) (Chinese: 山西; pinyin: Shānxī; Wade–Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal map spelling: Shansi) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" (pinyin: Jìn), after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period.

The name Shanxi literally means "mountain's west", which refers to the province's location west of the Taihang Mountains.^[1] Shanxi borders Hebei to the east, Henan to the south, Shaanxi to the west, and Inner Mongolia to the north and is made up mainly of a plateau bounded partly by mountain ranges. The capital of the province is Taiyuan.

History[link]

Shanxi, the territory of state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn Period (722 BC - 403 BC), underwent a three-way split into the states of Han, Zhao and Wei in 403 BC, the traditional date taken as the start of the Warring States Period (403 BC - 221 BC). By 221 BC all of these states had fallen to the state of Qin, which established the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC).

The Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 220) ruled Shanxi as the province (zhou) of Bingzhou (幷州 Bīng Zhōu). During the invasion of northern nomads during the Sixteen Kingdoms period (304 - 439), several regimes including Later Zhao, Former Yan, Former Qin, and Later Yan continuously controlled what is now Shanxi. They were followed by Northern Wei (386 - 534), a Xianbei kingdom, which had one of its earlier capitals at present-day Datong in northern Shanxi, and which went on to rule nearly all of northern China.

The Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) originated in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. Modern Chinese people are called Tang Ren globally due to the power and impact of the Tang Dynasty in history. During the Tang Dynasty and after, the area was called Hédōng (河東), or "east of the (Yellow) river". Empress Wu Zetian, China's only female ruler, was born in Shanxi Province.

During the first part of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907 - 960), Shanxi supplied rule for three of the Five Dynasties, as well as being the only one of the Ten Kingdoms located in northern China. Shanxi was initially home to the jiedushi (commander) of Hedong, Li Cunxu, who overthrew the first of the Five Dynasties, Later Liang Dynasty (907 - 923) to establish the second, Later Tang Dynasty (923 - 936). Another jiedushi of Hedong, Shi Jingtang, overthrew Later Tang to establish the third of the Five Dynasties, Later Jin Dynasty, and yet another jiedushi of Hedong, Liu Zhiyuan, established the fourth of the Five Dynasties (Later Han Dynasty) after the Khitans destroyed Later Jin, the third. Finally, when the fifth of the Five Dynasties (Later Zhou Dynasty) emerged, the jiedushi of Hedong at the time, Liu Chong, rebelled and established an independent state called Northern Han, one of the Ten Kingdoms, in what is now northern and central Shanxi.

Shi Jingtang, founder of the Later Jin Dynasty, the third of the Five Dynasties, ceded a large slice of northern China to the Khitans in return for military assistance. This territory, called The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, included a part of northern Shanxi. The ceded territory became a major problem for China's defense against the Khitans for the next 100 years, because it lies to the south of the Great Wall.

During the Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1127), the sixteen ceded prefectures continued to be an area of contention between Song China and the Liao Dynasty. Later the Southern Song Dynasty abandoned all of North China to the Jurchen Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) in 1127, including Shanxi.

The Mongol Yuan Dynasty divided China into provinces but did not establish Shanxi as a province. Shanxi only gained its present name and approximate borders in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). During the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), Shanxi extended northwards beyond the Great Wall to include parts of Inner Mongolia, including what is now the city of Hohhot, and overlapped with the jurisdiction of the Eight Banners and the Guihua Tümed banner in that area.

During most of the Republic of China's period of rule over mainland China (1912–1949), the warlord Yen Hsi-shan held Shanxi, regardless of the frequent political upheavals shaking the rest of China. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japan occupied much of the province after defeating China in the Battle of Taiyuan. Shanxi was also a major battlefield between the Japanese and the Chinese communist guerrillas of the Eighth Route Army during the war.

After the defeat of Japan, much of the Shanxi countryside became important bases for the communist People's Liberation Army in the ensuing Chinese Civil War. Yen had incorporated thousands of former Japanese soldiers among his own forces, and these soldiers became part of his failed defense of Taiyuan against the People's Liberation Army in early 1949.

For centuries Shanxi served as the center of trade and banking, with the term "Shanxi Merchant" (晋商 jìnshāng) once synonymous with wealth. The well-preserved city of Pingyao in Shanxi also shows many signs of its former dominance as a center of trade and banking. Due to Shanxi's geographic location in the Great China and its natural environment, Shanxi was the richest province in Zhongyuan or Center China. In the Qing Dynasty, Pingyao served as the centre of Chinese banking industry. This county, in contemporary time, is famous for its UNESCO ancient city walls and ancient China's equivalent of modern day Wall Street for its financial importance in history. In modern times, coal mining is important in Shanxi's economy, but severe critics have complained of deplorable mine conditions. Since 2004 the province has been plagued with labour safety issues, including a slave labour scandal involving children, causing significant civil unrest and national embarrassment.

Geography[link]

Shanxi is located on a plateau made up of higher ground to the east (Taihang Mountains) and the west (Lüliang Mountains) and a series of valleys in the center through which the Fen River runs. The highest peak is Mount Wutai (Wutai Shan) in northeastern Shanxi with an altitude of 3058 m. The Great Wall of China forms most of the northern border with Inner Mongolia. The Zhongtiao Mountains run along part of the southern border and separate Shanxi from the east-west part of the Yellow River. Mount Hua is to the southwest.

The Huang He (Yellow River) forms the western border of Shanxi with Shaanxi. The Fen and Qin rivers, tributaries of the Huang He, run north-to-south through the province, and drain much of its area. The north of the province is drained by tributaries of the Hai River, such as Sanggan and Hutuo rivers. The largest natural lake in Shanxi is Xiechi Lake, a salt lake near Yuncheng in southwestern Shanxi.

Shanxi has a continental monsoon climate, and is rather arid. Average January temperatures are below 0 °C, while average July temperatures are around 21 - 26 °C. Winters are long, dry, and cold, while summer is warm and humid. Spring is extremely dry and prone to dust storms. Shanxi is one of the sunniest parts of China; early summer heat waves are common. Annual precipitation averages around 350–700 mm, with 60% of it concentrated between June and August. [2]

Major cities:

• Taiyuan
• Datong
• Changzhi
• Yangquan

Administrative divisions[link]

Shanxi is divided into eleven prefecture-level divisions, all of them prefecture-level cities:

Map	#	Name	Administrative Seat	Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2010)
	— Prefecture-level city —
	1	Taiyuan	Xinghualing District	太原市 Tàiyuán Shì	4,201,591
	2	Changzhi	Chengqu District	长治市 Chángzhì Shì	3,334,564
	3	Datong	Chengqu District	大同市 Dàtóng Shì	3,318,057
	4	Jincheng	Chengqu District	晋城市 Jìnchéng Shì	2,279,151
	5	Jinzhong	Yuci District	晋中市 Jìnzhōng Shì	3,249,425
	6	Linfen	Yaodu District	临汾市 Línfén Shì	4,316,612
	7	Lüliang	Lishi District	吕梁市 Lǚliáng Shì	3,727,057
	8	Shuozhou	Shuocheng District	朔州市 Shuòzhōu Shì	1,714,857
	9	Xinzhou	Xinfu District	忻州市 Xīnzhōu Shì	3,067,501
	10	Yangquan	Chengqu District	阳泉市 Yángquán Shì	1,368,502
	11	Yuncheng	Yanhu District	运城市 Yùnchéng Shì	5,134,794

The 11 prefecture-level divisions of Shanxi are subdivided into 119 county-level divisions (23 districts, 11 county-level cities, and 85 counties). Those are in turn divided into 1388 township-level divisions (561 towns, 634 townships, and 193 subdistricts).

Politics[link]

The Politics of Shanxi Province is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in mainland China.^{[citation needed]}

The Governor of Shanxi (山西省省长) is the highest ranking official in the People's Government of Shanxi. However, in the province's dual party-government governing system, the Governor has less power than the Shanxi Communist Party of China Provincial Committee Secretary (山西省委书记), colloquially termed the "Shanxi CPC Party Chief".

The province went through significant political instability since 2004, due largely to the number of scandals that have hit the province, mostly on labour safety. Yu Youjun and Meng Xuenong were top officials appointed by the central government to resolve sensitive issues as the province's party boss. However, the situation has, by and large, deteriorated during their tenures in office. As a result both Yu and Meng were forced to relocate themselves to relatively insignificant positions elsewhere in the country. In 2008 Shanxi's regional political problems were complicated by the death of Political Consultative Conference Chair Jin Yinhuan due to a car accident.

Economy[link]

The GDP per capita of Shanxi is below national average. Compared to the provinces in East China, Shanxi is less developed for many reasons. Its geographic location limits it participation in international trade, which involves mostly eastern coastal provinces. Important crops in Shanxi include wheat, maize, millet, legumes, and potatoes. The local climate and dwindling water resources limits agriculture in Shanxi.^[2]

Shanxi possesses 260 billion metric tons of known coal deposits, about one third of China's total. As a result, Shanxi is a leading producer of coal in China and has more coal companies than any other province,^[3], with an annual production exceeding 300 million metric tonnes. The Datong (大同), Ningwu (宁武), Xishan (西山), Hedong (河东), Qinshui (沁水), and Huoxi (霍西) coalfields are some of the most important in Shanxi. Shanxi also contains about 500 million tonnes of bauxite deposits, about one third of total Chinese bauxite reserves.^[4][5]

Industry in Shanxi is centered around heavy industries such as coal and chemical production, power generation, and metal refining.^{[citation needed]} There are countless military-related industries in Shanxi Province due to its geographic location and history when it is used to be the base of the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army. Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre, one of China's three satellite launch centers, is located in the middle of Shanxi Province with China's largest stockpile of nuclear missiles.

Many private corporations joint with the state-owned mining corporations have invested billions of dollars in the Mining Industry of Shanxi Province. Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing has made one of his largest investment ever in China on exploiting coal gas in Shanxi. Foreign investors include mining companies from Canada, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy.^{[citation needed]}

The mining related companies include Daqin Railway Co. Ltd., which runs one of the busiest and most technologically advanced railway in China connecting Datong and Qinhuangdao and exclusively for coal shipping.^{[citation needed]} The revenue of Daqin Railway Co. Ltd. is among the highest in Shanxi Province's companies due to its exporting of coal to Japan, Korea, and South-East Asia.

Shanxi's nominal GDP in 2011 was 1110.0 billion yuan (US$176.2 billion), ranked 21st in China. Its per-capita GDP was 21,544 yuan (US$3,154).^[6]

Shanxi is infamous for bad working conditions in coal mining and other heavy industries. Thousands of workers have died every year in those industries. Cases of child labour abuse were discovered recently.^[7][8]

In contrast with the poverty, Shanxi is known for its wealthy mine owners in China.^{[citation needed]} Consortiums of mine owners from Shanxi have influences in Beijing's real estate market because of their speculation. The only other wealth group in China having the same influence is the entrepreneurs from Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province which is the centre of light industry of China and the world.^{[citation needed]}

Industrial zones[link]

• Taiyuan Economic & Technology Development Zone

Taiyuan Economic & Technology Development Zone is a state-level development zone approved by State Council in 2001, with a planned area of 9.6 km². It is only 2 km away from Taiyuan Airport and 3 km away from railway station. The National Highway 208 and 307 passes through the zone. So far, it has formed a "four industrial base, a professional industry park" development pattern.^[9]

• Taiyuan Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone

Established in 1991, Taiyuan Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone is the only state-level Hi-tech Development Zone in Shanxi Province, with total area of 24 km². It is situated close to Taiyuan Wusu Airport and Highway G208. The nearest port to the zone is Tianjin Port.^[10]

Transportation[link]

The transport infrastructure in Shanxi is very developed. There are many important national highways and railways that connect the province with neighboring provinces.^[11]

Road[link]

Shanxi's road hub is in the capital, Taiyuan. The major highways in province form a road network connecting all the counties. Examples of major highways are:

• Dayun Highway(大運公路)
• Datong-Yuncheng Highway (大同－運城）)
• Taiyuan-Jiuguan Expressway (太原－舊關高速公路)
• Beijing-Shijiazhuang expressway (北京－石家庄高速公路)
• Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu expressway (京津唐高速公路)
• Beijing-Shenzhen expressway

Rail[link]

Shanxi has extensive rail infrastructure to neighboring provinces. The rail network connects to major cities Taiyuan, Shijiazhuang, Beijing, Yuanping, Baotou, Datong, Menyuan and Jiaozuo. The province also have extensive rail network to coastal cities such as Qinhuangdao, Qingdao, Yantai and Lianyungang.^[11]

The province has a rail network called the Shuozhou-Huanghua Railway. It will service Shenchi county in Shanxi with Huanghua port in Hebei. It will become the second largest railway for coal transport from west to east in China.^[12]

Aviation[link]

Shanxi's main aviation transport hub is Taiyuan Wusu Airport (IATA: TYN). The airport has routes connecting Shanxi to 28 domestic cities including Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu and Chongqing. There are international routes to Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Russia. There is also another airport in Datong, which has domestic routes to other mainland cities.^[11][13]

Demographics[link]

The population is mostly Han Chinese with minorities of Mongol, Manchu, and the Hui.

Source: Department of Population, Social, Science and Technology Statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics of China (国家统计局人口和社会科技统计司) and Department of Economic Development of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission of China (国家民族事务委员会经济发展司), eds. Tabulation on Nationalities of 2000 Population Census of China (《2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料》). 2 vols. Beijing: Nationalities Publishing House (民族出版社), 2003. (ISBN 7-105-05425-5)

In 2004, the birth rate was 12.36 births/1000 population, while the death rate was 6.11 deaths/1000 population. The sex ratio was 105.5 males/100 females. [3]

Health[link]

In the 2000s, the province was considered to be one of the most polluted areas in China.^[3] The pollution, caused in part by heavy coal mining, has enhanced health problems in the province.^[14]

Culture[link]

The Pagoda of Fogong Temple, Ying County, built in the year 1056.

People in most regions of Shanxi speak dialects of Jin, a subdivision of spoken Chinese. However, dialects in the southwest, near the border with Henan and Shaanxi, are classified as part of the Zhongyuan Mandarin subdivision of the Mandarin group rather than Jin. In terms of characteristics, Jin dialects are generally distinguished by their retention of the entering tone from Middle Chinese. In this respect they are unique in all of northern China, as most of the surrounding Mandarin dialects (spoken over the remainder of northern China) have lost it. (In central and southern China, it is much more common for the entering tone to be kept.) Jin is also noted for extremely complex tone sandhi systems.

Shanxi cuisine is most well known for its extensive use of vinegar as a condiment and for its noodles. A dish originating from Taiyuan, the provincial capital, is the Taiyuan Tounao (太原头脑, literally "Taiyuan Head"). It is a soup brewed using mutton, shanyao (山药, Chinese wild yam), lotus roots, astragalus membranaceus (黄芪, membranous milk vetch), tuber onions, as well as cooking liquor for additional aroma. It can be enjoyed by dipping pieces of unleavened cake into the soup, and is reputed to have medicinal properties.

Shanxi Opera (晋剧 Jinju) is a popular form of Chinese opera in Shanxi. It was popularized during the late Qing Dynasty, with the help of the then-ubiquitous Shanxi merchants who were active across parts of China. Also called Zhonglu Bangzi (中路梆子), it is a type of bangzi opera (梆子), a group of operas generally distinguished by their use of wooden clappers for rhythm and by a more energetic singing style; Shanxi opera is also complemented by quzi (曲子), a blanket term for more melodic styles from further south. Puzhou Opera (蒲剧 Puju), from southern Shanxi, is a more ancient type of bangzi that makes use of very wide linear intervals.

Shanxi merchants (晋商 Jinshang) constituted a historical phenomenon that lasted for centuries from the Song to the Qing Dynasty. Shanxi merchants ranged far and wide from Central Asia to the coast of eastern China; by the Qing Dynasty they were conducting trade across both sides of the Great Wall. During the late Qing Dynasty, a new development occurred: the creation of piaohao (票号), which were essentially banks that provided services like money transfers and transactions, deposits, and loans. After the establishment of the first piaohao in Pingyao, the bankers in Shanxi dominated China's financial market for centuries until the collapse of Qing Dynasty and the coming of British banks.

Tourism[link]

A Pingyao street.

• Jinci in Taiyuan, famous for its temples and Song Dynasty paintings and architectures.

• Zuoquan County, famous for its China Communist Party battlefield sites.

• The Ancient City of Pingyao is a World Heritage Site near Taiyuan. Once a great financial center of China, it is noted for its preservation of many features of northern Han Chinese culture, architecture, and way of life during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

• The Yungang Grottoes, its literal translation being The Cloud Ridge Caves, are shallow caves near Datong. There are over 50,000 carved images and statues of Buddhas and Boddhisatvas within these grottoes, ranging from 4 centimeters to 7 meters tall.a World Heritage Site in Datong, consist of 252 caves noted for their collection of 5th and 6th century Buddhist grotto sculptures and reliefs.

• Mount Wutai (Wutai Shan) is the highest point in the province. It is known as the residence of the bodhisattva Manjusri, and as a result is also a major Buddhist pilgrimage destination, with many temples and natural sights. Points of interest include Tang Dynasty (618–907) era timber halls located at Nanchan Temple and Foguang Temple, as well as a giant white stupa at Tayuan Temple built during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).

• Mount Hengshan (Heng Shan), in Hunyuan County, is one of the "Five Great Peaks" of China, and is also a major Taoist site. Not far from Heng Shan, the Hanging Temple is located on the side of a cliff and has survived for 1400 years despite earthquakes in the area.

• Pagoda of Fogong Temple, in Ying County, is a pagoda built in 1056 during the Liao Dynasty. It is octagonal with nine levels (five are visible from outside), and at 67 m (220 ft) in height, it is currently the tallest wooden pagoda in the world. It is also the oldest fully wooden pagoda in China, although many no-longer-existing wooden pagodas have preceded it, and many existing stone and brick pagodas predate it by centuries.

• Hukou Waterfall is located in the Yellow River on the Shanxi-Shaanxi border. At 50 meters high it is the second highest waterfall in China.

• Dazhai is a village in Xiyang County. Situated in hilly, difficult terrain, it was a holy site during the Cultural Revolution, when it was set out to the entire nation as exemplary of the hardiness of the proletariat, especially peasants.
• Niangziguan Township is located in north-east of Pingding County which is in the junction of Shanxi and Heibei Province. It is an old village famous for Niangziguan.

Education[link]

Major Post-Secondary institutes in Shanxi include:

• Changzhi College (长治学院)
• Changzhi Medical College (长治医学院)
• Datong University (山西大同大学)
• Jinzhong College (晋中学院)
• Lvliang Higher College
• North China University of Science and Technology (华北工学院)
• Shanxi Agricultural University (山西农业大学)
• Shanxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (山西中医学院)
• Shanxi Medical University (山西医科大学)
• Shanxi Teachers University also called Shanxi Normal University (山西师范大学)
• Shanxi University (山西大学)
• Shanxi University of Finance and Economics (山西财经大学)
• North China University (中北大学)
• Taiyuan Normal University (太原师范学院)
• Taiyuan University of Science and Technology (太原科技大学)
• Taiyuan University of Technology (太原理工大学)
• Xinzhou Teachers University (忻州师范学院)
• Yuncheng University (运城学院)

Major Secondary Schools in Shanxi include:

• Taiyuan No.5 High school
• Taiyuan No.10 High school
• Shanxi Experimental Secondary School(山西省实验中学)
• Yuci No.1 High School
• Kangjie High School (康杰中学)

References[link]

• Economic profile for Shanxi at HKTDC

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shanxi

• Shanxi Government website
• Shanxi travel guide from Wikitravel
• Shanxi Community in Canada website
• Shanxi Community in Japan website

		Inner Mongolia
	Shaanxi		Hebei
		Shanxi    East
		Henan

v t e Provincial level divisions of the People's Republic of China Provinces Anhui Fujian Gansu Guangdong Guizhou Hainan Hebei Heilongjiang Henan Hubei Hunan Jiangsu Jiangxi Jilin Liaoning Qinghai Shaanxi Shandong Shanxi Sichuan Yunnan Zhejiang Autonomous regions Guangxi Inner Mongolia (Nei Mongol) Ningxia Tibet (Xizang) Xinjiang Municipalities Beijing Chongqing Shanghai Tianjin Special administrative regions Hong Kong Macau Territorial disputes Paracel, Spratly, Zhongsha Islands (see Paracels, Spratlys, & Zhongsha Iss. Authority) Pratas Islands Diaoyu Islands (Senkaku Islands) South Tibet Taiwan, Quemoy & Matsu (see Legal status of Taiwan)

Kenyon Martin

Martin with the Nuggets
No. 2 – Los Angeles Clippers
Power forward
Personal information
Born	(1977-12-30) December 30, 1977 (age 34) Saginaw, Michigan
Nationality	American
High school	Bryan Adams (Dallas, Texas)
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
College	Cincinnati (1996–2000)
NBA Draft	2000 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the New Jersey Nets
Pro career	2000–present
Career history
2000–2004	New Jersey Nets
2004–2011	Denver Nuggets
2011	Xinjiang Flying Tigers (China)
2012–present	Los Angeles Clippers
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Star (2004) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2001) Naismith College Player of the Year (2000) Oscar Robertson Trophy (2000) John Wooden Award (2000) NABC Defensive Player of the Year (2000) Conference USA Player of the Year (2000) Sporting News Player of the Year (2000) AP Player of the Year (2000) Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (2000)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men’s basketball Competitor for  United States FIBA Americas Championship Gold 2003 San Juan National team Goodwill Games Gold 2001 Brisbane National team Summer Universiade Gold 1999 Palma National team

Kenyon Lee Martin (born December 30, 1977) is an American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "K-Mart", he plays for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for the New Jersey Nets and the Denver Nuggets of the NBA, and the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of China. He is 6'9" and 240 lbs, and was the first overall pick of the 2000 NBA Draft.

College career[link]

Martin played for the Cincinnati Bearcats under the direction of Bob Huggins. As a senior, he averaged 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. He was the consensus National Player of the Year, earning numerous awards from various organizations, but suffered a broken leg in the Conference USA Tournament, keeping him out of the NCAA Tournament that year. Cincinnati retired his #4 jersey on April 25, 2000. Later that year, he was selected first overall in the 2000 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets. Martin is currently the last American-born college senior to have been the top overall pick; the top picks since him consist of three high school players (Kwame Brown, LeBron James and Dwight Howard), one international player with two years of U.S. college experience (Andrew Bogut), two international players with no American college experience (Yao Ming and Andrea Bargnani), four college freshmen (John Wall, Greg Oden, Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving) and a college sophomore (Blake Griffin).

Martin graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice.^[1]

Professional career[link]

New Jersey Nets[link]

As a rookie for the New Jersey Nets, Martin brought his trademark intensity to the NBA. Moving from center to power forward, he averaged 12 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In his second season, Martin averaged 14.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game in helping the Nets rise from last place in the Atlantic Division to an Eastern Conference title and the best season to date in the Nets' NBA history. Along with Nets stars Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson, Martin led the Nets to the 2002 NBA Finals, where they were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers. In his third season Martin again helped his team into the NBA Finals, where the Nets lost in six games against the San Antonio Spurs. The next year, Martin averaged 16.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks en route to his first NBA All-Star selection, as a backup forward for the Eastern Conference All-Stars. In the 2004 NBA All-Star Game, Martin scored 17 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and had 3 assists.

Martin and teammate Alonzo Mourning almost fought when Martin mocked Mourning's life-threatening kidney disease.^[2] Martin later admitted that he had made a mistake and apologized to Mourning. Knicks forward Tim Thomas remarked on Martin's speech impediment^[3] and eye twitching tic during a game, as well as calling Martin "fugazi", a slang term for a fake or phoney.^[4]

Denver Nuggets[link]

Kenyon Martin shooting over Dirk Nowitzki

At the end of the 2003–04 season, Martin was traded to the Denver Nuggets for three future 1st round draft picks in a sign-and-trade deal.

Martin had a solid start to his Nuggets career before off-the-court issues and injuries began to snowball.

Martin played in 70 games during the 2004–05 season, averaging 15.5 points and 7.3 rebounds. However, a problem with his knee was detected shortly into the off-season, and on May 16, 2005, Kenyon underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee.

During the 2005–06 season, Martin missed 26 games due to knee tendinitis, but was able to return in time for the playoffs. However, during that playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Martin was suspended from the Denver Nuggets indefinitely for "conduct detrimental to the team."^[5] During halftime of game two of the first round series, Martin got into an argument with head coach George Karl over his playing time, and proceeded ironically to refuse to play for the second half of the game. During the offseason, Karl and Martin apparently "patched things up."^[6]

Believing injuries were behind him, Kenyon and the Nuggets were crushed to learn the swelling now occurring in his right knee would require another microfracture procedure. On November 15, 2006, after playing just two regular season games, Martin underwent his second knee operation in less than two years.^[7]

During the third-quarter of a 2006 game against the Chicago Bulls, a fan sitting two rows behind Martin yelled at him, "Suit up, you chump," referring to the fact Martin was in the midst of one of his increasingly frequent stints on the injured reserve and in street clothes behind the Nuggets bench. All accounts indicate that the fan did not use any profanities. At that point, Martin is said to have stood up, pointed at the heckler, and then motioned to one of his 'bodyguards' to go confront the heckling fan, ordering "shut him up". His friend then stood up and yelled at the heckler, "Shut your mouth before we take you outside and beat your ass!." He also apparently screamed at a Nuggets fan named Don Miller—who, along with his teenage son, happened to be sitting next to the heckler—calling him a "fat fucking white boy." Martin was subsequently fined $15,000 and cautioned to no longer bring his entourage to games.^[8][9]

On February 11, 2006, after a Denver win over the Dallas Mavericks, a volatile Martin was involved in a heated and profanity-laced locker room exchange with a local sports radio personality.^[10]

To symbolize a fresh and healthy restart to his career, Kenyon changed his uniform number from 6 to the number 4, which he wore in college, for the 2007–08 season.^[11]

The 2008–09 season campaign witnessed a mentally refurbished Kenyon Martin continuing his infamous commitment on the defensive end, helping lead the Nuggets to a franchise record-tying 54-28 record. The Nuggets lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers.^[12]

Xinjiang Flying Tigers[link]

Martin became an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2011. However, due to the 2011 NBA lockout, he opted to sign a one-year contract with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. His contract reportedly would have made him the highest paid player in the Chinese league's history.^[13][14] On December 24, 2011, Martin was released from the club so that he could "take care of family affairs".^[15] Originally, he was not available to return to the NBA until the Flying Tigers' season ended on February 15, 2012, if not later due to the 2012 CBA Playoffs. However, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) granted him an earlier release on February 2.^[16]

Los Angeles Clippers[link]

Kenyon Martin and Clippers players (Nick Young, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and Randy Foye) on the floor vs Kings.

On February 3, 2012, Martin signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.^[17] In his first game with the Clippers, Martin scored 6 points and collected 4 rebounds in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Career transactions[link]

• June 28, 2000: Drafted first overall by the New Jersey Nets in 2000 NBA Draft.
• July 15, 2004: Signed and traded by the New Jersey Nets to the Denver Nuggets for three future first-round draft picks.^[18]
• September 21, 2011: Signed with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
• December 24, 2011: Released from the Xinjiang Flying Tigers.
• February 3, 2012: Signed with Los Angeles Clippers.^[17]

Off the court[link]

Martin is the half-brother of former-Colorado Buffaloes standout guard Richard Roby.^{[citation needed]} He is also the cousin of Robert "50" Martin of AND1 Mixtape Tour fame.^{[citation needed]}

Martin has three children: two sons, Kenyon Jr., Kamron; and one daughter, Cierra Reign. Martin has also been involved in philanthropic activities like donating $1,000 for each point and blocked shot in two games for the Asian Tsunami relief efforts, buying the occasional home game ticket for less financially fortunate fans, and participating in number of campaigns like "Eat Right" and "Art of Sport."^[19]

Martin started The Kenyon Martin Foundation to provide for families in need, especially those without a father figure in their lives.

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Playoffs[link]

International career statistics[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Kenyon Martin NBA Profile
• 2000 Oscar Robertson Trophy College Basketball Player of the Year