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![Dwyane Wade - Top 100 Plays Of 2012 [Championship Season]](http://web.archive.org./web/20130111153017im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SLUcq455gDc/default.jpg "The 100 best plays by Dwyane Wade during the 2011/2012 NBA preseason, regular season & postseason. The Miami Heat win the championship for the 2nd time. Music: Reks -")
![[H4L] Above The Sky - Dwyane Wade 2012 Season Highlights](http://web.archive.org./web/20130111153017im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ryl33DnJKsc/default.jpg "PLEASE LIKE IT: www.facebook.com Some of the best highlights from Dwyane Wade's 2011-2012 season. Special thanks to HEATPOSTERIZED for additional footage! GD Factory Hoops4life.com Absolutely no copyright infringement is intended. All audio and video clips are the sole property of their respective owners. This is only clipped for entertainment.")
![Dwyane Wade Mix [HD]](http://web.archive.org./web/20130111153017im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pWssfBwuweU/default.jpg "Dwyane Wade Mix [HD]. Entering the league as the fifth pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Wade was named to the All-Rookie team and the All-Star team the following five seasons. In his third season, Wade led the Miami Heat to their first NBA Championship in franchise history. He was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP as he helped lead the Heat to a 42 series win over the Dallas Mavericks. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wade led the United States Men's Basketball team, commonly known as the")
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Chicago
Chicago (
i/ʃɪˈkɑːɡoʊ/ or /ʃɪˈkɔːɡoʊ/) is the largest city in the US state of Illinois and the third most populous city in the United States after New York City and Los Angeles. The city has around 2.7 million residents. Its metropolitan area, sometimes called "Chicagoland", is the third largest in the United States, with an estimated 9.8 million people. Chicago is the county seat of Cook County, though a small portion also extends into DuPage County.
Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837, near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed. Today, Chicago is listed as an alpha+ global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, and ranks seventh in the world on the 2012 Global Cities Index. The city retains its status as an international hub for finance, industry, telecommunications and infrastructure, with O'Hare International Airport being the second busiest airport in the world in terms of traffic movements. In 2008[update], the city hosted 45.6 million domestic and overseas visitors. Among metropolitan areas, Chicago has the 4th largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the world, ranking just behind Tokyo, New York City, and Los Angeles. Chicago is one of the most important Worldwide Centers of Commerce and trade.
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DePaul University
Coordinates: 41°55′25″N 87°39′13″W / 41.923558°N 87.653542°W / 41.923558; -87.653542
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. The student body consists of about 25,400 students (approximately 16,400 undergraduate and 9,000 graduate/law), making DePaul the largest Roman Catholic university and one of the 10 largest private universities in the United States; it is the largest private university in Illinois. DePaul is a member of the Big East Conference.
Originally named St. Vincent's College, DePaul University was founded in 1898 by the Congregation of the Mission priests and brethren, known as the Vincentians. Followers of 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul, they founded the university to serve Roman Catholic children of immigrants.
Student enrollment grew from 70 in 1898 to 200 in 1903 in what is now the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. In that year, James Quigley, Archbishop of Chicago, announced plans to create a preparatory seminary, now Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, for the archdiocese and allow the Jesuit Saint Ignatius College, now Loyola University Chicago to move its collegiate programs to the north side, threatening St. Vincent College's survival. In response, the Vincentians re-chartered in 1907 as DePaul University, expressly offering all of its courses of study to men and women of any religious background. DePaul began admitting women in 1911 and awarded degrees to its first female graduates in 1912. It was one of the first Catholic universities to admit female students in a co-educational setting.
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Florida
Florida (
i/ˈflɒrɪdə/) is a state in the southeastern United States, bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Florida is the 22nd most extensive, the 4th most populous, and the 8th most densely populated of the 50 United States. The state capital is Tallahassee, its largest city is Jacksonville, and the South Florida metropolitan area is the largest metropolitan area in the southeastern U.S.
Much of Florida is situated on a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Straits of Florida. Its geography is marked by a coastline, by the omnipresence of water and the threat of hurricanes. Florida has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States, encompassing approximately 1,350 miles (2,170 km), and is the only state to border both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Much of the state is at or near sea level and its terrain is characterized by sedimentary soils. The climate varies from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south. Its symbolic animals like the American alligator, Florida panther and the manatee, can be found in the Everglades, one of the most famous national parks in the world.
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Marquette University
Marquette University (
/mɑrˈkɛt/) is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and currently has a student body of 11,600. Marquette is one of the largest Jesuit universities in the United States, and the largest private university in Wisconsin.
Marquette University was founded on August 28, 1881 as Marquette College by John Martin Henni, the first Catholic bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The university was named after 17th century missionary and explorer Father Jacques Marquette, S.J.. The highest priority of the newly established college was to provide an affordable Catholic education to the area's emerging German immigrant population. Marquette College officially became a university in 1907. Marquette University High School, formerly the preparatory department of the university, became a separate institution the same year. Initially an all-male institution, Marquette University became the first coed Catholic university in the world, when it admitted its first female students in 1909.
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Milwaukee
Milwaukee /mɪlˈwɔːkiː/ is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States, and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the City of Milwaukee has a population of 594,833. Milwaukee is the main cultural and economic center of the Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha Metropolitan Area with a population of 1,751,316 as of 2010. Milwaukee is also the regional center of the seven county Greater Milwaukee Area, with an estimated population of 2,014,032 as of 2008.
The first Europeans to pass through the area were French missionaries and fur traders. In 1818, the French-Canadian explorer Solomon Juneau settled in the area, and in 1846 Juneau's town combined with two neighboring towns to incorporate as the City of Milwaukee. Large numbers of German and other immigrants helped increase the city's population during the 1840s and the following decades.
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United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
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Wisconsin
Wisconsin (i/wɨsˈkɒnsɨn/) is a US state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin is the 23rd most extensive and the 20th most populous of the 50 United States. Wisconsin's capital is Madison, and its largest city is Milwaukee. The state is divided into 72 counties.
The word Wisconsin originates from the name given to the Wisconsin River by one of the Algonquian speaking American Indian groups living in the region at the time of European contact. French explorer Jacques Marquette was the first European to reach the Wisconsin River and record its name, arriving in 1673 and calling the river Meskousing in his journal. This spelling was later corrupted to Ouisconsin by other French explorers, and over time this version became the French name for both the Wisconsin River and the surrounding lands. English speakers anglicized the spelling to its modern form when they began to arrive in greater numbers during the early 19th century. The current spelling was made official by the legislature of Wisconsin Territory in 1845.
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Adrian Dantley
Adrian Delano Dantley (born February 28, 1956 in Washington, D.C.) is a retired American basketball player who played 15 seasons in the NBA, including seven as a member of the Utah Jazz. A forward/guard and six-time NBA All-Star, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2010, he was appointed acting head coach of the Denver Nuggets in the absence of stricken head coach George Karl.
Dantley attended basketball powerhouse DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland where he played under legendary basketball coach Morgan Wootten.
Dantley was a forward at Notre Dame from 1973-76. He was a consensus first team All-American in 1974-75 and 1975–76 and was named 1976 National Player of the Year. He ranks second on the Notre Dame career scoring list with 2,223 points and holds the school record for free throws made (615) and free throws attempted (769).
Dantley had a stellar collegiate career for the Fighting Irish. As a freshman, he played an important role in one of the biggest games in college basketball history, Notre Dame's stunning 1974 upset to end UCLA's record 88-game winning streak. That UCLA team, coached by the legendary John Wooden, featured Bill Walton, Jamaal Wilkes (then known as Keith Wilkes), and Dave Meyer.
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Alex English
Alexander English (born January 5, 1954 in Columbia, South Carolina) is a retired American basketball player who played at the forward position. He is currently an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association. He played at the University of South Carolina and most notably with the National Basketball Association's Denver Nuggets.
He averaged 21.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game during his NBA career and was the NBA's most prolific scorer during the 1980s. He was named to eight NBA All-Star teams, his #2 jersey was retired by the Nuggets, and he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.
English spent the majority of his career with the Nuggets, but also played briefly with the Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks. He was drafted in 1976 by the Bucks, and was part of a rookie class that includes fellow Hall of Famers Robert Parish, Adrian Dantley and Dennis Johnson.
Most of his time in Milwaukee was spent as a back-up on a rebuilding team that lost Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. However, it was not until he was sent to Indiana in 1978 that he began his reputation as a scorer, averaging 16 points there on another subpar team before being traded to Denver.
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Allen Iverson
Allen Ezail Iverson (born June 7, 1975) is an American professional basketball player, playing both the point guard and shooting guard positions. Iverson attended Bethel High School and was a dual-sport athlete; he earned The Associated Press High School Player of the Year award in both football and basketball, and won the Division AAA Virginia State Championship in both sports. After high school, Iverson attended Georgetown University for two years, where he set the school record for career scoring average (22.9 points per game) and won Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards both years.
Following two successful years at Georgetown, Iverson declared eligibility for the 1996 NBA Draft, and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season. Iverson is an eleven-time NBA All-Star which includes winning the All-Star MVP award in 2001 and 2005.
Winning the NBA scoring title during the 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2004–05 seasons, Iverson was one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, despite his small stature (listed at 6 feet, 0 inches). His regular season career scoring average of 26.7 points per game ranks sixth all-time, and his playoff career scoring average of 29.7 points per game is second only to Michael Jordan. Iverson was also the NBA Most Valuable Player of the 2000–01 season and led his team to the 2001 NBA Finals the same season. Iverson represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal. He also played for the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and the Memphis Grizzlies, before returning to the 76ers for part of the 2009–10 season.
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Alonzo Mourning
Alonzo Harding Mourning, Jr. (born February 8, 1970) is a former American professional basketball player, who played most of his 15-year NBA career for the Miami Heat.
Nicknamed "Zo", Mourning played at center. His tenacity on defense twice earned him NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and perennially placed him on the NBA All-Defensive Team. He made a comeback after undergoing a kidney transplant and later won his only NBA Championship with the Heat. He has also played for the Charlotte Hornets and New Jersey Nets. On March 30, 2009, Mourning became the first Miami Heat player to have his number retired.
During his time at Indian River High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, he led the team to 51 straight victories and a state title his junior year (1987). As a senior he averaged 25 points, 15 rebounds and 12 blocked shots a game. He was named Player of the Year by USA Today, Parade, Gatorade, and Naismith. Mourning played college basketball for the Georgetown University Hoyas. He led the nation in blocked shots his freshman year and was an All American his last year there.
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Alvan Adams
Alvan Leigh Adams (born July 19, 1954 in Lawrence, Kansas) is a retired American professional basketball player. After starring at the University of Oklahoma, the 6'9" (2.06 m) power forward/center was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 4th pick of the 1975 NBA Draft. Adams was a rookie on a Suns team whose season included an improbable playoff run that took them all the way to the 1976 NBA Finals. In the same year, he was selected to play in the All-Star Game and won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award as well as being named to the All-NBA Rookie Team. Adams spent his entire career with the Suns and retired in 1988 as the second all-time Suns scorer with 13,910 career points.
During 26 games of the 1973–74 season Adams tied an Oklahoma school record with 21 double-doubles for a season by a Sooner (Garfield Heard, 1969–70 also had 21 in 27 games). That record stood until it was broken by Blake Griffin on February 14, 2009.
Adams is one of only three players in the history of the University of Oklahoma men's basketball program to score at least 40 points and get 20 rebounds in a game along with Wayman Tisdale (61 points, 22 rebounds against Texas–San Antonio in 1983) and Blake Griffin (40 points, 23 rebounds against Texas Tech on February 14, 2009).
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Anderson Varejão
Anderson França Varejão (Portuguese pronunciation: [vaɾeˈʒɐ̃w̃]; born September 28, 1982, in Colatina) is a Brazilian professional basketball player, who currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He won the gold medal with Brazil at the 2003 Pan American Games.
He played for Franca Basquetebol Clube in the city of Franca, São Paulo State. Franca is most known as the "Brazilian Basketball's capital", one of the most traditional Brazilian basketball teams. His skills improved, and he was signed by FC Barcelona, Spain.
Varejão appeared in two regular season Liga ACB games for FC Barcelona Bàsquet and scored four total points.
Varejão also played in nine Euroleague games for FC Barcelona. In three regular season games Varejão averaged 2.3 points and 2.3 rebounds. In six "Top 16" playoff games, he averaged 5.8 points and 4.8 rebounds, including a season high 10 points against Benetton Treviso.
Varejão appeared in four regular season Liga ACB games for FC Barcelona. He averaged 8.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. While Varejão did not play in the Liga ACB playoffs that year, FC Barcelona, led by Juan Carlos Navarro, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, and Dejan Bodiroga, won the Liga ACB championship.
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Andreas Glyniadakis
Andreas Glyniadakis (alternate spelling: Andreas Gliniadakis) (Greek: Ανδρέας Γλυνιαδάκης; born August 26, 1981 in Chania, Greece) is a Greek professional basketball player. He is a 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m), 280 lb. (127 kg) center. He currently plays for the Greek League club Olympiacos Piraeus. His pro career started in 1997 with Panathinakos.
Before going to play in the United States, he played as a youth with Kydonas of Chania, Crete, Greece. He then started his pro career with the Greek club Panathinaikos. After playing at Panathinaikos, he moved on to Peristeri and then to AEK Athens.
In May 2007, he signed with the Italian League's Virtus Bologna. In September 2007, he returned to AEK Athens. However, he was waived on October 1, 2007. He then joined the Greek League club Maroussi. He was the MVP of the last 16 week 1 in the Eurocup 2008-09 season.
In 2009, he moved to the Greek Euroleague club Olympiacos Piraeus. With Olympiacos, he won the Euroleague championship in 2012.
Glyniadakis was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 58th pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. In the 2005–06 season, he played with the Roanoke Dazzle of the NBA D-League. He played with the Atlanta Hawks during the 2006 NBA preseason, but he was cut before the regular season began. He also played with the Albuquerque Thunderbirds of the NBA D-League, and with them, he won the D-League championship in the year 2006.
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Antawn Jamison
Antawn Cortez Jamison ( /ˈæntwɑːn/; born June 12, 1976) is an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He currently plays power forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers and was a member of the USA National Team for the 2006 FIBA World Championships
Jamison was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. His name was accidentally printed as "Antawn" instead of "Antwan" on his birth certificate. However, his family decided to keep the misspelling as they felt it would be more distinctive. His first name is still pronounced as though it were spelled "Antwan" or "Antoine". Jamison played middle school basketball and was a quarterback in football at Quail Hollow Middle School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jamison played high school basketball at Providence High School in Charlotte, North Carolina and was named a McDonald's All-American after his senior season.
Jamison played college basketball at University of North Carolina for three seasons, averaging 19.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. In his junior year, he was awarded both the Naismith and Wooden Awards as the most outstanding men's college basketball player for the 1997–98 season. Jamison decided to forgo his senior year of eligibility and enter the NBA draft in 1998 thus ending his college career. On March 1, 2000 Jamison's #33 was retired at the Dean E. Smith Center. He became only the seventh North Carolina basketball player to have his number retired.
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Antoine Walker
Antoine Devon Walker (born August 12, 1976, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American former professional basketball forward. He was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft out of the University of Kentucky and played in the NBA from 1996 to 2008.
Walker attended Mount Carmel High School, where he played with future NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb and attained all-state status as a senior, earning a full scholarship to play for Rick Pitino at the University of Kentucky. He was a starting forward on the Wildcats' 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship-winning team. As a freshman at Kentucky he was named SEC Tournament MVP. In his sophomore year, Walker was named All-SEC First, All-SEC Tournament and to the All-NCAA Regional Teams.
After his sophomore season he declared for the 1996 NBA Draft and was picked sixth overall by the Boston Celtics. In the 1996–1997 season, Walker made the All-Rookie 1st Team and led the team in scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounds (9.0). However, the team had its worst season in franchise history, 15–67. The following season, Walker made the All-Star team as a reserve while averaging 22.4 ppg and 10.2 rpg. He also scored a career-high 49 points in a loss against the Washington Wizards. The Celtics posted another bad record: 36–46. In the '98 draft, the Celtics had the 10th pick and chose swing man Paul Pierce. The next few years, Pierce and Walker were the 1–2 punch for the Celtics. In the 2001–2002 season, Walker had his best overall season by helping lead the Celtics to a 49–33 record and their first playoff berth in 7 years. He was second in his team in scoring (22.0 ppg), first in rebounds (9 rpg), and 1st in assists, (5.0 apg). Pierce and Walker took the team all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals where they fell to the New Jersey Nets in 6 games. The next season, Walker made his 3rd All-Star team.
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Antonio Burks
Antonio Cornell Burks (born February 25, 1980 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American professional basketball player, formerly in NBA. He is 6'0" (1.83 m) and 185 lb (88.5 kg). Burks played at Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, then one year at Hiwassee Junior College in Madisonville, Tennessee before joining the University of Memphis as an invited walk-on. He helped the Tigers win the NIT in 2002. His senior year he was named the Conference USA player of the year.
After a career at the University of Memphis, he was a second round draft pick of the Orlando Magic in the 2004 NBA Draft. He was then traded to his hometown Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for cash considerations. Burks averaged three points in 24 games in his rookie season. After appearing in four games for the Miami Heat during the 2006 preseason, he was signed by them on October 2, 2006. but was waived on October 26, prior to the beginning of the 2006–07 NBA season.
Burks wore jersey #1 to pay tribute to his childhood idol Penny Hardaway.
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Archie Griffin
Archie Mason Griffin (born August 21, 1954) is a former American football running back. Griffin played seven seasons in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals. He is college football's only two-time Heisman Trophy winner. Griffin won four Big Ten Conference titles with the Ohio State Buckeyes and was the first player ever to start in four Rose Bowls.
Griffin rushed for 1,787 yards and scored over 170 points in 11 games, including 29 touchdowns, as a senior fullback at Eastmoor High School (now Eastmoor Academy) in Columbus, Ohio. That year he led Eastmoor to the Columbus City League championship, rushing for 267 yards on 31 carries in the title game against Linden-McKinley High School. In his junior year, Griffin had also rushed for over 1,000 yards.
Griffin played for the Ohio State University Buckeyes from 1972-75. Among Ohio State University college football fans, Griffin holds a status akin to a living folk hero. His freshman year was the first year Freshman could play on the varsity team, so when he got the starting position a lot of Sophomores were disappointed because Griffin took their spots. Former Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes said of Griffin, "He's a better young man than he is a football player, and he's the best football player I've ever seen."
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Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer (born September 10, 1929) is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955. Nicknamed "The King," he is one of golf's most popular stars and its most important trailblazer, because he was the first superstar of the sport's television age, which began in the 1950s. He is part of "The Big Three" in golf, along with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, who are widely credited with popularizing and commercialising the sport around the world.
Palmer won the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998, and in 1974 was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Palmer was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He learned golf from his father, Deacon Palmer, who was head professional and greenskeeper at Latrobe Country Club, allowing young Arnold to accompany his father as he maintained the course. He attended Wake Forest University, on a golf scholarship. He left upon the death of close friend Bud Worsham and enlisted in the United States Coast Guard, where he served for three years and had some time to continue to hone his golf skills. Palmer returned to college and competitive golf. His win in the 1954 U.S. Amateur made him decide to try the pro tour for a while, and he and new bride Winifred Walzer (whom he had met at a Pennsylvania tournament) traveled the circuit for 1955.
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Arthur Ashe
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was a former World No. 1 professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States. Ashe, an African American, was the first black player ever selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man to ever win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, or Australian Open. He is also remembered for his efforts to further social causes.
Born in Gum Spring, Virginia, to parents Arthur Ashe Sr. and Mattie Cordell Cunningham Ashe, Arthur and his younger brother, Johnnie, suffered a tragic loss when their mother died suddenly from heart related complications during routine surgery. Arthur Ashe first attended Maggie L. Walker High School, being coached by Ronald Charity, and later coached by Robert Walter Johnson. Tired of having to travel great distances to play Caucasian youths in segregated Richmond, Ashe accepted an offer from a St. Louis tennis official to move there and attend Sumner High School. Young Ashe was recognized by Sports Illustrated for his playing.
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Baron Davis
Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13, 1979) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time NBA All-Star, he was drafted as the third pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He went on to play for the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers before signing with New York as a free agent in 2011. Davis played college basketball at the UCLA, where he was an All-America honoree before turning professional after his sophomore year. He was a star high school player while at Crossroads School.
Davis was born in Los Angeles. His grandmother and guardian, Lela Nicholson, was instrumental in pushing him to play basketball. With her encouragement, he eventually enrolled at Crossroads School, a prestigious private school in Santa Monica, California.
As a senior at Crossroads, Davis led his team to the Championship of The Beach Ball Classic tournament in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina over perennial prep powerhouse Christ The King Regional High School (Queens, New York), while earning MVP honors and a spot on the All-Tournament team along with future St. John's standout Erick Barkley at that prestigious event. That year, Davis was also named Gatorade National Player of the Year and a Parade All-American. He was also selected to play in the prestigious McDonald's All-American High School Basketball Game in Colorado Springs in 1997, playing with future NBA players Elton Brand, Shane Battier, Larry Hughes and Ron Artest, and winning the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest despite being the smallest man in the competition at 6'2."
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Bernard King
Bernard King (born December 4, 1956 in Brooklyn, New York) is a retired American professional basketball player at the small forward position in the NBA. He played 14 seasons with the New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and the Washington Bullets.
Bernard King attended college at the University of Tennessee and was selected 7th overall in the 1977 NBA Draft by the New York Nets, who months later relocated from Uniondale, New York to New Jersey and became known as the New Jersey Nets.
At 6'7" and 205 pounds, Bernard King epitomized the NBA small forward of the 1980s. With his long arms and quick release, King was an explosive runner on the fast-break and a tremendous scorer. King led the NBA in scoring in 1985 with 32.9 points per game and was selected twice to the All-NBA First Team and three times to the NBA All-Star Game.
In 1977-78, his rookie season, he set a New Jersey Nets franchise record for most points scored in a season with 1,909, at 24.2 points per game. He would later surpass this record with his 2,027 point season in 1983-84, earning the first of his back-to-back All-NBA First Team selections.
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Bill Russell
William Felton "Bill" Russell (born February 12, 1934) is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A five-time winner of the NBA Most Valuable Player Award and a twelve-time All-Star, Russell was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won eleven NBA Championships during Russell's thirteen-year career. Along with Henri Richard of the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens, Russell holds the record for the most championships won by an athlete in a North American sports league. Before his professional career, Russell led the University of San Francisco to two consecutive NCAA championships (1955, 1956). He also won a gold medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics as captain of the U.S. national basketball team.
Russell is widely considered one of the best players in NBA history. Listed as between 6'9" (2.06 m) and 6'10" (2.08 m), Russell's shot-blocking and man-to-man defense were major reasons for the Celtics' success. He also inspired his teammates to elevate their own defensive play. Russell was equally notable for his rebounding abilities. He led the NBA in rebounds four times, and remains second all-time in both total rebounds and rebounds per game. He is one of just two NBA players (the other being prominent rival Wilt Chamberlain) to have grabbed more than fifty rebounds in a game. Though never the focal point of the Celtics' offense, Russell also scored 14,522 career points and provided effective passing.
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Bill Sharman
William Walton "Bill" Sharman (born May 25, 1926 in Abilene, Texas) is a former professional basketball player and coach. Sharman completed high school in the rural city of Porterville, California and is mostly known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, partnering with Bob Cousy in what some consider the greatest backcourt duo of all time. While Cousy was primarily the playmaker, Sharman was the shooter.
From 1950 to 1955 Sharman played professional baseball in the Brooklyn Dodgers minor league system. He was called up to the Dodgers late in the 1951 season but did not appear in a game; as a result of a September 27 game in which the entire Brooklyn bench was ejected from the game for arguing with the umpire, Sharman holds the distinction of being the only player to have ever been ejected from a major league game without ever appearing in one.
Sharman was one of the first guards to shoot better than .400 from the field. He led the NBA in free throw percentage seven times, and his mark of 93.2% in the 1958–59 season remained the NBA record until Ernie DiGregorio topped it in 1976–77. Sharman still holds the record for consecutive free throws in the playoffs with 56. Sharman was named to the All-NBA First Team from 1956 through 1959, and was an All-NBA Second Team member in 1953, 1955, and 1960. Sharman played in eight NBA All-Star games, and was named the 1955 NBA All-Star Game MVP. Sharman ended his career after 11 seasons in 1961.
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Bill Walton
William Theodore "Bill" Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is a retired American basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while leading the Bruins to two Division I national titles. He then went on to have a prominent career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) where he was a league Most Valuable Player (MVP) and won two NBA championships. His professional career was significantly hampered by multiple foot injuries. Walton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 10, 1993 and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame that same year. He is the father of current Cleveland Cavaliers forward Luke Walton.
Walton was born in La Mesa, California, the son of Gloria Anne (née Hickey) and William Theodore "Ted" Walton. His listed adult playing height was 6 feet 11 inches; it has been reported that Walton was actually taller (7 feet 2 inches, or more), but did not like being categorized as a seven-footer.
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Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society. She won "The Battle of the Sexes" in 1973, in which she defeated Bobby Riggs, a former Wimbledon men's singles champion, for $100,000, winner take all. She completed a career tour all surfaces win-loss performance of 81.76% (696-165). Her win-loss performance in all Grand Slam singles tournaments was 82.00% (190-39), at the French Open 77.77% (21-6), at Wimbledon 86.36% (95-15), at the US Open 80.55% (58–14), and at the Australian Open 80.00% (16-4).
King is the founder of the Women's Tennis Association, the Women's Sports Foundation, and owner of World Team Tennis, which was founded by her former husband, Larry King, Dennis Murphy, Frank Barman, and Jordan Kaiser.
Billie Jean Moffit was born in Long Beach, California, into a conservative Methodist family, the daughter of a fireman father and housewife mother. Her younger brother Randy Moffitt grew up to become a professional baseball player, pitching for 12 years in the major leagues for the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Toronto Blue Jays.
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Bimbo Coles
Vernell Eufaye "Bimbo" Coles (born April 22, 1968 in Covington, Virginia) is a retired American basketball player. Coles was a standout at Greenbrier East High School in Lewisburg, West Virginia. He played his college basketball for the Virginia Tech Hokies for four seasons (1986–87 to 1989–90). He was a member of the United States 1988 Olympic basketball team. His NBA career started when he was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the 1990 NBA Draft, and immediately traded to the Miami Heat in exchange for veteran guard Rory Sparrow. After Coles' first of two stints with the Miami Heat, he was traded to the Golden State Warriors, and also played with the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics. He was utilized primarily as a backup point guard. He received his nickname from a cousin in reference to a line in a country music song.
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Bob Bourne
Robert Glen Bourne (born June 21, 1954) is a retired professional ice hockey centre who played for the New York Islanders and the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL between 1974 and 1988.
Bourne was drafted 38th overall by the Kansas City Scouts in the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft, though he would never play for the organization. On September 13, 1974, he was traded to the Islanders for Bart Crashley and the rights to Larry Hornung.
Bourne spent the entire 1974–75 season with the Islanders but found himself in the minor leagues the following year. He returned to the Islanders for the 1976–77 season, and spent the next ten seasons on Long Island, recording at least thirty goals three times and between twenty and thirty goals three others. He won the Stanley Cup 4 times — 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983. He led the Islanders in playoff scoring en route to their fourth Stanley Cup in 1983.
Bourne's career ended on a high note. He was claimed by the Los Angeles Kings on waivers in October 1986 and played 2 seasons with the Kings. In his final year in the NHL he was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance. He was also honored by Sports Illustrated as one of several Sportsmen of the Year in 1987, as one of eight "Athletes Who Care" for their work in humanitarian causes. Bourne was singled out for his work with a school for disabled children.
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Bob Cousy
Robert Joseph "Bob" Cousy (born August 9, 1928) is a retired American professional basketball player. Cousy played point guard with the Boston Celtics from 1950 to 1963 and briefly with the Cincinnati Royals in the 1969-70 season. Cousy first demonstrated his basketball abilities while playing for his high school varsity team in his junior year. He obtained a scholarship to the College of the Holy Cross, where he led the Crusaders to berths in the 1948 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and 1950 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and was named an NCAA All-American for 3 seasons. Cousy was initially drafted as the third overall pick in the first round of the 1950 NBA Draft by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, but after he refused to report, he was picked up by Boston. Cousy had a very successful career with the Celtics, playing on six championship teams, being voted into 13 NBA All-Star Games and 12 All-NBA First and Second Teams and winning the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 1957.
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Bob McAdoo
Robert Allen 'Bob' McAdoo (born September 25, 1951) is a retired American professional basketball player who spent a fourteen-year career playing the center and power forward positions in the National Basketball Association. McAdoo is currently an assistant coach for the Miami Heat.
Drafted in the first round of the 1972 NBA Draft by the Buffalo Braves (now the Los Angeles Clippers) following two seasons at Vincennes Junior College, and one season at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, McAdoo soon became one of the NBA's premier players. McAdoo won the 1973 NBA Rookie of the Year Award in his first season, and earned the first of three consecutive NBA scoring titles in only his second season. His 2nd season (1973–74) remains the last time an NBA player has averaged both 30.0 points per game and 15.0 rebounds per game over the course of a season. McAdoo also led the NBA in field goal percentage in 1973-74, shooting 54.7 percent. That year he enjoyed his first of five All-Star selections. In 1974-75 he was awarded the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, averaging 34.5 points, 14.1 rebounds and 2.12 blocks per game, while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 80.5 percent from the free throw line. He also led the league in fan voting for the 1975 All-Star Game with 98,325 votes.
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Bob Pettit
Robert Lee "Bob" Pettit Jr. (born December 12, 1932, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.) is a retired American professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the NBA, all with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1954-1965). He was the first recipient of the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970. He also went by the nickname "Dutch" in college. He also won the NBA All-Star MVP award four times.
Pettit's basketball career had humble beginnings. At Baton Rouge High School, he was cut from the varsity basketball team as both a freshman and sophomore. His father, Sheriff of East Baton Rouge Parish (1932-1936), pushed him to practice in the backyard of the Kemmerly house until he improved his skills. It worked: Pettit became a starter as a junior, and led Baton Rouge High to its first State Championship in over 20 years in his senior year.
After high school, Pettit accepted a scholarship to play at Louisiana State University. He was a three-time All-Southeastern Conference selection and a two-time All American as a member of the LSU men's basketball team. (Freshmen were not allowed to play varsity basketball in those days.) During those three years, Pettit averaged 27.8 points per game. He was also a member of the Zeta Zeta Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon at LSU.
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Bobby Morrow
Bobby Joe Morrow (born October 15, 1935) is a former American athlete, winner of three Olympic gold medals in 1956. Morrow has been called "the dominant sprinter of the 1950s" and "the most relaxed sprinter of all time, even more so than his hero Jesse Owens".
Bobby Joe Morrow was born in Harlingen, Texas, and raised on a farm in San Benito, Texas. Before becoming a sprinter, Morrow played football for San Benito High School. Morrow also was a sprinter at Abilene Christian University and a member of the men's club Frater Sodalis.
Morrow won the 1955 AAU 100 yard title. His most successful season was in 1956, when he was chosen by Sports Illustrated as "Sportsman of the Year". Morrow won the sprint double in the national college championships and defended his AAU title. Morrow then went to the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, where he won three gold medals and was the leader of the American sprint team.
In all, Morrow won three gold medals. First, he was victorious in the 100 meter dash. He then led an American sweep of the medals in the 200 meter dash, while equaling the World Record at that distance. He won his third gold by anchoring the 4×100 meter relay team to a World Record time. The three performances are encapsulated in this youtube video.
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Bobby Orr
Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr, OC (born March 20, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Orr played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for his entire career, the first ten seasons with the Boston Bruins, joining the Chicago Black Hawks for two more. Orr is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest hockey players of all time. A defenceman, Orr used his ice skating speed and scoring and play-making abilities to revolutionize the position. As of 2011[update], Orr remains the only defenceman to have won the league scoring title with two Art Ross Trophies and holds the record for most points and assists in a single season by a defenceman. Orr won a record eight consecutive Norris Trophies as the NHL's best defenceman and three consecutive Hart Trophies as the league's most valuable player (MVP). Orr was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979 at age 31, the youngest to that day to be inducted into the Hall.
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Bonnie Blair
Bonnie Kathleen Blair (born March 18, 1964 in Cornwall, New York) is a retired American speedskater. She is one of the top skaters of her time, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, and in her Olympic career won five gold medals and one bronze medal.
Blair was raised in Champaign, Illinois. She attended Jefferson Middle School. After graduation from Centennial High School in Champaign, she moved to the Milwaukee area to train with the United States national speed skating team.
Blair appeared at her first Olympic games in Sarajevo in 1984. She failed to medal but finished eighth in the 500 meters. At the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Blair won gold in the 500 meters and bronze in the 1000 meters. In the 500 meters race, Blair set a world record by completing the event in 39.10 seconds. She won both the 500 and 1000 meters (1:21.90) again at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.
Blair took advantage of a change of Olympic rules. In 1986, the International Olympic Committee voted to stage the Winter Olympics and Summer Olympics in alternating four year cycles. Thus, the next Winter Games would be held in February 1994 rather than in February 1996. The 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, were a coronation of sorts for Blair: She again won gold in the 500 meters (39.25) and 1000 (1:18.74) meters races, in dominating fashion. Blair finished 0.36 seconds ahead of the second best time in the 500 meters, and her 1.38 second margin in the 1000 meters race is the largest margin of victory in the history of the event. In the process she became the first American woman to win five gold medals. She also was the only American to have 6 medals at any Winter olympics, which record stood until Apolo Ohno tied it and then surpassed it at the 2010 Winter Olympics when he won a silver and two bronze medals in short track speed skating for eight career medals.
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Boris Diaw
Boris Babacar Diaw-Riffiod, better known as Boris Diaw (born April 16, 1982), is a French professional basketball player who plays for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association. He is 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and 235 lbs (106.6 kg). He played for Pau Orthez, France's top league team, before joining the NBA.
At the end of the 2005–06 NBA season, Diaw was awarded the Most Improved Player trophy by garnering 80 first-place votes in balloting by 124 sports writers and sportscasters. He received 489 overall points.
In 2000, he won the European Junior Championship with the French National Team. He won a slam dunk contest in France when he was selected to play in the France Pro-A league's All-Star game in 2002. He was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, twenty-first overall in the 2003 NBA Draft where he played for two seasons before being traded in the offseason of 2005 with two future first round picks to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Joe Johnson. He had won the bronze medal at the European Championship with the French National Team in 2005.
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Bowie Kuhn
Bowie Kent Kuhn (/ˈbuːi ˈkjuːn/; October 28, 1926 – March 15, 2007) was an American lawyer and sports administrator who served as the fifth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from February 4, 1969, to September 30, 1984. He served as legal counsel for Major League Baseball owners for almost 20 years prior to his election as commissioner.
Kuhn was born in Takoma Park, Maryland, grew up in Washington, D.C., and graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School. He then attended Franklin and Marshall College in the V-12 Navy College Training Program before going to Princeton University in 1945. He graduated from Princeton with honors in 1947 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He then received his law degree in 1950 from the University of Virginia where he served on the editorial board of the law review.
Following his graduation from law school, Kuhn became a member of the New York City law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher because the firm represented the National League. While working in baseball's legal affairs, Kuhn served as a counselor for the NL in a lawsuit brought against it by the City of Milwaukee when the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta following the 1965 season.
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Brandon Hunter
Brandon Hunter (born November 24, 1980 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a 6'7", 260 lbs, American professional basketball player who currently plays for BBC Bayreuth in Germany. Most of his career he has been a journeyman player.
As a college senior for the Ohio Bobcats, the power forward averaged 21.5 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 blocks and 0.8 steals. That year he led all NCAA players in rebounding. He also joined the exclusive 2,000 point, 1,000 rebound club.
After his college basketball career with the Ohio Bobcats, he was selected as a second round draft choice (56th overall) of the Boston Celtics in the 2003 NBA Draft. He played 36 games for the team, averaging 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in his rookie season. On June 22, 2004 he was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats in the NBA Expansion Draft. He never played a game for them because he was traded on November 1 of that year to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Keith Bogans. In Orlando he averaged 3.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in 31 contests. He was signed by the Milwaukee Bucks before the 2005-06 season, but he was waived before he played in any NBA games for the club.
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Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre (born October 10, 1969) is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons (1991), Green Bay Packers (1992–2007), New York Jets (2008) and Minnesota Vikings (2009–2010). Favre is the only quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 70,000 yards, over 500 touchdowns, over 300 interceptions, and over 10,000 pass attempts. He officially retired on January 17, 2011.
Favre started at the quarterback position for the University of Southern Mississippi for four years before being selected in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft by Atlanta (33rd overall). He was traded to Green Bay on February 10, 1992, for the 19th pick in the 1992 NFL Draft.
Favre became the Packers' starting quarterback in the fourth game of the 1992 season, and started every game through the 2007 season. He was traded to the New York Jets and started at quarterback for the 2008 season before signing with the Vikings on August 18, 2009 as their starting quarterback. He made an NFL record 297 consecutive starts (321 including playoffs).
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Brian Cook
Brian Joshua Cook (born December 4, 1980, in Lincoln, Illinois) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards. Cook was drafted out of the University of Illinois with the 24th pick of the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. He is the son of Norm Cook, an All-American for the Kansas Jayhawks and played briefly for the Boston Celtics, and the nephew of Joe Cook, who played basketball for Duke University from 1988-1990.
Cook was born on December 4, 1980, in Lincoln, Illinois. His father, Norman Cook, played collegiate basketball at the University of Kansas (1974–76) and professionally for the Boston Celtics (1979–80). Cook played high school basketball at Lincoln High School in central Illinois. He led his high school team, the Lincoln Community High School Railsplitters, to the quarterfinals of the Illinois High School Association class AA state boys basketball tournament. He was selected to the 1998 State Farm Holiday Classic all-tournament team and was a 1999 McDonald's All American.
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Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Michael Yastrzemski ( /jəˈstrɛmski/; nicknamed "Yaz"; born August 22, 1939) is a former American Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year baseball career with the Boston Red Sox (1961–1983). He was primarily a left fielder, with part of his later career played at first base and as a designated hitter. Yastrzemski is an 18-time All-Star, the possessor of seven Gold Gloves, a member of the 3000 hit club, and the first American League player in that club to also accumulate over 400 home runs. He is second on the all-time list for games played, and third for total at-bats. He is the Red Sox' all-time leader in career RBIs, runs, hits, singles, doubles, total bases, and games played, and is second on the team's list for home runs behind another Red Sox great, Ted Williams, his predecessor in left field. In 1967, Yastrzemski achieved a peak in his career, leading the Red Sox to the American League pennant for the first time in over two decades, in that season being voted the American League MVP, and being the most recent winner of the triple crown for batters in the major leagues.
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Carlos Boozer
Carlos Austin Boozer, Jr. (born November 20, 1981) is an American professional basketball player with the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association. As a member of the Team USA, Boozer won an Olympic bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Although born at a military base in Aschaffenburg, West Germany, Boozer grew up in Juneau, Alaska, in the US. As a child, Boozer and his father practiced outside at his local middle school, throughout the cold Alaska seasons. He attended Juneau-Douglas High School. Boozer was married to his wife CeCe for six years before he filed for divorce in March 2009. Boozer and CeCe have three children together: Carmani (who had a bone marrow transplant in 2007 to treat sickle-cell disease), and twins, Cameron and Cayden. He also has a younger brother, Charles, who previously played basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones. Boozer was reported as having an affair with actress Michelle Money, which Money later confirmed.
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Carlos Delfino
Carlos Francisco Delfino (born August 29, 1982, in Santa Fe, Argentina) is an Argentine professional basketball player. He also has Italian citizenship. Delfino plays at the small forward and shooting guard positions. He stands 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) tall and weighs 104 kg (230 lb). He is also noted for his defense and three point shooting skills. He is currently a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.
He began his professional career playing in the Argentine Basketball League for Olimpia de Venado Tuerto in the 1998–99 season, and he then transferred to Unión de Santa Fe in 1999–2000. Delfino moved to Italy in 2000 and played four seasons in the Italian A-1 League, the first two with Reggio Calabria and the other two seasons with Skipper Bologna.
In his first season in Italy, he played for Reggio Calabria. In just under 21 minutes per game he averaged 8.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He scored a season-high 25 points in his second game against Scavolini Pesaro, making five of eight three-point attempts. He scored 15 points in just 20 minutes against Cordivari Roseto and tallied 14 points apiece against Paf Bologna, Muller Verona and Kinder Bologna. He hit at least one three-pointer in 19 of 24 games.
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Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kiyan Anthony (born May 29, 1984), nicknamed "Melo", is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a successful high school career at Towson Catholic High School and Oak Hill Academy, Anthony attended Syracuse University for college where he led the Orangemen to their first National Championship in 2003. He earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award and was named the Most Valuable Player of NCAA East Regional. After one season at Syracuse University, Anthony left college to enter the 2003 NBA Draft, where he was selected as the third pick by the Nuggets. He was traded to the Knicks several days prior to the 2011 trade deadline.
Since entering the NBA, Anthony has emerged as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league. He was named to the All-Rookie team, to the All-Star team five times and to the All-NBA team five times. Anthony led the Nuggets to two division titles and to the playoffs every year from 2004 to 2010. In 2009, he helped the Nuggets advance to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1985. As a member of the USA National Team, Anthony won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics.
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Cedric Maxwell
Cedric Bryan Maxwell (born November 21, 1955) is a retired American professional basketball player now in radio broadcasting. Nicknamed "Cornbread", he played 11 seasons in the NBA, and played a key role in two championships with the Boston Celtics.
Maxwell was a star forward/center for the Charlotte 49ers. Among the 49ers, Maxwell ranks 6th all-time in points scored and his #33 jersey was retired in 1977, when he led UNC Charlotte to the NCAA Final Four. Upon completion of his career at Charlotte, Maxwell was the 12th overall pick in the 1977 NBA Draft. He was drafted by the Boston Celtics, where he played for eight of his eleven seasons.
Maxwell made an impact in his second season with the Celtics. While Boston was mired in an otherwise awful 1978-79 season, as they awaited Larry Bird's decision to sign with the franchise, the second-year power forward averaged 19.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. The Celtics would go just 29-53 on the year, but the young Maxwell's potential, along with the promising addition of Bird and others, set the stage for what would become an NBA dynasty.
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Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is a former American professional basketball player and current analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's (NBA's) most dominating power forwards. He was selected to the All-NBA First Team five times, the All-NBA Second Team five times, and once to the All-NBA Third Team. He earned eleven NBA All-Star Game appearances and was named the All-Star MVP in 1991. In 1993, he was voted the league's Most Valuable Player and during the NBA's 50th anniversary, named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic games and won two gold medals as a member of the United States' Dream Team. In 2006, Barkley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Barkley was popular with the fans and media and made the NBA's All-Interview Team for his last 13 seasons in the league. He was frequently involved in on- and off-court fights and sometimes stirred national controversy, as in March 1991 when he mistakenly spat on a young girl, and as in 1993 when he declared that sports figures should not be considered role models. Short for a power forward, Barkley used his strength and aggressiveness to become one of the NBA's most dominant rebounders. He was a versatile player who had the ability to score, create plays, and defend. In 2000, he retired as the fourth player in NBA history to achieve 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists.
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Charlie Finley
Charles Oscar Finley (February 22, 1918–February 19, 1996), nicknamed Charlie O or Charley O, was an American businessman who is best remembered for his tenure as the owner of the Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball team. Finley purchased the franchise while it was located in Kansas City, moving it to Oakland in 1968.
Finley was born in Ensley, Alabama, but was raised in Gary, Indiana, and later lived in La Porte, a small town 60 miles east of Chicago. In 1946 he had a bout of tuberculosis that nearly killed him. Finley made his fortune in the insurance business, being among the first to write group medical insurance policies for those in the medical profession.
Finley showed a penchant for flair and inventive business practices. Sometimes, when wooing prospective customers, Finley would drive the client through the richest section of Gary. Pointing out a large mansion, Finley would declare "That's my place there, but I'm having it remodeled right now." Finley's fortunes grew and he ended up owning a 40 story insurance building in downtown Chicago. When Finley bought his personal property in Laporte, he hired John Mihelic as his ranch caretaker. The property was a working cattle ranch which consisted of an 18th century 11 room colonial manor house and 9 barns and various outbuildings. Finley had a large mansion built on the property which featured rounded portico's and columns which resembled the White House in Washington D.C. Mihelic and his family then moved into the original house and lived there as manager and caretakers.
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Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Ray Billups (born September 25, 1976, in Denver, Colorado) is an American professional basketball guard for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A star at the University of Colorado, he was chosen third overall in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics.
A 5 time NBA All-Star and a 3 time All-NBA selection, Billups has played for the Celtics, the Toronto Raptors, the Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Detroit Pistons, the New York Knicks, the Clippers, and Team USA. He won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004, helping the Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, and was given the nickname "Mr. Big Shot" for making late-game shots with Detroit.
In 2004 he was honored by the University of Colorado as the fifth player to have his jersey (number 4) retired.
Billups attended Denver's George Washington High School, where he was a four-time All-State first team pick, Colorado Mr. Basketball three times, and Colorado Player of the Year as a sophomore and as a junior. He was selected to the 1995 McDonald's All-American Team but did not play due to a shoulder injury, an injury that he would have a problem with off and on throughout his early career.
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Chris Bosh
Christopher Wesson Bosh (born March 24, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who plays power forward for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
A high school "Mr. Basketball" in Texas, Bosh left college at Georgia Tech after one season with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team to enter the 2003 NBA Draft. He was selected fourth overall by the Toronto Raptors in a very competitive draft class. While at Toronto, Bosh emerged as one of the young stars in the league; he became a five-time NBA All-Star, was named to the All-NBA second team once, appeared for the US national team (with whom he won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics), and took over former fan-favorite Vince Carter as the face and leader of the Raptors franchise. In the 2006–07 season, Bosh led the Raptors to their first NBA Playoffs berth in five years, and their first ever division title. He left Toronto as its all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, double doubles, free throws made and attempted, and minutes played.
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Chris Evert
Christine Marie "Chris" Evert (born December 21, 1954) is a former world #1 professional tennis player from the United States. She won 18 Grand Slam singles championships, including a record seven championships at the French Open and a record six championships at the U.S. Open. She was the year-ending World No. 1 singles player in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, and 1981.
Evert's career win–loss record in singles matches of 1,309–145 (90.05%) is the best of any professional player, man or woman, in the Open Era. On clay courts her career match win loss rate of 94.05% (316/20) remains a WTA record. In tennis writer Steve Flink's book The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century, he named Evert as the third best female player of the 20th century, after Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova. Evert never lost in the first or second rounds of a Grand Slam singles tournament. She won 157 singles championships. In women's doubles, Evert won three Grand Slam titles and 29 regular tour championships.
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Chris Kaman
Christopher Zane Kaman (born April 28, 1982) is an American-German basketball player for the NBA's New Orleans Hornets. Kaman stands 7'0" (2.13 m) and weighs 265 pounds (120 kg). He was selected sixth overall in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, after a college basketball career at Central Michigan University.
Kaman attended Tri-unity Christian School in Wyoming, Michigan, leading his high school varsity to the state Class D quarterfinals in 2000, before losing to Lenawee Christian School. He went on to play for three seasons at Central Michigan University, leading them to a Mid-American Conference Championship and a NCAA tournament first-round win in 2003. He then garnered Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America honors before declaring for the 2003 NBA Draft, where the Clippers selected him sixth overall.
In his rookie year, Kaman averaged 6.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.89 blocks and 22.5 minutes in 82 games played (61 starts). He was the only Clipper to play all 82 games. Kaman became only the second rookie in franchise history (Michael Brooks, 1980–81) to play in all 82 games in his rookie season. Although his rookie year was all but spectacular, earning only five point-rebound double-doubles, he was ranked second among all rookies in blocked shots per game (.89 bpg), third in field goal percentage (.460) and fourth in rebounds per game (5.6 rpg), Kaman managed to hold a roster spot on the NBA Rookie All-Star Team. He tallied eight points (4–7 FG) and seven rebounds in 19 minutes played for the losing Rookie Team in the 2004 Got Milk? Rookie Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend 2004 in Los Angeles.
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Chris Paul
Christopher Emmanuel Paul Sr. (born May 6, 1985) is an American professional basketball point guard for the Los Angeles Clippers. 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 the New Orleans Hornets, Paul has been a NBA Rookie of the Year (2006), a five-time All-Star, and a multiple 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 has also achieved success in the sport of bowling and is 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.
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Cito Gaston
Clarence Edwin "Cito" Gaston ( /ˈsiːtoʊ ˈɡæstən/; born March 17, 1944) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. His major league career as a player lasted from 1967–1978, most notably for the San Diego Padres and the Atlanta Braves. His managerial career was with the Toronto Blue Jays where he became the first African-American manager in Major League history to win a World Series title.
Cito Gaston managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1989 to 1997, and again from 2008 to 2010. During this time, he managed the Blue Jays to four Division Titles (1989, 1991, 1992 and 1993), two American League Pennants (1992 and 1993) and two World Series (1992 and 1993).
Gaston grew up in San Antonio and Corpus Christi, Texas, where his father was a truck driver. His career ambitions were either to be a truck driver like his father, or make into the Major Leagues. He adopted his nickname 'Cito' in preference to his given name 'Clarence'. Gaston later told Toronto Blue Jays broadcasters that the name was taken from a Mexican-American wrestler he watched as a young man in Texas. Other reports state that Gaston was given this nickname from a friend named Carlos Thompson who thought that Gaston resembled a Mexican wrestler named "Cito".
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Curt Schilling
Curtis Montague Schilling (born November 14, 1966) is a former American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in 1993 and won World Series championships in 2001 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in 2004 and 2007 with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling retired with a career postseason record of 11–2. His .846 postseason winning percentage is a major-league record among pitchers with at least 10 decisions.
After retiring, he founded Green Monster Games which was renamed 38 Studios. The company released Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning in February 2012, but just three months later, Schilling laid off his entire staff amid severe financial troubles that resulted in the company missing payroll the previous week.
Schilling graduated from Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1985, before attending Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona.
Schilling began his professional career in the Red Sox farm system as a second-round pick in what would be the final January draft in MLB. He began his professional career with the Elmira Pioneers, a then Red Sox affiliate. After two and a half years in the minor leagues, he and Brady Anderson were traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 1988 for Mike Boddicker. His major league debut was with the Orioles (1988–1990), and he then spent one year with the Houston Astros (1991).
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Dahntay Jones
Dahntay Lavall Jones (born December 27, 1980 in Trenton, New Jersey) is an American professional basketball player, currently playing for the Indiana Pacers of the NBA.
Originally a student at Rutgers University, Jones transferred to Duke University. He was selected by the Boston Celtics in the first round (20th overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft, and his rights were later traded, along with the rights to Troy Bell, to the Grizzlies for the rights to Kendrick Perkins and Marcus Banks. Jones played his first four professional seasons for the Grizzlies, averaging 5.0 points per game.
Jones grew up in Hamilton Square, New Jersey. and starred in Steinert High School in Hamilton Township, Mercer County from 1995-1998. He averaged 24 points and 9 rebounds as a senior and was named as a McDonald's All-America honorable mention.
Even though Jones enjoyed a career season in 2007, no team signed him until on September 26, 2007, Jones signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Boston Celtics, but was later waived by the team on October 25, 2007.
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Dale Murphy
Dale Bryan Murphy (born March 12, 1956 in Portland, Oregon) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman. During an 18-year baseball career, 1976–1993, he played for three different teams, but is noted for his time with the Atlanta Braves. Murphy won consecutive National League Most Valuable Player Awards (1982–1983), the National League's Silver Slugger Award four straight years (1982–1985), and the National League's Gold Glove award five straight years (1982–1986).
In 1976 Murphy began his major league career with a nineteen game stint catching with the Atlanta Braves. He appeared in only eighteen games the following season. In 1978, Murphy played first base mostly. At the plate, he slumped to a .226 batting average, though he also showed hints of his future power by hitting 23 home runs.
Murphy switched to the outfield in 1980, a move that would help initiate a decade of highly productive play in the National League. Beginning in left field, he soon switched to center field, the position at which he would find his greatest success. By 1982, the most decorated year of Murphy's career, the former bench-riding catcher had transformed himself into an All-Star MVP outfielder who appeared in each of Atlanta's 162 games. His turnaround as a fielder was equally stark. In 1978, as a first baseman, Murphy had led all National League first-baggers in errors; in 1982, spending time at each of the three outfield positions, he won his first of five consecutive Gold Gloves.
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Danny Fortson
Daniel Anthony Fortson (born on March 27, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played power forward/center in the NBA from 1997 to 2007.
Although born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Fortson grew up in Altoona, Pennsylvania in a difficult home environment. He did not get along well with his father, who spent some time in jail, while his mother spent some time in the hospital. Fortson had grown up in the same neighborhood as Doug West and began high school at the same school West attended, Altoona Area High School. Before starting there, he became friends with a family, whose son played on his AAU basketball team. He spent two summers living with the family in the middle-class Pittsburgh suburb of Shaler Township, eighty five mile west of Altoona.
After his sophomore year, he and his mother moved to Shaler and Fortson transferred to Shaler Area High School for his final two years in high school (1992–1994). He was ruled ineligible his junior year for all but two games and averaged 30 points per game his senior year. He was a member of the prestigious JOTS squads for pre-college basketball prospects.
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Darko Miličić
Darko Miličić (Serbian: Дарко Миличић; born June 20, 1985) is a Serbian professional basketball center for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Detroit Pistons as the second overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft after LeBron James, and ahead of players such as Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade. However, Miličić never received significant playing time during his 2½ seasons with the team and was traded to the Orlando Magic in 2006. After stints with the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks, Miličić was traded to the Timberwolves in 2010, then signed a four year contract in the off-season.
Unlike most teams with high draft picks, the Pistons were a good team that made the Eastern Conference Finals the season before. They held the pick because of a trade that was made with the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1996. Miličić saw limited playing time during his tenure with the Pistons, but did become the youngest player to appear in an NBA Finals game (18 years and 356 days) when the Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals. He was also the fourth youngest player and the youngest foreign player to play in the NBA.
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Dave Bing
David "Dave" Bing (born November 24, 1943) is the mayor of Detroit, Michigan, a businessman, and a retired American professional basketball player who played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), primarily for the Detroit Pistons (1966–75). He was a seven-time All-Star. After retiring, he founded the Bing Group, which was one of the largest steel companies in Michigan.
His #21 was retired by the Detroit Pistons, and in 1996 he was named as one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players of all time.
He was elected mayor of Detroit in a special election on May 5, 2009 and was sworn in on May 11, 2009. Bing won the full-term mayoral election on November 3, 2009, defeating challenger Tom Barrow.
Bing was born and raised in northeast Washington, D.C., as a son of a bricklayer. At age five, Bing accidentally poked his left eye with a nail of a wooden horse that he improvised. With the family unable to afford an eye operation, the eye healed on its own but left Bing with fuzzy vision since then.
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Dave Cowens
David William Cowens (born October 25, 1948, in Newport, Kentucky) is a retired American professional basketball player and NBA head coach. At 6'9", he played the center and occasionally the power forward position. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. He was recently an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons, and currently serves as a special assistant to Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars.
After starring in high school at Newport Catholic High in his hometown of Newport, Kentucky, Cowens played his collegiate basketball at Florida State University from 1967 to 1970. He scored 1,479 points in 78 games at Florida State, at 19.0 points per game, and ranks among Florida State's top 10 all-time scoring leaders.
He is the all-time Florida State leading rebounder with 1,340 rebounds (17.2 rebounds per game). He holds the team record for best seasonal rebound average (17.5 in the 1968-1969 season). He once grabbed 31 rebounds (second best all-time) against LSU in the 1968-69 season.
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David Fizdale
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Dean Smith
Dean Edwards Smith (born February 28, 1931) is a retired American head coach of men's college basketball. Originally from Emporia, Kansas, Smith has been called a “coaching legend” by the Basketball Hall of Fame. Smith is best known for his successful 36-year coaching tenure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Smith coached from 1961 to 1997 and retired with 879 victories, which was the NCAA Division I men's basketball record at that time. Smith has the 9th highest winning percentage of any men’s college basketball coach (77.6%). During his tenure as head coach of North Carolina, the team won two national titles and appeared in 11 Final Fours.
Smith is also known for running a clean program and having a high graduation rate for his players, with 96.6% of his athletes receiving their degrees. While at North Carolina, Smith helped promote desegregation by recruiting the University’s first African American scholarship basketball player, Charlie Scott, and pushing for equal treatment for African Americans by local businesses. Smith coached and worked with numerous individuals at North Carolina who went on to achieve notable success in basketball, as either players or coaches or both. Smith retired as head coach from North Carolina in 1997, saying that he was not able to give the team the same level of enthusiasm that he had given it for years. Since retirement, Smith has used his influence to help out in various charitable ventures and political activities.
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DeMarco Johnson
DeMarco Antonio Johnson (born October 6, 1975) is an American retired professional basketball player and current assistant basketball coach at Hampton University.
Johnson graduated from North Mecklenburg High School in 1993. He was an all-county selection in senior year.
Johnson attended and played collegiately for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He redshirted his freshman year before lettering in basketball for four years and was selected in the All-Freshman team of the Metro Conference. As a sophomore, he was a second-team All-Conference USA selection and then a two-time first-team All-C-USA selection. C-USA also named Johnson player of the year in 1998. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. With Johnson, Charlotte appeared in the NCAA post-season tournament in 1995, 1997, and 1998 and was the top regular season Conference USA team in 1995 and 1997.
In the 1998 NBA Draft, he was selected by the New York Knicks with the 9th pick of the 2nd round (38th overall). In his brief NBA career he played in five games for the Knicks in the 1999–2000 season, registering 6 points and 7 rebounds.
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Dennis Johnson
Dennis Wayne Johnson (September 18, 1954 – February 22, 2007) nicknamed "DJ", was an American, professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics and coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. He was an alumnus of Dominguez High School, Los Angeles Harbor College and Pepperdine University.
A prototypical late bloomer, Johnson overcame early struggles and had a successful NBA playing career. Drafted 29th overall in 1976 by the Seattle SuperSonics, Johnson began his professional career as a shooting guard. He eventually led the Sonics to their only NBA championship in 1979, winning the Finals MVP Award. After a short stint with the Phoenix Suns, he became the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics, with whom he won two more championships. Johnson was voted into five All-Star Teams, one All-NBA First and one Second Team, and nine consecutive All-Defensive First and Second Teams. Apart from his reputation as a defensive stopper, Johnson was known as a clutch player who made several decisive plays in NBA playoffs history.
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Denny McLain
Dennis Dale "Denny" McLain (born March 29, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a pitcher in Major League Baseball for ten seasons, most notably for the Detroit Tigers. In 1968, McLain became the last pitcher in Major League Baseball to win 30 or more games during a season (31–6)— a feat accomplished by only thirteen players in the 20th century.
McLain was brash and outspoken, sometimes creating controversy by criticizing teammates and fans with little provocation. His stellar performance at the beginning of his professional baseball career was a marked contrast to his personal life, where he became associated with organized crime and was eventually convicted on charges of embezzlement and served time in prison.
McLain was born in Markham, Illinois and attended Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago, where he played on the baseball team as a shortstop and pitcher. As a teenager, he met his future wife, Sharyn Boudreau, the daughter of former major league player, Lou Boudreau. McLain was also musically talented, learning to play the organ from his father.
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Derek Jeter
Derek Sanderson Jeter ( /ˈdʒiːtər/; born June 26, 1974) is an American baseball shortstop who has played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. A five-time World Series champion, Jeter has been a central figure of the Yankees during their success of the 1990s and 2000s due to his clubhouse presence, on-field leadership, hitting ability, and baserunning. He is the Yankees' all-time career leader in hits (3,155), games played (2,472), stolen bases (342), and at bats (10,066). His accolades include twelve All-Star selections, five Gold Glove Awards, four Silver Slugger Awards, two Hank Aaron Awards, and the Roberto Clemente Award. Jeter is the all-time MLB leader in hits by a shortstop, and the 28th player to reach 3,000 hits.
The Yankees drafted Jeter out of high school in 1992, and he debuted in the major leagues in 1995. The following year, he became the Yankees' starting shortstop, won the Rookie of the Year Award, and helped the team win the 1996 World Series. Jeter continued to contribute during the team's championship seasons of 1998–2000; he finished third in voting for the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 1998, recorded multiple career-high numbers in 1999, and won both the All-Star Game MVP and World Series MVP Awards in 2000. He has consistently placed among the AL leaders in hits and runs scored for the past ten years, and since 2003 has served as the Yankees' team captain.
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Deron Williams
Deron Michael Williams ( /ˈdɛrən/ DERR-in; born June 26, 1984), is an American basketball player currently with the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Williams has also played for the Utah Jazz of the NBA and Beşiktaş of the Turkish Basketball League. Williams was drafted 3rd overall in the 2005 draft by the Utah Jazz, for whom he played before being traded in the middle of his sixth season to the Nets. He is a three-time All-Star and was a gold medal winner at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Williams played college basketball at the University of Illinois.
In elementary school and middle school, Williams won two state wrestling championships. In 1993, as an eight-year-old, he won the 67 lb. weight class Texas State championship. Four years later in 1997, he won the twelve-year-old 116 lb. weight class championship. Williams attended The Colony High School in The Colony, Texas and averaged 17 points, 9.4 assists, and 2 steals per game as a junior in 2001. That year he led his team, the Cougars, to a 32–2 record and the Class 5A state semifinals against Bryan High. In 2002, as a senior, he averaged 17.6 points, 8.5 assists, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.6 steals per game. His team, the Cougars, went 29–2 that season, losing the 5A Texas State semifinals. Williams was a teammate of Bracey Wright who went on to play for Big Ten rival Indiana University.
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Derrick Rose
Derrick Martell Rose (born October 4, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Born in Chicago, Rose learned the game of basketball from his three older brothers. In high school, he won two state championships and was rated by scouts as the top point guard prospect in the country after graduation.[citation needed] He played for the University of Memphis Tigers and reached the NCAA national championship game in 2008. Shortly after, Rose declared for the 2008 NBA Draft and was selected first overall by the Chicago Bulls. In his first year of professional basketball, Rose was voted the Rookie of the Year and was selected to the All-Rookie Team. In his second season, Rose was selected as an NBA All-Star for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game; he was also named a starter for the U.S. team at the 2010 FIBA World Championships. Since being drafted, Rose has led the Bulls to the NBA Playoffs every year. In 2011, he received the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, becoming the youngest player ever to win this award. He joined Michael Jordan as the only Chicago Bulls players to win the honor.
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Derrick Zimmerman
Derrick Dewayne Zimmerman (born December 2, 1981 in Monroe, Louisiana) is an American professional basketball player. He played collegiately at Mississippi State University.
For the Mississippi State Bulldogs, he averaged 8.9 points, 5.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 0.8 blocks. He shot 15 of 52 three-pointers as a senior and 64.9% on free throws.
He was selected 40th overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, and played two games with the NBA's New Jersey Nets during the 2005-06 season. He played in the NBA D-League for the Columbus Riverdragons (2004–05) and Austin Toros (2005–06). Derrick was named the NBDL's Defensive Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons (Austin 2005-06, Columbus 2004-05). On December 2006 he signed a one month contract with Brose Baskets Bamberg in the German Basketball Bundesliga. After his contract expired, he signed with Italian team Air Avellino until the end of the season. After that he signed with the Ukrainian club Budivelnyk Kyiv in summer 2008.
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Dexter Pittman
Dexter Jerome Pittman (born March 2, 1988) is an American professional basketball player with the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association.
Pittman was a three-year starter at B. F. Terry High School, where he averaged 15 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over his career. In his senior season, he was named the Most Valuable Player for District 24-4A. He verbally committed to the University of Texas in October 2005, over scholarship offers from Texas A&M and Arizona State. He was ranked as the 16th best center prospect out of high school, as well as one of the top 150 high school players in the nation.
Pittman was used sparingly in his first two seasons at Texas, averaging less than 3 points per game with just one start. As a junior, he started 24 games–averaging 10 points and 5.5 rebounds per game–and became one of the most dominant centers in the Big 12 conference.
Pittman weighed 388 lbs as a senior at Terry High School. After receiving weight loss tips from Texas' Strength and Conditioning coach Todd Wright, he was able to drop his weight to 366 lbs before enrolling at Texas. His weight still prevented him from doing basic drills in practice, which caused various back and knee aches. Pittman then dedicated himself to a workout program with Wright, which included 5:30 AM workouts and a complete revamp of his diet. Pittman agreed to call Todd Wright before every meal to evaluate his choices. He later characterized the workout regimen as so tough that "I wanted to cry and say, 'Man, I want to give up'". Since losing almost 100 pounds, he has become an icon for admirers, like Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, who heard about his weight loss.
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Dick Vermeil
Richard Albert "Dick" Vermeil (pronounced /vərˈmiːl/; born October 30, 1936) is a former American head coach for the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles (1976–1982), St. Louis Rams (1997–1999) and Kansas City Chiefs (2001–2005). He is in the Sid Gillman coaching tree and has coached at every level; Vermeil owns the distinction of being named “Coach of the Year” on four levels: High School, Junior College, NCAA Division I and Professional Football.
In all three of his stops as an NFL head coach, Vermeil has taken every team—Philadelphia, St. Louis and Kansas City, each of which had a losing record before he arrived—and brought them to the playoffs by his third season at the helm.
Vermeil graduated in 1959 with an M.A. from San Jose State University, where he was the backup quarterback. After serving as assistant coach for San Jose’s Del Mar High School football team for one season and for Hillsdale High School in nearby San Mateo, he then went to Foothill College with coach Bill Walker. During the 1964-1965 school year he was weightlifting coach at College of San Mateo with his brother as an assistant. The following year he was at Diablo Valley College as a football coach. In 1965-1966, he coached Stanford University's freshman football team. Vermeil was hired as the NFL's first ever Special Teams coach by George Allen's Los Angeles Rams in 1969. Except for 1970, when he was an assistant coach with UCLA, he would remain with the Rams until 1974 when he was named as head coach by UCLA. Vermeil compiled a 15–5–3 record in two seasons (1974–1975) as head coach at UCLA, including a 9–2–1 record in 1975 when Vermeil led the Bruins to their first conference championship in 10 years, and a win in the Rose Bowl over an undefeated and number 1 ranked Ohio State team.
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Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Werner Nowitzki (German pronunciation: [ˈdɪʁk ˈvɛʁnɐ noˈvɪtski]) (born June 19, 1978) is a German professional basketball player who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). An alumnus of Röntgen Gymnasium and DJK Würzburg basketball club, Nowitzki was drafted ninth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1998 NBA Draft, and was immediately traded to the Mavericks, where he has played ever since. Standing 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m), Nowitzki plays the power forward position but also has the athleticism and shooting ability to play the other frontcourt positions, center and small forward.
Nowitzki has led the Mavericks to 12 consecutive NBA Playoffs (2000–01–2011–12), including an NBA Finals appearance in 2006 and the franchise's first championship in 2011, making him one of only 5 players in NBA history to win a championship while being the only NBA All-Star on the team. He is an 11-time All-Star and 12-time member of the All-NBA Teams, and the first European-born player in NBA history to receive the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. He is the first Maverick ever to be voted into an All-NBA Team and also holds several all-time Mavericks franchise records. Only Nowitzki and three other players have ever averaged more than 25 points and 10 rebounds in the NBA playoffs, and only Nowitzki and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have managed 4 consecutive 30-point, 15-rebound games in the playoffs. Additionally, Nowitzki is the only player in NBA history to get 100 blocks and 150 3-pointers in a single season.
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Dominique Wilkins
Jacques Dominique Wilkins (born January 12, 1960) is a retired American professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. Wilkins was a nine-time NBA All-Star, and one of the best dunkers in NBA history, earning the nickname "The Human Highlight Film." In 2006, Wilkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame [2].
Wilkins was born in Paris, France because his father was stationed there while in the U.S. Air Force. Wilkins' family then moved to Washington, North Carolina, where he attended Washington High School. He was the back-to-back MVP for the team's consecutive Class 3-A State Championships (1978-1979). Wilkins then starred in the McDonald's Game, The Capital Classic, The Kentucky Derby Festival Classic, and The Dapper Dan Classic All-Star Games. He had 16 points and 12 rebounds in the McDonald's, 26 points in the Capital, and 22 points in the Derby Classic. He entered the University of Georgia in 1979 with an established reputation as an exciting player. Wilkins averaged 21.6 points a game over his career and was named SEC Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 1981. He left college after his junior year and was selected third overall (behind James Worthy and Terry Cummings) by the Utah Jazz in the 1982 NBA Draft.
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Don Shula
Donald Francis "Don" Shula (born January 4, 1930) is a former American football cornerback and coach.
He is best known as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he led to two Super Bowl victories, and to the National Football League's only perfect season. Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated. He currently holds the NFL record for most career wins with 347. Shula only had two losing seasons in his 36-year career of coaching in the NFL. He has been head coach for a record six Super Bowls. In his first, he set the record for the longest period to be shut out (not scoring until 3:19 remaining). His next Super Bowl he set the record for the lowest points by any team (with only one field goal). The very next year he turned that all around during his perfect season, breaking his record of longest period with a shut out, this time with him on the winning side (not giving up any points until 2:07 remaining). As of 2012, Shula's perfect NFL season remains unmatched, and his three Super Bowl records and total NFL wins remain unbroken.
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Dorell Wright
Dorell Lawrence Wright (born December 2, 1985) is an American professional basketball small forward with the Golden State Warriors. In the 2010-11 season, Wright became known for his three-point shooting.
Wright was selected 19th overall by the Heat in the 2004 NBA Draft. He entered the NBA directly out of high school, after averaging 29.4 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks per game for South Kent Prep in Connecticut. He initially committed to attend DePaul University before entering the draft.
In 2006, Wright was the youngest member of the Heat's first NBA championship squad.
On August 21, 2008, Wright re-signed with the Heat.
Wright signed with the Golden State Warriors on July 13, 2010.
On November 27, 2010, Wright set a franchise record with nine three-point field goals made, surpassing Jason Richardson's record of eight three-pointers set on March 29, 2007.
On February 9, 2011, Wright was selected to compete in the 3-Point Shootout at the 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.
On March 18, 2011, Wright went scoreless in the first half, but in the second half, he scored 30 points against the Phoenix Suns in a 108-97 loss. He ended up with 30 points to go with 6 rebounds, 2 assists,and 2 blocks.
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Drew Brees
Andrew Christopher "Drew" Brees (pronounced /ˈbriːs/; born January 15, 1979) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.
Brees has been selected to the Pro Bowl six times in his career – with the Chargers in 2004 and the Saints in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. He was named the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year in 2004, the Offensive Player of the Year in 2008, and the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV. He was also selected by voters to appear on the cover of EA Sports' Madden NFL 11.Sports Illustrated named him as its 2010 Sportsman of the Year.
Brees holds the single-season record for most passing yards in a single season, with 5,476 yards passing during the 2011 season.
Brees was born in Dallas, Texas, the son of Mina (née Akins), an attorney, and Eugene Wilson Brees II, a medical malpractice attorney. He was named after Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson. His uncle, Marty Akins, was an All-American starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns college football team from 1975 to 1977. Chip Brees played basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team, and his grandfather, Ray Akins, had the third-most victories as a Texas high school football coach.
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Dwight Howard
Dwight David Howard (born December 8, 1985) is an American basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Howard, who usually plays center but can also play power forward, had an outstanding high school career at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He chose to forgo college and entered the 2004 NBA Draft, and was selected first overall by the Magic. A six-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA team selection, five-time All-Defensive member, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Howard has been ranked consistently as one of the best in the league in rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and free throw attempts, and has set numerous franchise and league records. He has led the Magic to three division titles and one conference title, and he was the winner of the 2008 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. In the 2008 Olympics, he was the starting center for Team USA, which went on to win the gold medal.
Before he was drafted in 2004, Howard said that he wanted to use his NBA career and Christian faith to "raise the name of God within the league and throughout the world". In November 2009, he was named one of the 10 finalists for the Jefferson Awards for Public Service, which awards athletes for their charitable work.
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Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. (born January 17, 1982), nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat. Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league. He had the top selling jersey in the NBA for nearly two years, as he led the NBA in jersey sales from the 2005 NBA Playoffs, until the mid-point of the 2006–07 season.
After entering the league as the fifth pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Wade was named to the All-Rookie team and the All-Star team the following eight seasons. In his third season, Wade helped lead the Miami Heat to their first NBA Championship in franchise history. He was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP as he helped lead the Heat to a 4–2 series win over the Dallas Mavericks. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wade led the United States Men's Basketball team, commonly known as the "Redeem Team", in scoring, as they captured gold medal honors in Beijing, China. In the 2008–09 season, Wade led the league in scoring and earned his first NBA scoring title.
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Earl Barron
Earl Daniel Barron, Jr. (born August 14, 1981) is an American professional basketball player.
A 7' 0" center from the University of Memphis, he was never drafted by an NBA team. He began his professional career with the Turkish team Tuborg Pilsener in 2003 before joining the Huntsville Flight of the NBA Development League (D-League) in March 2004. He spent the 2004 pre-season with the Orlando Magic, but was waived before the regular season began. In 2005, he played with the Red Bull Barako in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
He returned to the U.S to play with the Miami Heat in the Summer League. He played for the Miami Heat for three seasons, earning an NBA Championship ring in 2006. After three seasons and 82 games in Miami, which included a stint with the Florida Flame, Barron was not re-signed by the Heat. In August 2008, he signed a one-year $2 million deal with the Italian team GMAC Bologna. However, his stint in Italy was cut short because of an ankle injury which forced him to leave the team in November 2008. In March 2009, he was signed by the Sioux Falls Skyforce and was immediately traded to the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
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Ed Macauley
Charles Edward "Ed" Macauley (March 22, 1928 – November 8, 2011) was a professional basketball player in the NBA. His playing nickname was "Easy Ed."
Macauley spent his prep school days at St. Louis University High School, then went on to Saint Louis University, where his team won the NIT championship in 1948. He was named the AP Player of the Year in 1949.
Macauley played in the NBA with the St. Louis Bombers, Boston Celtics, and St. Louis Hawks. Macauley was named MVP of the first NBA All-Star Game (he played in the first seven), and was named to the NBA's All-NBA First Team three consecutive seasons. He was named to the All-NBA second team once, in 1953–54—the same season he led the league in field goal percentage. Macauley's trade (with Cliff Hagan) to St. Louis brought Bill Russell to the Celtics.
Macauley scored 11,234 points in ten NBA seasons and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960. At age 32, he still holds the record for being the youngest player to be admitted. His uniform number 22 was retired by the Boston Celtics, and he was also awarded a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
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Eddie Basden
Edward Richard Basden (born February 15, 1983) is an American professional basketball player who formerly played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In 2012, he signed as an import with the Petron Blaze Boosters of the Philippine Basketball Association.
Basden, born in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, played competitive basketball in Greenbelt, Maryland at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, where he played against former Chicago Bulls teammate Mike Sweetney. He verbally committed to play college basketball at UMass, choosing them over Villanova, Maryland, Georgetown and George Mason. He was released from his letter of intent following the resignation of Minutemen head coach Bruiser Flint, and Basden then committed to play for Charlotte. During his career with the 49ers he was named Conference USA Player of the Year in 2005, and Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005. In his senior season he was also named National Defensive Player of the Year by many college basketball analysts. He is the Conference USA all-time leader in career steals, and holds the all-time Charlotte record for steals. His #13 jersey was retired on February 19, 2009.
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Eddy Curry
Eddy Curry (born December 5, 1982) is an American professional basketball player with the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He was born in Harvey, Illinois. He is listed at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) and 295 lb (134 kg), and has a wingspan of 7 ft 6 1⁄2 in (2.299 m).
Prior to becoming considered one of the best high school basketball players in the nation as a senior at Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois, Curry aspired to be a gymnast and did not pick up basketball until the seventh grade when he reluctantly went out for the school team. In 2001, Curry led his team to second place in the IHSA State Playoffs. For his efforts, Curry was named 2001 Illinois Mr. Basketball. He was named to the 1998, 1999 and 2000 State Farm Holiday Classic all-tournament teams.
Curry had signed a letter of intent to play at DePaul University but declared himself eligible for the 2001 NBA Draft in which the Chicago Bulls made him the fourth overall pick.
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Edwin Moses
Edwin Corley Moses (born August 31, 1955) is a former American track and field athlete, who won gold medals in the 400 m hurdles at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics. Between 1977 and 1987, Moses won 107 consecutive finals (122 consecutive races) and set the world record in his event four times. In addition to his running, Moses was also an innovative reformer in the areas of Olympic eligibility and drug testing. In 2000, he was elected the first Chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, an international service organization of world-class athletes.
Moses was born in Dayton, Ohio. Having accepted an academic scholarship to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, he majored in physics and industrial engineering, while competing for the school track team. Morehouse did not have its own track, so he used public high school facilities around the city to train. Initially, Moses competed mostly in the 120-yard hurdles and 440-yard dash. Before March 1976, he ran only one 400 m hurdles race, but once he began focusing on the event he made remarkable progress. His trademark technique was to take a constant 13 steps between each of the hurdles, pulling away in the second half of the race as his rivals changed their stride pattern. That summer, he qualified for the US team for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. In his first international meet, Moses won the gold medal and set a world record of 47.63 seconds.
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Elgin Baylor
Elgin Gay Baylor (born September 16, 1934 in Washington, D.C.) is a retired Hall of Fame American basketball player and former NBA general manager who played 13 seasons as a forward for the NBA's Minneapolis Lakers/Los Angeles Lakers.
Baylor was a gifted shooter, strong rebounder, and an accomplished passer. Renowned for his acrobatic maneuvers on the court, Baylor regularly dazzled Lakers fans with his trademark hanging jump shots. The No. 1 draft pick in 1958, NBA Rookie of the Year in 1959, and an 11-time NBA All-Star, he is regarded as one of the game's all-time greatest players. In 1977, Baylor was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Baylor spent twenty-two years as GM of the Los Angeles Clippers, being named the NBA Executive of the Year in 2006, before being relieved of his duties shortly before the 2008-09 season began.
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Eli Manning
Elisha Nelson "Eli" Manning (born January 3, 1981) is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and the younger brother of Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning played college football at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) after attending prep school at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans. He was drafted as the first overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers and immediately traded to the New York Giants, who in return gave up a package highlighted by fourth overall selection Philip Rivers.
Manning won the Most Valuable Player award in Super Bowl XLII in 2008 after leading the Giants to victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots. On February 5, 2012 he again led his team to victory in Super Bowl XLVI, a rematch with the Patriots, in which Manning again won MVP honors and also set a new Super Bowl record with nine consecutive completions to start the game. Manning is one of five quarterbacks who have won multiple Super Bowl MVP awards.
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Elton Brand
Elton Tyron Brand (born March 11, 1979 in Cortlandt Manor, New York[citation needed]) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the 1st overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, selected by the Chicago Bulls.
At the age of thirteen, Brand enrolled in Peekskill High School, where he was immediately added to the varsity basketball roster. He averaged 40 points and 20 rebounds per game, played AAU basketball with future NBA players Lamar Odom and Ron Artest, and by his senior year he was consistently ranked among the top high school basketball players in the country and was selected as New York State Mr. Basketball. At the same time, he became something of a cult hero in Peekskill, helping his team win two state championships while demonstrating a humble calm and an articulate intelligence. The former Governor of New York, fellow Peekskill native George Pataki, was once asked about being the town's favorite son, and he answered that Peekskill's favorite son was not the Governor but Elton Brand. Recruited heavily after his successful high school career, Brand decided to enroll at Duke University alongside a cluster of other high school stars, including Shane Battier.
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Elvin Hayes
Elvin Ernest Hayes (born November 17, 1945 in Rayville, Louisiana) is a retired American basketball player and radio analyst for Houston Cougars men's basketball, where he played college basketball. He is a member of the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, and an inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
A quiet, introverted youth, Hayes first picked up a basketball in eighth grade, by accident. He was wrongly blamed for playing a classroom prank and was sent to the principal's office. But another teacher, Reverend Calvin, saw Hayes and said he was welcome in his class. Although the youngster showed no inclination for any sports, Calvin thought he would benefit by playing basketball and put him on the school team. Hayes was so clumsy, however, that he evoked laughter with his awkward attempts at shooting and dribbling.
But young Hayes was determined to improve, and during the summers he practiced long hours. As a 6'5" ninth grader he was a benchwarmer on the junior varsity squad at Britton High School when he became determined to crack the starting lineup. "I was too weak to shoot the turnaround then," Hayes recalled, "so all summer long I shot with a small rubber ball at a basket in my yard. My development was almost overnight."
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Emeka Okafor
Chukwuemeka Ndubuisi Okafor, abbreviated as Emeka Okafor (born September 28, 1982), is an American basketball power forward and center for the New Orleans Hornets of the National Basketball Association. Prior to the NBA, Okafor attended Houston's Bellaire High School, and the University of Connecticut.
Okafor was born in Houston, Texas. Both of his parents are natives of Nigeria, and Emeka was the first member of his family born in the United States. His father, Pius Okafor, is a member of the Igbo ethnic group. Okafor's family moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma when he was young because his father worked for Phillips Petroleum Company, headquartered in Bartlesville. While in Bartlesville, Emeka's father Pius took his son to the Bartlesville YMCA to learn the game of basketball. As a child growing up in the Houston area, Okafor idolized Houston Rockets shooting guard Clyde Drexler. He models his game, however, after fellow Nigerian pivot Hakeem Olajuwon.
Okafor played at Bellaire High School with future Oklahoma State star John Lucas III. Okafor averaged 22 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocks in his senior season. Bellaire was 26–5 in that season, losing 56–42 in the third round of the 2001 UIL state playoffs, to Willowridge High School and future Texas standout T. J. Ford. This game is particularly notable, however, because it featured five players who would go on to play in an NCAA Final Four (Bellaire had Lucas and Okafor, while Willowridge featured Ford, Oklahoma State's Ivan McFarlin and Duke's Daniel Ewing). All five of these players would eventually go on to play at least a season in the NBA.
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Emmitt Smith
Emmitt James Smith, III (born May 15, 1969) is a retired American football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for fifteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Smith played college football for the University of Florida, where he was an All-American. A first-round pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals of the NFL.
During his long professional career, he became the NFL's all-time rushing leader, breaking the record formerly held by Walter Payton, and played for three Super Bowl-winning Dallas Cowboys teams. Smith is the only running back to ever win a Super Bowl championship, the NFL Most Valuable Player award, the NFL rushing crown, and the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award all in the same season (1993). He is also one of only four running backs to lead the NFL in rushing three or more consecutive seasons, joining Steve Van Buren, Jim Brown and Earl Campbell. Smith led the league in rushing and won the Super Bowl in the same year three times (1992, 1993, and 1995) when to that point it had never been done. Smith is also one of only two non-kickers in NFL history to score more than 1,000 career points (the other being Jerry Rice). Smith was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010, and is the first player from the 1990 NFL Draft to be inducted.
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Erik Spoelstra
Erik Spoelstra (born November 1, 1970) is an American professional basketball coach and the current head coach of the National Basketball Association's Miami Heat. He is the first Filipino-American head coach in the NBA, as well as the first Filipino-American head coach of any North American professional sports team. From 2001 to 2008, he served as assistant coach/director of scouting for the team. He coached the Heat to 148 wins and three playoff appearances, including a trip to the 2011 NBA Finals, in his first three seasons.
He is the son of Dutch-Irish-American Jon Spoelstra, who was an NBA executive for the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Buffalo Braves and New Jersey Nets, and the grandson of the late Watson Spoelstra, a sportswriter in the Detroit area. His mother, Elisa Celino, is from San Pablo, Laguna in the Philippines.
Spoelstra grew up in Portland, Oregon, where he graduated from Jesuit High School in 1988 and from the University of Portland in 1992.
At the University of Portland, Spoelstra was the Pilots' starting point guard for four years, averaging 9.2 points, 4.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game, and was named the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year. He is a member of Portland's 1,000-point club. Spoelstra was on the court as Hank Gathers collapsed and died during the 1990 WCC Tournament.
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Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Monique Union (born October 26, 1972) is an American actress and former model. Among her notable roles is as the cheerleader opposite Kirsten Dunst in the film Bring it On. Union starred opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the blockbuster film Bad Boys II and played a medical doctor in the CBS drama series City of Angels. She starred with LL Cool J in Deliver Us from Eva in 2003.
Union was born in Omaha, Nebraska. She is the daughter of Theresa (née Glass), a former dancer, social worker, and phone company manager, and Sylvester C. Union, an AT&T manager and military sergeant. She was raised Catholic. At the age of eight, her family moved to Pleasanton, California, where she grew up and attended Foothill High School. In high school, Union was an all-star point guard in basketball and a year-round athlete, also playing in soccer and ran track.
Union attended the University of Nebraska before moving on to Cuesta College. She eventually transferred to UCLA and earned a degree in sociology. While studying there, she interned at the Judith Fontaine Modeling & Talent Agency to earn extra academic credits. Invited by the agency's owner, Judith Fontaine, Union started working as a model to pay off college loans.
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Gary Payton
Gary Dwayne Payton (born July 23, 1968) is a former American professional basketball point guard. He is best known for his 13-year tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics, and holds Seattle franchise records in points, assists, and steals. He has also played with the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, the last with whom he won an NBA Championship.
The only point guard ever to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, Payton is widely considered one of the greatest of all time at that position. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine times, an NBA record he shares with Michael Jordan, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant. Payton got his nickname "The Glove" when Payton's cousin called him during the 1993 Western Conference Finals series against Phoenix and told him, "you're holding Kevin Johnson like a baseball in a glove," and the nickname was born.
Considered the "NBA's reigning high scorer among point guards" in his prime, Payton is referred to as "probably as complete a guard as there ever was" by NBA Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich.
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George Brett
George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953), is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Kansas City Royals. Brett's 3,154 career hits are the most by any third baseman in major league history, and 16th all-time. Brett is one of four players in MLB history to accumulate 3,000 hits, 300 home runs, and a career .300 batting average with the others being Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Stan Musial. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 on the first ballot.
Brett was born in Glen Dale, West Virginia. He was the youngest of four sons of a sports-minded family which included Ken, the second oldest, a major league pitcher who had pitched in the 1967 World Series at age 19. Brothers John (eldest) and Bobby had brief careers in the minor leagues. Although his three older brothers were born in Brooklyn, George was born in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. Jack & Ethel Brett then moved the family to the Midwest and three years later to El Segundo, a suburb of Los Angeles, just south of Los Angeles International Airport. George grew up hoping to follow in the footsteps of his three older brothers. He graduated from El Segundo High School in 1971 and was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the second round (29th overall) of the 1971 baseball draft. His high school teammate was pitcher Scott McGregor.
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George Gervin
George "The Iceman" Gervin (born April 27, 1952) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Virginia Squires, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls. Gervin averaged at least 14 points per game in all 14 of his ABA and NBA seasons, and finished with an NBA career average of 26.2 points per game. Gervin is widely regarded to be one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history.
Nicknamed Iceman for his cool demeanor on the court, Gervin was primarily known for his scoring talents. He led teams at both Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan and Long Beach State. After leaving college due to an altercation, Gervin was set to try out for the Virginia Squires of the ABA. According to legend, Gervin made 22 of 25 three-point attempts at the tryout; he was immediately signed despite the fact that Virginia officials had never seen him play competitively.
His first scoring crown came in 1978, when he narrowly edged David Thompson for the scoring title by seven hundredths of a point (27.22 to 27.15). Although Thompson came up with a memorable performance for the last game of the regular season, scoring 73 points, Gervin maintained his slight lead by scoring 63 points (including an NBA-record at the time 33 points in the second quarter) in a loss in his last game of the season. With the scoring crown in hand, he sat out some of the third, and all of the fourth quarter. Gervin went on to lead the NBA in scoring average three years in a row from 1978 to 1980 (with a high of 33.1 points per game in 1979-80), and again in 1982. The Spurs drafted high scoring guards Oliver Robinson of UAB and Tony Grier from South Florida to take some offensive pressure off Gervin. Prior to Michael Jordan, Gervin had the most scoring titles of any guard in league history.
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George Mikan
George Lawrence Mikan, Jr. (June 18, 1924 – June 1, 2005), nicknamed Mr. Basketball, was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). Invariably playing with thick, round spectacles, the 6 ft 10 in 245 lb. Mikan is seen as one of the pioneers of professional basketball, redefining it as a game of so-called big men with his prolific rebounding, shot blocking and his talent to shoot over smaller defenders with his ambidextrous hook shot, result of his own Mikan Drill.
Mikan had a successful player career, winning seven NBL, BAA and NBA championships, an All-Star MVP trophy, three scoring titles and being member of the first four NBA All-Star and the first six All-BAA and All-NBA Teams. Mikan was so dominant that he caused several rule changes in the NBA, among them widening the foul lane—known as the "Mikan Rule"—and introducing the shot clock.
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George Yardley
George Harry Yardley III (November 3, 1928 in Hollywood, California – August 12, 2004 in Newport Beach, California, USA), best known as simply George Yardley, was an NBA Hall of Fame basketball player. He was the first player in history to score 2,000 points in one season, breaking the 1,932-point record held by fellow Hall of Famer George Mikan. He was nominated (but not selected) into NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971.
A two-time All-American at Stanford University, Yardley was a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, and earned the nickname "Yardbird" due to the chores he was required to complete by his fraternity brothers. [1] The nickname was later shortened to "Bird". After his three year career at Stanford, Yardley played one year of AAU basketball and served in the United States Navy for two years. During his navy stint, Yardley's amateur team won the national A.A.U. championship in 1951, with Yardley being selected the national amateur player-of-the-year. He was drafted by the NBA Fort Wayne Pistons in 1950.
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Glen Rice
Glen Anthony Rice (born May 28, 1967) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the NBA. The 6'8" tall Rice was a three-time NBA All-Star guard/forward, ranking 11th in NBA history with 1,559 three-point field goals made during his 15-year career. As a player, Rice won an NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship and an NBA Championship. Rice has won both the NBA All-Star Game MVP and the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player awards. In recent years, Rice has taken up MMA fight promotion as owner and head of G-Force Fights, based out of Miami, Florida.
Rice played college basketball for the University of Michigan Wolverines for four seasons (1985–1989), a starter for three of those seasons. He became the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,442 points. He led Michigan to the 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, scoring an NCAA-record 184 points in tournament play, a record that still stands. Rice was also voted the tournament's Most Outstanding Player and was part of the Associated Press All-America second-team, after averaging 25.6 points for the season, while shooting 58% from the floor and 52% from three-point range. After Rice's junior year, he was invited to try out for the 1988 United States Olympic basketball team, but was cut before reaching the group of 48. On February 20, 2005, Rice's No. 41 jersey was retired during a ceremony at Michigan's Crisler Arena. Rice made the cover of Sports Illustrated on April 10, 1989.
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Greg LeMond
Gregory James LeMond (born June 26, 1961 in Lakewood, California) is a former professional road bicycle racer from the United States and a three-time winner of the Tour de France. He was born in Lakewood, California and raised in Reno, Nevada.
In 1986, LeMond became the first American and the first non-European cyclist to win the Tour de France. The following year he was shot and seriously injured in a hunting accident. He was able to return to the Tour in 1989, winning it dramatically in its final stage. He won again for the third time the following year in 1990. He is one of only nine cyclists to have won the Tour three or more times.
Greg LeMond was a standout junior rider who quickly established himself as one of the most talented cyclists in the professional circuit. After his initial success on the junior circuit he began competing against older, more seasoned competitors. He gained the attention of the US Cycling Federation's national team, riding for them at the 1979 Junior World Championships held in Argentina. There he won gold, silver and bronze medals, the highlight being his spectacular victory in the road race. He was selected for the 1980 U.S. Olympic cycling team, the youngest ever, at 18, to make the U.S. team; however, the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow prevented him from competing there.
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Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (/ɵˈlaɪdʒəwɒn/; [olaɟuwɔ̃]; born January 21, 1963) is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Listed at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) (but closer to 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) by his own admission), Olajuwon is considered one of the greatest centers ever to play the game.
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Hal Greer
Harold Everett Greer (born June 26, 1936, in Huntington, West Virginia) is a retired American professional basketball player.
He attended Douglass Junior and Senior High School in Huntington. He played college basketball at Marshall University and was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals of the NBA in 1958. Greer played for Syracuse for five seasons, raising his scoring average to 22.8 points a game in 1961. He was selected for the NBA All-Star team that year. In 1963, the Syracuse Nationals moved to Philadelphia to become the Philadelphia 76ers. There, Greer became well known as a teammate of Wilt Chamberlain, and starred on the powerful 1966-67 team that ended the eight-year championship reign of the Bill Russell-led Boston Celtics. In the 76ers' 15 playoff games that season, Greer averaged a team-best 27.7 points. Greer had an unusual but highly effective free throw technique, shooting a jump shot from the charity stripe. He is usually considered the third-best guard of the 1960s, behind Oscar Robertson and Jerry West.
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Hollis Price
Hollis Price (born October 29, 1979 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American professional basketball player.
Price played college basketball at the University of Oklahoma from 1999 to 2003. He helped to lead the Sooners to the Final Four in 2002. He is widely regarded as one of the best basketball players to come out of the University of Oklahoma since Wayman Tisdale.
He previously played for BC Lietuvos Rytas of Lithuania's LKL, ALBA Berlin of Germany, Le Mans Sarthe Basket of France, and CB Sevilla of ACB. In the Euroleague 2007-2008, Price was the top scorer of the BC Lietuvos Rytas and its main play maker. Price was the first player signed by Dynamo Moscow following the hiring of coach David Blatt.
He joined Olimpia Milano in 2009. In February 2010 Price moved to Artland Dragons. On August 3, 2010 he returned to ALBA Berlin by signing a one-year contract, but was released in February 2011.
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Ingemar Johansson
Jens Ingemar Johansson (September 22, 1932 – January 30, 2009) was a Swedish boxer and former heavyweight champion of the world. Johansson was the fifth heavyweight champion born outside the United States. In 1959 he defeated Floyd Patterson by TKO in the third round, after flooring Patterson seven times in that round, to win the World Heavyweight Championship. As a result, Johansson won the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year and was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year and Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year".
Johansson enjoyed a successful career as a heavyweight. When he retired in 1963 he had a record of 26 wins, 17 by KO, and only 2 losses. He called his right fist "toonder and lightning" for its concussive power (it was also called "Ingo's Bingo" and the "Hammer of Thor"), and in 2003 he was ranked at #99 on The Ring's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. He reputedly had bone trouble in his right hand on and off throughout his career as a result.
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Isiah Thomas
Isiah Lord Thomas III ( /aɪˈzeɪ.ə/; born April 30, 1961), nicknamed "Zeke", is a retired American basketball player who played collegiately for the Indiana University Hoosiers. He went on to play professionally as point guard for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 until 1994 and led the "Bad Boys" to the NBA Championship in the 1988–89 and 1989–90 seasons. He was a 12-time NBA All-Star and named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. After his playing career, he was an executive with the Toronto Raptors, a television commentator, an executive with the Continental Basketball Association, head coach of the Indiana Pacers, and an executive and head coach for the New York Knicks. He was later the men's basketball coach for the Florida International University (FIU) Golden Panthers for three seasons from 2009 to 2012.
Thomas was born on April 30, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois. The youngest of nine brothers and sisters, he commuted from the North Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago to play high school basketball at St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois for Gene Pingatore. He would wake up at 5 am and commute 90 minutes to attend the private school. During his junior year, he led St. Joseph to the State Finals and was considered one of the top college prospects in the country.
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Jack McKeon
John Aloysius McKeon (pronounced /məˈkiːən/; born November 23, 1930 in South Amboy, New Jersey), nicknamed "Trader Jack", is a former Major League Baseball manager. McKeon played baseball for the College of the Holy Cross. In 2003, he won a World Series with the Florida Marlins. When he took over as manager of the Marlins in 2011 at age 80, he became the second oldest manager in major league history, behind only Connie Mack.
McKeon previously managed the Kansas City Royals from 1973 to 1975, the Oakland Athletics in 1977 and 1978, the San Diego Padres from 1988 to 1990, and the Cincinnati Reds from 1997 to 2000. From 1981 to 1990, he served as general manager of the Padres, forming the team which won the 1984 National League pennant.
As a player, McKeon, a catcher, spent his entire career in the minor leagues. He managed in the farm system of the original Washington Senators franchise, and its successor, the Minnesota Twins, handling Triple-A assignments for the Vancouver Mounties (1962), Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers (1963), and Atlanta Crackers (part of 1964). He then scouted for the Twins before joining the Royals in 1968 as skipper of their Class A High Point-Thomasville farm team. He led their AAA affiliate, the Omaha Royals of the American Association, from 1969 through 1972, and won two league championships. He also managed the Richmond Braves and the Denver Bears during the 1970s, after his firing by the Royals.
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Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. By winning a total of 18 career major championships while producing 19 second place and 9 third place finishes in major events on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years, he is widely regarded as the most accomplished professional golfer of all time. Nicklaus did not play that many tournaments because he wanted to focus on the Majors, but is still second on the PGA-tournament winning list, with 73 victories.
After winning two U.S. Amateurs in 1959 and 1961, and challenging for the 1960 U.S. Open, Nicklaus turned professional toward the end of 1961. The 1962 U.S. Open was both Nicklaus' first major championship victory and his first professional win. This win over Arnold Palmer began the on-course rivalry between the two. In 1966, Nicklaus won the Masters Tournament for the second year in a row, becoming the first golfer to achieve this, and also won The Open Championship, completing his career slam of major championships. At age 26, he became the youngest to do so at the time. In 1968 and 1969, Nicklaus did not win a major tournament. He then won another Open Championship in 1970.
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Jackie Stewart
Sir John Young 'Jackie' Stewart, OBE (born 11 June 1939) is a Scottish former racing driver. Nicknamed the 'Flying Scot', he competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships. He also competed in Can-Am. He is well known in the United States as a color commentator (pundit) of racing television broadcasts, and as a spokesman for Ford, where his Scottish accent has made him a distinctive presence. Between 1997 and 1999, in partnership with his son, Paul, he was team principal of the Stewart Grand Prix Formula One racing team. In 2009 he was ranked fifth of the fifty greatest Formula One drivers of all time by journalist Kevin Eason who wrote: "He has not only emerged as a great driver, but one of the greatest figures of motor racing."
Stewart's family were Austin, later Jaguar, car dealers and had built up a successful business, Dumbuck Garage, in Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland where Stewart was born and was educated at Dumbarton Academy. His father had been an amateurmotorcycle racer, and his brother Jimmy was a racing driver with a growing local reputation who drove for Ecurie Ecosse and competed in the 1953 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, until he went off at Copse Corner in the wet.
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James Posey
James Mikely Mantell Posey, Jr. (born January 13, 1977) is an American professional basketball player, who most recently played small forward for the Indiana Pacers of the NBA.
Posey attended and played basketball at Chamberlin Middle School and Chamberlin High School in Twinsburg, Ohio. He grew up with NFL cornerback Kelly Herndon who also went to Chamberlin.
Posey came to Xavier University in the 1995–96 season, but under Prop 48 rules, was ineligible, so sat out his freshman year. Posey ranks 16th on Xavier's all-time scoring list with 1,455 points and 10th on Xavier's all-time rebounding list with 801. Posey led XU in rebounding in each of his three seasons as a Musketeer. Posey earned a long list of honors while at Xavier, including the 1998 Atlantic 10 Championship "Most Outstanding Player" Award in helping XU win its first-ever A-10 Tournament Championship. Posey earned the A-10's "Sixth Man Award" twice and was named 1999 A-10 First Team and 1999 A-10 Defensive Player of the Year. He did all of that while not being a consistent starter in the Xavier lineup, almost always coming off the bench and Posey became well sought after from several sports agents such as Bill Duffy, Andy Miller, Craig McKenzie and Mark Bartelstein. With their permission Posey allowed his interviews to be held in front of the media of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
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James Worthy
James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is a retired Hall of Fame American college and professional basketball player. Named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, "Big Game James" was a seven-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion. A standout for the North Carolina Tar Heels, the 6 ft 9 in (2.05 m) small forward was the MOP of the 1982 NCAA Tournament and #1 pick of the 1982 NBA Draft. He was born in Gastonia, North Carolina.
Worthy was an All-American high school basketball player at Ashbrook High School in Gastonia. Worthy averaged 21.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists during his senior season, for a team that lost in the state championship game. Worthy was also selected to play in the 1979 McDonald's All-American game that also featured future Naismith Hall of Famers Isiaih Thomas, Dominique Wilkins and Ralph Sampson.
After graduating high school, Worthy attended the University of North Carolina (UNC). He quickly became a standout at UNC but saw his freshman year cut short by a broken ankle suffered near mid-season. As a sophomore he was a key member of that school's 1981 NCAA runner-up team, playing with Al Wood and Sam Perkins.
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Jarvis Hayes
Jarvis James Hayes (born August 9, 1981) is an American professional basketball player. A 6'8", 220 lbs. small forward from the University of Georgia and Western Carolina University, Hayes was selected by the Washington Wizards with the 10th overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft.
Jarvis Hayes was born five minutes ahead of his twin brother, University of Georgia assistant coach Jonas. After a stellar high school career at Douglass High School in Atlanta, he (and Jonas) enrolled first at Western Carolina, where he became the first freshman in 40 seasons to lead the Southern Conference in scoring.
After a year, they moved on to Georgia, where he was named First Team All-SEC in both his sophomore and junior years. He became the first Bulldog to be so honored since Dominique Wilkins in 1981–82. He also stepped up in big games, averaging 28.5 points per game in the 2002 NCAA Tournament.
Hayes holds the rare distinction of having led two different conferences in scoring while in college.
He was taken 10th in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, to back up Jerry Stackhouse, to come in off the bench and provide that deep range. Hayes averaged 13.0 points and 4.3 rebounds through the first three games of the season but hit the 'rookie wall' within a month. He was the Wizards' only representative at the seasons's All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles when he made the Rookie-Sophomore challenge. By season's end, he had made through a tough season and sported some solid numbers in spite of missing 12 games with various injuries. In that rookie season, he averaged 9.6 points while making 42 starts and playing an average of 29.2 minutes. In a draft class that featured LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, Hayes was seen as a steal.
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Jason Gardner
Jason Gardner (born November 14, 1980 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a retired American professional basketball player and current assistant coach for Loyola University Chicago.
A 5 ft 10 in point guard, Gardner starred at the University of Arizona from 1999 to 2003. His team finished second place in the 2001 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, losing to Duke University. As a senior in 2003, Gardner was named an Associated Press Second Team All-American after averaging 14.8 points and 4.9 assists per game. His college jersey number was retired by the University of Arizona in 2005.
Gardner was not drafted by the NBA, but found success overseas. He played in Slovenia, Belgium, and Israel, and is currently signed with EWE Baskets Oldenburg in Germany, there appearing in the Basketball Bundesliga All-Star Game in 2007 and starting for the Northern All-Star Team in the Basketball Bundesliga All-Star Game 2009. He was also named 2008/2009 regular season MVP of the German Basketball Bundesliga. For the season he averaged 13.7 points 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds on shooting 40.8% from the field 37.5% from three point range and 82.9% from the line. He recorded a season high of 25 points against the Telekom Baskets Bonn. Gardner led his team to a 25–9 record finishing third in the regular season.
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Jason Kapono
Jason Alan Kapono (born February 4, 1981) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft, Kapono later also played for the Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and the Philadelphia 76ers. He twice led the NBA in three-point field goal percentage, and he also won the Three-Point Shootout twice.
Kapono played college basketball at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was the first player in the school's history to earn First Team All-Pac-10 honors for four years and was also the first UCLA player to lead the team in scoring four straight years.
Kapono was born in Long Beach, California to Joe and Toni Kapono. Jason prepped at Southern California basketball powerhouse Artesia High School in Lakewood, where he was a McDonald's All-American and won several accolades and titles. After a successful high school career, Jason enjoyed an outstanding college career at UCLA, where he finished as the third all-time leading scorer with 2,095 points, was the first Bruin to earn First Team All-Pac-10 honors all four years, and was the only UCLA player to lead the school in scoring four straight years. He also graduated with a degree in history. Kapono was a second-round draft choice of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft.
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Jason Kidd
Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball point guard who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Raised in Oakland, California, Kidd played college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted second overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 1994 NBA Draft. Then, from 1996 to 2001, Kidd played for the Phoenix Suns and later for the New Jersey Nets from 2001 to 2008. In the middle of the 2007–2008 season, Kidd was traded back to Dallas. Along with his three NBA Finals appearances including a championship win in 2011, Kidd won two Olympic gold medals with the US national team in 2000 and 2008.
He led his former team, the New Jersey Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances (2002 and 2003) before winning in 2011 with Dallas. His on-court versatility also makes him a regular triple-double threat, and he is in third place all-time for regular season triple-doubles in the NBA with a career total of 107 and second in playoffs triple-doubles with a career total of 11.
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Jerome Beasley
Jerome Beasley (born 17 May 1980) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for APOEL in Cyprus.
Beasley graduated from Moreno Valley High School in California in 1999. In his senior year, he led Moreno Valley to a 25-6 record and averaged 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 assists per game.
From 1999 to 2001, Beasley played at Midland College, a junior college in Texas, then transferred to the University of North Dakota. As a senior Beasley averaged 26.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.3% from the field, and with a 73.6% free throw accuracy.
Drafted by the NBA's Miami Heat in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft, he played only two games for them before being cut. During his tenure, he averaged 1.0 points per game. He also played for the CBA's Sioux Falls Skyforce and the NBA D-League's Dakota Wizards for nine games before buying out his own contract.
Beasley played for the Sydney Kings of Australia's NBL during the 2006–07 season, but he was released following the team's exit from the playoffs. In October 2007, he moved to Israel and signed with Ironi Ramat Gan. Beasley joined the EiffelTowers Den Bosch of the Netherlands for the 2008-2009 season, but he was released in January 2009, after testing positive for Carboxy-THC, the active ingredient of marijuana. He was then resigned to a one year contract by the EiffelTowers for the 2009/2010 season in hope that he would be their starting center for the upcoming year. In June 2011 he moved to APOEL in Cyprus.
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Jerry Lucas
Jerry Ray Lucas (born March 30, 1940) is a former basketball player who played from the 1950s to the 1970s. He is now a memory education expert. In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 greatest players in National Basketball Association history. He was named to Sports Illustrated's five-man College All-Century Team in 1999.
Lucas was born in Middletown, Ohio, then a community of 30,000+ halfway between Dayton and Cincinnati, that in the 1940s and 1950s boasted one of the most respected high school basketball programs in the United States. Greatly encouraged, Lucas began pouring hours each day into the town's game during his early teens.
Lucas had become a local playground legend by age 15, in Sunset Park. Sunset Park was then a regional summer hotbed for high school, college and even some pro players. Future Cincinnati Royals teammates Wayne Embry and Oscar Robertson were visitors there. Lucas was already at almost his full-grown height of 6 ft 8 in (2.06 m) by age 15, out-playing college players with his advanced game.
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Jerry West
Jerry Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is a retired American basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames include "Mr. Clutch," for his ability to make a big play in a clutch situation, such as his famous buzzer-beating 60-foot shot that tied Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks; "The Logo," in reference to his silhouette being incorporated into the NBA logo; and "Zeke from Cabin Creek," after the creek near his birthplace of Chelyan, West Virginia. Playing the small forward position early in his career, West was a standout at East Bank High School and at West Virginia University, leading the WVU Mountaineers to the 1959 NCAA championship game, earning Most Valuable Player honors despite the loss. He then embarked on a 14-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and was the co-captain of the 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal team in Rome, a squad that would be inducted as a unit into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
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Jim Ryun
James Ronald ("Jim") Ryun (born April 29, 1947) is an American former track athlete and politician, who was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1996 to 2007, representing the 2nd District in Kansas. In the 2006 election, Ryun was defeated by Democratic challenger Nancy Boyda. In the Kansas Republican primary on August 5, 2008, he was defeated by Kansas State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins.
Years prior to his political career, Ryun had an athletic career that saw him become a world-class runner and the last American to hold the world record in the mile run. His career was highlighted by many world record times and a silver medal in the 1500 m at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
In 1966, at age nineteen, Ryun set world records in the mile and the half-mile runs, and received Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award, as well as the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete, the ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year, and was voted Track & Field News' Athlete of the Year as the world’s best track & field athlete. Ironically, Ryun did all of this before he was permitted to run for the school he attended, University of Kansas, since NCAA rules at the time did not allow freshmen to compete in NCAA competition. In 1967 Ryun ran a world record in the indoor half mile (1:48.3) and outdoors lowered his world-record time in the mile from 3:51.3 to 3:51.1, a record that stood for almost eight years. That same year he set the world record for the 1500 meters in 3:33.1, running his last lap in a blazing 53.3 seconds and his final 1,200 meters in an amazing 2:46.6.
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Jo Jo White
Joseph Henry "Jo Jo" White (born November 16, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player.
White was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of a minister. He played college basketball at the University of Kansas, entering the NCAA Tournament and losing a double overtime thriller to UTEP, then known as Texas Western, in the Midwest regional final (UTEP went on to win the championship).
After college, White played on the 1968 USA Olympic basketball team in Mexico, which went undefeated (9-0), beating Yugoslavia 65-50 in the title game.
After the Olympics, White was drafted in 1969 in the first round (9th pick overall) by the NBA's Boston Celtics, who at that time had just won their 11th championship in 13 years. However, before White even reported to training camp, the Celtics' center and player-coach Bill Russell announced his retirement. White would endure a rebuilding season while the Celtics got back on track, drafting Dave Cowens and trading for Paul Silas. Along with these two and veteran John Havlicek, White would be the cornerstone of two Celtic championship teams in the 1970s (1973–74 and 1975–76).
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Joe Dumars
Joe Dumars III (born May 24, 1963), nicknamed Joe D, is a retired American basketball player in the NBA, and currently the Detroit Pistons' President of Basketball Operations. At 6'3" (190 cm) Dumars could play either shooting guard or point guard on offense and was a highly effective defender. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dumars and Isiah Thomas combined to form one of the best backcourts in NBA history. Initially a shooting guard, Dumars moved over to point guard following Thomas's retirement in 1994, sharing ball-handling duties with Grant Hill. Dumars was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Dumars was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. Dumars' mother, Ophelia, was a custodian at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches while his father, Joe (Big Joe), was a truck driver.
Dumars grew up in an athletic family, but, surprisingly, basketball was not his favorite sport as a child. Football was more popular in the region and all five of his brothers were defensive standouts at Natchitoches Central High School. His brother David later played professional football in the USFL. Dumars followed in his brothers’ footsteps playing defensive back on the football team until junior high school when a big hit on the field directed him toward basketball. Ever the supportive father, Big Joe built a hoop, made of an old bicycle wheel and half of a wooden door, in the Dumars' backyard where Little Joe spent hours practicing his jumper.
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Joe Fulks
Joseph Franklin "Jumping Joe" Fulks (October 26, 1921 - March 21, 1976) was an American professional basketball player, sometimes called "the first of the high-scoring forwards". He was one of the first players, albeit posthumously, enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. The 63 points Fulks scored on February 10, 1949, was the most in an NBA game (then called the Basketball Association of America) until Elgin Baylor scored 64 points on November 8, 1959. Fulks' 63-point outburst came during a Warriors 108-87 victory over the Indianapolis Jets. Fulks made 27 of 56 field goal attempts and nine of 14 free throws. Along the way he shattered the record for most points in one half (33), field goals, and field goal attempts.
Fulks was born in Birmingham, Kentucky, a small town in the state's far-western Purchase region that was inundated in the 1940s after the Tennessee Valley Authority dammed the Tennessee River to create Kentucky Lake. He played college ball at Murray State University for two years before leaving school to join the Marines.
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Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. (born June 11, 1956), nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired professional football player, a hall of fame quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with San Francisco, where he played for the next 14 seasons. Traded before the 1993 season, he spent his final two years in the league with Kansas City. While a member of the 49ers, Montana started in four Super Bowl games and won all of them. Montana was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000, his first year of eligibility.
In 1989, and again in 1990, the Associated Press named Montana the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP), and Sports Illustrated magazine named Montana the 1990 "Sportsman of the Year". Four years earlier, in 1986, Montana won the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Montana was elected to eight Pro Bowls, as well as being voted 1st team All-Pro by the AP in 1987, 1989, and 1990. Montana had the highest passer rating in the National Football Conference (NFC) five times (1981, 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1989); and, in both 1987 and 1989, Montana had the highest passer rating in the entire NFL.
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Joe Paterno
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno (pronounced /pəˈtɜrnoʊ/; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), often referred to as "JoePa", was an American college football coach who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for nearly 46 years, from 1966 through 2011. At the time of his death he held the record for the most victories by an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football coach with 409 and was the only FBS coach to reach 400 victories. He coached five undefeated teams that won major bowl games and, in 2007, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach. Despite his achievements as a coach, Paterno's career ended abruptly in 2011 after he was fired for his "failure of leadership" in the child sex abuse scandal surrounding his former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
Paterno was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended Brown University, where he played football both as the quarterback and a cornerback. Originally planning to be a lawyer, he instead signed on as an assistant football coach at Penn State in 1950, persuaded by his college coach Rip Engle who had taken over as Penn State's head coach. Sixteen years later, in 1966, Paterno was named as Engle's successor. Before long, he had coached the team to two undefeated regular seasons in 1968 and 1969. He went on to win two national championships—in 1982 and again in 1986. In all, he led the Nittany Lions to 37 bowl appearances with 24 wins all while turning down offers to coach NFL teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots. Paterno became the winningest coach in Division I history on October 29, 2011.
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Joe Torre
Joseph Paul Torre ( /ˈtɔri/; born July 18, 1940) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. A nine-time All-Star, he played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, first baseman and a third baseman for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and the St. Louis Cardinals. After his retirement as a player, he later managed all three teams.
Torre managed the New York Yankees from 1996 to 2007. The Yankees reached the post season each year and won ten American League East Division titles, six American League pennants, four World Series titles, and compiled a .605 winning percentage overall. With 2,326 wins, he is currently ranked 5th on the list of Major League Baseball all-time managerial wins.
Torre followed in his brother Frank's footsteps when he was signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent in 1960. In his first season in the minor leagues with the Class A Eau Claire Braves, he won the 1960 Northern League batting championship with a .344 batting average. Torre made his major league debut late in the season on September 21, 1960. He was assigned to the Triple A Louisville Colonels for the 1961 season where, the Braves had planned to groom him as the eventual successor to their All-Star catcher, Del Crandall. However, those plans were changed when Crandall injured his throwing arm in May 1961, forcing the Braves to promote Torre to the major leagues with just over a year of minor league experience. Torre rose to the occasion, hitting for a .278 batting average with 21 doubles and 10 home runs. He finished the season ranked second to Billy Williams in the 1961 National League Rookie of the Year voting.
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Joel Anthony
Joel Vincent Anthony (born August 9, 1982, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian professional basketball player in the NBA who is currently a member of the Miami Heat. He is also a key member of the Canadian national men's basketball team.
After attending Selwyn House School and Dawson College in Westmount, Montreal, Anthony was recruited by Pensacola Junior College in Pensacola, Florida, U.S.. After two years, he transferred to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He led the team in blocks in his junior season in 2004–05; fourth overall in the Mountain West Conference, but redshirted the next season and did not play. Returning to help lead the Runnin' Rebels to a 30–7 season his senior year (2006–07), he was named MWC defensive player of the year after finishing second in the NCAA's Division I in blocks-per-40-minutes (6.77). (The D–I leader, Mickell Gladness, later became Anthony's Miami Heat teammate.) The highlight in Anthony's senior year was his only double-double of the season, a season-high 13-block, 11-rebound effort versus Texas Christian on February 7, 2007.
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Johann Olav Koss
Johann Olav Koss (born 29 October 1968) is a former speed skater from Norway, considered to be one of the best in history, and current assistant coach of Norway's speed skating team.
Johann Olav Koss was born in Drammen, Buskerud County, Norway. Johann Olav Koss became the Norwegian Junior Champion in 1987, but he could not compete with the world top skaters in the 1986 and 1987 World Junior Championships. In 1988, he debuted with the seniors at the World Championships in Alma-Ata, but failed to qualify for the final distance. The following year, he finished eighth in the same tournament (after a fifteenth place in the European Allround Championships), placing second on the 1,500 m. His breakthrough came in 1990, winning the World Allround Championships in Innsbruck, Austria. The following four years, he would win two more world titles (1991 and 1994), while finishing second in 1993 and third in 1992. He won the European Allround Championships in 1991 and finished second in the next three editions. Koss had a total of twenty-three World Cup wins, while winning four overall World Cup titles (the 1,500 m in 1990 and 1991, and the combined 5,000/10,000 m in 1991 and 1994).
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John Havlicek
John J. "Hondo" Havlicek (pronounced /ˈhævlɨtʃɛk/ HAV-lə-chek; born April 8, 1940 in Martins Ferry, Ohio) is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons.
In the NBA, only teammates Bill Russell and Sam Jones won more championships during their playing careers. Havlicek is considered one of the best NBA players in history, especially on defense, and was inducted as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984. He was a three sport star at Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio and one of his boyhood friends was Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro. The Bridgeport High School Gymnasium was renamed the "John J Havlicek Gymnasium" in January 2007. He shares the honor with National High School Hall of Fame member Frank Baxter, a long time coach at Bridgeport High School. The court is named after Baxter.
One of the most famous play-by-play calls in NBA history came on April 15, 1965, when Celtics broadcaster Johnny Most exclaimed "Havlicek steals it! Havlicek stole the ball!" after Havlicek intercepted Hal Greer's inbound pass to clinch the Eastern Conference Championship against the Philadelphia 76ers.
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John Hollinger
John Hollinger (born May 17, 1971) is an analyst and writer for ESPN. He primarily covers the NBA. Hollinger grew up in Mahwah, New Jersey and is a 1993 graduate of the University of Virginia.
Hollinger developed the website Alleyoop in 1996, initially as a hobby and sounding board for his musings on the game. Touting the site as "The Basketball Page for Thinking Fans," Hollinger followed in the footsteps of noted analysts Dean Oliver and Bob Bellotti in a quest for the ultimate basketball statistic.
During Alleyoop 's early years, Hollinger experimented with offensive and defensive ratings (points created and allowed per 100 possessions) in much the same way as Oliver, as a means of quantifying a player's overall contribution to his team. While the methods were hardly groundbreaking, Hollinger's writing style and incisive commentary caught the eye of such industry luminaries as Web Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal.
Hollinger spent the next three years as the sports editor at OregonLive.com, developing an intimate understanding of the inner workings of the NBA, both as a game and a business. It was during his OregonLive years that Hollinger developed his Player Efficiency Rating (PER), a figure that attempts to combine all of a player's contributions into one number.
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John Stockton
John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is a former American professional basketball player who spent his entire career as a point guard for the Utah Jazz of the NBA from 1984 to 2003. John Stockton is regarded as one of the best point guards of all time, holding the NBA records for most career assists and steals by considerable margins. Stockton is a former All-Star and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Stockton was born in Spokane, Washington to Clementine Frei and Jack Stockton and had Irish and Swiss German ancestry. He attended grade school at St. Aloysius and moved on to high school at Gonzaga Prep, graduating in 1980. He then played college basketball for Gonzaga University in his hometown where he averaged 20.9 points per game while shooting 57% from the field in his senior year. His grandfather, Houston Stockton had also been a well known athlete at Gonzaga University. John Stockton was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 16th overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft.
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John Wooden
John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period—seven in a row—as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games. He was named national coach of the year six times.
As a player, Wooden was the first to be named basketball All-American three times and he won a national championship at Purdue. Wooden was named a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player (inducted in 1961) and as a coach (in 1973), the first person ever enshrined in both categories. Only Lenny Wilkens and Bill Sharman have since had the same honor.
He was one of the most revered coaches and was beloved by his former players, among them Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton. Wooden was renowned for his short, simple inspirational messages to his players, including his "Pyramid of Success". These often were directed at how to be a success in life as well as in basketball.
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Johnny Podres
John Joseph Podres (September 30, 1932 – January 13, 2008) was an American left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who spent most of his career with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. He is perhaps best remembered for being named the Most Valuable Player of the 1955 World Series, pitching a shutout in Game 7 against the New York Yankees to help bring the Dodgers their first World Series title. He later led the National League in earned run average and shutouts in 1957, and in winning percentage in 1961.
Podres helped the Dodgers win World Series championships in 1955, 1959, 1963 and 1965, although he did not pitch in the 1965 World Series itself. After the Dodgers lost the first two games to the New York Yankees, Podres pitched a complete game, seven-hit victory on his 23rd birthday in Game 3. In the climactic Game 7, Podres pitched a 2–0 shutout to bring Brooklyn its only World Series championship. Podres was given the first-ever World Series MVP Award by Sport magazine and presented with a red two-seater Corvette. Later he was honored as the Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine.
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Josh Howard
Joshua Jay Howard (born April 28, 1980) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). At 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) and 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st), he plays as a small forward.
Howard attended Glenn High School in Kernersville, North Carolina, where he was a First-Team All-State selection in his senior year and averaged six blocks per game while shooting 70%. He also averaged a double-double during his junior and senior years, during which time he also received the Frank Spencer Award (for the top player in Northwest North Carolina) twice. During his senior year Howard was handcuffed outside of a BP gas station the night before his SAT examination. Howard had been loitering on the premises with some of his friends, and undercover cops, believing the teenagers had been selling drugs, detained them.
In order to get into Wake Forest University Howard needed an SAT score of at least 950. He did not get a 950, saying his score was "somewhere in the 500s". In lieu, he spent a year at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia, where he averaged a double-double, with 19.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Howard led Hargrave to a 27–3 record, shooting well on the floor with 56%. He also averaged 44% from behind the three-point line and 85% from the free throw line. Howard participated in the ACC-SEC game between new signings from the two conferences. Howard scored 14 points in 15 minutes to help lift the ACC team to a 145–115 win over the SEC.
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Judi Brown
Judith ("Judi") Lynne Brown-King (born July 14, 1961) is an American athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metre hurdles.
She competed for the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where she won the silver medal in the women's 400 metre hurdles event.
Brown was a two-time gold medalist at the Pan American Games (1983, 1987), and was a twelve-time Big Ten champion in track and field events. In 1987, she was selected Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine for her community involvement.
Brown holds two degrees from Michigan State University, a Bachelors degree in Audiology and Speech Science, and a Masters degree in Education. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Public Policy from Western Michigan University, from which she graduated with honors. She also is a member of the Michigan Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Consortium.
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Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA). He was the best known player in the ABA when the ABA-NBA merger joined it with the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the 1976 season.
Erving won three championships, four Most Valuable Player Awards, and three scoring titles while playing with the ABA's Virginia Squires and New York Nets, and the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. He is the fifth-highest scorer in professional basketball history, with 30,026 points (NBA and ABA combined). He was well known for slam dunking from the free throw line in Slam Dunk Contests and was the only player to have been voted Most Valuable Player in both the ABA and the NBA.
Erving was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time team and in 1993 was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2004, he was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame. Many consider him among the most spectacular basketballers ever, and one of the best dunkers of all time. While players such as Connie Hawkins, "Jumping" Johnny Green, Elgin Baylor, and Gus Johnson were performing spectacular dunks before Erving's time, "Dr. J" is usually the one most people credit with bringing the practice into the mainstream. His signature dunk was the "slam" dunk, since incorporated into the vernacular and basic skill set of the game, in the same manner as the "cross-over" dribble and the "no look" pass.
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Juwan Howard
Juwan Antonio Howard (born February 7, 1973) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Heat is Howard's eighth different NBA team. He was drafted fifth overall in the 1994 NBA Draft by the Washington Bullets. A former All-Star and All-NBA power forward, he also starred as an All-American on the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team as part of the Fab Five recruiting class of 1991 (along with Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson) and, earlier, at Chicago Vocational Career Academy where he was an All-American center as well as an honors student. At age 39, Howard is the third oldest active player in the league.
The Fab Five reached the finals of the 1992 and 1993 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men's Division I Basketball Championship while starting a combined 304 of a possible 350 games during their collective freshman and sophomore years. Howard is the last member of the Fab Five who remains active as a professional basketball player. Despite the sanctions and forfeited accomplishments from 1992 to 1998 by the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball due to the University of Michigan basketball scandal, Howard's 1993–94 All-American season continues to be recognized.
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Karl Malone
Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963), nicknamed "The Mailman," is a retired American professional basketball power forward. In his basketball career, Malone spent his first 18 seasons (1985–2003) with the Utah Jazz and formed a formidable duo with his teammate John Stockton. He played his final season (2003–04) with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Malone grew up in rural Summerfield, Louisiana and played college basketball at Louisiana Tech University. In his three seasons with Louisiana Tech, he helped the Bulldogs basketball team to its first-ever NCAA tournament in 1984 and to first place in the Southland Conference in 1985. The Jazz drafted Malone in 1985 with the 13th overall pick in the first round.
Having scored 36,298 points in his career, the second most career points in NBA history, and holding the record for most free throws both attempted and made, Malone is generally considered one of the greatest NBA power forwards. In 1997 and 1999, Malone won the NBA Most Valuable Player award. Malone appeared in the playoffs every season in his career, including three NBA Finals: in 1997 and 1998 with the Jazz and in 2004 with the Lakers. Internationally, Malone competed with the United States national team in the Summer Olympic games of 1992 and 1996; in both years he won gold medals. After retiring from the NBA, Malone joined the staff of the Louisiana Tech basketball team in 2007 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
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Keith Askins
Keith Bernard Askins (born December 15, 1967, in Athens, Alabama) is a retired American professional basketball player. After playing at the University of Alabama, the 6'7" Askins signed with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Miami Heat in 1990. A versatile athlete who could play at multiple positions, Askins spent his entire career as a reserve and defensive specialist for the Heat, retiring after being waived by the Heat in 1999 with career totals of 1,852 points and 1,428 rebounds. He now works as an assistant coach for the Heat.
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Keith Bogans
Keith Ramon Bogans (born May 12, 1980 in Washington, D.C.) is an American professional basketball player.
Bogans attended DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, and was a First-Team All American in his senior year. He was coached by Morgan Wootten, leading DeMatha to a 34–1 record and a number three national ranking in 1999. He was recruited by the University of Kentucky, and was a four-year starter for the Wildcats under coach Tubby Smith. In his senior year at UK, he led the 2002–2003 Wildcats to a 16–0 sweep of the Southeastern Conference and the SEC Tournament title, finishing with an Elite Eight run in the NCAA Tournament. He was an All-American as a college senior when he averaged 15.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals. He was also 80-for-209 from three. After his sophomore season in which he averaged 17 points and 4.6 rebounds it looked like he may be a future first rounder. His illustrious collegiate career ended as he limped off the court at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, after playing the game on a severely sprained ankle. The Wildcats ended up losing to Dwyane Wade's Marquette squad in the Elite 8.
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Ken Venturi
Kenneth Venturi (born May 15, 1931) is an American former professional golfer and golf broadcaster.
Venturi was born in San Francisco, California. He learned golf from an early age, and developed his game at Harding Park Golf Course and other public courses in the area. In the early 1950s, Venturi had been a pupil of the great Byron Nelson, and was also influenced by playing partner Ben Hogan. He won the California State Amateur Championship in 1951 and 1956, serving in the Army in Korea in the interim. Venturi first gained national attention in 1956 while still an amateur; he finished second in that year's Masters, by one shot to Jack Burke, Jr., after leading from the first round. Venturi shot a final-round 80 in very windy conditions, and relinquished a four-shot lead, which prevented him from winning outright and thus becoming the first amateur to do so in the history of The Masters. Years later it would be compared to Greg Norman's back nine collapse in 1996.
Venturi was a regular winner during his early years on the PGA Tour after turning pro at the end of 1956. He again come close to winning the Masters in 1958 and 1960, both times being edged out by Arnold Palmer.
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Kendrick Perkins
Kendrick Perkins Sr. (born November 10, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who plays as a center for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA.
During his time with the Boston Celtics, Perkins established himself as an important low-post defender who was capable of defending the league's top centers, despite not posting high scoring numbers.
Perkins graduated from Clifton J. Ozen High School in Beaumont, Texas in 2003 where he led Ozen High to four consecutive district championships and one state championship during his high school career. Averaging 27.5 points, 16.4 rebounds and 7.8 blocked shots a game as a Senior, he led Ozen to a 33–1 record, with the only loss being a 66–54 setback to Fort Worth Dunbar in the state 4A championship game. In 2003, Perkins was selected to the McDonald's All-American game for high-school players. He had originally committed to the University of Memphis, but opted instead to make the jump to the NBA straight out of high school.
The 6'10" center was drafted in the first round with the 27th pick of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, but was immediately traded along with Marcus Banks to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Troy Bell and Dahntay Jones, who had been selected by the Celtics in the same draft.
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Kenyon Martin
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.
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).
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Kevin Durant
Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988) is an American professional basketball forward with the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 6'9" small forward, Durant was the consensus 2007 National College Player of the Year and the 2006–2007 Big 12 Player of the Year, amongst other awards. After a standout freshman season at the University of Texas, Durant opted to enter the NBA Draft, where he was selected second overall by the Seattle SuperSonics. There he went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award after his debut season. In 2007, Durant signed an endorsement contract with Nike. In the 2009–10 season Durant led the NBA in scoring and became the youngest player ever to win the NBA scoring title. He would later be named to the 2010 All NBA First Team.
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Kevin Garnett
Kevin Maurice Garnett (born May 19, 1976) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In high school, Garnett was a 1995 McDonald's All-American at Farragut Career Academy and won a national player of the year award. Garnett entered the 1995 NBA Draft, where he was selected with the 5th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves and became the first NBA player drafted directly out of high school in 20 years.
Garnett made an immediate impact with the Minnesota Timberwolves leading them to eight-consecutive playoff appearances. In 2004, Garnett led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals and was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 2003–04 season. Since his second season in the NBA, Garnett has been named to 14 All-Star Games, winning the All-Star MVP award in 2003, and is currently tied for 3rd-most All-Star selections in NBA history. He was awarded the regular season's NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the 2007–08 season and has been a nine-time member of the All-NBA Teams selection and a twelve-time member of the All-Defensive Teams selection. Garnett currently holds several all-time Timberwolves franchise records.
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Kipchoge Keino
Kipchoge ("Kip") Keino (born 17 January 1940), chairman of the Kenyan Olympic Committee (KOC), is a retired Kenyan track and field athlete and two-time Olympic gold medalist. Kip Keino was among the first in a long line of successful middle and long distance runners to come from the country and has helped and inspired many of his fellow countrymen and women to become the athletics force that they are today.
Keino was born in Kipsamo, Nandi District, Kenya. Both of his parents died while he was young. He was then brought up by his aunt. After finishing school, he joined Kenya Police. Before taking athletics, he played rugby
He began his international career at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, Australia where he came eleventh in the three miles. At the 1964 Summer Olympics he finished fifth in 5000 m and barely missed the 1500 m final.
On 27 August 1965, Keino lowered the 3000 m world record by over 6 seconds to 7:39.6 at his first attempt at the distance. He won two gold medals (1500 & 5000 metres) at the inaugural All-Africa Games. Later in that year he broke the 5000 m world record held by Ron Clarke clocking 13:24.2. At the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica he won both the mile run and three mile run. In the next Commonwealth Games, Keino won the 1500 metres and was third in the 5000 metres.
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Kirk Hinrich
Kirk James Hinrich (born January 2, 1981) is an American professional basketball player, currently a guard for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. He has also been a member of the USA National Team. Growing up in Sioux City, Iowa, Hinrich was exposed to basketball at an early age. His father, Jim, coached him from the third grade through high school.
As a high school senior, Hinrich was named the 1999 Co-Iowa Mr. Basketball, along with future college teammate and roommate Nick Collison. Hinrich originally committed to play basketball at Iowa State but when the coach at the time, Tim Floyd, took the head coaching position for the NBA's Chicago Bulls, Hinrich changed his mind and decided to attend the University of Kansas. While playing college basketball for Kansas, Hinrich helped his team reach the Final Four in the NCAA basketball tournament in 2002 and the championship game against the Carmelo Anthony-led Syracuse University in 2003. Hinrich played all four years at Kansas before being drafted into the NBA. He is often referred to as "Captain Kirk" because he was voted as team captain for the Bulls for four consecutive years. Hinrich is the Bulls' all-time leader in three point field goals. After seven seasons with the Bulls, he was traded to the Washington Wizards on June 8, 2010. He then was traded to the Atlanta Hawks on February 23, 2011.
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Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He decided to declare his eligibility for the NBA Draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest.
Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. A heated feud between the duo and a loss in the 2004 NBA Finals was followed by O'Neal's trade from the Lakers after the 2003–04 season. Following O'Neal's departure Bryant became the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most points scored in a single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. He was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, earning the NBA Finals MVP Award on both occasions.
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Kurt Warner
Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner (born June 22, 1971) is a former American football player. He played quarterback for three National Football League (NFL) teams: the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994 after playing college football at Northern Iowa. Warner would go on to be considered one of the best undrafted players of all time, following a 12-year career regarded as one of the greatest stories in NFL history.
Warner first attained stardom while playing for the St. Louis Rams from 1998–2003, where he won two NFL MVP awards in 1999 and 2001 as well as the Super Bowl MVP award in Super Bowl XXXIV. He led the 2008 Arizona Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII (the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl berth), and owns the three highest single-game passing yardage totals in Super Bowl history. Warner currently holds the seventh-highest career passer rating of all-time (93.7), and the third-highest career completion percentage in NFL history with 65.5%.
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Kyle Korver
Kyle Elliot Korver (born March 17, 1981) is an American basketball player, who currently plays for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association. He plays as a shooting guard/small forward.
Before going on to be Creighton University's fifth all-time scorer, he attended Pella High School in Pella, Iowa, where he later had his jersey retired.
Korver was drafted out of Creighton University by the New Jersey Nets in the second round (51st overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft; his draft rights were traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for cash considerations in a draft night deal.
Korver competed in both the 2004 and 2005 Foot Locker Three-Point Shootouts, coming in third and second in those contests respectively. In the 2004–05 season, Korver tied for first place in the league in three-pointers made with Quentin Richardson who both had 226, also a 76ers franchise record. Korver had a career high 31 points at Milwaukee on February 24, 2006, something he duplicated on February 21, 2007 at home against the New York Knicks. He notably drained a game-tying buzzer-beater against the Boston Celtics on January 12, 2006, sending the game into triple overtime which the 76ers would eventually win.
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Lamar Odom
Lamar Joseph Odom (born November 6, 1979) is an American professional basketball forward with the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA.
Odom was born in South Jamaica, Queens, New York City, New York. His father was a heroin addict and his mother died of colon cancer when he was twelve years old. He was raised by his grandmother Mildred.
In his first three years of high school, Odom played for Christ The King Regional High School in Middle Village, Queens. He transferred first to Redemption Christian Academy in Troy, New York for the basketball season and then to St. Thomas Aquinas High School in New Britain, Connecticut. Odom was named the Parade Magazine Player of the Year in 1997. He was named to the USA Today All-USA 1st Team as a senior. During his youth, Odom was teamed with Elton Brand of the Philadelphia 76ers and Ron Artest of the Los Angeles Lakers on the same AAU team.
In 1997, Odom attended the University of Nevada at Las Vegas and was enrolled in summer classes. Following an academic scandal, an NCAA inquiry found Odom received payments amounting to $5,600 from booster David Chapman. Coach Bill Bayno was fired and UNLV was placed on probation for four years. Odom transferred to the University of Rhode Island but was forced to sit out the 1997–98 season.
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Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson on September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support. He last rode for UCI ProTeam Team RadioShack, a team he helped found.
In October 1996 he was diagnosed as having testicular cancer with a tumor that had metastasized to his brain and lungs. His cancer treatments included brain and testicular surgery and extensive chemotherapy, and his prognosis was originally poor. He went on to win the Tour de France each year from 1999 to 2005, and is the only person to win seven times having broken the previous record of five wins shared by Miguel Indurain, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx, and Jacques Anquetil.
In 1999, he was named the ABC Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year. In 2000 he won the Prince of Asturias Award in Sports. In 2002, Sports Illustrated magazine named him Sportsman of the Year. He was also named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the years 2002–2005. He received ESPN's ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, and won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award in 2003. Armstrong announced his retirement from racing on July 24, 2005, at the end of the 2005 Tour de France but returned to competitive cycling in January 2009 and finished third in the 2009 Tour de France. He confirmed he had retired from competitive cycling for good on February 16, 2011.
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Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish and forward Kevin McHale. Due to chronic back problems, he retired as a player in 1992. Bird was voted to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996 and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. He served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000. In 2003, he assumed the role of president of basketball operations for the Pacers, which he currently holds. He is the only person in NBA history to be named Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year.
Larry Bird was born in West Baden, Indiana, the son of Georgia (née Kerns) and Claude Joseph "Joe" Bird. He grew up in both West Baden and the adjacent town French Lick, which earned him the nickname "the Hick from French Lick" in his professional basketball career. Bird recalled how his mother would make do on the family's meager earnings: "If there was a payment to the bank due, and we needed shoes, she'd get the shoes, and then deal with them guys at the bank. I don't mean she wouldn't pay the bank, but the children always came first." According to Bird, his being poor as a child "motivates me to this day". He sometimes was sent to live with his grandmother due to the family's struggles. The Bird family's struggle with poverty was compounded by the alcoholism and personal difficulties of Joe Bird, who likely suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from serving in the Korean War. Joe Bird committed suicide on February 3, 1975, when Larry was 18 years old.
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Leandro Barbosa
Leandro Mateus Barbosa (born November 28, 1982 in São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian professional basketball player, who plays at the guard position with the National Basketball Association's Indiana Pacers. In Brazil he is nicknamed "Leandrinho" (Little Leandro), and in the USA he is nicknamed "The Brazilian Blur", referring to the fact that he is one of the fastest players in the NBA.
Barbosa started his career at Palmeiras when he was 17. He played on Paulista (São Paulo's) Championship under the command of Lula Ferreira, the future Brazil national team coach.
At 19, he played on the principal team of Palmeiras on Paulista (São Paulo's) Championship. He averaged 14.2 points per game. After that he was traded to Tilibra/Bauru on January 2001.
During his first season as a professional in Brazil, playing for Tilibra/Copimax, he was coached by Jorge Guerra. He averaged 15.8 points, 6.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He was chosen as Rookie of the Year during the Paulista of 2001. Barbosa ended the season as the fourth ranked player in three point percentage, sixth in assists and eleventh in field goals. In 2002, he won the Brazilian Basketball League with Bauru, and was drafted for the Brazil national basketball team who played in the 2002 FIBA World Championship.
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LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James (/ləˈbrɒn/; 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. He was selected with the number one pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. 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, was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2009, 2010, and 2012 and has been both an All-NBA selection and an All-Star every season since 2005. In 2010, a much-publicized free agency process ended with James signing with the Miami Heat.
James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to consecutive playoff appearances from 2006 through 2010. In 2007, the Cavaliers advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, but lost to the San Antonio Spurs. In 2011, James and the Miami Heat advanced to the NBA Finals but lost to the Dallas Mavericks. James has been a member of the USA national team, winning a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and gold at the 2008 Olympics.
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Lee Trevino
Lee Buck Trevino (born December 1, 1939) is a Mexican American professional golfer. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "The Merry Mex" and "Supermex". He won six major championships over the course of his career.
Trevino was born in Dallas, Texas into a family of Mexican ancestry. He was raised by his mother, Juanita Trevino, and his grandfather, Joe Trevino, a gravedigger. Trevino never knew his father, Joseph Trevino, who left when his son was small. Trevino's childhood consisted of attending school occasionally and working to earn money for the family. At age five, he started working in the cotton fields.
Trevino was introduced to golf when his uncle gave him a few golf balls and an old golf club. He then spent his free time sneaking into nearby country clubs to practice, and began as a caddy at the Dallas Athletic Club. He soon began caddying full-time. Trevino had to leave school at 14 to go to work. He earned $30 a week as a caddy and a shoeshiner. He was also able to practice golf, since the caddies had three short holes behind their shack. After work, he would hit at least 300 balls. Trevino has claimed to have earned extra money by challenging competitors to rounds of golf where he used only a shovel and taped-up 32-ounce glass Dr. Pepper bottle.
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Lenny Wilkens
Leonard Randolph "Lenny" Wilkens (born October 28, 1937, in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.) is a retired American basketball player and coach in the NBA. He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, first in 1989 as a player, as a coach in 1998, and as part of the US Olympic "The Dream Team" for whom he was an assistant coach.
He is only three victories behind Don Nelson for most career regular season wins as an NBA coach, with 1332, but he has five more playoff wins than Nelson.
Wilkens grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. His father was African American and his mother was Irish. Wilkens was raised in the Roman Catholic faith.
At Boys High School, Wilkens was a basketball teammate of longtime Major League Baseball star Tommy Davis.
Wilkens was a two-time All-American (1959 and 1960) at Providence College. He led the team to their first NIT appearance in 1959, and to the NIT finals in 1960. When he graduated, Wilkens was, with 1,193 points, the second-ranked scorer in Friar history (he has since dropped to twentieth as of 2005). In 1996, Wilkens' No. 14 jersey was retired by the college, the first alumnus to receive such an honor.
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Lou Brock
Louis Clark "Lou" Brock (born June 18, 1939) is an American former professional baseball player. He began his Major League Baseball career with the Chicago Cubs but, spent the majority of his career as the left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. Brock was best known for breaking Ty Cobb's all-time major league stolen base record. He is currently a special instructor coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. Brock was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.
Brock was born in El Dorado, Arkansas to a family of sharecroppers. His family moved to Collinston, Louisiana when he was two years old. While his family didn't have much money, he said that he never felt poor because,"If you don't have something, you don't miss it." Brock grew up as a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers, the team that included Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella. Although he didn't play in organized baseball until he reached the 11th grade, he learned much about the sport from listening to Cardinals radio broadcaster Harry Caray describe the way major league hitters stood at the plate. After attending high school in Mer Rouge, Louisiana, he received academic assistance to attend Southern University in Baton Rouge but, when a low grade in his first semester meant the possibility of losing his scholarship, he decided to try out for the school's baseball team in order to secure an athletic scholarship.
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Luke Ridnour
Lucas Robin "Luke" Ridnour (born February 13, 1981) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was born in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho and grew up in Blaine, Washington.
He is the son of Rob Ridnour, a former high school basketball coach and current coach of the International Basketball League's Bellingham Slam. When Luke was a high-school sophomore he was given the keys to the gym by his father to practice at night. He was on two state title-winning teams at Blaine High School, and was named a high school All-American by both McDonald's and Parade in 2000 his graduating year.
Ridnour went on to star at the University of Oregon, where he teamed with Luke Jackson to take the Ducks to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament twice including the Elite 8 in 2002. He set the school season record for assists (218) and made a conference-record 62 consecutive free throws. Luke averaged 19.7 points per game and 6.6 assist per game. Ridnour left Oregon after his junior year, when he was Pac-10 Player of the Year.
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Luke Walton
Luke Theodore Walton (born March 28, 1980) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His primary position is at small forward. After the 2010 NBA Finals, Walton and his father, Hall of Famer Bill Walton, became the first father and son to both have won multiple NBA championships. Bill won in 1977 and 1986, and Luke in 2009 and 2010.
Luke Walton is the son of former NBA great Bill Walton, and was named after Bill's close friend and former Portland Trail Blazers teammate Maurice Lucas. He has three brothers — Adam, Nathan (who unsuccessfully ran for governor during the 2003 California recall), and Chris. He attended University of San Diego High School in San Diego, California.
After graduating from University of San Diego High School in 1998, Walton enrolled at the University of Arizona and majored in family studies and human development. There, he played for the Wildcats under coach Lute Olson. In his junior year, Walton averaged 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. As a fifth-year senior, he averaged 10.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 0.9 steals.
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Maciej Lampe
Maciej Bolesław Lampe (born February 5, 1985 in Łódź) is a Polish professional basketball player. He currently plays with Caja Laboral in Spain.
Originally from Łódź, Poland, Lampe grew up in Stockholm, Sweden. He played briefly for Real Madrid in the Spanish ACB League before being sent on loan to Universidad Complutense of the LEB, the second division level in Spain, to receive more playing time.
Lampe was selected by the NBA club the New York Knicks in the second round (30th overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft as an early entry candidate, despite having been projected as a lottery pick. Maciej was elected to the 2003 Reebok Rocky Mountain Revue All-Revue Team after averaging 17.2 points and 7.0 rebounds in 32.4 minutes for the Knicks' summer league team. Maciej was traded to the Phoenix Suns on January 5, 2004 deal, and he became the youngest player in Suns history to appear in a regular season game.
In January 2005, he got traded for the second time in his NBA career, this time to the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. On February 13, 2006, he was traded to the Houston Rockets for point guard Moochie Norris, making the Rockets his fourth NBA club. He holds NBA career averages of 3.4 points per game, 2.2 rebounds per game, and 0.3 assists per game. In 2010, he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers to play on the Summer League team.
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Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, and won four more championships with the Lakers during the 1980s. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. After protests from his fellow players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996, at age 36, to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time.
Johnson's career achievements include three NBA MVP Awards, nine NBA Finals appearances, twelve All-Star games, and ten All-NBA First and Second Team nominations. He led the league in regular-season assists four times, and is the NBA's all-time leader in average assists per game, at 11.2. Johnson was a member of the "Dream Team", the U.S. basketball team that won the Olympic gold medal in 1992.
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Malick Badiane
Malick Badiane (born January 1, 1984 in Dakar) is a Senegalese professional basketball player. He plays mainly as a center, but he can also play at the power forward position. He is 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) in height.
Badiane started his career playing for the US Rail Thies team in Senegal in the 2000-01 season. He emerged on the American basketball scene after an impressive showing at the ABCD Camp in Teaneck, New Jersey, United States. There, he shined despite getting limited touches, emerging as one of the camp's top 30 players.
Badiane, then eighteen years old, signed with TV Langen in the German second division (acting as a farm team for the Opel Skyliners, in the German top level), and averaged 11.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game during the 2002-03 season, making an immediate impact. He turned in a pair of 27-point performances and observers of the league believed that he blocked an average of two shots per game (blocks were not kept as an official statistic in the league).
Badiane then spent the next three years with the Skyliners, moving to another side in the league, the Artland Dragons, for the 2006-07 season. He would spend the 2007-08 season with JDA Dijon in the French Pro A league.
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Marcus Banks
Arthur Lemarcus Banks III, commonly known as Marcus Banks (born November 19, 1981 in Las Vegas, Nevada), is an American professional basketball player.
Banks is 6'2" (1.88 m) tall and 205 lb (93 kg). He played in college for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he was Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. He was selected with the thirteenth pick in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, then traded to the Boston Celtics along with Kendrick Perkins.
After playing two years at Dixie State College of Utah, Banks transferred to UNLV. He played for the UNLV Runnin' Rebels, where he was Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.
Banks was selected as the thirteenth pick in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies; however, he was then traded to the Boston Celtics along with Kendrick Perkins. He was traded to the Lakers in 2004 for Gary Payton, but returned to Boston after the trade was amended following Payton's refusal to take a physical. In Boston, Banks was known for his good defense and ball handling; however, he was also known for his poor shooting and decision making. In addition, Coach Doc Rivers had high hopes for rookie Delonte West, who also played point guard. As a result, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge declined to pick up a club option on Banks.
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Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian right-handed baseball pitcher who has played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Nicknamed "Mo", Rivera has served as a relief pitcher for most of his career, and since 1997, he has been the Yankees' closer. A 12-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, he is MLB's all-time leader in saves (608) and games finished (892). His accolades include five American League (AL) Rolaids Relief Man Awards, the 1999 World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, and the 2003 AL Championship Series MVP Award.
Rivera was signed by the Yankees organization in 1990 as an amateur free agent in Panama, and he debuted in the major leagues in 1995. Initially a starting pitcher, he struggled in the role and was consequently converted to a relief pitcher. After a breakthrough season in 1996 as a setup man, he became the Yankees' closer in 1997. In the following years, he established himself as one of baseball's top relievers, leading the major leagues in saves in 1999, 2001, and 2004. Rivera's presence in the late innings of games to record the final outs has contributed to the Yankees' success in the late-1990s and 2000s, particularly in the postseason where he has set numerous records, including lowest earned run average (ERA) (0.70) and most saves (42). His pitching repertoire consists primarily of one pitch, a sharp-breaking, mid-90s mile per hour (mph) cut fastball that has been called an all-time great pitch.
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Mario Austin
Mario Trevon Austin (born February 26, 1982, in Livingston, Alabama) is an American professional basketball player. Drafted 36th overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, Mario did not make the roster following training camp and left to play overseas. He began his professional career with CSKA Moscow, but was released after an injury and dispute with the team before playing an official game. He then spent the remainder of the season in the WBA league. In 2004 he signed with Italian team Lauretana Biella and had a decent season. In 2005 he signed with Hapoel Jerusalem B.C., where he played until 2007 and helped bring them the State Cup.
In summer of 2007 he played with the Chicago Bulls summer league team.
For the 2007/08 season he has signed for Benetton Treviso.
On July 18, 2008, Beşiktaş Cola Turka officially announced Austin's transfer.
At the start of the 2009/10 season, was signed by Meridiano Alicante, but was released on January 21, 2010.
On April 10, 2010, was signed by the Atléticos de San Germán of the Puerto Rican league, being replaced on May 29, 2010 by Ernest Brown
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Mario Chalmers
Almario Vernard "Mario" Chalmers (born May 19, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the NBA. He was selected 34th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Chalmers played for the University of Kansas in college for three seasons, including the 2007–08 national championship team, hitting a dramatic three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in regulation to send the game against the Memphis Tigers into overtime, with Kansas eventually winning the game.
In the 2006–2007 Big 12 Coaches Awards, Chalmers was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year with Marcus Dove of Oklahoma State. Chalmers was also voted on the All Big 12 Third Team, and the All Big 12 Defensive Team.
In the 2007–2008 season, Chalmers was named Big 12 All-Defensive First Team and All Big 12 Second Team. He was also named Most Outstanding Player of the 2008 NCAA Championship.
Chalmers attended Bartlett High School in Anchorage, Alaska. Chalmers was named 4A State Player of the Year three times in a row, joining Trajan Langdon as the only other player to do so. Chalmers also led his school to two state championships in 2002 and 2003, and a runner up finish in 2004.
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Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire (born October 1, 1963), nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.
For his career, McGwire averaged a home run once every 10.61 at bats, the lowest at bats per home run ratio in baseball history (Babe Ruth is second at 11.76). In 1987, he broke the single-season home run record for rookies, with 49. In 1998, McGwire and Sammy Sosa achieved national fame for their home run-hitting prowess in pursuit of Roger Maris' single season home run record; McGwire broke the record and hit 70 home runs that year.Barry Bonds now holds the record, after hitting 73 home runs during the 2001 season.
After three years at Southern California and a stint on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team, McGwire was drafted 10th overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 1984 Major League Baseball Draft.
McGwire made the major leagues in August. As a rookie in 1987 he hit 33 homers before the All-Star break and was a unanimous choice for AL Rookie of the Year after finishing with 49 homers, 118 RBI and a .289 average. His 49 longballs smashed the old rookie record of 38, jointly held by Frank Robinson and Wally Berger. He sat out the season's final two games and gave up a chance at 50 home runs to be present at the birth of his first child.
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Marshall Faulk
Marshall William Faulk (born February 26, 1973) is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons. He played college football for San Diego State University, and was a three-time All-American. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts as the second overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft, and he also played professionally for the NFL's St. Louis Rams. Faulk is one of only three NFL players (Marcus Allen and Tiki Barber being the others) to reach at least 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards; he is the only one to amass 12,000 yards rushing and 6,000 yards receiving. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
He is currently a pro football analyst for NFL Total Access, Thursday Night Football, and NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network.
Faulk was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended George Washington Carver High School in Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, where he played for the Carver Rams high school football team.
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Mary Decker
Mary Slaney (born Mary Teresa Decker August 4, 1958, Bunnvale, Hunterdon County, New Jersey) is an American former track athlete. During her career, she won gold medals in the 1500 meters and 3000 meters at the 1983 World Championships, and set 17 official and unofficial world records and 36 US national records.
Mary Decker was born in Bunnvale, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. A decade later her family moved to Southern California, where Decker started running. A year later, aged 11, she won her first local competition.
She joined her school athletics club and a local track club, and completely immersed herself in running, for which she would pay an injury-laden price later in her career. Aged 12, in one week she completed a marathon and four middle- and long-distance races, ending the week with an appendectomy operation.
In her early teens, Decker was already recognized as a world-class runner. Unable to attend the 1972 Olympics as she was too young, the pigtailed 89 pounds (40 kg) 14 year old nicknamed "Little Mary Decker," won international acclaim in 1973 with a win in the 800 meters at a US-Soviet meet in Minsk, beating the later Olympic silver medallist.
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Mary Lou Retton
Mary Lou Retton (born January 24, 1968) is an American gymnast and Olympic gold medalist. She was the first female gymnast from outside Eastern Europe to win the Olympic all-around title.
Retton was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, of Italian heritage (her family's original surname was "Rotunda"). Her father, Ronnie, operated a coal-industry transportation equipment business. She attended Fairmont Senior High School, but did not graduate. She competed in the Olympic games during her sophomore year.
Retton lived in Houston, Texas until 2009, when her family returned to West Virginia. She is married to former Houston real estate developer Shannon Kelley, who now works for the Fairmont State University athletic department. Together they have four daughters: Shayla Rae Kelley (born 1995), McKenna Lane Kelley (born 1997), Skyla Brae Kelley (born 2000), and Emma Jean Kelley (born 2002).
Inspired by watching Nadia Comăneci on television, Retton took up gymnastics in her hometown of Fairmont. She was coached by Gary Rafaloski. She then decided to move to Houston, Texas, to train under Romanians Béla and Márta Károlyi, who had coached Nadia Comăneci before their defection to the United States. Under the Károlyis, Retton soon began to make a name for herself in the United States, winning the American Cup in 1983 and placing second to Dianne Durham (another Károlyi student) at the US Nationals that same year. Retton missed the World Championships in 1983 due to a wrist injury. Nevertheless, Retton won the American Classic in 1983 and 1984, as well as Japan's Chunichi Cup in 1983.
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Matt Bonner
Matthew Robert Bonner (born April 5, 1980) is an American professional basketball player with the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bonner played college basketball for the University of Florida, and was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft. In addition to the San Antonio Spurs, he has also previously played for the Toronto Raptors.
Matt Bonner was born in Concord, New Hampshire in 1980. He attended Concord High School, where he played for the Concord Crimson Tide high school basketball team, helping the Crimson Tide win three state championships. Due to the strong support by his father, a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, and his mother, an elementary school teacher in Concord, Matt graduated at the top of his class in academics.
Matt has two younger siblings, Luke and Becky. Matt's brother, Luke Bonner, attended the University of Massachusetts and played basketball there. He then played for the Austin Toros of the NBA D-League, and has also played for Klaipėda Neptunas in Lithuania.
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Matt Leinart
Matthew Stephen Leinart (born May 11, 1983), is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Leinart previously played for four seasons (2006–2009) with the Arizona Cardinals, largely in a backup role to the now-retired Kurt Warner, before being released on September 4, 2010. He also played for the Houston Texans (2010–2011).
Leinart played college football at the University of Southern California. In 2004, he led the Trojans to the BCS national championship and was named that year's winner of the Heisman Trophy as well as the winner of the inaugural Manning Award, which is awarded to the country's top quarterback. The championship was vacated by the BCS on June 6, 2011.
The left-handed passing Leinart was selected tenth overall in the 2006 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals. Despite possessing what draft experts believed was a good frame for a quarterback (6'-5”, 230 pounds), they believed his lack of a strong throwing arm, such as that possessed by his predecessor, Carson Palmer (now with the Oakland Raiders), would be a detriment in his professional career.
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Max Zaslofsky
Max "Slats" Zaslofsky (December 7, 1925 – October 15, 1985) was an American professional basketball player and coach.
Zaslofsky attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, and St. John's University. He was Jewish.
While playing for the Chicago Stags, Zaslofsky was named All-NBA First Team 1946–47 at the age of 21. He held the distinction of being the youngest player named such for near 60 years until he was surpassed by LeBron James (2005–06). The next season, 1947-48, he led the league in scoring. At 22 years, 121 days old, he was the youngest player to lead the league in scoring until 2010, when Kevin Durant broke his mark. In 1949–50 he led the league in free throw percentage.
After the Stags broke up, Zaslofsky joined the New York Knicks. In 1956 he ended his career as 3rd leading scorer all-time (up to that point), behind George Mikan and Joe Fulks. In addition to his 1946–47 All-NBA First Team honors, Zaslofsky was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1947–48, 1948–49, and 1949–50. He also played in the 1952 NBA All-Star Game.
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Michael Doleac
Michael Scott Doleac (born June 15, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player.
Doleac was selected 12th overall in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. He graduated from Central Catholic High School at Portland, Oregon and in 1998 the University of Utah after being their premiere big man in a season in which they made it to the 1998 NCAA National Championship game, in which they lost to the University of Kentucky in Doleac's hometown of San Antonio, Texas. After four years at Utah, he was among the school's all-time top ten in 3 categories: 10th in scoring (1,519 points), 8th in rebounds (886) and 4th in free throws made (472). Doleac won a championship in 2006 with the Miami Heat, coming off the bench to back up Shaquille O'Neal.
In 1999, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
Doleac retired after a ten year NBA career after the 2007–2008 NBA season. He retired as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In 2009, Doleac became a graduate manager for the University of Utah men's basketball team. At Utah, he will also pursue his goal of becoming a doctor.
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Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.
After a three-season career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a member of the Tar Heels' national championship team 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 from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Washington Wizards.
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Michael Phelps
Michael Fred Phelps (born June 30, 1985) is an American swimmer who has, overall, won 16 Olympic medals—six gold and two bronze at Athens in 2004, and eight gold at Beijing in 2008, becoming the most successful athlete at both of these Olympic Games editions. In doing so he has twice equaled the record eight medals of any type at a single Olympics achieved by Soviet gymnast Alexander Dityatin at the 1980 Moscow Summer Games. His five gold medals in individual events tied the single Games record set by compatriot Eric Heiden in the 1980 Winter Olympics and equaled by Vitaly Scherbo at the 1992 Summer Games. Phelps holds the record for the most gold medals won in a single Olympics; his eight at the 2008 Beijing Games surpassed American swimmer Mark Spitz's seven-gold performance at Munich in 1972. Phelps' Olympic medal total is second only to the 18 Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina won over three Olympics, including nine gold. Phelps also holds the all-time record for most gold Olympic medals, at 14.
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Michael Redd
Michael Wesley Redd (born August 24, 1979) is an American professional basketball for the Phoenix Suns. He was drafted 43rd overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2000 NBA Draft. He was born in Columbus, Ohio, where he attended West High School. He was also a member of the U.S. national basketball team.
Standing 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) tall and weighing 215 pounds (98 kg), Michael Redd has spent both his collegiate and professional career at the shooting guard position. In the college ranks, he spent three years leading the offensive attack of Ohio State University garnering point averages of 21.9, 19.5, and 17.5, respectively. As a sophomore, Redd and Scoonie Penn led Ohio State to the NCAA Final Four. He was then drafted after his junior year in the 2000 NBA Draft as a second round pick (43rd overall) by the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Michael Sweetney
Michael 'Mike' Damien Sweetney (born October 25, 1982 in Washington, D.C.) is an American professional basketball power forward.
Sweetney went to Oxon Hill for high school, where he was named Washington Post All Met Basketball Player of the Year. He continued the tradition of highly skilled big men at Georgetown University, averaging 18.2 points while shooting nearly 55% over his three-year collegiate career. He was especially dominant over his junior year, in which he was named Honorable Mention All-America by AP, as well as being a Naismith College Player of the Year finalist and a candidate for the John R. Wooden Award.
That year, Sweetney was the only player in the nation to rank in the top 20 in scoring and rebounding. Despite playing only three seasons, he ranks seventh on Georgetown's career scoring list (1,750), fifth in rebounds (887) and sixth in blocks (180).
Sweetney was by selected by the New York Knicks with the 9th overall pick, in the 2003 NBA Draft. After a two-year stint with only 42 regular season contests in his rookie year, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls on October 4, 2005, alongside Tim Thomas and Jermaine Jackson, for Eddy Curry and Antonio Davis.
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Mickaël Piétrus
Mickaël Piétrus (born on February 7, 1982) is a Guadeloupean-French professional basketball player with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is listed at 6'6", 215 pounds and plays both the small forward and shooting guard positions. Piétrus was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the 11th pick of the 2003 NBA Draft, and is originally from Guadeloupe, a Caribbean island that is a part of France. His older brother, Florent Piétrus, is also a professional basketball player.
Piétrus is also known by the nicknames MP, Air France, and Puma. He speaks French and English fluently.
With ÉB Pau-Orthez he won the French championship in 2001 and 2003, as well as the national cup in the year 2002. In September 2005 he won the bronze medal at the 2005 European Championship with the French national team.
After leaving his native France, Piétrus was drafted by the Golden State Warriors. He played there for 5 seasons with the last being the 07–08 season.
During the 2008 off-season, he was signed by the Orlando Magic.
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Mike Krzyzewski
Michael William "Mike" Krzyzewski ( /ʃəˈʃɛvski/ shə-SHEV-ski; Polish: Krzyżewski [kʂɨˈʐɛ(f)ski]; nicknamed "Coach K"; born February 13, 1947) is an American basketball coach and former player. Since 1980, he has served as the head men's basketball coach at Duke University. At Duke, Krzyzewski has led the Blue Devils to four NCAA Championships, 11 Final Fours, 12 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) regular season titles, and 13 ACC Tournament championships. Krzyzewski is also the coach of the United States men's national basketball team, whom he led to a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2010 FIBA World Championship. He was an assistant coach on the 1992 "Dream Team".
From 1975 to 1980, Krzyzewski was the head basketball coach at the United States Military Academy, where he played from 1966 to 1969 under Bob Knight. Krzyzewski has amassed a record 79 NCAA tournament victories, while averaging 25 wins per season. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame following the 2001 season. On November 15, 2011, Krzyzewski led Duke to a 74–69 victory over Michigan State at Madison Square Garden to become the winningest coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball history. Krzyzewski's 903rd victory surpassed the previous record of 902, held by his former coach, Bob Knight.
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Mitch Richmond
Mitchell James "Mitch" Richmond (born June 30, 1965 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played collegiately at Kansas State University. He was a 6-time NBA All-Star, a 5-time All-NBA Team member and a former NBA Rookie of the Year. In 976 NBA games, Richmond averaged 21.0 points per game and 3.5 assists per game. His nicknames include "The Rock." #2 has been retired in his honor by the Sacramento Kings, for whom he played seven seasons. He was on the cover of video game NBA Live 97. Richmond is now a scout for the Golden State Warriors, for whom he played from 1988 to 1991.
Richmond was drafted 5th overall in the 1988 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, following two years at Kansas State, where he averaged 20 points per game, and two years at Moberly Junior College in Missouri.
Richmond captured the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in the 1988–89 season, after averaging 22 points per game for the Warriors. He was a key part of Don Nelson's fast-paced offense, which was dubbed "Run TMC" after the first names of its three main components, Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin, respectively. The trio were named after the influential rap group Run DMC. In addition to the shooting he provided, he complemented Hardaway's passing and fast break skills and Mullin's shooting skills by slashing to the hoop as part of the Warriors' attack.
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Mo Williams
Maurice "Mo" Williams (born December 19, 1982, in Jackson, Mississippi) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association. After a successful high school career at Murrah High School, Williams attended college at the University of Alabama where he led his team as a freshman to a 27-8 record, and also shared an SEC regular season championship. After two solid seasons at Alabama, Williams entered the 2003 NBA Draft, and was selected as the 47th pick by the Utah Jazz. The following year he signed with the Milwaukee Bucks as a free agent. Williams was given the starting point guard position after Milwaukee traded their former starting point guard, T.J. Ford to the Toronto Raptors. This movement opened up a chance for Williams to make a name for himself not only on the Milwaukee Bucks, but in the NBA as well. Williams averaged over 30 minutes a game, as well as other career achievements.
On August 13, 2008, Williams was a part of a three-team, six-player deal involving the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Williams was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and was immediately named their starting point guard. He began scoring big numbers alongside LeBron James. Williams played in his first All-Star Game in 2009 as a replacement for Toronto's injured Chris Bosh.
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Morris Almond
Morris Almond (born February 2, 1985) is an American professional basketball player with the Washington Wizards of the NBA.
Almond was born in Dalton, Georgia and attended McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia, where he was a teammate of fellow professional basketball player Josh Smith.
Almond played college basketball at Rice University. During his junior season, Almond's scoring average jumped to 21.9 points per game (up from 7.2 points per game as a sophomore). His scoring average led all players in Conference USA.
During his senior year, Almond's scoring average increased to 26.4 points per game, ranking third in the nation. He was named Conference USA Player of the Year and was named AP All-America Honorable Mention.
Almond finished his career at Rice with 121 games played and a scoring average of 15.1 points per game. After graduation, he was selected by the Utah Jazz in the first round (25th pick) in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Almond played in 9 games with the Jazz during his rookie season with the Jazz, averaging 4.3 minutes. His NBA career high is currently 12 points, at Sacramento on December 2, 2008. He scored his first NBA points on January 8, 2008 against the Indiana Pacers, with 2 points on 1-of-5 shooting. However, he spent most of the season with the team's D-League affiliate, the Utah Flash, to whom he was assigned. He led the D-League in scoring during the season, averaging 25.6 points per game. In just his fifth game with the team on December 21, 2007, he tied a league record with 51 points in a 118–116 victory over the Austin Toros. Later in the season, he broke the record with a 53-point performance against the Bakersfield Jam in a 102–87 win.
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Moses Malone
Moses Eugene Malone (born March 23, 1955 in Petersburg, Virginia) is a retired American Hall of Fame basketball player who starred in both the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association. A three-time NBA MVP and one of the NBA's 50 greatest players, Malone was the most successful prep-to-pro player of his era, going straight from Petersburg High to a 21-year career in professional basketball. By the time Malone retired after 19 seasons in the NBA he was the last former ABA player active and held numerous distinctions in both leagues, including a championship ring and NBA finals trophy won with the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers.
Right after graduating from Petersburg High School, Malone signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Maryland. However, Malone was drafted by the ABA's Utah Stars in 1974 and became one of the first basketball players to jump straight from high school into the professional leagues.
Malone began his professional career with the Utah Stars. He later played for the ABA's Spirits of St. Louis. In two seasons in the ABA, Malone averaged 17.2 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. Malone's ABA career ended with the ABA–NBA merger in June 1976, when Malone moved to the NBA.
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Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; January 17, 1942) is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist. Considered a cultural icon, Ali was both idolized and vilified.
Originally known as Cassius Clay, Ali changed his name after joining the Nation of Islam in 1964, subsequently converting to Sunni Islam in 1975, and more recently practicing Sufism.[clarification needed] In 1967, three years after Ali had won the World Heavyweight Championship, he was publicly vilified for his refusal to be conscripted into the U.S. military, based on his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War. Ali stated, "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong... No Viet Cong ever called me nigger" – one of the more telling remarks of the era.
Widespread protests against the Vietnam War had not yet begun, but with that one phrase, Ali articulated the reason to oppose the war for a generation of young Americans, and his words served as a touchstone for the racial and antiwar upheavals that would rock the 1960s. Ali's example inspired Martin Luther King Jr. – who had been reluctant to alienate the Johnson Administration and its support of the civil rights agenda – to voice his own opposition to the war for the first time.
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Nate Archibald
Nathaniel "Tiny" Archibald (born September 2, 1948, New York City) is a retired American professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the NBA, most notably with the Kansas City Kings and Boston Celtics.
Archibald was a willing passer and an adequate shooter from midrange. However, it was his quickness and speed and shiftiness that made him difficult to guard in the open court, as he would regularly drive past defenders on his way to the basket.
Archibald, a playground legend while growing up in a rough-and-tumble neighborhood in the South Bronx, New York City, only played high school basketball for one-and-a-half seasons, and was cut from the varsity squad at DeWitt Clinton High School as a sophomore. He returned to the team as a junior. During his time without basketball, Archibald briefly flirted with dropping out of school after having been largely truant in past years. But with the help of two mentors, Floyd Layne and Pablo Robertson, Archibald turned it around. Robertson, a former standout at Loyola of Chicago and a Harlem, NY, playground impressario, had seen the gifted, mercurial Archibald in action on the playgrounds and convinced the young man's high school coach to re-instate him on the squad. Despite only playing in blowouts as a junior, the shy, quiet teen managed to blossom into a high-school star, being named team captain and an All-City selection in 1966. Off the court, Archibald began to attend school regularly and worked to improve his poor academic standing, which deterred most colleges from offering him a scholarship. To improve his chances of playing major college basketball, Archibald enrolled at Arizona Western College, transferring to the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) the following year. He had three standout seasons at El Paso, from 1967 to 1970 under the legendary coach Don Haskins.
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Ndudi Ebi
Ndudi Hamani Ebi (born 18 June 1984 in London, England) is a Nigerian-British professional basketball player who formerly played in the NBA.
He committed to the University of Arizona, in the U.S., but reneged by making himself eligible for the NBA Draft. Ebi was selected out of Westbury Christian School by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round (26th pick overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft.
Ebi was raised in Nigeria before moving to Houston, Texas, U.S. as a teenager to attend high school. He holds both British and Nigerian citizenship. He currently plays for Anibal Zahle in Lebanon.
Ebi was the first first-round pick in three years for the Wolves due to their forfeiture of five first-round picks after the team owner illegally made a deal with then Wolves forward Joe Smith (the penalty was later reduced to three picks). Minnesota attempted to get an exception for Ebi to be able to send him to the National Basketball Developmental League (NBDL).
He was technically ineligible as the 2005–06 NBA season was his third year, and the now-renamed NBA Development League now only accepts players who have been in the NBA less than two years. Minnesota wanted to guide Ebi in, and they tacitly argued that Ebi was hardly a two-year veteran in the figurative sense, given his limited playing time. The Timberwolves attempted to do this without letting Ebi know that they were planning to send Ebi to the NBDL. The league rejected Minnesota's request regarding Ebi, and to make room for Ronald Dupree, Minnesota released Ebi on 1 November 2005. He signed a free agent contract over the summer of 2006 with the Dallas Mavericks.
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Nedžad Sinanović
Nedžad Sinanović (born January 29, 1983 in SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Bosnian professional basketball center who plays for Unicaja. He has played professionally in Belgium, Spain and Germany.
In 2003, Sinanović was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers as the 54th overall selection of the 2003 NBA Draft.
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Neil Johnston
Donald Neil Johnston (February 4, 1929 – September 28, 1978) was an American Hall of Fame basketball player at the center position who played 8 years in the NBA from 1951 to 1959.
He led the NBA in scoring for three consecutive seasons: 1952-53, 1953–54, and 1954-55. During the 1954-55 season, he also won the league's rebounding title. Johnston played his entire career with the Philadelphia Warriors, playing on their championship team in 1956. He played in six NBA All-Star Games, was an All-NBA First Team selection four times, and was an All-NBA Second Team selection once.
During his career, the 6 foot 8 inch Johnston was well known for his right-handed hook shot, which contributed to his leading the league in field goal shooting three times. Johnston was forced to retire after a serious knee injury in the 1958-59 season.
After his playing career, he coached the Warriors to a 95-59 winning record for the first two seasons of Wilt Chamberlain's NBA career.
Johnston also coached the Pittsburgh Rens, with Connie Hawkins, of the American Basketball League.
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Nick Collison
Nicholas John Collison (born October 26, 1980) is an American professional basketball player, currently a power forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA, and well known in basketball circles for his accomplishments at the University of Kansas.
Nick Collison was born in Orange City, Iowa, and grew up in Fort Dodge, Iowa and transferred to Iowa Falls High School.
Nick Collison was a 1999 McDonald's All-American in high school while attending Iowa Falls, Iowa.
From 3rd grade to his Senior year in high school, the Iowa Falls Cadets only lost one game.
Teaming with fellow Iowan Kirk Hinrich to form one of the best duos in college basketball, Collison helped KU reach two consecutive Final Fours (2002, 2003). Collison finished his college career as the leading scorer in the history of the Big 12 Conference (since passed by Andre Emmett). In 2003, his Jayhawks lost to the Carmelo Anthony led Syracuse University Orangemen in the National Championship game, 81–78. He played for the US national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship.
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Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. (born on January 31, 1947), nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers.
During a major league record 27-year baseball career, he pitched in 1966 and from 1968 to 1993 for four different teams: the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
Ryan, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher, threw pitches that were regularly recorded above 100 miles per hour (160.93 km/h). The high velocity remained throughout his career, even into his 40s. Ryan was also known to throw a devastating 12–6 curveball at exceptional velocity for a breaking ball.
While his lifetime winning percentage was a relatively pedestrian .526, Ryan was an eight-time MLB All-Star, and his 5,714 career strikeouts rank first in baseball history by a significant margin. He leads the runner-up, Randy Johnson, by 839 strikeouts. Similarly, Ryan's 2,795 bases on balls lead second-place Steve Carlton by 962—walking over 50% more hitters than any other pitcher in Major League history. Other than Jackie Robinson (whose number was retired by the entire MLB), Ryan is currently the only major league baseball player to have his number retired by at least 3 different teams: the Angels, Astros, and Rangers.
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Orel Hershiser
Orel Leonard Hershiser IV (born September 16, 1958) is an American former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is currently an analyst for Baseball Tonight and Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN and a professional poker player for PokerStars. In 1988, he won the Gold Glove, Cy Young Award, the NLCS MVP and the World Series MVP with the Dodgers.
Known for his slight frame and fierce competitive spirit, Hershiser was nicknamed "Bulldog" by team manager Tommy Lasorda.
Hershiser was born in Buffalo, New York to Mildred I. Gillman and Orel Leonard Hershiser III. From 1973 to 1975, he participated in ice hockey with the Don Mills Flyers of the Greater Toronto Hockey League. He attended Cherry Hill High School East in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where he was the star pitcher on the school's baseball team. He first caught the attention of pro scouts as a pitcher at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.
Hershiser was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 17th round of the 1979 amateur draft and was assigned to their Class A farm team, Clinton Dodgers. He spent four more seasons in the minor leagues with AA San Antonio Dodgers and AAA Albuquerque Dukes before being called up to the major leagues.
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Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938 in Charlotte, Tennessee), nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American National Basketball Association player with the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Robertson played the shooting guard/point guard position, and was a twelve-time All-Star, eleven-time member of the All-NBA Team, and one-time winner of the MVP award in fourteen professional seasons. He is the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season. He was a key player on the team which brought the Bucks their only NBA title in the 1970-71 NBA season. His playing career, especially during high school and college, was plagued by racism.
For his outstanding achievements, Robertson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980, and was voted one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. The United States Basketball Writers Association renamed their college Player of the Year Award the Oscar Robertson Trophy in his honor in 1998, and he was one of five people chosen to represent the inaugural National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame class in 2006.
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Paccelis Morlende
Paccelis Morlende (born April 19, 1981 in Creil, France) is a French professional basketball player who plays at the point guard position.
Morlende's career started with JDA Dijon, where he spent his career prior to being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 50th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. He was traded on draft day to the Seattle SuperSonics for Willie Green and cash considerations. Morlende did not play in the NBA, after averaging 7.9 points per game with JDA Dijon. His NBA rights are held by the Sonics franchise, who is now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Pat Gillick
Lawrence Patrick David Gillick (born (1937-08-22)August 22, 1937) is a retired American professional baseball executive. He was the general manager of four Major League Baseball teams, and guided two teams to three World Series championships in his career: 1992 and 1993 titles with the Toronto Blue Jays, and a 2008 title with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Gillick was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.
Gillick was born to former minor league baseball player Larry Gillick in Chico, California. In 1951, he earned his Eagle Scout from the Boy Scouts of America. He continued to stay involved in Scouting and received the Order of the Arrow's Vigil Honor mere months after winning the College World Series at USC. After graduating from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, Pat attended USC and joined the Delta Chi Fraternity. He graduated in 1958 with a degree in business. He was also a gifted pitcher, playing on the 1958 National Title baseball team at USC and spending five years in the minor league systems of the Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates, venturing as high as Triple-A. A left-hander, Gillick posted a won/lost record of 45–32 with an earned run average of 3.42 in 164 minor league games.
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Pat Riley
Patrick James "Pat" Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, and a former coach and player in the NBA. Currently, he is team president of the Miami Heat. Widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time, Riley has served as the head coach of five championship teams and an assistant coach to another. He most recently won the 2006 NBA Championship with the Miami Heat. Prior to his tenure in Miami, he served as head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks. He was named NBA Coach of the Year three times (1989–90, 1992–93 and 1996–97, as head coach of the Lakers, Knicks and Heat, respectively). He was head coach of the NBA All-Star Game teams nine times: eight of the Western team (1982, 1983, 1985–1990, all as head coach of the Lakers) and once of the Eastern team (1993, as head coach of the Knicks). In 1996 he was named one of the 10 Greatest Coaches in the NBA history. As a player, he played for the Los Angeles Lakers' championship team in 1972, bringing his personal total to seven NBA titles.
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Pat Summitt
Patricia "Pat" Head Summitt (born on June 14, 1952 in Clarksville, Tennessee) is a former women's college basketball head coach. She now serves as the head coach emeritus of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team. She is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history of either a men's or women's team in any division. She coached from 1974 to 2012, all with the Lady Vols, winning eight NCAA national championships, second only to the record 10 titles won by UCLA men's coach John Wooden. Summitt is the only coach in NCAA history, and one of three college coaches overall, with 1,000 victories. She was named the Naismith Basketball Coach of the Century in April 2000. In 2009, the Sporting News placed her number 11 on its list of the 50 Greatest Coaches of All Time in all sports; she was the only woman on the list. In 38 years as a coach, she never had a losing season. On April 20, 2012, the White House announced that Pat Summitt would be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
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Patty Sheehan
Patty Sheehan (born October 27, 1956) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1980 and won six major championships and 35 LPGA Tour events in all. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Sheehan also hosts the Patty Sheehan & Friends, which is a tournament on the Legends Tour. Patty Sheehan & Friends helps aid women and children's charities all across Northern Nevada.
Sheehan was born in Middlebury, Vermont. She attended Earl Wooster High School in Reno, Nevada. She won three straight Nevada high school championships (1972–74), three straight Nevada State Amateurs (1975–78) and two straight California Women's Amateurs (1977–78). She was the runner-up at the 1979 U.S. Women's Amateur, then was the 1980 AIAW (predecessor of the NCAA) national collegiate champion. She went 4-0 as a member of the 1980 U.S. Curtis Cup team. She attended University of Nevada and San Jose State University.
Sheehan turned professional and joined the LPGA Tour in 1980. She won LPGA Rookie of the Year honors in 1981 with her first professional victory coming at the Mazda Japan Classic. She was strong throughout the 1980s, winning four times in both 1983 and 1984, and winning the LPGA Championship in both seasons. She won LPGA Tour Player of the Year in 1983 and was one of several athletes named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 1987.
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Paul Arizin
Paul Joseph Arizin (April 9, 1928 – December 12, 2006), nicknamed "Pitchin' Paul," was an American basketball player who spent his entire National Basketball Association career with the Philadelphia Warriors from 1950 to 1962. He retired with the third highest career point total (16,266) in NBA history, and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History upon its 50th anniversary in 1996. He was a high-scoring forward at Villanova University before being drafted by the Warriors of the fledgling NBA.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Arizin did not play basketball at La Salle College High School, failing to make the team in his only tryout as a senior. Arizin graduated just a year before another NBA hall of famer, Tom Gola, entered La Salle College High School as a freshman.
During his freshmen year at Villanova, Arizin played CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) basketball in Philadelphia. Late in that season, Al Severance, the then Villanova varsity basketball coach, attended one of Arizin's CYO games. Afterwards, Severance approached Arizin and asked, "How would you like to go to Villanova?" His answer: "I go to Villanova."
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Paul Pierce
Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977), nicknamed The Truth, is an American professional basketball forward with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Pierce was a high school McDonald's All-American and earned First Team All-America honors in his junior year at Kansas. Pierce has been a starter every season since being selected by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. He is a ten-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA team selection, and also led Boston to the NBA Finals in 2008 and 2010, winning the 2008 NBA Finals. He was named the 2008 NBA Finals MVP in his first trip to the NBA Finals. Pierce also is one of only three Celtics, alongside Larry Bird and John Havlicek, who have scored over 20,000 points in their career with the Celtics alone. He holds the Celtics' record for most three-point field goals made. He also ranks third in team history in games played, second in points scored, seventh in total rebounds, fifth in total assists, and second in total steals. His nickname "The Truth" was given to him by Shaquille O'Neal on March 15, 2001.
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People Magazine
People (originally called People Weekly) is a weekly American magazine of celebrity and human-interest stories, published by Time Inc. As of 2006, it has a circulation of 3.75 million and revenue expected to top $1.5 billion. It was named "Magazine of the Year" by Advertising Age in October 2005, for excellence in editorial, circulation and advertising.People ranked #6 on Advertising Age's annual "A-list" and #3 on Adweek's "Brand Blazers" list in October 2006.
The magazine runs a roughly 50/50 mix of celebrity and human-interest articles. People's editors claim to refrain from printing pure celebrity gossip, enough so to lead celebrity publicists to propose exclusives to the magazine, evidence of what one staffer calls a "publicist-friendly strategy".
People's website, People.com, focuses exclusively on celebrity news. In February 2007, the website drew 39.6 million page views "within a day" of the Golden Globes. However "the mother ship of Oscar coverage" broke a site record with 51.7 million page views on the day after the Oscars, beating the previous record set just a month before from the Golden Globes.[not in citation given]
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Pete Maravich
Peter "Pistol Pete" Press Maravich (June 22, 1947 – January 5, 1988) was an American professional basketball player. Born and raised in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Maravich starred in college at Louisiana State University (LSU) and played for three NBA teams until injuries induced him to retire in 1980. He is still the all-time leading NCAA Division I scorer with 3,667 points scored and an average of 44.2 points per game. (All of his accomplishments were achieved before the three-point line was introduced to NCAA basketball, and despite being unable to play varsity as a freshman under then-NCAA rules.) Maravich died suddenly at age 40 during a pick-up game as a consequence of a previously undetected congenital heart defect. One of the youngest players ever inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Maravich was cited by the Hall as "perhaps the greatest creative offensive talent in history". In an April 2010 interview, Hall of Fame player John Havlicek said "the best ball-handler of all time was (Pete) Maravich."
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Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose (born April 14, 1941), nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989.
Rose, a switch hitter, is the all-time Major League leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053) and outs (10,328). He won three World Series rings, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Gloves, the Rookie of the Year Award, and made 17 All-Star appearances at an unequaled five different positions (2B, LF, RF, 3B & 1B).
In August 1989, three years after he retired as an active player, Rose agreed to permanent ineligibility from baseball amidst accusations that he gambled on baseball games while playing for and managing the Reds, including claims that he bet on his own team. In 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame formally voted to ban those on the "permanently ineligible" list from induction, after previously excluding such players by informal agreement among voters. In 2004, after years of public denial, Rose admitted to betting on baseball and on, but not against, the Reds. The issue of Rose's possible re-instatement, and election, to the Hall of Fame remains a contentious one throughout baseball.
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Pete Rozelle
Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle (/rɵˈzɛl/; March 1, 1926 – December 6, 1996) was the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) from January 1960 to November 1989, when he retired from office. Rozelle is credited with making the NFL into one of the most successful sports leagues in the world.
Rozelle was born in South Gate, California and grew up in neighboring Lynwood, California during the Great Depression. He graduated from Compton High School in 1944, lettering in baseball and basketball. He was drafted into the Navy in 1944 and served 18 months in the Pacific on an oil tanker. Rozelle began his career at the University of San Francisco, working as a student publicist for the school's football team. He had already worked in public relations for the Los Angeles Rams front office and while in the athletic office at USF he marketed the Don's National Invitation Tournament championship basketball season of 1949 into a national media event. He graduated from USF in 1950.
He held a series of public relations jobs in Southern California, marketing the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia for a Los Angeles based company. He joined the Los Angeles Rams as its public relations specialist. By 1957, Rozelle was offered the GM job with the Rams. He turned a disorganized, unprofitable team, lost in the growing LA market, into a business success.
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Peter Ueberroth
Peter Victor Ueberroth (/ˈjuːbərɒθ/; born September 2, 1937) is an American executive. He served as the sixth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1989. He was recently the chairman of the United States Olympic Committee; he was replaced by Larry Probst in October 2008.
Although Ueberroth was born in Evanston, Illinois, he grew up in northern California. While attending Fremont High School, Ueberroth excelled in football, baseball, and swimming. After graduating from high school, Ueberroth attended San Jose State University on an athletic scholarship. While attending San Jose State he joined Delta Upsilon. He competed in the 1956 United States Olympic water polo trials but failed to make the team. Ueberroth ultimately graduated from San Jose State in 1959 with a degree in business.
After college, Ueberroth became a vice president and shareholder in Trans International Airlines (he was 22 years old at the time). Ueberroth worked at Trans International until 1963, when he founded his own travel company, which would become First Travel Corporation. By the time he sold First Travel in 1980, it was the second largest travel business in North America.
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Quentin Richardson
Quentin Richardson (born April 13, 1980) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. At 6'6" (1.98 m) and 228 lb (104 kg), he plays as a small forward.
Richardson was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Lee and Emma Richardson.He arrived at DePaul University after leading Whitney Young High School to the state AA boys Basketball title in 1998. He averaged 17.9 points per game, and 10.2 rebounds per game in his two seasons at DePaul. He became the only player in school history to have 1,000+ points, 500+ rebounds, and 100+ three-point field goals. As a freshman, he was elected both the Conference USA Player of the Year, and Freshman of the Year. Richardson declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore year with DePaul in 2000.
Richardson was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 18th pick of the 2000 NBA Draft. He was selected after fellow Clippers Darius Miles and Keyon Dooling. Richardson would star in a documentary with Miles entitled The Youngest Guns which chronicled their first three seasons in the NBA with the Clippers. Richardson spent four seasons with the Clippers before signing with the Phoenix Suns as a free agent.
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Rafer Johnson
Rafer Lewis Johnson (born August 18, 1935) is an American former decathlete and film actor.
Johnson was born in Hillsboro, Texas, but the family moved to Kingsburg, California, when he was nine. For a while, they were the only black family in the town. A versatile athlete, he played on Kingsburg High School's football, baseball and basketball teams. He was also elected class president in both junior high and high school. At 16, he became attracted to the decathlon after seeing double Olympic champion Bob Mathias compete and told his coach, "I could have beaten most of those guys."
He competed in his first meet in 1954 as a freshman at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His progress in the event was impressive; he broke the world record in his fourth competition. He pledged Pi Lambda Phi fraternity, America's first nondiscriminatory fraternity, and was class president at UCLA. In 1955, in Mexico City, he won the title at the Pan American Games.
Johnson qualified for both the decathlon and the long jump events for the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. However, he was hampered by an injury and forfeited his place in the long jump. Despite this handicap, he managed to take second place in the decathlon behind compatriot Milt Campbell. It would turn out to be his last defeat in the event.
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Ralph Sampson
Ralph Lee Sampson, Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is a retired American college and professional basketball player.
A 7-foot-4 phenom, three-time College Player of the Year, and No. 1 pick in the 1983 NBA Draft, Sampson brought heavy expectations with him to the NBA.
The NBA Rookie of the Year, Sampson averaged 20.7 points and 10.9 rebounds for his first three seasons with the Houston Rockets before injuries began to take their toll. Three knee surgeries later he retired a four-time All-Star whose career highlight ended up being a buzzer-beating shot to dethrone the Los Angeles Lakers as Western Conference champions, derailing their hopes for coveted back-to-back NBA titles and sending the Rockets to their second NBA Finals in the team's history to that point.
Sampson was already 6-foot-7 inches tall by the ninth grade, reaching 7-foot-3 in high school in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He averaged nearly 30 points, 19 rebounds, and 7 blocked shots as a senior (after averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds as a sophomore, and 19 points and 17 rebounds as a junior), at Harrisonburg High, leading the team to state AA basketball championships in 1978 and 1979. His senior year he lost the high school player of the year award to another talented center, Sam Bowie. However, he did get a form of revenge against Bowie, outplaying him in the Capital Classic, getting 23 points and 21 rebounds with 4 blocks in a game styled "Battle of the Giants".
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Randy Culpepper
Randy Lechard Culpepper (born May 16, 1989) is an American basketball player. He played for the University of Texas El Paso Miners. He is in Conference USA's top 15 all-time in career scoring, and in 2009–10 was named the Conference USA Men's Basketball Player of the Year. In Culpepper's first season, he was named NCAA sixth man of year. He averaged 12 points and 2 rebounds. In his second year he was a solid starter averaging 15 points and 3 rebounds. His 3rd year, he was a C-USA champ averaging 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. He had the league high with 45 points against West Carolina. His senior year he averaged 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.
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Randy Johnson
Randall David "Randy" Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams.
The 6-foot-10-inch (2.08 m) Johnson was celebrated for having one of the most dominant fastballs in the game. He regularly approached, and occasionally exceeded, 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) during his prime. He also threw a hard, biting slider. Johnson won the Cy Young Award five times, second only to Roger Clemens' seven.
Johnson finished his career first in strikeouts per nine innings pitched among starting pitchers (10.67), second all-time in total strikeouts (4,875; first among left-handed pitchers), third in hit batsmen (188), tenth in fewest hits allowed per nine innings pitched (7.24), 22nd in wins (303), and 57th in shutouts (37). He pitched two no-hitters, the second of which was the 17th perfect game in baseball history.
Johnson was born in Walnut Creek, California, to Carol Hannah and Rollen Charles “Bud” Johnson. By the time he entered Livermore High School, he was a star in baseball and basketball. In 1982, as a senior, he struck out 121 batters in 66 innings, and threw a perfect game in his last high school start. He also played on a Bercovich team that assembled top players from throughout California. After high school he was drafted in 1982 by the Atlanta Braves in the 2nd round and offered $50,000 to sign. Instead, Johnson accepted a full athletic scholarship to USC, also playing 2 years of basketball. He continued to start at the University of Southern California under coach Rod Dedeaux, but often exhibited control problems.
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Reece Gaines
Clifton Reece Gaines (born January 7, 1981) is an American professional basketball guard.
Gaines, a 6'6", 205 lb (1.98 m, 93 kg) shooting guard played high school basketball at Madison West in his hometown. He then played four years at University of Louisville, earning AP All-America 3rd team honors his senior season while leading the Cardinals to a 25-7 win-loss record.
Gaines was drafted by the Orlando Magic in the first round (15th overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft and signed with the club on July 18, 2003. He spent one season on the bench in Orlando (1.8 points, 1.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists in 38 games) before being traded to the Houston Rockets (along with Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard and Tyronn Lue) in exchange for Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato.
Gaines played ten games with the Rockets (2.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.3 assists per game), spending the majority of his time on the injured list. He was traded again on February 24, 2005 (with two future second-round picks) to the Milwaukee Bucks for Mike James and Zendon Hamilton.
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Remon van de Hare
Remon van de Hare (born May 23, 1982 in Amsterdam, Netherlands) is a Dutch professional basketball player with BMC AEK Larnaca of the Cypriot league.
He is a 7'3.25" (2.22) m tall center. He was picked in the second round of the 2003 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors.
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Richard Jefferson
Richard Allen Jefferson (born June 21, 1980 in Los Angeles, California) is a 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association. He was also a member of the USA men's national basketball team at the 2003 Tournament of the Americas and the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics.
Jefferson was born in Los Angeles and was raised in Phoenix, Arizona. His parents were both Christian missionaries, and he moved around frequently growing up.
Jefferson attended Moon Valley High School in west Phoenix, Arizona, where he was an integral part of the varsity basketball team that won the 4A State Championship in 1998.
He played college basketball at the University of Arizona, under Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson from 1998-2001. During his 84-game career (77 starts), Jefferson averaged 11.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He capped his career by leading Arizona to the 2001 national championship game. Along the way, Jefferson was an all-Midwest Regional and all-Final Four selection. He was inducted into the Pac-12 Basketball Hall of Honor during the 2012 Pacific-12 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, March 10, 2012.
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Rick Barry
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944), better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers[who?] to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision, knowledge and execution of team defense principles, tenacious and ofttimes demanding will to win, and unorthodox but accurate underhanded free throw shooting. Barry is one of the few elite players who altered their games without losing effectiveness; he broke into the professional ranks as a rebounder and all-purpose scorer before he became a primary ball distributor and lethal perimeter threat.
Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in history by the NBA in 1996, Barry is the only player to lead the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), ABA and NBA in scoring for an individual season. In 1987, Barry was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
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Rick Rickert
Rick Rickert (born on February 11, 1983 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American-born basketball player. He is a 2001 graduate of Duluth East High School where he was a basketball star and highly recruited college prospect. He was named 2001 Minnesota Mr. Basketball.
Rickert is currently playing for the German basketball team EnBW Ludwigsburg.
Rickert played collegiately for the University of Minnesota, where after averaging 15 points and 5 rebounds per game in 2001-2002 he became the first Gopher player ever to win the Big Ten Freshmen of the Year award. After averaging 16 points and 6 rebounds his sophomore season Rickert declared for the 2003 NBA Draft.
Ricky Bobby as his friends call him,despite his own beliefs that he would be taken in the first round, Rickert was not drafted until the 55th overall selection (26th in the second round) by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rickert failed to make the team and went to play in Slovenia. Since then, Rickert has played with: Krka Novo Mesto (Adriatic League/Euroleague), Timberwolves (NBA), Asheville Altitude (D-League), Panellinios B.C. Athens (Greece), Lleida Bàsquet (Spain - 2nd Division), Fayetteville Patriots (D-League), Detroit Pistons (NBA), Colorado 14ers (D-League), the D-League All Star Team that traveled to China, representing the U.S. in the world tournament (D-League), and the New Zealand Breakers (Australasian Basketball League).
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Rodney Carney
Rodney Dion Carney (born April 5, 1984 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the University of Memphis and was selected in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls and shortly afterwards traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Carney made the Conference USA all-freshman team in 2002–03, his first season at the University of Memphis. In the same season, the Tigers made their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996, but the seventh-seeded Tigers lost in the opening round to Arizona State.
In 2003–2004, Carney showed improvement in his stats. He needed surgery after suffering from a cracked bone above his eye, but he missed only two games. The Tigers again made it to the NCAA Tournament as a seven seed and won their opening round game against South Carolina before losing in the second round against Oklahoma State.
Carney made all-Conference USA second team in 2004–05. He led the Tigers in scoring (16 points per game) and free throw percentage (73.3%). This season, the Tigers likely wouldn't reach the NCAA Tournament unless they won the Conference USA Tournament. The Tigers reached the final game against rival Louisville. They trailed 75–73 when freshman Memphis point guard Darius Washington Jr. was fouled on a 3-point shot with no time left. However, Washington made only the first free throw, and so Memphis lost. Carney had only 5 points and 3 rebounds in the game. In the 2005 National Invitation Tournament, Memphis defeated Northeastern, Virginia Tech, and Vanderbilt before losing in the semifinals to Saint Joseph's.
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Roger Bannister
Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister, CBE (born 23 March 1929) is an English former athlete best known for running the first mile in less than 4 minutes. Bannister became a distinguished neurologist and Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, before retiring in 2001.
Sir Roger was the inaugural recipient of the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award in January 1955 (1954 Sportsman of the Year).
Roger Bannister was born in Harrow, England. He went to Vaughan Primary school in Harrow before going on to be educated at Beechen Cliff School Bath, University College School, London, Exeter College and Merton College, Oxford, and at St Mary's Hospital Medical School (now part of Imperial College London).
Bannister was inspired by miler Sydney Wooderson's remarkable comeback in 1945. Eight years after setting the mile record and seeing it surpassed during the war years by the great Swedish runners Arne Andersson and Gunder Hägg, Wooderson regained his old form and challenged Andersson over the distance in several races. Wooderson lost to Andersson but set a British record of 4:04.2 in Göteborg on 9 September.
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Ron Guidry
Ronald Ames Guidry ( /ˈɡɪdri/; born August 28, 1950), nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees (1975–1988). Guidry was also the pitching coach of the New York Yankees from 2006 to 2007.
Guidry was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, and began his career pitching briefly in the 1975 and 1976 seasons. In 1977, he began as a relief pitcher but was moved into the starting rotation. He helped lead the New York Yankees to a World Series championship in 1977 and 1978. In those two years combined, Guidry went 4-0 in the postseason with 3 complete games in 5 starts, allowing only nine earned runs in 371⁄3 innings pitched.
In 1978, Guidry posted a career year, one of the best in the modern era. Against the California Angels on June 17, he struck out a Yankee-record 18 batters. Guidry's 18-strikeout performance is usually cited as the launching pad of the Yankee Stadium tradition of fans standing and clapping for a strikeout with two strikes on the opposing batter.
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Ron Rothstein
Ronald "Ron" Rothstein (born December 27, 1942 in Bronxville, New York) is an American professional basketball coach and former college basketball player, who has led many different NBA teams. He served as the first head coach for the Miami Heat, and later coached the Detroit Pistons. He has also coached in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In 2007-08, he also filled in for Pat Riley as an interim coach for the Heat.
Rothstein played college ball at the University of Rhode Island where he was captain of the 1964 season. After that, he was a teacher and coach at Upsala College in New Jersey (1974–75) and Eastchester High School in New York. During the summer of 1967, he was the athletic director at Camp Ma-Ho-Ge in Bethel, New York. Rothstein also attended Hunter College.
In 1979, Rothstein signed as a scout for the Atlanta Hawks, eventually becoming an assistant coach there in 1983. He was signed as an assistant for the Detroit Pistons in 1986 before becoming the first coach in Heat history (1988).
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Ronny Turiaf
Ronny Turiaf (born January 13, 1983) is a French professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. Turiaf has been a member of the French national basketball team.
Turiaf grew up in Martinique then attended high school in Paris and Gonzaga University in the United States. At Gonzaga, Turiaf played for the Bulldogs basketball team and was the leading West Coast Conference scorer in his senior year. After graduating from Gonzaga, Turiaf entered the 2005 NBA Draft and was picked by the Los Angeles Lakers, where he would play until 2008. He has since played for the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks, the Washington Wizards and now the Miami Heat.
Turiaf spent most of his childhood in Martinique, a French overseas department in the Caribbean Sea. Following the advice from his father, Turiaf moved to Paris in 1998, at the age of 15, to attend the National Institute of Physical Education (Insep), a school that combines rigorous secondary education with elite-level athletic training.
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Rory Sparrow
Rory Darnell Sparrow (born June 12, 1958, in Suffolk, Virginia) is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA.
Sparrow played at Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey, and was an inaugual inductee into the school's Hall of Fame.
He played collegiately at Villanova University, where he scored 1183 career points, and made 495 assists. In college, Sparrow made game-winning shots in the last ten seconds of the game on five occasions.
Sparrow, a 6'2" guard, was selected 75th overall (round 4, pick 6) of the 1980 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets. Including the Nets, he played with the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers over a 12-year career, retiring after the 1991-92 season. He scored the first field goal in Miami Heat history, when the franchise was created in 1988.
Throughout his 12-year career Rory Sparrow was known as one of the steadiest guards in the NBA. He had his best years with the Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks in the early 1980s, then went on to become a charter member of the expansion Miami Heat. In addition to his on-court success, Sparrow earned equal recognition for his tireless efforts in the community. In 1987 he was one of eight charitable athletes honored by Sports Illustrated as co-Sportsman of the Year.
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Roy Halladay
Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III (born May 14, 1977), nicknamed "Doc", is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. His nickname, coined by the late Toronto Blue Jays announcer Tom Cheek, is a reference to Wild West gunslinger "Doc" Holliday.
He was the Blue Jays' first draft selection in the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft, the 17th pick overall, and played for the team from 1998 through 2009, after which he was traded to Philadelphia. Halladay is known for his ability to pitch deep into games effectively, and he is currently the active major league leader in complete games with 66, including 20 shutouts.
On May 29, 2010, Halladay pitched the 20th perfect game in MLB history, beating the Florida Marlins by a score of 1–0. On October 6, 2010, in his first post-season start, Halladay threw the second no-hitter in MLB postseason history (Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series being the first) against the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the 2010 NLDS. It was his second no-hitter of the year (following the May 29 perfect game), making Halladay the fifth pitcher in major league history (and the first since Nolan Ryan in 1973) to throw multiple no-hitters in the same season. Halladay has won two Cy Young Awards, in 2003 and 2010.
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Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa (born November 12, 1968) is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007.
Sosa's Major League career began with the Texas Rangers in 1989. After three seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Sosa became a member of the Chicago Cubs in 1992 and subsequently became one of the league's best hitters. In 1998, Sosa and Mark McGwire achieved national fame for their home run-hitting prowess in pursuit of Roger Maris' home run record. Sosa finished his career with brief stints with the Baltimore Orioles and the Texas Rangers. With the Rangers, Sosa hit his 600th career home run to become the fifth player in MLB history to reach the milestone. He is also the all-time home run leader among foreign-born MLB players. Furthermore, Sosa is one of only two National League Players to ever reach 160 RBI in a season, a milestone he reached in 2001. The other was Cubs player and RBI Champion Hack Wilson during his record setting 1930 season in which he recorded 191 RBI. Sosa is the only player to have hit 60 or more home runs in a single season three times.
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Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax ( /ˈkoʊfæks/; born Sanford Braun, December 30, 1935) is an American former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (1955–1966). Retiring at the peak of his career, in 1972 he became, at age 36 and 20 days, the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame .
Koufax's career peaked with a run of six outstanding seasons from 1961 to 1966, before arthritis in his left elbow ended his career prematurely at age 30. He was named the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1963. He also won the 1963, 1965, and 1966 Cy Young Awards by unanimous votes, making him the first 3-time Cy Young winner in baseball history and the only one to win 3 times when the award was for all of baseball, not just one league. In each of his Cy Young seasons, Koufax won the pitcher's triple crown by leading the NL in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average. Koufax's totals would also have led the American League in those seasons.
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Sani Bečirovič
Sani Bečirović (born May 19, 1981 in Maribor, SR Slovenia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) is a Slovenian 1.96 m (6'5") professional basketball player currently plays for the Benetton Treviso, that plays at both point guard and shooting guard positions. His father is Memi Bečirović, former coach of the Slovenian national team.
He was selected in the second round (46th overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets.
Bečirović played for the Slovenian youth teams of KK Bistrica and he made his debut with them during the 1995-96 season. He then moved to the Slovenian club Maribor Ovni for the 1996-97 season. He then moved to the Slovenian Premiere A League team Pivovarna Laško, where he played from 1997–99 and next to the Slovenian team Olimpija Ljubljana, where he played from 1999-01. With Olimpija Ljubljana he won the 2001 Slovenian League Championship and the 2000 and 2001 Slovenian Cups. He also played in Slovenia with Krka Novo Mesto in the 2003-04 season.
He played in the Italian A1 league with Virtus Bologna during the 2001-02 season, where he won the 2002 Italian Cup. He also played with the Italian clubs Casti Group Varese in the 2004-05 season and Climamio Bologna in the 2005-2006 season, where he won the 2005 Italian Super Cup.
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Sasha Pavlović
Aleksandar "Sasha" Pavlović (Serbian: Александар Саша Павловић, born November 15, 1983) is a professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He began his NBA career with the Utah Jazz in 2003.
In his first season for Budućnost, Pavlović played in 14 games in the YUBA League and averaged 1.4 points per game. In his second season, Pavlović played in three games in the YUBA League and averaged 6.7 points. Also, Pavlović played two games in the Euroleague.
In his last season in Podgorica, Pavlović played in 20 games in the YUBA League and averaged 10.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Pavlović averaged 9.6 points on 54% shooting for Budućnost Podgorica in the Euroleague, including a season high 21 points against Tau Ceramica.
Pavlović was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 19th pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. His American agent Marc Cornstein issued a clarification in response to a misleading Eurobasket.com biography mixing Aleksandar Pavlović with an Aleksander Pavlović who played college basketball at La Salle University and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.
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Scottie Pippen
Scottie Pippen (born September 25, 1965) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association. He is most remembered for his time with the Chicago Bulls, with whom he was instrumental in 6 NBA titles and their record 1995–96 season of 72 wins. Pippen, along with Michael Jordan, played an important role in transforming the Bulls team into a vehicle for popularizing the NBA around the world during the 1990s.
Considered one of the best small forwards of all time, Pippen was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team 8 straight times and the All-NBA First Team three times. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star and was the NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1994. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History during the 1996–97 season, and is one of four players to have his jersey retired by the Chicago Bulls (the others being Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, and Michael Jordan). During his seventeen-year career, he played twelve seasons with the Bulls, one with the Houston Rockets and four with the Portland Trail Blazers, making the postseason sixteen straight times. Pippen is also the only person to have won an NBA title and Olympic gold medal in the same year twice (1992, 1996). Pippen was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on August 13, 2010.
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Shandon Anderson
Shandon Rodriguez Anderson (born December 31, 1973) is an American former professional basketball forward and guard who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1996 to 2006. Growing up in Atlanta, Anderson attended the University of Georgia and played for four teams during his ten-year NBA career after being drafted by the Utah Jazz in 1996: the Jazz, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat.
Anderson attended Alonzo A. Crim High School in Atlanta, then played basketball at the University of Georgia. He was drafted in the second round (54th overall) of the 1996 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, and played for the Jazz, the Houston Rockets, the New York Knicks and the Heat. His best season was in 1999–2000, when he averaged 12.3 points per game with the Rockets. His career average is 7.8 points per game.
He is the younger brother of former Knicks and Heat player Willie Anderson.
Anderson won an NBA championship in 2006 with the Miami Heat as a backup.
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Shane Battier
Shane Courtney Battier (born September 9, 1978) is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays with the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He has also been a member of the U.S. national team.
Battier was born and raised in Birmingham, Michigan, and attended Detroit Country Day School in Beverly Hills, Michigan, where he won many awards including 1997 "Mr. Basketball of Michigan." He went on to play four years of college basketball at Duke, where he captured the 2001 National Championship and swept the major National Player of the Year awards. Battier was selected with the sixth overall pick of the 2001 NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies and was traded five years later to the Houston Rockets. He was then traded back to the Memphis Grizzles during the 2010-2011 NBA season. His number has been retired by both Detroit Country Day School and Duke University. He is widely known for his aggressive defense and being able to guard the league's best players.
Battier was an outlier from his childhood; by the time he entered Country Day as a seventh-grader, he was already 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), and was 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) a year later. He was also the only child in the school with a black father and a white mother. As Michael Lewis put it in a 2009 article, the young Battier "was shuttling between a black world that treated him as white and a white world that treated him as black." More specifically in the context of basketball, Lewis noted that "the inner-city kids with whom he played on the A.A.U. circuit treated Battier like a suburban kid with a white game, and the suburban kids he played with during the regular season treated him like a visitor from the planet where they kept the black people." Battier also noted that his cerebral approach to the game was forged from that time:
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Shawn Marion
Shawn Dwayne Marion (born May 7, 1978) is an American professional basketball player currently with the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Marion attended high school in Clarksville, Tennessee. Before transferring to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Marion attended the junior college Vincennes University for two years. In 1999, the Phoenix Suns drafted Marion, who was the ninth overall pick and would remain with the Suns until midway through the 2007-2008 season. The Suns traded Marion to the Miami Heat, and Marion joined the Toronto Raptors for the 2008-2009 season. Marion joined the Dallas Mavericks in 2009 and was the team's starting small forward when the Mavericks won the NBA Championship in June, 2011.
Nicknamed "The Matrix" by TNT analyst Kenny Smith during the pre-season of his rookie year for his seemingly bionic athleticism, he is widely regarded as one of the most versatile players in the league thanks to his athleticism and ability to play and defend many positions.
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Slavko Vraneš
Slavko Vraneš (pronounced [slǎːvkɔ̝ vrâne̞ːʃ]; born January 30, 1983) is a Montenegrin professional basketball player. At 2.30 m he is one of the tallest players in the world. He is a member of Sanaye Petroshimi BC in Iran.
Vraneš started playing basketball at Serbian club FMP Železnik. Still a junior, he was snapped up by the Turkish club Tofaş for the 2000–01 season. Then he moved to Efes Pilsen. Unable to adjust, he returned to Montenegro (then Serbia and Montenegro) in January 2002, where he played for Budućnost Podgorica until the summer of 2003.
Vraneš was selected by the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft. He was waived by the Knicks in December 2003. In early January 2004, he signed a ten-day contract with Portland Trail Blazers. Before his contract expired, he played one game in the 2003–04 NBA season.
After that, he played briefly for the Red Star Belgrade. From 2004 to 2007, he played with Budućnost Podgorica for the second time in his career. In October 2007, he signed a three-year contract with Partizan Belgrade.
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Stan Musial
Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial ( /ˈmjuːziəl/ or /ˈmjuːʒəl/; born November 21, 1920) is a retired professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1941–1963). Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection (tied with Willie Mays), and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. He compiled 3,630 hits (ranking fourth all-time and most in a career spent with only one team). With 1,815 hits at home and 1,815 on the road, he is also considered to be the most consistent hitter of his era. He also compiled 475 home runs during his career, was named the National League's (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times, and won three World Series championship titles. Musial was a first-ballot inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 and is currently the longest tenured living Hall of Famer.
Musial was born in Donora, Pennsylvania, where he frequently played baseball in both informal and organized settings, eventually playing on the baseball team at Donora High School. Signed to a professional contract by the St. Louis Cardinals as a pitcher in 1938, Musial was converted into an outfielder prior to his major league debut in 1941. Noted for his unique batting stance, he quickly established himself as a consistent and productive hitter. In his first full season, 1942, the Cardinals won the World Series. The following year, he led the National League in six different offensive categories and earned his first MVP award. He was also named an All-Star for the first time; he would be selected to every All-Star Game in every subsequent season he played. Musial won his second World Series ring in 1944, then missed the entire 1945 season while serving with the United States Navy.
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Stephon Marbury
Stephon Xavier Marbury (born February 20, 1977) is an American professional basketball player, currently playing for the Beijing Ducks in China. He won a championship with the Ducks in 2012.
The 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m), 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st) point guard was selected out of the Georgia Institute of Technology by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 4th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, but was traded shortly thereafter to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He was an NBA All-Star in 2001 and 2003 and was voted into the All-NBA Third Team in 2000 and 2003.
Marbury has often gone by the nickname "Starbury", a name created during his youth. Marbury, the sixth of seven children, was born and raised in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. He attended elementary school PS 238. During his teenage years, he starred at NYC powerhouse Abraham Lincoln High School, After his senior year Marbury was named New York State Mr. Basketball. He was often heralded as the next great NYC point guard, expected to follow the success of NBA stand-outs Mark Jackson and Kenny Anderson.
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Steve Blake
Steven Hanson "Steve" Blake (born February 26, 1980) is an American professional basketball point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. Previously, he played for the Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Blake spent his freshman and sophomore year at Miami Killian High School and then transferred to Miami High School, where he played with another future NBA player, Udonis Haslem. Miami won consecutive state championships, but after the Miami New Times exposed the fact that Blake and other players, under current South Carolina head coach Frank Martin, were using fake addresses to enroll in the school, the Stingarees were forced to forfeit their entire 1998 schedule. After being banned from playing again anywhere in the FHSAA, he then attended Oak Hill Academy before coming to Maryland.
After high school, he attended the University of Maryland. Blake was the team's starter from the first game of his freshman year and was the first ACC player to compile 1,000 points, 800 assists, 400 rebounds and 200 steals. He finished his career 5th in NCAA all-time career assists with 972. Widely known for his superb passing ability, Blake helped lead the Terrapins to a Final Four appearance (2001) and the 2002 NCAA championship; less well known for his scoring, Blake did average eleven points per game in his senior year. He averaged over six assists per game in each of his four years, including averages of 7.9 and 7.1 in 2002 and 2003, respectively. For his efforts, he was named to a variety of all-ACC teams during his career, including the rookie and defensive squads, capped by a first-team All-ACC spot his senior year. At the start of the 2003–04 basketball season, Blake's uniform number (25) became only the 15th to be retired to the rafters of Maryland's Comcast Center.
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Steve Cauthen
Steve Cauthen (born May 1, 1960) is a retired American jockey.
Cauthen, the son of a trainer and a farrier, grew up in Walton, Kentucky around horses, which (along with his small size) made race-riding a logical career choice. He rode his first race on May 12, 1976 at Churchill Downs; he finished last, riding King of Swat. He rode his first winner (Red Pipe) less than a week later, at River Downs. His rise to prominence was meteoric; he was the nation's leader in race wins in 1977 with 487. In only his second year of riding, he became the first jockey to win $6 million in a single season, passing that mark in December 1977 on a three-year-old filly called Little Happiness in the sixth race at Aqueduct Racetrack. After that, he was called "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "Stevie Wonder."
In 1977, he won numerous awards, including Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, Sporting News Sportsman of the Year, Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year and ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year. In the same year, he won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey and the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in the United States.
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Steve Logan
Steve Deontay Logan (born March 20, 1980 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American former professional basketball player. He played with the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. He became a standout point guard in his collegiate career, and was named a first team All-American his senior year along with future NBA players Jay Williams, Juan Dixon, Drew Gooden, and Dan Dickau.
He attended St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio. He starred alongside Sam Clancy Jr., leading St. Edward to the 1998 Ohio High School Athletic Association State "big school" basketball championship during their senior year. Logan won the Gatorade player of the year award in his senior year, and graduated in 1998.
He attended the University of Cincinnati becoming one of the best players in the country in his junior and senior years. In his senior season, he averaged 22.0 points per game, 12th best in the country. He is Cincinnati's second all-time leading scorer with 1,985 points (behind Oscar Robertson) and second in assists with 456. He was named First Team All-America by the Associated Press and First Team All-Conference USA. In July 2009, Cincinnati announced that Logan would be inducted into the UC Athletics Hall of Fame in February 2010.
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Steve Nash
Stephen John "Steve" Nash, OC, OBC (born 7 February 1974) is a South African-born Canadian professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nash enjoyed a successful high-school basketball career, and he was eventually given a scholarship by Santa Clara University. In his four seasons with the Broncos, the team made three NCAA Tournament appearances, and Nash was twice named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year.
After graduating from Santa Clara as the team's all-time leader in assists, Nash entered the 1996 NBA Draft and was selected as the 15th pick by the Phoenix Suns. He made a minimal impact, and was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998. By his third season with the Mavericks, he was voted into his first NBA All-Star Game and had earned his first All-NBA selection. Together with Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley, Nash led the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals the following season. However, he became a free agent after the 2003–04 season and returned to the Phoenix Suns.
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Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard (born May 17, 1956) is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles. Leonard was the first boxer to earn more than $100 million in purses, won world titles in five weight divisions and defeated future fellow International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Wilfred Benítez, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Durán and Marvin Hagler. Leonard was named "Boxer of the Decade" for the 1980s.
Leonard, the fifth of seven children, was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina to Cicero and Getha Leonard. He grew up in Wilmington, N.C. When he was three, the family moved to Washington, D.C. When he was ten, they settled permanently in Palmer Park, Maryland. His father worked as a supermarket night manager, his mother was a nurse.
Leonard was a shy child, and aside from the time he nearly drowned in a creek during a Seat Pleasant flood, his childhood was uneventful. He stayed home a lot, reading comic books and playing with his dog. "He never did talk too much," his mother said. "We never could tell what he was thinking. But I never had any problems with him. I never had to go to school once because of him."
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Szymon Szewczyk
Szymon Szewczyk (born December 21, 1982) is a Polish professional basketball player.
Szewczyk grew up with PKK Szczecin (Poland) youth teams. He has been a member of the Polish Junior National Team, the Polish Under-20 National Team and the Polish “B” National Team. He currently is a member of the Polish National Team.
After he played two successful seasons in his native Poland, he was evaluated by several top teams in Europe before signing with Braunschweig of Germany’s top division (Bundesliga I) for the 2002-03 season. Many considered him at the time as the best prospect from Poland in his age group. Szewczyk was a second round draft pick of the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2003 NBA Draft(#35), but has not played for the team. He played at the 2009 Las Vegas Summer League. He currently plays for Air Avellino in Italy.
His father Miroslaw Szewczyk was a professional basketball player for more than 20 years in Szczecin (Poland) where Szymon was born.
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Tayshaun Prince
Tayshaun Durell Prince (born February 28, 1980) is an American basketball player who plays for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association. Prince is a small forward, listed at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) and 215 lb (98 kg; 15.4 st). A graduate of Dominguez High School and the University of Kentucky, Prince was drafted in the first round (23rd overall) by the Pistons in the 2002 NBA Draft. Prince wears the jersey #22 as a result of his draft position, signifying the 22 teams that passed on drafting him. His college #21 was previously retired by the Pistons in honor of guard Dave Bing.
Prince played four seasons (1998 to 2002) for the University of Kentucky Wildcats, averaging 13.2 points and 5.7 rebounds as the Wildcats posted a 97–39 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament each year. The furthest the Wildcats made in the tournament was the regional finals, losing to the Michigan State Spartans. Prince won SEC Player of the Year in his junior season (2000–2001) – also leading the SEC in free throw percentage (84.3%) – and was named to the Associated Press All-SEC Teams in both his junior and senior years. Kentucky won the SEC Tournament in 1999 and 2001, and Prince was awarded the 2001 tournament's Most Valuable Player award.
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Terrel Harris
Terrel Harris (born August 10, 1987) is an American professional basketball guard who currently plays for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association.
Harris attended South Garland High School in Garland, Texas, where he was unanimously voted District 11-5A MVP and also voted 1st team All State as a senior. He played college basketball at Oklahoma State University from 2005–09 and majored in education. He appeared in 134 career games and averaged 9.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.29 steals and 26.4 minutes while shooting 43.9 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from three-point range and 81.5 percent from the foul line. He averaged 14 points and 5 rebounds in 32 minutes per game during his senior year while starting all 35 games. He also received an All–Big 12 Honorable Mention and was named to the Big 12 All–Defensive Team.
Undrafted in 2009, Harris began his professional career in France with Strasbourg IG, signing with the team on August 23, 2009. In nine games, Harris averaged 6.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.11 steals and made 37.5% of field goal attempts. On January 7, 2010, Harris signed with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League; the Red Claws waived Harris in March 2010. By the end of March 2010, Harris signed with the D-League team Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In September and October 2011, Harris played with EnBW Ludwigsburg of Basketball Bundesliga in Germany.
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Terry Baker
For the Canadian football player of the same name see Terry Baker (Canadian football).
Terry Wayne Baker (born May 5, 1941) is a former quarterback for the Oregon State University football team. He played for them through the 1960-1962 seasons. He is most notable for winning the 1962 Heisman Trophy and playing the Final Four in the NCAA Basketball Tournament in the same school year. To date, he is the only person to have both won a Heisman Trophy and played in the Final Four.
Baker was born May 5, 1941 in Pine River, Minnesota. He attended Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon and was a standout three-sport athlete for the Democrats.
Baker was a three-year letterwinner in basketball, and led the Democrats to the Portland Interscholastic League city championship his senior year.
Baker was also a great baseball player. He earned a letter all four years of high school in baseball and led his team to the 1959 Oregon School Activities Association state championship.
Football, however, was Baker's most dominant sport. Baker played quarterback and tailback for the Democrats. In his junior and senior seasons, the Democrats were 23-0 and won two Oregon State Athletic Association state championships. As a senior, he threw for 1,261 yards and ran for 438 yards.
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Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw (born September 2, 1948) is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). He is currently a TV analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday. He played 14 seasons with Pittsburgh, won four Super Bowl titles in a six-year period (1974, 1975, 1978 and 1979), becoming the first quarterback to win three and four Super Bowls, and led the Steelers to eight AFC Central championships. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989, his first year of eligibility.
A tough competitor, Bradshaw had a powerful – albeit at times erratic – arm and called his own plays throughout his football career. His physical skills and on-the-field leadership played a major role in Pittsburgh Steelers history. During his career, he passed for more than 300 yards in a game only seven times, but three of those performances came in the post-season, and two of those in Super Bowls. In four career Super Bowl appearances he passed for 932 yards and 9 touchdowns, both Super Bowl records at the time of his retirement. In 19 postseason games he completed 261 passes for 3,833 yards.
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Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No. 1, he is the highest-paid professional athlete in the world, having earned an estimated US$90.5 million from winnings and endorsements in 2010.
Woods turned professional in 1996, and by April 1997 he had already won his first major, the 1997 Masters. He first reached the number one position in the world rankings in June 1997. Through the 2000s, Woods was the dominant force in golf, spending 264 weeks from August 1999 to September 2004 and 281 weeks from June 2005 to October 2010 as world number one. From December 2009 to early April 2010, Woods took leave from professional golf to focus on his marriage after he admitted infidelity. His multiple infidelities were revealed by several different women, through many worldwide media sources. This was followed by a loss of form, and his ranking gradually fell to a low of #58 in November 2011. He snapped a career-long winless streak of 107 weeks when he captured the Chevron World Challenge in December 2011. As of April 8, 2012, he is ranked #8.
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Tim Duncan
Timothy Theodore "Tim" Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6-foot 11-inch (2.11 m), 255-pound (116 kg)power forward/center is a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Rookie of the Year. The Spurs' team captain, he is a 13 time NBA All-Star and the only player in NBA history to be selected to both All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams during each of his first 13 seasons.
Duncan started out as a swimmer and only began playing basketball in ninth grade after Hurricane Hugo destroyed the only Olympic-sized pool on his home of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. He soon became a standout for St. Dunstan's Episcopal High School, and had an illustrious college career with the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons, winning the Naismith College Player of the Year, USBWA College Player of the Year and John Wooden awards in his final year. Duncan graduated from college before entering the 1997 NBA Draft as the number one pick. His list of accomplishments, remarkable consistency, and leadership in the Spurs' NBA championship runs in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007 have led basketball experts to consider him to be one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.
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Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.
In Brady's ten seasons as a starter, the Patriots have earned trips to the Super Bowl in half of them (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLII, and XLVI), winning three of them (XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX). He has also won two Super Bowl MVP awards (XXXVI and XXXVIII), has been selected to seven Pro Bowls (and invited to eight, although he declined the 2006 invitation), and holds the NFL record for most touchdown passes in a single regular season. His career postseason record is 16–5. He also helped set the record for the longest consecutive win streak in NFL history with 21 straight wins over two seasons (2003–04), and in 2007 he led the Patriots to the first undefeated regular season since the institution of the 16-game schedule. Brady has the fourth-highest career passer rating of all time (96.4) among quarterbacks with at least 1,500 career passing attempts.
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Tom Seaver
George Thomas "Tom" Seaver (born November 17, 1944), nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "The Franchise", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched from 1967-1986 for four different teams in his career, but is noted primarily for his time with the New York Mets. During a 20-year career, Seaver compiled 311 wins, 3,640 strikeouts, 61 shutouts and a 2.86 earned run average. In 1992, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the highest percentage ever recorded (98.84%), and has the only plaque at Cooperstown wearing a New York Mets hat. As of 2010, Tom Seaver and Gil Hodges (played for the Mets in 1962-63) are the only Met players to have their jersey numbers retired by the team (Gil Hodges' number was retired as a manager even though he also played for the Mets).
He won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1967, and three NL Cy Young Awards as the league's best pitcher. Seaver is the Mets' all-time leader in wins, and is considered by many baseball experts as one of the best starting pitchers in the history of baseball.
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Tony Parker
William Anthony "Tony" Parker Jr. (born 17 May 1982) is a French professional basketball player with the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The son of a professional basketball player, Parker played for two years in the French basketball league before entering the 2001 NBA Draft. He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 28th overall pick in the draft and quickly became their starting point guard, helping the Spurs win three NBA Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Employing his pace and high field goal percentage to great effect, Parker has been named to four NBA All-Star games, an All-NBA Second Team, and an All-NBA Third Team. He was the 2007 NBA Finals MVP.
Parker is also a music artist with his own music album TP. He married actress Eva Longoria, best known for her role in the ABC television series Desperate Housewives, on 7 July 2007. In November 2010, both parties filed for divorce.
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Tracy McGrady
Tracy Lamar McGrady, Jr. (born May 24, 1979) is an American professional basketball player with the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA.
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, New York Knicks, and Detroit Pistons. 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.
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. McGrady has stated that if he had not gone straight to the NBA from high school, he would have attended Kentucky.
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Travis Hansen
Travis Mitchell Hansen (born April 15, 1978, in Provo, Utah) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for BC Khimki in Russia. He played one year in the NBA for the Atlanta Hawks and eight years in the Euroleague. Hansen is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Hansen speaks Spanish, acquiring the language from a two-year mission abroad in Santiago, Chile on behalf of his church.
At Mountain View High School, Hansen averaged nearly a triple double, 18.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 7.5 apg and was team captain of the Bruins as they were named Region Champions and Consolation Champions in 1996. Hansen began his college basketball career at Utah Valley State College in his hometown of Orem, Utah, where he averaged 11.2 ppg and 3.6 rpg. His mother Laurie Hansen was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1997 and died shortly after. He later went on to serve as a Mormon missionary in Santiago, Chile for two years.
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Travis Outlaw
Travis Marquez Outlaw (born September 18, 1984 in Starkville, Mississippi) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association.
Entering the 2003 NBA Draft directly out of Starkville High School, Mississippi, the 6'9" forward was a first-round selection (23rd overall) by the Portland Trail Blazers. He averaged 8.6 points on 44.2% field goal shooting and 3.2 rebounds per game during his first five years in the NBA.
In the 2005 Las Vegas Summer League, Outlaw averaged 18.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in 35.5 minutes. The performance earned him First Team All-RVSL honors. Following the NBA summer league, several teams offered to trade for Outlaw in exchange for a first-round draft pick. Former Portland Trail Blazers director of player personnel Kevin Pritchard said that Travis "... [is] going to be with us for a long time. I feel comfortable enough to say he's going to be a special player."
On April 18, 2007, Outlaw set a new career-high with 36 points against the Golden State Warriors. He became a restricted free agent on July 1, 2007, and signed a three-year contract extension on July 17.
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Troy Bell
Troy Delvon Bell (born November 10, 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American professional basketball player formerly of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. He played at Boston College and finished as one of the greatest players in the program's history.
Troy played high school ball at the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minnesota. He was a 4 year letter winner, and Mr. Basketball finalist in Minnesota. In his senior season, he averaged 35.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists and led the state of Minnesota in scoring. He captured Missota Conference Player of the Year honors as a senior. In his senior season, his season high was 47 points, his season low was 24. He scored 45 points in a win over Minnehaha Academy (Dec. 1998). Bell served as team captain as a junior and senior. He finished his school career as Holy Angels as the career scoring leader with 2,491 points (in 97 games). In the state of Minnesota, he ranks fourth on the state's career scoring list.
Bell was an All-American at Boston College, winning a conference player of the year award, and sharing another with Troy Murphy. He ended his career breaking the record for most points scored in Boston College history with 2,632, breaking the record previously set by Dana Barros. He was named Big East Conference player of the year after both his sophomore (shared) and senior seasons, joining Troy Murphy, Richard Hamilton, Patrick Ewing, and Chris Mullin as the only players to win the award multiple times. He won the award over sensational Syracuse freshman Carmelo Anthony.
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Tyrone Willingham
Lionel Tyrone "Ty" Willingham (born December 30, 1953) is a former American football player and coach. He was the head coach at Stanford University (1995–2001), the University of Notre Dame (2002–2004), and the University of Washington (2005–2008), compiling a career college football record of 76–88–1.
Willingham attended Jacksonville Senior High School in Jacksonville, North Carolina and lettered in football, basketball, and baseball.[citation needed] He went on to Michigan State University where he played football and baseball and graduated in 1977 with a degree in physical education. Willingham held assistant coaching positions at his alma mater (1977, 1980–82), Central Michigan University (1978–79), North Carolina State University (1983–85), Rice University (1986–88), and Stanford University (1989–91). When Stanford head coach, Dennis Green, was hired as the Minnesota Vikings head coach in 1992, Willingham followed him as running backs coach (1992–94).
Following the 1994 season, despite lacking experience as a head coach or coordinator, Willingham was appointed head coach of the football program at Stanford, succeeding Bill Walsh. In his seven seasons (1995–2001) as coach, he led the Cardinal to a 44–36–1 record and four bowl game appearances. In 2000, he was presented with the Eddie Robinson Coach of Distinction Award that is given annually to honor "an outstanding college football coach and role model for career achievement".
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Udonis Haslem
Udonis Johneal Haslem (born June 9, 1980) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a power forward for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Haslem played college basketball for the University of Florida, where he was a key member of four Florida Gators NCAA tournament teams. He played professional basketball in France for a year, and then signed with the Miami Heat as an undrafted free agent in 2003.
Haslem was born in Miami, Florida. He attended Wolfson High School in Jacksonville, Florida, then Miami Senior High School in Miami. He helped lead Miami High to state titles in 1997 and 1998 (the last of three in a row), playing alongside another future NBA player, Steve Blake. The team was coached by current South Carolina head coach Frank Martin.
However, an investigation by the Miami New Times revealed that Haslem, Blake and several other players circumvented residency requirements. The New Times reported that while he claimed to live in Miami, he actually lived in Miramar, in Broward County. His official school address was an efficiency apartment owned by a longtime Miami High booster, which was also a violation of Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) rules. As a result, Miami High was stripped of its 1998 title and ordered to forfeit its entire schedule.
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Walt Frazier
Walter "Clyde" Frazier (born March 29, 1945, in Atlanta, Georgia) is a retired American basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was blessed with a unique combination of court vision, quickness, and size (he stands 6'4") for a guard. As their floor general, he led the New York Knicks to the franchise's only two NBA Championships (1970 & 1973), and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987. Upon his retirement from basketball, Frazier went into broadcasting; he is currently a color commentator for telecasts of Knicks games on the MSG Network.
The eldest of nine children, Frazier attended Atlanta's David Tobias Howard High School. He quarterbacked the football team and played catcher on the baseball team. He learned basketball on a rutted and dirt playground, the only facility available at his all-black school in the racially segregated South of the 1950s. After having a great career at Howard, Frazier attended Southern Illinois University. Although he was offered other scholarships for his football skills, Frazier accepted a basketball offer from Southern Illinois University.
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Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC (/ˈɡrɛtski/; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "The Great One", he has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters, players, and the NHL itself. He is the leading point-scorer in NHL history, with more assists than any other player has points, and is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season – a feat he accomplished four times. In addition, he tallied over 100 points in 16 professional seasons, 14 of them consecutive. At the time of his retirement in 1999, he held 40 regular-season records, 15 playoff records, and six All-Star records. In addition to being its greatest scorer, Gretzky was the most gentlemanly superstar in the modern history of the NHL. He won the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship and performance five times, and he often spoke out against fighting in hockey.
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Wayne Simien
Wayne Anthony Simien, Jr. (born March 9, 1983, in Leavenworth, Kansas) is an American former professional basketball player, who last played with Spain's Cáceres Ciudad de Baloncesto. He was a member of the Miami Heat team that won the 2005–06 NBA championship.
Growing up, Simien was a University of Kansas fan due to his proximity to Lawrence. He committed to play for Roy Williams and the University of Kansas as early as the 8th or 9th grade, and was later named to the 2001 McDonald's All-American Team. He played for the Leavenworth Pioneers in high school with Coach Larry Hogan and led the Pioneers to a 6A-State Championship his junior year in high school. During his high school career, he began working with world-renowned conditioning coach Istvan Javorek.
At Kansas, Simien received All American honors his junior and senior years. He was a Wooden Award finalist both years, and was the Big 12 Player of the Year his senior year. His college career ended when Kansas was defeated by 14th-seeded Bucknell in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. While at Kansas he won three Big 12 Championships and earned four NCAA Tournament berths including two Final Four appearances (one national runner-up finish) and one Elite 8 finish. Simien finished his college career with 110 wins and a 12–4 NCAA Tournament record. Simien was the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award winner his final year, recognizing him as the nation's top senior men's basketball player. He finished his career as the 12th leading all-time scorer at Kansas with 1,593 points. Kansas retired his number 23 jersey on January 29, 2011.
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Wes Unseld
Westley Sissel "Wes" Unseld (born March 14, 1946 in Louisville, Kentucky) is an American former basketball player. He spent his entire NBA career with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988.
Unseld starred on a Seneca High School team that won two state championships. In 1965, Unseld began playing center for the University of Louisville, where he averaged 35.8 points per game and 23.6 rebounds per game in 14 games with a freshman team. He was a 3-year letter winner, scored 1,686 points in 82 games (20.6 points per game), grabbed 1,551 rebounds (18.9 rebounds per game), led the conference in rebounding in 1966, 1967 and 1968, and led Louisville to a 60-22 record with two trips to the NCAA tournament and one trip to the NIT tournament. Unseld is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
Unseld was drafted by the Kentucky Colonels in the 1968 American Basketball Association draft and was drafted second overall in the first round by the Baltimore Bullets in 1968, and helped lead the Bullets (who had finished in last place in the Eastern division the previous year) to a 57-25 record and a division title. Unseld averaged 18.2 rebounds per game that year, and became only the second player ever to win both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same season (Wilt Chamberlain being the first). Unseld was also named the Sporting News MVP that year. He was one of the best defensive players of his era, and in 1975, he led the NBA in rebounding. The following season, he led the NBA in field goal percentage with a .561 percentage.
wn.com/Wes_Unseld -
Whitey Herzog
Dorrel Norman Elvert "Whitey" Herzog (pronounced /ˈhɜrzɒɡ/; born November 9, 1931 in New Athens, Illinois) is a former Major League Baseball manager. Born in New Athens, Illinois, he made his debut as a player in 1956 with the Washington Senators. After his playing career ended in 1963, Herzog went on to perform a variety of roles in Major League Baseball, including scout, manager, general manager and farm system director. Most noted for his success as a manager, he led the Kansas City Royals to three consecutive playoff appearances from 1976 to 1978. Hired by Gussie Busch in 1980 to helm the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cardinals won the 1982 World Series and made two other World Series appearances in 1985 and 1987 under Herzog's direction. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 25, 2010.
A left-handed batter and thrower, Herzog originally signed with the New York Yankees. While he never appeared in a major league game for them, Herzog was profoundly influenced by their manager, Casey Stengel, during several spring training sessions with the Yanks. After being traded by New York as a prospect, he played for the Washington Senators (1956–1958), Kansas City Athletics (1958–1960), Baltimore Orioles (1961–1962) and Detroit Tigers (1963). In eight seasons, Herzog batted .254 with 25 home runs, 172 runs batted in, 213 runs scored, 60 doubles, 20 triples, and 13 stolen bases in 634 games. In reference to his success as a player versus his success as a manager, Herzog once said, "Baseball has been good to me since I quit trying to play it." (Herzog has made this statement several times, most recently in an interview with Fox Sports Midwest which has aired several times in August and September 2007 during St. Louis Cardinals rain delays).
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Wikipedia Persondata
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Will Barton
William Denard "Will" Barton (born January 6, 1991) is an American basketball player. Barton attended the University of Memphis and plays shooting guard. During his sophomore year at Memphis, Barton won the Conference USA player of the year, becoming the first Memphis player to win since Chris Douglas-Roberts in 2008. He was selected with the 40th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.
Barton was a highly touted recruit coming out of Brewster Academy and he graduated from Lake Clifton Eastern High School. Barton was rated the best shooting guard by Scout.com and ESPN.com in 2010 Barton chose Memphis over Arizona, Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Villanova.
Barton was invited to play in the Jordan Brand Classic in 2010.
Barton came to Memphis in 2010 and played every game in his freshman season, leading the Tigers in minutes per game at 30.6 and scoring with 12.3 points per game.
Barton had a breakout sophomore season leading the Tigers in points per game (18.0) and rebounds per game (8.0) en route to winning C-USA Player of the Year.
wn.com/Will_Barton -
Willie Green
Willie J. Green (born July 28, 1981) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. He was selected in the second round (41st pick overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics and later acquired by Philadelphia from Seattle in a draft-night trade for the draft rights to Paccelis Morlende (50th pick overall) and cash considerations. Green was traded to the New Orleans Hornets before the start of the 2010–11 season.
Green was a 1999 graduate of Cooley High School; after a college career at the University of Detroit Mercy, he was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round (41st overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft. He was traded the same day to the Philadelphia 76ers for the draft rights to Paccelis Morlende and cash considerations.
Green was due to re-sign with the Sixers during the 2005 offseason, but suffered an injury the day of the contract signing, which put it in a temporary state of limbo. On March 23, 2006 he officially re-signed with the Sixers, and on April 4, 2006 he was activated and played 11 minutes, scored 9 points on 4-for-6 shooting in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
wn.com/Willie_Green -
Willie Stargell
Wilver Dornell "Willie" Stargell (March 6, 1940 – April 9, 2001), nicknamed "Pops" in the later years of his career, was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder and first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1962-1982). Over his 21-year career with the Pirates, he batted .282, with 2,232 hits, 423 doubles, 475 home runs and 1540 runs batted in, helping his team capture six National League East division titles, two National League pennants and two World Series (1971, 1979). Stargell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
Stargell was born in Earlsboro, Oklahoma, but later moved to Alameda, California where he attended Encinal High School. He was signed by the Pirates at age 22, and made his Major League debut at the end of the 1962 season. He soon became a standout player, making his first of 7 trips to the All-Star Game in 1964.
Beloved in Pittsburgh for his style of play and affable manner, Stargell was known for hitting monstrous home runs, including 7 of the 16 balls ever hit completely out of Forbes Field and several of the upper-tier home runs at its successor, Three Rivers Stadium. At one time, Stargell held the record for the longest homer in nearly half of the National League parks. Standing 6 feet 2 inches, Stargell seemed larger, with his long arms and unique bat-handling practice of holding only the knob of the bat with his lower hand combining to provide extra bat extension, Stargell's swings seemed designed to hit home runs of the Ruthian variety. When most batters would use a simple lead-weighted bat in the on-deck circle, Stargell took to warming up with a sledgehammer, adding another layer of intimidation. While standing in the batter's box, he would windmill his bat until the pitcher started his windup.
wn.com/Willie_Stargell -
Willis Reed
Willis Reed, Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is a retired American basketball player, coach and general manager. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, his outstanding record and achievements were recognized by his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1997, he was voted one of the "50 Greatest Players in NBA History".
After retiring as a player, Reed served as assistant and head coach with several teams for nearly a decade, then was promoted to General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations (1989 to 1996) for the New Jersey Nets. As Senior Vice President of Basketball, he led them to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.
Reed was born in 1942 in Hico, Louisiana and named after his father, Willis Reed. He grew up on a farm in nearby Bernice, a lumber town in an area of pine woods. His parents worked to ensure Reed got an education in the segregated South. Reed showed athletic ability at an early age and played basketball at West Side High School in nearby Lillie.
wn.com/Willis_Reed -
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain (August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American basketball player. He played for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA; he played for the University of Kansas and also for the Harlem Globetrotters before playing in the NBA. The 7 foot 1 inch Chamberlain weighed 250 pounds as a rookie before bulking up to 275 and eventually to over 300 pounds with the Lakers. He played the center position and is widely considered one of the greatest and most dominant players in NBA history.
Chamberlain holds numerous NBA all-time records in scoring, rebounding and durability categories. He is the only player to score 100 points in a single NBA game or average more than 40 and 50 points in a season. He also won seven scoring, nine field goal percentage, and eleven rebounding titles, and once even led the league in assists. Although he suffered a long string of professional losses, Chamberlain had a successful career, winning two NBA championships, earning four regular-season Most Valuable Player awards, the Rookie of the Year award, one NBA Finals MVP award, and being selected to 13 All-Star Games and ten All-NBA First and Second teams. Chamberlain was subsequently enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978, elected into the NBA's 35th Anniversary Team of 1980, and chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History of 1996.
wn.com/Wilt_Chamberlain -
Xue Yuyang
Xue Yuyang (Chinese: 薛玉洋; pinyin: Xuē Yùyáng) (born October 4, 1982 in Henan) is a Chinese basketball player who currently plays for the Chinese basketball team Qingdao DoubleStar. He is 2.12 m tall and weighs 120 kg, playing as a forward-center.
In 2003, Xue entered the National Basketball Association Draft, without official permission, and the Chinese authorities refused to let him play in the United States. He was selected 57th overall by the Dallas Mavericks, who traded the pick to the Denver Nuggets.
After not joining any NBA team, Xue represented the now-defunct Hong Kong Flying Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association. From 2005-2011, he has played for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers.
wn.com/Xue_Yuyang -
Zaza Pachulia
Zaza Pachulia (Georgian: ზაზა ფაჩულია; born Zaur Pachulia February 10, 1984), is a Georgian professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA.
Pachulia was a very successful basketball player at a very early age in Georgia. He was approximately 6 feet 8 inches (2.04 meters) at the age of 13. He was scouted and recruited by the Turkish professional team Ülkerspor when he was a teenager. He became a member of the national basketball team of Georgia at a young age and led his team as a center to beat other Eastern European rivals, such as Belarus and Bulgaria.
Once he distinguished himself with Ülkerspor, Pachulia was drafted in the second round by the Orlando Magic during the 2003 NBA Draft. After being selected in the 2004 expansion draft by the Charlotte Bobcats, Zaza was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks where he played the 2004–05 season. While with the Bucks, Pachulia averaged 6.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game off the bench. After he spent one season with the Bucks, the Atlanta Hawks became interested in him.
wn.com/Zaza_Pachulia -
Zoran Planinić
Zoran Planinić (born September 12, 1982) is a Croatian professional basketball player. He is currently a member of the Euroleague club BC Khimki. He is also a member of the Croatian national basketball team.
Planinić was born in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the former Yugoslavia. As a junior, he played for the Croatian club Cibona Zagreb.
In the 1999/2000 season, he started his professional career on loan to Benston Zagreb.
He returned to Cibona Zagreb in 2000 and he was named the Croatian League MVP in 2001. He stayed with Cibona until 2003.
In the 2003 NBA Draft, the 6 ft 7 in 210 lbs. point guard-shooting guard was drafted 22nd overall by the New Jersey Nets. In three NBA seasons he averaged 4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Planinić's three NBA seasons were not notable, with his only distinguishing moment coming in the 2005–06 season, when he hit a spectacular full court, 77-foot, 3rd quarter-ending buzzer beater at a November 9, 2005, home win against the Utah Jazz.
wn.com/Zoran_Planinić -
Žarko Čabarkapa
Žarko Čabarkapa (Serbian Cyrillic: Жарко Чабаркапа; pronounced [ʒǎːrkɔ̝ tʃabǎrkapa]; born May 21, 1981 in Zrenjanin, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Montenegrin retired basketball player who played at the power forward position.
Before going to the United States, Čabarkapa played for KK Beopetrol and KK Budućnost Podgorica (on a team with fellow NBA player Aleksandar Pavlović) in the Yugoslavia. When playing there, he averaged 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
Čabarkapa was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the 1st round (17th overall) in the 2003 NBA Draft. In his rookie season, he was injured, and this limited him to only 49 games that season. In 2005, the Suns traded him to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for two second-round draft picks. With the Warriors, he played in 37 games in 2004–05, and 61 games in 2005–06. He had problems with a back injury, and his contract with the Warriors ended in 2006.
After leaving the NBA in 2006, Čabarkapa stopped playing competitive basketball at the age of 25, as he recuperated from injuries. In late November 2008, it was announced that he joined his old club KK Budućnost Podgorica, but only in practices, as he looked to get himself back into competitive shape.
wn.com/Žarko_Čabarkapa
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Dwyane Wade: "The Clinic"
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 11:24
- Updated: 11 Jan 2013
A compilation of Dwyane Wade career highlights. Song Title: 300 Violin Orchestra - Jorge Quintero All Glory to God.
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade_The_Clinic
A compilation of Dwyane Wade career highlights. Song Title: 300 Violin Orchestra - Jorge Quintero All Glory to God.
Dwyane Wade - Top 100 Plays Of 2012 [Championship Season]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 17:05
- Updated: 11 Jan 2013
The 100 best plays by Dwyane Wade during the 2011/2012 NBA preseason, regular season & postseason. The Miami Heat win the championship for the 2nd time. Music: Reks - "25th Hour" (Prod. By DJ Premier) Royce Da 5'9 - "Boom" (Prod. By DJ Premier) Nas - "Nas is Like" (Prod. By DJ Premier) Gang Starr - "You Know My Steez" (Prod. By DJ Premier) Kanye West - "Classic" (Prod. By DJ Premier) Don't forget to drop a LIKE and a FAVORITE if you enjoyed this Video! Also SUBSCRIBE for more. ___________________________________________________ Check out my Channel for more: www.youtube.com
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade_Top_100_Plays_Of_2012_Championship_Season_
The 100 best plays by Dwyane Wade during the 2011/2012 NBA preseason, regular season & postseason. The Miami Heat win the championship for the 2nd time. Music: Reks - "25th Hour" (Prod. By DJ Premier) Royce Da 5'9 - "Boom" (Prod. By DJ Premier) Nas - "Nas is Like" (Prod. By DJ Premier) Gang Starr - "You Know My Steez" (Prod. By DJ Premier) Kanye West - "Classic" (Prod. By DJ Premier) Don't forget to drop a LIKE and a FAVORITE if you enjoyed this Video! Also SUBSCRIBE for more. ___________________________________________________ Check out my Channel for more: www.youtube.com
- published: 02 Oct 2012
- views: 95962
- author: TheRealAirMarshall
Dwyane Wade Dribbling Exercises - "Training Days" - Part 1 - The NOC
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:20
- Updated: 10 Jan 2013
The Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade begins his on-court training with a series of dribbling exercises. SUBSCRIBE to The NOC to see a new part of Dwyane Wade's "Training Days" documentary each day this week! TRAINING DAYS: Training Days is a documentary series offering unprecedented access to the fitness regimens of elite professional athletes. We'll learn what motivates them to keep pushing their bodies to the edge as we witness every rep and drop of sweat on the road to greatness. ABOUT US: The NOC is an entertainment channel about the personalities and lives of athletes. Catch the world's most famous sports stars saying and doing the unexpected each week on The NOC! SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com LIKE us on FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com FOLLOW us on TWITTER: twitter.com
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade_Dribbling_Exercises_Training_Days_Part_1_The_NOC
The Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade begins his on-court training with a series of dribbling exercises. SUBSCRIBE to The NOC to see a new part of Dwyane Wade's "Training Days" documentary each day this week! TRAINING DAYS: Training Days is a documentary series offering unprecedented access to the fitness regimens of elite professional athletes. We'll learn what motivates them to keep pushing their bodies to the edge as we witness every rep and drop of sweat on the road to greatness. ABOUT US: The NOC is an entertainment channel about the personalities and lives of athletes. Catch the world's most famous sports stars saying and doing the unexpected each week on The NOC! SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com LIKE us on FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com FOLLOW us on TWITTER: twitter.com
- published: 14 Nov 2012
- views: 91299
- author: NOC
Dwyane Wade Face Up Jumpers - "Training Days" - Part 4 - The NOC
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 11:03
- Updated: 10 Jan 2013
The Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade wraps up his training session with face up jumpers. SUBSCRIBE to The NOC to see a new part of Dwyane Wade's "Training Days" documentary each day this week! TRAINING DAYS: Training Days is a documentary series offering unprecedented access to the fitness regimens of elite professional athletes. We'll learn what motivates them to keep pushing their bodies to the edge as we witness every rep and drop of sweat on the road to greatness. ABOUT US: The NOC is an entertainment channel about the personalities and lives of athletes. Catch the world's most famous sports stars saying and doing the unexpected each week on The NOC! SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com LIKE us on FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com FOLLOW us on TWITTER: twitter.com
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade_Face_Up_Jumpers_Training_Days_Part_4_The_NOC
The Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade wraps up his training session with face up jumpers. SUBSCRIBE to The NOC to see a new part of Dwyane Wade's "Training Days" documentary each day this week! TRAINING DAYS: Training Days is a documentary series offering unprecedented access to the fitness regimens of elite professional athletes. We'll learn what motivates them to keep pushing their bodies to the edge as we witness every rep and drop of sweat on the road to greatness. ABOUT US: The NOC is an entertainment channel about the personalities and lives of athletes. Catch the world's most famous sports stars saying and doing the unexpected each week on The NOC! SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com LIKE us on FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com FOLLOW us on TWITTER: twitter.com
- published: 16 Nov 2012
- views: 41089
- author: NOC
Has Dwyane Wade Lost A Step?
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:10
- Updated: 10 Jan 2013
Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless debate whether Dwyane Wade has lost a step.
http://wn.com/Has_Dwyane_Wade_Lost_A_Step?
Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless debate whether Dwyane Wade has lost a step.
- published: 07 Dec 2012
- views: 68222
- author: ESPN
Dwyane Wade 2012 Season Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:15
- Updated: 10 Jan 2013
Please 'LIKE' my Facebook page : www.facebook.com Hey guys , finally i have finished my mix for Dwyane Wade who recently won his 2nd championship with the Miami Heat. I hope you like this video. Enjoy :) By Meir21 & Hoops4Life. Thanks to : Kietasss Misha Venom HEATPOSTERIZED
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade_2012_Season_Highlights
Please 'LIKE' my Facebook page : www.facebook.com Hey guys , finally i have finished my mix for Dwyane Wade who recently won his 2nd championship with the Miami Heat. I hope you like this video. Enjoy :) By Meir21 & Hoops4Life. Thanks to : Kietasss Misha Venom HEATPOSTERIZED
- published: 09 Sep 2012
- views: 206702
- author: m2e1iriko
[H4L] Above The Sky - Dwyane Wade 2012 Season Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:53
- Updated: 10 Jan 2013
PLEASE LIKE IT: www.facebook.com Some of the best highlights from Dwyane Wade's 2011-2012 season. Special thanks to HEATPOSTERIZED for additional footage! GD Factory Hoops4life.com Absolutely no copyright infringement is intended. All audio and video clips are the sole property of their respective owners. This is only clipped for entertainment.
http://wn.com/_H4L_Above_The_Sky_Dwyane_Wade_2012_Season_Highlights
PLEASE LIKE IT: www.facebook.com Some of the best highlights from Dwyane Wade's 2011-2012 season. Special thanks to HEATPOSTERIZED for additional footage! GD Factory Hoops4life.com Absolutely no copyright infringement is intended. All audio and video clips are the sole property of their respective owners. This is only clipped for entertainment.
- published: 12 Jul 2012
- views: 73655
- author: KonyginGD
LeBron James(32Pts), Dwyane Wade(27Pts), Chris Bosh(17Pts) vs Dallas (2013.01.02)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:05
- Updated: 11 Jan 2013
LeBron James scored 32 points and finished one assist shy of a triple-double, Dwyane Wade scored 27 and the Miami Heat rallied both early and late before beating the Dallas Mavericks 119-109 in overtime Wednesday night. Chris Bosh scored 17 points and Ray Allen added 15 for Miami, which extended its Eastern Conference-leading record to 22-8.
http://wn.com/LeBron_James32Pts,_Dwyane_Wade27Pts,_Chris_Bosh17Pts_vs_Dallas_20130102
LeBron James scored 32 points and finished one assist shy of a triple-double, Dwyane Wade scored 27 and the Miami Heat rallied both early and late before beating the Dallas Mavericks 119-109 in overtime Wednesday night. Chris Bosh scored 17 points and Ray Allen added 15 for Miami, which extended its Eastern Conference-leading record to 22-8.
- published: 03 Jan 2013
- views: 23734
- author: HEATShaq32
10 Questions with Dwyane Wade
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:33
- Updated: 06 Jan 2013
The Miami Heat star talks about his childhood and shooting hoops with Barack Obama
http://wn.com/10_Questions_with_Dwyane_Wade
The Miami Heat star talks about his childhood and shooting hoops with Barack Obama
- published: 17 Sep 2012
- views: 6533
- author: TimeMagazine
Dwyane Wade (24Points) & LeBron James (23Points) vs Minnesota (2012.12.18)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:04
- Updated: 10 Jan 2013
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade_24Points_LeBron_James_23Points_vs_Minnesota_20121218
Dwyane Wade Mix [HD]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:56
- Updated: 10 Jan 2013
Dwyane Wade Mix [HD]. Entering the league as the fifth pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Wade was named to the All-Rookie team and the All-Star team the following five seasons. In his third season, Wade led the Miami Heat to their first NBA Championship in franchise history. He was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP as he helped lead the Heat to a 42 series win over the Dallas Mavericks. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wade led the United States Men's Basketball team, commonly known as the "Redeem Team", in scoring, as they captured gold medal honors in Beijing, China. In the 200809 season, Wade led the league in scoring and earned his first NBA Scoring Title.
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade_Mix_HD_
Dwyane Wade Mix [HD]. Entering the league as the fifth pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Wade was named to the All-Rookie team and the All-Star team the following five seasons. In his third season, Wade led the Miami Heat to their first NBA Championship in franchise history. He was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP as he helped lead the Heat to a 42 series win over the Dallas Mavericks. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wade led the United States Men's Basketball team, commonly known as the "Redeem Team", in scoring, as they captured gold medal honors in Beijing, China. In the 200809 season, Wade led the league in scoring and earned his first NBA Scoring Title.
- published: 14 Nov 2009
- views: 1118445
- author: Gagandeep Singh
Dwyane Wade Jumpers - "Training Days" - Part 3 - The NOC
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 11:51
- Updated: 10 Jan 2013
The Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade works on his jumper with assistant coach David Fizdale. SUBSCRIBE to The NOC to see a new part of Dwyane Wade's "Training Days" documentary each day this week! TRAINING DAYS: Training Days is a documentary series offering unprecedented access to the fitness regimens of elite professional athletes. We'll learn what motivates them to keep pushing their bodies to the edge as we witness every rep and drop of sweat on the road to greatness. ABOUT US: The NOC is an entertainment channel about the personalities and lives of athletes. Catch the world's most famous sports stars saying and doing the unexpected each week on The NOC! SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com LIKE us on FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com FOLLOW us on TWITTER: twitter.com
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade_Jumpers_Training_Days_Part_3_The_NOC
The Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade works on his jumper with assistant coach David Fizdale. SUBSCRIBE to The NOC to see a new part of Dwyane Wade's "Training Days" documentary each day this week! TRAINING DAYS: Training Days is a documentary series offering unprecedented access to the fitness regimens of elite professional athletes. We'll learn what motivates them to keep pushing their bodies to the edge as we witness every rep and drop of sweat on the road to greatness. ABOUT US: The NOC is an entertainment channel about the personalities and lives of athletes. Catch the world's most famous sports stars saying and doing the unexpected each week on The NOC! SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com LIKE us on FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com FOLLOW us on TWITTER: twitter.com
- published: 16 Nov 2012
- views: 51911
- author: NOC
Dwyane Wade's NBA Tip-Off Music Playlist - The NOC
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:24
- Updated: 10 Jan 2013
Dwyane Wade celebrates the start of the 2012-13 NBA season by sharing the music he listens to before and after games. Check it out here: www.youtube.com Kanye West - Mercy ft. Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz www.youtube.com Kanye West, Jay-Z - Otis www.youtube.com Cee Lo Green - Anyway www.youtube.com John Mayer - Gravity www.youtube.com Kanye West - No Church In The Wild www.youtube.com Common - Sweet www.youtube.com Flo Rida - I Cry www.youtube.com Rick Ross - Stay Schemin (feat. Drake French Montana) www.youtube.com Coldplay - Hurts Like Heaven www.youtube.com Maroon 5 - One More Night www.youtube.com Mindless Behavior - Mrs. Right ft. Diggy Simmons www.youtube.com ABOUT US: The NOC is an entertainment channel about the personalities and lives of athletes. Catch the world's most famous sports stars saying and doing the unexpected each week on The NOC! SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com LIKE us on FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com FOLLOW us on TWITTER: twitter.com
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade's_NBA_Tip-Off_Music_Playlist_The_NOC
Dwyane Wade celebrates the start of the 2012-13 NBA season by sharing the music he listens to before and after games. Check it out here: www.youtube.com Kanye West - Mercy ft. Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz www.youtube.com Kanye West, Jay-Z - Otis www.youtube.com Cee Lo Green - Anyway www.youtube.com John Mayer - Gravity www.youtube.com Kanye West - No Church In The Wild www.youtube.com Common - Sweet www.youtube.com Flo Rida - I Cry www.youtube.com Rick Ross - Stay Schemin (feat. Drake French Montana) www.youtube.com Coldplay - Hurts Like Heaven www.youtube.com Maroon 5 - One More Night www.youtube.com Mindless Behavior - Mrs. Right ft. Diggy Simmons www.youtube.com ABOUT US: The NOC is an entertainment channel about the personalities and lives of athletes. Catch the world's most famous sports stars saying and doing the unexpected each week on The NOC! SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com LIKE us on FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com FOLLOW us on TWITTER: twitter.com
- published: 27 Oct 2012
- views: 196532
- author: NOC
Dwyane Wade (29Pts) LeBron James (27Pts) vs Bobcats (2012.12.26)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:12
- Updated: 10 Jan 2013
LeBron James had 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists as the Heat handed the Charlotte Bobcats their 16th straight loss, 105-92 on Wednesday night. Dwyane Wade scored 29 points and had nine rebounds as Miami extended its winning streak to six. Miami shot 46 percent from the field, with James and Wade combining to make 19 of 38 shots. Chris Bosh added 14 points.
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade_29Pts_LeBron_James_27Pts_vs_Bobcats_20121226
LeBron James had 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists as the Heat handed the Charlotte Bobcats their 16th straight loss, 105-92 on Wednesday night. Dwyane Wade scored 29 points and had nine rebounds as Miami extended its winning streak to six. Miami shot 46 percent from the field, with James and Wade combining to make 19 of 38 shots. Chris Bosh added 14 points.
- published: 27 Dec 2012
- views: 29853
- author: HEATShaq32
Dwyane Wade Wired
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:21
- Updated: 11 Jan 2013
ESPN wired up Dwyane Wade so listen in as he leads and motivates the Miami Heat. Visit www.nba.com for more highlights.
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade_Wired
ESPN wired up Dwyane Wade so listen in as he leads and motivates the Miami Heat. Visit www.nba.com for more highlights.
- published: 03 Nov 2012
- views: 64522
- author: NBA
Dwyane Wade Highlights - Offense I
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:16
- Updated: 09 Jan 2013
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade_Highlights_Offense_I
Dwyane Wade- Crown me Twice HD
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:33
- Updated: 11 Jan 2013
Dwyane wade has been crown for the second time! Just a simple mix video, But i hope u will enjoy. Follow me on twitter: twitter.com
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade_Crown_me_Twice_HD
Dwyane wade has been crown for the second time! Just a simple mix video, But i hope u will enjoy. Follow me on twitter: twitter.com
- published: 09 Jul 2012
- views: 159084
- author: Dee Smith
Dwyane Wade - Work Hard, Play Hard
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:52
- Updated: 05 Jan 2013
Mix of Dwyane Wade, one of the league's hardest working stars. All content owned by rightful owners. Entertainment purpose only.
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade_Work_Hard,_Play_Hard
Mix of Dwyane Wade, one of the league's hardest working stars. All content owned by rightful owners. Entertainment purpose only.
- published: 16 Jul 2012
- views: 44540
- author: tkt123321
Dwyane Wade - Work Hard, Play Hard
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:36
- Updated: 10 Jan 2013
Mix about Dwayne Wade. hope you will like it :) ,Hot sauce,Lebron james,la lakers,Boston celtics nba champions,La Clippers,Denver Nuggets,Allen Iverson,Dallas Mavericks,East West All star game,nba record,nba street vol 1,2,homecourt,I Challenge Baron Davis,greatest in nba history,shot,block,steal,Michael Jordan's Final Shot 98,Baron Davis, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Tracy McGrady, Stephon Marubury, Yao Ming, Gilbert Arenas, Kobe Bryant, Speedy Claxton, Paul Pierce, Nate Robinson, Allen Iverson, and Ben Gordan,Soulja Boy And Lebron James Interview ,Kobe Bryant Jumps Over Car(Aston Martin) Slow Motion,Kobe Bryant Car Jump Exposed,fl, ncaa, baseball, soccer, futbol, football, Nba, basketball, mlb, hockey, nhl, paris fifa, poker, golf, world cup,Guinness World Record,Spud Webb Dunk Contest,the best of derrick rose,Kobe Bryant Jumps Over Pool w/ Snakes (Black Mambas?,LeBron talks with Jay-Z during game nba 10 top plays 07 08 top dunks season finals mvp all star game lebron james vs kobe Bryant chris paul dwight howard sprite dunk contest hornets spurs cavs lebron james lawyer vitamin water commercial nikekobe jumps pool with snakes mamba lakers vs spurs game highlights playoffs game 3 4 5 6 7 kevin garnett paul pierce celtics vs pistons wizards gilbert arenas deshawn stevenson jay-z new york nets miami michael beasley derrick rose 1st pick chicago draft lottery pick 1st round 2008 2009 team usa basketball summer olympics Beijing China Yao Ming tracy mcgrady houston rockets los ...
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade_Work_Hard,_Play_Hard
Mix about Dwayne Wade. hope you will like it :) ,Hot sauce,Lebron james,la lakers,Boston celtics nba champions,La Clippers,Denver Nuggets,Allen Iverson,Dallas Mavericks,East West All star game,nba record,nba street vol 1,2,homecourt,I Challenge Baron Davis,greatest in nba history,shot,block,steal,Michael Jordan's Final Shot 98,Baron Davis, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Tracy McGrady, Stephon Marubury, Yao Ming, Gilbert Arenas, Kobe Bryant, Speedy Claxton, Paul Pierce, Nate Robinson, Allen Iverson, and Ben Gordan,Soulja Boy And Lebron James Interview ,Kobe Bryant Jumps Over Car(Aston Martin) Slow Motion,Kobe Bryant Car Jump Exposed,fl, ncaa, baseball, soccer, futbol, football, Nba, basketball, mlb, hockey, nhl, paris fifa, poker, golf, world cup,Guinness World Record,Spud Webb Dunk Contest,the best of derrick rose,Kobe Bryant Jumps Over Pool w/ Snakes (Black Mambas?,LeBron talks with Jay-Z during game nba 10 top plays 07 08 top dunks season finals mvp all star game lebron james vs kobe Bryant chris paul dwight howard sprite dunk contest hornets spurs cavs lebron james lawyer vitamin water commercial nikekobe jumps pool with snakes mamba lakers vs spurs game highlights playoffs game 3 4 5 6 7 kevin garnett paul pierce celtics vs pistons wizards gilbert arenas deshawn stevenson jay-z new york nets miami michael beasley derrick rose 1st pick chicago draft lottery pick 1st round 2008 2009 team usa basketball summer olympics Beijing China Yao Ming tracy mcgrady houston rockets los ...
- published: 19 Dec 2012
- views: 1675
- author: kaka65237
LeBron James (30Pts) & Dwyane Wade (21Pts) vs Jazz (2012.12.22)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:24
- Updated: 08 Jan 2013
LeBron James scored 30 points, Dwyane Wade added 21 points and seven assists, and the Miami Heat rode the strength of a big third-quarter run to beat the Utah Jazz 105-89 on Saturday night. James has scored at least 20 points in all 24 Heat games this season, matching the longest run of 20-or-more efforts to start a year since Karl Malone did it for Utah in the 1989-90 campaign. Maybe it was fitting that James tied Malone's mark in a game against the Jazz. ''Karl Malone's a great player,'' James said before the game. ''Awesome player, by the way.''
http://wn.com/LeBron_James_30Pts_Dwyane_Wade_21Pts_vs_Jazz_20121222
LeBron James scored 30 points, Dwyane Wade added 21 points and seven assists, and the Miami Heat rode the strength of a big third-quarter run to beat the Utah Jazz 105-89 on Saturday night. James has scored at least 20 points in all 24 Heat games this season, matching the longest run of 20-or-more efforts to start a year since Karl Malone did it for Utah in the 1989-90 campaign. Maybe it was fitting that James tied Malone's mark in a game against the Jazz. ''Karl Malone's a great player,'' James said before the game. ''Awesome player, by the way.''
- published: 23 Dec 2012
- views: 13614
- author: HEATShaq32
Dwyane Wade highlights vs Mavericks 20/12/12 19 points
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:34
- Updated: 23 Dec 2012
Dwyane Wade: 19 points on 7/13 shooting, 1/3 threes, 4/4 FT, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 block in 26 minutes against OJ Mayo and the Dallas Mavericks
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade_highlights_vs_Mavericks_20_12_12_19_points
Dwyane Wade: 19 points on 7/13 shooting, 1/3 threes, 4/4 FT, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 block in 26 minutes against OJ Mayo and the Dallas Mavericks
- published: 21 Dec 2012
- views: 828
- author: MBM91
Dwyane Wade's Top 10 Plays of the 2011 Season
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:21
- Updated: 10 Jan 2013
Check out D-Wade's best plays of the 2010-11 season. Visit www.nba.com for more highlights.
http://wn.com/Dwyane_Wade's_Top_10_Plays_of_the_2011_Season
Check out D-Wade's best plays of the 2010-11 season. Visit www.nba.com for more highlights.
- published: 11 Apr 2011
- views: 415652
- author: NBA
NBA Greatest Duels: Allen Iverson vs. Dwyane Wade (2004) *Wade's NBA Debut *Rare Game
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:41
- Updated: 11 Jan 2013
Allen Iverson always feels as if he's going to make all of his shots. When they aren't falling, the three-time NBA scoring champion uses that as motivation to finish strong. "When I struggle for three quarters, all I think about is that last 12 minutes," Iverson said. Iverson scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and had 11 assists as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat 89-74 Tuesday night in the season opener for both teams. "I just felt like it was my time to step up my game, said Iverson, who went 3-for-4 from 3-point range in the fourth. "My teammates had been holding the fort down the previous three quarters." It was the first game for new Sixers coach Randy Ayers, Larry Brown's top assistant for six seasons, and for Heat coach Stan Van Gundy, who was promoted last week after Pat Riley stepped down. Philadelphia broke the game open with a 12-0 run to start the fourth quarter after the Heat closed within three at the end of the third. Iverson, who shot just 4-for-17 through three quarters and missed all seven 3-point attempts, ignited the run with a nice pass to Willie Green for an alley-oop. Iverson then hit a 3-pointer from the left wing and added a driving one-handed layup from the right side. Green added another basket before Aaron McKie drilled a 3-pointer -- a rarity in the Brown era -- sending the Sixers' crowd into its first frenzy of the season and stretching the lead to 77-62. Rafer Alston ended the run with a 3-pointer, but Iverson ...
http://wn.com/NBA_Greatest_Duels_Allen_Iverson_vs_Dwyane_Wade_2004_*Wade's_NBA_Debut_*Rare_Game
Allen Iverson always feels as if he's going to make all of his shots. When they aren't falling, the three-time NBA scoring champion uses that as motivation to finish strong. "When I struggle for three quarters, all I think about is that last 12 minutes," Iverson said. Iverson scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and had 11 assists as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat 89-74 Tuesday night in the season opener for both teams. "I just felt like it was my time to step up my game, said Iverson, who went 3-for-4 from 3-point range in the fourth. "My teammates had been holding the fort down the previous three quarters." It was the first game for new Sixers coach Randy Ayers, Larry Brown's top assistant for six seasons, and for Heat coach Stan Van Gundy, who was promoted last week after Pat Riley stepped down. Philadelphia broke the game open with a 12-0 run to start the fourth quarter after the Heat closed within three at the end of the third. Iverson, who shot just 4-for-17 through three quarters and missed all seven 3-point attempts, ignited the run with a nice pass to Willie Green for an alley-oop. Iverson then hit a 3-pointer from the left wing and added a driving one-handed layup from the right side. Green added another basket before Aaron McKie drilled a 3-pointer -- a rarity in the Brown era -- sending the Sixers' crowd into its first frenzy of the season and stretching the lead to 77-62. Rafer Alston ended the run with a 3-pointer, but Iverson ...
- published: 10 Jan 2013
- views: 1992
- author: pennyccwai
photo: AP / Channi Anand
09 Jan 2013
JAMMU, India (Reuters) - India slammed arch-rival Pakistan on Wednesday over a fire fight in the disputed territory of Kashmir in which two of its soldiers were killed, and said the mutilation of one of the bodies was "inhuman". India's Defence Minister A.K. Antony waits to speak at a plenary session of the 11th International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) Asia Security Summit ... REUTERS/Tim Chong ... ....(size: 2.6Kb)
photo: AP / Jacques Brinon
10 Jan 2013
PARIS. Three Kurdish women, including one of the founders of a militant group battling Turkish troops since 1984, were "executed" at a Kurdish center in Paris, the interior minister said on Thursday. Turkey's Anadolu news agency identified one of the victims as Sakine Cansiz, a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK ... He called it a "totally intolerable act." ... ....(size: 1.7Kb)
photo: AP / Alexandre Meneghini
10 Jan 2013
Mexican has enacted a law that will ensure that the victims and relatives of crime are compensated with payments and social services from the state. The law, enacted by President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday, comprises the creation of a fund to pay relatives up to $70,000 in compensation for an innocent victim killed in attacks by drug gangs ... “There are thousands of people who have suffered the ravages of violence ... Share ... ....(size: 18.3Kb)
photo: White House / Pete Souza
10 Jan 2013
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. "Lay then, the axe to the root, and teach governments humanity. It is their sanguinary punishments which corrupt mankind." -Thomas Paine, "The Rights of Man". If alive today, Thomas Paine would recognize that the United States Government is not worthy of its citizens ... He would caution the People ... Paine would also empathize with ... In another town, Paine would identify with ... (1) Paine, Thomas....(size: 4.8Kb)
photo: AP / NSW Rural Fire Service, James Morris
10 Jan 2013
Tammy Holmes, second from left, holds 2-year-old Charlotte Walker, left, and Esther Walker, 4, as they find refuge in water as fires rage nearby in Tasmania last week. Joining them were, from right, Caleb Walker, 6, Matilda Walker, 11, and Liam Walker, 9. Record temperatures across southern Australia cooled Wednesday, but the reprieve from the summer's extreme heat is expected to be brief. (Provided by the Holmes family) ... ....(size: 2.9Kb)
Sun Sentinel
11 Jan 2013
1. Should Mario Chalmers take the last shot as he did in the loss to Portland? In a perfect ending, no. Going strictly by stats, you'd want LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh, according to percentages on "clutch" shots, according to 82games.com (clutch is defined as fourth quarter or overtime, less than five minutes left, neither team had by more than five points) ... 1 ... 2. Dwyane Wade 55.6 percent (42.9 percent). 3 ... 4 ... 5 ... He made one ... 2 ... 3 ... ....(size: 3.9Kb)
The Miami Herald
11 Jan 2013
The lights are not always brighter in Los Angeles, according to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. James and Wade had to chuckle Thursday when asked if the current scrutiny the Lakers are experiencing compares to what the Heat went through in 2010 ... “It’s the Lakers,” Wade said ... Still, Wade and James seem to take some satisfaction in believing what the Heat survived in 2010 was more difficult....(size: 4.1Kb)
The Miami Herald
11 Jan 2013
-- The lights are not always brighter in Los Angeles, according to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. James and Wade had to chuckle Thursday when asked if the current scrutiny the Lakers are experiencing compares to what the Heat went through in 2010 ... “It’s the Lakers,” Wade said ... Still, Wade and James seem to take some satisfaction in believing what the Heat survived in 2010 was more difficult....(size: 4.1Kb)
The Times of India
11 Jan 2013
Though Chris Bosh scored a game-high 29 points for Miami and Dwyane Wade weighed in with 18, the visitors paid the price after being outscored 29-22 in the final quarter ... With the "Big Three" of James, Bosh and Wade all getting into double figures, the Heat upped the tempo and padded their advantage to 52-39 halftime ... ....(size: 1.6Kb)
Orlando Sentinel
11 Jan 2013
Though Chris Bosh scored a game-high 29 points for Miami and Dwyane Wade weighed in with 18, the visitors paid the price after being outscored 29-22 in the final quarter ... With the "Big Three" of James, Bosh and Wade all getting into double figures, the Heat upped the tempo and padded their advantage to 52-39 halftime ... ....(size: 2.0Kb)
The News Tribune
11 Jan 2013
Although they were outplayed for most of the night, the Portland Trail Blazers kept their home winning streak intact ... It was Portland's ninth straight home win ... 8 against the Sacramento Kings ... Down 80-68 in the fourth after Dwyane Wade sank two free throws, the Blazers countered with a 14-2 run to tie the score ... The long-armed Frenchman intercepted a Wade pass and raced the other way before laying the ball in and drawing a foul....(size: 2.1Kb)
Sacramento Bee
11 Jan 2013
Although they were outplayed for most of the night, the Portland Trail Blazers kept their home winning streak intact ... It was Portland's ninth straight home win ... 8 against the Sacramento Kings ... Down 80-68 in the fourth after Dwyane Wade sank two free throws, the Blazers countered with a 14-2 run to tie the score ... The long-armed Frenchman intercepted a Wade pass and raced the other way before laying the ball in and drawing a foul....(size: 2.1Kb)
Sun Sentinel
11 Jan 2013
Portland, OR —. Although they were outplayed for most of the night, the Portland Trail Blazers kept their home winning streak intact ... It was Portland's ninth straight home win ... Down 80-68 in the fourth after Dwyane Wade sank two free throws, the Blazers countered with a 14-2 run to tie the score ... The long-armed Frenchman intercepted a Wade pass and raced the other way before laying the ball in and drawing a foul ... Game Notes ... ....(size: 3.5Kb)
LA Daily News
11 Jan 2013
By Mark Medina, Staff Writer. Posted. 01/10/2013 10.16.08 PM PST. Updated. 01/10/2013 10.56.36 PM PST ... The Lakers forward saw neurologist Dr ... Kobe Bryant suffered a concussion last season in the 2012 NBA All-Star game after Dwyane Wade accidentally elbowed him in the nose. Bryant managed ....(size: 1.7Kb)
TSN Canada
11 Jan 2013
PORTLAND, Ore ... The Blazers held LeBron James to 15 points, snapping his 54-game streak with at least 20 points that dated back to last season ... Matthews finished with 18 points ... The Blazers led 12-10 early, but missed eight straight shots and Miami took an 18-12 lead on Dwyane Wade's fast-break layup with 3.25 left in the first quarter ... The Heat extended it with a dunk by James and a hook by Wade to make it 52-39 at the half ... ......(size: 3.5Kb)
The Miami Herald
11 Jan 2013
PORTLAND, Ore ... The Blazers held LeBron James to 15 points, snapping his 54-game streak with at least 20 points that dated back to last season ... Matthews finished with 18 points ... The Blazers led 12-10 early, but missed eight straight shots and Miami took an 18-12 lead on Dwyane Wade's fast-break layup with 3.25 left in the first quarter ... The Heat extended it with a dunk by James and a hook by Wade to make it 52-39 at the half ... NOTES ... .. ... ....(size: 3.5Kb)
Star Tribune
11 Jan 2013
PORTLAND, Ore ... The Blazers held LeBron James to 15 points, snapping his 54-game streak with at least 20 points that dated back to last season ... Matthews finished with 18 points ... The Blazers led 12-10 early, but missed eight straight shots and Miami took an 18-12 lead on Dwyane Wade's fast-break layup with 3.25 left in the first quarter ... The Heat extended it with a dunk by James and a hook by Wade to make it 52-39 at the half ... NOTES ... .. ... ....(size: 3.6Kb)
Sporting News
11 Jan 2013
The Blazers held LeBron James to 15 points, snapping his 54-game streak with at least 20 points that dated back to last season. Heat vs. Trail Blazers ... (AP Photo) ... The Blazers led 12-10 early, but missed eight straight shots and Miami took an 18-12 lead on Dwyane Wade's fast-break layup with 3.25 left in the first quarter ... The Heat extended it with a dunk by James and a hook by Wade to make it 52-39 at the half ... NOTES ... .. ... ... ....(size: 4.3Kb)
Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. (born January 17, 1982), nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat. Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league. He had the top selling jersey in the NBA for nearly two years, as he led the NBA in jersey sales from the 2005 NBA Playoffs, until the mid-point of the 2006–07 season.[1]
After entering the league as the fifth pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Wade was named to the All-Rookie team and the All-Star team the following eight seasons. In his third season, Wade helped lead the Miami Heat to their first NBA Championship in franchise history. He was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP as he helped lead the Heat to a 4–2 series win over the Dallas Mavericks. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wade led the United States Men's Basketball team, commonly known as the "Redeem Team", in scoring, as they captured gold medal honors in Beijing, China. In the 2008–09 season, Wade led the league in scoring and earned his first NBA scoring title.
Contents |
Early life[link]
Dwyane Wade was born on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois to Dwyane Sr. and Jolinda Wade. He cites one of his older sisters, Tragil, as the individual most responsible for his childhood upbringing and for steering him in the proper direction.[2] His parents divorced and he lived with his father and stepmother in Robbins, Illinois during his childhood.[3] As a child growing up in the Chicago area Wade idolized former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan,[4][5] and has said he patterns his game after him.
Wade attended Harold L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn, playing for the school's varsity basketball team.[2] While he did not acquire much playing time during his second year, his stepbrother, Demetris McDaniel, was the star of the team.[6] Wade grew four inches in the summer before his junior year and saw an increase in playing time, averaging 20.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.[7] The following year, Wade averaged 27.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game while leading his team to a 24–5 record.[7] It advanced to the title game of the Class AA Eisenhower Sectional.[7] During this season he set school records for points (676) and steals (106) in a season.[7] Wade was recruited by only three college basketball teams (Marquette University, Illinois State, and DePaul University) due to academic problems.[8]
College career[link]
Wade chose to play college basketball for Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During Wade's freshman year at Marquette, he was ineligible to play with the men's team due to a violation of the NCAA's Proposition 48. Wade sought tutoring to improve his writing skills in order to regain eligibility.[9][10] When Wade became eligible to play the following year (2001–2002), he led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 17.8 ppg, led the conference in steals at 2.47 per game, and accumulated averages of 6.6 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game.[11] Marquette finished with a 26–7 record,[7] the school's best record since the 1993–94 season.[7] In 2002–03, Wade led Marquette in scoring again with 21.5 ppg,[11] and Marquette won the school's first and only Conference USA championship with a 27–6 record. That season Wade led the Golden Eagles to the Final Four, the school's first appearance in the Final Four since winning the 1977 national championship. After the season, he was named to the All-America First Team by the Associated Press; Wade is the first Marquette basketball player since 1978 to do so.[7]
Wade's performance during the Midwest Regional Final of the 2003 NCAA Tournament was highly publicized by the national press. Against heavily favored, top-ranked and top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats, Wade recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists.[12] His triple double was the fourth in NCAA Tournament history.[13] Wade's exceptional play helped lead Marquette over the Wildcats 83–69 and into the Final Four; Wade was named MVP of the Midwest Regional. Marquette finished the season ranked No.6 in the AP poll, the school's highest ranking since the 1976–77 season. Wade's strong tournament play resulted in increased visibility in the national media and, consequently, a high draft projection.[14] As a result, he elected to forgo his senior year at Marquette and enter the 2003 NBA draft. On February 3, 2007, almost four years after Wade played in his final collegiate game, Marquette retired his jersey at halftime of a game against Providence. Although Marquette requires student-athletes to graduate prior to receiving jersey retirement honors, the University made a special exception for Wade based on his accomplishments since leaving Marquette.[15]
NBA career[link]
2003–04[link]
Selected 5th overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat, Wade quickly emerged as a productive player on a youthful Miami Heat team and averaged 16.2 points on 46.5% shooting with averages of 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Wade is one of only four Marquette University players to be drafted in the first round; his is the highest draft selection in school history.[11][12] After a 5–15 start,[16] the Heat would gradually improve and finish 42–40 to qualify for the NBA playoffs.[17] He further distinguished himself with outstanding performances in the playoffs,[12] particularly against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals. In the end, however, Wade's successful rookie season was somewhat overshadowed by the success of fellow rookies Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. Wade did earn unanimous selection to the 2004 NBA All-Rookie Team,[12] and also finished third in rookie of the year voting (behind James and Anthony).[12] He was ranked in the top five among rookies in several major statistical categories, including second in field goal percentage, second in steals, third in scoring, fourth in assists, and fourth in minutes played.[12] In the playoffs Wade hit a game winning shot in Game 1 of the Heat's first round series against the New Orleans Hornets. The Heat won the series 4–3 and advanced to the second round to face the top-seeded and best record team in the NBA, the Indiana Pacers, in a very entertaining series that almost pushed the 61-win Pacers to the edge, though Miami would eventually lose the series in six games. He became the fourth rookie since the shot clock era began to lead his team in scoring and assist average in the postseason.[12]
2004–05[link]
Before the 2004–05 season Shaquille O'Neal was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Heat. The following season, Miami improved by 17 games, from a 42–40 record in the 2003–04 season to an Eastern Conference-best 59–23 record in the 2004–05 season.[17] The league's coaches selected Wade to be a reserve in the 2005 All-Star Game. He scored 14 points in 24 minutes of play.
In the first round of the 2005 NBA Playoffs, Wade averaged 26.3 points, 8.8 assists, and 6.0 rebounds while maintaining a 50% field-goal percentage[12] as the Heat swept the New Jersey Nets.[18] Wade continued his high level of play in the second round by averaging 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists per game[12] as the Heat swept the Washington Wizards.[18] The Heat's playoff run was stopped by the Detroit Pistons, the previous season's champions, in 7 games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Wade scored 42 and 36 points in Games 2 and 3 respectively despite playing with sinusitis, the flu, and a knee strain. He also suffered a strained rib muscle in Game 5 of the Conference Finals that prevented him from playing in the series' sixth game[19] and limited him in the seventh. The Heat lost the series in the seventh game despite leading three games to two after the fifth game and holding a lead with three minutes remaining in Game 7.[20]
2005–06[link]
By the 2005–06 season Wade had developed into one of the most prominent players in the NBA and was elected to his second All-Star Game. In the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, Wade made the game winning put-back off of the Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson's missed shot, to lead the East to a 122–120 victory over the West. He scored 20 points on 9/11 field goals in 30 minutes of play.[21] He finished the 2005–06 regular season averaging 27.2 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.95 steals per game.[11]
Against the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Wade shook off a few injuries that scared Heat fans, including a severely bruised hip in Game 5.[22] Returning late in the half, Wade resurrected his team by scoring 15 of his 28 points while suffering from intense pain, leading the Heat to the much-needed 3–2 series lead. After this, Wade successfully led his team to the 2006 NBA Finals, despite suffering from flu-like symptoms in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons.[23] He put up a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists in that game, including an 8-point flurry to close out the third quarter that put the game out of reach.[23]
2006 NBA Finals[link]
In his first trip to the NBA Finals, in which Miami faced off against the Dallas Mavericks, Wade had some especially memorable moments. His performance in games three, four, and five, in which he scored 42, 36, and 43 points,[24][25] respectively, helped bring the Heat back from a 0–2 deficit to lead the series at 3 games to 2. In Game 3 Wade tied his career playoff high with 42 points and grabbed a career high 13 rebounds.[26] 15 of his 42 points came in the fourth quarter, in which the Heat erased a 13 point deficit over the final 6:29 with a 22–7 run which included a go-ahead jumper by NBA veteran Gary Payton that sealed the win.[27] The Heat went on to win Game 6 behind Wade's 36 points, taking the series 4–2, and Wade was presented with the Finals MVP trophy.[28] He became the fifth youngest player in NBA history to capture NBA Finals MVP honors and recorded the third highest scoring average by a player in his first NBA Finals with 34.7 points per game.[12][29] His 33.8 PER in the NBA finals was ranked by ESPN's John Hollinger as the greatest Finals performance since the NBA-ABA merger.[30]
2006–07[link]
In the 2006–07 season, Wade missed a total of 31 games due to injury. He was elected to his third straight All-Star Game and received All-NBA honors. He became the first guard to earn All-NBA honors after missing at least 31 games in a season since Pete Maravich of the Utah Jazz earned Second Team honors during the 1977–78 season.[12] Despite Wade's play, the Heat struggled early in the season with injuries and were 20–25 on February 1, 2007.[31] But with Shaquille O'Neal healthy and Pat Riley returning to the bench after undergoing hip and knee surgeries,[32] the Heat seemed poised to surge into the second half of the season.[33] However, during a game against the Houston Rockets on February 21, 2007, while attempting to steal the ball from Shane Battier, Wade dislocated his left shoulder and was assisted off the court in a wheelchair.[34] After the injury he was left with the decision to either rehabilitate the shoulder or undergo season-ending surgery.[35] Wade later announced that he would put off the surgery and rehabilitate his shoulder with the intention of rejoining the team in time for the playoffs.[36] After missing 23 games to recover from the injury, Wade returned to the active roster in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats. Sporting a black sleeve to help protect his dislocated left shoulder, Wade played 27 minutes and recorded 12 points and 8 assists, in a 111–103 overtime loss.[37] For the season, Wade averaged 27.4 points, 7.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game shooting 50% from the field, and finished the season as the NBA's leader in PER (Player efficiency rating).[38]
In the playoffs, Wade averaged 23.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game, as the Heat were swept in the first round by the Chicago Bulls.[39] Following the playoffs, Wade underwent a pair of successful surgeries to repair his dislocated left shoulder and left knee. The knee ailment, commonly called "jumper's knee," prevented Wade from joining USA Basketball in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament over the summer.[40]
2007–08[link]
After missing the Tournament of Americas Olympic Qualifiers over the summer, Miami's eight pre-season games and first seven regular season games to recover from off-season left knee and left shoulder surgeries, Wade made his first appearance of the 2007–08 season on November 14, 2007.[41] Battling pain in his left knee throughout the season,[42] Wade was elected to his fourth consecutive All-Star Game appearance.[43] However, with the Heat holding the worst record in the NBA and Wade still experiencing problems in his left knee, Heat coach Pat Riley announced Wade would miss the final 21 games of the season to undergo OssaTron treatment on his left knee.[44] Wade averaged 24.6 points, 6.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game for the season.[38]
2008–09[link]
After undergoing months of rehabilitation on his left knee and helping the U.S. Olympic team win a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics, in which he led the team in scoring, Wade returned to the starting lineup at the start of the 2008–09 season.[45] Early in the season, Wade became the second player in NBA history to tally at least 40 points, 10 assists and five blocked shots in a game since Alvan Adams did so in the 1976–77 season.[46] With a healthy Wade leading the league in scoring and the Heat making a push for a playoff position, Wade was elected to his fifth consecutive All-Star game appearance.[47]
Following the All-Star game, Wade recorded 50 points on 56.6% shooting and added 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a blow-out loss against the Orlando Magic.[48] Wade became the fourth player in NBA history to score at least 50 points while his team lost by at least 20 in a game.[48] The following game, Wade recorded a career-high 16 assists and added 31 points and 7 rebounds in a 103–91 win against the Detroit Pistons.[49] Wade became the second player to record 15 or more assists after scoring at least 50 points since Wilt Chamberlain did so in 1968.[50] Two games later, Wade tied a franchise record with 24 points in the fourth quarter, as he led the Heat back from a 15 point deficit in the final nine minutes of the quarter to secure a 120–115 win over the New York Knicks.[51] For the game, Wade recorded 46 points on 55% field goal shooting, 10 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks.[51] Wade followed the performance with a second-consecutive 40-point game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.[52] Playing against his Eastern Conference rival and good friend, LeBron James, Wade registered 41 points on 53% shooting, 9 assists, 7 steals, 7 rebounds and one block as the Heat lost 107–100.[52] The following game, in former teammate Shaquille O'Neal's return to Miami since being traded, Wade tied a career-high with 16 assists and added 35 points on 62% shooting, 6 rebounds, a steal and a block, as the Heat defeated the Phoenix Suns 135–129.[53] Wade became the only player in Heat history to have multiple games with at least 30 points and 15 assists.[53] Less than a week later, Wade tied his franchise record with his 78th consecutive game of scoring in double figures in a double overtime thriller against the Chicago Bulls, in which he scored the game-winning three-point basket to secure a 130–127 win.[54] Wade finished with 48 points on 71.4% shooting, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks in 50 minutes.[54] Wade joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only other player in NBA history to score that many points and have that many assists in a game, while having as high of a field goal percentage.[55] Two games later, Wade surpassed Alonzo Mourning and became the Heat's all-time leading scorer in a triple overtime classic against the Utah Jazz.[56] Wade finished with 50 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks in a 140–129 win.[56]
During the season, Wade became the first player in NBA history to accumulate at least 2,000 points, 500 assists, 100 steals, and 100 blocks in a season and is the first player of 6 ft. 5 in. or shorter to register at least 100 blocks in a season.[57][58] Wade also became just the fifth player in NBA History to reach 2,000 points, 500 assists, and 150 steals in a season.[59] After a 97–92 win against the Charlotte Bobcats, Wade helped the Heat clinch a playoff berth and become only the second team in NBA History to reach the postseason after winning 15 or fewer games the year before.[60] In a 122–105 win against the New York Knicks, Wade recorded a career high 55 points on 63% field goal shooting and added 9 rebounds and 4 assists.[61] Wade recorded 50 points through three quarters and was pulled out of the game while he was one point shy of eclipsing the franchise record of 56 points set by Glen Rice.[61] For the season, Wade averaged a league high 30.2 points per game, earning his first NBA Scoring Title, and added 7.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game.[38] Wade finished the season with higher point, assist, steal and block averages than LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, who both finished ahead of Wade in the MVP race.
2009–10[link]
On November 1, in just his third game of the season Wade recorded his 10,000th career point in a 95–87 win against the Chicago Bulls.[62] On November 12 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wade made a spectacular dunk over Anderson Varejão, considered by many to be one of the greatest of the season until then. LeBron James himself described the dunk as "great, probably top 10 all-time".[63] Two days later against the New Jersey Nets, with the Heat down by two in the final seconds, Wade hit a clutch three-point shot, giving the Heat the win by one point, 81–80.[64] On January 6, Wade scored a season-high 44 points in an overtime loss against the Boston Celtics, the most points scored by a player in a losing effort in the season until that point.[65] On January 21, Wade was selected to play for the East in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, which was his sixth overall All-Star appearance.[66] Wade was named the game's MVP after recording 28 points, 11 assists, 5 steals and 6 rebounds.[67]
In just his second game back from the All-Star Game on February 17, Wade strained his calf in the first quarter. He left the game with 8 points in 8 minutes of play, ending his personal and also Heat's franchise record streak of 148 consecutive games with at least 10 points.[68] On April 2, Wade was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month and Player of the Week twice for his play in the month of March, leading the Heat to a 12–3, the team's best record since March 2006. It was his first Player of the Month award of the season and 5th of his career. He averaged 26.9 and 7.5 assists per game, which both ranked third in the Eastern Conference, and 2.3 steals per game, which ranked first. Wade recorded six 30 points games and had six double-doubles in the month, including a season-high 14 assists in an overtime win against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 4.[69]
For the season, Wade averaged 26.6 points on 47.6% field goal shooting, 6.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, while leading his team to a 47–35 record, clinching the fifth seed in the NBA Playoffs.[38] In the first round, with the Heat facing a sweep against the Boston Celtics, Wade recorded a career playoff-high and also franchise record 46 points, outscoring the entire Celtics team in the 4th quarter with 19 points versus 15 by Boston.[70] It was also Wade's sixth career playoff game with at least 40 points scored.[38] Despite averaging 33.2 points on 56.4% shooting, 6.8 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks, Wade and the Heat would lose to Boston in five games.[71]
2010–11[link]
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This section requires expansion. |
During the off-season, Miami-Dade County commissioners voted unanimously to rename the county "Miami-Wade County" for one week from July 1-7, 2010 in Wade's honor and to try and convince Wade to stay in Miami and sign with the Heat.[72] On July 7, it was announced that Wade would be re-signing with the Miami Heat, along with former Toronto Raptor, Chris Bosh.[73] The following day, LeBron James announced he would be joining the Heat to play with Wade and Bosh, causing a stir in the media and among fans.[74] Wade, Bosh and James signed their contracts on July 9.[75] The Heat reached the Finals, but lost to the Dallas Mavericks in six games, despite Wade averaging 26.5 points, 7 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game for the series and 24.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.4 for the entire playoffs.[76]
2011–12[link]
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This section requires expansion. |
Prior to the beginning of the 2011-12 NBA season, Bosh in 2012 opined Wade should take the last second shot instead of Bosh or James to win or lose a game based off Wade's past success.[77] On February 26, 2012 at the All-Star Game Wade recorded what was only the third triple-double in the history of the contest, posting 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, joining Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the only players ever to record the prestigious stat (at the 1997 and 2011 games respectively). On March 10, 2012 Wade made the game-winning shot against the Indiana Pacers to give the Heat a 93–91 overtime win.
United States national team[link]
Wade was a member of the 2004 US Olympics team with fellow NBA All-Stars LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. The team competed in the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, in which Wade averaged 19.3 points per game.[78] The team won a bronze medal, which disappointed many USA fans who had hoped for a return to the days of the original "Dream Team".[79][80] Wade was named to the USA Men's Basketball National Team from 2006 to 2008. He was named co-captain of the 2006 team, along with James and Anthony.[81] In 2007, due to injury, Wade was unable to compete at the Tournament of Americas Olympic Qualifiers, where the United States compiled a 10–0 record and qualified for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.[82]
At the 2008 Olympics, the United States went unbeaten and earned gold medal honors, defeating the 2006 World Champion Spain in the final game. Wade led the team in scoring throughout the tournament and tallied a game high 27 points in 27 minutes on 75% field goal shooting and added 4 steals, 2 assists and 2 rebounds in the game.[83] For the tournament, he averaged a team high 16 points in 18 minutes on 67% field goal shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2.3 steals, as the United States lived up to their Redeem Team moniker and captured gold medal honors for the first time since 2000.[83][84]
Player profile[link]
Wade plays the shooting guard position, but is also capable of playing point guard. On offense, he has established himself as one of the quickest and most difficult players to guard in the NBA. Wade's signature one-two step allows him to dash past bigger defenders and occasionally get the extra foul shot.[85] Wade is able to get to the free throw line consistently; he ranked first in free-throw attempts per 48 minutes in 2004–05 and again in the 2006–07 season. He has proven himself an unselfish player, averaging 6.2 assists per game throughout his career.[11] After winning the NBA Finals MVP Award in 2006, Wade developed a reputation as one of the premier clutch players in the NBA.[86]
David Thorpe, an athletic trainer who runs a training center for NBA players in the offseason, also cites Wade's developing post up game as one of his strengths.[87] "Watching Wade operate on the left block is literally like watching old footage of MJ (Michael Jordan)," comments Thorpe.[87] Thorpe goes on to say that Wade's best moves from the post are his turnaround jump shot,[87] double pivot,[87] and what Thorpe terms as a "freeze fake",[88] a pump fake Wade uses to get his opponent to jump, so that he can then drive around him to the basket.[88] The main weakness cited in Wade's ability is his lack of three-point range; he has averaged .291 on three-point field goal attempts for his career.[11]
Wade is best known for his ability to convert difficult lay-ups, even after hard mid-air collisions with larger defenders.[85] As crowd pleasing as his high-flying style of basketball may be, some have expressed concerns over the dangers of playing in this manner,[85] as Wade has already hurt his knees and wrists after mid-air collisions with larger players. Wade has also established himself on defense for his ability to block shots and accumulate steals.[89][90]
Salaries[link]
| Season | Team | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Miami | $2,636,400 |
| 2004–05 | Miami | $2,834,160 |
| 2005–06 | Miami | $3,031,920 |
| 2006–07 | Miami | $3,841,443 |
| 2007–08 | Miami | $13,041,250 |
| 2008–09 | Miami | $14,410,581 |
| 2009–10 | Miami | $15,779,912 |
| 2010–11 | Miami | $14,000,000 |
NBA career statistics[link]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season[link]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Miami | 61 | 56 | 34.9 | .465 | .302 | .747 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 1.4 | .6 | 16.2 |
| 2004–05 | Miami | 77 | 77 | 38.6 | .478 | .289 | .762 | 5.2 | 6.8 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 24.1 |
| 2005–06 | Miami | 75 | 75 | 38.6 | .495 | .171 | .783 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 2.0 | .8 | 27.2 |
| 2006–07 | Miami | 51 | 50 | 37.9 | .491 | .266 | .807 | 4.7 | 7.5 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 27.4 |
| 2007–08 | Miami | 51 | 49 | 38.3 | .469 | .286 | .758 | 4.2 | 6.9 | 1.7 | .7 | 24.6 |
| 2008–09 | Miami | 79 | 79 | 38.6 | .491 | .317 | .765 | 5.0 | 7.5 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 30.2 |
| 2009–10 | Miami | 77 | 77 | 36.3 | .476 | .300 | .761 | 4.8 | 6.5 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 26.6 |
| 2010–11 | Miami | 76 | 76 | 37.1 | .500 | .306 | .758 | 6.4 | 4.6 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 25.5 |
| 2011–12 | Miami | 49 | 49 | 33.2 | .497 | .268 | .791 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 22.1 |
| Career | 596 | 588 | 37.2 | .486 | .291 | .770 | 5.1 | 6.2 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 25.2 | |
| All-Star | 8 | 7 | 23.4 | .618 | .182 | .696 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 2.6 | .4 | 18.0 |
Playoffs[link]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Miami | 13 | 13 | 39.2 | .455 | .375 | .787 | 4.0 | 5.6 | 1.3 | .3 | 18.0 |
| 2004–05 | Miami | 14 | 14 | 40.8 | .484 | .100 | .799 | 5.7 | 6.6 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 27.4 |
| 2005–06 | Miami | 23 | 23 | 41.7 | .497 | .378 | .808 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 28.4 |
| 2006–07 | Miami | 4 | 4 | 40.5 | .429 | .000 | .688 | 4.8 | 6.3 | 1.2 | .5 | 23.5 |
| 2008–09 | Miami | 7 | 7 | 40.7 | .439 | .360 | .862 | 5.0 | 5.3 | .9 | 1.6 | 29.1 |
| 2009–10 | Miami | 5 | 5 | 42.0 | .564 | .405 | .675 | 5.6 | 6.8 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 33.2 |
| 2010–11 | Miami | 21 | 21 | 39.4 | .485 | .269 | .777 | 7.1 | 4.4 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 24.5 |
| Career | 87 | 87 | 40.5 | .483 | .327 | .789 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 25.9 |
Awards and honors[link]
- NBA Champion: 2006
- NBA Finals MVP: 2006
- NBA Scoring Title: 2009
- NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2010
- 8× NBA All-Star: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
- 7× All-NBA:
-
- First Team: 2009, 2010
- Second Team: 2005, 2006, 2011
- Third Team: 2007, 2012
- 3× All-Defense:
-
- Second Team: 2005, 2009, 2010
- NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2004
- NBA All-Star Skills Challenge Champion: 2006, 2007
- Gold medal with Team USA: 2008 Summer Olympic Games
- Bronze medal with Team USA: 2004 Summer Olympic Games
- Bronze medal with Team USA: 2006 FIBA World Championship
- Miami Heat All-time Leading Scorer
- Miami Heat All-time Assists Leader
- 2005 Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award
- 2006 Best NBA Player ESPY Award
- 2006 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year
Off the court[link]
Wade married his high school girlfriend Siohvaughn Funches but filed for a divorce in 2007. He has two sons, Zaire Blessing Dwyane Wade (born February 4, 2002) and Zion Malachi Airamis Wade (born May 29, 2007).[3][91] Wade is currently dating actress Gabrielle Union.[92]
Wade's nicknames include D-Wade and Flash, which was given to him by former teammate Shaquille O'Neal who would sing, "He's the greatest in the Universe," in reference to the Queen song of the same name from the 1980 film Flash Gordon.[93][94] The Heat's 2005 NBA Playoff run and Wade's performances with Shaquille O'Neal hampered by injury, led to an explosion of media attention and rapid increase in Wade's popularity. During those playoffs, Wade's jersey became the top selling jersey in the league and remained so for nearly two years.[1] After the Heat's success and Wade's memorable performances during the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Wade was further elevated into the public's eye and appeared on several talk shows, including Late Show with David Letterman and Live with Regis and Kelly.[95]
Wade has been featured in a number of magazine articles and publications. In 2005, he was featured on People's 50 Most Beautiful People,[96] and in 2006 he was named the NBA's best dressed player by GQ Magazine.[97] In 2007, Esquire named him to their 4th annual Best Dressed Men in the World list for the second straight year.[98] Wade has endorsement deals with companies such as Gatorade, Lincoln, Staples, Sean John, T-Mobile (his TV commercials feature him paired with NBA legend Charles Barkley), and Topps.[99] He had his own line of shoes with Converse named "The Wade" and a series of Sidekick phones known as the D-Wade Edition with T-Mobile.[100][101] During the 2009–10 season, Wade switched from Converse to Nike's Jordan Brand.[102] Wade noted that the partnership ended on good terms, stating, "When I came into the NBA, I didn't have a lot of exposure and Converse gave me an opportunity to head a brand and be the face of a brand. I'm really thankful for six long, good years. I've gotten five shoes out of the deal and my dream came true at the Converse brand, because they put my name on a pair of sneakers."[102] Wade was hand-chosen by Michael Jordan and debuted the Air Jordan 2010 during the 2010 NBA All-Star break. During the 2011 NBA Playoffs, Wade debuted his first signature shoe for the Jordan Brand, joining fellow players Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul, who have their own signature shoes for the brand.
Philanthropy[link]
Wade is well known for his philanthropic involvement in various organizations. In 2003, he founded The Wade's World Foundation, which provides support to community-based organizations that promote education, health, and social skills for children in at-risk situations.[103] He hosts a variety of community outreach programs in Chicago and South Florida.[103] In 2008, he announced his partnership with former teammate Alonzo Mourning's charitable foundation and co-hosted ZO's Summer Groove, an annual summer event.[104] On December 24, 2008, Wade purchased a new home for a South Florida woman whose nephew accidentally burned down the family home.[105] In addition, Wade donated some furnishings, clothing, and gifts to the family for the holiday.[105]
After breaking his own Miami Heat single-season scoring record, Wade gave the jersey he wore in that night's victory to 8-year-old Michael Stolzenberg, an avid Heat fan that had his hands and feet removed surgically due to a bacterial infection.[15] Wade stated that he knew Stolzenberg previously and wished to add to his collection of Heat memorabilia.[15] Wade has been known for visiting other sick children, usually in private to avoid placing himself in the media spotlight.[15]
In September 2009, Wade donated money from his foundation to keep the Robbins, Illinois public library from having to shut down.[106] He handed the library director Priscilla Coatney a $25,000 check in order to resurrect the building, which brought Coatney to tears.[106] He called the donation a "small contribution", and reminisced about the difficult experiences he faced as a child, stating that he sometimes did not know how he would find his next meal.[106] In January 2010, Wade co-founded the Haitian earthquake relief fund with former teammate Alonzo Mourning.[107] The fund seeks to raise money to help the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. In the three days since the fund began soliciting donations from athletes, Wade announced that the "Athletes Relief Fund for Haiti" had already raised over $800,000.[107] Wade stated, "I expected nothing less from my friends and colleagues in the sports community, our commitment to this cause knows no bounds, and we will continue to accept any and all donations throughout the days ahead."[107] Wade is also an avid supporter of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and serves as an Ambassador for their Hoops for St. Jude basketball initiative.[108]
Religion[link]
Wade is a devout Christian and chose the number 3 because it represents the Holy Trinity.[109][110] He tithes 10% of his salary to a church in Chicago.[5]
His mother, Jolinda, strengthened her ties with Christianity in 2001 after years of drug abuse and dealing. She served as a minister during her final prison sentence in 2002 and 2003. She was ordained as a Baptist minister in January 2007, and formed the non-denominational Temple of Praise Binding and Loosing Ministry in Chicago. In May 2008, Wade purchased a church building for his mother's ministry.[111]
See also[link]
- 2002–03 Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team
- List of all-time Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball leaders
- List of National Basketball Association season scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders
- List of Olympic medalists in basketball
- List of 2010–11 NBA season transactions
References[link]
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- ^ a b Dave Joseph, staff writer, "Hometown still guides Wade", Sun-Sentinel, posted May 29, 2005.
- ^ a b Dwyane Wade Bio, dwyanewade.org, accessed January 20, 2007.[dead link]
- ^ Dodds, John. Tom Crean talks about Dwyane Wade, scout.com, June 22, 2006. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
- ^ a b Gregory, Sean. Dwyane Wade's Rarefied Air, Time.com, June 21, 2006, accessed May 15, 2008.
- ^ Dwyane Wade, askmen.com. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
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- ^ Player Profile: Dwyane Wade, nbadraft.net. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
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- ^ a b c d e f Dwyane Wade, databasketball.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Dwyane Wade Bio, nba.com. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
- ^ Dwyane Wade Jersey Guide
- ^ Associated Press. Dwyane Wade to enter NBA draft, signonsandiego.com. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Marquette to Retire Dwyane Wade's Number. 3 Jersey, cstv.com September 29, 2006. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
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- ^ a b Miami Heat team page, databasebaketball.com. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
- ^ a b Miami Heat 2004–05 Game Log and Scores, databasebasketball.com. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
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- ^ Wade's heroics Have Heat One Win From Title, nba.com, June 8, 2006. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
- ^ Box score-game 4 2006 NBA Finals, nba.com. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
- ^ Box Score-game 3 2006 NBA Finals, nba.com. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
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- ^ "Wade's World: Finals MVP leads Heat to first title in team history". ESPN. June 20, 2006. http://scorecenter.espn.go.com/nba/recap?id=260620006. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
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- ^ Wade considers surgery, espn.com. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
- ^ Wade says he'll try to return for playoffs, espn.com. Retrieved March 5, 2007.
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- ^ a b c d e Dwyane Wade stats, espn.com. Retrieved April 18, 2007.
- ^ Bulls strip Heat's crown, win first series since Jordan era, espn.com. Retrieved April 27, 2007.
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- ^ Durant, Sonics slam Heat to spoil Wade's return, espn.com. Retrieved November 14, 2007.
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- ^ Wade To Have OssaTron Treatment, nba.com/heat. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
- ^ Dwyane Wade Returns, dwyanewade3.com, accessed, January 23, 2009.
- ^ Raptors' big men roll as Wade's 40 points, 11 assists not enough for Heat, espn.com, accessed, January 23, 2009.
- ^ 2009 NBA All-Star Game, nba.com, accessed, January 22, 2009.
- ^ a b Magic cool down Heat despite Wade's career-high 50 points, espn.com, accessed, February 23, 2009.
- ^ Wade's career-best 16 assists send Pistons to 7th straight loss, espn.com, accessed, February 24, 2009.
- ^ Daily Dime: Can Rockets still blast off?, espn.com, accessed, March 1, 2009.
- ^ a b Wade scores 46, 15 coming in a 19–0 run in the fourth, as Heat sink Knicks, espn.com, accessed, March 1, 2009.
- ^ a b LeBron outduels Wade 42–41 as Cavs rally from 11 down in 4th quarter, espn.com, accessed, March 4, 2009.
- ^ a b Wade has 35 points, 16 assists in Heat victory, espn.com, accessed, March 5, 2009.
- ^ a b Wade helps Heat nip Bulls in double-overtime win, espn.com, accessed, March 15, 2009.
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- ^ a b Wade drops in career-high 55 as Heat clinch East's 5th playoff spot, espn.com, accessed, April 13, 2009.
- ^ Wade reaches milestone, espn.com. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
- ^ Cavs prevail as James, Wade put on show in Miami, espn.com. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
- ^ Nets remain winless after Wade drains winner from 3 in final second, espn.com. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
- ^ Rondo has 25, tying layup before Celts win in OT, espn.com. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
- ^ Voters pick LeBron, Kobe to lead East, West to Dallas, NBA.com. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
- ^ 2010 NBA All-Star Game recap, NBA.com. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
- ^ Wade strains calf and leaves Heat's win early, espn.com. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
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- ^ Heat stave off elimination as Wade dominates Celtics in second half, espn.com. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- ^ Celtics boot Wade, Heat to set up showdown with Cavs, espn.com. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5290610
- ^ "Wade granted one of his wishes with Bosh coming to Miami". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/2010/news/07/07/wade.bosh.heat.ap/?ls=iref:nbahpt1. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- ^ "LeBron James Leaves the Cleveland Cavaliers for Miami Heat". http://www.tvguide.com/News/LeBron-James-Miami-1020311.aspx.
- ^ Samuels, Josh (July 10, 2010). "Heat big 3 sign contracts, say family atmosphere with Heat a big reason". WPEC. http://www.cbs12.com/articles/-4727315--.html. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
- ^ Mavs Win the N.B.A. Championship
- ^ Chiavetta, Ryan (January 13, 2012). "Chris Bosh Says Dwyane Wade, Not Lebron James, Should Be Heat Closer". New England Sports Network. Archived from the original on January 13, 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/64fRgmRg4.
- ^ Catching up with Tameka Catchings, usabasketball.com. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
- ^ Ventre, Michael. Our big fat Greek embarrassment, msnbc.com, September 2, 2006. Retrieved February 6, 2007.
- ^ Mejia, Tony. Still in the dumps over Team USA? This'll get you out, cbs.sportsline.com, September 4, 2006. Retrieved February 6, 2007.
- ^ Carmelo Anthony Named One of Three USA World Championship Team Captains, nba.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007.
- ^ James, Team USA bury Argentina for TOA gold, espn.com. Retrieved September 9, 2007.
- ^ a b 2008 Olympic Basketball: Dwyane Wade, fiba.com. Retrieved December 25, 2008.
- ^ US hoops back on top, beats Spain for gold medal, yahoo.com. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
- ^ a b c Hollinger, John. Hollinger stats-Dwyane Wade, espn.com. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
- ^ Wade Leads Heat to First NBA Championship, nba.com, June 20, 2006. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Thorpe, David. Scouting breakdown: The game's best post players, espn.com. Retrieved March 29, 2007.
- ^ a b Thorpe, David. Scouting report: Best face-up games, espn.com. Retrieved March 29, 2007.
- ^ In the paint: Wade elevates his defense; Stuckey starting, usatoday.com. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
- ^ Wade on Defense, miamiherald.com. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
- ^ dwyanewade.com It's a Boy!, May 29, 2007, accessed May 29, 2007.
* Trischitta, Linda.NBA Star Dwyane Wade, Wife Have a Son, May 29, 2007, accessed May 29, 2007. - ^ Marx, Linda (January 1, 2012). "LeBron James Is Engaged". People.com. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20557865,00.html. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ Atlanta Hawks, atlantahawks.com. Retrieved February 6, 2007.
- ^ Dwyane Wade,[dead link] usoc.org. Retrieved February 6, 2007.
- ^ Pitluk, Adam. Dwyane Wade, time.com, June 23, 2006. Retrieved January 23, 2007.
- ^ Dwyane Wade Named One of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, nba.com. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
- ^ GQ Magazine features Dwyane Wade on the cover, nbc6.net. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
- ^ Dwyane Wade Named to Esquire's 2007 Best Dressed List, dwyanewade.com. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
- ^ Jersey sales: Wade No. 1, A.I. No. 2, James No. 3, dwyanewade.com. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
- ^ Dwyane Wade Joins the T-Mobile Sidekick Team. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
- ^ Rovell, Darren. The shoe fits Dwyane Wade, espn.com, May 16, 2005. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
- ^ a b Jumpman: Wade ditches Converse for Jordan Brand, nba.com. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
- ^ a b Wade's World Foundation, wadesworldfoundation.org, accessed, January 23, 2009.
- ^ ZO's Summer Groove announces New Partnership With Dwyane Wade, wadesworldfoundation.org, accessed, January 23, 2009.
- ^ a b Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade Helps Family Displaced by Fire, SI.com, accessed, December 24, 2008
- ^ a b c "Dwyane Wade donates to hometown library", miamiherlad.com. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
- ^ a b c Mourning, Wade raise money for Haiti, espn.com, January 18, 2010.
- ^ Jude, St. (2012-03-05). "Dwyane Wade". St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. p. 1. http://www.hoopsforstjude.org/bio-dwyane.html. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
- ^ Ain't Nothing But A Number, espn.com, accessed, March 10, 2008.
- ^ Pinto, Matt. Pinto's Preview: Clippers at Heat, clippers.com, January 3, 2006. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
- ^ Superstar son gives mom a church, cnn.com. Retrieved July 9, 2008.
External links[link]
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Dwyane Wade |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dwyane Wade |
- Official website
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com, or Basketball-Reference.com
- Marquette University Men's Basketball team biography
- US Olympic Team bio
- 2003 NBA Draft profile
- Dwyane Wade at the Internet Movie Database
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| Persondata | |
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| Name | Wade, Dwyane |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Basketball player |
| Date of birth | January 17, 1982 |
| Place of birth | Chicago, Illinois |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
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"LeBron" redirects here. For other uses, see Lebron (disambiguation).
 James with the Heat |
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| No. 6 – Miami Heat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Small forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1984-12-30) December 30, 1984 (age 27) Akron, Ohio, United States |
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| Nationality | American | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | St. Vincent – St. Mary High School | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2003 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2003–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2010 | Cleveland Cavaliers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–present | Miami Heat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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LeBron Raymone James (/ləˈbrɒn/; 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. He was selected with the number one pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. 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, was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2009, 2010, and 2012[1] and has been both an All-NBA selection and an All-Star every season since 2005. In 2010, a much-publicized free agency process ended with James signing with the Miami Heat.
James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to consecutive playoff appearances from 2006 through 2010. In 2007, the Cavaliers advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, but lost to the San Antonio Spurs. In 2011, James and the Miami Heat advanced to the NBA Finals but lost to the Dallas Mavericks. James has been a member of the USA national team, winning a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and gold at the 2008 Olympics.
Contents |
High school career[link]
James attended St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in Akron, where he starred as a two-sport athlete, playing basketball and football. A distinguished wide receiver, James was named first-team all-state in his sophomore year and led the Fighting Irish to the state semifinals in his junior year.[2] His football career came to an end before his senior year when he broke his wrist during an AAU basketball game.[3] Many sports analysts, football critics, and former and current players have speculated on whether he could have played in the NFL.[4]
James was a starter for St. Vincent-St. Mary's varsity basketball team from day one. During his freshman year, he averaged 21 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, eventually leading the Irish to the OHSAA Division III state title. The next year, he upped his averages to 25.2 points and 7.2 rebounds, while also contributing 5.8 assists and 3.8 steals per game.[2] The Irish finished the season 26-1 and repeated as state champions. For his outstanding play, James was named Ohio's Mr. Basketball and was selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team, becoming the first ever sophomore to do either.[5]
James' junior year saw his popularity explode onto a national level. Prior to the start of the season, he appeared in SLAM Magazine and was lauded as possibly "the best high school basketball player in America right now" by writer Ryan Jones.[6] With averages of 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.3 steals per game, he was again named Ohio's Mr. Basketball and selected to the All-USA First Team. Additionally, he was named the 2001-2002 boys' basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year. Unfortunately, St. Vincent-St. Mary did not defend its state championship from the year before, losing to Roger Bacon High School in the OHSAA Division II championship game. Following the loss, James seriously considered declaring for the 2002 NBA Draft, petitioning for an adjustment to the NBA's draft eligibility rules which required prospective players to have at least graduated from high school.[7] Although the petition was unsuccessful, it only further raised his exposure.
By the time James' senior year began, he had already appeared on the covers of ESPN The Magazine and Sports Illustrated. His unprecedented level of fame forced St. Vincent-St. Mary to move their practices to James A. Rhodes Arena at the University of Akron.[8] The Irish's regular season games were frequently attended by celebrities such as Shaquille O'Neal, with some being televised nationally on ESPN2 and regionally on pay-per-view.[9] For the season, James averaged 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals per game.[5] He was named Ohio's Mr. Basketball and selected to the All-USA First Team for an unprecedented third consecutive year. He participated in three three year-end high school basketball all-star games - the EA Sports Roundball Classic, the Jordan Capital Classic, and the McDonald's All-American Game -, losing his NCAA eligibility and making it official he would enter the 2003 NBA Draft.[10] James finished his high school basketball career with 2,657 points, 892 rebounds and 523 assists.[5] On January 31, 2012, he was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald's All-Americans.[11]
Despite his accomplishments, James' senior year was a tumultuous one. For his 18th birthday, he accepted a Hummer H2 from his mother, Gloria, who secured a loan for the vehicle utilizing LeBron's future earning power.[12] This prompted an investigation by the OHSAA because under their guidelines, no amateur may accept any gift valued over $100 as a reward for athletic performance.[13] Later in the season, James accepted two throwback jerseys worth $845 from an urban clothing store in exchange for his posing for pictures, officially violating OHSAA violations and resulting in him being stripped of his high school sports eligibility.[13] James appealed the ruling and his penalty was eventually dropped to a two game suspension, allowing him to play the remainder of the season. The Irish were also forced to forfeit one of their wins, their only official loss that season.[14]
NBA career[link]
Cleveland Cavaliers (2003–2010)[link]
Rookie season[link]
James was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the number one overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. In his first professional game he recorded 25 points, setting an NBA record for most points scored by a prep-to-pro player in his debut outing.[15] He also added 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals with a 60% field goal percentage.[16] Originally, he was scheduled to compete in the 2004 Slam Dunk Contest but was forced to withdraw because of an ankle injury.[17] In a late season match-up with the New Jersey Nets, he scored a season-high 41 points, becoming the youngest player in league history to score at least 40 points in a game.[18] James was eventually named the 2003–04 NBA Rookie of the Year, finishing with averages of 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game.[19] He also became the first Cavalier to receive the honor and joined Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game in their rookie season (Tyreke Evans has since joined this group). Despite James' award-worthy play and an 18-game improvement over the previous season, the Cavaliers failed to make the the playoffs.[20]
2004–05 season[link]
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.[21] During the season, James became the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double and make the All-NBA Team.[2] He averaged 27.2 points, 7.2 assists, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game.[19] The Cavaliers failed to reach the playoffs again and finished with a 42–40 regular season record.[22]
2005–06 season[link]
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.[23] He was named NBA Player of the Week for an unprecedented three consecutive weeks and concluded the season with five honors.[24] 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.[24] For the season, James averaged 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game,[19] and became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 30 points. He became the fourth player in NBA history to average more than 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a single season.[25] The Cavaliers made the playoffs for the first time since 1998,[26] and improved from a record of 17–65 in 2002–03 to 50–32 in 2005–06.[27]
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.[28]
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.[29] He joined Johnny McCarthy and Magic Johnson as the only players in NBA history to register a triple-double in their playoff debut.[29] For the series, James averaged 35.7 points, as the Cavaliers defeated the Wizards in six games.[30] 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.[19]
At the end of the season, James negotiated a three-year contract extension, with a player option for a fourth year. The contract was worth $60 million and began at the start of the 2007–08 season.[31] Although it was for fewer years and less money than the maximum he could sign, it allowed him the option of seeking a new contract worth more money as an unrestricted free agent following the 2010 season.[31] He had discussed this with fellow members of his 2003 draft class, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, who also re-signed with their respective teams while allowing them to be unrestricted agents in 2010.[32]
2006–07 season[link]
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.[33] 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.[34] For the season, James averaged 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.[2] He joined Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average 27 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game for three consecutive years.[35]
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.[36] It was the first time the franchise had won consecutive road playoff games.[36] For the series, James averaged 27.8 points, 7.5 assists, and 8.5 rebounds.[19] In the second round of the playoffs, James led the Cavaliers to a 4–2 series victory over the New Jersey Nets.[37] He averaged 25.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 8.6 assists in the series,[19] as the Cavaliers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 15 years.[37]
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.[38] 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."[39]
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.[2] For the postseason, James averaged 25.1 points, 8.0 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game.[19] He set a franchise record for double-doubles in a playoff season with eight and became the first Cavalier and the first non-guard in NBA history to have at least seven assists in eight consecutive playoff games.[2]
2007–08 season[link]
In the 2007–08 season, James continued his dominant play, earning his fourth consecutive All-Star Game appearance[40] 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.[41]
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.[42] 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.[43] 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.[44]
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.[45][46] 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.[47] 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.[48]
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."[49] 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.[50] 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.[51][52] 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[link]
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).[53][54] 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.[55] 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.[56]
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.[57] On May 4, he was announced as the NBA Most Valuable Player. He became the first Cavaliers player in history to win the award.[58][59][60]
He was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team for the first time in his career.[61]
In the next series in the playoffs, James once again led his team to a sweep against the Atlanta Hawks.[62]
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 made a three-point shot over Türkoğlu, giving the Cavs a 96–95 victory to tie the series 1–1.[63] Following a Game 3 road loss, James attempted another game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer in Game 4, but from farther out; it missed, thus dropping the Cavaliers 1–3 in the series.[64] 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.[65] James later told reporters:
"It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them, I'm a winner. It's not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them. ... I'm a competitor. That's what I do. It doesn't make sense for me to go over and shake somebody's hand."[66]
2009–10 season[link]
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.[67] O'Neal's goal was to "Win a Ring for the King."[68] James was selected to his sixth consecutive All-Star game appearance.[69] He became the first player to earn at least 2.5 million votes three times.[69] 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.[70] 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.[71] He was the first player to have at least 40 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds in a game since Robertson did so on February 13, 1962.[71] All-Star Antawn Jamison was acquired by the Cavs on February 17, 2010.[72] 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.[73]
At the end of the regular season, Cleveland finished with the best regular season record for the second consecutive year.[74] James won the Most Valuable Player for the second time in his career, becoming the twelfth NBA player in history to do so.[75] James received 116 of a possible 122 first-place votes to win.[75]
In the playoffs, the Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls in the first round, but fell to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.[76] 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.[77] 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.[78] Cleveland was eliminated in Game 6, James' last playing for Cleveland, as he recorded 27 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, but also 9 turnovers.[76]
2010 free agency[link]
James became a free-agent at 12:01 am ET on July 1, 2010.[79] He filed papers to formally change his jersey number 23 to 6 for the season.[80] James was courted by several teams, including the Knicks, Nets, Heat, Bulls, Clippers, and his hometown Cavaliers.[81]
On July 8, 2010, James announced on a live ESPN special, The Decision, that he would 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.[82] The Decision was broadcast from the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich, Connecticut.
In this fall...this is very tough...in this fall I'm going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat. I feel like it's going to give me the best opportunity to win and to win for multiple years, and not only just to win in the regular season or just to win five games in a row or three games in a row, I want to be able to win championships. And I feel like I can compete down there.[83][84]—LeBron James
Wade had informed Heat President Pat Riley that James wanted to become less of a scorer and more of a distributor, and James looked forward to no longer carrying the offense night after night as he did playing with Cleveland.[85] Riley sold to James that "LeBron would be Magic Johnson, Dwyane Wade would be Kobe Bryant, Chris would be Kevin Garnett." Relieved of the burden of scoring, James thought he could be the first player to average a triple-double in a season since Oscar Robertson.[85][86]
The Cavaliers were informed of James' decision minutes before the show began.[87] 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.[88]
In Cleveland, fans considered James' departure a betrayal that ranks second to Art Modell's efforts to relocate the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore.[89] 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."[90] 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.[91] 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.[92] 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".[93] 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.[94] 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.[95] 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.[96]
Former NBA players criticized his decision to not stay with Cleveland and continuing to try to win a championship as "the guy".[97] 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."[98] Johnson echoed Jordan's sentiments on teaming with rivals.[99]
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."[100] James had previously stayed clear of racial issues.[101][102] When the earlier controversy over his cover on Vogue became a national debate, James had no comment.[102] Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com, said James suddenly bringing up race in this instance was "laughable."[102] Jason Whitlock of Foxsports.com said James' usage of the race card was "an excuse to avoid dealing with his own bad (The) Decision."[103] 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".[101]
Before a game against the Nets on October 31, his first game against one of his suitors, James reflected on his free agency: “If I had to go back on it, I probably would do it a little bit different,” James said. “But I’m happy with my decision.” He declined to be more specific.[104]
Miami Heat (2010–present)[link]
On July 9, James officially completed a sign-and-trade six-year contract with the Miami Heat, which would have allowed for an NBA max deal.[105] However, in order to afford Bosh, Wade, and James, the deal was for less than the NBA maximum contract.[106] 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.[107] 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."[108] James became the third reigning NBA MVP to change teams and the first since Moses Malone in 1982.[109]
On November 2, James had a game-high 12 assists in a 129–97 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.[110] James was the primary ball handler for nearly the entire 33 minutes he played against the Wolves.[111] He has been playing throughout the season the point guard role that Riley sold to him during free agency.[111][112][113] "I don't want to be called a point guard, but I can't stop it," said James. Heat public relations announced that James's 12 assists was the highest in franchise history by a forward.[111] 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.[114] It was his 29th career triple-double, the seventh that came in a loss.[115] On December 2, the Heat played in Cleveland in James' first game back since departing as a free agent. The crowd directed derisive chants and signs at James, who was booed every time he touched the ball. With tight security, the crowd was rowdy but not violent and there was only one arrest and four ejections. James scored a then-season-high 38 points and Miami won in a 118–90 blowout as the hostile crowd was quieted before halftime.[116][117] In a well publicized arrival after spurning the franchise, 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.[118] In the Heat's 104–100 victory over the Orlando Magic on February 3, 2011, James scored 23 points in the first quarter, breaking Alonzo Mourning's single-game franchise record of 21 first-quarter points (March 29, 1996).[119] James finished the game with 51 points, a season high, along with 11 rebounds and eight assists.[120] On March 29, in James' second game at Cleveland as a member of the Heat, he skipped his pregame player introduction, saying that he was using the bathroom, and entered the arena during the Cleveland Cavaliers player introductions. The Heat lost to the Cavaliers 102–90 despite James' 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.[121]
James finished second in the league in scoring with 26.7 points per game and Dwyane Wade finished fourth (25.5 points per game). They combined to score 4,052 points this season, most by a duo in franchise history.[122] In the 2011 NBA Finals James finished with averages of 17.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 7.1 rebounds, although the Miami Heat were beaten in 6 games by the Dallas Mavericks, 4–2. Throughout the postseason James averaged 23.6 points, 5.8 assists, and 8.3 rebounds. James's 17.8 points per game (down 8.9 points from 26.7) in the Finals was the largest drop off in points from a regular season to an NBA Finals in NBA history.[123]
On February 2, James was selected to start in his eighth All-Star game. The West defeated the East 152–149, but not before James tied with Kevin Durant for a game-high 36 points, including tying Mark Price's 19-year All-Star game record of six 3-point field goals.[124]
On May 20, 2012, James recorded 40 points, 18 rebounds, and 9 assists in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Indiana Pacers, becoming only the second player to ever do so in NBA history (besides Elgin Baylor in 1961).[125]
International career[link]
After his rookie season, James played on the 2004 U.S. Olympic basketball team in Athens, where the US men's team won the bronze medal. 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.[126]
Along with Kobe Bryant, he was one of the first two players to be publicly named to the 2006–2008 U.S. preliminary roster in 2006 by Jerry Colangelo.[127] James competed in the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan and averaged 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.[128] The team finished with an 8–1 record, and was again awarded the bronze medal.[128] James was named as one of three captains for the 2006 USA Men's World Championship team, alongside Carmelo Anthony and Wade.[129]
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.[130] 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.[131] 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 would allow the team to win the gold medal with or without James.[87]
Player profile[link]
As of the 2011–12 season, James has averaged 27.6 points, 6.9 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game for his career in the regular season.[19] In the 2005–06 season, he led the league in completed traditional three point plays.[2] He regularly ranks among the league leaders in rebounds for the small forward position.[132][133] James' skills have led to many comparisons to NBA legends Robertson, Johnson, and Jordan.[134] 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.
In March 2011, the New York Times wrote that James "has not mastered a reliable midrange jumper ... has not developed a go-to move in the post" and his options in a half-court set at the end of games "often are a long jump shot or a mad dash to the rim."[135] In January 2012, Miami teammate Bosh opined that Wade—based off Wade's past success—should take the last-second shot instead of Bosh or James to win or lose a game.[136] James was criticized by the media for passing instead of taking the last-second shot in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game and in a couple of subsequent games.[137][138]
James started a petition saying that no one should be allowed to wear the No. 23 in the NBA to honor Jordan.[139] On March 1, 2010, James filed an application to the NBA to wear the No. 6 starting the 2010–11 season.[140]
Off the court[link]
Personal life[link]
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, leaving her to raise LeBron by herself.[141][142]
James has two children with his high school sweetheart, Savannah Brinson. The first, LeBron James Jr., was born on October 6, 2004,[143] and the second, Bryce Maximus James, on June 14, 2007.[143][144] They currently reside in Coconut Grove, a Miami suburb, where James bought a three-story mansion overlooking Biscayne Bay for $9 million on November 12, 2010.[145] James became engaged to Brinson on December 31, 2011. He proposed to her at a party to celebrate New Year’s Eve and his 27th birthday.[146]
Endorsements[link]
James has endorsement contracts with Nike, Sprite, Glacéau, Bubblicious, Upper Deck, McDonald's and State Farm.[147][148] With Nike, James has released nine signature shoe styles, and six additional shoes (20–5–5, Soldier, Soldier 2, Soldier 3, Soldier 4, 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 No.1 in the Forbes Top 20 Earners Under 25 with annual earnings of $27 million.[149]
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.[150] James appeared on the cover of the February 2009 edition of GQ magazine.[151] He stars in the Lions Gate film, More Than a Game (2009).
Following an agreement with Fenway Sports Group to become the sole marketer of his rights globally, in return as part of the deal James and his manager Maverick Carter became minority stakeholders in the Premier League football club Liverpool F.C.[152]
On April 10, 2011 James became the new global brand ambassador for luxury Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet. He will in addition collaborate to produce his own limited-edition watch, for which he will donate the proceeds from any future auctions of these timepieces to his charity, the LeBron James Family Foundation.[153]
Public image[link]
During the 2007 NBA Playoffs, James drew criticism[154] 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.[155][156] 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."[157]
James 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.[158] 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.[159]
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The WWI Destroy This Mad Brute poster, the 1933 King Kong movie poster and the April 2008 Vogue cover with James and Gisele Bündchen which critics claim referenced the earlier posters.[160][161] | The WWI Destroy This Mad Brute poster, the 1933 King Kong movie poster and the April 2008 Vogue cover with James and Gisele Bündchen which critics claim referenced the earlier posters.[160][161] | ||
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The WWI Destroy This Mad Brute poster, the 1933 King Kong movie poster and the April 2008 Vogue cover with James and Gisele Bündchen which critics claim referenced the earlier posters.[160][161]
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In March 2008, James became the first black man to appear on the cover of Vogue, posing with Gisele Bündchen.[160] He was the third man to appear on the cover of Vogue, after Richard Gere and George Clooney. Some sports bloggers and columnists 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.[160][161]
In June 2008, James donated $20,000 to a committee to elect Barack Obama.[162] 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.[163]
On July 23 in an interview for his upcoming book "Shooting Stars",[164] 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.[165][166][167][168]
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, the team's final 25 points, and the team's 18 points in the first and second overtime combined to win the game.[39] [169] In other comedic pursuits, James hosted the 33rd season premiere of Saturday Night Live. The show's creator Lorne Michaels praised him for his versatility.
In April 2010, Forbes ranked James as the second most influential athlete behind Lance Armstrong.[170]
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.[171] In February 2012, Forbes ranked James as the sixth most disliked athlete behind Michael Vick, Tiger Woods, Plaxico Burress, Ndamukong Suh and Kris Humphries.[172]
Salaries[link]
| 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 |
| 2011–12 | Miami | $16,022,500 |
NBA career statistics[link]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season[link]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Cleveland | 79 | 79 | 39.5 | .417 | .290 | .754 | 5.5 | 5.9 | 1.6 | .7 | 20.9 |
| 2004–05 | Cleveland | 80 | 80 | 42.4 | .472 | .351 | .750 | 7.4 | 7.2 | 2.2 | .6 | 27.2 |
| 2005–06 | Cleveland | 79 | 79 | 42.5 | .480 | .335 | .738 | 7.0 | 6.6 | 1.6 | .8 | 31.4 |
| 2006–07 | Cleveland | 78 | 78 | 40.9 | .476 | .319 | .698 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 1.6 | .7 | 27.3 |
| 2007–08 | Cleveland | 75 | 74 | 40.4 | .484 | .315 | .712 | 7.9 | 7.2 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 30.0 |
| 2008–09 | Cleveland | 81 | 81 | 37.7 | .489 | .344 | .780 | 7.6 | 7.2 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 28.4 |
| 2009–10 | Cleveland | 76 | 76 | 39.0 | .503 | .333 | .767 | 7.3 | 8.6 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 29.7 |
| 2010–11 | Miami | 79 | 79 | 38.8 | .510 | .330 | .759 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 1.6 | .6 | 26.7 |
| 2011–12 | Miami | 62 | 62 | 37.5 | .531 | .362 | .771 | 7.9 | 6.2 | 1.9 | .8 | 27.1 |
| Career | 689 | 688 | 39.8 | .484 | .331 | .747 | 7.2 | 6.8 | 1.7 | .8 | 27.6 | |
| All-Star | 8 | 8 | 27.0 | .532 | .392 | .760 | 7.0 | 6.1 | 1.4 | .2 | 25.9 |
Playoffs[link]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Cleveland | 13 | 13 | 46.5 | .476 | .333 | .737 | 8.1 | 5.8 | 1.4 | .7 | 30.8 |
| 2007 | Cleveland | 20 | 20 | 44.7 | .416 | .280 | .755 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 1.7 | .5 | 25.1 |
| 2008 | Cleveland | 13 | 13 | 42.5 | .411 | .257 | .731 | 7.8 | 7.6 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 28.2 |
| 2009 | Cleveland | 14 | 14 | 41.4 | .510 | .333 | .749 | 9.1 | 7.3 | 1.6 | .9 | 35.3 |
| 2010 | Cleveland | 11 | 11 | 41.8 | .502 | .400 | .733 | 9.3 | 7.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 29.1 |
| 2011 | Miami | 21 | 21 | 43.9 | .466 | .353 | .763 | 8.4 | 5.9 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 23.7 |
| Career | 92 | 92 | 43.6 | .460 | .323 | .746 | 8.4 | 7.0 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 28.0 |
Awards and honors[link]
Main article: List of career achievements by LeBron James
- 3× NBA Most Valuable Player: 2009, 2010, 2012
- NBA Rookie of the Year: 2004
- NBA Scoring Champion: 2008
- 2× NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2006, 2008
- 8× NBA All-Star: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
- 8× All-NBA:
- First Team: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
- Second Team: 2005, 2007
- 4× NBA All-Defensive:
- First Team: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
- 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
See also[link]
- List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff assists leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff steals leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff 3-point scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff free throw scoring leaders
References[link]
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- ^ Jay-Z – Playoff on YouTube
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- ^ "Paul Millsap leads Jazz past Heat despite LeBron James' 29th career triple-double". Associated Press. ESPN. November 9, 2010. Archived from the original on November 13, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5uDYzUhaE. Retrieved November 13, 2010. "James finished with 20 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds for his 29th triple-double, the seventh that came in a loss."
- ^ "LeBron James returns to Cleveland". Associated Press. ESPN. December 3, 2010. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5x5hF7kvP.
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- ^ Berman, Marc (December 18, 2010). "Triple-double gives LeBron last laugh as Amar'e streak ends". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knicks/triple_double_gives_king_james_last_SCfdlBE9Mo8b6mGIRd33BM.
- ^ Yahoo Sports[dead link]
- ^ LeBron James scores 51 as Heat slip by Magic Yahoo Sports
- ^ Rough homecoming: Cavs top LeBron, Heat – NBA – NBC Sports
- ^ Big 3 rest as Eddie House leads Miami Heat to win[dead link]
- ^ Hot Corner: With NBA title at stake, LeBron James was a big flop | al.com
- ^ West at East | Sunday February 26, 2012 | NBA – Yahoo! Sports
- ^ James' box score gem powers Heat
- ^ usabasketball, USA Season Box Score[dead link]. Retrieved April 25, 2007.
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- ^ nba.com, Melo joins LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as captains, accessed May 7, 2007.
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- ^ "US hoops back on top, beats Spain for gold medal". Sports.yahoo.com. http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/basketball/news;_ylt=AuGHmuNqSb9u8mF3f8TKyce8vLYF?slug=ap-bko-spain-us&prov=ap&type=lgns. Retrieved January 4, 2010. [dead link]
- ^ espn.com, NBA Stats 2005–2006 Rebounds, Retrieved May 12, 2007.
- ^ espn.com, NBA Stats 2006–2007 Rebounds, Retrieved May 12, 2007.
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- ^ "LeBron James Biography". jockbio.com. http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/James/James_bio.html. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
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- ^ a b iht.com, LeBron James' girlfriend gives birth to couple's 2nd son, Bryce Maximus. Retrieved June 14, 2007.
- ^ ESPN, LeBron's girlfriend has couple's second son. Retrieved June 14, 2007.
- ^ Valdemoro, Tania (December 8, 2010). "LeBron buys Coconut Grove mansion". The Miami Herald: 1B. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/12/08/1964580/lebron-buys-coconut-grove-mansion.html. [dead link]
- ^ Wire Reports (January 1, 2012). "LeBron James and Savannah Brinson are engaged". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-newswire-20120102,0,28521.story. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
- ^ "LeBron James enters partnership with State Farm". USA Today. February 13, 2008. http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/2008-02-13-lebron-state-farm_N.htm. Retrieved October 27, 2009.
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- ^ "20 Under 25: The Top-Earning Young Superstars". Forbes. December 4, 2007. http://www.forbes.com/media/2007/12/01/celebrity-hollywood-media-cz_lg_1204kidstars.html.
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- ^ "A Yankees fan from head to toe". Cleveland Plain Dealer. January 22, 2008. http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2008/01/a_yankees_fan_from_head_to_toe.html.
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- ^ Garcia, Julian (July 23, 2009). "The pot thickens: LeBron James admits smoking marijuana as a high school junior in new book". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/2009/07/23/2009-07-23_the_pot_thickens_lebron_james.html.
- ^ Whithers, Tom (July 23, 2009). "James reveals struggles with prep fame in new book". Yahoo News. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-lebronsbook&prov=ap&type=lgns. [dead link]
- ^ Livingston, Bill (July 22, 2009). "New LeBron James book tells of a 'shooting star' always willing to learn lessons". Cleveland Plain Dealer. http://www.cleveland.com/livingston/index.ssf/2009/07/new_lebron_james_book_tells_of.html.
- ^ "In book, LeBron James admits using marijuana in high school". ESPN. July 23, 2009. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4350557.
- ^ ESPN NBA Boxscore - Game 5 May 31, 2007. Cleveland v. Detroit
- ^ The Most Influential Athletes. Forbes; April 21, 2010.
- ^ Rovell, Darren (September 14, 2010). "LeBron's Q Score Takes Huge Hit". CNBC.com. http://www.cnbc.com/id/39170785/LeBron_s_Q_Score_Takes_Huge_Hit. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
- ^ America's Most Disliked Athletes. Forbes; February 7, 2012.
Further reading[link]
- Freedman, Lew (2008). LeBron James : A Biography. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-34361-2.
- Jones, Ryan (2005). King James : Believe The Hype : The LeBron James Story. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-34992-0.
- Morgan, David Lee (2003). LeBron James : The Rise of a Star. Cleveland: Gray & Co.. ISBN 1-886228-74-4.
- Pluto, Terry; Windhorst, Brian (2007). The Franchise : Lebron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland: Gray & Co.. ISBN 1-59851-028-2.
External links[link]
| Find more about LeBron James on Wikipedia's sister projects: | |
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Images and media from Commons |
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News stories from Wikinews |
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Quotations from Wikiquote |
- Official website
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com, or Basketball-Reference.com, or ESPN.com
- U.S. National Team Bio
- LeBron James: NBA.com Draft Profile
- LeBron James at the Internet Movie Database
- Works by or about LeBron James in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
- LeBron James collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- "LeBron James", on TIME's list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"
- LeBron James: Monster Dunks[dead link] – slideshow by Life magazine
- LeBron James on ESPN Video Archive
- LeBron James on FoxSports Video Archive
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | James,LeBron |
| Alternative names | James, King |
| Short description | NBA Basketball player |
| Date of birth | December 30, 1984 |
| Place of birth | Akron, Ohio |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeBron_James
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is about the NBA basketball player. For the professional wrestler, see Chris Bosh (wrestler).
 Bosh with the Miami Heat in 2011 |
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| No. 1 – Miami Heat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1984-03-24) March 24, 1984 (age 28) Dallas, Texas |
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| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Lincoln HS (Dallas, Texas) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg)[a] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Georgia Tech | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2003 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Toronto Raptors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2003–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2010 | Toronto Raptors | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–present | Miami Heat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Christopher Wesson Bosh (born March 24, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who plays power forward for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
A high school "Mr. Basketball" in Texas, Bosh left college at Georgia Tech after one season with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team to enter the 2003 NBA Draft. He was selected fourth overall by the Toronto Raptors in a very competitive draft class. While at Toronto, Bosh emerged as one of the young stars in the league; he became a five-time NBA All-Star, was named to the All-NBA second team once, appeared for the US national team (with whom he won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics), and took over former fan-favorite Vince Carter as the face and leader of the Raptors franchise. In the 2006–07 season, Bosh led the Raptors to their first NBA Playoffs berth in five years, and their first ever division title. He left Toronto as its all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, double doubles, free throws made and attempted, and minutes played.
Bosh was nicknamed "CB4" by Toronto Raptors play-by-play commentator Chuck Swirsky, a combination of Bosh's initials and then jersey number.[1] Seeking to promote sports and education amongst youths in Dallas and Toronto, Bosh set up the Chris Bosh Foundation and regularly speaks to youths about the benefits of reading.
Contents |
Early life[link]
Born in Dallas, Texas, to Noel and Freida Bosh,[2] Chris Bosh grew up in Hutchins, Texas.[3] A family-oriented person, Bosh often played basketball in the house with his younger brother, Joel.[4] By four years of age, he began learning how to dribble a basketball in the gym where his dad played pick-up games.[5] Although Bosh was always tall since youth and this allowed him to out-rebound others in basketball games,[6] he only started learning the game around fourth grade at a playground near his grandmother's house.[4] Apart from basketball, Bosh also played baseball up until high school, preferring to play as first baseman.[4] Growing up, Bosh names his parents as the biggest influences on his personality and considered NBA superstar Kevin Garnett as his favorite athlete, modeling his play after him.[6] Academically, Bosh always did well in school[7] but he began to garner significant attention from college recruiters when he led Lincoln High School in Dallas to the number one ranking in the country and the USA Today National Championship with a perfect 40–0 season.[8]
The teenager went on to lead Lincoln High to win the Class 4A state title before 16,990 fans as he racked up 23 points, 17 rebounds and nine blocks. Bosh was subsequently named High School Player of the Year by Basketball America, Powerade Player of the Year in Texas, a First-team all-American by Parade, McDonald's and EA Sports, a Second-team all-American by USA Today and SLAM Magazine, a First-team all-state player, and "Mr. Basketball" in Texas by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.[8] With his combination of grades and basketball skills, Bosh was on a number of college recruiting lists. The University of Florida and the University of Memphis made serious attempts, but it was Paul Hewitt, coach of the Georgia Tech, who made the best impression. Bosh felt Hewitt would look out for his best interests and respect his aspirations to play professional basketball; moreover, Georgia Tech's transition offense impressed the teenager.[7]
Bosh eventually chose to follow the footsteps of his cousin and aunt and attended Georgia Tech to study graphic design and computer imaging, and subsequently, management.[4] There, he led the Yellow Jackets in averaging 15.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 31 games, and led the Atlantic Coast Conference in field goal percentage (.560), joining Antawn Jamison as the only freshmen ever to do so.[2] Bosh originally intended to complete his degree, but by the end of the 2002–03 season, his strong performances convinced him that he was ready for the NBA.[7] He left Georgia Tech after his freshman season[2] and entered the 2003 NBA Draft. Although Bosh said in future interviews that he misses his college days, he believes he made the right decision to pursue a professional career.[6] He also intends to obtain a college degree in the future,[5] to fulfill a promise made to his mother.[4]
NBA career[link]
Toronto Raptors[link]
Rookie year (2003–04)[link]
In a strong draft class including future All-Stars LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade,[7] Bosh was selected fourth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2003 NBA Draft and was signed on July 8, 2003.[9] Prior to his signing, however, other NBA teams made offers for Bosh as they knew Toronto needed a veteran scorer, and Raptors star Vince Carter himself pressed for a trade. General Manager Glen Grunwald turned everyone down.[7]
In his rookie season Bosh was forced to play out of position as the Raptors' starting center after Antonio Davis was traded to the Chicago Bulls.[10] Night in and night out the wiry teenager battled against opponents who had a significant size and strength advantage over him.[10] Bosh—who cited teammate Michael Curry as his mentor[6]—was often praised by his coaches for his heart, and willingness to play through pain and injuries resulting from his lack of body strength compared to some of the league's strong forwards and centers.[11] Bosh's contributions were not unnoticed by teammates either,[12] as he averaged 11.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 33.5 minutes in 75 games, leading all rookies in rebounding and blocks, and setting a franchise record for most rebounds in a rookie season with 557.[2] Bosh was rewarded by being selected to the All-Rookie First Team for the 2003–04 season.[2]
Heralded as the new hope (2004–06)[link]
With the departure of the disenchanted franchise face of the team, Vince Carter, in December 2004, Bosh was simultaneously anointed as the new leader around whom Toronto would build.[13] In the remaining games following Carter's departure, the power forward averaged 18.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 38.1 minutes per game, improving in every major statistical category.[2] He was awarded his first ever NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played between 3 and 9 January 2005.[2] As the season drew to a close, analysts predicted that Bosh would become an All-Star one day.[14][15] Bosh ended the 2004–05 season as the leading scorer and leading rebounder for the team on 21 and 46 occasions respectively.[2]
Prior to the 2005–06 season, Bosh was named as one of Toronto's team captains. Bosh continued to work on his game as he consistently chalked up double doubles, leading the team in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage for the first half of the season.[16] On February 9, 2006, for the first time in his career, Bosh was selected to play in the 2006 NBA All-Star Game in Houston, Texas as a reserve forward for the Eastern Conference.[2] He was only the third Raptor to make an All-Star game, after Carter and Antonio Davis. Bosh's selection was just three days after he was named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the second time in his career.[16] In March 2006, following a season-ending injury to Bosh,[17] the Raptors hit a 1–10 skid.[18] This highlighted Bosh's importance as the centerpiece of the offense, as well as the leader of the team. The Raptors finished the season 27–55 and Bosh averaged 22.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.[19]
Despite a major off-season revamp of the Raptors roster—including the departure of good friends Mike James and Charlie Villanueva—Bosh officially signed a three-year contract extension with a player option for a fourth year on July 14, 2006.[20] The deal was reportedly worth US$65 million over four years.[21] Upon signing the contract, Bosh said "I think the future is very positive for the franchise... change was needed... we have a lot of guys who just want to win and are willing to work hard."[21] During the same press conference, Bosh also announced a donation of $1,000,000 to a Toronto charity, known as Community Legacy Programs.[20]
Leader of the division champions (2006–07)[link]
After a shaky start to the Raptors' 2006–07 campaign, the Raptors managed to surpass the 0.500 mark as the All-Star break approached.[22] Bosh's play and leadership were pivotal to this run and as an increasing recognition of his abilities, on January 25, 2007, he was named an All-Star starter for the East in the 2007 NBA All-Star Game. Bosh received the second highest number of votes among all Eastern Conference forwards.[23] This was his first All-Star start and second overall All-Star appearance, having averaged over 22 points and 11 rebounds in the first half of the season.[23] On January 31, 2007, in a game against the Washington Wizards, Bosh scored a 65-foot (20 m) buzzer-beating shot to end the third quarter of the game.[24] He shot 15-of-15 after missing his first four shots.[25] Bosh's in-form streak enabled him to be selected Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January 2007.[26] He had averaged 25.4 points and 9.1 rebounds while leading the Raptors to a 10–5 record in that month. On February 7, 2007, Bosh's career-high 41 points prompted the home fans to chant "MVP"—an unprecedented event in the Air Canada Centre.[27] Two days later, Bosh collected 29 points and 11 rebounds against the Los Angeles Lakers, shooting 10-of-10 in the second half.[28]
On March 28, 2007, Bosh became the new franchise record holder for double doubles in a home win against the Miami Heat.[29] He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the third time in his career shortly after,[30] having led Toronto to clinch their first NBA Playoffs berth in five years. Toronto went on to win its first ever division title, and concluded the regular season with a 47–35 record, including a 30–11 home record, both franchise records.[31] As third seed, the Raptors played sixth seed New Jersey Nets in the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs. The series drew much media attention as Carter, who left had Toronto under acrimonious circumstances, was back at the ACC as a Net.[32] In the opening game, while Carter was constantly booed by the home crowd and was not an offensive threat, Toronto's inexperience was evident as they struggled offensively and were down 65–78 going into the fourth quarter.[32] A late rally by Toronto in the fourth quarter was not enough as they eventually lost 91–96. The Raptors won Game 2 at the ACC to tie the series 1–1, as Bosh recorded 25 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.[33] The Nets won games 3 and 4 to lead 3–1, but Toronto forced Game 6 when they narrowly won 98–96 in Game 5.[34] New Jersey won Game 6, however, and sent Toronto out of the first round.[35] Bosh averaged a double-double with 22.6 ppg and 10.7 rpg for the regular season, both career-highs, and posted 17.5 ppg and 9.0 rpg for the playoffs.[19] He was named to the All-NBA Second Team at the end of the 2006–07 campaign.[36]
Struggles (2007–09)[link]
Before the 2007–08 season began, Andrea Bargnani, the number one pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, was slated to start at center and Bosh at power forward to form a strong Toronto frontcourt and Jason Kapono, a three-point specialist, was acquired via free agency from the Miami Heat to add offensive firepower; however, as the season unfolded, neither plans materialized as hoped.[37] Bosh himself had a slow start to the season, but as mid-season approached, his form picked up and he was named Player of the Week for the second week of January.[38] On January 31, 2008, he was selected to be on the Eastern Conference team for the 2008 NBA All-Star Game.[39] In the meantime, Toronto continued to struggle and their problems were exacerbated when regular starting point guard T. J. Ford returned from injury and became frustrated playing backup to José Calderón.[37] Nevertheless, even with injuries to Bosh (15 games), Jorge Garbajosa (75 games) and Ford (31 games), the Raptors concluded the regular season with a 41–41 record, and clinched the sixth seed for the 2008 NBA Playoffs. However, they were defeated by the Orlando Magic in the first round, losing 4–1.[40]
The first-round series against the Magic was touted as the matchup between two of the league's best young big men in Dwight Howard and Bosh, but the Raptors were perceived to have an advantage because of their dual-point guard play.[41] But Orlando held home court advantage, and the Raptors were unable to win the first two games in Amway Arena. In Game 1, Bargnani started at small forward. This did not matter, as Orlando took a huge lead in the first quarter. Howard dominated the game, finishing with 22 points, 25 rebounds and 5 blocks. The stifling defense held Toronto to 37.6% shooting. Bosh finished 4 for 11 from the field (13 of 13 in freethrows) and the Raptors lost by 14.[42] Game 2 started similarly to Game 1, with Howard's dominance propelling the Magic to a sizeable lead, but solid plays from Bosh, Kapono and Calderón put the Raptors in front late in the fourth quarter.[43] The Magic came back, and with 9 seconds left on the clock, Bosh missed 18-foot jumper as time expired, giving the Magic a one-point win.[43] In Game 3, Ford and Calderón stepped up, and the Raptors preserved some hope with a 108–94 home win.[44] In Game 4, the teams were almost tied going into the fourth quarter. Despite Bosh recording 39 points and 15 rebounds,[45] deadly shooting by the Magic in the final few minutes ensured victory for the visitors. Back on the road in Game 5, Toronto was outplayed by the Magic in the second half, and the Raptors eliminated from the first round four games to one. General Manager Bryan Colangelo said at a press conference thereafter, "Whether it's protecting [Bosh] inside the paint, getting a little bit more of a presence in there, to just getting him another scorer that's going to shoulder some of that burden, it's something that's clear we have to get better", hinting that the roster was in need of an overhaul.[46] Bosh said after the loss, "They played a great series, they executed on offence and defense better than we did and when it came to the small things, they did a better job... I can't sit here and bark in protest that the better team didn't win. That's pretty obvious. They beat us pretty good."[40] Unlike the previous campaign, Bosh was not named to any of the All-NBA teams.[47]
To provide Bosh with an experienced frontcourt partner, the Raptors pulled blockbuster trade prior to the 2008–09 campaign: six-time All-Star Jermaine O'Neal was acquired from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Ford, Rasho Nesterovič, and Roy Hibbert, the 17th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.[48] Bosh—who had won an Olympic gold medal with the national team at Beijing 2008—started the season strong and playing better defense than ever. He averaged 26 points, 10 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his first three games and was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the fifth time in his career.[49] A week later, he became Toronto's all-time leader in offensive rebounds, surpassing Antonio Davis's record.[50] While Bosh and O'Neal formed a formidable partnership in the frontcourt, the Raptors struggled to surpass the .500 mark. The principal deficiency of previous campaigns—wing players—continued to upend Toronto's progress.[51] With the Raptors at 8–9, head coach Sam Mitchell was sacked and replaced by Jay Triano.[52] Under the new regime, Bargnani finally blossomed as a player, but injuries and weaknesses in the roster meant that the Raptors entered the All-Star break 13 games under .500.[53] On January 29, 2009, Bosh was named an All-Star reserve,[54] but an injury ruled him out of the game. Two weeks later, in a bid to bring in a wing player and create greater salary flexibility, O'Neal and Jamario Moon were traded to Miami for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.[53] The trade did not improve the team's win–loss record, however, and the Raptors were eliminated from contention with seven games of the regular season remaining.[55] The bright spark in Bosh's campaign was his career-high 22.7 points per game, as well as his being one of two players in the league that season (the other being Dwight Howard) to average a 20/10 in points and rebounds.[56] On April 20, 2009, Colangelo announced that he would offer Bosh a contract extension during the summer,[57] which Bosh later refused to sign.[58]
Overhauling the roster (2009–10)[link]
To prepare for the 2009–10 season, Bosh worked out under Ken Roberson, looking to add 20 pounds and bring his weight up to 250.[58] Following the failure of the 2008–09 campaign, Colangelo knew that he had to shake up the roster to persuade Bosh to stay, and the Raptors were one of the busiest teams in the pre-season market.[59] Toronto's lack of wing players was addressed by the drafting of DeMar DeRozan. They then managed to get Hedo Türkoğlu to renege on a verbal commitment to sign with the Portland Trail Blazers and obtained him in a sign-and-trade with the Orlando Magic. They also traded for Antoine Wright and Marco Belinelli, while Bosh's former Georgia Tech teammate and then-Indiana point guard Jarrett Jack was also signed as a free agent.[59] Reggie Evans, Amir Johnson, Sonny Weems and former Raptors Rasho Nesterovič and Pops Mensah-Bonsu were acquired in separate transactions to add front court depth. They opened their season with a win against the heavily favored Cleveland Cavaliers, in which Bosh scored 21 points and pulled down 16 rebounds.[60] Bosh went on a tear, averaging 25.4 points and 11.9 rebounds in the first 16 games, but the Raptors were only able to win seven of those games.[60][61] In that period, Bosh was also the league leader in rebounds, rebounds per game, free throws made and attempted, and double doubles.
The Raptors crossed into 2010 with a 16–17 record, and on January 3, 2010, Bosh overtook Vince Carter as Toronto's all-time leader in total points scored.[62] After pulling together a string of wins, Toronto were .500 after 40 games, and Bosh remained the league leader in double doubles, being only one of two players in the league who averaged at least 20 points and 10 rebounds a game.[63] On January 20, 2010, he scored a career-high 44 points in a loss against the Milwaukee Bucks, while collecting his 220th career double double.[64] That same month, Bosh was named a reserve for the Eastern Conference All-Star team,[65] and was Eastern Conference Player of the Week.[66] After the All-Star break, the Raptors went on several losing streaks and injuries to Bosh and Türkoğlu exacerbated the situation. As the regular season came to a close, the Raptors went from being the fifth seed before the All-Star break to fighting for the eighth and final playoff spot with the Chicago Bulls. After recording his 44th double double on March 22, 2010, Bosh became the Raptors' all-time leader in number of double doubles in a season. On April 5, 2010, he was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, winning the honor for the seventh time in his career (tying Carter for the most in franchise history).[67] However, Bosh was unable to play in a pivotal match against the Bulls on April 11, 2010. The blowout loss cost Toronto their tie-breaker and ultimately the eighth seed, as the Bulls finished with 41 wins to Toronto's 40.[68]
Miami Heat (2010–present)[link]
After the 2009–10 season was over, there was much speculation over whether coveted free agents such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Bosh would sign with new teams for the 2010–11 season. Bosh was active on the social media front, posting his thoughts on Twitter and having a documentary crew record his meetings with the teams interested in signing him.[69] On July 9, 2010, Bosh officially completed a sign-and-trade deal with the Miami Heat, teaming up with Wade and James.[70] His parting message to the Raptors on his website said: "know that this was my toughest decision, mostly because Toronto has been so great to me. I've loved every minute here and I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart to the Raptors..."[71] Not only did Bosh leave Toronto as its all-time leader in virtually all major statistical categories, he was one of only three players in the league who accrued 10,000 points, 4,500 rebounds, and 600 blocks in his seven seasons with the Raptors.[72]
Despite being widely tipped as contenders, the Heat got off to a tentative 9–8 start, and Bosh was perceived to be under-performing. The Heat managed to go on to compile a 21–1 record, however, and were jostling with the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls for pole position in the Eastern Conference as mid-season approached.[73] Miami finished the regular season with 58 wins and faced Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs. Miami won the series in five games, and also prevailed in five games in the semi-finals against Boston. In the Conference Finals against Chicago, Bosh was particularly instrumental, averaging 23.2 points in the 4–1 series win. He was slow off the blocks in the Finals against Dallas, shooting below .300 in the first two games, but scored the winning shot in Game 3 to give Miami a 2–1 lead. That was the last game Miami won, as Dallas won the next three to win its first ever championship.
On January 5, 2012, Bosh, who was playing and filling in for an injured James and Wade, lead the Heat to a 116–109 triple overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks, avenging their only loss of the season to that point, and improving the team's record to 7–1. The game was highlighted by a three point shot Bosh made to force the game into overtime with 0.06 seconds left to play in the fourth quarter. Bosh finished the game with 33 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocked shots.[74]
NBA career statistics[link]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season[link]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Toronto | 75 | 63 | 33.5 | .459 | .357 | .701 | 7.4 | 1.0 | .8 | 1.4 | 11.5 |
| 2004–05 | Toronto | 81 | 81 | 37.2 | .471 | .300 | .760 | 8.9 | 1.9 | .9 | 1.4 | 16.8 |
| 2005–06 | Toronto | 70 | 70 | 39.3 | .505 | .000 | .816 | 9.2 | 2.6 | .7 | 1.1 | 22.5 |
| 2006–07 | Toronto | 69 | 69 | 38.5 | .496 | .343 | .785 | 10.7 | 2.5 | .6 | 1.3 | 22.6 |
| 2007–08 | Toronto | 67 | 67 | 36.2 | .494 | .400 | .844 | 8.7 | 2.6 | .9 | 1.0 | 22.3 |
| 2008–09 | Toronto | 77 | 77 | 38.0 | .487 | .245 | .817 | 10.0 | 2.5 | .9 | 1.0 | 22.7 |
| 2009–10 | Toronto | 70 | 70 | 36.1 | .518 | .364 | .797 | 10.8 | 2.4 | .6 | 1.0 | 24.0 |
| 2010–11 | Miami | 77 | 77 | 36.3 | .496 | .240 | .815 | 8.3 | 1.9 | .8 | .6 | 18.7 |
| 2011–12 | Miami | 57 | 57 | 35.2 | .487 | .286 | .821 | 7.9 | 1.8 | .9 | .8 | 18.0 |
| Career | 643 | 631 | 36.7 | .492 | .289 | .799 | 9.1 | 2.1 | .8 | 1.1 | 19.8 | |
| All-Star | 6 | 2 | 21.7 | .531 | .333 | .533 | 6.5 | 1.3 | .7 | .3 | 12.8 |
Playoffs[link]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Toronto | 6 | 6 | 37.0 | .396 | .200 | .842 | 9.0 | 2.5 | .8 | 1.8 | 17.5 |
| 2007–08 | Toronto | 5 | 5 | 39.8 | .472 | .143 | .833 | 9.0 | 3.6 | 1.6 | .4 | 24.0 |
| 2010–11 | Miami | 21 | 21 | 39.7 | .474 | .000 | .814 | 8.5 | 1.1 | .7 | .9 | 18.6 |
| Career | 32 | 32 | 39.2 | .459 | .125 | .823 | 8.7 | 1.8 | .9 | 1.0 | 19.2 |
International career[link]
Bosh's international career began in 2002 when he was selected as a member of the 2002 USA Basketball Junior World Championship Qualifying Team that finished with a 4–1 record and the bronze medal.[75]
After his NBA career began, Bosh was named in March 2006 to the 2006–2008 United States men's national basketball team program, and helped lead the team to a 5–0 record during its pre-World Championship tour.[75] In August 2006, Bosh was named as a member of the 2006 USA World Championship Team.[75] Together with fellow 2003 draftees Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Kirk Hinrich, this team competed in the 2006 FIBA World Championship. The team won the bronze medal, defeating former 2004 Olympic champion Argentina.[76] Bosh was ranked sixth in field goal percentage.[75]
Following the 2006–07 season, Bosh was named to the team that would compete in the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship. However, he sustained a foot injury and withdrew from the squad.[77] On June 23, 2008, he was named to the team that would compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.[78] During the tournament itself, Bosh operated as the main backup to center Dwight Howard as Team USA went unbeaten in all eight games en route to the gold medal, defeating Spain in the final.[79] He averaged 9.1 points per game, and led the team in rebounds with 6.1 a game.[80]
Player profile[link]
You are not going to see a whole lot of screaming and hollering at guys... He is a guy that is going to pull somebody aside and say it in a positive way, and I think it goes a lot farther that way.
Anthony Parker on Bosh's leadership[81]
Bosh primarily plays the power forward position though he occasionally logs time at center. Listed at 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) and 235 pounds (107 kg),[19] Bosh possesses excellent speed, athleticism, and ball handling for a player of his size.[82] He is particularly noted for his ability to drive to the basket and finish strong or get to the free throw line—where he is also proficient—but he is also known for his well-developed jump shot.[83] Indiana Pacers coach Jim O'Brien once commented on the match-up problems Bosh posed for opposing defenders: "We've tried over the years to put big guys on him. It doesn't work. We've tried to put small guys on him. It doesn't seem to work either. I don't know if we have somebody to play Bosh, to tell you the truth."[84] When he was the centerpiece of the Raptors' offense, Bosh was often double teamed, and he was noted to unselfishly pass the ball to team mates who were in better shooting positions.[85] He improved his shooting range when he worked on his three point shooting during the summer of 2006 and showed improvement in the 2006–07 season. On November 8, 2006, against the Philadelphia Sixers, he hit a game-winning three point shot with 6.1 seconds left.[86] It was reminiscent of the shot that marked his "arrival" to the NBA in his first season, when he hit a game-tying three pointer against Houston to send the game to overtime.[2] When the 2006–07 season concluded, Bosh had shot .343 from the three point arc for the season; he improved to .400 the following season.[19]
In terms of leadership, Bosh has always led by example. When he was the leader of the Raptors, he was not known for being vocal on the court, preferring to maintain his quiet and humble demeanor but expecting his team mates to match his work ethic.[83] However, Bosh was also known to deliver stern rebukes to team mates who make bad calls on the court.[87] Throughout his career, comparisons have been made between him and Kevin Garnett due to their similar style of play and physique. Whereas the former does not possess the latter's defensive abilities, Bosh was observed to have adopted a greater defensive dimension to his game after his stint with Team USA at the 2008 Olympics where they won the gold medal.
Salaries[link]
| Season | Team | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Toronto | $2,911,320 |
| 2004–05 | Toronto | $3,129,720 |
| 2005–06 | Toronto | $3,348,000 |
| 2006–07 | Toronto | $4,235,220 |
| 2007–08 | Toronto | $12,455,000 |
| 2008–09 | Toronto | $14,410,581 |
| 2009–10 | Toronto | $15,779,912 |
| 2010–11 | Miami | $14,500,000 |
Honors and achievements[link]
- NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month: January 2007
- NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week: January 3, 2005; January 30, 2006; March 26, 2007; January 7, 2008; October 28, 2008; February 1, 2010; April 5, 2010
- NBA Atlantic Division Champion: 2006–07
- NBA Southeast Division Champion: 2010–11
- NBA All-Star: 2005–06; 2006–07; 2007–08; 2008–09 (did not participate due to injury); 2009–10; 2010–11; 2011–12
- All-NBA Second Team: 2006–07
- NBA All-Rookie Team: 2003–04
- NBA Rookie All-Star Game: 2003–04; 2004–05
- Bronze medal winner with Team USA at the 2006 FIBA World Championship
- Gold medal winner with Team USA at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Other achievements[link]
- Third-youngest player in NBA history to record 1,000 rebounds[2]
- Fourth-youngest player in NBA history to record 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game[2]
- Toronto's all-time leader in minutes played
- Toronto's first player to achieve 10,000 points
- Toronto's all-time leader in points scored[62]
- Toronto's all-time leader in rebounds[50]
- Toronto's all-time leader in defensive rebounds[50]
- Toronto's all-time leader in offensive rebounds[50]
- Toronto's all-time leader in rebounds per game
- Toronto's all-time leader in rebounds per game in a season
- Toronto's all-time leader in blocks
- Toronto's all-time leader in free throws made[88]
- Toronto's all-time leader in free throws made in a season
- Toronto's all-time leader in free throws attempted[88]
- Toronto's all-time leader in free throws attempted in a season
- Toronto's all-time leader in double-doubles[29]
- Toronto's all-time leader in double-doubles in a season
- NBA Sportsmanship Award (divisional winner): 2007–08[89]
Off the court[link]
Besides his on-the-court exploits, Bosh was a National Honor Society member and graduated with honors from Lincoln.[5] He is also a member of the National Society of Black Engineers and the Dallas Association of Minority Engineers.[5] Following his success in the NBA, Bosh soon had his own YouTube channel,[90] and has since made various TV appearances. In December 2009, First Ink, a DVD featuring comedic digital shorts and a documentary about Bosh was released. The DVD was filmed during the summer of 2009.[91]
In the field of philanthropy, Bosh established the Chris Bosh Foundation in 2004. Remembering the challenges he faced as a youth,[5] Bosh founded the organization to help younger people in academics and athletics.[92] The Foundation, with programs in Toronto and Dallas, has worked closely with organizations such as the Toronto Special Olympics to raise important funding for community projects.[5] Bosh's mother, Freida, has served as CEO of the Foundation.[92] As an avid reader, Bosh also regularly speaks to groups of children about the benefits of reading,[3] and has received the NBA Community Assist Award for his active contributions for the Raptors community development program in Toronto and Dallas during the course of the NBA campaign.[93] In November 2008, Bosh pledged to donate $75,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada.[94]
In 2011, Bosh married Adrienne Williams.[95] On May 3, 2012, Adrienne gave birth to their son, Jackson.[96]
Paternity lawsuit[link]
On March 24, 2009, it was reported that Bosh's former girlfriend, Allison Mathis, was seeking child support and sole custody of their child. Mathis alleged that when she was seven months pregnant, Bosh stopped supporting her financially and tried to remove her from their home.[97] Three days later, it was reported that the dispute was only over the amount Bosh paid.[98] Mathis' lawyer also told the press, "My client very much wanted this dispute to remain private. Certainly this thing did not get started by anything on our side... She is very distressed that somehow this thing got into the newspapers. She wants Trinity to have a good relationship with her dad, Chris Bosh, and adverse publicity makes that more difficult."[98]
See also[link]
Notes[link]
- a Though NBA.com lists Bosh's weight as 235 pounds, the Toronto Star has reported that Bosh now weighs closer to 250 pounds (113 kg).[99]
References[link]
- ^ Gallay, Mike, "The Birthday Bosh", nba.com/raptors, March 24, 2004, accessed April 30, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Chris Bosh Info Page – Bio, nba.com, accessed August 3, 2007.
- ^ a b Mawhinney, Janice, "Playing by the book; Raptors star uses money and charisma to make sure literacy is a winner with Toronto schoolkids", Toronto Star, November 26, 2005.
- ^ a b c d e Colbourn, Glenn, "A new Bosh in Raps' town", Toronto Star, January 13, 2004.
- ^ a b c d e f About, Official Website of Chris Bosh, accessed August 3, 2007. Archived October 18, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d Aldridge, Andre, "CHATTING WITH CB4", nba.com, January 2, 2007, accessed August 3, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Chris Bosh Biography, jockbio.com, accessed August 25, 2007.
- ^ a b Player Bio: Chris Bosh, ramblinwreck.com, accessed April 29, 2007.
- ^ "Raptors Sign Chris Bosh", nba.com/raptors, July 8, 2003, accessed March 20, 2007.
- ^ a b Feschuk, Dave, "Vegas trip leaves Bosh bushed", thestar.com, February 18, 2007, accessed March 20, 2007.
- ^ "Chris Bosh's evolution into an NBA star", ctv.ca, February 18, 2007, accessed March 20, 2007.
- ^ Kahn, Mike, "The sky, Bosh? Raptors rookie just getting started", cbs.sportsline.com, January 26, 2004, accessed March 20, 2007.
- ^ 2004-05: End Of The Carter Era, nba.com/raptors, accessed April 27, 2007.
- ^ Wick, Norma, "All Flights Cancelled, nba.com/raptors, January 10, 2005, accessed April 27, 2007.
- ^ Ball, Mike, "Still An All-Star In This Town", nba.com/raptors, January 17, 2005, accessed April 27, 2007.
- ^ a b "Bosh Named NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week", nba.com/raptors, February 6, 2006, accessed April 27, 2007.
- ^ "Charlie Villanueva Nets 48 in OT Loss in Milwaukee", nba.com/raptors, March 26, 2006, accessed August 3, 2007.
- ^ Raptors Schedules & Results 2005-2006, nba.com/raptors, accessed August 3, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Chris Bosh Info Page – Career Stats and Totals, nba.com, accessed November 12, 2007.
- ^ a b "Raptors Re-Sign Bosh to Multi-Year Contract Extension", nba.com/raptors, July 14, 2006, accessed August 3, 2007.
- ^ a b "Raptors Re-Sign Chris Bosh To Contract Extension", nba.com/raptors, July 14, 2006, accessed August 3, 2007.
- ^ Raptors Post Up, nba.com/raptors, January 26, 2007, accessed April 26, 2007.
- ^ a b "Raptors voted all-star starter" cbc.ca, January 25, 2007, accessed April 27, 2007.
- ^ Raptors Post Up, nba.com/raptors, January 31, 2007, accessed April 26, 2007.
- ^ Game Notes, nba.com/raptors, January 31, 2007, accessed March 20, 2007.
- ^ "Bosh named Eastern Conference Player of the Month", nba.com/raptors, February 2, 2007, accessed March 20, 2007.
- ^ Smith, Doug, Bosh's career-high 41 sparks 'M-V-P' chant, thestar.com, February 7, 2007, accessed April 27, 2007.
- ^ Post-Game Notes, nba.com/raptors, accessed March 20, 2007.
- ^ a b Smith, Doug, "Raptors' small-ball ices Heat", thestar.com, March 29, 2007, accessed April 27, 2007.
- ^ Raptors Forward Chris Bosh Named Eastern Conference Player Of The Week, nba.com/raptors, April 2, 2007, accessed April 26, 2007.
- ^ Raptors Post Up, nba.com/raptors, April 15, 2007, accessed April 27, 2007.
- ^ a b Raptors Post Up, nba.com/raptors, April 21, 2007, accessed July 13, 2009.
- ^ Grange, Michael, "Back to square one as Raptors even the series", The Globe and Mail, April 24, 2007.
- ^ Raptors Post Up, nba.com/raptors, May 1, 2007, accessed July 13, 2009.
- ^ Raptors Post Up, nba.com/raptors, May 4, 2007, accessed July 13, 2009.
- ^ Phoenix Duo Highlights All-NBA First Team, nba.com, May 10, 2007, accessed May 12, 2007.
- ^ a b Grange, Michael, "Colangelo, Mitchell have issues to reconcile", Globe and Mail, April 29, 2008.
- ^ Ganter, Mike, "Bosh keeps up streak", torontosun.com, January 15, 2008, accessed January 18, 2008.[dead link]
- ^ Two Hometown Hornets Named as Reserves for 2008 NBA All-Star Game, nba.com, January 31, 2008, accessed February 1, 2008.
- ^ a b Smith, Doug, "Season over for deflated Raptors", thestar.com, April 29, 2008, accessed April 30, 2008.
- ^ Feschuk, Dave, "Ford finally firing on all cylinders for Raptors", thestar.com, April 25, 2008, accessed July 13, 2009.
- ^ Dwight Howard’s 20-20 Game Leads Magic Past Raptors, nba.com, April 20, 2008, accessed July 13, 2009.
- ^ a b Howard’s Second 20-20 Game Lifts Magic Past Raptors, nba.com, 23 April 2008, accessed 26 April 2008.
- ^ Raptors Cut Magic’s Lead to 2-1, nba.com, April 25, 2008, accessed July 13, 2009.
- ^ Magic at Raptors Game Info, nba.com, April 26, 2008, accessed July 13, 2009.
- ^ Smith, Doug, "Colangelo: Sam's safe 'for now'", thestar.com, April 30, 2008, accessed July 13, 2009.
- ^ MVP Kobe Bryant Highlights All-NBA First Team, nba.com, May 8, 2008, accessed November 22, 2008.
- ^ Sources: Pacers agree to O'Neal-for-Ford swap with Raptors, sports.espn.go.com, accessed August 4, 2008.
- ^ Bosh Named Eastern Conference Player Of The Week, raptors.com, accessed November 4, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Post-Game Notes, nba.com/raptors, November 5, 2008, accessed November 7, 2008.
- ^ Feschuk, Dave, "Giveaways gut Bosh's big night", thestar.com, November 19, 2008, accessed November 20, 2008.
- ^ Mitchell Relieved Of Duties, Jay Triano Takes Over On Interim Basis, nba.com/raptors, December 3, 2008, accessed December 3, 2008.
- ^ a b Aldridge, David, "Raptors trade O'Neal, Moon to Heat for Marion, Banks", nba.com, 13 February 2009, accessed 14 February 2009.
- ^ Shaq, pair of Magic players highlight All-Star reserves, nba.com, January 29, 2009, accessed January 30, 2009.
- ^ Chandler scores 17, Knicks beat Raptors 112-103, nba.com, April 5, 2009, accessed April 11, 2009.
- ^ Smith, Doug, "Bosh helps Raptors end season on a high note", thestar.com, April 16, 2009, accessed April 17, 2009.
- ^ Raptors GM plans to offer Bosh extension, nba.com, April 20, 2009, accessed April 21, 2009.
- ^ a b Grange Michael, "Bigger and better", Globe and Mail, June 14, 2009.
- ^ a b Grange, Michael, "Jack could provide fringe benefits for struggling Raptors ", The Globe and Mail, July 12, 2009.
- ^ a b Toronto Raptors 2009-10 Schedule, nba.com/raptors, accessed July 11, 2010.
- ^ Chris Bosh Game Log, sports.espn.go.com, accessed November 11, 2009.
- ^ a b Bosh becomes Raptors all-time leading scorer, sports.espn.go.com, January 3, 2010, accessed January 4, 2010.
- ^ DOUBLE-DOUBLE LEADERS: Total Double Doubles, nba.com, accessed January 15, 2010.
- ^ Bogut posts double-double as Bucks overcome big night from Bosh, espn.go.com, January 20, 2010, accessed January 22, 2010.
- ^ Nowitzki leads parade of reserves to Dallas, nba.com, January 28, 2010, accessed January 29, 2010.
- ^ Chris Bosh, Kevin Durant named Player of the Week, nba.com, February 1, 2010, accessed February 2, 2010.
- ^ Bosh Named Eastern Conference Player Of The Week, nba.com/raptors, April 5, 2010, accessed April 7, 2010.
- ^ MacKenzie, Holly, "Bulls top Raptors in showdown for last Eastern playoff spot", nba.com, April 11, 2010, accessed July 11, 2010.
- ^ Smith, Doug, "Chris Bosh leaves Raptors to team up with Dwyane Wade in Miami", thestar.com, July 8, 2010, accessed July 8, 2010.
- ^ Heat get James, Bosh in sign-and-trade deals, sportsillustrated.cnn.com, July 9, 2010, accessed July 10, 2010.
- ^ Krishna, Sudha, "Lebron James Website vs Chris Bosh Website - Two Distinct Styles", nowpublic.com, July 9, 2010, accessed July 10, 2010.
- ^ Chris Bosh the power broker in Heat’s three-for-all, thestar.com, July 10, 2010, accessed July 11, 2010.
- ^ Aschburner, Steve, "Heat thank November swoon for helping them find way to bloom", nba.com, January 13, 2011, accessed January 14, 2011.
- ^ Chris Bosh leads short-handed Heat past Hawks in triple OT, espn.go.com, January 5, 2012, accessed January 6, 2011.
- ^ a b c d USA Basketball: Bio: Chris Bosh, usabasketball.com, accessed March 20, 2007. Archived February 24, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 2006 FIBA World Championship, fiba.com, accessed March 20, 2007.
- ^ Chris Bosh leaves U.S. training camp because of left foot injury, sports.yahoo.com, August 15, 2007, accessed November 5, 2007.
- ^ Bosh named to U.S. Olympic team, olympics.thestar.com, June 23, 2008, accessed June 24, 2008.
- ^ US hoops back on top, beats Spain for gold medal, sports.yahoo.com, August 24, 2008, accessed August 24, 2008.
- ^ USA, usabasketball.com, accessed August 25, 2008.
- ^ O'Connor, Joe, "Bosh still learning to be a leader", canada.com, January 18, 2008, accessed April 12, 2008.
- ^ Big, bad Raptors trample Wolves, thestar.com, October 9, 2009, accessed October 14, 2009.
- ^ a b Thomsen, Ian, "Leading man", sportsillustrated.cnn.com, February 6, 2007, accessed March 20, 2007.
- ^ MacKenzie, Holly, "Led by Bosh, Raptors drop Pacers for fifth straight win", nba.com, January 31, 2010, accessed February 1, 2010.
- ^ Grange, Michael, "Bosh plays leading role in playoff push", globeandmail.com, April 6, 2007, accessed April 7, 2007.
- ^ Raptors Post-Up, nba.com/raptors, November 8, 2006, accessed March 20, 2007.
- ^ Feschuk, Dave, "Chris Bosh: Father figure", thestar.com, April 6, 2007, accessed April 6, 2007.
- ^ a b Post-Game Notes, nba.com/raptors, January 16, 2008, accessed January 18, 2008.
- ^ Bosh Named One Of The Divisional Winners For 2007-08 NBA Sportsmanship Award, nba.com/raptors, April 3, 2008, accessed April 4, 2008.
- ^ CBTV, youtube.com, accessed January 15, 2010.
- ^ Chris Bosh/First Ink a documentary, hmv.ca, accessed December 15, 2009.
- ^ a b Official website, Chris Bosh Foundation, accessed March 20, 2007.
- ^ "Chris Bosh Receives NBA Community Assist Award", nba.com/raptors, July 19, 2005, accessed March 20, 2007.
- ^ Bosh Named National Spokesperson For Boys And Girls Clubs Of Canada, nba.com/raptors, November 23, 2008, accessed November 24, 2008.
- ^ Chris Bosh banking on team workouts, espn.com, September 3, 2011, accessed September 14, 2011.
- ^ Windhorst, Brian. "Chris Bosh game-time decision". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2012/story/_/id/7885313/2012-nba-playoffs-chris-bosh-miami-heat-game-time-decision. Retrieved 2012-05-03.
- ^ Feschuk, Dave, "Raptor Bosh a deadbeat dad, lawsuit says", thestar.com, March 24, 2009, accessed March 25, 2009.
- ^ a b Feschuk, Dave, "Bosh says he's already supporting young child", thestar.com, March 27, 2009, accessed March 29, 2009.
- ^ Smith, Doug, "Vigorous training backfires on Raptors star Chris Bosh", thestar.com, September 28, 2009, accessed October 2, 2009.
External links[link]
- Official website
- Chris Bosh at NBA.com
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets profile
- Chris Bosh's channel on YouTube
- Chris Bosh on Twitter
- ESPN Profile
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Vince Carter |
Captain of Toronto Raptors 2005–2010 |
Succeeded by Andrea Bargnani |
| Awards and achievements | ||
| Preceded by Ed Nelson |
Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year 2003 |
Succeeded by Chris Paul |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Bosh, Chris |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Basketball player |
| Date of birth | March 24, 1984 |
| Place of birth | Dallas, Texas |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Chris_Bosh
Related pages:
http://it.wn.com/Chris Bosh
http://cs.wn.com/Chris Bosh
http://id.wn.com/Chris Bosh
http://es.wn.com/Chris Bosh
http://ru.wn.com/Бош, Крис
http://nl.wn.com/Chris Bosh
http://pt.wn.com/Chris Bosh
http://pl.wn.com/Chris Bosh
http://fr.wn.com/Chris Bosh
http://de.wn.com/Chris Bosh
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Bosh
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
 |
|
| Free Agent | |
|---|---|
| Point guard / Shooting guard | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1975-06-07) June 7, 1975 (age 37) Hampton, Virginia |
| Nationality | American |
| High school | Bethel (Hampton, Virginia) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 165 lb (75 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Georgetown (1993-1996) |
| NBA Draft | 1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall |
| Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers | |
| Pro career | 1996–present |
| Career history | |
| 1996–2006 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2006–2008 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2008–2009 | Detroit Pistons |
| 2009 | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 2009–2010 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2010–2011 | Beşiktaş (Turkey) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Allen Ezail Iverson (born June 7, 1975) is an American professional basketball player, playing both the point guard and shooting guard positions. Iverson attended Bethel High School and was a dual-sport athlete; he earned The Associated Press High School Player of the Year award in both football and basketball, and won the Division AAA Virginia State Championship in both sports.[1] After high school, Iverson attended Georgetown University for two years, where he set the school record for career scoring average (22.9 points per game) and won Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards both years.[2]
Following two successful years at Georgetown, Iverson declared eligibility for the 1996 NBA Draft, and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick.[3] He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season. Iverson is an eleven-time NBA All-Star which includes winning the All-Star MVP award in 2001 and 2005.
Winning the NBA scoring title during the 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2004–05 seasons, Iverson was one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, despite his small stature (listed at 6 feet, 0 inches). His regular season career scoring average of 26.7 points per game ranks sixth all-time, and his playoff career scoring average of 29.7 points per game is second only to Michael Jordan. Iverson was also the NBA Most Valuable Player of the 2000–01 season and led his team to the 2001 NBA Finals the same season. Iverson represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal. He also played for the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and the Memphis Grizzlies, before returning to the 76ers for part of the 2009–10 season.
He was rated the fifth greatest NBA shooting guard of all time by ESPN in 2008.[4]
Contents
|
Early life[link]
Allen Iverson was born to his single 15-year old mother, Ann Iverson, in Hampton, Virginia, and was given his mother's maiden name after his father Allen Broughton left her.[5]
Allen attended Bethel High School, where started as quarterback for the school football team,[6] while also playing running back, kick returner and defensive back.[7] and started as point guard for the school basketball team. During his junior year, Allen was able to lead both teams to Virginia state championships, as well as earning The Associated Press High School Player of the Year award in both sports.[8]
On February 14, 1993, Iverson and several of his friends became involved in an altercation with a group of white teenagers at the Circle Lanes bowling alley in Hampton, Virginia. Allegedly, Iverson's crowd was raucous and had to be asked to quiet down several times, and eventually a shouting duel began with another group of youths. Shortly thereafter, a huge fight erupted, pitting the white crowd against the blacks. During the fight, Iverson allegedly struck a woman in the head with a chair. He, along with three of his friends who are also black, were the only people arrested. Iverson, who was 17 at the time, was convicted as an adult of the felony charge of maiming by mob, a rarely used Virginia statute that was designed to combat lynching.[9] Iverson and his supporters maintained his innocence, claiming that he left the alley as soon as the trouble began. Iverson said, "For me to be in a bowling alley where everybody in the whole place know who I am and be crackin' people upside the head with chairs and think nothin' gonna happen? That's crazy! And what kind of a man would I be to hit a girl in the head with a damn chair? I rather have 'em say I hit a man with a chair, not no damn woman."[10]
Iverson drew a 15-year prison sentence, with 10 years suspended. After Iverson spent four months at Newport News City Farm, a correctional facility in Newport News, Virginia, he was granted clemency by Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder, and the Virginia Court of Appeals overturned the conviction in 1995 for insufficient evidence.[10] This incident and its impact on the community is explored in the documentary film No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson. Iverson said of his time in prison, "I had to use the whole jail situation as something positive. Going to jail, someone sees something weak in you, they'll exploit it. I never showed any weakness. I just kept going strong until I came out."[10]
The prison sentence forced him to complete his senior year of high school at Richard Milburn High School, a school for at-risk students, instead of competing in sports at Bethel.[10] However, the three years Iverson spent there were enough to convince famed Georgetown University Coach John Thompson to come out and meet Iverson, and offer him a full scholarship to join the Georgetown Hoyas basketball team.[10]
College basketball[link]
Though Georgetown typically recruited defensive-oriented big men such as Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, and Iverson's future teammate Dikembe Mutombo with full scholarships, Coach John Thompson felt Iverson deserved a second chance after his time in prison and could not pass up the opportunity to recruit a talent like Iverson's.[10] Iverson kept up the Georgetown tradition of defense by averaging three steals per game and winning the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award in both of his two years at the University.
In his first season at Georgetown, Iverson won the Big East Rookie of the Year award and was named to the All Rookie Tournament First Team.[11] That season, Iverson led the Hoyas to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament, where they would lose to North Carolina.[12]
In his second (and final) season at Georgetown, Iverson would lead the team to a Big East Championship and all the way to the Elite 8 round of the NCAA tournament, where they would lose to the University of Massachusetts.[13] He ended his college career as the Hoyas' all-time leader in career scoring average, at 22.9 points per game.[2] Iverson would be named as a First Team All American.
Following the conclusion of his sophomore year, Iverson declared for the NBA Draft. He would be the first player to leave Georgetown early for the NBA under Coach Thompson.[10]
Professional career[link]
Philadelphia 76ers[link]
Early Years (1996–2000)[link]
After two seasons at Georgetown, Iverson was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1996 NBA Draft. Listed at just six feet tall, Iverson became the shortest first overall pick ever, in a league normally dominated by big men.
Coming to a Philadelphia team that had just finished the previous season at 18-64, Iverson was only able to help the Sixers to a 22–60 record.[14] He was however, named the 1996 Rookie of the Year and was also a member of the NBA All-Rookie First Team, after averaging 23.5 points per game, 7.5 assists per game and 2.1 steals per game. Iverson continued to help the 76ers move forward the following season, as they improved nine games to finish 31-51.[15]
The lockout-shortened 1998-1999 season would mark great improvement for the 76ers. Iverson averaged 26.8 points (which led the league, earning his first scoring title) and was named to his first All NBA first team. The Sixers finished the season at 28-22, earning Iverson his first trip to the playoffs.[16] He started all ten playoff games and averaged 28.5 points per game despite being hampered by a number of nagging injuries. Iverson led the Sixers to an upset over the number two seeded Orlando Magic in four games, before losing to the Indiana Pacers in the second round in six games.[17]
Prior to the next season, Iverson signed a six-year, $70 million contract extension.[18] That year, the Sixers would continue to improve under Iverson's leadership, as they finished 49-33, once again qualifying for the playoffs (this time earning the fifth seed, one spot higher than the previous year's sixth seed).[19] In the playoffs, Iverson averaged 26.2 points, 4.8 assists, 4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Philadelphia would advance past the Charlotte Hornets in the opening round, but was eliminated by Indiana in the second round in six games for the second straight year.[20]
That season, Iverson was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the first time of what would be 11 straight selections. He was the only player other than Shaquille O'Neal to receive a MVP vote that year. In the 2000 off-season, the 76ers actively tried to trade Iverson after his numerous disagreements with then-coach Larry Brown, and had agreed to terms with the Detroit Pistons before Matt Geiger, who was included in the deal, refused to forfeit his $5 million trade kicker.[21] When it became apparent that Iverson would remain a member of the Sixers, Iverson and Brown put their differences aside to make another attempt at a NBA Championship.
MVP season and trip to the finals (2000–01)[link]
During the 2000–01 season, Iverson led his team to wins in the first ten games of the season, and was named starter at the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, where he won the game MVP. The Sixers also posted a 56–26 record, the best in the Eastern Conference that season. He also averaged a then-career high 31.1 points, winning his second NBA scoring title in the process. Iverson won the NBA steals title at 2.5 a game. Iverson was named NBA Most Valuable Player; at 6 feet and 165 pounds, he became the shortest and lightest player to win the MVP award. He had 93 first-place votes out of a possible 124.[22] He was also named to the All NBA First team for his accomplishments. In the playoffs, Iverson and the Sixers defeated the Indiana Pacers in the first round, before meeting Vince Carter-led Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Semifinals. The series went the full seven games. In the next round, the Sixers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, also in seven games, to advance to the 2001 NBA Finals against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, featuring the duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.
Iverson led the Sixers to their first finals since their 1983 championship. In game one of the 2001 NBA Finals, Iverson scored a playoff high 48 points and beat the heavily favored Lakers 107–101; it was the Lakers' only playoff loss that year. In the game he notably stepped over Tyronn Lue after hitting a crucial shot.[23] Iverson would go on to score 23, 35, 35, 37 in games 2–5, all losing efforts though the Sixers were not swept like many predicted. Iverson enjoyed his most successful season as an individual and as a member of the Sixers during the 2000–01 NBA season.
Iverson began using a basketball sleeve during this season during his recovery from bursitis in his right elbow.[24] Other players, including Carmelo Anthony, and Kobe Bryant,[25] have adopted the sleeves as well, as did fans who wore the sleeve as a fashion statement.[26] Iverson continued wearing his sleeve long after his elbow had healed.[25] Some believe that the sleeve improved Iverson's shooting ability, while Steven Kotler of Psychology Today suggested that the sleeve may act as a placebo to prevent future injuries.[25]
Early Playoff Exits and Larry Brown's departure (2001–2003)[link]
Fresh off their trip to the Finals, Iverson and the Sixers entered the 2001-2002 season with high expectations, but were plagued by injuries, and only able to muster a 43-39 record to just sneak into the playoffs.[27] Despite playing in only 60 games that season and being hampered by injuries, Iverson averaged 31.4 points per game to earn his second consecutive scoring title. The 76ers lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs 3-2 in the five game series. After the defeat, Brown criticized Iverson for missing team practices. Iverson responded by saying, "We're sitting here, I'm supposed to be the franchise player, and we're in here talking about practice,"[28] and went on a rant that included the word "practice" over twenty times.[29]
The 2002–2003 season started off poorly for the Sixers, who had just traded defensive-standout Dikembe Mutombo to New Jersey, and saw a decrease in both offensive and defensive production from Aaron McKie and Eric Snow, all three of whom were key components to their Finals appearance two years prior. Iverson would once again put up stellar scoring numbers (27.6 points per game) however, and the Sixers regrouped following the All-Star break to make the playoffs with a 48-34 record.[30] They were able to defeat Baron Davis and the New Orleans Hornets in the opening round of the playoffs, before being eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in the second round after a 6-game series.
Head Coach Larry Brown left the 76ers in 2003, following the playoff loss. After his departure from the 76ers, both he and Iverson indicated that the two were on good terms and genuinely fond of one another.[Need quotation to verify] Iverson later reunited with Brown when Iverson became a member and co-captain of the 2004 United States Olympic men's basketball team. In 2005, Iverson said that Brown was without a doubt "the best coach in the world".
Disappointment and frustration (2003–2006)[link]
Randy Ayers became the next coach of the 76ers, but failed to develop any chemistry with his players, and was fired following a 21–31 start to the season. During the latter part of the that season, Iverson bristled under the disciplinarian approach of the Sixers' interim head coach Chris Ford. This led to a number of contentious incidents, including Iverson being suspended for missing practice, fined for failing to notify Ford that he would not attend a game because he was sick, and refusing to play in a game because he felt "insulted" that Ford wanted Iverson to come off the bench as he worked his way back from an injury.[31] Iverson missed a career-high 34 games in a disastrous season that saw the Sixers miss the postseason for the first time since the 1997 season.
The 2004-2005 season saw Iverson and the Sixers bounce back under the tutelage of new head coach Jim O'Brien, and additions of their first round draft pick Andre Iguodala, and All-Star forward Chris Webber who was acquired in a mid-season trade. A rejuvenated Iverson won his fourth NBA scoring title with 31 points and averaged 8 assists for the year, and helped the 76ers climb back into the postseason with a 43-49 record.[32] They would go on to lose to the eventual NBA champion Detroit Pistons in the first round, who were led by Larry Brown. In the series, Iverson had three double-doubles, including a 37 point, 15 assist performance in Philadelphia's lone win of the series.
Despite O'Brien helping the team back into the postseason, disagreements with players and management led to his firing after just one season. He was replaced by Sixers' legend Maurice Cheeks, in a personnel move Iverson praised, as Cheeks had been an assistant coach with the team when they reached the finals in 2001.[33] During the 2005–2006 season, Iverson averaged a career high 33.0 points per game. The Sixers however missed the playoffs for the second time in three years.
On April 18, 2006, Iverson and Chris Webber arrived late to the Sixers' fan appreciation night and home game finale. Players are expected to report 90 minutes before game time, but both Iverson and Webber arrived around tipoff. Coach Maurice Cheeks notified the media that neither would be playing and general manager Billy King announced that Iverson and Webber would be fined.[34] During the 2006 off-season, trade rumors had Iverson going to Denver, Atlanta, or Boston. None of the deals were completed. Iverson had made it clear that he would like to stay a Sixer.[35]
Iverson and the Sixers began the 2006-07 NBA season at 3-0 before stumbling out to a 5-10 record through 15 games.[36] Following the disappointing start, Iverson reportedly demanded a trade from the Sixers (although he would deny that).[37] As a result, Iverson was told he would not to play in any more games. During the following game against the Washington Wizards, which was televised nationally on ESPN, Sixers Chairman Ed Snider confirmed the trade rumors by stating "We're going to trade him. At a certain point, you have to come to grips with the fact that it's not working. He wants out and we're ready to accommodate him."[38]
Iverson ended his 10-year Philadelphia tenure with the highest scoring average in team history (28.1), and is second all-time on the points list (19,583), and the Sixers did not win another playoff series after his departure until 2012.
Denver Nuggets (2006–2008)[link]
On December 19, 2006, the Philadelphia 76ers sent Iverson and forward Ivan McFarlin to the Denver Nuggets for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two first-round picks in the 2007 NBA Draft. At the time of the trade, Iverson was the NBA's number two leading scorer with new teammate Carmelo Anthony being number one.[39]
On December 23, 2006, Iverson played his first game for the Nuggets. He had 22 points and 10 assists in a losing effort to the Sacramento Kings.[40] In Iverson's first year as a Nugget they made the playoffs. They won the first game and lost the next four to the San Antonio Spurs.[41]
Iverson was fined $25,000 by the NBA for criticizing referee Steve Javie following a game between the Nuggets and Iverson's former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, played January 2, 2007. During the course of the game, Iverson committed two technical fouls and was ejected from the game. After the game, Iverson said, "I thought I got fouled on that play, and I said I thought that he was calling the game personal I should have known that I couldn't say anything anyway. It's been something personal with me and him since I got in the league. This was just the perfect game for him to try and make me look bad."[42]
Former referee Tim Donaghy supported the claim that Javie had a longstanding hatred for Iverson in his book, Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA, which a Florida business group published through a self-publishing arm of Amazon.com[43] after it was dropped by a division of Random House, who cited liability issues after reviewing the manuscript.[44]
In a December 2009 interview with 60 Minutes, Donaghy said he and fellow referees thought the punishment was too light. Before Iverson's Nuggets played the Utah Jazz on January 6, 2007, Donaghy said he and the two other officials working the game agreed not to give Iverson favorable calls as a way to "teach him a lesson". Iverson attempted 12 free throws, more than any other player on either team. On 12 drives to the basket, he drew five fouls, three of which Donaghy whistled himself, and did not receive a call on one play in which he was obviously fouled by Utah's Mehmet Okur.[45]
Iverson returned to Philadelphia on March 19, 2008 to a sell-out crowd and received a standing ovation in a 115–113 loss.[46]
Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies (2008–2009)[link]
On November 3, 2008, Iverson was dealt from the Denver Nuggets to the Detroit Pistons for guard Chauncey Billups, forward Antonio McDyess and center Cheikh Samb.[47]
Iverson, who had worn a number 3 jersey his entire NBA career, switched to number 1 for the Pistons. The number 3 was being worn by Rodney Stuckey, and although Stuckey stated that he would be willing to give up the number, the NBA ruled that a change in numbers could not take place until after the season.[48]
Iverson scored at least 24 in four of his first five games with Detroit (They won 3 of the 5),[49] and would score 20 or more and 6 or more assists on a consistent basis, but as the season wore on he would lose playing time to Rodney Stuckey.
On April 3, 2009, it was announced by Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars that Iverson would not play the remainder of the 2008–09 season. Dumars cited Iverson's ongoing back injury as the reason for his deactivation, although two days prior Iverson stated publicly that he'd rather retire than be moved to the bench as Piston's coach Michael Curry had decided.[50]
On September 10, 2009, Iverson signed a one-year contract with the Memphis Grizzlies.[51] Iverson stated that "God chose Memphis as the place that I will continue my career," and that "I feel that they are committed to developing a winner."[52]
However, Iverson again expressed his displeasure at being a bench player,[53] and left the team on November 7, 2009 for "personal reasons."[54] On November 16, the Grizzlies announced the team terminated his contract by "mutual agreement".[55] Iverson played three games for the Grizzlies.
Return to the 76ers (2009–2010)[link]
On November 25, 2009, commentator Stephen A. Smith published on his blog a statement attributed to Iverson announcing plans for retirement, which also said, "I feel strongly that I can still compete at the highest level."[56]
Less than a week later on November 30, Iverson and his representatives met with a Philadelphia 76ers delegation about returning to his former team,[57] and accepted a contract offer two days later. General manager Ed Stefanski declined to go into the terms of the agreement, but an unnamed source told the Associated Press that Iverson agreed to a one-year non-guaranteed contract at the league minimum salary. Iverson would receive a prorated portion of the $1.3 million minimum salary for players with at least 10 years of experience, and the contract would become guaranteed for the remainder of the 2009-10 season if he remained on the roster on January 8, 2010.[58] Stefanski said the team made the decision to pursue Iverson after starting guard Louis Williams suffered a broken jaw and was expected to miss at least 30 games.[59]
On December 7, 2009, Iverson made his return to Philadelphia, garnering a thunderous ovation from the sold-out crowd, in a loss against his former team, the Denver Nuggets.[60] He finished the game with 11 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, a steal and no turnovers.[61] Iverson's first win in his return to Philadelphia came one week later, in a 20-point effort against the Golden State Warriors, ending the Sixers' 12-game losing streak. (which stood at 9 games before Iverson returned).[62]
On February 22, 2010, Iverson left the 76ers indefinitely, citing the need to attend to his 4-year-old daughter Messiah's health issues.[63] He had missed five games earlier in February and missed the All-Star Game after he was voted in as starter.[64] On March 2, Ed Stefanski announced Iverson would not return to the 76ers for the rest of the season.[65]
Beşiktaş Milangaz (2010)[link]
On October 26, 2010, Yahoo! Sports reported that Iverson agreed in principle to a two-year, $4 million net income contract with Beşiktaş Cola Turka (otherwise known as Beşiktaş Milangaz), a Turkish Basketball League team competing in the second-tier level of pan-European professional basketball, the Eurocup (the competition below the Turkish Airlines Euroleague level).[66] The club announced the signing at a press conference in New York City, on October 29, 2010.[67] Iverson made his debut for Beşiktaş 16 November 2010, in a Eurocup 91-94 loss to Serbian side Hemofarm. Iverson scored 15 points in 23 minutes.[68]
Iverson returned to the United States in January 2011 for calf surgery.[69][70]
International career[link]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men’s basketball | ||
Competitor for  United States |
||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Bronze | 2004 Athens | United States |
| FIBA Americas Championship | ||
| Gold | 2003 San Juan | United States |
| Summer Universiade | ||
| Gold | 1995 Fukuoka | United States |
1995 World University Games[link]
Iverson was a member of the USA World University Games Team in Japan in 1995, that included future NBA stars Ray Allen and Tim Duncan, among others. Iverson led all USA players in scoring, assists and steals, averaging 16.7 points per game, 6.1 assists per game, and 2.9 steals per game. He helped lead the team to an undefeated record in route to a 141-81 victory over the host country, Japan, for the gold medal.[71]
2003 FIBA Americas Championship[link]
Iverson was selected to be part of Team USA for the 2003 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico in August of that year. USA had a perfect 10–0 record, and won the gold medal as well as qualifying for a berth in the 2004 Olympics. Iverson started all eight games that he played in, and was second on the team with 14.3 points per game, while also posting 3.8 assists per game, 2.5 rebounds per game, 1.6 steals per game, and shooting 56.2 percent (41–73 FGs) from the field, 53.6 percent (15–28 3pt FGs) from 3-point and 81.0 percent (17–21 FTs) from the foul line.[72]
In the USA's 111–71 victory over Canada on August 25, he accounted for a USA Olympic Qualifying single game record 28 points and made a single game record seven 3-pointers. Playing just 23 minutes, he shot 10-for-13 overall, 7-for-8 from 3-point, 1-for-1 from the foul line and added three assists, three steals and one rebound. All seven of his 3-point field goals were made during the final 7:41 of the third quarter.[73]
He finished the tournament ranked overall tied for 10th in scoring, tied for fourth in steals, fifth in 3-point percentage, tied for seventh in assists, and ninth in field goal percentage (.562). Iverson also missed the USA's final two games because of a sprained right thumb which was suffered in the first half of the August 28 Puerto Rico game. In a game against Puerto Rico, he recorded 9 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field overall, and added five assists and three rebounds in 26 minutes of action in the USA's 101–74 exhibition game victory on August 17 in New York. He was also named to the 2003 USA Senior National Team on April 29, 2003.
2004 Olympics[link]
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The team's performance at the Olympic Games, however, would ultimately prove to be a disappointment. During the exhibition period prior to the games, Iverson and LeBron James were benched for a game, for having arrived late at a practice session.[74] The United States' team won a close game against Germany, which had failed to qualify for the Olympic competition. Iverson did succeed in keeping the game from going into overtime with a half-court shot in the closing seconds. Despite the win, the team continued to struggle. After losing to the Puerto Rican team during round robin play, they would ultimately win a bronze medal.
NBA career statistics[link]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Led the league |
Regular season[link]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | Philadelphia | 76 | 74 | 40.1 | .416 | .341 | .702 | 4.1 | 7.5 | 2.1 | .3 | 23.5 |
| 1997–98 | Philadelphia | 80 | 80 | 39.4 | .461 | .298 | .729 | 3.7 | 6.2 | 2.2 | .3 | 22.0 |
| 1998–99 | Philadelphia | 48 | 48 | 41.5 | .412 | .291 | .751 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 2.3 | .2 | 26.8 |
| 1999–00 | Philadelphia | 70 | 70 | 40.8 | .421 | .341 | .713 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 2.1 | .1 | 28.4 |
| 2000–01 | Philadelphia | 71 | 71 | 42.0 | .420 | .320 | .814 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 2.5 | .3 | 31.1 |
| 2001–02 | Philadelphia | 60 | 59 | 43.7 | .398 | .291 | .812 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 2.8 | .2 | 31.4 |
| 2002–03 | Philadelphia | 82 | 82 | 42.5 | .414 | .277 | .774 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 2.7 | .2 | 27.6 |
| 2003–04 | Philadelphia | 48 | 47 | 42.5 | .387 | .286 | .745 | 3.7 | 6.8 | 2.4 | .1 | 26.4 |
| 2004–05 | Philadelphia | 75 | 75 | 42.3 | .424 | .308 | .835 | 4.0 | 7.9 | 2.4 | .1 | 30.7 |
| 2005–06 | Philadelphia | 72 | 72 | 43.1 | .447 | .323 | .814 | 3.2 | 7.4 | 1.9 | .1 | 33.0 |
| 2006–07 | Philadelphia | 15 | 15 | 42.7 | .413 | .226 | .885 | 2.7 | 7.3 | 2.2 | .1 | 31.2 |
| 2006–07 | Denver | 50 | 49 | 42.4 | .454 | .347 | .759 | 3.0 | 7.2 | 1.8 | .2 | 24.8 |
| 2007–08 | Denver | 82 | 82 | 41.8 | .458 | .345 | .809 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 2.0 | .2 | 26.4 |
| 2008–09 | Denver | 3 | 3 | 41.0 | .450 | .250 | .720 | 2.7 | 6.7 | 1.0 | .3 | 18.7 |
| 2008–09 | Detroit | 54 | 50 | 36.5 | .416 | .286 | .786 | 3.1 | 4.9 | 1.6 | .1 | 17.4 |
| 2009–10 | Memphis | 3 | 0 | 22.3 | .577 | 1.000 | .500 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 12.3 |
| 2009–10 | Philadelphia | 25 | 24 | 31.9 | .417 | .333 | .824 | 3.0 | 4.1 | .7 | .1 | 13.9 |
| Career | 914 | 901 | 41.1 | .425 | .313 | .780 | 3.7 | 6.2 | 2.2 | .2 | 26.7 | |
| All-Star | 9 | 9 | 26.6 | .414 | .667 | .769 | 2.6 | 6.2 | 2.3 | .1 | 14.4 |
Playoffs[link]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | Philadelphia | 8 | 8 | 44.8 | .411 | .283 | .712 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 2.5 | .2 | 28.5 |
| 1999–00 | Philadelphia | 10 | 10 | 44.4 | .384 | .308 | .739 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 1.2 | .1 | 26.2 |
| 2000–01 | Philadelphia | 22 | 22 | 46.2 | .389 | .338 | .774 | 4.7 | 6.1 | 2.4 | .3 | 32.9 |
| 2001–02 | Philadelphia | 5 | 5 | 41.8 | .381 | .333 | .810 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 2.6 | .0 | 30.0 |
| 2002–03 | Philadelphia | 12 | 12 | 46.4 | .416 | .345 | .737 | 4.3 | 7.4 | 2.4 | .1 | 31.7 |
| 2004–05 | Philadelphia | 5 | 5 | 47.6 | .468 | .414 | .897 | 2.2 | 10.0 | 2.0 | .4 | 31.2 |
| 2006–07 | Denver | 5 | 5 | 44.6 | .368 | .294 | .806 | .6 | 5.8 | 1.4 | .0 | 22.8 |
| 2007–08 | Denver | 4 | 4 | 39.5 | .434 | .214 | .697 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 1.0 | .2 | 24.5 |
| Career | 71 | 71 | 45.1 | .401 | .327 | .764 | 3.8 | 6.0 | 2.1 | .2 | 29.7 |
Personal life[link]
Iverson married his high school sweetheart, Tawanna, in August 2001. The couple has five children.
Attempt at a musical career[link]
During the 2000 offseason, Iverson recorded a rap single called "40 Bars". However, after being criticized for its controversial lyrics, he eventually was unable to release it. Going under his moniker, Jewelz, the album was alleged to have made derogatory remarks about homosexuals. After criticism from activist groups and NBA Commissioner David Stern, he agreed to change the lyrics, but ultimately never released the album.[75]
Legal and financial problems[link]
During the 1997 offseason, Iverson and his friends were stopped by policemen for speeding late at night and was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon and for possession of marijuana. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to community service.[76]
On February 24, 2004, Iverson urinated in a trash can at Bally's Atlantic City casino and was told by casino management not to return.[77]
On December 9, 2005 after the Sixers defeated the Charlotte Bobcats, Iverson paid a late-night visit to the Trump Taj Mahal. After winning a hand at a three-card-stud poker table, Iverson was overpaid $10,000 in chips by a dealer. When the dealer quickly realized the mistake and requested the chips back, Iverson refused and a heated head-turning argument between him and casino staff began. Atlantic City casino regulations reportedly state that when a casino makes a payout mistake in favor of the gambler, he or she must return the money that they did not legitimately win by playing.[77]
Also in 2005, Iverson's bodyguard Jason Kane was accused of assaulting a man at a Washington DC nightclub after the man, Marlin Godfrey, refused to leave the club's VIP section so Iverson's entourage could enter. Godfrey suffered a concussion, a ruptured eardrum, a burst blood vessel in his eye, a torn rotator cuff, cuts and bruises, and emotional injuries. Although Iverson did not touch Godfrey himself, Godfrey sued Iverson for the injuries caused by his bodyguard. In 2007 a jury awarded Godfrey $260,000. The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the verdict in 2009.[78]
In a Philadelphia Inquirer column published March 7, 2010, Stephen A. Smith wrote that according to "numerous NBA sources", Iverson would "either drink himself into oblivion or gamble his life away", and that Iverson had already been banned from casinos in Detroit and Atlantic City. Smith also wrote that Tawanna, his wife of eight years, had separated from him and filed for divorce, seeking custody of their five children, as well as child support and alimony payments.[79]
In November 2010, Kate Fagan, a 76ers beat writer for the Inquirer reported that Iverson was "broke" and heavily in debt, "by all accounts except his own", and that a member of Iverson's family had previously contacted NBA teams about a contract for him, as he would not be able to pay that person without a contract.[80]
In August 2011, an Ohio man sued Iverson for $2.5 million in damages, claiming he was assaulted by Iverson's security guard in a 2009 bar fight in Detroit. The federal judge dismissed the case, finding no evidence that Iverson or his bodyguard struck the plaintiff, Guy Walker.[81]
Despite his lack of experience in the sport, in February 2012, towards the end of their regular season, the Rochester Lancers, a pro indoor soccer team made Iverson a contract offer for $20,000 (U.S.) per game with a bonus of $5,000 for every goal scored along with merchandise bonuses and the local hosting of his friends and family for the duration of his stay.[82]
See also[link]
- List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders
- List of National Basketball Association players with most points in a game
- List of National Basketball Association players with most steals in a game
- List of National Basketball Association players with 50 or more points in a playoff game
- List of Individual NBA Scoring Champions
Footnotes[link]
- ^ http://www.dailypress.com/sports/allen-iverson/dp-top100-iversonsep24,0,4945489.story
- ^ a b "Allen Iverson". Georgetown Basketball History. December 3, 2010. http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/a_iverson.htm. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
- ^ "Iverson's Back". ESPN. http://espn.go.com/nba/?topId=4706374. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ "Daily Dime: Special Edition – Greatest shooting guards of all time". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-GreatestSGs. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
- ^ "A Town Divided: Allen Iverson And Hampton, Va.". National Public Radio. April 13, 2010. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125870182.
- ^ Nance, Roscoe (February 22, 2004). "Iverson puts heart on line, ignores injuries". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/educate/college/firstyear/articles/20040222.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
- ^ "Allen Iverson at Bethel". dailypress.com.com. http://www.dailypress.com/sports/allen-iverson/dp-top100-iversonsep24,0,4945489.story. Retrieved 2004-09-24.
- ^ Latimer, Clay (December 20, 2006). "He brings baggage but also a big heart". Rocky Mountain News. http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2006/dec/20/he-brings-baggage-but-also-a-big-heart/. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
- ^ Falkner, David (January 30, 1995). "The agony and the ecstasy". The Sporting News. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_n5_v219/ai_16434629/. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g Sielski, Mike (March 4, 2007). "Iverson Answers the Call". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/classic/bio/news/story?page=Iverson_Allen. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
- ^ Check Out These Stories from Our Partners (2009-12-10). "Allen Iverson Rewind: Georgetown University". The Hoop Doctors. http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/12/allen-iverson-rewind-georgetown-university/. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/georgetown/1995.html
- ^ http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/georgetown/1996.html
- ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/1997.html
- ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/1998.html
- ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/1999.html
- ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1999.html
- ^ "Allen Iverson timeline". ESPN. 2006-12-20. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2694528. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/2000.html
- ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_2000.html
- ^ Smallwood, Jr., John (March 2001). "Brotherly Love Like - Allen Iverson, under the coaching of Larry Brown, emerges as team captain of the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers". Basketball Digest. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCJ/is_5_28/ai_71187961. [dead link]
- ^ CBS Sports. "Six-foot Iverson smallest player to win MVP award ". CBS Sports. May 15, 2001. Retrieved on December 31, 2008.
- ^ "NBA Finals 2001". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/finals2001/recap_phi_lal_010606.html?nav=SiteFragment. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ Chris Broussard. "Now a Leader, Iverson Turns Image Around". New York Times. June 6, 2001. Retrieved on December 31, 2008.
- ^ a b c Steven Kotler. "Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant and Basketball's Placebo effect". Psychology Today. April 17, 2008. Retrieved on January 8, 2009.
- ^ Larry Platt. Only the Strong Survive. Harper Collins, 2003. 9.
- ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/2002.html
- ^ "Allen Iverson news conference transcript". CNNSI.com. 2002-05-10. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/news/2002/05/09/iverson_transcript/.
- ^ Wood, Skip (2002-05-09). "Brown puts balm on Iverson's feelings". USAToday.com. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/nba/sixers/2002-05-08-iverson-brown.htm.
- ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/2003.html
- ^ "Iverson 'insulted' by decision to have him come off bench". USA Today. March 15, 2004. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2004-03-15-notes-iverson-insulted_x.htm. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/2005.html
- ^ . http://www.seattlepi.com/basketball/2030ap_bkn_ers_iverson.html?rand=60182.35. [dead link]
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Sixers' Iverson to Celtics? It's all just talk". The Boston Globe. June 26, 2006. http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2006/06/26/sixers_iverson_to_celtics_its_all_just_talk/.
- ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01/gamelog/2007/
- ^ "In first interview since trade, Iverson tells his story". ESPN. 2006-12-22. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2704221. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ "Trade talks heat up as Iverson sits two games". ESPN. 2006-12-09. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2691152. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ "Miller, Smith go to Sixers in deal for Iverson". ESPN. 2006-12-20. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2702501. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ Eddie Pells (2006-12-23). "Iverson Shines in Nuggets Loss to Kings". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/games/20061222/SACDEN/recap.html. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ "Spurs Close Out Nuggets in Game 5". NBA.com. 2007-05-03. http://www.nba.com/playoffs2007/series/series_w1s3.html. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ "Iverson fined $25,000 for postgame rant against Javie". ESPN. 2007-01-07. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2721633. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ Abbot, Henry (December 3, 2009). "Personal Foul: Tim Donaghy's NBA tell-all now available". TrueHoop (ESPN.com). http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/11202/personal-foul-tim-donaghys-nba-tell-all-now-available.
- ^ Beck, Howard (October 29, 2009). "Tim Donaghy Again Forces an N.B.A. Investigation of Referees". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/sports/basketball/30refs.html. Retrieved October 29, 2009.
- ^ Berger, Ken (December 8, 2009). "Disgraced former ref Donaghy details scam on '60 Minutes'". CBS Sports. http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/12624836/disgraced-former-ref-donaghy-details-scam-on-60-minutes. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
- ^ Bob Lentz (2008-03-20). "Surging 76ers Edge Nuggets, Spoil Iverson's Return". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/games/20080319/DENPHI/recap.html. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ "Pistons Acquire Allen Iverson from Denver in Exchange for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb". http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/iverson_081103.html.
- ^ http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081104/SPORTS0102/811040423/1361[dead link]
- ^ "Allen Iverson 2008-09 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01/gamelog/2009/. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ Grizzlies sign four-time scoring champion Allen Iverson
- ^ "God Chose Memphis?". The Washington Post. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/wizardsinsider/2009/09/god_chose_memphis.html?wprss=wizardsinsider.
- ^ Spears, Marc J.. "Grizzlies, Iverson off to rocky start". Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=mc-iversongrizzlies110309&prov=yhoo&type=lgns. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ Spears, Marc J.. "Iverson leaves the Grizzlies". Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=mc-iversonleaves110709&prov=yhoo&type=lgns. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ "Grizzlies part ways with Iverson". The Sports Network. November 16, 2009. http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=298628.
- ^ "Online report: Iverson set to retire". Associated Press. November 25, 2009. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/nba/11/25/iverson.retires.ap/index.html. [dead link]
- ^ Stein, Marc (December 1, 2009). "Sources: Sixers closer to Answer". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4702589.
- ^ Jasner, Phil (December 3, 2009). "Iverson's humble homecoming". Philadelphia Daily News. http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/sports/78396707.html.
- ^ Juliano, Joe (December 2, 2006). "Iverson agrees to non-guaranteed deal with Sixers". The Philadelphia Inquirer. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/breaking/sports_breaking/20091202_Iverson_agrees_to_non-guaranteed_deal_with_Sixers.html.
- ^ "Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson starts Monday against Denver Nuggets". ESPN. 2009-12-07. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4721932. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ "The Game Happens Here". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/games/20091207/DENPHI/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ "The Game Happens Here". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/games/20091214/GSWPHI/gameinfo.html#nbaGIboxscore. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ . Associated Press. February 22, 2010. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4936773.
- ^ Wojnarows, Adrian (February 22, 2010). Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-iversonsixers022210&prov=yhoo&type=lgns.
- ^ "Iverson officially done with the Sixers". Philadelphia Daily News. March 2, 2010. http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/Iverson_officially_done_with_the_Sixers.html. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ "Allen Iverson agrees to two-year deal with Turkish team". Detroit Free Press. October 26, 2010. http://www.freep.com/article/20101026/SPORTS08/10260377/1051/sports03/Iverson-joins-Turkish-team. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Allen Iverson ‘Ecstatic’ To Go To Turkey". Associated Press. October 29, 2010. http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/sports/local_sports/102910-allen-iverson-ecstatic-to-go-to-turkey.
- ^ "Besiktas ColaTurka - KK Hemofarm Stada Game Report". Eurocup.com. November 16, 2010. http://www.eurocupbasketball.com/ulebcup/competition/results/showgame/report?gamecode=4. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
- ^ "Club Announcement about Allen Iverson". Besiktas. January 14, 2011. http://www.bjk.com.tr/en/haberler.php?h_no=3117&k_id=0. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
- ^ Berger, Ken (February 1, 2011). "Iverson out 6-8 weeks after leg procedure". CBS Sports. http://ken-berger.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/11838893/27336883. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
- ^ "USAB: EIGHTEENTH WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES - 1995". Usabasketball.com. 1995-09-02. http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/worlduniversity/mwug_1995.html. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/worlduniversity/mwug_1995.html
- ^ http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-08/26/content_258435.htm
- ^ May, Peter (July 2, 2006). "They may want to deep-six it". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2006/07/02/they_may_want_to_deep_six_it/.
- ^ "Misunderstood Allen Iverson Skips Hip-Hop For Hoops - Rhapsody Music Downloads". VH1.com. http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1449517/10022001/iverson_allen.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ Heath, Thomas (August 27, 1997). "Iverson Receives 3 Years' Probation". Washington Post. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/13672551.html?dids=13672551:13672551&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=AUG+27%2C+1997&author=Thomas+Heath&pub=The+Washington+Post.
- ^ a b "NBA Star Allen Iverson and Casino Staff Battle it out in Atlantic City". http://www.onlinecasino-news.com/20051217/nba_star_allen_iverson_and_casino_staff_battle_it_out_in_atlantic_ega.aspx.
- ^ Iverson's Appeal of Lawsuit Rejected by Federal Appeals Court ESPN.com, March 24, 2009
- ^ "Iverson reportedly has gambling problem, too". The Baseline (Sporting News). March 8, 2010. http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/35765978/ns/sports-nba/.
- ^ Dwyer, Kelly (November 22, 2010). "Allen Iverson is 'not a sensation,' and possibly 'broke'". Ball Don't Lie (Yahoo! Sports). http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Allen-Iverson-is-not-a-sensation-and-possibly?urn=nba-288088.
- ^ "Judge dismisses bar-fight lawsuit against Allen Iverson". Associated Press. November 15, 2011. http://news.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/other_nba/view/20111115judge_dismisses_bar-fight_lawsuit_against_allen_iverson/.
- ^ "Former NBA star Allen Iverson gets pro soccer contract offer". The Globe and Mail. February 20, 2012. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/basketball/former-nba-star-allen-iverson-gets-pro-soccer-contract-offer/article2344250/?utm_medium=Feeds%3A%20RSS%2FAtom&utm_source=Soccer&utm_content=2344250. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
External links[link]
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Allen Iverson |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Allen Iverson |
- Allen Iverson at NBA.com
- Allen Iverson at Basketball-Reference.com
- Allen Iverson at ESPN.com
- Eurocup Basketball Profile
- Turkish Basketball League Profile
- U.S. Olympic Team bio
- Allen Iverson on Twitter
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Iverson, Allen |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Basketball player |
| Date of birth | June 7, 1975 |
| Place of birth | Hampton, Virginia |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
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