- published: 22 May 2011
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![Lamar Odom [HD]](http://web.archive.org./web/20130306045520im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/mMTElOeAWPA/default.jpg "New Mix Made By The 2 Biggest Lakers Fan's in Europe/The Netherlands")
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Connecticut
Connecticut (
i/kəˈnɛtɨkət/) is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south (with which it shares a water boundary in Long Island Sound).
Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately bisects the state. Its capital city is Hartford. Much of southern and western Connecticut (along with the majority of the state's population) is part of the New York metropolitan area; three of Connecticut's eight counties are statistically included in the New York City combined statistical area, the same area is widely referred to as the Tri-State area. Connecticut's center of population is in Cheshire, New Haven County, which is also located within the Tri-State area.
Connecticut is the 3rd least extensive, the 29th most populous, and 4th most densely populated of the 50 United States. Called the Constitution State, Nutmeg State, and "The Land of Steady Habits", Connecticut was influential in the development of the federal government of the United States.
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New York
New York (/njuː ˈjɔrk/; locally IPA: [nɪu ˈjɔək] or [nuː ˈjɔɹk] (
listen)) is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. New York is the 27th most extensive, the 3rd most populous, and the 7th most densely populated of the 50 United States. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east. The state has a maritime border with Rhode Island east of Long Island, as well as an international border with the Canadian provinces of Ontario to the west and north, and Quebec to the north. The state of New York is often referred to as New York State to distinguish it from New York City.
New York City, with a population of over 8.1 million, is the most populous city in the United States. Alone, it makes up over 40 percent of the population of New York state. It is known for its status as a center for finance and culture and for its status as the largest gateway for immigration to the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, New York City is also a destination of choice for many foreign visitors. Both the state and city were named for the 17th century Duke of York, James Stuart, future James II and VII of England and Scotland.
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New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. The city is referred to as New York City or The City of New York to distinguish it from the State of New York, of which it is a part. As a global power city, New York exerts a significant impact upon commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment. The home of the United Nations Headquarters, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has been described as the cultural capital of the world.
Located on one of the world's largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, each of which comprises a state county. The five boroughs—The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island—were consolidated into a single city in 1898. With a Census-estimated 2011 population of 8,244,910 distributed over a land area of just 305 square miles (790 km2), New York is the most densely populated major city in the United States. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. The New York City Metropolitan Area's population is the United States' largest, with 18.9 million people distributed over 6,720 square miles (17,400 km2), and is also part of the most populous combined statistical area in the United States, containing 22.1 million people as of the 2010 Census.
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Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City and the largest in area and the second-largest in population. Since 1899, Queens has had the same boundaries as Queens County, which is now the second most populous county in New York State and the fourth-most densely populated county in the United States. Queens, as well as neighboring borough Brooklyn, sits on the west end of geographic Long Island. Queens is the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world with a population of over 2.2 million, 46% of whom are foreign-born, representing over 100 different nations and speaking over 138 different languages.
Were each New York City borough an independent city, Queens would be the nation's fourth largest city, after Los Angeles, Chicago, and Brooklyn. Queens has the second-largest and most diversified economy of all the five boroughs of New York City.Long Island City, on the Queens waterfront across from Manhattan on the East River, is the site of the Citicorp Building, the tallest skyscraper in New York City outside of Manhattan and the tallest building on geographic Long Island.
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Aaron McKie
Aaron Fitzgerald McKie (born October 2, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player in the NBA and currently an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers. Throughout his playing career, McKie was a combo guard, playing at either point guard, shooting guard or small forward.
McKie attended Simon Gratz High School in Philadelphia and was a letterman in basketball. In basketball, as a senior, he was an All-Scholastic choice and an All-Southern Pennsylvania choice, and helped lead his team to the Public League championship and a 26 wins-4 loss record, and averaged 18.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game. He graduated from Gratz in 1990.
After redshirting his freshman year, McKie finished his three-year career at Temple University tied for sixth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,650 points, averaging 17.9 points per game while starting all 92 games. He teamed up with eventual All-Star Eddie Jones at Temple, and was named first-team All-Atlantic 10 and he was named to the A-10 all-tournament team as a senior. As a junior, he was the 1993 Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year, after averaging 20.6 points per game.
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Adam Morrison
Adam John Morrison (born July 19, 1984) is an American basketball player who last played for Beşiktaş Milangaz in Turkey.
Morrison played for three years at Gonzaga University and was considered to be one of the top college basketball players in 2005–06. He was a finalist for the Naismith and the Wooden Award. He was named Co-Player of the Year with Duke University's J. J. Redick by the United States Basketball Writers Association and won the 2006 Chevrolet Player of the Year award.
Morrison's father John is a basketball coach, and the family moved with his coaching career: Casper College in Northwest Casper, Wyoming, Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota, and Dawson Community College in Glendive, Montana. When Morrison was in the fourth grade, his father left coaching and the family moved to Spokane, Washington. Adam became the Gonzaga men's team's ball boy.
When he was in the eighth grade, he lost 30 pounds (14 kg), and while attending a basketball camp at Gonzaga during this time, he felt sick, later saying about his experience at the camp, "I think I made one shot the whole three days. I was sicker than a dog. I didn't want to play. I couldn't do anything." Shortly after this, Morrison was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. He took his diagnosis surprisingly well; the second time a nurse came to administer insulin, he stopped her, telling her, "Since I'm going to be doing this the rest of my life, you might as well show me how to do it." However, his illness did not keep him from becoming a star at Mead Senior High School in Spokane. In his senior year he broke single-season and career scoring records in his high school conference, and led Mead to the finals of the state tournament. Despite playing in the final game with hypoglycemia so severe that he nearly suffered a seizure, he scored 37 points in a losing effort. It was Mead's only loss that season. Morrison was not heavily recruited out of high school.
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Aleksandar Radojević
Aleksandar Radojević (
/rəˈdɔɪ.əvɪtʃ/; born August 8, 1976) is a professional basketball player who plays for APOEL in Cyprus.
Radojević was born in either Herceg Novi, or Bijela,Montenegro, or Trebinje, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, all in the now former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He only started playing basketball at age 16 after playing football and water polo as a youngster.
He started his career with Cetinje outfit KK Lovćen where he spent the 1995–96 season. For the next 1996–97 season he moved to Budućnost Podgorica where he sporadically played a certain amount of games.
A 7 ft 3 in center, he signed a national letter of intent to play for Ohio State University's prestigious Buckeyes in the early part of 1997. Radojevic never played for Ohio State because the NCAA declared him ineligible for accepting around $9,000 (or $13,000) to play for Budućnost in 1996. He thus ended up at a much less glamorous basketball programme of Barton County Community College where he spent the next two seasons.
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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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Andre Iguodala
Andre Tyler Iguodala (born January 28, 1984) is an American professional basketball small forward with the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Iguodala is listed at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) and 207 lbs. (94 kg). Iguodala played his high school basketball for Lanphier High School in Springfield, Illinois. He later attended the University of Arizona, playing for two years before declaring for the 2004 NBA Draft, where he was drafted 9th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. Iguodala is a swingman, meaning he can play the shooting guard or small forward positions. As an NBA player Iguodala is known for his ability to defend, his great athleticism and his ability to run his team playing the role of a point forward.
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Andre Miller
Andre Lloyd Miller (born March 19, 1976) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Miller previously played for the Cavaliers, Clippers, 76ers, and Trail Blazers. Currently, he ranks tenth all-time in NBA career assists and has only missed three games due to injury in his 13-year career.
Miller played college basketball at the University of Utah. He became a starter at point guard early in his freshman season, and remained a team leader throughout his career at the school. In 1998, following the graduation of Keith Van Horn, Miller and Michael Doleac took charge of the team and led the Runnin' Utes to the championship game of the 1998 Final Four. It was during that tournament run that Miller gained national attention.
Utah faced Arizona in the West Regional finals. The Wildcats were defending national champions and the top seed in the region, and thus were heavily favored over the Utes. Arizona boasted an All-American guard line of Mike Bibby, Miles Simon, and Jason Terry, but Miller wasn't intimidated. He single-handedly dominated the Wildcats, totaling 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists in the game. It was just the fourth triple-double in the recorded history of the NCAA tournament. Utah won in a rout, 76-51.
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Andrei Kirilenko
Andrei Gennadyevich Kirilenko (Russian: Андрей Геннадьевич Кириленко; born February 18, 1981) is a Russian professional basketball player who plays the small forward position for CSKA Moscow in the Russian Professional Basketball League and the Euroleague. He is 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) tall and weighs 103 kg (227 lb). At age fifteen, Kirilenko began playing professional basketball in his native Russia with the Russian Basketball Super League. He spent another three years with CSKA Moscow, winning the Russian league MVP award in 2000.
In 2001, Kirilenko joined the Utah Jazz, who drafted him in 1999. He became the first Russian player selected in the first round of a draft and the youngest European player drafted. He made the NBA All-Rookie Team after his first season, was an NBA All-Defensive Team pick three times and played in the 2004 All-Star Game. In 2012, he led CSKA Moscow to the Euroleague Final, being named the competition's MVP, while earning an All-Euroleague First Team selection. He also won the Euroleague Defensive Player of the Year award the same year.
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Andrew Bynum
Andrew Bynum (born October 27, 1987) is an American professional basketball center who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has won two NBA Championships with the Lakers, and he was a first-time All-Star in 2012. Bynum was drafted with the 10th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Lakers. He became the youngest player ever to play an NBA game later that year. Amidst the 2007–08 season, he suffered an injury on his left kneecap and eventually missed the rest of the season and all of the playoffs. He made a successful return at the beginning of the 2008–09 season. In January 2009, however, he suffered another injury, this time to his right knee. He was able to come back before the playoffs started and was part of the Lakers squad that won the 2009 NBA championship. In the 2010 post-season, Bynum played in every single playoff game with a torn meniscus and strained Achilles tendon and the Lakers repeated as NBA champions against the Boston Celtics.
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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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Antwain Smith
Antwain Smith (born May 1, 1975 in Newport News, Virginia) is an American professional basketball player in the small forward position. He attended Saint Paul's College from 1995-1999.
Upon college graduation, Smith was selected with the 51st pick of the 1999 NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies, but never played a game with any NBA team. He went on to play in the IBL with St. Louis Swarm (1999-00, 2000–01) and Richmond Rhythm (2000–01) and the NBDL, for the Fayetteville Patriots (2001–02, started that season in Slovenia).
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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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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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Brandan Wright
Brandan Keith Wright (born October 5, 1987) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Growing up in Tennessee, Wright fast became a standout at his high school Brentwood Academy, earning an unprecedented three "Mr. Basketball" titles, a feat no player at any level had ever done in Tennessee. After leading his high school team to four consecutive state championships, Wright was eventually recruited by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's basketball team. In his lone season as a Tar Heel, Wright was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year, and earned All-ACC Second Team honors. In the 2007 NBA Draft, Wright was chosen eighth overall by the Charlotte Bobcats, and in a draft night trade was dealt to the Golden State Warriors for guard Jason Richardson. On February 23, 2011 Wright was traded to the New Jersey Nets.
Wright was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. In high school, Wright became a two-time Parade All-American selection at Brentwood Academy. As a senior, Wright averaged 22.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 5.1 blocks per contest, and also recorded four triple-doubles (points, rebounds, blocks). Wright earned Tennessee's Division II Mr. Basketball title in 2004, 2005, and 2006, becoming the first player ever to win the award three times at any level of Tennessee high school basketball. Wright led his Brentwood Academy team to four consecutive Tennessee state championships and was a four-time MVP of the Tennessee Division II private school state championship tournament. Wright led Brentwood Academy to four consecutive state titles, a first in Tennessee high school basketball history.
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Brendan Haywood
Brendan Todd Haywood (born November 27, 1979, in New York City, United States) is an American professional basketball player. The 7' 0", 263-lb. center currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association.
As a senior at James B. Dudley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, Haywood won the Gatorade North Carolina Basketball Player of the Year. He was named to the 1997 McDonald's All-American Team.
After graduation, Haywood enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the 1997–98 season. Haywood was recruited by legendary Tar Heel basketball coach Dean Smith, but the coach retired shortly after Haywood's arrival on campus and turned the job over to his assistant, Bill Guthridge. Haywood backed up Makhtar N'Diaye at the center position his freshman season, and was the most-used bench player after the six rotating starters (Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Shammond Williams, Ed Cota, Ademola Okulaja and N'diaye). That season, the Tar Heels advanced to the National Semifinals of the 1998 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
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Brian Cardinal
Brian Lee Cardinal (born May 2, 1977 in Tolono, Illinois), nicknamed "The Custodian" or "The Janitor", is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Dallas Mavericks. Prior to being drafted to the NBA, Cardinal played college basketball at Purdue University.
Brian Cardinal attended Unity High School in Tolono, Illinois where he played basketball with his brother, Troy. He led the Rockets to an 86–25 record during his high school career, where he averaged 23.5 points during his Junior year and 24.1 points per game in his Senior year. He scored 40 points in two different games. On April 15, Brian was selected as the Coca-Cola All-American Most Valuable Player, where he scored 24 points and 13 rebounds for the West team.
After graduating from high school, Cardinal attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana to play under head coach Gene Keady and assistant coaches Frank Kendrick and Bruce Weber. Cardinal was redshirted during his Freshman season. During the 1996–97 season, Brian averaged 10.6 points a game and grabbed 182 rebounds on the season. He recorded his first collegiate double-double in only his second game against Western Michigan with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Along with Juniors Brad Miller and Chad Austin, he helped lead the Boilermakers to an NCAA Tournament Second Round appearance.
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Brian Grant
Brian Wade Grant (born March 5, 1972 in Columbus, Ohio) is a retired American basketball player. He played the power forward and center positions for five teams during 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He was known for his tenacious rebounding and blue-collar defense. During his career, he played with the Sacramento Kings (where he made First Team All-Rookie in the 1994–95 season), Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns.
He was picked up on the Xavier University basketball team where he was second on the all-time leading scorers' list. He became the two-time Midwest Collegiate Conference Player of the Year at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. All four seasons with Xavier University he led his team in rebounding, and was third on the all-time leading rebounding list. He was named to the Associated Press' honorable mention All-American team in his junior year, after ranking second in the nation in field goal percentage with 65.4 percent.
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Brian Shaw
Brian K. Shaw (born March 22, 1966) is a retired American professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers. At 6' 6" he could play both guard spots, but was used primarily at point guard over the course of his 14 seasons in the league.
Shaw grew up in Oakland, California with other future basketball stars such as Antonio Davis, Jason Kidd, and Gary Payton, as well as Demetrius "Hook" Mitchell.[citation needed] He attended Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland and then St. Mary's College of California for his freshman and sophomore years of college. He then transferred to UC Santa Barbara for his junior and senior seasons. In his senior year, he was named Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) player of the year as he led the Gauchos to their first ever NCAA tournament berth. He was taken with the 24th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in the 1988 NBA Draft.
In 1988, Shaw signed a one year contract with the Celtics. In 1989, Shaw signed a two-year contract to play with an Italian team, Il Messaggero Roma. At the end of January 1990, Shaw signed a 5 year deal with the Celtics. In June of that year, Shaw told the Celtics he planned to play for Il Messaggero during the 1990 season. The ensuing contract dispute, Boston Celtics v. Brian Shaw, which Shaw lost, became a relatively famous sports law case and is read in many law school contracts classes.[citation needed]
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Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., (born May 20, 1972), better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes. Early in his career, he was known for his wild style and fashion, and today is best known for his intricate rapping technique, which involves rapping at a fast rate with lots of internal rhyme and half rhyme, and to date has received eleven Grammy nominations for his musical work. About.com included him on its list of the 50 Greatest MCs of Our Time (1987–2007), while Steve Huey of Allmusic called him one of the best and most prolific rappers of the '90s.
Busta was born in Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn, to Jamaican parents Geraldine Green and Trevor Smith, Sr. in 1972. Smith attended George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School, alongside Jay-Z, DMX and The Notorious B.I.G. He went to Uniondale High School on Long Island, graduating in 1990.
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Cal Bowdler
James Calloway "Cal" Bowdler II (born March 31, 1977 in Sharps, Virginia) is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6 ft 10 in, 245 lb power forward from Old Dominion University, Bowdler was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1st round (17th overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft and played for the Hawks for three seasons from 1999 to 2002. He has last played professionally in Italy for Kinder Bologna (2002), Montepaschi Siena (2002–2003), Lottomatica Roma (2003–2004) and Casti Group Varese (2004–05).
Bowdler attended Rappahannock High School in Warsaw, Virginia.
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Calvin Booth
Calvin Lawrence Booth (born May 7, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player.
Calvin Booth attended Penn State University after starring at Groveport Madison High School in Ohio. As a junior, he was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. As a senior, he was a second team All-Big Ten Conference pick. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at Penn State in 1998.
Booth was drafted by the Wizards in the second round (35th overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft. He has played for the Wizards, the Dallas Mavericks, the Seattle SuperSonics and the Milwaukee Bucks throughout his NBA career, averaging 4.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. During the 2006–07 NBA season, he played for the Washington Wizards again, providing play from off the bench and starting occasionally. On September 10, 2007 Booth signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Booth's career highlight came in Game 5 of the 2001 NBA Playoffs against the Utah Jazz. Booth got free for a layup with 9.8 seconds remaining to give Dallas a 84–83 lead and a 3–2 series victory; the Mavericks' first since the 1988 Western Conference semifinals against Denver.
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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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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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Caron Butler
James Caron Butler, widely known as Caron Butler (born March 13, 1980), is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA.
Butler was born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, where he suffered through a rough childhood; he was a drug dealer at age 11 and arrested 15 times before the age of 15. Caron discovered his love for basketball while at the detention center. Butler played in AAU basketball in '98 and '99. After a brief career at Washington Park High School, he enrolled at Maine Central Institute where he was successful enough to receive a scholarship to play at UConn for coach Jim Calhoun for two years.
He lives in Centreville, Virginia with his wife, Andrea, and daughter, Mia. He has another daughter, Camary, and son, Caron Jr., who live in Racine. He has a habit of chewing on straws which he picked up back in AAU ball in '98 or '99. His straws of choice are from McDonald's.
Butler attended a surprise birthday party for Anthony Fadel, a 16-year-old in the Washington, D.C. area when invited by the boy's family. The party was held in May 2007, and the event was primarily reported by Internet blogs, since Wizards PR purposely did not cover the event to preserve the sincerity of Butler's gesture.
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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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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 Herren
Christopher Albert Herren (born September 27, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player.
He started his collegiate career at Boston College, but left after one year to join Jerry Tarkanian's Fresno State team. After college, Herren was selected by the Denver Nuggets in the 2nd round (33rd overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft. A 6'2" guard, he played for the Nuggets and the Boston Celtics during his NBA career.
Herren was the central figure in a book about Durfee High basketball entitled Fall River Dreams.
In December 2004, Herren was charged with possession of heroin and driving under the influence with a revoked license in the parking lot of a Dunkin' Donuts in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
After completing intensive rehabilitation programs, Herren has been drug-free since June 4, 2008 and sober since August 1, 2008. In June 2009, Herren launched Hoop Dreams with Chris Herren, a basketball player development company to mentor players on and off the court. In addition, he established the foundation The Herren Project in 2011 as a way to assist young addicts through the recovery process. As a result of the popularity of his story, Herren is also a sought-after motivational speaker, having appeared before audiences as diverse as students, fellow athletes, and prisoners.
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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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Chuck Person
Chuck Connors Person (born June 27, 1964 in Brantley, Alabama) is a retired American National Basketball Association player and current assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Person attended Brantley High School in Brantley, Alabama and wasn't heavily recruited, but Auburn took a chance on him in 1982. Person was mostly a reserve forward his freshman year, but saw more playing time as the year progressed. In his sophomore season, Person was a full-time starter at forward and teamed with junior Charles Barkley to form a potent inside-outside combination. Person's superb outside shooting skills (unusual for a big man) and Barkley's inside play helped Auburn University to its first ever NCAA tournament appearance in 1984. Person averaged 19.1 points per game that season.
After Barkley left for the NBA, Person became the unquestioned leader of a young Auburn team that wasn't expected to do much in 1984-85. He averaged 22.5 points per game and set the Auburn single-season record for total points scored (747). Auburn was a seventh seed (out of 10) in the SEC Tournament that season, but Person and freshmen Chris Morris, Jeff Moore, and Terrence Howard helped Auburn to become the first team to win four games in four days in the tournament and to win its first-ever SEC Tournament championship. Person was an Honorable Mention All-America selection that season. In the NCAA tournament, Auburn upset Kansas and Purdue before bowing out in the Sweet 16 to North Carolina.
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Corey Maggette
Corey Antoine Maggette (pronounced /məˈɡɛti/; born November 12, 1979) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Bobcats of the National Basketball Association. He excelled at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois, where he was an All-American in basketball and also an Illinois high school state track finalist in long jump and triple jump. Along with former Clippers teammate Elton Brand and college teammate William Avery, Maggette is notable for being one of the first Duke players to leave before the end of his athletic eligibility during the tenure of coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Maggette, playing as a 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), 225 lb (102 kg; 16.1 st) small forward, was selected out of Duke University by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 13th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. He was traded shortly thereafter to the Orlando Magic, as a part of the deal which sent Horace Grant from Magic to SuperSonics.
Maggette played one season in Orlando before signing with the Los Angeles Clippers the following season. During his career with the Clippers, Maggette established himself as a solid forward and developed into a perennial 15+ per game scorer. Known for excellent jumping ability as well as his propensity to create contact and get to the free throw line—is consistently among the league leaders in free throws attempted and made. Maggette participated in the Slam Dunk Contest at the 2001 NBA All-Star Weekend. He experienced a good year in 2004–05, touting career highs in points, rebounds, assists and free throw percentage. Bothered by a nagging foot injury, he sat out much of the 2005–06 season. However, he returned to the court strongly during the 2006–07 season despite an alleged feud with coach Mike Dunleavy. Maggette had a career night against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 12, 2007, scoring 39 points to secure a 118–110 victory after recovering from a 17-point deficit. His previous career high in a single game was 38 points.
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Corliss Williamson
Corliss Mondari Williamson (born December 4, 1973) is the current head basketball coach for the University of Central Arkansas and a retired American professional basketball player, who played for four teams during his 12-year NBA career. His nickname is "Big Nasty", a moniker he received from his cousin when he was 13. Williamson was a dominating power forward in college, but became an undersized power forward in the NBA and mostly played at the small forward position.
Corliss Williamson played basketball at Russellville High School, where he achieved numerous accolades. He was a three-time all-conference and all-state selection, and was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992. Prior to his senior year, Williamson held his own against Chris Webber in an AAU championship game, getting 37 points to Webber's 38 points. As a senior Williamson averaged twenty-eight points and nine rebounds per game, and led his team to the King Cotton Classic championship. In that title game, Russellville defeated a team led by Jason Kidd, with Williamson blocking a potential game-winner by Kidd at the buzzer. Williamson was named tournament MVP, but gave his medal to Kidd at the award podium. Williamson closed out his career with a selection to play in the 1992 McDonald's All-American Game. He came in second in scoring to game MVP Othella Harrington, with fourteen points, and also had ten rebounds. His #34 jersey has been retired by Russellville High and hangs on the wall of the school's arena, along with his McDonald's All-American jersey.
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Craig Hodges
Craig Anthony Hodges (born June 27, 1960 in Park Forest, Illinois) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the NBA for 10 seasons and led the league in 3-point shooting percentage three times. He won two NBA Championships with the Chicago Bulls, and along with Larry Bird, is only one of two players to win three consecutive Three Point Contests at the National Basketball Association All-Star Weekend, winning the competition in 1990, 1991, and 1992. Hodges also holds the Three Point Contest records for the most consecutive shots made with 19, set in 1991, and the most points scored in a single round at 25, set in 1986. He was later a head coach at Chicago State University and most recently an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Hodges played college basketball at Long Beach State from 1978 to 1982. He played under Tex Winter, who later coached him again as an assistant to Phil Jackson with the Chicago Bulls.
During his career in the NBA, Hodges played for the San Diego Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, and Chicago Bulls. He played for the Bulls from 1988 to 1992, and helped win two NBA Championships in 1991 and 1992. He was waived by the Bulls after the 1991–92 season.
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Danny Granger
Danny Granger, Jr. (born April 20, 1983) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the NBA. He is mainly a small forward, though he does log time at the power forward position. He is also able to initiate the team's offense and so is regarded as one who can play the point forward position. Before his professional career, he went to Grace King High School in Metairie, Louisiana where he was a McDonald's All-American nominee before his senior year. He was a good student who scored a 30 on the ACT and was offered admission to Yale University. He played for Bradley University and then transferred to University of New Mexico in the middle of his sophomore year.
Granger started his collegiate career at Bradley University where he played the 2001–02 and 2002–03 seasons. After a lackluster 12–18 season in 2002–03, he transferred to the University of New Mexico, where he began playing during the second semester of his junior season in 2003–04, although he wasn't eligible to start playing for the Lobos until January, 2004. He said the reason for the transfer was because of Braves head coach Jim Les's intimidating tactics, including being 'verbally abusive'. In 2004–05, he became the first player in school history to get 60 assists, 60 blocks and 60 steals in a season. He won the Mountain West Conference tournament MVP and led the Lobos to the NCAA tournament.
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Danny Manning
Daniel Ricardo "Danny" Manning (born May 17, 1966 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi) is an American college basketball coach and retired player in the National Basketball Association. He is the current men's head coach at the University of Tulsa. After retiring from professional basketball Manning became an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Kansas. He won the National Championship with the Jayhawks in 1988 as a player, and again on the coaching staff in 2008.
Considered one of the greatest players in University of Kansas history, he led the 1988 Kansas Jayhawks to the National Championship against the Oklahoma Sooners. Manning left KU as its men's basketball program's all-time leading scorer and rebounder after leading the Jayhawks to the 1986 Final Four and the 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship. The 6-foot-10 forward was the all-time leading scorer in the Big Eight Conference with 2,951 career points. He won the Wooden, Naismith, and Eastman Awards as the college player of the year in 1988. In Kansas's 83-79 victory over the University of Oklahoma in the 1988 NCAA Final, Manning recorded 31 points, 18 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocked shots. For his seemingly single-handed performance in propelling the underdog Jayhawks to the title, as well as the Jayhawks' less-than-impressive record going into the NCAA tournament (21-11, most losses of any NCAA champion), the 1988 Kansas team was nicknamed "Danny and the Miracles" and Manning was honored as Most Outstanding Player in the tournament. A two-time All-American while at KU, Manning was later named the Big Eight Player of the Decade.
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Darrell Armstrong
Darrell Eugene Armstrong (born June 22, 1968 in Gastonia, North Carolina) is a former American professional basketball player, who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He is currently an assistant coach for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, who won the championship in the 2010–11 season.
Armstrong did not play basketball in high school until his senior year, and did not play again until his junior year of college. He played college basketball at Fayetteville State University, a Division II school in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and was also a kicker on the football team.
After college, Armstrong was not drafted by any NBA team, and went on to play in the Global Basketball Association and United States Basketball League, as well as in Europe, where he began playing in Cyprus with Pezoporikos Larnaca, followed by an ACB stint.
Armstrong first signed with the NBA as a free agent for the Orlando Magic in late 1994–95, playing just 3 games with 10 points and 8 minutes of action including a spectacular one handed reverse windmill dunk late in a blowout vs the Indiana Pacers in his 2nd game. In 95–96 he played just 13 games in 41 minutes, scoring 42 points total.
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David Stern
David Joel Stern (born September 22, 1942) is the commissioner of the National Basketball Association. He started with the Association in 1966 as an outside counsel, joined the NBA in 1978 as General Counsel, and became the league's Executive Vice President in 1980. He became Commissioner in 1984 succeeding Larry O'Brien. He is credited with increasing the popularity of the NBA in the 1990s and 2000s.
Stern has served on the Rutgers University Board of Overseers and is a Chair Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of Columbia University. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
David Stern was born on September 22, 1942 in New York City, New York. He grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey in a Jewish family, and is a graduate of Teaneck High School. Stern attended Rutgers University, where in 1960 he pledged to the Sigma Delta Chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity. He graduated as B- dean's-list history student in 1963 and graduated from Columbia Law School in 1966, and was admitted to the bar in New York later that year after passing the state's bar examination.
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Dell Curry
Wardell Stephen "Dell" Curry (born June 25, 1964) is a retired American professional basketball player at the shooting guard and the small forward positions who received his education from Fort Defiance High School in Virginia and Virginia Tech. He then played in the National Basketball Association from 1986 until 2002. He now works as a commentator, alongside Steve Martin, on the Bobcats television broadcasts. As of 2010, he is still the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets all-time leader in points (9,839) and three-point field goals made (929).
Curry was born in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He went to Fort Defiance High School in Fort Defiance, Virginia. In his senior year, Curry won a state championship for Fort in both basketball and baseball. As a child he would shoot with two hands. Curry broke his left wrist at the age of 9 and was forced to shoot with one hand and develop correct shooting form. Curry played basketball and baseball in high school and college, and he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 14th round of the 1985 MLB Draft, but opted to continue playing basketball.
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Delonte West
Delonte Maurice West (born July 26, 1983, in Washington, D.C.) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA.
West went to Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he excelled at basketball. He led the Raiders to their first tournament appearance. They made it to the Maryland 4A championship, where Delonte had 22 points and 8 rebounds, but the Raiders lost 70–58. He was named Washington Post All Met Basketball Player of the Year due to his averages of 20.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3.1 steals per game. He scored double figures in all but one game his senior season. He then committed himself to Saint Joseph's University.
At Saint Joseph's University he formed what was widely regarded as the best backcourt in the country along with Wooden and Naismith Award winner Jameer Nelson, averaging 18.9 points and 6.7 assists per game and shooting 41% from three-point range as a junior. His efforts helped the Hawks to go 27–0 in the regular season, and earn an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Saint Joseph's finished the season at 30–2.
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Derek Fisher
Derek Lamar Fisher (born August 9, 1974) is an American professional basketball point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the National Basketball Association (NBA). His NBA career has spanned more than 15 years, during which he won five NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. He currently serves as the president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Fisher started out his basketball career at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Selected with the twenty-fourth pick by the Lakers in the 1996 NBA Draft, Fisher spent his first eight seasons with the franchise. During that time, he played a role in the Lakers' "three-peat", and was the third-leading scorer on the team behind Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. After his success with Los Angeles, Fisher signed with the Golden State Warriors, but was later traded to the Utah Jazz, where he helped lead the team to the Western Conference Finals. Due to his daughter's health, he asked to be released from his contract and rejoined the Lakers in 2007. In 2010, he won his fifth NBA Championship with the Lakers. Only he and Kobe Bryant have played in all five of the Lakers' most recent championships. The Lakers, in 2012, traded Fisher to the Houston Rockets, who bought out his contract and waived him. He was subsequently claimed by the Thunder.
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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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Detlef Schrempf
Detlef Schrempf (born January 21, 1963, in Leverkusen, West Germany) is a retired German NBA basketball player.
Schrempf moved to the United States his senior year of high school, attending Centralia High School in Centralia, Washington, for one year, leading the Tigers to the state title in his senior year in 1981 by defeating the Blazers of Timberline High School.
He played college basketball at University of Washington, where he was named to the All-Pac-10 Team and The Sporting News All-America Second Team. At college, he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and majored in International Business.
Originally selected eighth overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1985 NBA Draft, Schrempf became a regular in NBA rotations after being traded to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for veteran center Herb Williams. With the Pacers, he won consecutive NBA Sixth Man Awards in 1991 and 1992. He finished second in the NBA with a .478 three-point percentage in 1987, and eventually worked his way into the starting lineup. In the 1992-93 season, he was selected to the first of his three National Basketball Association All-Star Games with the others being in 1995 and 1997. He was the only player in the NBA in 1992-93 to finish in the top 25 in scoring (19.1 ppg), rebounding (9.5 rpg) and assists (6.0 apg).
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Devean George
Devean Jamar George (born August 29, 1977) is an American professional basketball player. He typically plays small forward but because of his athleticism and defensive activity, can defend many shooting guards as well.
He attended high school at Benilde-St. Margaret's School in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, where he played basketball. During his college career at Augsburg College, George was named Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player two consecutive years (1997–98 and 1998–99), and set school records as a senior by scoring 770 points and averaging 27.5 ppg in leading Augsburg to 24–4 record and the NCAA Division III tournament for the second year in a row.
He was taken by the Lakers with the 23rd overall pick of the 1999 NBA Draft, and showed considerable promise, especially by his third season where his hustle, outside shooting, and defense made him a key substitute and he appeared in every single game. The Lakers gave him a contract extension in 2002 as a result and over the years, his effort, defensive activity, three-point shooting, and willingness to do what the Lakers required of him endeared him to many Laker fans.
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Dion Glover
Micaiah Diondae "Dion" Glover (born October 22, 1978 in Marietta, Georgia) is an American professional basketball player, formerly in the NBA.
A McDonald's first-team All-American, the 6'5" shooting guard Glover was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 20th overall pick of the 1999 NBA Draft, from Georgia Tech. He played for the Hawks until February 2004, posting career-high averages in 2003–04: 10 points, four rebounds and two assists, with the Georgia team failing to make the playoffs.
After being waived by the Hawks, Glover played with the Toronto Raptors, then appeared in seven regular season games with the San Antonio Spurs, during the 2004–05 season.
On December 5, 2005, he was waived by the Houston Rockets (no competitive games played), and played overseas in Turkey, Lebanon, Israel and the Dominican Republic before retiring.
Glover created the Dion Glover Foundation in 2000. A non-profit organization, it operates only on the support of charitable contributions and donations for educational, medical and scientific purposes, all being devoted to youth aid and development.
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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 Jones
Dominique O'Neal Jones (born October 15, 1988 in Lake Wales, Florida) is an American basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks. A noted scorer in college, Jones led the Big East conference in scoring average in 2009–2010.[citation needed]
Jones entered USF and started every game during his first season. He scored 17.1 points per game with 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
In Jones's second season, the sophomore improved his scoring (18.1), rebounds (5.6) and assists (3.9) averages.
Prior to the 2009–2010 season, Jones was named to the preseason All Big East team. He subsequently led the Big East Conference in scoring while averaging 21.4 points while also grabbing 6.1 rebounds and giving 3.6 assists. He scored a season high 46 points in a 109–105 win over the Providence Friars. USF went 20–13 and Jones was named to the 1st team All-Big East team. He led the team with the most points in a game.
He was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. The Grizzlies traded his rights to the Dallas Mavericks for cash considerations, reported to be around $3 million.
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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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Eddie Lucas
Edward Howard "Eddie" Lucas (born July 14, 1975) is an American retired professional basketball player and current personal trainer and civil engineer.
Lucas was taken with the last pick of the 1999 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. He was not offered a spot on the team, and spent parts of three seasons playing for professional teams in Argentina, France, Russia, Israel, and Poland.
In his senior year at Redlands High School in Redlands, California, he was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and averaged 20.2 points and was named to the 1A All State team. Lucas started his college career at the United States Naval Academy where he earned All League Patriot Honors in his sophomore year. After transferring to Virginia Tech, Lucas lead the Hokies in scoring at 15.1 points per game in his senior season. At Virginia Tech, Lucas majored in civil engineering.
In the 1999 NBA Draft, Lucas was the 58th and final overall pick, selected by the Utah Jazz. However, Lucas never played in the NBA. In addition, the United States Basketball League team Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs drafted Lucas in the fifth round of the 1999 USBL Draft. The Sioux Falls Skyforce cut Lucas before the 1999–2000 Continental Basketball Association season.
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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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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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Eric Gordon
Eric Ambrose Gordon, Jr. (born December 25, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Hornets of the NBA. In high school, he was named "Mr. Basketball" of Indiana during his senior year while playing at North Central High School. He is known, in part, as the subject of a major recruiting battle between the University of Illinois and Indiana University in the spring and summer of 2006; because of Gordon's talent and high level of play that year, his recruitment was the subject of a great deal of media coverage.
Gordon played one season of college basketball at Indiana and was considered one of the top collegiate players in the nation that year. He finished his freshman season leading the Big Ten in scoring and tied for 19th in the nation at 21.5 points per game. Gordon entered the 2008 NBA Draft and was selected seventh overall by the Los Angeles Clippers. Gordon is represented by agent Rob Pelinka.
Born in Indianapolis, Gordon began playing sports at the YMCA at 4, playing soccer, and then moved quickly on to basketball. He also played football but his true love was basketball. At the age of 7 he began playing competitive basketball at the historical Municipal Gardens. He spent the majority of his time across the street from his home at the Jewish Community Center of Indianapolis (JCC). There Gordon spent many hours playing pick ball, swimming and hanging out with friends. It was at the JCC that Gordon announced his departure from college to enter his name into the NBA Draft.
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Evan Eschmeyer
Evan Bruce Eschmeyer (born May 30, 1975, in New Knoxville, Ohio) is a retired American professional basketball player who was selected by the New Jersey Nets in the 2nd round (34th overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft. A 6'11" center from Northwestern University, Eschmeyer played in four NBA seasons from 1999–2003. He played for the Nets from 1999–2001 and the Dallas Mavericks from 2001-2003.
In his four-year NBA career, Eschmeyer played in 153 games and scored a total of 421 points. In October 2004, he retired from basketball because of persistent knee problems.
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Francisco Elson
Francisco Marinho Robby Elson (born February 28, 1976) is a Dutch professional basketball player. Elson is the seventh Dutch player to appear in the NBA. Elson has served as the captain of the Netherlands national basketball team in international basketball. He led the team in the 2007 Euro-qualifiers.
Elson is fluent in Dutch, Spanish, and English, and maintains an off-season home in the Netherlands. He is of Surinamese descent.
Elson started his career at AMVJ Rotterdam (now Rotterdam Basketball) at the age of twelve. After a couple of years playing he stopped. His gym teacher at the Maria School asked him to return to the club at the age of sixteen. Played with, amongst others, Peter van Rij (Fairfield and Charleston Southern) in the junior team of coach Jan Bruin in 1975. Benched in first team Rotterdam Basketball.
Elson was a member of the Dutch Under-20 National Team. He played two seasons at Kilgore Junior College in Texas before completing his college at the University of California, Berkeley. As a senior he helped lead the Bears to the NIT Championship. Elson was drafted in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft from Cal by the Denver Nuggets, but did not commence play with them until the 2003–04 campaign. He played four years in Spain:
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Frank Hamblen
Frank Hamblen is a National Basketball Association (NBA) coach and scout, and a former college basketball player at Syracuse University. He has served as an interim head coach for two different teams; for the Milwaukee Bucks in 1992 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2005. He also has served as an assistant coach on four NBA teams (Kansas City/Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers), often alongside Phil Jackson. Hamblen has been an assistant coach on seven championship teams, two with Jackson's Bulls and five with Jackson's Lakers. Jackson retired after the 2010–11 season, and Hamblen's contract with the Lakers expired as well.
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Frédéric Weis
Frédéric Weis (born June 22, 1977 in Thionville, Moselle) is a retired French professional basketball player.
Weis has played for Unicaja Málaga and Iurbentia Bilbao of the Spanish ACB League, PAOK Thessaloniki in the Greek League, and Limoges in the French League. On January 28, 2009, Iurbentia Bilbao waived him after he missed the last 3 games in a row due to his health and on February 13, he signed with ViveMenorca.
He was drafted by the New York Knicks with the 15th pick in the first round of the 1999 NBA Draft, but he did not sign with them and never played in the NBA. The draft angered many Knicks fans because Ron Artest, who had grown up in Queens, New York and played for St. John's University, was still available. Artest was taken with the next pick by the Chicago Bulls. On August 29, 2008, Weis's draft rights were traded from the New York Knicks to the Houston Rockets for power forward Patrick Ewing, Jr.
Weis never played in an NBA game. In March 2011 he announced his retirement.
Weis is known for having been "posterized" by the United States' Vince Carter during a basketball game between the two teams at the 2000 Summer Olympics on September 25, 2000. After getting the ball off a steal, the 6'6" (1.98 m) Carter drove to the basket, leaped, spread his legs as he jumped over 7'2" (2.18 m) Weis, and ferociously dunked the ball. The French media dubbed the slam "le dunk de la mort": "the dunk of death." The US won the game 106-94.
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Galen Young
Galen Young (born October 16, 1975) is an American-Canadian professional basketball player.
Young is 1.98 m tall and plays small forward and power forward.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Young played college basketball for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He was a second-round draft pick (48th pick overall) of the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1999 NBA Draft.
In 2009, Young played three games for the Filipino basketball team Alaska Aces. Then for the 2009/10 Australian NBL season, Young played for the Perth Wildcats, winning the NBL championship. Young played for the Hawke's Bay Hawks in the 2011 New Zealand NBL season, and after a stint for Bluff City Reign, he will return to the Hawks for the 2012 season.
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Gordan Giriček
Gordan Giriček (also often spelled Gordon Giricek) (born June 20, 1977, in Zagreb, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Croatian professional basketball player who is currently playing for Cibona Zagreb. Previously, he played in the NBA for the Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Phoenix Suns.
The 6'7" (2.01 m) in heightshooting guard-small forward started his pro career with the youth section of a small local club in Zagreb called Jedinstvo.
Later on, he joined the Zagreb club Cibona, and while playing there he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round (40th pick overall) in the 1999 NBA Draft and traded by the Mavericks to the San Antonio Spurs for Leon Smith. However, he never played for the Spurs, who traded his draft rights to the Memphis Grizzlies for a second-round pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.
He stayed in Croatia until 2001, when he signed with the Russian Euroleague power CSKA Moscow, playing the 2001-2002 season there.
He came to the US in 2002, scoring 29 points in his first NBA game with the Memphis Grizzlies.
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Ian Mahinmi
Ian Mahinmi (born November 5, 1986, in Rouen) is a French professional basketball player, currently playing for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. At 6'11" and 230 lbs, he plays the position of power forward and center. He formerly played for the San Antonio Spurs.
Mahinmi was born to a Beninese father who helped other Africans immigrate to France and a Jamaican mother who taught preschool. Mahinmi preferred playing soccer as a child along with his older brother, but eventually switched to playing basketball. He was 6 feet tall when he was 14 years old. He also played some volleyball.
Mahinmi made his impression on international scouts at the 2004 Under-18 European Championships in Zaragoza, Spain. It was there that he first caught the attention of international scouts, including San Antonio Spurs scout Sam Presti. After playing with the French national team he signed his first contract with the club STB Le Havre (France). He played three seasons with Le Havre, averaging 9.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 2005–06.
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Jamal Crawford
Jamal Crawford (born March 20, 1980 in Seattle, Washington) is an American professional basketball player who plays with the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. Crawford stands at 6'5" and weighs 200 lb (91 kg). Crawford played his high school basketball for Rainier Beach High School a basketball powerhouse in Seattle, before committing to play for the University of Michigan. Crawford was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers but was traded on draft day to the Chicago Bulls, in his career he has also played for the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks.
Crawford attended Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, where his number (23) is retired. At Rainier Beach, Crawford was a standout player who led the Rainier Beach Vikings to victory in the 1998 WIAA State Championship. Rainier Beach High School is also where fellow NBA and NCAA basketball players Doug Christie, Nate Robinson, Terrence Williams, and C.J. Giles attended. After high school, Crawford attended the University of Michigan, where he was given a six-game suspension by the NCAA for violating rules on amateurism and extra benefits received by Seattle businessman Barry Henthorn. The university had been plagued by scandals such as this one, most notably the Ed Martin scandal. Crawford served his suspension and ended up averaging 16.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals as a starter for the Wolverines. He then declared eligible for the 2000 NBA draft.
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James Harden
James Edward Harden, Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils, where he was named a consensus All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2009. Harden was selected third overall by the Thunder in the 2009 NBA Draft, and was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year with the team in 2012. The shooting guard is well-known for his conspicuous beard.
Harden attended Artesia High School in Lakewood, California. In his sophomore year, he averaged 13.2 points as Artesia went 28–5. He improved his stats to 18.8 points, 7.7 boards and 3.5 assists in his junior season and led Artesia to the California state title and a 33–1 record. Artesia won the state title in Harden's final year too by going 33–2. Harden had similar stats as during the previous season: 18.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists. He was named a Parade and McDonald's All-American.
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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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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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Jason Terry
Jason Eugene Terry (born September 15, 1977) is an American professional basketball player playing with the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. He plays shooting guard, although he also can play point guard. His nickname, "JET," derives from his initials. Regarded as an effective bench player, he won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in 2009.
Terry won an NBA Championship as a member of the Dallas Mavericks, when they defeated the Miami Heat in six games on June 12, 2011.
Jason was born in Seattle, Washington. He was one of ten children raised by his mother, Andrea Cheatham and his father, Curtis Terry. One of his brothers, Curtis, played college basketball for UNLV. On February 2, 2007 Terry's number (31) was retired at Franklin High School.
In 1997, Terry won an NCAA Championship with the University of Arizona. His teammates included Mike Bibby, Michael Dickerson, and Miles Simon. Terry has announced that he would like to be an assistant coach with his old college basketball team once he retires from playing in the NBA.
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Jeff Foster
Jeffrey Douglas Foster (born January 16, 1977) is a retired American professional basketball player who spent the entirety of his 13-year career with the Indiana Pacers of the NBA.
Foster was born in San Antonio, Texas and graduated from James Madison High School in San Antonio in 1995. In senior year, he joined the varsity basketball team in high school. He attended Southwest Texas State University and finished college nine credits short of a degree in finance. With the Southwest Texas State Bobcats, Foster averaged 12.8 points and 10.2 rebounds in his junior season and was part of the All-Southland Conference Second-Team in 1998.
He was selected 21st overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 1999 NBA Draft out of Southwest Texas State University, but his draft rights were immediately traded to the Pacers in exchange for Vonteego Cummings and a future first-round draft pick.
Foster was part of the Pacers' 1999–2000 Eastern Conference championship team, though he played only 19 games that year as he was fourth on the Pacers' depth chart at center behind Rik Smits, Sam Perkins and Zan Tabak. In his second season he played in 71 games, gaining a spot in the rotation as the Pacers rebuilt for the future. He averaged 3.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while averaging only 16.2 minutes per contest.
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Jim Cleamons
James Mitchell "Jim" Cleamons (born September 13, 1949 in Lincolnton, North Carolina) is a retired American professional basketball player and current coach. He played collegiately at The Ohio State University, and was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 13th pick of the 1971 NBA Draft. He had a nine-year NBA career for four different teams (the Los Angeles Lakers, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the New York Knicks, and the Washington Bullets). In 1976, Cleamons was selected to the NBA All-Defense 2nd team.
In addition to his playing career, Cleamons was the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks for slightly over one year, from 1996 to 1997. He was then the head coach of the Chicago Condors, and he has served as an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. He was hired as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers on July 19, 2006.
For a few games during his tenure with the Lakers, he has served as acting head coach while Phil Jackson was absent.
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John Celestand
John Celestand (born March 6, 1977) is a retired American professional basketball player.
A 6'4" (1.93 m) shooting guard, Celestand attended Piscataway Township High School in Piscataway Township, New Jersey before playing collegiately at Villanova University. Celestand was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 30 overall pick of the 1999 NBA Draft. He was a member of the Lakers' 1999–2000 championship team, and has spent several years playing professionally in Italy—for Skipper Bologna for two months in late 2001—, France and Germany.
Celestand is currently living in New Jersey. He is the co-owner of the company All-State Basketball where he trains young aspiring basketball players in Central New Jersey. He works as an announcer for ESPN Plus and ESPNU covering college basketball games. He is also a studio analyst on 76ers Post Game Live for Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia. In addition John is the color analyst for IMG College Radio covering the National Big East Game of the Week and MSG Varsity covering high school basketball in New Jersey.
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Jonathan Bender
Jonathan Rene Bender (born January 30, 1981 in Picayune, Mississippi) is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Bender was selected with the fifth pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 1999 NBA Draft out of Picayune Memorial High School in Picayune, Mississippi despite a verbal commitment to Mississippi State University. He was then traded to the Indiana Pacers for veteran forward Antonio Davis. Being hyped for his size, athleticism and all around skill, Bender scored 10 points in 13 minutes against Cleveland on December 10, 1999. He became the first high school draftee to score in double figures in his NBA debut.
Highlights of Bender's career have included an outstanding performance in the Pacers' 2004 playoff series with the Celtics, where he led the Pacers in scoring in game 3, and set personal playoff career bests in rebounds and minutes in game 2. In 2001, Bender participated in the Slam Dunk competition during All-Star weekend, where he executed a Julius Erving-style tomahawk jam from the free throw line, left-handed.
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Jordan Farmar
Jordan Robert Farmar (born November 30, 1986) is an American professional basketball point guard for the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA.
In high school, he was the Los Angeles Times High-School Player of the Year in 2003–04. Playing for UCLA in college, he was the Rivals.com National Freshman of the Year in 2004–05. He was a first round draft pick by the Los Angeles Lakers, and played for the Lakers from 2006 to 2010, winning NBA Championships with them in 2009 and 2010.
Farmar was born in Los Angeles, California, to his father Damon Farmar (a former minor league baseball outfielder who was a second round draft pick in both 1982 and 1983), and mother, Melinda. His parents divorced when he was 2, and he went to live with his mother, who soon met and married her current husband (Farmar's stepfather), Israeli Yehuda Kolani from Tel Aviv. His mother and stepfather are Jewish. His father is African-American.
Farmar started playing basketball at age 4. Farmar inherited his competitive drive from his father and mentor, Damon Farmar, who played football and baseball at University High and baseball in the minor leagues. The younger Farmar spent hours in his father's clubhouses, with his father's teammates, and watching his father play. He learned from his stepfather what persistence and obligation are all about, noting that "I never met a person who worked so hard." Farmar has a half-sister, Shoshana Kolani. Farmar's godfather is former major league baseball player Eric Davis.
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Josh Powell
Josh Powell (born January 25, 1983, in Charleston, South Carolina) is an American professional basketball player.
While playing at NC State, Powell averaged 12.4 ppg and 5.2 rpg in his sophomore year (2002–2003). He was not selected in the 2003 NBA Draft and played in Europe. However, he worked out for numerous teams and was eventually signed by the Dallas Mavericks, who were looking for a power forward to develop behind star Dirk Nowitzki. He played two games in 2003–04 with Lokomotiv-Rostov in the Russian Superleague before finishing the season with Euroride Scafati of the Italian Lega 2. In 2004–05, Powell averaged 16.6 PPG and 11.9 RPG with Pepsi Caserta of the Italian League.
At the beginning of the 2005–2006 season, Powell was in the D-League and put up solid numbers until he was called up to the NBA, where he played only in "garbage time," when the game had already been practically decided. But, after injuries to starting small forward Josh Howard and backup power forward Keith Van Horn, he began to get more time when Nowitzki was in need of rest.
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Jumaine Jones
Jumaine Lanard Jones (born February 10, 1979) is an American professional basketball forward for Victoria Libertas Pesaro of Lega Basket Serie A. An NBA player from 1999 to 2007 drafted from the University of Georgia, he has played in the small forward and power forward positions.
Known as the "Thrilla From Camilla", he played competitive high school basketball in the tiny town of Camilla, Georgia. He spent two years at the University of Georgia, becoming the first sophomore to lead the SEC in scoring since Vern Fleming in 1984. Additionally, he was the first sophomore in school history to score 1,000 points since Dominique Wilkins did so in 1981. That year, he was also selected to represent the U.S. at the 1998 Goodwill Games.
Declaring himself eligible for the 1999 NBA Draft, he was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 27th overall pick, but he was immediately traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he spent two years. On December 30, 1999, against the Portland Trail Blazers, Jones became a part of NBA history when he scored the final basket of the 20th century. As the 76ers became the 2001 Eastern Conference champions, Jones played throughout the postseason including the final three games of the 2001 NBA Finals, in which the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the 76ers in five games. In Game 3, Jones scored 3 points, grabbed 1 rebounds, and committed a turnover. Jones made 3 rebounds in each of the final two games and in Game 4 one assist and one steal.
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Kelenna Azubuike
Kelenna David Azubuike (born December 16, 1983) is a British professional basketball player who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. Born in London, England and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Azubuike became a standout player during his play at Victory Christian High School, and was eventually recruited to play for the Wildcats of the University of Kentucky. After finishing his junior season in college, Azubuike declared himself eligible for the 2005 NBA Draft, eventually going undrafted that year. Azubuike then played for the Fort Worth Flyers of the NBA Development League, leading the league in scoring during the 2006–07 season and eventually being called-up to play for the Golden State Warriors.
Azubuike was born in London, England to Kenneth and Chy Azubuike. Azubuike was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Playing for Victory Christian High School, Azubuike led his team to the state title as a sophomore. He eventually became an All-State selection, averaging 39.1 points and 13.3 rebounds and leading his team to the Class 4A State Championship Game as a senior. He was the top scorer in the state of Oklahoma during his last three seasons of high school, averaging 28.5 points as a sophomore and 38.7 points as a junior. Azubuike finished his prep career with 3,530 points, 89 points short of the all-time state scoring mark.
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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 Love
Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The two-time All-Star is one of the top rebounders in the NBA, and he holds the longest streak for consecutive games recording double figures in points and rebounds since the merger between the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the NBA. The Associated Press called Love the new face of the Timberwolves franchise. He is also known for his outlet passing, which led to comparisons to Wes Unseld.
A top ranked prospect out of Lake Oswego High School in Oregon, Love played one season of college basketball for the UCLA Bruins and led the team to a Final Four appearance in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Love was named the Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year and consensus First Team All-American following the season. Love chose not to complete his three remaining years of college eligibility and entered the 2008 NBA Draft. He was taken fifth overall by the Memphis Grizzlies, and was traded to the Timberwolves on draft night for the third overall selection, O. J. Mayo, in an eight-player deal. Love was a member of the gold medal-winning United States men's national basketball team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
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Khloé Kardashian
Khloé Kardashian Odom (née Khloé Kardashian; June 27, 1984) is an American businesswoman, television personality, radio host, socialite, and model. She is a member of the Kardashian family and when she, along with her family, began appearing in the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians, she become known internationally. She has since appeared in spin-off series including Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami and Khloé & Lamar.
Kardashian is married to basketball player Lamar Odom, has worked in the modelling industry and has a business involvement in the clothing boutique D-A-S-H and various other stores, along with her sisters.
Khloe Kardashian was born in Los Angeles, California and grew up in Beverly Hills, California. Her parents are American business woman and television personality Kris Jenner and the late Robert Kardashian, a high-profile Los Angeles attorney. She is of Scottish and Dutch descent through her mother. She has two older sisters, Kourtney and Kim; one younger brother, Rob; and two younger half-sisters, Kendall and Kylie Jenner. She has three stepbrothers, Burt, Brandon, and Brody Jenner; and one stepsister, Casey Marino.[citation needed]
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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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Kris Clack
Kris Clack (born July 6, 1977 in Austin, Texas) is an American professional basketball player, formerly for the University of Texas.
During his college career he scored 1,592 points and grabbed 771 rebounds. He was the first McDonald's High School All-American in school history. He entered the 1999 NBA Draft, and was picked 55th overall by the Boston Celtics, but he never signed with an NBA team. Clack was taken with the 14th pick of the seventh round in the 2008 NBA D-League Draft by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds and currently plays for the Austin Toros. He has also played in Italy.
He now coaches for the Austin Wildcats 7th grade Silver 1 team on their quest for repeat state title.
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Kurt Rambis
Darrell Kurt Rambis (born February 25, 1958) is a retired American professional basketball player and former head coach for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves.
Rambis was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. His family moved to Cupertino, California in his preschool years; his number is retired at Cupertino High School. He graduated from Santa Clara University, where he played from 1976 to 1980, becoming its second leading rebounder and all-time leading scorer with 1,736 points. During his Santa Clara years he was awarded the WCC Freshman of the Year and Conference Player of the Year as a senior. His jersey #34 was retired on December 29, 2008.
Rambis was drafted by the New York Knicks as the 58th pick in the 1980 NBA Draft, but he was subsequently waived by the Knicks before playing in Greece, where he also holds citizenship. There he joined the Greek League club AEK Athens, under the name Kyriakos Rambidis, and he won the Greek Cup in 1981.
He was re-signed by the Knicks in 1981 but never played a game for them. His success as an NBA player started when he was signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1981. Rambis spent most of his 14 seasons in the NBA with the Lakers, winning championships in 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988. Rambis also played for the Charlotte Hornets, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings before returning to the Lakers in 1993.
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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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Lari Ketner
Lari Arthur Ketner (born February 1, 1977, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'9", 277 lb (126 kg) forward/center, Ketner played college basketball at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 49th overall pick (2nd round) of the 1999 NBA Draft.
Ketner played in two NBA seasons for three teams: Chicago Bulls (1999-2000), Cleveland Cavaliers (1999–2000) and Indiana Pacers (2000-01).
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Laron Profit
Bronta Laron Profit (born August 5, 1977 in Charleston, South Carolina) is a former American professional basketball player, formerly in the NBA. Before college, he played for Caesar Rodney High School in Camden, Delaware. Following a college career at the University of Maryland, College Park, he was a second round draft pick of the Orlando Magic in the 1999 NBA Draft. He has played for the Washington Wizards multiple times, and was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers with Kwame Brown.
Profit suffered a season ending injury (ruptured achilles tendon) after subbing into a game for Kobe Bryant who had just scored 62 points in 3 quarters vs. the Dallas Mavericks. He was waived on January 17, 2006 to make room for rookie Ronny Turiaf on the Lakers roster.
Laron Profit finished his college career averaging 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.
Received Honorable Mention All-ACC Freshman honors in 1996, led the ACC in steals in 1997, selected to the All-ACC 3rd team in 1997,1998 and 1999, and named Honorable Mention All-American in 1998. Upon graduation, Laron was 16th on the All-Time ACC steals list.
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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 Nailon
Lee Nailon (born February 22, 1975 in South Bend, Indiana) is an American professional basketball player. Nailon was a graduate of South Bend Clay High School, where along with former Purdue player, Jaraan Cornell, he led his basketball team to the 1994 State Championship.
After an all-conference career at Texas Christian University, Nailon was a second round (43rd overall) pick of the Charlotte Hornets in the 1999 NBA Draft. He has played for the Hornets (in separate stints for both Charlotte and New Orleans franchises in 2000-02 and 2004-05 respectively), the New York Knicks (2002–03), Atlanta Hawks (2003–04), Orlando Magic (2003–04), Cleveland Cavaliers (2003–04) and Philadelphia 76ers (2005–06). He holds NBA career averages of 8.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. His international experience includes playing for Adecco Milano in Italy (1999-00), Bnei HaSharon in Israel (2006–07; 2010–present), Lokomotiv Novosibirsk in Russia (2007–08), Al-Riyadi in Lebanon, Leones de Ponce (2009) and Piratas de Quebradillas in Puerto Rico (2010).
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Leon Smith
Leon Smith (born November 2, 1980 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American professional basketball player. He has played in the NBA, the CBA, the USBL and the IBL, and abroad in Puerto Rico and Argentina.
Smith was raised in a foster home, called Lydia Children's Home, as a ward of the state of Illinois due to neglect from his parents when he was five years old.
Smith was selected out of Chicago's Martin Luther King High School by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round (29th overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft and was immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to Gordan Giriček and a second-round pick in the 2000 NBA Draft. However, in subsequent months he suffered numerous psychological problems, and was released in February 2000 without ever playing a game for the Mavericks. A month previous, Smith was released from a psychiatric ward to where he was committed for several weeks, after an incident in which he threw a rock through a car window and swallowed approximately 250 aspirin tablets.
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Louis Bullock
Louis Bullock, Jr. (born May 20, 1976 in Washington, D.C.) is an American professional basketball player. He is currently with the pro club Asefa Estudiantes in Spain.
Although his records have officially been vacated due to the University of Michigan basketball scandal, his vacated records are unsurpassed for most single-season three point field goals and career free throws in Michigan Wolverines men's basketball. In 2011, Jon Diebler surpassed his career three point total for the Big Ten Conference record.
From Maryland outside of Washington, D.C., Bullock first gained national attention at the now defunct Canterbury Preparatory School (in Accokeek, Maryland) before transferring his senior year to Laurel Baptist. In 1995, he was named Washington Post All Met Basketball Player of the Year. He was also a McDonald's All-American (where he won the three-point contest) and was widely considered one of the nation's top 30 prospects for that year. The McDonald's All-American three-point contest that Bullock won was brought back to the media when ESPN Classic's "Cheap Seats" re-aired it in an episode depicting the contest as well as the 2003 NHL Skills competition. He chose the University of Michigan over numerous other schools, including Florida and Maryland.
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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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Manu Ginóbili
Emanuel David "Manu" Ginóbili (born 28 July 1977) is an Argentine professional basketball player. Coming from a family of professional basketball players, he is a member of the Argentine men's national basketball team and the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Ginóbili spent the early part of his basketball career in Argentina and Italy, where he won several individual and team honors. His stint with Italian side Kinder Bologna was particularly productive, earning two Italian League MVP awards, the Euroleague Finals MVP and the 2001 Euroleague and Triple Crown championships. The shooting guard was selected as the 57th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft and is considered one of the biggest draft steals of all time. Ginóbili returned to Italy and only joined the Spurs in 2002. He did not take long to establish himself as a key player for the Spurs, and has since earned three NBA championship rings as well as being named an All-Star in 2005 and 2011. In the 2007–08 season, he was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
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Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958) is an American business magnate. He is the owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks,Landmark Theatres, and Magnolia Pictures, and the chairman of the HDTV cable network HDNet. He is also a "shark" investor on the television series Shark Tank. In 2011, Cuban wrote an e-book, How to Win at the Sport of Business, in which he chronicles his life experiences in business and sports.
Cuban was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and grew up in the Pittsburgh suburb of Mt. Lebanon, in a Jewish working-class family. His last name was shortened from "Chabenisky" when his Russian grandparents landed on Ellis Island. Cuban's father Norton was an automobile upholsterer. Cuban's first step into the business world occurred at age 12, when he sold garbage bags to pay for a pair of expensive basketball shoes. While in school, he held a variety of jobs, including bartender, disco dancing instructor, and party promoter. He paid for college by collecting and selling stamps, and once gained about $1,100 from starting a chain letter.
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Melvin Levett
Melvin Levett (born April 25, 1976 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American basketball player. As a shooting guard he was drafted by the Detroit Pistons and then later traded to the Los Angeles Lakers organization, though he never appeared in a regular season NBA game. Nicknamed "The Helicopter" for his lengthy hangtime, he played collegiately for the University of Cincinnati. While in college, he set the University of Cincinnati single-game record for three-point field goals when he made 10 against Eastern Kentucky.
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Metta World Peace
Metta World Peace (born Ronald William Artest, Jr., November 13, 1979) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was known as Ron Artest before legally changing his name in September 2011.
World Peace gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders as he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004. He was a participant in several controversial on-court incidents, most notably the Pacers–Pistons brawl and is known for his sometimes eccentric and outspoken behavior.
Metta World Peace was born Ronald William Artest, Jr., and raised in the Queensbridge projects in Queens, New York. He has two younger brothers, Isaiah and Daniel. He played high school basketball at La Salle Academy and college basketball at St. John's University from 1997–1999. In 1999, he helped the Red Storm to the Elite Eight, losing to Ohio State. He gained fame playing in some of New York City's high profile summer basketball tournaments at Nike Pro City, Hoops in the Sun at Orchard Beach, Bronx, New York and Dyckman Park at Washington Heights, earning himself nicknames such as Tru Warier and The New World Order, a name he received from Randy Cruz (one of the co-founders of the Hoops In The Sun basketball league at Orchard Beach in the Bronx, New York).
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Michael Ruffin
Michael David Ruffin (born (1977-01-21)January 21, 1977 in Denver, Colorado) is an American professional basketball player. At 6'8" and 248 lbs, he plays as a forward/center.
After playing college basketball at the University of Tulsa, where he studied chemical engineering, Ruffin was drafted in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. He has played for the Bulls, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Utah Jazz, the Washington Wizards, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Portland Trail Blazers. He averaged 1.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game through his NBA career and is considered to be a defensive presence on the court.
Michael Ruffin committed a costly error for his team in the dying seconds of a March 30, 2007 game against the Toronto Raptors. With his Washington Wizards up 109–106 with 3.8 seconds left, Ruffin intercepted a Raptors half-court inbounds pass, only to heave the ball in the air to try to allow the remaining time left on the clock to run out, but the ball was not thrown high enough and the Raptors' Morris Peterson caught the ball on its descent and made a 31-foot three-point shot at the buzzer to tie the score and send the game into overtime. The Raptors went on to defeat the Wizards, 123–118.
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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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Obinna Ekezie
Obinna Ralph Ekezie (born August 22, 1975, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State) is a Nigerian professional basketball player, formerly in the NBA. His name, Obinna, means "Father´s heart".
A 6'9" 270 lb center, Ekezie was selected with the 37th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies after playing with the Maryland Terrapins from 1995–1999. Obinna prepared for college at Worcester Academy, graduating in 1995.
Ekezie has played for five NBA teams (1999–2005), and also professionally with Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) and Lottomatica Roma (Italy). He has most recently played for Dynamo Moscow.
Ekezie is the founder of ZeepTravel, an online business allowing travel services for those going to and from America and Africa.
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Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol i Sáez (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈpaw ɡəˈzɔɫ]) (born July 6, 1980) is a Spanish professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born to Marisa Sáez and Agustí Gasol, and he spent his childhood in Spain. Gasol was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2001 NBA Draft, but his rights were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, with whom he won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He currently holds the Memphis Grizzlies franchise records for career games played, minutes played, field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, offensive, defensive, and total rebounds, blocked shots, turnovers, and points. After seven seasons with the team, Gasol was traded to the Lakers on February 1, 2008. His younger brother, Marc Gasol, who was involved in that trade, is also a professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA.
Pau Gasol was born in Barcelona. He began playing basketball with his school team called Alvirne, and he eventually signed with Cornellà. When he was sixteen, he began playing for Barcelona's junior team. He also won both the 1998 Albert Schweitzer Tournament and the 1998 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship. After moving to the senior team of Barcelona, Gasol played just 25 total minutes in the Spanish ACB League 1998–99 season, and averaged 13.7 minutes per game in the ACB the next year. However, in his final season in the ACB, Gasol averaged 12.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in 24.7 minutes per game. Barcelona was victorious in the Spanish National Cup championship game in 2001, and Gasol was named Most Valuable Player. After entering the NBA Draft, Gasol was selected third overall in the first round in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, who traded his draft rights to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
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Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is a retired American professional basketball coach and former player. Jackson is widely considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His reputation was established as head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 through 1998; during his tenure, Chicago won six NBA titles. His next team, the Los Angeles Lakers, won five NBA titles from 2000 to 2010. In total, Jackson has won 11 NBA titles as a coach, surpassing the previous record of nine set by Red Auerbach. He holds the record for the most championships in NBA history as a player and a head coach, after breaking the tie with Bill Russell when the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2009 NBA Finals. He also has the highest winning percentage of any NBA coach (.704). Jackson was a player on the 1970 and 1973 NBA champion New York Knicks.
Jackson is known for his use of Tex Winter's triangle offense as well as a holistic approach to coaching that is influenced by Eastern philosophy, earning him the nickname "Zen Master". Jackson cites Robert Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as one of the major guiding forces in his life. He also applies Native American spiritual practices as documented in his book Sacred Hoops. He is the author of several candid books about his teams and his basketball strategies. Jackson is also a recipient of the state of North Dakota's Roughrider Award. In 2007 Jackson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
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Quincy Lewis
Quincy Lavell Lewis (born June 26, 1977 in Little Rock, Arkansas) is an American former professional basketball player who last played with the pro club Iurbentia Bilbao Basket in Spain.
Lewis played college basketball for the University of Minnesota and was the Big Ten Conference's leading scorer during his senior year in college. In 1997 Lewis played the role of 6th man and helped lead the Golden Gophers to the NCAA Final Four.
He was selected by the Utah Jazz in the 1st round (19th pick) of the 1999 NBA Draft. He played for the Jazz from 1999–2002.
He was signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves as a free agent on September 26, 2003 for the 2003–04 season, and he was waived on December 20. He played with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel in 2002–03.
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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 Carlisle
Richard Preston Carlisle (pronounced /ˈkɑrlaɪl/ KAR-lyl; born October 27, 1959) is the head coach of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. He has also coached the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, and was previously a player in the NBA. He is also one of the only 11 people to win an NBA championship both as a player and as a coach.
Carlisle was raised in Lisbon, New York. He attended Lisbon Central High School, then spent a year at Worcester Academy. He played two years of college basketball at the University of Maine from 1979 to 1981, before transferring to the University of Virginia. He co-captained the Cavaliers to the Final Four in 1984 and averaged 12.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game during his college career.
After graduating that same year, he was drafted by the Boston Celtics (23rd pick in the third round), where he played alongside Larry Bird. With the Celtics under coach K.C. Jones he won the NBA championship in 1986 against the Houston Rockets and lost in the NBA Finals in 1985 and 1987 to the Los Angeles Lakers. From 1984 to 1987, he averaged 2.2 points, 1.0 assists and 0.8 rebounds per game in a limited reserve role. Carlisle then played for Bill Musselman's Albany Patroons, and was then signed as a free agent by the New York Knicks under coach Rick Pitino, where he played alongside future star Patrick Ewing. In 1989, Carlisle played in 5 games with the New Jersey Nets under Bill Fitch.
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Ricky Pierce
Ricky Charles Pierce (born August 19, 1959 in Dallas, Texas) is a retired American National Basketball Association (NBA) player.
He graduated from Garland High School and attended Rice University, a member of Will Rice College. He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 1st round (18th pick) of the 1982 NBA Draft. However, he found his most career success after he was traded by the San Diego Clippers before the 1984-85 season along with Terry Cummings to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Pierce won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award for 1986–87 by averaging his 19.5 points in his third season with the Bucks. He earned the same award again three seasons later, averaging 23.0 points without starting a single game (an NBA record) in 1989–90. In the week preceding the 1991 trade deadline, the Bucks traded Pierce to the Seattle SuperSonics for Dale Ellis.
Pierce became a regular starter in 1991–92, his first full season with the Sonics. He made 75 consecutive free throws through several games in November–December 1991, the second-longest such streak at that time. In 1993, Pierce and teammates Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp led the Sonics to Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, but lost to the Phoenix Suns. Pierce returned to the bench for 1993–94 following Seattle’s off-season acquisition of Kendall Gill.
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Rico Hill
Rico Hill (born February 14, 1977 in Oceanside, California) is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the Chicago Muscle of the Premier Basketball League. He played forward for Baloncesto Fuenlabrada (Spain), Los Angeles Clippers (NBA, picked with the 31st pick in the draft), Quad City Thunder (CBA), Estudiantes Madrid (Spain), Dakota Wizards (NBA D-League), Le Mans a French team, and the Charleston Lowgators (NBA D-League). He also played in Italy. Rico was chosen by the Chicago Muscle with the tenth pick in the 2011 Premier Basketball League Draft.
Rico played collegiately at power forward for Illinois State University, where he led the Redbirds to back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference Championships as well as consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 1997 and 1998.
Rico attended Brother Rice High School in Chicago, IL.
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Rob Dyrdek
Robert Stanley "Rob" Dyrdek (born June 28, 1974) is an American professional skateboarder, actor, entrepreneur, producer, philanthropist, and reality TV star. He is best known for his roles in the reality shows Rob and Big, Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory and Ridiculousness.
Rob Dyrdek was born in Kettering, Ohio to Gene and Patty Dyrdek. Dyrdek was involved in sports as a child and began skateboarding at the age of 11 when he received his first skateboard from professional skater Neil Blender Of his early interest in the sport, Dyrdek said, "I was a pretty driven young man. I was so focused on becoming a pro skateboarder. I would sit in school and think about all the tricks I was going to do, then I’d get out of school and skate until they made me come inside." At the age of 12, Rob acquired sponsorship from the same company Blender rode for and began his skateboarding career. A few years later, Dyrdek and Blender quit their board sponsor and created Alien Workshop – Rob’s current board company.
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Roberto Bergersen
Roberto Bergersen (born January 6, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who last played with the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League. A guard-forward from Boise State University, he was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 52nd pick of the 1999 NBA Draft, but has not played in the NBA.
He is now coaching a travel team based in Boise, Idaho called Hoop Dreams.[citation needed]
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Rodney Buford
Rodney Alan "The Sheriff" Buford, (born November 2, 1977) is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the London Lightning of the National Basketball League of Canada.
Buford played collegiately for Creighton University and was selected by the NBA's Miami Heat in the second round (53rd overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft. After seeing limited playing time during his rookie season with the Heat, Buford moved to Italy starting the season with Basket Rimini, but joined the Philadelphia 76ers in December for the 2000–01 season. He then moved on to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Sacramento Kings, and finally the New Jersey Nets. Buford averaged 6.4 points per game in his NBA career.
Buford has also played overseas for the Greek European giant Panathinaikos BC during the 2002–03 season. He started the 2006–07 season in the Euroleague with the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club from Israel, but he was released in December due to discipline violations and poor form. After a few months, it was discovered that he had failed a drug test during his time in Maccabi Tel Aviv, his third violation in his career. He recently played for the Ukrainian team Azovmash Mariupol, a team for which he played the 2005–06 season, after being banned by FIBA for testing positive in use of cannabis before a Euroleague game while still playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv. Consequently he left the team in February 2007 after playing just one game. In March 2009 he played two games in Lebanon for Al Riyadi.
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Rodney Rogers
Rodney Ray Rogers (born June 20, 1971, in Durham, North Carolina) is a retired American basketball player who last played power forward for the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.
Rogers was the fourth and youngest child born to Willie Wadsworth and Estella Rogers. He spent most of his childhood growing up in the McDougald Terrace housing project in Durham. His father, who left the family and moved to Texas when Rogers was a toddler, died when Rogers was eight.
Estella Rogers sustained severe head injuries and required two operations when she was nearly killed in an automobile wreck in 1988. She was in a coma for more than two weeks and remained hospitalized for three more months. Even after she returned home she still had memory loss and needed extra care. While his mother recovered, Rogers moved in with Nathaniel Brooks, who was once his youth league coach, spending his last two seasons at Hillside High School with the Brooks family.
His stepfather James Spencer, who was the only man Rogers called "Dad", died of lung cancer in February 1990. Renita, the oldest of the Rogers children, became a nurse at N.C. Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill. His oldest brother Stacy, who attended the Eastern N.C. School for the Deaf in Wilson and the N.C. School for the Deaf in Morganton, won a gold medal in basketball at the 1981 XIV Deaflympics (aka "World Games for the Deaf" and "World Deaf Olympics") in Cologne, Germany. After that he worked for the Veterans Administration Hospital in Durham. Stanley, his other brother, served over 10 years (1981–1991) of a 20-year sentence for armed robbery at Central Prison in Raleigh.
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Rodrigue Beaubois
Rodrigue "Roddy" Beaubois (born February 24, 1988, in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe) is a French professional basketball player who was drafted 25th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks after being drafted. He is listed at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and he plays the shooting guard position.
Beaubois was discovered by NBA player Mickaël Piétrus at an open basketball camp in his native home island, Guadeloupe, located in the French West Indies. He made his professional debut in the 2006-07 season with Cholet Basket in the French Pro A League.
In his first season with Cholet Basket, Beaubois played with the Cholet Espoirs, the junior team, where he averaged 10.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 18.1 minutes per game. Beaubois spent the majority of the 2006-07 season with the Espoirs, averaging 13.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He saw action in four French Pro A League games, in which he never scored. Beaubois missed the first few weeks of the 2007-08 season due to a fractured bone in his left hand. He would play in the French Pro A League the whole season, averaging 5.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 15.1 minutes per game. He scored in double figures five times, recording a season high of 15 points against ASVEL Basket. In his first 29 games of the 2008-09 season, Beaubois averaged 10 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 22.3 minutes. As the season progressed, he would improve. He record a career high 31 points, eight assists and five steals against Roanne. He would nearly have a triple double scoring 16 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and assisting eight times against Fribourg Olympic.
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Roy Tarpley
Roy James Tarpley (born November 28, 1964, in New York, New York, USA) is an American former professional basketball player. He played the power forward and center positions, earning an NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1988. Despite his talent, Tarpley became notable during his career for being banned from the NBA because of his drug addiction. Following his ban in 1991, he had a very successful career in Europe.
Tarpley starred at the University of Michigan, and was named a 3rd-Team All-American by the AP in both 1985 and 1986. In 1986 he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the seventh pick of the NBA Draft. Tarpley made the NBA All-Rookie Team in his first season and seemed destined for success until his career was cut short in 1991, when he was expelled from the league for violating the NBA's drug-use policies. He returned to the Mavericks briefly in 1994, but he was then permanently banned from the NBA in December 1995 for using alcohol and violating the terms of a court-imposed personal aftercare program.
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Rudy Gay
Rudy Carlton Gay, Jr. (born August 17, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played collegiately at the University of Connecticut before turning pro.
Gay was one of five siblings and began playing competitive recreational basketball at 12 years old in the Turner Station community of Baltimore County, Maryland in one of the toughest youth basketball leagues in the area. Early exposure to Baltimore AAU basketball and summer league games in the Tom Jones Youth Summer League in Washington, D.C., showcased his abilities against top competition.[citation needed]
At the age of 14, Gay began playing for the nationally-known Cecil-Kirk AAU program under Coach Anthony Lewis with other blue-chip players such as Josh Boone (UConn), Paris Carter (New Mexico State), and Chester Frazier (Illinois). During the spring of his 8th grade year, Gay and teammate Scott Dozier were highly sought after by several private schools. Gay attended Eastern Technical High School in Baltimore County, while Dozier enrolled at the St. Paul's School.[citation needed] Gay transferred to Archbishop Spalding High School of the Baltimore Catholic League after his sophomore year at Eastern Tech.[citation needed]
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Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA. Westbrook played high school basketball for Leuzinger High School, before heading to play for UCLA. Westbrook played two years at UCLA before declaring for the 2008 NBA Draft. He was drafted by the Thunder's former incarnation, the Seattle SuperSonics, which relocated from Seattle to Oklahoma City six days after the draft. Westbrook was also a member of the 2010 United States national team. Over his career, Westbrook has been a two-time All-Star, a two-time member of the All-NBA Second Team, and a member of the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Westbrook represented the United States in the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey where he won a gold medal.
Westbrook was born in Long Beach, California to parents Russell and Shannon Horton. He has one younger brother, Raynard, and has said that he admires former Los Angeles Lakers great Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Westbrook was a childhood friend of Khelcey Barrs, a talented young small forward who had been attracting interest from major college basketball schools as a 6-foot-6, 200 pound high school sophomore. However, Barrs collapsed and died after playing a series of late night basketball games in 2004.
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Ryan Robertson
Ryan Robertson (born October 2, 1976 in Lawton, Oklahoma) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the 2nd round (45th pick) of the 1999 NBA Draft. He played college basketball at Kansas University under coach Roy Williams. He scored a career high 31 points in a second round loss to Kentucky in the 1999 NCAA Tournament.
Robertson also played varsity basketball for four years at St. Charles West High School from 1991-1995. During his tenure at St. Charles West the basketball team made it to the final four in the Missouri State Championship for the first time. Robertson led the team to the State Championship in 1995.
He played one game for the Sacramento Kings during the 1999-2000 NBA season, scoring five points. He later played professionally for the American Basketball Association team Kansas City Knights during the 2000-2001 season. After one season with the Kansas City minor league team, he then moved to Europe to play in Holland for EiffelTowers Nijmegen during the 2001-04 seasons. He finished his professional career playing for Panellinios B.C. (Greece) and Cholet Basket (France) during the 2004-05 season.
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Sasha Vujačić
Aleksandar "Sasha" Vujačić (Serbian Cyrillic: Александар »Саша« Вујачић, Slovene: Saša Vujačič, rendered in English as Sasha Vujacic; born March 8, 1984) is a Slovenian basketball player who has played in Italy, the United States (for the Los Angeles Lakers), and more recently for Anadolu Efes in Turkey. Though he has played the point guard position in Europe, he found more playing time at the shooting guard spot while in the Lakers' triangle offense.
His father Vaso Vujačić is a Serbian basketball coach. Vujačić was a member of the Slovenian junior national team. He won a silver medal at the 2002 European Junior Championship.
Vujačić began his professional career at the age of 16, playing with Snaidero Udine of Italy. The same year, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 27th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.
During the 2005–06 season Vujačić made the go-ahead three-pointer in overtime to give the Lakers the lead for good in a win against the Utah Jazz.
During the 2006–07 season he made a shot against the Dallas Mavericks to end their 13-game winning streak.
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Scott Padgett
Scott Anthony Padgett (born April 19, 1976) is a retired American professional basketball player and current assistant basketball coach at Manhattan College. He played for the NBA's Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, and Memphis Grizzlies.
Padgett was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He played basketball at St. Xavier High School in Louisville, and while he was not regarded as a great college prospect, he was recruited by head coach Rick Pitino and committed to play college basketball for the University of Kentucky.
Padgett saw limited playing time during his freshman season (1994–95) on a roster that included future NBA players Wayne Turner, Tony Delk, Rodrick Rhodes, Walter McCarty, Jeff Sheppard, Mark Pope and Antoine Walker. Padgett averaged 2.0 points per game and 1.2 rebounds per game while appearing in 14 games. He also had academic problems and was not eligible to play during the following year.
Padgett returned to Kentucky for the second half of the 1996-97 season. He became an integral part of that team, playing alongside future NBA players Ron Mercer, Derek Anderson, Nazr Mohammed and Jamaal Magloire. Padgett scored 15 points against his hometown University of Louisville, 24 points against the University of Tennessee and 17 points in the NCAA national championship game against the University of Arizona. The 1996-97 Kentucky team finished as the NCAA runner-up. For the season Padgett averaged 9.6 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game, and was named to the All-NCAA Final Four Team.
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Shannon Brown
Shannon Brown (born November 29, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who plays at the shooting guard and point guard positions. He plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Phoenix Suns. Brown attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, was named Illinois Mr. Basketball in 2003, and played college basketball at Michigan State University. The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Brown in 2006; Brown played his rookie season with Cleveland and has played for three teams in the NBA Development League.
Brown attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, where his teammates included fellow 2006 draftee Dee Brown (no relation). In 2003, he was named Illinois Mr. Basketball and a McDonald's All-American .
Brown played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. He was second-team All-Big Ten as a junior and an All-Big Ten Defensive selection.
Brown was drafted in the first round with the 25th pick of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Appearing in only 23 games (5 starts) in his debut season, he showed promise, scoring in double figures twice (10 points vs. New York on November 29 and 14 vs. Toronto on 3/3), but was hampered by an injury to his shin.
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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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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 Francis
Steven D'Shawn Francis (born February 21, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association. He had also played for the Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, and New York Knicks. Nicknamed "Stevie Franchise" and self-described as "Steve-O", he was known early in his career for his crossover dribble, driving ability, and flashy dunks.
Francis grew up in Takoma Park, Maryland. He was nicknamed "Wink" as a child. After his mother died of cancer in 1995, his grandmother raised him. He stopped playing basketball for two years after his mother's death.
Francis attended the San Jacinto College of Texas in 1996–97, and the Allegany College of Maryland in 1997–98. Francis became the first player to take two unbeaten teams into the National Junior College Tournament.
Francis transferred to the University of Maryland in 1998 for his junior season. The addition of Francis helped propel the Terrapins to a #5 preseason ranking. Francis made an instant impact as Maryland's starting shooting guard, scoring 17 points in the season opener against Western Carolina. Francis and the Terps gained national attention with impressive showings in the Puerto Rico Shootout and a 62–60 win over #5 Stanford in the BB&T Classic. The Terps climbed to a #2 national ranking by early December.
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Terry Stotts
Terry Stotts (born November 25, 1957) is an American retired professional basketball forward and current assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. His most recent head coaching job was with the Milwaukee Bucks. Stotts was fired by the Milwaukee Bucks on March 14, 2007. Before becoming the head coach of the Bucks, Stotts was an assistant for the Golden State Warriors, head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, assistant coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, and an assistant coach of the Seattle SuperSonics. Terry played in Europe for a few years before becoming a Sonics assistant. He also was the star player for George Karl's CBA team, the Montana Golden Nuggets in the early 1980s.
His total NBA coaching record is 115-168.
Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Stotts grew up in Illinois, Wisconsin, Guam, and Indiana and graduated from Bloomington High School North at Bloomington, Indiana in 1976. Stotts started all his four seasons with the University of Oklahoma Sooners basketball team and was an Academic All-American selection in his junior and senior seasons and an All-Big Eight Conference selection in his senior season. He graduated from Oklahoma in 1980 with a B.S. in zoology and a Master's in Business Administration from Oklahoma in 1988 on a postgraduate scholarship from the NCAA.
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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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Todd MacCulloch
Todd Carlyle MacCulloch (born January 27, 1976) is a retired Canadian professional basketball player. He was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets in the NBA.
A graduate of Shaftesbury High School in Winnipeg, MacCulloch was in 1999 named Honorable Mention All-America as a senior at the University of Washington, when he averaged 18.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, and a .662 field goal percentage. He led the NCAA Division I in field goal percentage in his final three years of college, only the second player ever to accomplish the feat. He was all-Pac Ten First Team selection in his final two years at Washington. He was drafted by the 76ers in the 2nd round (47th overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft.
A Winnipeg, Manitoba native, the 7'0", 280 lb (2.13 m, 125 kg) center played four seasons in the NBA before being forced to retire prematurely due to a genetic neuromuscular disorder that affected his feet, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. In his first two seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, MacCulloch played reserve center, averaging 9.4 minutes, 2.6 rebounds and just under 4 points in 56 and 63 games respectively from 1999 to 2001. In the 2001 off-season, he signed as a free agent with the New Jersey Nets and as their starting center averaged 9.7 points and 6.1 rebounds a contest. MacCulloch was then traded back to the 76ers for the 2002–2003 season, in which he averaged just under 20 minutes, 7.1 points, and 4.7 rebounds a contest. Due to a chronic foot condition, he went on the injured reserve list at mid-season, did not play the following season, and announced his retirement in September 2004.
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Toni Kukoč
Toni Kukoč (pronounced [kukotʃ]; born September 18, 1968) is a retired Croatian professional basketball player. He was renowned for his versatility and passing ability; although his natural position was small forward, he played all five positions on the court with prowess and demonstrated court vision and an outside shooting touch that were seldom found in players of his height. Kukoč was one of the first established European stars to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Kukoč played for Jugoplastika Split and won the Euroleague with the team three years in a row. Afterwards he played for Benetton Treviso, winning the title of Player of the Year three times. He won the Italian Championship in 1992 and Italian Cup in 1993, and played in the European Champions' Cup final in 1993. He was nicknamed "the white Magic", "the spider from Split", "the Pink Panther", "the waiter", and "the Croatian Sensation". He was also on teams that won the FIBA World Junior Championship (1987 for Yugoslavia), two Olympic silver medals (1988 for Yugoslavia and 1992 for Croatia), and the FIBA World Championship (1990 for Yugoslavia), in which he was selected the tournament MVP.
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Trajan Langdon
Trajan Shaka Langdon (born May 13, 1976) is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6 ft 3 3⁄4 in (1.92 m) 210 lb. (95 kg)shooting guard, he gained fame in the U.S. while playing college basketball at Duke University with the Duke Blue Devils.
Trajan is the son of Dr. Steve Langdon, a professor of anthropology at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Trajan has traveled with his father on many anthropological trips within southeastern Alaska. His father studied the Tlingit of Alaska.
Born in Palo Alto, California, Langdon moved to Anchorage, Alaska soon after. During his high school career, Langdon attended Steller Secondary School and played for East Anchorage High School. He set the Alaska 4A Record of 2,200 career points and was a 3-Time Alaskan Player of the Year.
He led East Anchorage to the 1994 Alaskan State Championship and he played in the prestigious McDonald's All American Game, where he won the 3-point shooting contest. He was also the recipient of the Dial Award, given to the nation's top male and female student-athlete. Langdon's win marked the second consecutive year a basketball player was so honored, as Jacque Vaughn had won the previous year.
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Trevor Ariza
Trevor Anthony Ariza (born June 30, 1985 in Miami, Florida) is an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association who plays for the New Orleans Hornets.
Ariza played AAU basketball for 4d, a traveling youth basketball team that had numerous All-Americans[who?] on the roster. Ariza attended Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California, where as a junior he combined with teammates and fellow future NBA players Hassan Adams, Brandon Heath, and Bobby Brown to lead the Comets to the California State championship.
After one season at UCLA Ariza declared for the NBA draft and was a second round choice (43rd overall) of the New York Knicks in 2004.
Ariza started his rookie season coming off the bench; at 19 he was the second-youngest rookie in Knicks history to play in 80 games. As the season progressed he impressed coach Larry Brown enough to start 12 games. In Ariza's second season, he played in 36 games and started in 10. In February 2006, Ariza was traded along with Penny Hardaway to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Steve Francis. After the trade he played in 21 games and averaged 4.7 per game. In the 2006-07 season he played in 57 games and started in 7, averaging a career high 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
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Tyrone Washington
Tyrone Lamar Washington (born September 16, 1976) is a former American professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Mississippi State University before being drafted by the Houston Rockets in the 1999 NBA Draft. However, he played professionally overseas and in the NBA Development League.
Born in East St. Louis, Illinois, Washington graduated from Gentry High School in Indianola, Mississippi in 1995. Gatorade named Washington the Mississippi Boys' Basketball Player of the Year in his senior year, and Washington also was a fourth-team All-American pick by Parade magazine.
In his freshman year with the Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team, Washington was a backup center behind future NBA player Erick Dampier. Washington averaged 1.8 points and 2.1 rebounds as a freshman; he also blocked 13 shots and made 41% of field goal tries and 60% of free throw attempts. After the NBA drafted Dampier in 1996, Washington became the starting center. In 1996–1997, Washington co-led the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in blocked shots (2 blocks per game), and his 7.9 rebounds per game was the second-most in the conference. In 1998, Washington was a third-team all-SEC pick.
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Tyson Chandler
Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982) is an American professional basketball center who currently plays for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association. Chandler was the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, then was immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls. He has also played for the New Orleans Hornets, Charlotte Bobcats, and Dallas Mavericks. As starting center for Dallas, he helped win the franchise's first NBA championship in 2011. He was also a member of the United States men's national basketball team's gold medal run in the 2010 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Chandler was born to a single mother. He and his two brothers, Terrell and Tervon, grew up in their family's farm in Hanford, California, just south of Fresno, California. Chandler began playing basketball at three years old on a basket Chandler's grandfather, Cleotis, fixed on a tree. Chandler grew up doing farm work such as milking cows, slopping pigs, and cultivating crops. At nine years old Chandler and his mother moved to San Bernadino, California; he was already nearly six feet tall. As a child Chandler was teased because of his height; children on his school basketball team joked that he was older than he really was, and that he had been left back several times in school.
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Venson Hamilton
Venson Hamilton (born August 11, 1977 in Forest City, North Carolina) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for CB Gran Canaria in Spain.
A graduate of East Rutherford High School in Forest City, North Carolina, Hamilton played college basketball at the University of Nebraska, where he played with the Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team. He holds school records for most blocked shots (241), and most rebounds (1,080), surpassing the previous record by nearly 300. He ranks ninth on the school's all time scoring chart with 1,416 career points. He shot 52.7% from the field throughout his career. He also dished out 164 assists, and compiled 186 steals in his college career.
He was named the Big 12 Player of the Year during his senior season of college. His 335 rebounds during his senior season set a new school record for rebounds in a single season. He was also named to the Big 12 conference's All-Defensive Team.
Hamilton was also able to display his talents as a leading player of the arcade game X-Men vs. Street Fighter inside of the City Campus Student Union during his college career.
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Vince Carter
Vincent Lamar "Vince" Carter (born January 26, 1977) is an American professional basketball player with the Dallas Mavericks. He is a shooting guard who can also play small forward.
A high school McDonald's All-American, Carter played three years at the University of North Carolina, where he twice reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament before being selected as the fifth overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, who traded him to the Toronto Raptors. He won the 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year Award and won the Slam Dunk Contest at the 2000 NBA All-Star Game the following season. That summer, he represented the United States in the Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal.
He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his leaping ability and slam dunks, earning him nicknames such as "Vinsanity," "Air Canada," and "Half-Man, Half-Amazing."
He led the Raptors to their first three playoff appearances. In 2004, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets, and he helped lead them to three playoff berths. In July 2009, Carter was traded to the Orlando Magic, helping them to advance to the Eastern Conference finals before being traded to the Phoenix Suns in December, 2010.
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Vonteego Cummings
Vonteego Marfeek Cummings (born February 29, 1976) is an American professional basketball player. He is a 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) combo guard who has played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) during his career. He has also had a successful career in Europe where he has played in several different countries. He currently plays for Trefl Sopot in Poland.
A first-round pick (26th overall) by the Indiana Pacers in 1999, Cummings was immediately traded for forward-center Jeff Foster to the Golden State Warriors, where he played for two seasons (1999–2001). As a rookie in the 1999–00 season, Cummings started 11 of 75 games played, averaging 9.4 points and 3.3 assists for 23.9 minutes a contest. In 2000–01, he averaged 7.3 points and 3.4 assists for 22.7 minutes in 66 games played (11 as a starter). Cummings was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers prior to the 2001–02 season, in which he averaged 3.3 points and 1 assist per game. In September 2002, Cummings signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but was waived before the start of the season. In Cummings' three NBA seasons, he averaged 6.9 (1381 total) points and 2.7 assists, shooting .383 from the field in 199 games (23 starts).
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Wally Szczerbiak
Walter Robert "Wally" Szczerbiak ( /ˈsɜrbi.æk/ SUR-bee-ak; born March 5, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player.
Szczerbiak was born in Madrid, Spain, while his father Walter (a former ABA player) was playing for Real Madrid, and spent much of his childhood in Europe during his father's playing career. When Walter retired, he moved his family back to his native Long Island, New York, where Wally attended high school in Cold Spring Harbor. Szczerbiak competed for the Long Island team in the 1994 Empire State Games.
In college, Szczerbiak played for Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He graduated from the Richard T. Farmer School of Business at Miami University where he studied marketing. At Miami he led his team to the Sweet 16 in the 1999 NCAA Tournament as a #10 seed. Szczerbiak scored a career high 43 points in a first round win over #7 seed University of Washington. He followed that up with a 24-point performance in the second round against #2 seed Utah, leading the Redhawks to the Sweet 16, where they would eventually lose to Kentucky 58-43, despite Szczerbiak's 23-point performance.
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Wang Zhizhi
Wang Zhizhi (Chinese: 王治郅; pinyin: Wáng Zhìzhì; born July 8, 1979) is a Chinese professional basketball player. He is a former player in the National Basketball Association.
Wang is 214 cm tall. Wang's father Wang Weijun (196 cm) and mother Ren Huanzhen (186 cm) were both basketball players. Wang and his wife, Song Yang, have one son, Jerry.
Born in Beijing, Wang joined the Army club in 1994. When the Chinese Basketball Association started in 1995, Wang was one of the youngest players in the league. Nevertheless, he soon became a starter in the star-studded army team Bayi Rockets. From 1995 to his departure for the NBA after the 2001 Finals, the import-less Bayi Rockets won all CBA Finals and National Games of the PRC. The Bayi dynasty was upended by Yao Ming and the Shanghai Sharks as soon as Wang left for the NBA.
In the 1995 FIBA World Championship for Juniors (Under-19 players), Wang led China to a 9th place finish with a 4-4 record. He averaged 22.3 points, making 60% of his field goals and 86% of his free throws. He also averaged 11.1 rebounds per game and led the tournament in shots blocked. As a result, Wang was named to the All-Tournament team.
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Wikipedia Persondata
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Yi Jianlian
Yi Jianlian (Chinese: 易建联) is a Chinese professional basketball player who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also played in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, and Washington Wizards. Yi played power forward for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) in 2002 and subsequently won the Rookie of the Year Award. In five years with the Tigers, he won three CBA titles, as well as playing with the Chinese national basketball team in the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2006 FIBA World Championships. In the 2007 NBA Draft, he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks as the sixth overall pick. Initially, Yi declined to sign with the Bucks for several months before agreeing to a contract with them on August 29, 2007.
There has been controversy over Yi's age, as several reports have testified that his officially listed birth date of October 27, 1987, was intentionally falsified so he would be able to play longer in junior competitions. Yi has refused to comment on his age.
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Odom, Lamar Filmography
Famous quotes by Lamar Odom:
"We needed this game, so I just wanted to stay aggressive around the boards, find the basket, get some easy shots and go to the free throw line."
"He was a good dude before. He's an even better dude now. This is a guy who's been through a lot. He's one guy who knows how fragile life can be."
"This was not like having a cold or the flu, this was a complicated surgery. Some people lose their lives, not just their career. When you figure he's been able to play for us, and even to be effective for us, anybody has to be inspired. He's defeated some long odds to be here and now he's an emotional part of this team."
"It was fun. We gave them a show. I was glad a lot of the NBA greats came, too."
"Inside presence, being physical, that's what we need from him. The guy's got the best body in the NBA _ he's got to throw it around a little bit."
"Last year, we were a really bad defensive team. We're better, but we're still bad."
"Every game we play is going to be the biggest game of the year. ... It's in our hands. We can't really worry about what other teams are doing."
"We just threw everybody at (Pierce). If you put two guys on him, you have a high percentage of stopping him."
"He raises the I.Q. of your basketball team ? he helps us tremendously,"
"He raises the I.Q. of your basketball team - he helps us tremendously,"
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Lamar Odom 2010-11 TOP 10 Plays
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:36
- Updated: 22 Feb 2013
Lamar Odom 2010-11 TOP 10 Plays ***no including playoffs plays.
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_2010-11_TOP_10_Plays
Lamar Odom 2010-11 TOP 10 Plays ***no including playoffs plays.
Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom show their silly side
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:59
- Updated: 04 Mar 2013
Video by Melissa Rohlin and Khang Nguyen
http://wn.com/Kobe_Bryant_and_Lamar_Odom_show_their_silly_side
Video by Melissa Rohlin and Khang Nguyen
- published: 31 Mar 2011
- views: 308022
- author: losangelestimes
The Lamar Odom Story
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:58
- Updated: 03 Mar 2013
The Lamar Odom Story
http://wn.com/The_Lamar_Odom_Story
Lamar Odom [HD]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:59
- Updated: 03 Mar 2013
New Mix Made By The 2 Biggest Lakers Fan's in Europe/The Netherlands
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_HD_
New Mix Made By The 2 Biggest Lakers Fan's in Europe/The Netherlands
- published: 23 Jul 2011
- views: 71995
- author: AirTim17
Lamar Odom | The Candy Man ESPN | LamarOdom.com
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:03
- Updated: 03 Mar 2013
This feature on Lamar revealed his love of candy, and spawned some amusing speculation about his diet and toothbrushing habits. To learn more about Lamar, go to www.lamarodom.com, http or www.facebook.com
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_|_The_Candy_Man_ESPN_|_LamarOdomcom
This feature on Lamar revealed his love of candy, and spawned some amusing speculation about his diet and toothbrushing habits. To learn more about Lamar, go to www.lamarodom.com, http or www.facebook.com
- published: 27 Jan 2011
- views: 57075
- author: reallamarodom
LAMAR ODOM MIX
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:15
- Updated: 23 Nov 2012
a mix of the los angeles lakers 6'10 point forward.
http://wn.com/LAMAR_ODOM_MIX
a mix of the los angeles lakers 6'10 point forward.
- published: 14 Feb 2009
- views: 131637
- author: immafatazn
Lamar Odom drains a 35 FOOTER
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:32
- Updated: 04 Mar 2013
Lamar Odom turns a terrible possession into a much needed basket against his former team
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_drains_a_35_FOOTER
Lamar Odom turns a terrible possession into a much needed basket against his former team
- published: 03 Nov 2012
- views: 29110
- author: LobCityClipps
LA Clippers - Lamar Odom
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:56
- Updated: 03 Mar 2013
3 Fold News Correspondent Shayla Crim talks to Los Angeles Clippers Player Lamar Odom about staying positive, his wife Khloe Kardashian, and the power of family and prayer. Clothes worn: Plaid Top from Zizibeh Check out: www.3foldnews.com Check out: www.clippers.com Check out: www.lamarodom.com Twitter Profiles: Check out: @3FoldNews Check out: @laclippers Check out: @RealLamarOdom Check out: @KhloeKardashian
http://wn.com/LA_Clippers_Lamar_Odom
3 Fold News Correspondent Shayla Crim talks to Los Angeles Clippers Player Lamar Odom about staying positive, his wife Khloe Kardashian, and the power of family and prayer. Clothes worn: Plaid Top from Zizibeh Check out: www.3foldnews.com Check out: www.clippers.com Check out: www.lamarodom.com Twitter Profiles: Check out: @3FoldNews Check out: @laclippers Check out: @RealLamarOdom Check out: @KhloeKardashian
- published: 25 Jan 2013
- views: 855
- author: 3FoldNews
Clippers Introduce Lamar Odom
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:29
- Updated: 03 Mar 2013
Clippers introduce Lamar Odom, acquired from Dallas in a 4-team trade
http://wn.com/Clippers_Introduce_Lamar_Odom
Clippers introduce Lamar Odom, acquired from Dallas in a 4-team trade
- published: 02 Jul 2012
- views: 12791
- author: Madelyn Burke
6 Best Lamar Odom Bloopers - HD
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:31
- Updated: 29 Jan 2013
A funny video of 6 of the best Lamar Odom bloopers. Lamar always does the most retarded stuff, haha. Song/s used: Clumsy- Fergie sportmixzANDstuff sportmixzandstuff sportmixz
http://wn.com/6_Best_Lamar_Odom_Bloopers_HD
A funny video of 6 of the best Lamar Odom bloopers. Lamar always does the most retarded stuff, haha. Song/s used: Clumsy- Fergie sportmixzANDstuff sportmixzandstuff sportmixz
- published: 11 Jun 2011
- views: 63310
- author: sportmixzANDstuff
Lamar Odom - Yinka Dare Mix
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:11
- Updated: 25 Jan 2013
The best mix of the new yorker by Yinka Dare
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_Yinka_Dare_Mix
The best mix of the new yorker by Yinka Dare
- published: 29 Nov 2006
- views: 64099
- author: Matías Castañón
ALWAYS ON: LAMAR ODOM
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:20
- Updated: 21 Feb 2013
Lamar Odom might hoop in Los Angeles and appear on reality TV shows with his celebrity wife, but he hasn't gone all the way Hollywood. In the new video "ALWAYS ON: LAMAR ODOM," he takes viewers on a tour of the formative spots in Queens that shaped his game, his mentality and his life. Walk with him down Jamaica Avenue, see him practicing his handles at Frederick B. Judge Park and join him as he satisfies his famed sweet tooth at an ice cream truck. Lamar's homecoming is accompanied by Stalley's exclusive track "Born to Win."
http://wn.com/ALWAYS_ON_LAMAR_ODOM
Lamar Odom might hoop in Los Angeles and appear on reality TV shows with his celebrity wife, but he hasn't gone all the way Hollywood. In the new video "ALWAYS ON: LAMAR ODOM," he takes viewers on a tour of the formative spots in Queens that shaped his game, his mentality and his life. Walk with him down Jamaica Avenue, see him practicing his handles at Frederick B. Judge Park and join him as he satisfies his famed sweet tooth at an ice cream truck. Lamar's homecoming is accompanied by Stalley's exclusive track "Born to Win."
- published: 07 Oct 2011
- views: 474141
- author: nikesportswear
Lamar Odom ejected for hit on Dirk Nowitzki -- Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks Game 4
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:44
- Updated: 11 Feb 2013
Lamar Odom receives a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2 for his hit on Dirk Nowitzki and has been ejected from the game. Lamar Odom of the Los Angeles Lakers is ejected for a hit on Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals in the NBA Playoffs! Lamar Odom ejected for hit on Dirk Nowitzki -- Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks Game 4 Lakers vs Mavericks Game 4: SemiFinals: Nba Playoffs 2011 NEWS: Andrew Bynum has also been ejected from the game after receiving a Flagrant 2 for knocking JJ Barea to the floor.
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_ejected_for_hit_on_Dirk_Nowitzki_-_Los_Angeles_Lakers_vs_Dallas_Mavericks_Game_4
Lamar Odom receives a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2 for his hit on Dirk Nowitzki and has been ejected from the game. Lamar Odom of the Los Angeles Lakers is ejected for a hit on Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals in the NBA Playoffs! Lamar Odom ejected for hit on Dirk Nowitzki -- Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks Game 4 Lakers vs Mavericks Game 4: SemiFinals: Nba Playoffs 2011 NEWS: Andrew Bynum has also been ejected from the game after receiving a Flagrant 2 for knocking JJ Barea to the floor.
- published: 08 May 2011
- views: 327560
- author: NBAClimax
Lamar Odom Bloopers
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:29
- Updated: 17 Feb 2013
Lamar Odom Is High! ***COPYRIGHTS GO TO***: (C) 2001 Universal Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_Bloopers
Lamar Odom Is High! ***COPYRIGHTS GO TO***: (C) 2001 Universal Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
- published: 03 Jul 2009
- views: 215779
- author: Grecinto23
Lamar Odom, on his love of candy
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:40
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
During the Lakers' 5.1.09 practice, Lamar Odom discusses his love of candy, which a local doctor thinks is causing inconsistent play.
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom,_on_his_love_of_candy
During the Lakers' 5.1.09 practice, Lamar Odom discusses his love of candy, which a local doctor thinks is causing inconsistent play.
- published: 02 Jun 2009
- views: 70798
- author: losangelestimes
2012-2013 Preseason Bloopers!
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:45
- Updated: 05 Mar 2013
Watch some of the funnier and lighter moments that have happened during the preseason!
http://wn.com/2012-2013_Preseason_Bloopers!
Watch some of the funnier and lighter moments that have happened during the preseason!
- published: 03 Nov 2012
- views: 335189
- author: NBA
Khloe & Lamar - Khloe and Lamar Bonus: Unbreakable Romance
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:42
- Updated: 05 Mar 2013
Lamar opens up about his name idea for their joint fragrance. Hear what about their relationship inspires him to call it Unbreakable!
http://wn.com/Khloe_Lamar_Khloe_and_Lamar_Bonus_Unbreakable_Romance
Lamar opens up about his name idea for their joint fragrance. Hear what about their relationship inspires him to call it Unbreakable!
- published: 05 May 2011
- views: 66885
- author: EEntertainment
Lamar Odom Dribbles Inbounds!
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:29
- Updated: 05 Mar 2013
Smart move there, Lamar.
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_Dribbles_Inbounds!
Lamar Odom Circus Shot
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:14
- Updated: 02 Mar 2013
Lamar Odom takes the bump and gets the high-arcing shot to fall over the backboard. Visit www.nba.com for more highlights.
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_Circus_Shot
Lamar Odom takes the bump and gets the high-arcing shot to fall over the backboard. Visit www.nba.com for more highlights.
- published: 26 Jan 2011
- views: 121085
- author: NBA
STEPHEN A. SMITH SNAPS ON ROBERT FLORES FOR CALLING LAMAR ODOM A QUITER
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:24
- Updated: 27 Feb 2013
SPORTSCENTER
http://wn.com/STEPHEN_A_SMITH_SNAPS_ON_ROBERT_FLORES_FOR_CALLING_LAMAR_ODOM_A_QUITER
Laker fans give Odom a warm welcome
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:27
- Updated: 24 Feb 2013
Check out the Lakers fans as they give Lamar Odom a long applause as he checks into the game as a member of the Dallas Mavericks in his first regular season game at the Lakers since being traded.
http://wn.com/Laker_fans_give_Odom_a_warm_welcome
Check out the Lakers fans as they give Lamar Odom a long applause as he checks into the game as a member of the Dallas Mavericks in his first regular season game at the Lakers since being traded.
- published: 17 Jan 2012
- views: 203206
- author: NBA
Lamar Odom dunk
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:23
- Updated: 06 Jun 2012
A nasty Lamar Odom dunk on Howard.
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_dunk
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Lopez Tonight - Khloe Kardashian Odom & Lamar Odom Interview - DNA Test & iBoning
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:12
- Updated: 04 Mar 2013
Khloe Kardashian Odom Lamar Odom Lopez Tonight George Lopez The George Lopez Show.
http://wn.com/Lopez_Tonight_Khloe_Kardashian_Odom_Lamar_Odom_Interview_DNA_Test_iBoning
Khloe Kardashian Odom Lamar Odom Lopez Tonight George Lopez The George Lopez Show.
- published: 11 Mar 2010
- views: 806940
- author: LatinasEn4
PTI: Lamar Odom on Leaving Lakers - HD Interview
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:59
- Updated: 20 Feb 2013
Lamar Odom discusses the trade from the Lakers to the Mavericks as well as his future in Dallas on Pardon The Interruption.
http://wn.com/PTI_Lamar_Odom_on_Leaving_Lakers_HD_Interview
Lamar Odom discusses the trade from the Lakers to the Mavericks as well as his future in Dallas on Pardon The Interruption.
- published: 19 Dec 2011
- views: 78569
- author: ESPNHDdotcom
Lamar Odom 18 points vs. Jazz Full Highlights (2/23/13)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:11
- Updated: 27 Feb 2013
Watch Later Khloé & Lamar | Seas 2 | Ep 1 A Fine Bromance 12by khioeandlamar 45630 views · 1425. Watch Later Sofia Vergara on George Lopez in HD 14.25 minutes Great Interview Watch Full Screenby gregwn 346826 views · 658. Watch Later The Lamar Odom Storyby LALTACH 103092 views · 259. Watch Later Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom show their silly sideby losangelestimes 306283 views · 907. Watch Later Funny Kevin Hart on Lopez Tonight with George LopezHDby GNECT 814772 views ...
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_18_points_vs_Jazz_Full_Highlights_2_23_13
Watch Later Khloé & Lamar | Seas 2 | Ep 1 A Fine Bromance 12by khioeandlamar 45630 views · 1425. Watch Later Sofia Vergara on George Lopez in HD 14.25 minutes Great Interview Watch Full Screenby gregwn 346826 views · 658. Watch Later The Lamar Odom Storyby LALTACH 103092 views · 259. Watch Later Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom show their silly sideby losangelestimes 306283 views · 907. Watch Later Funny Kevin Hart on Lopez Tonight with George LopezHDby GNECT 814772 views ...
- published: 24 Feb 2013
- views: 512
- author: Basketballltc
Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom show their silly side
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:59
- Updated: 04 Mar 2013
Video by Melissa Rohlin and Khang Nguyen.
http://wn.com/Kobe_Bryant_and_Lamar_Odom_show_their_silly_side
Video by Melissa Rohlin and Khang Nguyen.
- published: 31 Mar 2011
- views: 307158
- author: losangelestimes
Lamar Odom - Clippers Media Day Interview
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:26
- Updated: 14 Jan 2013
For more exclusive interviews and music videos visit: http://power106.com Find Jeff G @ http://fb.com/JeffGPower106 http://twitter.com/thesportsdude Find Pow...
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_Clippers_Media_Day_Interview
For more exclusive interviews and music videos visit: http://power106.com Find Jeff G @ http://fb.com/JeffGPower106 http://twitter.com/thesportsdude Find Pow...
- published: 29 Sep 2012
- views: 8457
- author: Power106lavideos
Khloe Kardashian, Lamar Odom (Keeping Up With The Kardashians) StarCam Interview
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:40
- Updated: 16 Jan 2013
http://starcam.com Lamar Odom talks to StarCam's Jennifer Tapiero about working on creating his own fragrance "unbreakable" and who his favorite basketball p...
http://wn.com/Khloe_Kardashian,_Lamar_Odom_Keeping_Up_With_The_Kardashians_StarCam_Interview
http://starcam.com Lamar Odom talks to StarCam's Jennifer Tapiero about working on creating his own fragrance "unbreakable" and who his favorite basketball p...
- published: 07 Mar 2011
- views: 19200
- author: starcamcelebrities
Lamar Odom Interview After Winning 6th Man Of The Year Award
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:48
- Updated: 13 Dec 2011
6th Man of the Year Lamar Odom interviewed after winning award. http://www.nba.com/video.
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_Interview_After_Winning_6th_Man_Of_The_Year_Award
6th Man of the Year Lamar Odom interviewed after winning award. http://www.nba.com/video.
- published: 20 Apr 2011
- views: 2734
- author: Lakernation94
Lamar Odom, on his love of candy
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:40
- Updated: 28 Jan 2013
During the Lakers' 5.1.09 practice, Lamar Odom discusses his love of candy, which a local doctor thinks is causing inconsistent play.
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom,_on_his_love_of_candy
During the Lakers' 5.1.09 practice, Lamar Odom discusses his love of candy, which a local doctor thinks is causing inconsistent play.
- published: 02 Jun 2009
- views: 70765
- author: losangelestimes
Lamar Odom 2010-11 TOP 10 Plays
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:36
- Updated: 22 Feb 2013
Lamar Odom 2010-11 TOP 10 Plays ***no including playoffs plays.
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_2010-11_TOP_10_Plays
Lamar Odom 2010-11 TOP 10 Plays ***no including playoffs plays.
- published: 22 May 2011
- views: 91918
- author: lance1229
Lamar Odom & Jim Rome Interview 4/1/08
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:46
- Updated: 31 Mar 2012
Here is a interview done with Odom today on ESPN show Jim Rome is burning.
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_Jim_Rome_Interview_4_1_08
Here is a interview done with Odom today on ESPN show Jim Rome is burning.
- published: 02 Apr 2008
- views: 4435
- author: KB8SD
Lamar Odom & Ralph Lawler
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 16:51
- Updated: 28 Feb 2013
LO reflects.
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_Ralph_Lawler
The Lamar Odom Story
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:58
- Updated: 03 Mar 2013
The Lamar Odom Story.
http://wn.com/The_Lamar_Odom_Story
Starter Wives: Lamar Odom's Ex- Liza Morales Talks Baby Loss And Tell All Book
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:32
- Updated: 01 Mar 2013
Liza Morales of Starter Wives Confidential Opens Up About Losing A Child Due To Miscarriage. Plans To Release A Loosely Based Biography On Her Life And Wants...
http://wn.com/Starter_Wives_Lamar_Odom's_Ex_Liza_Morales_Talks_Baby_Loss_And_Tell_All_Book
Liza Morales of Starter Wives Confidential Opens Up About Losing A Child Due To Miscarriage. Plans To Release A Loosely Based Biography On Her Life And Wants...
- published: 29 Jan 2013
- views: 3475
- author: BOSSIP
09 30 2006 SportsCentral Lamar Odom Interview
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:35
- Updated: 17 May 2011
09 30 2006 sportscentral Lamar Odom Interview. losangelessportsvid1833 videos. Subscribe Subscribed ... Loading. Lamar Odom Yinka Dare Mix 411. Watch Later Lamar Odom Yinka Dare Mixby Matías CastañónFeatured63796; 09 17 2006 The Challenge Kobe Bryant Interview 325 ... 112410 Kunal NayyarBig Bang Theory on Missing His Indian Culture on Lopez Tonightby MRFREDSTV671741 views; Lamar OdomLos Angeles Lakers Interview 301. Watch Later Lamar OdomLos Angeles Lakers ...
http://wn.com/09_30_2006_SportsCentral_Lamar_Odom_Interview
09 30 2006 sportscentral Lamar Odom Interview. losangelessportsvid1833 videos. Subscribe Subscribed ... Loading. Lamar Odom Yinka Dare Mix 411. Watch Later Lamar Odom Yinka Dare Mixby Matías CastañónFeatured63796; 09 17 2006 The Challenge Kobe Bryant Interview 325 ... 112410 Kunal NayyarBig Bang Theory on Missing His Indian Culture on Lopez Tonightby MRFREDSTV671741 views; Lamar OdomLos Angeles Lakers Interview 301. Watch Later Lamar OdomLos Angeles Lakers ...
- published: 17 May 2011
- views: 124
- author: losangelessportsvid
Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom on X Factor & Ocoto Mom Departing Boa in WeHo
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:45
- Updated: 26 Feb 2013
Khloe & Lamar share their thoughts on X Factor & Ocoto Mom, Rock on guys!
http://wn.com/Khloe_Kardashian_Lamar_Odom_on_X_Factor_Ocoto_Mom_Departing_Boa_in_WeHo
Khloe & Lamar share their thoughts on X Factor & Ocoto Mom, Rock on guys!
- published: 02 Nov 2012
- views: 10333
- author: PopCandiesTv
Lamar Odom's Ex Liza of Starter Wives Talk Kardashians And Celibacy
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:47
- Updated: 04 Mar 2013
Lamar Odom's Ex Liza Morales of Starter Wives Confidential ,Talks To Bossip About Celibacy, Kardashians And Blasts Bossip For Calling Her The Fat Girl. WATCH...
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom's_Ex_Liza_of_Starter_Wives_Talk_Kardashians_And_Celibacy
Lamar Odom's Ex Liza Morales of Starter Wives Confidential ,Talks To Bossip About Celibacy, Kardashians And Blasts Bossip For Calling Her The Fat Girl. WATCH...
- published: 25 Jan 2013
- views: 11785
- author: BOSSIP
Lamar Odom Season High 18 Points Full Highlights (2/23/2013)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:29
- Updated: 02 Mar 2013
Remember when Lamar Odom was good? It seems like so long ago. He was one of the best all-around power forwards in the game for a stretch of time. But now he ...
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_Season_High_18_Points_Full_Highlights_2_23_2013
Remember when Lamar Odom was good? It seems like so long ago. He was one of the best all-around power forwards in the game for a stretch of time. But now he ...
- published: 24 Feb 2013
- views: 475
- author: DownToBuck
Clippers Introduce Lamar Odom
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:29
- Updated: 03 Mar 2013
Clippers introduce Lamar Odom, acquired from Dallas in a 4-team trade.
http://wn.com/Clippers_Introduce_Lamar_Odom
Clippers introduce Lamar Odom, acquired from Dallas in a 4-team trade.
- published: 02 Jul 2012
- views: 12773
- author: Madelyn Burke
Lakers @ Mavericks - Lamar Odom Interview 01.13.10
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:38
- Updated: 23 Feb 2012
Enjoy the Lakers @ Mavericks - Lamar Odom Interview 01.13.10.
http://wn.com/Lakers_@_Mavericks_Lamar_Odom_Interview_011310
Enjoy the Lakers @ Mavericks - Lamar Odom Interview 01.13.10.
- published: 15 Jan 2010
- views: 1057
- author: DivXLakers
Lamar Odom [HD]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:59
- Updated: 03 Mar 2013
New Mix Made By The 2 Biggest Lakers Fan's in Europe/The Netherlands.
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_HD_
New Mix Made By The 2 Biggest Lakers Fan's in Europe/The Netherlands.
- published: 23 Jul 2011
- views: 71892
- author: AirTim17
Lamar Odom | The Candy Man ESPN | LamarOdom.com
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:03
- Updated: 03 Mar 2013
This feature on Lamar revealed his love of candy, and spawned some amusing speculation about his diet and toothbrushing habits. To learn more about Lamar, go...
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom_|_The_Candy_Man_ESPN_|_LamarOdomcom
This feature on Lamar revealed his love of candy, and spawned some amusing speculation about his diet and toothbrushing habits. To learn more about Lamar, go...
- published: 27 Jan 2011
- views: 56989
- author: reallamarodom
Does Liza Morales of Starter Wives Watch Khloe and Lamar
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:25
- Updated: 01 Mar 2013
Lamar Odom's Ex Liza Morales Talks New Reality Show Starter Wives, Lamar and Khloe Reality Show and Dating While Celibate. WATCH MORE MADAME NOIRE VIDEOS: ht...
http://wn.com/Does_Liza_Morales_of_Starter_Wives_Watch_Khloe_and_Lamar
Lamar Odom's Ex Liza Morales Talks New Reality Show Starter Wives, Lamar and Khloe Reality Show and Dating While Celibate. WATCH MORE MADAME NOIRE VIDEOS: ht...
- published: 28 Jan 2013
- views: 2416
- author: MadameNoire
LAMAR ODOM MIX
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:15
- Updated: 23 Nov 2012
a mix of the los angeles lakers 6'10 point forward.
http://wn.com/LAMAR_ODOM_MIX
a mix of the los angeles lakers 6'10 point forward.
- published: 14 Feb 2009
- views: 131493
- author: immafatazn
7:12
Lopez Tonight - Khloe Kardashian Odom & Lamar Odom Interview - DNA Test & iBoning
Khloe Kardashian Odom Lamar Odom Lopez Tonight George Lopez The George Lopez Show....
published: 11 Mar 2010
author: LatinasEn4
Lopez Tonight - Khloe Kardashian Odom & Lamar Odom Interview - DNA Test & iBoning
Khloe Kardashian Odom Lamar Odom Lopez Tonight George Lopez The George Lopez Show.
- published: 11 Mar 2010
- views: 806940
- author: LatinasEn4
4:59
PTI: Lamar Odom on Leaving Lakers - HD Interview
Lamar Odom discusses the trade from the Lakers to the Mavericks as well as his future in D...
published: 19 Dec 2011
author: ESPNHDdotcom
PTI: Lamar Odom on Leaving Lakers - HD Interview
Lamar Odom discusses the trade from the Lakers to the Mavericks as well as his future in Dallas on Pardon The Interruption.
- published: 19 Dec 2011
- views: 78569
- author: ESPNHDdotcom
1:11
Lamar Odom 18 points vs. Jazz Full Highlights (2/23/13)
Watch Later Khloé & Lamar | Seas 2 | Ep 1 A Fine Bromance 12by khioeandlamar 45630 views &...
published: 24 Feb 2013
author: Basketballltc
Lamar Odom 18 points vs. Jazz Full Highlights (2/23/13)
Watch Later Khloé & Lamar | Seas 2 | Ep 1 A Fine Bromance 12by khioeandlamar 45630 views · 1425. Watch Later Sofia Vergara on George Lopez in HD 14.25 minutes Great Interview Watch Full Screenby gregwn 346826 views · 658. Watch Later The Lamar Odom Storyby LALTACH 103092 views · 259. Watch Later Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom show their silly sideby losangelestimes 306283 views · 907. Watch Later Funny Kevin Hart on Lopez Tonight with George LopezHDby GNECT 814772 views ...
- published: 24 Feb 2013
- views: 512
- author: Basketballltc
2:59
Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom show their silly side
Video by Melissa Rohlin and Khang Nguyen....
published: 31 Mar 2011
author: losangelestimes
Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom show their silly side
Video by Melissa Rohlin and Khang Nguyen.
- published: 31 Mar 2011
- views: 307158
- author: losangelestimes
1:26
Lamar Odom - Clippers Media Day Interview
For more exclusive interviews and music videos visit: http://power106.com Find Jeff G @ ht...
published: 29 Sep 2012
author: Power106lavideos
Lamar Odom - Clippers Media Day Interview
For more exclusive interviews and music videos visit: http://power106.com Find Jeff G @ http://fb.com/JeffGPower106 http://twitter.com/thesportsdude Find Pow...
- published: 29 Sep 2012
- views: 8457
- author: Power106lavideos
2:40
Khloe Kardashian, Lamar Odom (Keeping Up With The Kardashians) StarCam Interview
http://starcam.com Lamar Odom talks to StarCam's Jennifer Tapiero about working on creatin...
published: 07 Mar 2011
author: starcamcelebrities
Khloe Kardashian, Lamar Odom (Keeping Up With The Kardashians) StarCam Interview
http://starcam.com Lamar Odom talks to StarCam's Jennifer Tapiero about working on creating his own fragrance "unbreakable" and who his favorite basketball p...
- published: 07 Mar 2011
- views: 19200
- author: starcamcelebrities
3:48
Lamar Odom Interview After Winning 6th Man Of The Year Award
6th Man of the Year Lamar Odom interviewed after winning award. http://www.nba.com/video....
published: 20 Apr 2011
author: Lakernation94
Lamar Odom Interview After Winning 6th Man Of The Year Award
6th Man of the Year Lamar Odom interviewed after winning award. http://www.nba.com/video.
- published: 20 Apr 2011
- views: 2734
- author: Lakernation94
1:40
Lamar Odom, on his love of candy
During the Lakers' 5.1.09 practice, Lamar Odom discusses his love of candy, which a local ...
published: 02 Jun 2009
author: losangelestimes
Lamar Odom, on his love of candy
During the Lakers' 5.1.09 practice, Lamar Odom discusses his love of candy, which a local doctor thinks is causing inconsistent play.
- published: 02 Jun 2009
- views: 70765
- author: losangelestimes
6:46
Lamar Odom & Jim Rome Interview 4/1/08
Here is a interview done with Odom today on ESPN show Jim Rome is burning....
published: 02 Apr 2008
author: KB8SD
Lamar Odom & Jim Rome Interview 4/1/08
Here is a interview done with Odom today on ESPN show Jim Rome is burning.
- published: 02 Apr 2008
- views: 4435
- author: KB8SD
16:51
Lamar Odom & Ralph Lawler
LO reflects....
published: 13 Feb 2013
author: oakleyand allen
Lamar Odom & Ralph Lawler
LO reflects.
- published: 13 Feb 2013
- views: 1216
- author: oakleyand allen
2:32
Starter Wives: Lamar Odom's Ex- Liza Morales Talks Baby Loss And Tell All Book
Liza Morales of Starter Wives Confidential Opens Up About Losing A Child Due To Miscarriag...
published: 29 Jan 2013
author: BOSSIP
Starter Wives: Lamar Odom's Ex- Liza Morales Talks Baby Loss And Tell All Book
Liza Morales of Starter Wives Confidential Opens Up About Losing A Child Due To Miscarriage. Plans To Release A Loosely Based Biography On Her Life And Wants...
- published: 29 Jan 2013
- views: 3475
- author: BOSSIP
5:35
09 30 2006 SportsCentral Lamar Odom Interview
09 30 2006 sportscentral Lamar Odom Interview. losangelessportsvid1833 videos. Subscribe S...
published: 17 May 2011
author: losangelessportsvid
09 30 2006 SportsCentral Lamar Odom Interview
09 30 2006 sportscentral Lamar Odom Interview. losangelessportsvid1833 videos. Subscribe Subscribed ... Loading. Lamar Odom Yinka Dare Mix 411. Watch Later Lamar Odom Yinka Dare Mixby Matías CastañónFeatured63796; 09 17 2006 The Challenge Kobe Bryant Interview 325 ... 112410 Kunal NayyarBig Bang Theory on Missing His Indian Culture on Lopez Tonightby MRFREDSTV671741 views; Lamar OdomLos Angeles Lakers Interview 301. Watch Later Lamar OdomLos Angeles Lakers ...
- published: 17 May 2011
- views: 124
- author: losangelessportsvid
Vimeo results:
3:54
SILENCE OF DEATH directed by Mani Nasry (16MM FILM) 1ST YEAR RYERSON UNIVERSITY STUDENT FILM
IMDB PAGE
www.imdb.me/maninasry
This Scene expresses- FEAR- noun: an emotion experience...
published: 22 Jun 2009
author: MANI NASRY
SILENCE OF DEATH directed by Mani Nasry (16MM FILM) 1ST YEAR RYERSON UNIVERSITY STUDENT FILM
IMDB PAGE
www.imdb.me/maninasry
This Scene expresses- FEAR- noun: an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight). noun: a feeling of anxiety and agitation caused by the presence or nearness of danger, evil, pain, etc.; timidity; dread; terror; fright; apprehension. Terrify not your soul with vain imaginary fears. By realizing that you are the one feeding the fire, you can start to take control of your fears. Panic is a vicious cycle that can be broken. When you start to have irrational fears you need to take action quick. Eleanor Roosevelt once said: "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing, which you think you cannot do." We must stop running away from things that frighten us, face our fears head on, and do the thing we fear the most. Most of the time we'll find out that the "thing" was not that scary after all. Our imaginations had behaved like a super fertilizer and grown a grotesque monstrosity in our minds. Remember, our imaginations are incredibly powerful. They can work against us, creating horrible images that leave us paralyzed with fear and they can also work for us, building a world where everything we do is an adventure, a miracle. And the most amazing thing is that we hold the power to control our minds - we allow fear to dominate our lives or we choose to dominate fear. Those are our only two choices.
Links of Interest for Producers and Filmmakers
Canadian Film Exhibiton Listing http://www.aflick.ca
Festival Info - Worldwide
Box Office-theatrical box office figures
film releases - chronologically listing of theatrical releases
Coming Soon- trailer archive and other stuff
Indie WIRE -Independent film and dialy new
Academmy of Canadian Cinema - www.academy.ca
Toronto Film and Television Office (for permits, etc.) - www.toronto.ca
Canadian Filmmaker (great site for producers and independent film development) - canadianfilmmaker.com
Writer's Guild Development Funding link - www/wgc/ca
LIFT Film co-op - - www.lift.on.ca
Jobs-Crews - Indie Access - www.indieaccess.com
Mandy.com - Cast and Crew - www.mandy.com
National Screen Instistute - - www.nsi-canada.ca
Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund - - www.cifvf.ca
Ontario Media Development Corporation (former OFDC) www.omdc.on.ca/
Telefilm Canada http://www.telefilm.gc.ca
Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/ac-ca/progs/bcpac-cavco/index_e.cfm
(CAVCO)
Harold Greenberg Fund - - www.astralmedia.com
National Film Board http://www.nfb.ca
National Film Board - Seven week training for docs
BRAVO Fact fund - www.bravofact.com
Canadian Film and Televsion Production Association (CFTPA) http://www.cftpa.ca
Toronto Arts Council http://www.torontoartscouncil.org/
Ontario Arts Council http://www.arts.on.ca/?source=renaissancefaire.ca
Canada Council for the Arts http://www.canadacouncil.ca
Canadian Film Centre http://www.cdnfilmcentre.com
Directors Guild of Canada http://www.dgc.ca
Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC)
I.A.T.S.E.- Cameraman http://www.iatse667.com/
I.A.T.S.E.- Technicians http://www.iatse873.com
ACTRA http://www.actra.ca
Writers Guild http://www.writersguildofcanada.com
Canadian Copyright: Infringement, Fair Dealing, Ownership CIPO
Canadian Authors Association CAA
Music Rights and Licenses SOCAN
FilmToronto.com http://www.filmtoronto.com
Women in Film & Television (WIFT) http://www.wift.com
Internet Movie Database (imdb.com) http://www.imdb.com
Playback Magazine http://www.playbackmag.com
My Mediabiz http://www.mymediabiz.com
Links of Interest for Producers and Production Managers
Toronto Film Office - permits, etc.
Film Locations in Toronto
PS Production Services
William F. Whites
Panavision
Cinequip
Sim Video
Video Scope
Digital video supplies
Film Stock - Kodak
Fuji
MANI NASRY FILM AND TELEVISION RESUME Performer Profile Gender: Male Height: 5 feet 7 in Weight: 140 Age Range: 21 - 29 Physique: Athletic Hair Color: Brown Eyes: Brown Film Family Curse (2003 TV movie) Cast-Apr 01, 2003 SHADOW WALKERS PRODUCTIONS LTD Dawn of the Dead (2004) Cast-May 25, 2003/Jul 20, 2003 CORPUS VIVOS PRODUCTIONS INC Beautiful Girl (2003 TV movie) Cast-Aug 31, 2003 NEVER TIME PRODUCTIONS LTD New York Minute (2004/I) Cast-Sep 07, 2003 NY MINUTE FILMS INC Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story (2004 TV movie) Cast-Oct 18, 2003 ADJUSTMENT BULLOCH Childstar (2004) Cast-Nov 23, 2003/Dec 07, 2003 RHOMBUS MEDIA The Coven (2004 TV movie) Cast-Dec 07, 2003 COVEN PRODUCTIONS CORP Man of the Year (2006) Cast-Feb 14, 2006 AXIUM ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES CANADA HOOKED ON SPEEDMAN Cast-Mar 08, 2006 PLAYING ARMY PRODUCTIONS INC "WHAT DO YOU SEE 1" Cast-Mar 14, 2006 ARNOLD WORLDWIDE CANADA Roa
3:40
Full Court Press Vol. 1
The Full Court Press Music Album
Video Sizzle
Executive Produces:
- Brian Reynolds
- Sha...
published: 20 Aug 2012
author: Ramy Romany
Full Court Press Vol. 1
The Full Court Press Music Album
Video Sizzle
Executive Produces:
- Brian Reynolds
- Shannon Lawrence AKA SLam
- Katrina Campins
- Harry & Laurie Rosenberg
A & R:
- Mechalie Jamison
Production Manager
- Joseph Charles
Directed, Shot & Edited by:
- Ramy Romany
Featured Players by Appearance:
- Stephen Jackson
- Trevor Ariza
- Baron Davis
- Glen Davis
- Shawn Marion
- Josh Smith
- Carlos Boozer
- Lamar Odom
12:02
Lamar Odom Exit Interview
Lakers forward Lamar Odom speaks with the media following his exit interview with Lakers c...
published: 22 Jun 2010
author: Brian Kamenetzky
Lamar Odom Exit Interview
Lakers forward Lamar Odom speaks with the media following his exit interview with Lakers coach Phil Jackson and GM Mitch Kupchak. Odom discusses the satisfaction of winning another title, his health, and plans to play in this summer's World Championships.
Youtube results:
2:45
Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom on X Factor & Ocoto Mom Departing Boa in WeHo
Khloe & Lamar share their thoughts on X Factor & Ocoto Mom, Rock on guys!...
published: 02 Nov 2012
author: PopCandiesTv
Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom on X Factor & Ocoto Mom Departing Boa in WeHo
Khloe & Lamar share their thoughts on X Factor & Ocoto Mom, Rock on guys!
- published: 02 Nov 2012
- views: 10333
- author: PopCandiesTv
3:47
Lamar Odom's Ex Liza of Starter Wives Talk Kardashians And Celibacy
Lamar Odom's Ex Liza Morales of Starter Wives Confidential ,Talks To Bossip About Celibacy...
published: 25 Jan 2013
author: BOSSIP
Lamar Odom's Ex Liza of Starter Wives Talk Kardashians And Celibacy
Lamar Odom's Ex Liza Morales of Starter Wives Confidential ,Talks To Bossip About Celibacy, Kardashians And Blasts Bossip For Calling Her The Fat Girl. WATCH...
- published: 25 Jan 2013
- views: 11785
- author: BOSSIP
1:29
Lamar Odom Season High 18 Points Full Highlights (2/23/2013)
Remember when Lamar Odom was good? It seems like so long ago. He was one of the best all-a...
published: 24 Feb 2013
author: DownToBuck
Lamar Odom Season High 18 Points Full Highlights (2/23/2013)
Remember when Lamar Odom was good? It seems like so long ago. He was one of the best all-around power forwards in the game for a stretch of time. But now he ...
- published: 24 Feb 2013
- views: 475
- author: DownToBuck
2:29
Clippers Introduce Lamar Odom
Clippers introduce Lamar Odom, acquired from Dallas in a 4-team trade....
published: 02 Jul 2012
author: Madelyn Burke
Clippers Introduce Lamar Odom
Clippers introduce Lamar Odom, acquired from Dallas in a 4-team trade.
- published: 02 Jul 2012
- views: 12773
- author: Madelyn Burke
photo: AP / Lai Seng Sin
05 Mar 2013
KUALA LUMPUR. Malaysian security forces attacked a group of armed Filipinos early Tuesday to end the group's three-week occupation of a Borneo village, the prime minister said after the siege turned violent and became Malaysia's biggest security crisis in years ... The Philippine government asked Malaysia on Monday to exercise maximum tolerance to avoid further bloodshed ... 9 ... ....(size: 4.7Kb)
photo: AP / Aaron Favila
05 Mar 2013
Manila. Members of a major Philippine Muslim rebel force who were meant to have disarmed in the 1990s as part of a peace pact are involved in deadly battles in Malaysia, the group’s leader said on Tuesday. Nur Misuari, who founded the Moro National Liberation Front in the late 1960s, confirmed “freedom fighters” from his group were part of the militia sent by a self-proclaimed sultan to claim the Malaysian state of Sabah....(size: 2.6Kb)
photo: AP / Gali Tibbon, Pool
05 Mar 2013
WASHINGTON - US Vice-President Joe Biden insisted on Monday that President Barack Obama was not bluffing about using force to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions if all else fails, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a "credible military threat" against Tehran ... "Words alone will not stop Iran. Sanctions alone will not stop Iran ... Tehran denies it is seeking one ... "We are not looking for war ... Previous Page 1 2 Next Page....(size: 3.5Kb)
photo: US Navy / MCS1 Daniel N. Woods
05 Mar 2013
FOSTER KLUG , The Associated Press. Posted. Tuesday, March 5, 2013, 4.12 AM. SEOUL, South Korea - The Cold War still rages in North Korea, and enemy No. 1 is the United States, which Pyongyang blames for making its much-condemned drive to develop nuclear weapons necessary ... North Korea's latest nuclear test in February , its third , has led even China, its only major ally, to support another round of punishing U.N ... invasion plans. U.S ... Cops ... ....(size: 9.2Kb)
photo: AP / Narciso Contreras
04 Mar 2013
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- More than 40 Syrian soldiers who had sought temporary safety in Iraq from rebel fighters along the border were killed on Monday in an attack by unidentified gunmen as the Iraqi military was transporting the soldiers back to Syria in a bus convoy, the government said ... He said Iraq would deploy more security forces on the border ... "We will not allow any terrorist to enter the Iraqi lands," Mr ... Mr ... Mr ... Mr ... But last week, Mr ... ....(size: 7.0Kb)
Celebrity Café
06 Mar 2013
The Examiner
06 Mar 2013
The Lamar Odom custody case is making celebrity news headlines this afternoon, as Zap2It reported this Tuesday, March 5, that Lamar is still working through alleged “baby daddy drama” with ex-girlfriend Liza Morales over visitation rights and child support. Under the headline, “Lamar Odom custody case ... The Lamar Odom custody case with Liz Morales continues for the two parents of Destiny, Lamar Jr....(size: 5.0Kb)
m&c;
06 Mar 2013
Lamar Odom - who plays basketball for the Los Angeles Clippers - appeared in court in New York on Tuesday (05.03.13) over his child support payments and visitation rights with his 15-year-old daughter Destiny and 11-year-old son Lamar Jr ... Khloe Kardashian Biography - Kim Kardashian Biography - Lamar Odom Biography - ....(size: 1.7Kb)
Independent online (SA)
06 Mar 2013
The reality TV star's soon-to-be ex-husband Kris Humphries - who is trying to prove she only married him to boost her ratings - came face to face with her sister Khloe's husband Lamar Odom at the trendy eatery Catch on Monday night, but they did not acknowledge one another....(size: 1.4Kb)
TMZ
06 Mar 2013
Great news for rappers like Drake, Game, Diddy ... all of 'em! Turns out all that money they throw around strip clubs could be a tax deduction. Dogg Pound MC, Dazz Dillinger joins us to talk tax write-offs, bitches! ... And ... We talk to rapper Daz Dillinger about the art of throwing money around ... Yeah, THAT Michael Vick ... (33.00) Lamar Odom and Kris Humphries dined at the same restaurant ... ....(size: 1.9Kb)
Zap2it
05 Mar 2013
TMZ
05 Mar 2013
The Inquisitr
05 Mar 2013
Lamar Odom fell asleep before a custody case hearing in New York this morning ... You can watch Lamar Odom as he arrived today at the Manhattan courthouse in the video below. ... Lamar Odom, who married celebrity star Khloe Kardashian shortly after his breakup with Morales, is a prominent fixture on Keeping Up With the Kardashians ... khloe kardashian, Lamar Odom, Liza Morales, Odom custody case....(size: 2.8Kb)
New York Daily News
05 Mar 2013
m&c;
05 Mar 2013
The reality TV star's soon to be ex-husband Kris Humphries - who is trying to prove she only married him to boost her ratings - came face to face with her sister Khloe's husband Lamar Odom at trendy eatery Catch on Monday night (04.03.13) but they did not acknowledge one another....(size: 1.5Kb)
New York Post Online
05 Mar 2013
Lamar Odom enters court today for his civil case with ex baby mama Liza Morales ... New York-native and Los Angeles Clippers forward Lamar Odom fell asleep on a hard, not-so-comfortable courthouse bench today as lawyers hashed out his ongoing child custody case behind closed doors ... Yet not long after our separation Lamar Odom was getting married to Khloe Kardashian, a woman he’d met four weeks before.”....(size: 3.9Kb)
The Examiner
05 Mar 2013
NBA player Lamar Odom is battling a child custody case with his ex- Liza Morales, and according to the Tuesday, March 5 New York Post reports Odom fell asleep on courthouse bench during the custody hearing. Not to smooth a move for Lamar Odom when the Los Angeles Clippers' forward nodded off on a hard wooden courthouse bench earlier today while attorneys argued the finer points of Odom and Morales' ongoing custody case....(size: 5.5Kb)
The Examiner
05 Mar 2013
A Lamar Odom custody case has the NBA star husband of reality TV celeb, Khloe Kardashian, dealing with another baby mama ... The celebrity news site said Lamar told them he fell asleep due to being "exhausted with jet lag." ... The latest case has Lamar battling for custody with baby mama Liza Morales ... NBA player Lamar Odom arrives to attend a custody hearing at New York State Supreme Court on March 5, 2013 in New York City....(size: 5.6Kb)
 Odom at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival |
|
| No. 7 – Dallas Mavericks | |
|---|---|
| Forward | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1979-11-06) November 6, 1979 (age 32) South Jamaica, Queens, New York City, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| High school | Christ The King Regional Redemption Christian Academy St. Thomas Aquinas Prep |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Rhode Island |
| NBA Draft | 1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall |
| Selected by the Los Angeles Clippers | |
| Pro career | 1999–present |
| Career history | |
| 1999–2003 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2003–2004 | Miami Heat |
| 2004–2011 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2011–present | Dallas Mavericks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Lamar Joseph Odom (born November 6, 1979) is an American professional basketball forward with the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA.
Contents |
Early life[link]
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.[1][2] He was raised by his grandmother Mildred.[3]
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.[4][5] Odom was named the Parade Magazine Player of the Year in 1997.[6] He was named to the USA Today All-USA 1st Team as a senior.[7] 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.[8]
College[link]
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.[9] Coach Bill Bayno was fired and UNLV was placed on probation for four years.[10] Odom transferred to the University of Rhode Island but was forced to sit out the 1997–98 season.[11]
Odom played one season at Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10 Conference, where he scored 17.6 points per game and led the Rams to the conference championship in 1999.[12] His three-pointer against Temple University at the buzzer[5] gave the Rams their first A-10 Tournament title.
NBA career[link]
Los Angeles Clippers (1999–2003)[link]
Odom declared his eligibility for the 1999 NBA Draft after his freshman year at the Rhode Island in 1999.[13] The 6 foot 10 inch forward was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the fourth overall pick.[14] In his first season with the Clippers, Odom averaged 16.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, including 30 points and 12 rebounds in his NBA debut.[15] He was named to the 2000 NBA All-Rookie First Team.[16]
Odom was involved in controversy in November 2001 when he was suspended for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy for the second time in eight months.[17] It is generally accepted[by whom?] that Odom's suspension was for use of marijuana, which is not subject to the NBA's harsher "Drugs of Abuse" rules. At the time, he admitted to smoking marijuana.[17]
He was then a restricted free agent and was acquired by the Miami Heat in the off-season. The Clippers declined to match the Heat's offer for Odom after matching another offer Miami made to Elton Brand.
Miami Heat (2003–2004)[link]
Along with budding superstar Dwyane Wade and the dynamic Caron Butler, Odom had a very notable season with the Miami Heat, in which they advanced to the second round of the playoffs after being 11 games under .500 on March 2.[18] He had a very solid season[19] compared to his sub-par season with the Clippers the previous year.[19] After the season, Odom was traded in a package with Caron Butler and Brian Grant to the Los Angeles Lakers for All-Star Shaquille O'Neal.[20]
Los Angeles Lakers (2004–2011)[link]
In his first year with the Los Angeles Lakers incurred a left shoulder injury which forced him to miss the end of the 2004–05 NBA season.[21] The Lakers finished out of the playoffs for only the 5th time in franchise history.[22] Following the 2004–05 season, they re-hired former coach Phil Jackson.[23]
In the first half of the 2005–06 NBA season, Odom displayed inconsistency while playing with the Lakers. However, as Los Angeles progressed towards the end of the season, his performance steadily improved. Along the way, he posted consecutive triple-doubles for the first time as a Laker against the Golden State Warriors[24] and Portland Trail Blazers.[25] The Lakers were eliminated in 7 games in the first round of the playoffs against the Phoenix Suns, after the Lakers lost a 3–1 series lead.[26]
Battling injuries, Odom was limited to 56 games in the 2006–07 season, but finished with an average of 15.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.[27] In a rematch of the previous year's series, the Lakers were again defeated by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs.[28]
After young center Andrew Bynum went down with a knee injury during the 2007–08 NBA season,[29] and Pau Gasol was acquired by the Lakers midseason,[30] Odom played well, averaging 15.3 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists per game.[31] Odom finished the season with 14.2 ppg 10.6 rpg and 3.5 apg.[32] Odom's numbers were down in the Finals, however, where he averaged 13.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game,[33] with the Lakers losing in the 2008 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics.[34]
At the beginning of the 2008–09 NBA season, Odom was moved to the bench and served as a sixth man, backing up the Lakers' frontcourt of Gasol and Bynum. When Bynum was injured in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies in January, Odom returned to the starting lineup. In the month of February, Odom, playing 36 minutes per game, averaged 16.5 points, 13.4 rebounds (4.9 offensive and 9.5 defensive), 2.4 assists, 1.4 blocks, and .9 steals.[35] The February run included a good performance at Quicken Loans Arena at Cleveland. With 15 points in the 3rd quarter, Odom helped the Lakers out of a 12 point deficit to turn it into a 10 point victory, breaking Cleveland's 23 game home win-streak.[36] He finished the game with 28 points, 17 rebounds and 2 assists.[37]
Odom adjusted back to his sixth man role when Bynum returned for a April 9 home matchup versus the Denver Nuggets.[38] Odom finished his season with 11.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.7 blocks with 29.7 minutes per game.[27] He won his first NBA championship when the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals.[35]
During the 2009 Los Angeles Lakers off-season as a free agent, Odom was courted heavily by the Miami Heat,[39] the team that traded him to the Lakers in 2004. Despite pleas from Miami guard Dwyane Wade[40] Kobe Bryant remained optimistic Odom would return to Los Angeles[41] to team up with newly acquired forward and Odom's fellow New Yorker, Ron Artest. After a month of tedious negotiations, on July 31, 2009 the Lakers announced that they had agreed to a four-year deal worth up to $33 million with Odom.[42] The investment would pay off as Odom would play a crucial role for the Lakers on the way to another NBA Championship, with the Lakers winning over the Boston Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals.[43]
Odom continued his strong play for the Lakers with another solid season in the 2010–11 season where he posted career highs in 3 point shooting percentage (.382) and overall field goal percentage (.530).[27] He started 35 games in Bynum's absence during the season and averaged 16.3 points and 10.2 rebounds in those starts. In 47 games off the bench, Odom averaged 13.5 points, 7.5 rebounds in 28.4 minutes.[44] Meeting the requirement to come in as a reserve more games than he started, Odom was awarded the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, becoming the first player in Lakers history to do so.[45][46][47] During the offseason, he considered taking a break from basketball after a close cousin died and Odom was a passenger in a SUV involved in an accident that killed a teenage cyclist.[48]
Dallas Mavericks (2011–present)[link]
On December 11, 2011, Odom was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for a first-round draft pick and an $8.9 million trade exception after NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed a proposed three-team trade with the New Orleans Hornets involving Odom that would have sent him to the Hornets, Chris Paul to the Lakers, and Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets. Odom felt "disrespected" after he learned of the Hornets trade publicly, and he requested a trade from the Lakers to another contending team.[49] The Lakers were also concerned that Odom's contract was pricey since he was not needed to initiate the triangle offense with Mike Brown replacing Phil Jackson as Lakers coach.[50] The deal was confirmed by the Mavericks on December 11.[51][52]
On March 2, 2012, Odom was assigned to the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League. He had missed the prior three games due to personal reasons.[53] His stint with the Legends was canceled on March 3, 2012 and he returned to the Mavs' active roster.[54] On March 24, Odom did not play in a 104–87 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the first time he could remember not playing due to a coach's decision.[48]
On April 9, 2012, it was announced that Odom had parted ways with the Mavericks. Instead of releasing him, the team listed Odom inactive for the remainder of the season. The move allows the Mavericks to possibly trade him at the end of the season. In a statement to ESPN, Odom said, "I'm sorry that things didn't work out better for both of us, but I wish the Mavs' organization, my teammates and Dallas fans nothing but continued success in the defense of their championship."[55] Mavericks owner Mark Cuban admitted that a clash between the two during halftime in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on April 7 was the last straw. Odom reportedly responded angrily when Cuban questioned his commitment, asking if he was "in or out."[56]
Olympics and Men's National Team[link]
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for USA | ||
| Men's Basketball | ||
| Summer Olympics | ||
| Bronze | 2004 Athens | National team |
| FIBA World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2010 Turkey | National team |
Odom played in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens for the US national team, averaging 9.3 ppg while helping the US to a bronze medal.[57] He was invited to play for the FIBA World Championships for 2006 but declined the invitation because of the tragic death of his son[58] and in 2007 because of a shoulder injury.[59]
Odom would, however, be invited back for the National Team's run at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey where the US would win Gold for the first time since 1994.[60] Odom, being one of the elder statesmen on a young US squad, served as a mentor for many of the younger players[61] and even played out of position at Center for the tournament.[61] He led the US in rebounds and finished the FIBA championships with double-doubles in the semi-final[62] and championship games[63] while becoming the first player in history to win both an NBA championship and FIBA Gold in the same year.[60]
Personal life[link]
Odom was featured in Pro Skater Rob Dyrdek's MTV show Fantasy Factory, and is planning to invest in an L.A. restaurant with Dyrdek. He also made a cameo appearance in the music video for "We Made It" by Busta Rhymes and Linkin Park. Odom also has his own music and film production company, Rich Soil Entertainment.[17] He appeared in a Taco Bell commercial with Charles Barkley during Super Bowl XLIV.[64] Additionally, Odom made a cameo on the second season of the hit HBO show Entourage. Odom and his wife, Khloe Kardashian, were guests at the wedding of basketball player Carmelo Anthony and entertainer La La Vazquez on July 10, 2010 at Cipriani's in New York City.[65]
Odom is noted for his fondness for candy. Wrigley made a replica of the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy out of candy in celebration of the Lakers' victory in the 2009 Finals, and Odom's name is featured on the base.[66]
Odom has three children, Destiny (1998), Lamar Jr. (2002),[citation needed] and Jayden (born December 15, 2005), with his ex-girlfriend Liza Morales.[17] On June 29, 2006, Odom's 6½-month-old infant son Jayden died from SIDS while sleeping in his crib in New York.[14][67]
In September 2009, Odom married Khloé Kardashian.[68][69] Their wedding was featured on the E! reality-based series Keeping Up with the Kardashians, on which Khloé is a regular, with Odom appearing in a handful of episodes. On December 29, 2010, E! announced that it was planning another spinoff from the series featuring Lamar, Khloé and his two children from his previous relationship. The new series debuted on April 10, 2011.[70]
Filmography[link]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Arli$$ | Himself | |
| 2000 | ESPN Outside The Lines Sunday | ||
| 2002 | Van Wilder | Coolidge Chickandee Player | Uncredited |
| 2005 | Entourage | Himself | |
| 2006 | Hood Of Horror | ||
| 2009 | Fantasy Factory | Uncredited | |
| Kobe Doin' Work | TV Special | ||
| 2009–present | Keeping Up With The Kardashians | Supporting Cast | |
| 2010 | Modern Family | Himself (with LA Lakers) | Episode: Family Portrait |
| Minute To Win It | Himself | ||
| 2010–present | Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami | Supporting Cast (3 Episodes) | |
| 2011–present | Khloé & Lamar | Main Cast (8 Episodes) | |
| 2011 | Jack and Jill | Cameo with LA Lakers |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–00 | L.A. Clippers | 76 | 70 | 36.4 | .438 | .360 | .719 | 7.8 | 4.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 16.6 |
| 2000–01 | L.A. Clippers | 76 | 74 | 37.3 | .460 | .316 | .679 | 7.8 | 5.2 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 17.2 |
| 2001–02 | L.A. Clippers | 29 | 25 | 34.4 | .419 | .190 | .656 | 6.1 | 5.9 | .8 | 1.2 | 13.1 |
| 2002–03 | L.A. Clippers | 49 | 47 | 34.3 | .439 | .326 | .777 | 6.7 | 3.6 | .9 | .8 | 14.6 |
| 2003–04 | Miami | 80 | 80 | 37.5 | .430 | .298 | .742 | 9.7 | 4.1 | 1.1 | .9 | 17.1 |
| 2004–05 | L.A. Lakers | 64 | 64 | 36.3 | .473 | .308 | .695 | 10.2 | 3.7 | .7 | 1.0 | 15.2 |
| 2005–06 | L.A. Lakers | 80 | 80 | 40.3 | .481 | .372 | .690 | 9.2 | 5.5 | .9 | .8 | 14.8 |
| 2006–07 | L.A. Lakers | 56 | 56 | 39.3 | .468 | .297 | .700 | 9.8 | 4.8 | .9 | .6 | 15.9 |
| 2007–08 | L.A. Lakers | 77 | 77 | 37.9 | .525 | .274 | .698 | 10.6 | 3.5 | 1.0 | .9 | 14.2 |
| 2008–09 | L.A. Lakers | 78 | 32 | 29.7 | .492 | .320 | .623 | 8.2 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 11.3 |
| 2009–10 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 38 | 31.5 | .463 | .319 | .693 | 9.8 | 3.3 | .9 | .7 | 10.8 |
| 2010–11 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 35 | 32.2 | .530 | .382 | .675 | 8.7 | 3.0 | .6 | .7 | 14.4 |
| 2011–12 | Dallas | 50 | 4 | 20.5 | .352 | .252 | .592 | 4.2 | 1.7 | .4 | .4 | 6.6 |
| Career | 879 | 682 | 34.7 | .465 | .317 | .696 | 8.6 | 3.9 | .9 | .9 | 14.2 |
Playoffs[link]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Miami | 13 | 13 | 39.4 | .445 | .308 | .681 | 8.3 | 2.8 | 1.2 | .8 | 16.8 |
| 2006 | L.A. Lakers | 7 | 7 | 44.9 | .495 | .200 | .667 | 11.0 | 4.9 | .4 | 1.1 | 19.1 |
| 2007 | L.A. Lakers | 5 | 5 | 38.4 | .482 | .273 | .500 | 13.0 | 2.2 | .4 | 1.2 | 19.4 |
| 2008 | L.A. Lakers | 21 | 21 | 37.4 | .491 | .273 | .661 | 10.0 | 3.0 | .7 | 1.3 | 14.3 |
| 2009 | L.A. Lakers | 23 | 5 | 32.0 | .524 | .514 | .613 | 9.1 | 1.8 | .7 | 1.4 | 12.3 |
| 2010 | L.A. Lakers | 23 | 0 | 29.0 | .469 | .244 | .600 | 8.6 | 2.0 | .6 | .9 | 9.7 |
| 2011 | L.A. Lakers | 10 | 1 | 28.6 | .459 | .200 | .711 | 6.5 | 2.1 | .2 | .4 | 12.1 |
| Career | 102 | 52 | 34.2 | .482 | .299 | .644 | 9.1 | 2.5 | .7 | 1.1 | 13.5 |
References[link]
- ^ Helin, Kurt (April 11, 2011). "Reality: Lamar Odom admits father was heroin addict". NBC Sports. http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/04/11/realty-lamar-odom-admits-father-was-heroin-addict.
- ^ McMenamin, Dave (April 20, 2011). "Lakers' Lamar Odom top sixth man". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=6389586.
- ^ Jenkins, Lee (March 23, 2009). "Another Sunny Day In Lamar's L.A.". Sports Illustrated. http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1153359/index.htm. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
- ^ Weiss, Dick (November 1, 1998). "Odom Is On Right Rhode To Success". Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/1998/11/01/1998-11-01_odom_is_on_right_rhode_to_su.html. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
- ^ a b 1999 NBA Draft Tracker: Lamar Odom, ESPN.COM
- ^ McCarron, Anthony (March 28, 1997). "Odom Steering College Course". New York Daily News. http://articles.nydailynews.com/1997-03-28/sports/18038473_1_all-star-hoops-auburn-hills. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- ^ "High School Basketball Awards". RealGM.com. http://basketball.realgm.com/highschool/awards/5/12. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- ^ McMenamin, Dave (January 30, 2010). "Lakers' Ron Artest looking, feeling like old self". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/columns/story?id=4871463. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- ^ Carp, Steve (March 15, 2000). "NCAA reveals inquiry of UNLV". Las Vegas Review-Journal. http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2000/Mar-15-Wed-2000/news/13173026.html. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
- ^ Goldberg, Jeff (December 13, 2000). "UNLV Gets Probation, Bayno Fired". Hartford Courant. http://articles.courant.com/2000-12-13/features/0012131907_1_bill-bayno-unlv-booster-umass. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- ^ Shanoff, Dan. "CNN/SI 1998 College Basketball Preview". CNN/SI. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/college/features/1998/preview98/seasonglance/. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- ^ Lee, Robert (January 31, 2010). "Former URI basketball star Lamar Odom Is Living His Dream". Providence Journal. http://hoopsblog.projo.com/2010/01/former-uri-bask-1.html#.Tvt_fUqU5ls. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- ^ "Rhode Island's Odom declars for NBA Draft". Houston Chronicle. May 18, 1999. http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/1999_3139644/rhode-island-s-odom-declares-for-nba-draft.html. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- ^ a b Lakers' Odom still mourning sudden death of infant son
- ^ "Seattle Supersonics at Los Angeles Clippers Box Score, November 2, 1999". Basketball-Reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199911020LAC.html. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- ^ "USA BAsketball: Lamar Odom". USABasketball.com. September 15, 2010. http://www.usabasketball.com/bios/odom_lamar.html. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Odom seeks reason to smile
- ^ "2003-04 Miami Heat Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2004_games.html. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
- ^ a b "Lamar Odom NBA & ABA Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/odomla01.html. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
- ^ David DuPree (July 14, 2004). "It's Official: Shaq Traded to Heat for Three Players, Draft Pick". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2004-07-14-shaq-trade_x.htm. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
- ^ "Lakers Place Lamar Odom on Injured List". April 3, 2005. http://www.covers.com/articles/articles.aspx?theArt=45023. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
- ^ "2004-05 Los Angeles Lakers Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2005_games.html. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
- ^ "L.A. Lakers Re-Hire Phil Jackson". June 14, 2005. http://www.covers.com/articles/articles.aspx?theArt=48971&tid=25&t=1. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
- ^ "Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers, April 11, 2006". Basketball-Reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200604110LAL.html. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
- ^ "Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers, April 14, 2006". Basketball-Reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200604140LAL.html. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
- ^ "2005-06 Los Angeles Lakers Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2006_games.html. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Lamar Odom NBA & ABA Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com.
- ^ "2006-07 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2007.html. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ Boeck, Scott (February 3, 2009). "Bynum knee injury deals major blow to Lakers". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/2009-02-02-bynum-stats_N.htm. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ "LAKERS: Lakers Acquire Gasol From Grizzlies". NBA.com. February 1, 2008.
- ^ Elliott, Helene (April 23, 2008). "Role Model". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 22, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080522105911/http://www.latimes.com/la-sp-elliott23apr23,1,6066980.column. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
- ^ NBA.com : Lamar Odom Career Stats Page
- ^ NBA.com : Lamar Odom Info Page
- ^ "2008 NBA Finals Composite Box Score". Basketball-Reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_2008_finals.html. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
- ^ a b http://www.nba.com/playerfile/lamar_odom/game_by_game_stats.html
- ^ http://www.nba.com/games/20090208/LALCLE/playbyplay.html
- ^ Withers, Tom (February 8, 2009). "Lakers stop Cavaliers' home winning streak". NBA. http://www.nba.com/games/20090208/LALCLE/recap.html. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
- ^ "Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers, April 9, 2009 Box Score". Basketball-Reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200904090LAL.html. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ Marc Stein (July 20, 2009). "Sources: Heat Prepared to Offer Odom". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4336149. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ David Aldridge (July 31, 2009). "Odom agrees to help Lakers defend their crown". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/david_aldridge/07/30/odom/index.html. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ "Kobe: Odom Makes Us Stronger". ESPN.com. July 23, 2009. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4347050. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ Ramona Shelburne. "Odom relieved to be back with world champs". San Bernardino Sun. July 31, 2009. Retrieved on August 11, 2009.
- ^ "2009-10 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2010.html. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ "Lamar Odom Stats, Splits". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 19, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5y4IojtQd.
- ^ McMenamin, Dave. "Lakers' Lamar Odom top sixth man". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5y4sp1jKN.
- ^ Shelburne, Ramona (April 19, 2011). "Lamar Odom's Sixth is his best". ESPNLosAngeles.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5y4u8FUt6.
- ^ Medina, Mark (April 19, 2011). "Lamar Odom's Sixth Man of the Year award epitomizes his selfless approach to basketball and life". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5y4uJcJ7m.
- ^ a b McMahaon, Tim (March 24, 2012). "Rick Carlisle benches Lamar Odom". ESPNDallas.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/66Obi9a79.
- ^ Caplan, Jeff (December 13, 2011). "Lamar Odom on Lakers exit: 'Surreal'". ESPNDallas.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/63ubsc9Zx.
- ^ McMenamin, Dave (December 12, 2011). "Lamar Odom dealt to Dallas". ESPNLosAngeles.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/63skSz7XP.
- ^ "Lakers Acquire First Round Draft Pick from Dallas in Exchange for Lamar Odom & Second Round Draft Pick". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. December 9, 2011. http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/111211lakers_acquire_draftpick.html. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
- ^ Mavericks acquire 2011 sixth man of the year Lamar Odom
- ^ Dallas Mavericks Assign Lamar Odom to NBA D-League Affiliate Texas Legends
- ^ Mavericks recall Odom from D-League's Legends
- ^ Stein, Marc (April 9, 2012). "Lamar Odom, Mavs sever ties". ESPNDallas.com. http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/7791431/dallas-mavericks-lamar-odom-sever-ties-immediately. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ^ MacMahon, Tim (April 11, 2012). "Mark Cuban: Clash was 'the end'". ESPNDallas.com. http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/7796599/lamar-odom-argued-dallas-mavericks-owner-mark-cuban. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- ^ Lamar Odom
- ^ "Odom, Pierce to miss Team USA Camp". Chicago Tribune. July 14, 2006. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-07-14/sports/0607140173_1_paul-pierce-lamar-odom-minor-surgery. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ "Team USA F Bosh withdraws due to foot injury". August 16, 2007. http://areyouwatchingthis.com/olympics/news/32775-Team-USA-F-Bosh-withdraws-due-to-foot-injury. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ a b Chris Tomasson (September 12, 2010). "Durant Leads Team USA to First Worlds Gold Since 1994". AOL.com. http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/09/12/durant-leads-team-usa-to-first-worlds-gold-since-1994/. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ a b Mark Medina (September 28, 2010). "Lamar Odom's Participation in 2010 FIBA World Championships Could Prove Critical in Early Season". Los Angeles Times. http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2010/09/lamar-odoms-participation-in-2010-fiba-world-championships-could-prove-critical-in-early-season.html.
- ^ "archive.fiba.com: 2010 FIBA World Championship". FIBA.com. September 11, 2010. http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/game/p/gid/A/grid/77/rid/6947/sid/4728/_/2010_FIBA_World_Championship/statistic.html. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ "archive.fiba.com: 2010 FIBA World Championships". FIBA.com. September 12, 2010. http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/game/p/gid/A/grid/80/rid/6948/sid/4728/_/2010_FIBA_World_Championship/statistic.html. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ Bresnahan, Mike (March 19, 2010). "Lakers forward Lamar Odom has commercial appeal". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/19/sports/la-sp-lakers-fyi-20100320. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
- ^ Caplan, David (February 13, 2010). "LaLa Vazquez & Carmelo Anthony’s Wedding Save-the-Date Card". People. http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20340791_20344096,00.html. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
- ^ The Finals, where delicious happens
- ^ Lamar Odom's Son Dies While Sleeping
- ^ Garcia, Jennifer; Wihlborg, Ulrica (September 27, 2009). "Khloe Kardashian Is Married!". People. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20308442,00.html. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
- ^ http://omg.yahoo.com/news/khloe-kardashian-to-wed-within-the-next-two-weeks/28103[dead link]
- ^ "Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom reportedly getting reality show" from Reality TV World (December 29, 2010)
External links[link]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lamar Odom |
- Official website
- Lamar Odom on Twitter
- Profile at NBA.com
- Tim Davenport, "Lamar Odom: From Mean Streets sans Mean Streak," Silver Screen and Roll, July 30, 2009.
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|
||||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Odom, Lamar Joseph |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Professional basketball player |
| Date of birth | November 6, 1979 |
| Place of birth | Jamaica, New York |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Lamar_Odom
Related pages:
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http://ru.wn.com/Одом, Ламар
http://nl.wn.com/Lamar Odom
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamar_Odom
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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.
 Bryant greeting some fans in February 2007 |
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| No. 24 – Los Angeles Lakers | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shooting guard | |||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1978-08-23) August 23, 1978 (age 33) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Lower Merion HS, Ardmore, Pennsylvania | ||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13th overall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Charlotte Hornets | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1996–present | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–present | Los Angeles Lakers | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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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.
As of February 2012[update], Bryant ranks third and fifth on the league's all-time post-season scoring and all-time regular season scoring lists, respectively. He is also the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history. Since his second year in the league, Bryant has started in every NBA All-Star Game that has been held with fourteen All-Star appearances, winning the All-Star MVP Award four times (2002, 2007, 2009, and 2011). Bryant is tied for the most All Star MVP Awards in NBA history. He is a 14-time member of the All-NBA team and an 12-time member of the All-Defensive team; he is also the youngest player ever to receive defensive honors. At the 2008 Olympics, he won a gold medal as a member of the USA national team. In 2009, Sporting News and TNT named Bryant the top NBA player of the 2000s decade.
In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault after having sex with a hotel employee in Colorado. In September 2004, prosecutors dropped the case after his accuser refused to testify. A civil suit was later filed and settled out of court.
Contents |
Early years[link]
Childhood and youth[link]
Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the youngest of three children and the only son of former Philadelphia 76ers player and former Los Angeles Sparks head coach Joe "Jellybean" Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant.[1] He is also the maternal nephew of John "Chubby" Cox. His parents named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they saw on a restaurant menu.[1] Bryant was raised Roman Catholic.[2] When Bryant was six, his father left the NBA and moved his family to Italy to continue playing professional basketball.[3] Bryant became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak Italian and Spanish.[3][4] During summers, he would come back to the United States to play in a basketball summer league.[5]
Bryant started playing basketball when he was 3 years old,[6] and his favorite team growing up was the Lakers.[7] Bryant's grandfather would mail him videos of NBA games, which Bryant would study.[7] At an early age he also learned to play soccer; his favorite team is AC Milan.[8] He has said that if he had stayed in Italy, he would have tried to become a professional soccer player;[8] Bryant is a big fan of former FC Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard and their former player Ronaldinho.[9] Upon Joe Bryant's retirement from playing basketball in 1991, the Bryant family moved back to the United States.
High school[link]
Bryant earned national recognition during a spectacular high school career at Lower Merion High School located in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion. As a freshman, he played for the varsity basketball team.[10] His father coached him his second year of high school. Although during his first year the team was mediocre, the following three years the Aces compiled a 77–13 record, with Bryant playing all five positions.[10] During his junior year, he averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists and was named Pennsylvania Player of the Year.[11] College recruiters from across the country were lined up to recruit him after his breakout year.[11] Duke, North Carolina, Villanova and Michigan were at the top of his list; however, when Kevin Garnett went in the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft, he began considering going directly to the pros.[11]
At Adidas ABCD camp, Bryant earned the 1995 senior MVP award,[12] while playing alongside future NBA teammate Lamar Odom.[13] While in high school, then 76ers coach John Lucas invited Bryant to work out and scrimmage with the team, where he played one-on-one with Jerry Stackhouse.[14] In his senior year of high school, Bryant led the Aces to their first state championship in 53 years. During the run, he averaged 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.0 steals, and 3.8 blocked shots in leading the Aces to a 31–3 record.[15] Bryant ended his high school career as Southeastern Pennsylvania's all-time leading scorer at 2,883 points, surpassing both Wilt Chamberlain and Lionel Simmons.[16]
Bryant received several awards for his performance his senior year including being named Naismith High School Player of the Year, Gatorade Men's National Basketball Player of the Year, a McDonald's All-American, and a USA Today All-USA First Team player.[17] Bryant's varsity coach, Greg Downer, commented that Bryant was "a complete player who dominates".[15] In 1996, Bryant took R&B singer Brandy Norwood to his senior prom,[18] though the two were, and remain, just friends. Ultimately, however, the 17-year-old Bryant made the decision to go directly into the NBA, only the sixth player in NBA history to do so.[10] Bryant's news was met with a lot of publicity at a time when prep-to-pro NBA players were not very common (Garnett being the only exception in 20 years).[10] His SAT score of 1080[19] would have ensured his basketball scholarship to various top-tier colleges and Bryant has stated that had he decided to go to college after high school, he would have attended Duke University.[20] In 2012, Bryant was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald's All-Americans.[21]
NBA career[link]
1996 NBA Draft[link]
The first guard to ever be taken out of high school, Bryant was chosen as the 13th overall draft pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996.[22] According to Arn Tellem, Bryant's agent at the time, Bryant playing for the Charlotte Hornets was "an impossibility".[23] However, Bill Branch, the Hornets' head scout at the time, said that the Hornets agreed to trade their draft selection to the Lakers before picking Bryant. The teams agreed to the trade the day before the draft and the Lakers did not tell the Hornets who to select until five minutes before the pick was made.[24] Branch said that prior to the trade agreement, the Hornets never even considered drafting Bryant. Prior to the draft, Bryant had worked out in Los Angeles, in which he scrimmaged against former Lakers players Larry Drew and Michael Cooper, and according to then-Laker manager Jerry West "marched over these people".[25] On July 1, 1996, West traded his starting center, Vlade Divac, to the Hornets in exchange for Bryant's draft rights.[26] Since he was still 17 at the time of the draft, his parents had to cosign his contract with the Lakers until he was able to sign his own when he turned 18 before the season began.[27]
First three seasons (1996–99)[link]
During his rookie season, Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel.[28] At the time he became the youngest player ever to play in an NBA game (a record since broken by Jermaine O'Neal and Andrew Bynum), and also became the youngest NBA starter ever.[29] Initially, Bryant played limited minutes, but as the season continued, he began to see some more playing time. By the end of the season, he averaged 15.5 minutes a game. During the All-Star weekend, Bryant was the winner of the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, becoming the youngest player to be named the slam dunk champion at the age of 18.[30] Bryant's performance throughout the year earned him a spot on the NBA All Rookie second team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight.[31] His final minutes of the season ended in disaster when he shot 4 air balls at crucial times in the game.[15] He first missed a jumper to win the game in the 4th quarter and 3 three-pointers in overtime (2 of which would have tied the game in the final minute). With that the Utah Jazz ended the playoffs for the Lakers in the second round. Shaquille O'Neal commented years later that "[Bryant] was the only guy who had the guts at the time to take shots like that."[32][33]
In Bryant's second season, he received more playing time and began to show more of his abilities as a talented young guard. As a result Bryant's point averages more than doubled from 7.6 to 15.4 points per game.[34] Bryant would see an increase in minutes when the Lakers "played small", which would feature Bryant playing small forward along side the guards he'd usually back up.[35] Bryant was the runner-up for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award,[36] and through fan voting, he also became the youngest NBA All-Star starter in NBA history.[37] He was joined by teammates Shaquille O'Neal, Nick Van Exel, and Eddie Jones, making it the first time since 1983 that four players on the same team were selected to play in the same All-Star Game. Bryant's 15.4 points per game was the highest of any non-starter in the season.[38]
The 1998–99 season marked Bryant's emergence as a premiere guard in the league. With starting guards Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones traded, Bryant started every game for the lockout-shortened 50 game season. During the season, Bryant signed a 6-year contract extension worth $70 million.[38] This kept him with the Lakers until the end of the 2003–04 season. Even at an early stage of his career sportswriters were comparing his skills to that of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.[27][39][40] The playoff results, however, were no better, as the Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals.[41]
Three-peat (1999–2002)[link]
Bryant's fortunes would soon change when Phil Jackson became coach for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999.[42] After years of steady improvement, Bryant became one of the premier shooting guards in the league, earning appearances in the league's All-NBA,[43] All-Star, and All-Defensive teams.[44] The Los Angeles Lakers became true championship contenders under Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, who formed a legendary center-guard combination. Jackson utilized the triangle offense he used to win six championships with the Chicago Bulls, which would help both Bryant and O'Neal rise to the elite class of the NBA. The three resulting championships won consecutively in 2000, 2001, and 2002 further proved such a fact.[45]
Bryant started the 1999–2000 season sidelined for six weeks due to an injury to his hand in a preseason game against the Washington Wizards.[46] With Bryant back and playing over 38 minutes a game, he saw an increase in all statistical categories in the 1999–2000 season. This included leading the team in assists per game and steals per game. The duo of O'Neal and Bryant backed with a strong bench led to the Lakers winning 67 games, tied for fifth-most in NBA history. This followed with O'Neal winning the MVP and Bryant being named to the All-NBA Team Second Team and All-NBA Defensive Team for the first time in his career (the youngest player ever to receive defensive honors).[47] While playing second fiddle to O'Neal in the playoffs, Bryant had some clutch performances including a 25 point, 11 rebound, 7 assist, 4 block game in game 7 of the Western Conference finals against the Portland Trail Blazers.[48] He also threw an alley-oop pass to O'Neal to clinch the game and the series. In the 2000 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers, Bryant injured his ankle in the second quarter of Game 2 and did not return to the game. He also missed Game 3 due to the injury. In Game 4, Bryant scored 22 points in the second half, and led the team to an OT victory as O'Neal fouled out of the game. Bryant scored the winning shot to put the Lakers ahead 120–118.[49] With a 116–111 Game 6 victory, the Lakers won their first championship since 1988.[50]
Statistically, the 2000–01 season saw Bryant perform similarly to the previous year, except Bryant averaged 6 more points a game (28.5). It was also the year when disagreements between Bryant and O'Neal began to surface.[51] Once again he led the team in assists with 5 per game. The Lakers however, only won 56 games, an 11-game drop off from last year. The Lakers would respond by going 15–1 in the playoffs. They easily swept the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and San Antonio Spurs, before losing their first game against the Philadelphia 76ers in OT. They would go on to win the next 4 games and bring their second championship to Los Angeles in as many seasons. During the playoffs, Bryant played heavy minutes which brought his stats up to 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. In the playoffs, teammate O'Neal declared Bryant the best player in the league.[15][52] Bryant ended up making the All NBA Second team and All NBA Defensive Team for the second year in a row. In addition, he was also voted to start in the NBA All-Star Game for the 3rd year in a row (no game in 1999).
In the 2001–02 season, Bryant played 80 games for the first time in his career. He continued his all-round play by averaging 25.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. He also had a career high 46.9% shooting and once again led his team in assists. While making the All-Star team and All-NBA Defensive team again, he was also promoted to the All-NBA First Team for the first time in his career. The Lakers won 58 games that year and finished second place in the Pacific Division behind in-state rival Sacramento Kings. Bryant was suspended one game after he punched Reggie Miller of the Indiana Pacers after the Lakers' March 1, 2002 victory over the Pacers.[53][54]
The road to the Finals would prove a lot tougher than the record run the Lakers had the previous year. While the Lakers swept the Blazers and defeated the Spurs 4–1, the Lakers did not have home court advantage against the Sacramento Kings. The series would stretch to 7 games, the first time this happened to the Lakers since the 2000 Western Conference Finals. However, the Lakers were able to beat their division rivals and make their third consecutive NBA Finals appearance. In the 2002 Finals, Bryant averaged 26.8 points, 51.4% shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists per game, which included scoring a quarter of the teams points.[55] At age 23, Bryant became the youngest player to win three championships.[55] Bryant's play was notable and praised for his performance in the 4th quarter of games, specifically the last 2 rounds of the playoffs.[55][56] This cemented Bryant's reputation as a clutch player.
Coming up short (2002–04)[link]
In the 2002–03 season, Bryant averaged 30 points per game and embarked on a historic run, posting 40 or more points in nine consecutive games while averaging 40.6 in the entire month of February. In addition, he averaged 6.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, all career highs up to that point. Bryant was once again voted on to both the All-NBA and All-Defensive 1st teams,[1] and came in third place in voting for the MVP award. After finishing 50–32 in the regular season, the Lakers foundered in the playoffs and lost in the Western Conference semi-finals to the eventual NBA champions San Antonio Spurs in six games.[57]
In the following 2003–04 season, the Lakers were able to acquire NBA All-Stars Karl Malone, and Gary Payton to make another push at the NBA Championship.[58] Before the season began, Bryant was arrested for sexual assault.[59] This caused Bryant to miss some games due to court appearances or attend court earlier in the day and travel to play games later in same day.[60] In the final game of the regular season the Lakers played the Portland Trail Blazers. Bryant made two buzzer beaters to win the game and the Pacific Division title. At the end of the fourth quarter, Bryant made a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to tie the game at 87 and send it into OT.[61] The game eventually went to a second overtime, in which Bryant made another 3-pointer as time expired to lift the Lakers past the Blazers 105–104.[61]
With a starting lineup of four future Hall of Famers, O'Neal, Malone, Payton, and Bryant, the Lakers were able to reach the NBA Finals.[62] In the Finals, they were defeated in five games by the Detroit Pistons, who won their first championship since 1990.[63] In that series, Bryant averaged 22.6 points per game and 4.4 assists. He shot a mere 35.1% from the field.[64] Phil Jackson's contract as coach was not renewed, and Rudy Tomjanovich took over.[65] Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant.[66] The following day, Bryant declined an offer to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers and re-signed with the Lakers on a seven-year contract.[67]
Setting records and playoffs disappointments (2004–07)[link]
Bryant was closely scrutinized and criticized during the 2004–05 season with his reputation badly damaged from all that had happened over the previous year. A particularly damaging salvo came when Phil Jackson wrote The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul. The book detailed the events of the Lakers' tumultuous 2003–04 season and has a number of criticisms of Bryant. In the book Jackson called Bryant "uncoachable".[68] Midway through the season, Rudy Tomjanovich suddenly resigned as Lakers coach, citing the recurrence of health problems and exhaustion.[69] Without Tomjanovich, stewardship of the remainder of the Lakers' season fell to career assistant coach Frank Hamblen.[70] Despite the fact that Bryant was the league's second leading scorer at 27.6 points per game, the Lakers floundered and missed the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. The year signified a drop in Bryant's overall status in the NBA, as he did not make the NBA All-Defensive Team and was also demoted to the All-NBA Third Team.[71] During the season, Bryant also engaged in public feuds with Ray Allen and Karl Malone.[72][73]
The 2005–06 NBA season would mark a crossroads in Bryant's basketball career. Despite past differences with Bryant, Phil Jackson returned to coach the Lakers.[74] Bryant endorsed the move, and by all appearances, the two men worked together well the second time around, leading the Lakers back into the playoffs. Bryant's individual scoring accomplishments posted resulted in the finest statistical season of his career. On December 20, 2005, Bryant scored 62 points in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks. Entering the fourth quarter, Bryant outscored the entire Mavericks team 62–61, the only time a player has done this through three quarters since the introduction of the shot clock.[75] When the Lakers faced the Miami Heat on January 16, 2006, Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal made headlines by engaging in handshakes and hugs before the game, signifying a change in the feud that had festered between them.[76] A month later, at the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, the two were seen laughing together.[77]
On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points in a victory against the Toronto Raptors.[78][79] In addition to breaking the previous franchise record of 71 set by Elgin Baylor, Bryant's 81-point game was the second highest point total in NBA history, surpassed only by Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962.[80] In that same month, Bryant also became the first player since 1964 to score 45 points or more in four consecutive games, joining Chamberlain and Baylor as the only players ever to do so.[81] For the month of January, Bryant averaged 43.4 points per game,[82] the eighth highest single month scoring average in NBA history and highest for any player other than Chamberlain.[83] By the end of the 2005–06 season, Bryant set Lakers single-season franchise records for most 40-point games (27) and most points scored (2,832).[84] He won the league's scoring title for the first time by averaging 35.4 points per game. Bryant finished in fourth place in the voting for the 2006 NBA Most Valuable Player Award, but received 22 first place votes—second only to winner Steve Nash.[85] The Los Angeles Lakers posted a 45–37 record, an eleven-game improvement over the previous season, and the entire squad seemed to be clicking.[86]
Later in the season, it was reported that Bryant would change his jersey number from 8 to 24 at the start of the 2006–07 NBA season. Bryant's first high school number was 24 before he switched to 33.[87] After the Lakers' season ended, Bryant said on TNT that he wanted 24 as a rookie, but it was unavailable, as was 33, retired with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Bryant wore 143 at the Adidas ABCD camp, and chose 8 by adding those numbers.[87] In the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers played well enough to reach a 3–1 series lead over the Phoenix Suns, culminating with Bryant's OT-forcing and game-winning shots in Game 4. They came within six seconds of eliminating the second-seeded Suns in Game 6, however, they lost that game 126–118 in overtime.[88] Despite Bryant's 27.9 points per game in the series, the Lakers broke down, and ultimately fell to the Suns in seven games.[88] Bryant received criticism for only taking three shots in the second half of the 121–90 Game 7 loss to Phoenix.[89] In the 2006 off-season, Bryant had knee surgery, preventing him from participating in the 2006 FIBA World Championship tournament.[90]
During the 2006–07 season, Bryant was selected to his 9th All-Star Game appearance, and on February 18, he logged 31 points, 6 assists, and 6 steals, earning his second career All-Star Game MVP trophy.[91] Over the course of the season, Bryant became involved in a number of on court incidents. On January 28 while attempting to draw contact on a potential game winning jumpshot, he flailed his arm, striking San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginóbili in the face with his elbow.[92] Following a league review, Bryant was suspended for the subsequent game at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. The basis given for the suspension was that Bryant had performed an "unnatural motion" in swinging his arm backwards.[93] Later, on March 6, he seemed to repeat the motion, this time striking Minnesota Timberwolves guard Marko Jarić.[92] On March 7, the NBA handed Bryant his second one-game suspension.[94] In his first game back on March 9, he elbowed Kyle Korver in the face which was retroactively re-classified as a Type 1 flagrant foul.[92]
On March 16, Bryant scored a season-high 65 points in a home game against the Portland Trail Blazers, which helped end the Lakers 7-game losing streak. This was the second best scoring performance of his 11-year career.[95] The following game, Bryant recorded 50 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves,[96] after which he scored 60 points in a road win against the Memphis Grizzlies—becoming the second Laker to score three straight 50-plus point games, a feat not seen since Michael Jordan last did it in 1987.[97] The only other Laker to do so was Elgin Baylor, who also scored 50+ in three consecutive contests in December 1962.[97] In the following day, in a game against the New Orleans Hornets, Bryant scored 50 points, making him the second player in NBA history to have 4 straight 50 point games behind Wilt Chamberlain, who is the all-time leader with seven consecutive 50 point games twice.[98] Bryant finished the year with a total of ten 50-plus point games,[99] becoming the only player beside Wilt Chamberlain in 1961–62 and 1962–63 to do so in one season. He also won his second straight scoring title that season.[100] Throughout the 2006–07 season, Bryant's jersey became the top selling NBA jersey in the United States and China.[101] A number of journalists have attributed the improved sales to Bryant's new number, as well as his continuing All-Star performance on the court.[102][103] In the 2007 NBA Playoffs, the Lakers were once again eliminated in the first round by the Phoenix Suns, 4–1.[104]
MVP year and trip to the finals (2007–08)[link]
On May 27, 2007, ESPN reported that Bryant stated that he wanted to be traded if Jerry West did not return to the team with full authority.[105] Bryant later confirmed his desire for West's return to the franchise, but denied stating that he would want to be traded if that does not occur.[106] However, three days later, on Stephen A. Smith's radio program, Bryant expressed anger over a Lakers "insider" who claimed that Bryant was responsible for Shaquille O'Neal's departure from the team, and publicly stated, "I want to be traded."[107] Three hours after making that statement, Bryant stated in another interview that after having a conversation with head coach Phil Jackson, he has reconsidered his decision and backed off his trade request.[108] Bryant would later be shown on an infamous amateur video saying that center Andrew Bynum should have been traded for All-Star Jason Kidd.[109][110]
On December 23, 2007, Bryant became the youngest player (29 years, 122 days) to reach 20,000 points, in a game against the New York Knicks, in Madison Square Garden.[111] Despite an injury to his shooting hand's small finger, described as "a complete tear of the radial collateral ligament, an avulsion fracture, and a volar plate injury at the MCP joint" that occurred in a game on February 5, 2008, Bryant played all 82 games of the regular season instead of opting for surgery. Regarding his injury, he stated, "I would prefer to delay any surgical procedure until after our Lakers season, and this summer's Olympic Games. But, this is an injury that myself [sic] and the Lakers' medical staff will just have to continue to monitor on a day-to-day basis."[112] In early September 2008, Bryant decided not to have surgery to repair the injury.[113]
Leading his team to a West best 57–25 record, they swept the Nuggets in the first round and on May 6, 2008, Bryant was officially announced as the NBA Most Valuable Player award, his first for his career.[114] He said, "It's been a long ride. I'm very proud to represent this organization, to represent this city."[115] Jerry West, who was responsible for bringing Bryant to the Lakers, was on hand at the press conference to observe Bryant receive his MVP trophy from NBA commissioner David Stern. He stated, "Kobe deserved it. He's had just another great season. Doesn't surprise me one bit."[116] In addition to winning his MVP award, Bryant was the only unanimous selection to the All-NBA team on May 8, 2008 for the third straight season and sixth time in his career.[117] He would then headline the NBA All-Defensive First Team with Kevin Garnett, receiving 52 points overall including 24 first-place nods, earning his eighth selection.[118]
The Lakers concluded the 2007–08 regular season with a 57–25 record, finishing first in the Western Conference and setting up themselves for a first-round contest against the Nuggets. In Game 1, Bryant, who said he made himself a decoy through most of the game, scored 18 of his 32 points in the final 8 minutes to keep Los Angeles safely ahead.[119] That made Denver the first 50-win team to be swept out of the first round of the playoffs since the Memphis Grizzlies fell in four to the San Antonio Spurs in 2004.[120] In the first game of the next round against the Jazz, Bryant scored 38 points as the Lakers beat the Jazz in Game 1.[121] The Lakers won the next game as well, but dropped Games 3 and 4, even with Bryant putting up 33.5 points per game.[122] The Lakers then won the next two games to win the semifinals in 6.[122] This set up a Western Conference Finals berth against the San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers defeated the Spurs in 5 games, sending themselves to the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. This marked the fifth time in Bryant's career and the first time without Shaquille O'Neal to go to the NBA Finals.[123] The Lakers then lost to the Boston Celtics in 6 games.[124]
Back on top (2008–10)[link]
In the 2008–09 season, the Lakers opened the campaign by winning their first seven games.[125] Bryant led the team to tie the franchise record for most wins to start the season going 17–2,[126] and by the middle of December they compiled a 21–3 record. He was selected to his eleventh consecutive All-Star Game as a starter,[127] and was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for December and January in addition to being named Western Conference Player of the week three times.[128] In a game against the Knicks on February 2, 2009, Bryant scored 61 points, setting a record for the most points scored at Madison Square Garden.[129] During the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, Bryant who tallied 27 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals was awarded All-Star Game co-MVP with former teammate Shaquille O'Neal.[130] The Lakers finished the regular season with the best record in the west with a 65–17 record. Bryant was runner-up in the MVP voting behind LeBron James,[131] and was selected to the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team for the seventh time in his career.
In the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz in five games and the Houston Rockets in seven games in the opening two rounds. After finishing off the Denver Nuggets in the Conference Finals in six games, the Lakers earned their second straight trip to the NBA Finals where they defeated the Orlando Magic in five games. Bryant was awarded his first NBA Finals MVP trophy upon winning his fourth championship,[132] achieving series averages: 32.4 points, 7.4 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks.[133] He became the first player since Jerry West in the 1969 NBA Finals to average at least 32.4 points and 7.4 assists for a finals series[134] and the first since Michael Jordan to average 30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for a title-winning team in the finals.[135]
During the 2009–10 season, Bryant made six game-winning shots including a buzzer-beating, one-legged 3-pointer against the Miami Heat on December 4, 2009.[136] Bryant considered the shot one of the luckiest he has made.[136] A week later, Bryant suffered an avulsion fracture in his right index finger in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.[137] Despite the injury, Bryant elected to continue playing with it, rather than take any time off to rest the injury.[137] Five days after his finger injury, he made another game winning shot, after missing on an opportunity in regulation, this time against the Milwaukee Bucks in an overtime game.[138] Bryant also became the youngest player (31 years, 151 days) to reach 25,000 points during the season, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain.[139] He continued his dominant clutch plays making yet another game-winning three-pointer against the Sacramento Kings,[140] and what would be the game-winning field goal against the Boston Celtics.[141] The following day, he surpassed Jerry West to become the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history.[142] After being sidelined for five games from an ankle injury, Bryant made his return and made another clutch three-pointer to give the Lakers a one point lead with four seconds remaining against the Memphis Grizzlies.[143] Two weeks later, he made his sixth game-winning shot of the season against the Toronto Raptors.[144]
On April 2, 2010, Bryant signed a three-year contract extension worth $87 million.[145] Bryant finished the regular season missing four of the final five games, due to injuries to his knee and finger. Bryant suffered multiple injuries throughout the season and as a result, missed nine games. The Lakers began the playoffs as the number one seed in the Western Conference against the Oklahoma City Thunder,[146] eventually defeating them in six games.[147] The Lakers swept the Utah Jazz in the second round[148] and advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they faced Phoenix Suns. In Game 2, Bryant finished the game with 13 assists, setting a new playoff career high; it was the most assists by a Laker in the playoffs since Magic Johnson had 13 in 1996.[149] The Lakers went on to win the series in six games capturing the Western Conference Championship and advancing to the NBA Finals for a third straight season.[150] In a rematch against the 2008 Champion Boston Celtics, Bryant, despite shooting 6 for 24 from the field, led the Lakers back from a thirteen-point third quarter deficit in Game 7 to win the championship; he scored 10 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter, and finished the game with 15 rebounds. Bryant won his fifth championship and earned his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award.[151] This marked the first time the Lakers won a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.[152] Bryant said that this was the most satisfying of all of his five championships.[153]
Chasing the sixth championship (2010–present)[link]
The Lakers started the 2010–11 season by winning their first eight games.[154] In his ninth game of the season, playing against the Denver Nuggets, Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 26,000 career points.[155] Bryant also recorded his first triple double since January 21, 2009.[156] On January 30 against the Celtics, he become the youngest player to score 27,000 points.[157] On February 1, 2011, Bryant became one of seven players with at least 25,000 points, 5,000 rebounds and 5,000 assists.[158] In Boston on February 10, Bryant scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half as the Lakers rallied from an early 15-point deficit for a 92–86 win over the Celtics.[159] It was the Lakers' first victory of the season against one of the league's top four teams, as they entered the game 0–5 in previous matchups and had been outscored by an average of 11 points.[160] Bryant, selected to his 13th straight All-Star game after becoming the leading vote-getter, had 37 points, 14 rebounds, and three steals in the 2011 All-Star Game and won his fourth All-Star MVP, tying Hall of Famer Bob Pettit for the most All-Star MVP awards.[161][162] During the season, Bryant moved from 12th to 6th place on the NBA all-time career scoring list, passing John Havlicek, Dominique Wilkins, Oscar Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes, and Moses Malone.[163] Bryant finished the season averaging less than 20 shots a game, his fewest since the 2003–04 season.[164]
On April 13, 2011, the NBA fined Bryant $100,000 for directing a gay slur at referee Bennie Adams in frustration in the previous day's game.[165][166][167] The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation praised the NBA's decision to fine Bryant, and the Human Rights Campaign said that Bryant's language was a "disgrace" and "distasteful". Bryant stated that he was open to discussing the matter with gay rights groups and wanted to appeal his fine.[168][169][170] He later apologized for the use of the word.[171][172] Bryant and other Lakers appeared in a Lakers public service announcement denouncing his behavior.[173] The team's quest for another three-peat was ended when they were swept by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs. The Mavericks would go on to win the 2011 NBA Finals.
Bryant received experimental platelet-rich plasma therapy on his left knee and ankle,[174] and Mike Brown replaced the retired Phil Jackson as coach of the Lakers in the offseason. Bryant began the season playing with an injured wrist.[175] On January 10, 2012, Bryant scored 48 points against the Suns, the most ever by a player in his 16th season. "Not bad for the seventh-best player in the league," said Bryant, referring to a preseason ESPN ranking of the NBA's top players.[176] He went on to score 40, 42, and 42 in his next three games.[177] It was the sixth time in his career he scored 40 or more points in four straight games, a feat exceeded only by Wilt Chamberlain (19 times).[178] At the 2012 NBA All-Star Game, Bryant scored 27 points to pass Michael Jordan as the career scoring leader in the All-Star Game.[179] He also suffered a broken nose and a concussion in the third quarter of the All-Star Game after a hard foul from Dwyane Wade.[180] In April, Bryant missed seven games with a bruised left shin.[181] He returned three games before the end of the regular season. In the last game of the regular season, against Sacramento, he chose not to go for a possible third NBA scoring title, having needed 38 points to surpass Kevin Durant. [182]
International career[link]
Kobe Bryant declined to play in the 2000 Olympics due to getting married in the off-season.[183] He also decided not to play in the 2002 FIBA World Championship.[184] Bryant was originally selected for the FIBA Americas Championship 2003 but withdrew due to surgeries and was replaced by Vince Carter.[185] In the following summer, he had to withdraw from the Olympic team because of his legal case.[186] Along with LeBron James, he was one of the first two players to publicly named to the 2006–2008 U.S. preliminary roster in 2006 by Jerry Colangelo.[187] However, he was once again sidelined after knee surgery and didn't participate in the 2006 FIBA World Championship.[188]
Bryant's senior international career with the United States national team finally began in 2007. He was a member of the 2007 USA Men's Senior National Team and USA FIBA Americas Championship Team that finished 10–0, won gold and qualified the United States men for the 2008 Olympics. He started in all 10 of the USA's FIBA Americas Championship games. He finished third on the team for made and attempted free throws, ranked fourth for made field goals, made 3-pointers. Among all FIBA Americas Championship competitors, Bryant is ranked 15th in scoring, 14th in assists, and eighth in steals. Bryant scored double-digits in eight of the 10 games played. Bryant also made the game winning 14 feet (4.3 m) jumper above the foul line with seconds left in the game. He currently averages a .530 shooting percentage, with 16.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.[189]
As a part of his international expansion, he is also featured in a Chinese reality TV show, called the Kobe Mentu show, which documents Chinese basketball players on different teams going through drills, preparing to play each other while Bryant gives advice and words of encouragement to the players while they practice.[190]
On June 23, 2008, he was named to the USA Men's Senior National Team for the 2008 Summer Olympics.[191] This was his first time going to the Olympics. Bryant scored 20 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, along with six assists, as Team USA defeated Spain 118–107 in the gold medal game of the 2008 Summer Olympics on August 24, 2008, for its first gold medal in a worldwide international competition since the 2000 Olympics.[192] He averaged 15.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting .462 from the field in eight Olympic contests.
Bryant has committed to playing for the national team at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[193]
Player profile[link]
Bryant is a shooting guard who is capable of playing the small forward position. He is considered one of the most complete players in the NBA,[194][195] has been selected to every All-NBA Team since 1999, and has been featured in the last fourteen NBA All-Star games.[1] Sportswriters and sportscasters frequently compare Bryant to Michael Jordan, a comparison Bryant dislikes.[196] In 2007, an ESPN poll of sportswriters voted him as the second best shooting guard in NBA history behind Jordan.[195]
He is a prolific scorer, averaging 25.4 points per game for his career, along with 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.5 steals (as of the end of the 2011–2012 regular season).[197] He is known for his ability to create shots for himself and is a competent three-point shooter at 33.7%. Bryant shares the single-game NBA record for three pointers made with 12.[198] Bryant is often cited as one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA,[199] and utilizes his wide array of moves and shots to elude defenders and score from virtually anywhere on the floor. Some of Bryant's best moves are his turnaround jump shot, and his ability to post up his defenders and score with a fadeaway jumpshot. Chris Ballard, a Sports Illustrated NBA writer, describes a "jab step-and-pause" as a move Bryant uses where he jabs his non-pivot foot forward to let the defender relax and instead of bringing the jab foot back, he pushes off it and drive around his opponent to get to the basket.[200]
Aside from his scoring ability, he has established himself as a standout defender, having made the All-Defensive first or second team twelve of the last thirteen seasons.[1] Bryant has also been noted being one of the premier clutch performers in the NBA.[201] In an annual survey of NBA general managers, Bryant was selected in 2012 for the 10th consecutive season as the player they most wanted taking the shot with the game on the line.[202][203][neutrality is disputed] Both Sporting News and TNT named Bryant the NBA player of the 2000s decade.[204][205]
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 |
| † | Denotes seasons in which the Lakers won an NBA Championship |
| Led the league |
Regular season[link]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | L.A. Lakers | 71 | 6 | 15.5 | .417 | .375 | .819 | 1.9 | 1.3 | .7 | .3 | 7.6 |
| 1997–98 | L.A. Lakers | 79 | 1 | 26.0 | .428 | .341 | .794 | 3.1 | 2.5 | .9 | .5 | 15.4 |
| 1998–99 | L.A. Lakers | 50 | 50 | 37.9 | .465 | .267 | .839 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 19.9 |
| 1999–00† | L.A. Lakers | 66 | 62 | 38.2 | .468 | .319 | .821 | 6.3 | 4.9 | 1.6 | .9 | 22.5 |
| 2000–01† | L.A. Lakers | 68 | 68 | 40.9 | .464 | .305 | .853 | 5.9 | 5.0 | 1.7 | .6 | 28.5 |
| 2001–02† | L.A. Lakers | 80 | 80 | 38.3 | .469 | .250 | .829 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 1.5 | .4 | 25.2 |
| 2002–03 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 82 | 41.5 | .451 | .383 | .843 | 6.9 | 5.9 | 2.2 | .8 | 30.0 |
| 2003–04 | L.A. Lakers | 65 | 64 | 37.6 | .438 | .327 | .852 | 5.5 | 5.1 | 1.7 | .4 | 24.0 |
| 2004–05 | L.A. Lakers | 66 | 66 | 40.7 | .433 | .339 | .816 | 5.9 | 6.0 | 1.3 | .8 | 27.6 |
| 2005–06 | L.A. Lakers | 80 | 80 | 41.0 | .450 | .347 | .850 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 1.8 | .4 | 35.4[206] |
| 2006–07 | L.A. Lakers | 77 | 77 | 40.8 | .463 | .344 | .868 | 5.7 | 5.4 | 1.4 | .5 | 31.6[207] |
| 2007–08 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 82 | 38.9 | .459 | .361 | .840 | 6.3 | 5.4 | 1.8 | .5 | 28.3 |
| 2008–09† | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 82 | 36.1 | .467 | .351 | .856 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 1.5 | .4 | 26.8 |
| 2009–10† | L.A. Lakers | 73 | 73 | 38.8 | .456 | .329 | .811 | 5.4 | 5.0 | 1.6 | .3 | 27.0 |
| 2010–11 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 82 | 33.9 | .451 | .323 | .828 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 1.2 | .1 | 25.3 |
| 2011–12 | L.A. Lakers | 58 | 58 | 38.5 | .430 | .303 | .845 | 5.4 | 4.6 | 1.2 | .3 | 27.9 |
| Career | 1161 | 1013 | 36.5 | .453 | .337 | .838 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 1.5 | .5 | 25.4 | |
| All-Star | 13 | 13 | 25.5 | .509 | .350 | .824 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 2.7 | .3 | 20.8 |
Playoffs[link]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | L.A. Lakers | 9 | 0 | 14.8 | .382 | .261 | .867 | 1.2 | 1.2 | .3 | .2 | 8.2 |
| 1998 | L.A. Lakers | 11 | 0 | 20.0 | .408 | .214 | .689 | 1.9 | 1.5 | .3 | .7 | 8.7 |
| 1999 | L.A. Lakers | 8 | 8 | 39.4 | .430 | .348 | .800 | 6.9 | 4.6 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 19.8 |
| 2000† | L.A. Lakers | 22 | 22 | 39.0 | .442 | .344 | .754 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 21.1 |
| 2001† | L.A. Lakers | 16 | 16 | 43.4 | .469 | .324 | .821 | 7.3 | 6.1 | 1.6 | .8 | 29.4 |
| 2002† | L.A. Lakers | 19 | 19 | 43.8 | .434 | .379 | .759 | 5.8 | 4.6 | 1.4 | .9 | 26.6 |
| 2003 | L.A. Lakers | 12 | 12 | 44.3 | .432 | .403 | .827 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 1.2 | .1 | 32.1[208] |
| 2004 | L.A. Lakers | 22 | 22 | 44.2 | .413 | .247 | .813 | 4.7 | 5.5 | 1.9 | .3 | 24.5 |
| 2006 | L.A. Lakers | 7 | 7 | 44.9 | .497 | .400 | .771 | 6.3 | 5.1 | 1.1 | .4 | 27.9 |
| 2007 | L.A. Lakers | 5 | 5 | 43.0 | .462 | .357 | .919 | 5.2 | 4.4 | 1.0 | .4 | 32.8[209] |
| 2008 | L.A. Lakers | 21 | 21 | 41.1 | .479 | .302 | .809 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 1.7 | .4 | 30.1[210] |
| 2009† | L.A. Lakers | 23 | 23 | 40.8 | .457 | .349 | .883 | 5.3 | 5.5 | 1.7 | .9 | 30.2 |
| 2010† | L.A. Lakers | 23 | 23 | 40.1 | .458 | .374 | .842 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 1.4 | .7 | 29.2 |
| 2011 | L.A. Lakers | 10 | 10 | 35.4 | .446 | .293 | .820 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 1.6 | .3 | 22.8 |
| 2012 | L.A. Lakers | 12 | 12 | 39.7 | .439 | .283 | .832 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 1.3 | .2 | 30.0 |
| Career | 220 | 200 | 39.3 | .448 | .331 | .816 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 1.4 | .6 | 25.6 |
Accomplishments and records[link]
Main article: List of career achievements by Kobe Bryant
Bryant led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons.[1] In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second-highest number of points scored in a game in NBA history,[78][211] behind only Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point performance. Bryant was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in the 2007–08 season and led his team to the 2008 NBA Finals as the first seed in the Western Conference.[212] In the 2008 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. men's basketball team, occasionally referred to as "The Redeem Team".[213] He led the Lakers to two more championships in 2009 and 2010, winning the Finals MVP award on both occasions.
Bryant has been selected to 14 All-NBA Teams (10 times to the All-NBA First Team) and 12 All-Defensive Teams (nine times to the All-Defensive First Team). He was selected to play in the NBA All-Star Game on 14 occasions, winning All-Star MVP Awards in 2002, 2007, 2009 and 2011 (he shared the 2009 award with Shaquille O'Neal). He also won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1997.[214] As of May 2011, he has had 5 sixty-point games, 24 fifty-point games, and 107 forty-point games.
Off the court[link]
Personal life[link]
In November 1999, 21-year-old Bryant met 17-year-old Vanessa Laine while she was working as a background dancer on the Tha Eastsidaz music video "G'd Up".[215] Bryant was in the building working on his debut musical album, which was never released. The two began dating and became engaged just six months later in May 2000,[215] while Laine was still a senior at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California. To avoid media scrutiny, she finished high school through independent study.[215] According to Vanessa's cousin Laila Laine, there was no prenuptial agreement. Vanessa said Bryant "loved her too much for one".[216]
They married on April 18, 2001, at St. Edward Roman Catholic Church in Dana Point, California.[217] Neither Bryant's parents, his two sisters, longtime advisor and agent Arn Tellem, nor Bryant's Laker teammates attended. Bryant's parents were opposed to the marriage for a number of reasons. Reportedly Bryant's parents had problems with him marrying so young, especially to a woman who was not African-American.[215] This disagreement resulted in an estrangement period of over two years, which ended when Bryant had his first daughter.
In January 2002, Bryant bought a Mediterranean-style house for $4 million, located in a cul-de-sac in Newport Coast, Newport Beach.[218] The Bryants' first child, a daughter named Natalia Diamante Bryant, was born on January 19, 2003. The birth of Natalia influenced Bryant to reconcile his differences with his parents. Vanessa Bryant suffered a miscarriage due to an ectopic pregnancy in the spring of 2005. Their second daughter, Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, was born on May 1, 2006. Gianna was born six minutes ahead of former teammate Shaquille O'Neal's daughter Me'arah Sanaa, who was born in Florida.[219] On December 16, 2011, Vanessa Bryant filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. Both parties resolved all the issues related to their divorce prior to the filing.[220] Both Kobe and Vanessa requested joint custody of their daughters, Natalia and Gianna.[221]
In an early 2007 interview, it was revealed that Bryant still speaks Italian fluently.[3] Bryant assigned himself the nickname of "Black Mamba", citing a desire for his basketball skills to mimic the snake of that name's ability to "strike with 99% accuracy at maximum speed, in rapid succession."[222]
Sexual assault allegation[link]
Main article: Kobe Bryant sexual assault case
In the summer of 2003, the sheriff's office of Eagle, Colorado, arrested Bryant in connection with an investigation of a sexual assault complaint filed by 19-year old hotel employee Katelyn Faber. Bryant had checked into The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera in Eagle County in advance of undergoing knee surgery nearby. Faber accused Bryant of raping her in his hotel room the night before Bryant was to have the procedure. Bryant admitted an adulterous sexual encounter with his accuser, but denied her sexual assault allegation.[223][224]
The accusation tarnished Bryant's reputation, as the public's perception of Bryant plummeted, and his endorsement contracts with McDonald's and Nutella were terminated. Sales for Bryant's replica jersey fell significantly from their previous highs.[225] However, in September 2004, the assault case was dropped by prosecutors after Faber refused to testify in the trial. Afterward, Bryant agreed to apologize to Faber for the incident, including his public mea culpa: "Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter."[226][227] Faber filed a separate civil lawsuit against Bryant, which the two sides ultimately settled with the specific terms of the settlement being undisclosed to the public.
Endorsements[link]
Before starting the 1996–97 NBA season, Bryant signed a 6-year contract with Adidas worth approximately $48 million.[228][229] His first signature shoe was the Equipment KB 8.[230] Bryant's other earlier endorsements included deals with The Coca-Cola Company to endorse their Sprite soft drink, appearing in advertisements for McDonald's, promoting Spalding's new NBA Infusion Ball, Upper Deck, Italian chocolate company Ferrero SpA's brand Nutella, Russell Corporation,[231] and appearing on his own series of video games by Nintendo. Many companies like McDonald's and Ferrero SpA terminated his contracts when rape allegations against him became public.[232] A notable exception was Nike, Inc., who had signed him to a 5-year, $40–45 million contract just before the incident.[233][234] However, they refused to use his image or market a new shoe of his for the year, but eventually did start promoting Bryant once his image recovered 2 years later.[234] He has since resumed endorsement deals with The Coca-Cola Company, through their subsidiary Energy Brands to promote their Vitamin Water brand of drinks.[235] Bryant was also the cover athlete for NBA '07: Featuring the Life Vol. 2 and appeared in commercials for the video games Guitar Hero World Tour (with Tony Hawk, Michael Phelps, and Alex Rodriguez) in 2008 and Call of Duty: Black Ops (alongside Jimmy Kimmel) in 2010.[236]
In a 2008 video promoting Nike's Hyperdunk shoes, Bryant appears to jump over a speeding Aston Martin. The stunt was considered to be fake, and the Los Angeles Times said a real stunt would probably be a violation of Bryant's Lakers contract.[237] After promoting Nike's Hyperdunk shoes, Bryant came out with the fourth edition of his signature line by Nike, the Zoom Kobe IV. In 2010 Nike launched another shoe, Nike Zoom Kobe V.[238] In 2009, Bryant signed a deal with Nubeo to market the "Black Mamba collection", a line of sports/luxury watches that range from $25,000 to $285,000.[239] On February 9, 2009, Bryant was featured on the cover of ESPN The Magazine. However, it was not for anything basketball related, rather it was about Bryant being a big fan of FC Barcelona.[240] CNN estimated Bryant's endorsement deals in 2007 to be worth $16 million a year.[241] In 2010, Bryant was ranked third behind Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan in Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid athletes with $48 million.[242]
On December 13, 2010, Bryant signed a two-year endorsement deal with Turkey's national airline, Turkish Airlines. The deal involved Bryant being in a promotional film to be aired in over 80 countries in addition to him being used in digital, print and billboard advertising.[243][244][245]
Bryant has appeared as the cover athlete for the following video games:
- Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside[246]
- NBA Courtside 2: Featuring Kobe Bryant[247]
- NBA Courtside 2002[248]
- NBA 3 On 3 Featuring Kobe Bryant[249]
- NBA '07: Featuring the Life Vol. 2[250]
- NBA '09: The Inside[251]
- NBA 2K10
Music[link]
In 2011, Bryant was featured in Taiwanese singer Jay Chou's single, "The Heaven and Earth Challenge" (天地一鬥, pronounced "Tian Di Yi Dou").[252] The proceeds for downloads of both the single and ringtones were donated to impoverished schools for basketball facilities and equipment.[253] The music video of the single also features Bryant.[254] The song was also used by Sprite in its 2011 marketing campaign in China.[255]
Philanthropy[link]
Bryant is the official ambassador for After-School All-Stars (ASAS), an American non-profit organization that provides comprehensive after-school programs to children in 13 US cities.[256] Bryant also started the Kobe Bryant China Fund which partnered with the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, a charity backed by the Chinese government.[257] The Kobe Bryant China Fund raises money within China earmarked for education and health programs.[257] On November 4, 2010, Bryant appeared alongside Zach Braff at the Call of Duty: Black Ops launch event at the Santa Monica Airport, where they presented a $1 million check to the Call of Duty Endowment, an Activision-founded nonprofit organization that helps veterans transition to civilian careers after their military service has ended.[236]
See also[link]
- Kobe Bryant (song) at Lil Wayne
- Shaq–Kobe feud
- Kobe Doin' Work
- List of 40-plus point games by Kobe Bryant
- List of National Basketball Association players with 1000 games played
- List of National Basketball Association career 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 career 3-point 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
- List of National Basketball Association players with 50 or more points in a playoff game
- List of National Basketball Association players with most points in a game
- List of National Basketball Association season scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association franchise career scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association top individual scoring season averages
- List of NBA players with most championships
- List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise
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- ^ Ballard, Chris. Kobe's Killer Instinct (cont.), sportsillustrated.cnn.com, May 28, 2008, accessed November 20, 2010.
- ^ McMenamin, Dave. Shots heard 'round the world, sports.espn.go.com, March 11, 2010, accessed November 14, 2010.
- ^ "2011-12 NBA.com GM Survey Results". NBA.com. January 17, 2012. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/67UdhkP2F.
- ^ Abbott, Henry (January 28, 2011). "The truth about Kobe Bryant in crunch time". ESPN.com (ESPN Internet Ventures). Archived from the original on December 20, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/645NlaB8Q.
- ^ "Kobe Bryant Elected As The NBA Player Of The Decade". Thaindian.com. February 15, 2010. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/sports/kobe-bryant-elected-as-the-nba-player-of-the-decade_100320608.html. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ "Sporting News' NBA Athlete of the Decade: Kobe Bryant, SG, Lakers – Sporting News – NBA". Sporting News. http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/article/2009-09-24/sporting-news-nba-athlete-decade-kobe-bryant-sg-lakers. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ "2005–2006 NBA Stats and League Leaders – National Basketball Association – ESPN". Espn.go.com. http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/_/year/2006/seasontype/2. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "2006–2007 NBA Stats and League Leaders – National Basketball Association – ESPN". Espn.go.com. http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/_/year/2007/seasontype/2. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "2002–2003 NBA Stats and League Leaders – National Basketball Association – ESPN". Espn.go.com. http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/_/year/2003. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "2006–2007 NBA Stats and League Leaders – National Basketball Association – ESPN". Espn.go.com. http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/_/year/2007. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "2007–2008 NBA Stats and League Leaders – National Basketball Association – ESPN". Espn.go.com. http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/_/year/2008. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "Kobe's 81-point game second only to Wilt". ESPN Internet Ventures. January 12, 2006. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260122013. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
- ^ "Kobe Bryant Wins Most Valuable Player Award". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. May 6, 2008. http://www.nba.com//news/kobe_mvp_080506.html. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
- ^ Sheridan, Chris (August 25, 2008). "Redeem Team proves worthy of Dream Team comparison". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/basketball/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&page=DreamRedeem-080825. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
- ^ "Kobe Bryant". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bryanko01.html. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
- ^ a b c d "Everything You Need to Know About Kobe Bryant". Archived from the original on February 19, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060219203516/http://www.eonline.com/On/Holly/Shows/Bryant/facts.html. Retrieved October 16, 2007. – Wayback Machine cache from February 19, 2006
- ^ Shawn Hubler. "Kobe's costar Vanessa Laine was just another sheltered teenager in Orange County. Then she fell in love with a phenomenon.". Archived from the original on April 6, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070406105500/http://allstarz.hollywood.com/kobe/vanessa02.htm. Retrieved October 16, 2007. – Wayback Machine cache from April 6, 2007
- ^ Stritof, Sheri; Stritof, Bob. "Kobe Bryant and Vanessa Laine Marriage Profile". About.com. http://marriage.about.com/cs/celebritymarriages/a/kobebryant.htm. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
- ^ "Kobe Bryant Buys Home For More Than $4 million". News.google.com. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZNAdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2KcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6703,744809. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "Shaq is a Dad Six Minutes After Kobe". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved May 25, 2007.
- ^ Kim, Victoria (December 16, 2011). "Kobe Bryant divorce: Vanessa cites 'irreconcilable differences'". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/kobe-bryant-divorce-vanessa-cites-irreconcilable-difference.html. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
- ^ "L.A. Now". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/kobe-bryant-divorce-vanessa-lakers-star-will-share-custody-of-daughters.html.
- ^ Crowe, Jerry (May 23, 2008). "Text messages from press row . . .". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/may/23/sports/sp-crowe23. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
- ^ SI Staff (December 23, 2003). "Bryant distracted, scared amid sex assault case". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/basketball/nba/12/26/kobe.interview.ap/index.html?cnn-yes. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
- ^ Moore, David Leon (February 12, 2004). "Shaq, Kobe still main keys to Lakers' fortunes". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/2004-02-12-shaq-kobe_x.htm. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
- ^ "Fans Shunning Kobe Bryant's Jersey – Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment". Fox News. January 7, 2005. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,143646,00.html. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ Reid, T.R. (September 2, 2004). "Bryant rape case ends in dismissal". The San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/09/02/MNG6E8IB861.DTL. Retrieved October 16, 2007.
- ^ Kirk Johnson (September 2, 2004). "Prosecutors Drop Kobe Bryant Rape Case". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/02/national/02kobe.html?_r=1. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
- ^ Jensen, Mike (June 16, 2000). "Article: Basketball Star Leaps into Global Ventures. | AccessMyLibrary – Promoting library advocacy". AccessMyLibrary. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-7226901_ITM. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ "Information and results for 'Adidas, Basketball Star Kobe Bryant Part Ways.' | AccessMyLibrary – Promoting library advocacy". AccessMyLibrary. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-8828547_ITM. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ "Adidas Airs Out New Kobe Bryant Shoe, Ad Campaign". Sportsbusinessdaily.com. http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/35398. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ Badenhausen, Kurt (March 9, 2004). "Kobe Bryant's Sponsorship Will Rebound". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/2004/09/03/cz_kb_0903kobe.html. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
- ^ Johnson, Greg (June 22, 2008). "Bryant will lose out again to Big Three". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/22/sports/sp-kobe22. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ "Kobe Bryant's Endorsement Deals". Advertising.about.com. April 15, 2010. http://advertising.about.com/od/kobebryant/a/bryantsendorse.htm. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ a b "Kobe Bryant resumes endorsement career". Usatoday.com. July 10, 2005. http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-07-10-kobe-bryant_x.htm. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
- ^ Salazar, Quibian (May 12, 2008). "Endorsements Coming Back to Kobe Bryant – BV on Sports". Blackvoices.com. http://www.blackvoices.com/blogs/2008/05/12/endorsements-coming-back-to-kobe-bryant/. Retrieved June 8, 2010. [dead link]
- ^ a b Devine, Dan (November 5, 2010). "Kobe Bryant shoots 'em up in new 'Call of Duty' ad". Sports.Yahoo.com. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Kobe-Bryant-shoots-em-up-in-new-Call-of-Duty-?urn=nba-282854. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
- ^ "No, Kobe Bryant Did Not Jump Over a Car". rankingsandreviews.com (U.S. News & World Report). April 15, 2008. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5y5cKyN5V.
- ^ "Nike launches Nike Zoom Kobe V with Kobe Bryant". TradingMarkets.com. December 9, 2009. http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2711325/. Retrieved June 8, 2010. [dead link]
- ^ 3 Comments. "Kobe Bryant Wearing Nubeo Black Mamba MVP Watch « UpscaleHype". Upscalehype.com. http://www.upscalehype.com/2009/10/kobe-bryant-wearing-nubeo-black-mamba-mvp-watch/. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ "Kobe Bryant ESPN The Magazine Fan Issue". ESPN The Magazine. http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/fanIssue. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
- ^ "Top 10 endorsement superstars". CNN. December 31, 2008. http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/fortune/0711/gallery.endorsements.fortune/6.html. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ Kritchever, Patrick. The Forbes Celebrity 100, Forbes, June 28, 2010, Retrieved July 13, 2010.
- ^ Rovell, Darren. "Kobe Bryant To Endorse Turkish Airlines". CNBC.com. http://www.cnbc.com/id/40641746/Kobe_Bryant_To_Endorse_Turkish_Airlines. Retrieved February 23, 2011. "It’s a two-year deal that will involve Bryant starring in a promotional film that will be aired on international television channels and in movie theatres in more than 80 countries next year."
- ^ Li, Shan (December 16, 2010). "Kobe Bryant's Turkish Airlines deal outrages Armenian Americans". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/dec/16/local/la-me-kobe-bryant-armenian-20101216. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ^ "The first Kobe Bryant Turkish Airlines commercial has landed". NBC Sports. February 28, 2011. http://offthebench.nbcsports.com/2011/02/28/the-first-kobe-bryant-turkish-airlines-commercial-has-landed/. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ^ "Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside for Nintendo 64". MobyGames. http://www.mobygames.com/game/kobe-bryant-in-nba-courtside. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ "NBA Courtside 2 Featuring Kobe Bryant". CNN. http://archives.cnn.com/1999/TECH/computing/12/08/courtside2/index.html. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ "NBA Courtside 2002 (cube) reviews at". Metacritic.com. January 14, 2002. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/cube/nbacourtside2002#critics. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ "NBA 3 on 3 Featuring Kobe Bryant for GBC". Gamespot.Com. December 7, 1999. http://www.gamespot.com/gbc/sports/nba3on3featuringkb/index.html. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ Surette, Tim (August 21, 2006). "Kobe covers Sony's NBA 07". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/news/kobe-covers-sonys-nba-07-6156109. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
- ^ "Sony Debuts SIX Cover Athletes for NBA 09: The Inside". DailyGame. http://www.dailygame.net/news/archives/008110.php. Retrieved June 8, 2010. [dead link]
- ^ "CRI.com: Kobe Bryant Works with Jay Chou in New Song". :. 2011-02-23. http://english.cri.cn/6666/2011/02/23/1261s622251.htm. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ Pop Asia. "Jay Chou releases MV with Kobe Bryant". PopAsia. http://www.popasia.net/jay-chou-releases-mv-with-kobe-bryant/. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "Official music video of". Youtube.com. 2011-04-06. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaW0jUGaHe0. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ 4 comments by Daniel Gilroy on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 (2011-02-23). "ChinaSmack: Sprite China – Kobe Bryant and Jay Chou music video " 天地一鬥 " ("Tian Di Yi Dou") with Jay Chou feat. Kobe Bryant". Advertising.chinasmack.com. http://advertising.chinasmack.com/2011/sprite-china-kobe-bryant-jay-chou-music-video.html. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "Kobe Bryant's Charity Work, Events and Causes". looktothestars.org. http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/840-kobe-bryant. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ^ a b Paul, Alan (July 16, 2009). "Kobe Bryant Conquers China". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204556804574258222289862830.html. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
External links[link]
| Find more about Kobe Bryant on Wikipedia's sister projects: | |
 |
Images and media from Commons |
 |
News stories from Wikinews |
 |
Quotations from Wikiquote |
- Official website
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com, or Basketball-Reference.com, or ESPN.com
- Kobe Bryant at the Internet Movie Database
- NBA.com – The Ultimate Kobe Page
- Kobe Bryant Video on FoxSports Video Archive
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Bryant, Kobe Bean |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Professional basketball player |
| Date of birth | August 23, 1978 |
| Place of birth | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Kobe_Bryant
Related pages:
http://it.wn.com/Kobe Bryant
http://cs.wn.com/Kobe Bryant
http://id.wn.com/Kobe Bryant
http://es.wn.com/Kobe Bryant
http://ru.wn.com/Брайант, Коби
http://nl.wn.com/Kobe Bryant
http://pl.wn.com/Kobe Bryant
http://fr.wn.com/Kobe Bryant
http://de.wn.com/Kobe Bryant
http://hi.wn.com/कोबी ब्रायंट
http://pt.wn.com/Kobe Bryant
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_Bryant
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.
| No. 11, 33 | |
|---|---|
| Center | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1972-10-10)October 10, 1972 Kano, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Died | January 9, 2004(2004-01-09) (aged 31) Englewood, New Jersey, U. S. |
| High school | Milford Academy (New Berlin, New York) |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 265 lb (120 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | George Washington (1992–1994) |
| NBA Draft | 1994 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14th overall |
| Selected by the New Jersey Nets | |
| Pro career | 1994–2003 |
| Career history | |
| 1994–1998 | New Jersey Nets |
| 1998–1999 | New Jersey Shorecats (USBL) |
| 1999–2000 | Fort Wayne Fury (CBA) |
| 2003 | Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs (USBL) |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 233 (2.1 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 281 (2.6 rpg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Yinka Dare (born October 10, 1972 – January 9, 2004) was a Nigerian professional basketball player. A 7'0", 265 pound (120.2 kg) center, he played four seasons in the National Basketball Association. In 2004, Dare died at only 31 years of age after suffering a heart attack.
Contents |
Early years[link]
Born in Kano, Dare was discovered by Nigerian-born lawyer Lloyd Ukwu during a visit to Lagos in 1991. While Ukwu was driving, he noticed a very tall man sitting on a bench eating a bowl of food. When he asked him how tall he was, Dare said he didn't know.
Dare had previously spent most of his free time playing tennis, but soon picked up basketball for the first time.[1]
High school/college career[link]
Already in the United States, Dare played one season at Milford Academy High, a prep school in Connecticut.
Subsequently, he played college basketball for George Washington University, where he excelled as a player under coach Mike Jarvis, also helping revive the basketball program. As a freshman in 1992–93, he led the Colonials to the NCAA Tournament round of 16 ('The Sweet 16'), the furthest they had ever advanced.
The next year, Dare led the team to the second round of the tournament. He finished his college career averaging 13.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game; additionally, after just two seasons, he had become the Colonials' all-time leader in blocked shots, averaging more than two per game.
Professional career[link]
Dare was selected in the first-round (14th overall) of the 1994 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets, agreeing to a six-year, $9 million guaranteed contract. In the NBA, he would appear in 110 games in four seasons, all with the Nets; in his rookie campaign, he played for three minutes before getting injured (torn ACL) and missing the rest of the season.
The Nets left him unprotected during the 1995 expansion draft, but Dare was not selected by either the Toronto Raptors or the Vancouver Grizzlies. In his first full season (1995–96), in which he played a personal best 58 out of 82 games, he turned the ball over 72 times while registering no assists, holding the dubious NBA record for most games played in a season, 58, without recording an assist.[2] During his four-year career, he would rack up a total of four assists accompanied by 96 turnovers, while averaging 2.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and less than 0.1 assists per game.
In early 1998, Dare was traded, along with David Benoit and Kevin Edwards, to the Orlando Magic, for Brian Evans and Rony Seikaly, and was immediately waived. Subsequently, he played intermittently in other leagues including the Continental Basketball Association and United States Basketball League, until 2003.[2]
Death[link]
Dare died in 2004, after collapsing in his home in Englewood, New Jersey. A medical examiner determined that he had suffered a heart attack due to an arrhythmia condition discovered when he was in college.[2]
Lucious Harris, who joined the Nets in 1997–98, Dare's final season said: "It's a bad situation. I feel for his family. Just 32, to have a heart attack, that's scary. It always seemed like he was in shape. But things happen and you don't understand why."
Kerry Kittles, who played with Dare in the latter's final two Nets seasons said: "He was a quiet guy, didn't talk that much. He worked hard - he didn't really play much, but he was a fun guy to be around. [He was] young: It makes you think... anything can happen any time. It's in the back of your mind [that] it could happen to you."
Jarvis, who coached Dare at George Washington, told The Washington Post: "Yinka was a kind, gentle person. He was nice to my family, as respectful as anybody I've come into contact with. I don't remember him having a bad word to say about anybody; just a nice, sweet kid."
Dare was survived by parents Gabriel and Joan, two sisters and a brother.[3]
Other appearances[link]
- Dare appeared in the 1995 Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo video game NBA Jam Tournament Edition as a "bonus" player, available on the all-rookie squad at the onset of the game.
- He appeared in a Puma shoe commercial.[2]
References[link]
- ^ Lawyer brings Nigerian players to U.S. colleges; Dayton Daily News, 15 March 2001
- ^ a b c d Eulogizing Yinka; The Cornell Daily Sun, 3 February 2004
- ^ Yinka Dare, athlete, 32; at Deathwatch
External links[link]
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Dare, Yinka |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | October 10, 1972 |
| Place of birth | Kano, Nigeria |
| Date of death | January 9, 2004 |
| Place of death | Englewood, New Jersey, U. S. |
http://wn.com/Yinka_Dare
Related pages:
http://ru.wn.com/Дэйр, Йинка
http://fr.wn.com/Yinka Dare
http://de.wn.com/Yinka Dare
http://it.wn.com/Yinka Dare
http://es.wn.com/Yinka Dare
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yinka_Dare
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.
"Nowitzki" redirects here. For other uses, see Nowitzki (disambiguation).
 Nowitzki about to take a free throw for Dallas |
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| No. 41 – Dallas Mavericks | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1978-06-19) June 19, 1978 (age 34) Würzburg, West Germany |
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| Nationality | German | ||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1998 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall | ||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1994–present | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1998 | DJK Würzburg (Germany) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–present | Dallas Mavericks | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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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.[1] He is the first Maverick ever to be voted into an All-NBA Team and also holds several all-time Mavericks franchise records.[2] 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.[2]
Nowitzki led the German national basketball team to a bronze medal in the 2002 FIBA World Championship and the silver medal in EuroBasket 2005, and was leading scorer and elected Most Valuable Player in both tournaments. Nowitzki has been a nine-time European Player of the Year. He was named the Euroscar European Basketball Player of the Year by the Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport for five years in a row from 2002 to 2006 and again in 2011.[3] He was also named the Mister Europa European Player of the Year by the Italian sports magazine Superbasket in 2005, and the FIBA Europe Basketball Player of the Year twice in 2005 and 2011.[2]
On December 18, 2011 he was named the 2011 German Sportspersonality of the Year for the first time.[4]
Contents |
Early years[link]
Born in Würzburg, Germany, Nowitzki comes from an athletic family: his mother Helga Nowitzki was a professional basketball player and his father Jörg-Werner was a handball player who represented Germany at the highest international level.[5] His older sister Silke Nowitzki, a local champion in track and field, also became a basketball player and now works for the NBA in International TV.[2][6] Nowitzki was a very tall child; most of the time he stood above his peers by a foot or more.[5] He initially played handball and tennis, but soon grew tired of being called a "freak" for his height and eventually turned to basketball.[7] After joining the local DJK Würzburg, the 15-year-old attracted the attention of former German international basketball player Holger Geschwindner, who spotted his talent immediately and offered to coach him individually two to three times per week. After getting both the approval of Nowitzki and his parents, Geschwindner put his pupil through an unorthodox training scheme: he emphasized shooting and passing exercises, and shunned weight training and tactical drills, because he felt it was "unnecessary friction."[8] Furthermore, Geschwindner encouraged Nowitzki to play a musical instrument and read literature to make him a more complete personality.[8]
After a year, the coach was so impressed that he said to his pupil: "You must now decide whether you want to play against the best in the world or just stay a local hero in Germany. If you choose latter, we will stop training immediately, because nobody can prevent that anymore. But if you want to play against the best, we have to train on a daily basis." After pondering for two days, Nowitzki decided on the former. Geschwindner let him train seven days a week with DJK Würzburg players and future German internationals Robert Garrett, Marvin Willoughby and Demond Greene, and in the summer of 1994, the 16-year-old Nowitzki made the DJK squad.[9]
DJK Würzburg (1994–98)[link]
When Nowitzki joined the team, DJK played in the Second Bundesliga, South Division. His first trainer was Pit Stahl, who played the tall teenager as an outside-scoring forward rather than an inside-scoring center to utilise his shooting skills.[10] In the 1994–95 Second Bundesliga season, ambitious DJK finished as a disappointing sixth of 12 teams; the rookie Nowitzki was often benched and struggled with bad school grades, which forced him to study rather than work on his game.[11] In the next 1995–96 Second Bundesliga season, Nowitzki established himself as a starter next to Finnish star forward Martti Kuisma and soon became a regular double-digit scorer: after German national basketball coach Dirk Bauermann saw him score 24 points in a DJK game, he stated that "Dirk Nowitzki is the greatest German basketball talent of the last 10, maybe 15 years." DJK finished second in the South Division, but could not earn promotion after losing 86–62 in the deciding match versus BG Ludwigsburg: in that game, Nowitzki scored only eight points.[12]
In the 1996–97 Second Bundesliga season, the team's top scorer Kuisma left the team, and Geschwindner replaced Pit Stahl as head coach. Filling the void, Nowitzki averaged 19.4 points per game and led DJK again to second place after the regular season, but could not help his team gain promotion.[13] In the following 1997–98 Second Bundesliga season, Nowitzki finished his "Abitur" (German A-levels), but had to do compulsory military service in the Bundeswehr (German Military) which lasted from September 1, 1997–June 30, 1998;[2] Nowitzki described this period as "a tough time at first; we had no privileges and had to participate in all the drills...later [after finishing the tough "Grundausbildung," the most intensive initial part of the service] it was much more relaxed."[14] Concerning basketball, the 18-year old, who had grown to 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) tall, made progress, leading DJK to a 36:4 point total (in Germany, a victory gives 2:0 points and a loss 0:2) and ending as leading scorer with 28.2 points per game. In the promotion playoffs, DJK finally broke its hex, finishing at first place with 14:2 points and earning promotion; Nowitzki scored 26 points in the deciding 95–88 win against Freiburg and was voted "German Basketballer of the Year" by the German BASKET magazine.[15]
Abroad, Nowitzki's progress was noticed. In 1996, FC Barcelona Bàsquet wanted to sign him, but Nowitzki refused to move before finishing his German A-levels.[16] A year later, the teenager participated in the Nike "Hoop Heroes Tour," where he played against NBA stars like Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen. In a 30-minute show match, Nowitzki outplayed Barkley and even dunked on him, causing the latter to exclaim: "The boy is a genius. If he wants to enter the NBA, he can call me."[17] On March 29, 1998, Nowitzki was chosen to play in the Nike Hoop Summit, one of the premier talent watches in U.S. men's basketball. In a match between the U.S. talents and the international talents, Nowitzki scored 33 points on 6-of-12 shooting, 14 rebounds and 3 steals for the internationals[2] and outplayed future US NBA stars Rashard Lewis and Al Harrington. He impressed with a combination of quickness, ball handling, and shooting range, and from that moment a multitude of European and NBA clubs wanted to recruit him.[18]
Dallas Mavericks (1998–present)[link]
Difficult start (1998–99)[link]
After leading DJK Würzburg to promotion and with his Abitur and military service behind him, Nowitzki looked to the NBA for his future. Projected to be seventh pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, he passed up many college offers and leapt directly into the NBA as a then-still rare prep-to-pro player.[19] In particular, Rick Pitino and Don Nelson, head coaches of the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks respectively, were highly interested in acquiring him. After a 45-minute private workout with Pitino, where Nowitzki showcased his versatile shooting, rebounding and passing skills, the Boston coach immediately compared him to Celtics legend Larry Bird; Pitino assured Nowitzki that he would draft him with the Celtics' first-round draft pick at #10.[20]
However, Pitino's plan was foiled by Nelson, whose team had the sixth pick. Nelson worked out draft day deals with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns: the Mavericks wanted Nowitzki and Suns reserve point guard Steve Nash; the Bucks desired muscular forward Robert Traylor, who was projected to be drafted before Nowitzki; and the Suns had set their sights on forward Pat Garrity, who was projected as a low first round pick. In the draft, the Mavericks drafted Traylor with their sixth pick, and the Bucks selected Nowitzki with their ninth and Garrity with their nineteenth pick. The Mavericks then traded Traylor to the Bucks for Nowitzki and Garrity, and they in return traded the latter to Phoenix for Nash.
In retrospect, Don Nelson, who had once coached the Bucks, had an outstanding trade instinct, essentially trading future career underachievers Traylor and Garrity for two future NBA MVPs in Nowitzki and Nash; in addition, the new recruits quickly became close friends.[20] Nowitzki became only the fourth German player in NBA history, following pivots Uwe Blab and Christian Welp and All-Star swingman Detlef Schrempf, who was a 35-year old veteran of the Seattle SuperSonics when his young compatriot arrived. Nowitzki finished his DJK career as the only Würzburg player to have ever made the NBA.[21]
In Dallas, Nowitzki joined a franchise which had last made the playoffs in 1990. Shooting guard Michael Finley captained the squad, supported by 7-foot-6-inch (2.29 m) center Shawn Bradley, once a number two draft pick, and team scoring leader Cedric Ceballos, an ex-Laker forward. Nowitzki experienced a rocky start: prior to the 1998–99 NBA season, NBA commissioner David Stern wanted to introduce a salary cap, causing the NBA players' union to declare a strike, the combination putting the entire season in jeopardy. In limbo, Nowitzki returned to DJK Würzburg and played thirteen games before both sides worked out a late compromise that resulted in a shortened schedule of only 50 instead of 82 regular season games.[22]
When the season finally started, Nowitzki struggled. Played as a power forward by coach Don Nelson, the lanky 20-year old felt overpowered by the more athletic NBA forwards, was intimidated by the expectations as a number nine pick, and played bad defense, causing hecklers to taunt him as "Irk Nowitzki," omitting the "D" which stands for "defense" in basketball slang.[23] He only averaged 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 20.4 minutes of playing time.[24] Looking back, Nowitzki said: "I was so frustrated I even contemplated going back to Germany... [the jump from Second Bundesliga to the NBA] was like jumping out of an airplane hoping the parachute would somehow open." The Mavericks only won 19 of their 50 games and missed the playoffs,[25] although Nowitzki completed the season with eight double-digit scoring games out of the last twelve.[2]
Mark Cuban and the "Big Three" (1999–2004)[link]
- 1999–2000 season
In the 1999–2000 NBA season, Don Nelson wanted to use Nowitzki as a point forward to make use of his passing skills.[26] However, one of the most important moves was made off the hardwood: until then, the owner of the Mavericks was Ross Perot, Jr., who had bought the franchise for $125 million, but had no plans of investing in players and admitted he knew little of basketball.[27] On January 4, 2000, he sold the Mavericks to Internet billionaire Mark Cuban for $280 million. Cuban quickly invested into the Mavericks and restructured the franchise, attending every game at the sidelines, buying the team a $46 million six-star Boeing 757 for traveling, and increasing franchise revenues to over $100 million. Nowitzki lauded Cuban: "He created the perfect environment... we only have to go out and win."[28] As a result of Nelson's tutelage, Cuban's improvements and his own progress, Nowitzki significantly improved his averages. The second-year pro now averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 35.8 minutes,[24] had nine double-double games, and scored a career-high 32 points twice.[2] He was voted runner-up in the NBA Most Improved Player Award behind Jalen Rose, and made it into the NBA All-Star Sophomore squad along with peers Paul Pierce and Vince Carter.[2] In the traditional Rookie-Sophomore match, he scored 17 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out 4 assists in an overtime loss against the rookie team led by Steve Francis and Lamar Odom.[29] The 7-foot-0-inch (2.13 m) Nowitzki also was chosen for the NBA All-Star Three Point Shootout, becoming the tallest player ever to participate. After draining 15 shots in a row in the first shootout, he entered the final round, where he finished as runner-up to Jeff Hornacek.[29] While he improved on an individual level, the Mavericks missed the playoffs after a mediocre 40–42 season.[29]
- 2000–01 season
In the 2000–01 NBA season, Nowitzki further improved his averages, recording 21.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.[24] Now playing the power forward position, he became the second player in NBA history after Robert Horry to score 100 3-pointers and 100 blocks in the regular season by registering 151 and 101, respectively.[2] As a sign of his growing importance, he joined team captain Finley as only one of two Mavericks to play and start in all 82 games and had 10 games in which he scored at least 30 points.[2] Nowitzki became the first Maverick ever to be voted into the All-NBA squads, making the Third Team.[2] In addition, his best friend Nash became a valuable point guard, and with Finley scoring more than ever, pundits were calling this trio the "Big Three" of the Mavericks.
Posting a 53–29 record in the regular season,[30] the Mavericks reached the playoffs for the first time since 1990.[31] As the fifth seed, they were paired against the Utah Jazz of all-time assist leader John Stockton and second all-time leading scorer Karl Malone. After losing the first two games, Nowitzki scored 33 points in Games 3 and 4 and helped to tie the series.[32] In Game 5, the Mavericks trailed the entire game until Calvin Booth made a lay-up that put them ahead 84–83 with 9.8 seconds left. Jazz players Bryon Russell and Malone missed last-second shots and the Mavericks won, setting up a meeting with Texas rivals San Antonio Spurs.[32] The Mavericks lost the first 3 games, and Nowitzki fell ill with flu and later lost a tooth after a collision with Spurs guard Terry Porter. After a Game 4 win, Nowitzki scored 42 points and 18 rebounds in Game 5, but could not prevent a deciding 105–87 loss.[33] While Sports Illustrated pointed out that the Mavericks shot badly during Game 5, Nowitzki was lauded for scoring his playoff career-high 42 points. The German said: "It's a disappointment to end the season on a blowout."[34]
- 2001–02 season
Prior to the 2001–02 NBA season, Nowitzki signed a six-year, $90 million contract extension, which made him the second highest-paid German athlete after Formula One champion Michael Schumacher.[35] He continued to improve, now averaging 23.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, was voted into the All-NBA Second Team and into his first All-Star Game.[24] He also had 13 games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, third behind Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan.[2] Powered by new recruit Nick Van Exel, who became a high-scoring sixth man, the Mavericks "Big Three" convincingly made the playoffs with a 57–25 record.[36]
The Mavericks swept Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2002 NBA Playoffs 3–0: Nowitzki outscored Garnett with 33.3 points per game versus 24.0.[37] In the second round, the Mavericks met the Sacramento Kings with rival power forward Chris Webber. After splitting the first two games, Kings coach Rick Adelman changed his defensive scheme: before, Webber had defended Nowitzki one-on-one, but now, the Kings coach ordered his smaller but quicker player Hedo Turkoglu to cover the German. Turkoglu should use his agility to play Nowitzki tightly, and if the taller Maverick tried to post up Turkoglu, Webber would double team Nowitzki.[38] In Game 3 in Dallas, the Mavericks lost 125–119; Nowitzki scored only 19 points and said: "I simply could not pass Turkoglu, and if I did, I ran into a double team and committed too many turnovers."[38] In Game 4, more frustration awaited the German: the Mavericks gave away a 14-point lead, although the entire Kings starting frontcourt of center Vlade Divac and power forward Chris Webber (both fouled out) and small forward Peja Stojakovic (injury) were eliminated in the closing stages of the game. Nowitzki missed two potentially game deciding jump shots, and the Mavericks lost 115–113 at home. In Game 5, the demoralised Texans were no match for the spirited Kings, lost 114–101 and were eliminated again.[39] Among others, nba.com remarked that the Kings defended better than the Mavericks:[40] in those five games, the statisticians counted 115 Sacramento layups against the Mavericks, meaning the Kings averaged 23 uncontested baskets (i.e. 46 easy points) per game.[41] However, Nowitzki received a consolation award: the Gazzetta dello Sport voted him as "European Basketballer of the Year," his 104 votes lifting him over second-placed Dejan Bodiroga (54) and Stojakovic (50).[42]
- 2002–03 season
Before the 2002–03 NBA season, Don Nelson and Mark Cuban put more emphasis on defense in the training drills, specialising in a zone defense anchored by prolific shotblockers Raef LaFrentz and Shawn Bradley. The Mavericks won their first 11 games, and Finley, Nash and Nowitzki were voted "Western Conference Players of the Month" in November 2002.[43] In that season, Nowitzki lifted his averages again, now scoring 25.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.[24] In addition, the German had 41 double-double games, the seventh highest figure that season. By averaging 25.1, he became the first European to score 2,000 points in a season.[2] As a reward, he was voted into the All-Star Game and the All-NBA Second Team again,[24] and was also runner-up in the "German Athlete of the Year" election, only losing to ski jumper Sven Hannawald.[44] He led the Mavericks to a franchise-high 60–22 record, which earned them the third seed: as a result, the Mavericks had to play sixth seed Portland Trail Blazers in the 2003 NBA Playoffs.[45] Now playing in a best-of-seven series instead of the former best-of-five, the Mavs quickly won the first 3 games, but then completely lost their rhythm and the next 3. In Game 7, Portland held the game close, but 90 seconds before the end, Nowitzki hit a clutch 3, and the Mavs won 107–95. "This was the most important basket of my career," he later said, "I was not prepared to go on vacation that early."[46] He later added in an ESPN interview: "We had to be more physical in the paint and rebound the ball. We worked hard all season to get the home-court advantage and we used that advantage today."[47]
In the next round, the Mavericks met the Kings again. After losing Game 1 at home 124-113, Nowitzki (25 points) and veteran sixth man Van Exel (36) led Dallas to a spectacular 132–110 Game 2 win in which the Mavericks scored 83 points in the first half.[46] Helped by the fact that Kings star forward Chris Webber injured his meniscus, Nowitzki and Van Exel led the Mavericks to a 141–137 OT win in Game 3, before dropping Game 4 99–83, where Nowitzki only scored 11 points and was ejected after angrily kicking over a load of towels.[46] After splitting the next two games, Nowitzki delivered a clutch performance in Game 7, scoring 30 points, grabbing 19 rebounds and playing strong defense, and led the Mavericks to a series-deciding 112–99 win.[46] ESPN lauded Nowitzki as "Big D," and after again winning a Game 7, the German added: "We've really learned how to close games out."[48]
In the Western Conference Finals, the Mavericks met the Spurs again. In Game 1 in San Antonio, Nowitzki scored 38 points on Duncan and led his team to a 113–110 win. In Game 2, Duncan quickly put Nowitzki in foul trouble, and the Spurs equalised the series with a 132–110 win. In Game 3, Nowitzki went up for a rebound and Spurs guard Manu Ginóbili collided with his knee, forcing him out of the series: without their top scorer, the Mavericks still fought valiantly and trailed 3–2, before Spurs guard Steve Kerr got hot from beyond the arc late in Game 6 to help San Antonio clinch the series with a 90–78 victory.[49] Don Nelson later commented: "We were playing so well for so long and the bottom just dropped out...We went cold at the wrong time."[50] Nowitzki took very little consolation in the fact that he again was voted "European Basketballer of the Year"[49] and was named "Best European Basketballer" in a general survey of the NBA general managers.[2]
- 2003–04 season
In the 2003–04 NBA season, Cuban and Nelson decided to add more offensive wing players to their squad. As a result, the Mavericks acquired two All-Star forwards, namely Golden State Warriors All-Star forward Antawn Jamison (along with Danny Fortson, Jiri Welsch and Chris Mills, for Van Exel and role players) and Antoine Walker (Boston Celtics) who came for center Raef LaFrentz. Basketball experts were wary about the latter trade, because it sent away the Mavericks starting center; they argued it left a hole in the middle that the aging, injury-prone backup pivot Shawn Bradley could not fill anymore.[51] Unable to trade for a new center, Nelson decided to start the prolific rebounder Nowitzki at pivot, put Walker on Nowitzki's usual power forward spot and played Jamison as a high-scoring sixth man.[52] To cope with his more physical role, Nowitzki put on 20 lb (9.1 kg) of muscle mass over summer, sacrificed part of his agility, and put more emphasis on defense rather than scoring:[53] as a result, his averages fell for the first time in his career, dropping to 21.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game,[24] but he still led the Mavericks in scoring, rebounding, steals (1.2 spg) and blocks (1.35 bpg).[2] These figures earned him nominations for the All-Star Game and the All-NBA Third Team.[24] Compiling a 52–30 record, the Mavericks met their familiar rivals Sacramento Kings again, but were eliminated in 5.[54]
Franchise player (2004–present)[link]
- 2004–05 season
Before the 2004–05 NBA season, the Mavericks were re-tooled again. Defensive center Erick Dampier was acquired from the Golden State Warriors, but Nowitzki's close friend Steve Nash left Dallas and returned to the Phoenix Suns as a free agent. During the season, long-time head coach Don Nelson resigned, and his assistant Avery Johnson took on coaching duties. In the midst of these changes, Nowitzki stepped up his game and averaged 26.1 points a game (a career-high) and 9.7 rebounds, and his 1.5 blocks and 3.1 assists were also career numbers.[24] In addition, Nowitzki scored at least 10 points in every game and was one of four players who registered at least 1.2 steals and blocks per game. This was also his second 2,000-point season; his 26.1 points scoring average set a new record by a European player.[2] On December 2, 2004, Nowitzki scored 53 points in an overtime win against the Houston Rockets, a career best.[2] As a reward, Nowitzki was voted to the All-NBA First Team for the first time.[24] He also placed third in the league's MVP voting, behind Nash and Shaquille O'Neal. By being elected to the All-NBA First Team, Nowitzki became the first player who did not attend a United States high school or college to be on the All-NBA First Team.
However, the Mavericks had a subpar 2005 NBA Playoffs campaign. In the first round, Dallas met the Houston Rockets of scoring champion Tracy McGrady and 7–6 center Yao Ming, and Nowitzki was expected to average high figures against unheralded forward Ryan Bowen: nba.com described Bowen as "overmatched" versus the German.[55] Instead, Bowen limited Nowitzki to just 21 points in Game 1[55] and 26 points in Game 2, where the latter hit 8 of 26 shots from the field.[56] The Rockets took a 2–0 series lead before the Mavericks won three games in a row. After losing Game 6, Dallas won Game 7 convincingly and won the series even though Nowitzki struggled with his shooting.[57] In the Western Conference Semifinals, the Mavericks met the Phoenix Suns, the new club of Nash. They split the first four games, before the Suns won the last two games. In Game 6, which the Mavericks lost in overtime, Nowitzki was again not at his best: he scored 28 points, but also sank only 9 of his 25 field goal attempts;[58] in addition, he was visibly irritated, repeatedly shouting at his teammates and missing all five of his shots in OT.[59]
- 2005–06 season
Prior to the 2005–06 NBA season, veteran Mavericks captain Michael Finley was waived over the summer, and now Nowitzki was the last player remaining from the Mavericks' "Big Three" of Nash, Finley, and himself. Nowitzki blossomed as the sole franchise player, averaging 26.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. Not only was this his third 2,000-point season, but his scoring average of 26.6 points was highest ever by a European.[24] He improved his shooting percentage, setting personal season records in field goals (48.0%), three-point shots (40.6%) and free throws (90.1%).[24] During the 2006 All-Star Weekend in Houston, Nowitzki scored 18 points to defeat Seattle SuperSonics guard Ray Allen and Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas in the Three-Point Shootout contest.[60]
Nowitzki paced Dallas to a 60-win season. The team finished with the third-best record in the league, behind the defending champion San Antonio Spurs and defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons.[61] As in the 2004–05 season, he finished third in the league's MVP voting, this time behind Nash and LeBron James. He was again elected to the first team All-NBA squad.[24] Nowitzki confirmed his superstar status during the playoffs as he averaged 27.0 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists.[24] The Mavericks swept the Memphis Grizzlies 4–0, with Nowitzki's most spectacular play[says who?] being a clutch three-pointer in the closing seconds of Game 3 which tied the game and forced overtime. In the Western Conference Semifinals, the Mavericks played against the San Antonio Spurs again. After splitting the first six games, the Mavericks took a 20-point lead in Game 7 before Spur Manu Ginóbili broke a tie at 101 by hitting a 3 with 30 seconds left. On the next play, Nowitzki completed a three-point play, which tied the game at 104. In the end, the Mavericks won 119–111, and Nowitzki ended the game with 37 points and 15 rebounds.[62] Nowitzki commented: "I don't know how the ball went in. Manu hit my hand. It was a lucky bounce."[62]
The Mavericks advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they again met the Suns. Nowitzki scored 50 points to lead the Mavericks to a victory in the crucial Game 5 with the series tied at 2; the Mavericks would go on to win in six games and face the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals. A content Nowitzki commented: "We've been a good road team all season long, we believed in each other. We went through some ups and downs this season, but the playoffs are all about showing heart and playing together."[63] Of Nowitzki's performance, ESPN columnist Bill Simmons would remark, "Dirk is playing at a higher level than any forward since Bird."[64] The Mavericks took an early 2–0 lead, but then gave away a late 15-point lead in a Game 3 loss[65] and finally fell to a scoring onslaught by Heat Finals MVP Dwyane Wade: Wade scored at least 36 points in the next four games, all of which the Heat won. Nowitzki only made 20 of his last 55 shots in the final three games as the Mavericks lost the Finals series 4–2 to the Heat. The German was criticized by ESPN as "clearly... not as his best this series" and remarked: "That was a tough loss (in Game 3) and that really changed the whole momentum of the series... After that, they got confidence. They played a lot better afterwards."[66]
- 2006–07 season
The 2006–07 season was the year Nowitzki was named the league's Most Valuable Player. He shot a career-best 50.2% from the field, and recorded averages of 24.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists[24] and led the Mavericks to a franchise-high 67 wins, which meant Dallas earned the first seed of the 2007 NBA Playoffs.[67] Nowitzki was touted as the overwhelming favorite for the Most Valuable Player award, and was expected to lead the Mavericks to an easy win against the eighth-seed Golden State Warriors, despite the Warriors having won all three regular-season meetings against Dallas. However, the Mavericks ended up losing to the Warriors in six games, marking the first time a #8 seed had beaten the #1 in a best-of-seven series in NBA history.[68] In the clinching Game 6, Nowitzki shot just 2–13 from the field for only eight points.[68] Defended by Stephen Jackson, Nowitzki averaged nearly five points less than his regular-season average in that series and shot 38.3% from the field as compared to 50.2% during the regular season.[24] He described that loss as a low point in his career: "This series, I couldn't put my stamp on it the way I wanted to. That's why I'm very disappointed."[69] In spite of this historic playoffs loss, Nowitzki was named the NBA's regular-season Most Valuable Player and beat his friend and back-to-back NBA MVP Nash with more than 100 votes. He also became the first European-born player in NBA history to receive the honor.[70]
- 2007–08 season
The 2007–08 campaign saw another first-round playoffs exit for Nowitzki and his Mavericks. Despite a mid-season trade that sent veteran NBA All-Star Jason Kidd to Dallas, the Mavericks finished seventh in a highly competitive Western Conference. Nowitzki averaged 23.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and a career-high 3.5 assists for the season.[71] In the playoffs, they faced rising star Chris Paul's New Orleans Hornets, and were eliminated in five games.[71] The few positive highlights that season for Nowitzki were his first career triple-double against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 6, 2008, with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high 12 assists, and on March 8, 2008 (34 points against the New Jersey Nets), when he surpassed Rolando Blackman with his 16,644th point to become the Mavericks' all-time career points leader.[72]
- 2008–09 season
The 2008–09 NBA season saw Nowitzki finish with averages of 25.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. He was fourth in the league in scoring, and garnered his fourth All-NBA First Team selection. He also made the 2009 All-Star game, his eighth appearance. Nowitzki led Dallas to a tight finish towards the playoffs, finishing 50–32 for the season (6th in the West), after a slow 2–7 start. In the playoffs, the German led Dallas to an upset win over long-time rival San Antonio (the third seed), winning the first-round series 4–1. The Mavericks, however, fell short against the Denver Nuggets 4–1 in the second round, with Nowitzki averaging 34.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 4 assists in the series.
- 2009–10 season
The Mavericks finished the 2009–10 NBA season as the second seed for the 2010 NBA Playoffs—it was their 10th consecutive season with at least 50 regular season wins. Notable additions to the squad were multiple All-Stars Shawn Marion and Caron Butler, with the latter coming in the latter half of the season. On January 13, 2010, Nowitzki became the 34th player in NBA history—and the first European—to hit the 20,000-point milestone, while ending the regular season with averages of 25 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1 block. He was selected to the 2010 All-Star Game, his ninth appearance. The Mavericks faced off against San Antonio once more in the first round of the playoffs, but for the third time in four seasons, they failed to progress to the next round. Nowitzki was the only consistent player throughout the series for the Mavericks, averaging 26.7 points per outing, while Jason Terry, second-leading scorer for the Mavericks, averaged 12.7 points per game compared to his 16.6 regular season. Despite being a free agent, on July 5, 2010, Nowitzki agreed to remain with Dallas by re-signing to a four-year, $80 million deal.[73]
- 2010–11 season
The most significant change to the 2010–11 team roster was the arrival of Tyson Chandler via trade. Nowitzki was injured in the middle of the season, during which the Mavericks would record their worst losing streak in over a decade. Nowitzki finished the regular season with averages of 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Despite missing 9 games, Nowitzki was selected to the 2011 All-Star Game, his tenth appearance. The Mavericks concluded the regular season with 57 wins, seeding third behind the Spurs and Lakers for the 2011 NBA Playoffs. During the playoffs, despite their seeding, many[who?] predicted that Dallas would lose in the first round to Portland, and after blowing a 23-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 4 to even the series at 2–2, the Mavericks appeared ready[says who?] for another postseason collapse. However, Dallas won the final two games to advance. They then swept the two-time defending champion Lakers in the semifinals in Phil Jackson's final year as an NBA coach. In the Conference Finals, they faced the Oklahoma City Thunder and their All-NBA duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. In Game 1, Nowitzki scored 48 points while shooting 12/15 from the field while setting an NBA record of 24 consecutive free throws made in a game as well as most free throws in a game without a miss. In Game 4, with Dallas up 2–1, Nowitzki scored 40 points to rally his team from a 99–84 deficit in the fourth quarter with 5 minutes left and eventually win 112–105 in OT to take a 3–1 series lead. Dallas overcame another fourth-quarter deficit in Game 5 to win the Western Conference Title. In the 2011 NBA Finals, Dallas once again faced the Heat, which had acquired All-Stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh before the season began. During the Game 1 loss in Miami, he tore a tendon in his left middle finger; however, MRIs were negative, and Nowitzki vowed that the injury would not be a factor. In Game 2, he led a Dallas rally from an 88–73 fourth-quarter deficit, capped by a driving left-handed layup over Bosh to tie the series at 1. Miami took a 2–1 series lead after Nowitzki missed a potential game-tying shot at the end of Game 3. Despite carrying a 101°F fever in Game 4, he hit the winning basket to tie the series yet again at 2, evoking comparisons to Michael Jordan's "Flu Game" against Utah in the 1997 NBA Finals. Dallas went on to win the next two games, with Nowitzki scoring 10 fourth-quarter points in the series-clinching game in Miami, bringing the first championship to the franchise.[74] In the series, Nowitzki scored 62 points total in the six fourth quarters, equaling the combined fourth-quarter output of James and Wade. He was named Finals MVP, joining a list of 10 other players to have been an NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP, an NBA regular season MVP, and a ten-time All-Star. For the 2011 playoffs, Nowitzki averaged 27.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 21 games.
- 2011–12 season
As Dallas celebrated their title, the NBA was in a lockout. It ended on December 8th, 2011. The defending champions lost core players, such as DeShawn Stevenson, J.J. Barea, Peja Stojakovic, and Tyson Chandler, while adding veteran all-star Vince Carter, Lamar Odom, and Delonte West in free agency. The Mavericks played only two preseason games, which led to a slow start for Nowitzki. Soon, Nowitzki became the 98th player in NBA history to play in 1,000 games. Nowitzki received his championship ring on January 25th, 2012. After scoring his 23,335th point, Nowitzki passed Robert Parish on the all-time scoring list at #20. He then passed Charles Barkley for 19th, and scored his 24,000th point on April 15th, 2012 against the Lakers. Nowitzki blocked a shot by the Celtics' Avery Bradley, which was his 1,000th block. He became one of only 3 players in NBA history with at least 1,000 3-pointers and blocks, joining Clifford Robinson and Rasheed Wallace. Nowitzki made his 11th straight All-Star game appearance, even though he thought he shouldn't be an All-Star, in Orlando. Dirk scored 31 points in the second half against Houston on April 18, 2012, including 21 in the fourth quarter. It marked the third-highest scoring half by a Dallas player in franchise history. The 21 points in the fourth quarter also represented Nowitzki’s third-highest scoring quarter of his career. Carrying the load of the Mavericks, Nowitzki led his team in scoring 45 times. On March 30th, he led the Mavs down from 15 points, including a game winner, against the Magic. Nowitzki’s streak of 11 seasons with 1,500 points came to an end after scoring 1,342 in the shortened NBA season. The Mavs clinched the seventh spot in the West, and were matched against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 NBA Playoffs. The Thunder swept the Mavs in 4 games.
International career[link]
| Medal record | ||
 Nowitzki has been playing for the German national basketball team since 1997 |
||
| Men's Basketball | ||
|---|---|---|
Competitor for  Germany |
||
| FIBA World Championship | ||
| Bronze | 2002 USA | Germany |
| FIBA European Championship | ||
| Silver | 2005 Serbia & Montenegro | Germany |
Nowitzki has been playing for the German national basketball team since 1997. In his debut tournament, the 1999 FIBA European championships, the 21-year old rookie emerged as the main German scorer, but Germany finished seventh and failed to qualify for the 2000 Olympic Games.[75] In the 2001 FIBA European Championships, Nowitzki was top scorer with 28.7 points per game, and narrowly lost the MVP vote to Serbian player Peja Stojaković. Germany reached the semifinals and were close to beating host nation Turkey, but Hedo Turkoglu hit a 3-point buzzer beater to tie it, and the Turks eventually won in overtime.[76] Germany then lost 99–90 against Spain, and did not win a medal. However, with averages of 28.7 points and 9.1 rebounds, Nowitzki led the tournament in both statistics, and was voted to the All-Star team.[77] Back home, the German basketball team attracted up to 3.7 million television viewers, a German basketball record at the time.[76]
Nowitzki finally earned his first medal when he led Germany to a bronze medal in the 2002 World Championships. In the quarter-finals against the Pau Gasol-led Spain, Spain was up 52–46 after three quarters, but then Nowitzki scored 10 points in the last quarter and led Germany to a 70–62 win.[78] In the semi-finals, his team played against the Argentinian squad led by Manu Ginóbili, but despite leading 74–69 four minutes from the end and despite Argentina losing Ginobili to a foot injury, the South Americans won 86–80.[78] However, the Germans won 117–94 against New Zealand in the consolation finals and won bronze, and tournament top scorer Nowitzki (24.0 ppg) was elected MVP. Back in Germany, over 4 million television viewers followed the games, an all-time record in German basketball history.[78]
The 2003 FIBA European Championships proved to be a major disappointment for Nowitzki and his German squad. In a preparation game, he suffered a foot injury after a collision with French player Florent Pietrus; as a result, Nowitzki played inconsistently and was also often target of hard fouls.[79] In the decisive second round match against Italy (only the winner was allowed to play the medal round), Germany lost 86–84, finished ninth and did not qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games. Nowitzki scored 22.5 points per game (third overall), but in general seemed to lack focus and dominance due to his injury.[79]
In the 2005 FIBA European Championships, Nowitzki came back strong. He surprisingly led a depleted German squad into the Finals, beating title favorites Slovenia in the quarter-finals and Spain in the semi-finals on the way. Eurobasket pundits praised Nowitzki in both matches: against Slovenia (76–62), the forward scored a game high 22 points and commented: "The Slovenians underestimated us. They said we were the team they wanted and that was wrong, you shouldn't do that in the quarter-finals."[80] Against Spain (74–73), Nowitzki scored a game-high 27 points and scored the decisive basket: down by one and with only a few seconds to go, he drove on Spanish forward Jorge Garbajosa, and hit a baseline jump shot over Garbajosa's outstretched arms with 3.9 seconds to go. The German later commented: "It was indescribable. Garbajosa kind of pushed me towards the baseline so I just went with it."[80] Despite losing the Finals 78–62 to the Greeks, Nowitzki was the tournament's leading scorer (26.7 ppg) and second-leading rebounder (10.8 rpg) and shot blocker (1.8 bpg), and was voted Most Valuable Player of the tournament.[81] When he was subbed out towards the end of the final, Nowitzki received standing ovation from the crowd, which he later recalled as "one of the best moments of [his] career".[82] In the 2006 FIBA World Championships, Nowitzki led the German team to an eighth place and commented: "It's tough luck. But overall, finishing eighth in the world is not bad."[83]
In the 2007 FIBA European Championships, in which the top three teams automatically qualified for the 2008 Olympics, Nowitzki led Germany to a fifth place. He was the leading scorer with 24.0 points per game.[84] The fifth place meant that Germany fell short of direct qualification, but was allowed to participate in the 2008 Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Nowitzki led Germany into a decisive match against Puerto Rico for the last remaining slot. In that crucial match, he scored a game-high 32 points and was vital for the 96–82 win which sent the German basketball team to their first Olympics since the 1992 Summer Olympics.[85] Nowitzki was chosen to be the flag bearer for the German Olympic Team at the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Olympics. Nowitzki led the German team to a tenth place finish, and averaged 17.0 points, and 7.6 rebounds for the tournament.[86] In 2009, Nowitzki skipped the 2009 FIBA European Championships. In July 2010 he said that he would skip the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
In the summer of 2011 Nowitzki, together with Chris Kaman, played in the EuroBasket 2011 to help his team qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics. This mission failed when the German team ended the tournament in ninth place.
Player profile[link]
Nowitzki is a versatile frontcourt player who mostly plays the power forward position, but has also played center, small forward and point forward throughout his career. Nowitzki hits 88% of his free throws, hits nearly 50% of his field goal attempts and 40% of his 3-point shots, and won the 2006 NBA All-Star Three-Point Shootout competition.[24] In 2006–07 Nowitzki became only the fifth member of the NBA's 50–40–90 Club for players who shot 50% or better from the field, 40% or better on three-pointers, and 90% or better on free-throws in a single season while achieving the NBA league minimum number of makes in each category.
Throughout Nowitzki's career, he has responded to the increased pressure of the playoffs by increasing his productivity. In the regular season he averages 22.9 points, 8.3 rebounds. In the playoffs he averages 25.9 points and 10.3 rebounds, which only Hakeem Olajuwon, Bob Pettit and Elgin Baylor have managed to do. In the most pressure packed games, such as playoff elimination games he averages 28.8 points, 11.8 rebounds. He has had 14 elimination games where he scored 30 or more points, which ties him with Jerry West for most all time. Of the top 100 elimination game performances in the last 20 years, Nowitzki has had the best performances in 8 of them, more than any other player in the NBA in that same time frame.[87]
His shooting accuracy combined with his long seven-foot frame and unique shooting mechanics, such as having a release point above his head, makes contesting his jump shots very difficult. Additionally, he can put the ball down and drive with it from the perimeter, like few have been able to do with his size.[88] NBA.com lauds his versatility by stating: "The 7–0 forward who at times mans the pivot can strike fear in an opponent when he corrals a rebound and leads the break or prepares to launch a three-point bomb."[2] Charles Barkley says the best way to guard Nowitzki is to "get a cigarette and a blindfold".[89] When defenses guard Nowitzki with one of their biggest men, who is then pulled out to the perimeter, the net effect is that while Nowitzki's own statistics are actually compromised by being out of position to offensively rebound or make an easy close-range basket, the rest of the team becomes more offensively potent with the defense having to be spread across the floor. Often, this creates mismatches that his teammates can exploit.
Some critics[who?] have alleged Nowitzki's defense is a weakness, as he averages just over one block per game and never made an All-Defense Team.[24] However, playing more around the perimeter takes him out of position where a typical power forward would be detracts from his overall defensive stats. Despite the claims of lack of defense, he is ranked 8th in active players for defensive win shares, placing him higher than Kobe Bryant, who has made the All-Defensive team 11 times.[90]
Nowitzki is the 34th player in NBA history, and the first European, to hit the 20,000-point milestone.[91] Apart from being the Mavericks' all-time leader in points, rebounds, field goals, field goal attempts, 3-pointers, 3-point attempts, free throws, and free-throw attempts, Nowitzki has made the NBA All-Star games eleven times, and the All-NBA Teams eleven times as well. He was voted NBA MVP of the 2006–07 NBA season, becoming the first European player to receive the honor, as well as the MVP of the 2011 NBA Finals. Other achievements include winning the 2006 NBA All-Star Three-Point Shootout, being voted European Basketballer of the Year five times in a row by La Gazzetta dello Sport, and being the leading scorer and MVP of the 2002 FIBA World Championship, and Eurobasket 2005 tournaments.
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 |
NBA statistics[link]
- (Correct as of May 5, 2012)[24]
Regular season[link]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | Dallas | 47 | 24 | 20.4 | .405 | .206 | .773 | 3.4 | 1.0 | .6 | .6 | 8.2 |
| 1999–00 | Dallas | 82 | 81 | 35.8 | .461 | .379 | .830 | 6.5 | 2.5 | .8 | .8 | 17.5 |
| 2000–01 | Dallas | 82 | 82 | 38.1 | .474 | .387 | .838 | 9.2 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 21.8 |
| 2001–02 | Dallas | 76 | 76 | 38.0 | .477 | .397 | .853 | 9.9 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 23.4 |
| 2002–03 | Dallas | 80 | 80 | 39.0 | .463 | .379 | .881 | 9.9 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 25.1 |
| 2003–04 | Dallas | 77 | 77 | 37.9 | .462 | .341 | .877 | 8.7 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 21.8 |
| 2004–05 | Dallas | 78 | 78 | 38.7 | .459 | .399 | .869 | 9.7 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 26.1 |
| 2005–06 | Dallas | 81 | 81 | 38.1 | .480 | .406 | .901 | 9.0 | 2.8 | .7 | 1.0 | 26.6 |
| 2006–07 | Dallas | 78 | 78 | 36.2 | .502 | .416 | .904 | 8.9 | 3.4 | .7 | .8 | 24.6 |
| 2007–08 | Dallas | 77 | 77 | 36.0 | .479 | .359 | .879 | 8.6 | 3.5 | .7 | .9 | 23.6 |
| 2008–09 | Dallas | 81 | 81 | 37.7 | .479 | .359 | .890 | 8.4 | 2.4 | .8 | .8 | 25.9 |
| 2009–10 | Dallas | 81 | 80 | 37.5 | .481 | .421 | .915 | 7.7 | 2.7 | .9 | 1.0 | 25.0 |
| 2010–11 | Dallas | 73 | 73 | 34.3 | .517 | .393 | .892 | 7.0 | 2.6 | .5 | .6 | 23.0 |
| 2011–12 | Dallas | 62 | 62 | 33.5 | .457 | .368 | .896 | 6.8 | 2.2 | .7 | .5 | 21.6 |
| Career | 1,055 | 1,030 | 36.3 | .475 | .380 | .878 | 8.3 | 2.6 | .9 | 1.0 | 22.9 | |
| All-Star | 11 | 2 | 16.5 | .444 | .214 | .875 | 4.2 | 1.5 | .7 | .4 | 9.8 |
Playoffs[link]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Dallas | 10 | 10 | 39.9 | .423 | .283 | .883 | 8.1 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .8 | 23.4 |
| 2002 | Dallas | 8 | 8 | 44.6 | .445 | .571 | .878 | 13.1 | 2.3 | 2.0 | .8 | 28.4 |
| 2003 | Dallas | 17 | 17 | 42.5 | .479 | .443 | .912 | 11.5 | 2.2 | 1.2 | .9 | 25.3 |
| 2004 | Dallas | 5 | 5 | 42.4 | .450 | .467 | .857 | 11.8 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 26.6 |
| 2005 | Dallas | 13 | 13 | 42.4 | .402 | .333 | .829 | 10.1 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 23.7 |
| 2006 | Dallas | 23 | 23 | 42.7 | .468 | .343 | .895 | 11.7 | 2.9 | 1.1 | .6 | 27.0 |
| 2007 | Dallas | 6 | 6 | 39.8 | .383 | .211 | .840 | 11.3 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 19.7 |
| 2008 | Dallas | 5 | 5 | 42.2 | .473 | .333 | .808 | 12.0 | 4.0 | .2 | 1.4 | 26.8 |
| 2009 | Dallas | 10 | 10 | 39.5 | .518 | .286 | .925 | 10.1 | 3.1 | .9 | .8 | 26.8 |
| 2010 | Dallas | 6 | 6 | 38.8 | .547 | .571 | .952 | 8.2 | 3.0 | .8 | .7 | 26.7 |
| 2011 | Dallas | 21 | 21 | 39.3 | .485 | .460 | .941 | 8.1 | 2.5 | .6 | .6 | 27.7 |
| 2012 | Dallas | 4 | 4 | 38.5 | .442 | .167 | .905 | 6.3 | 1.8 | .8 | .0 | 26.8 |
| Career | 128 | 128 | 41.2 | .463 | .380 | .893 | 10.3 | 2.6 | 1.1 | .9 | 25.9 |
International statistics[link]
| Year | Competition | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | EuroBasket qualification | 1 | 3.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| 1999 | EuroBasket qualification | 3 | 16.7 | .600 | .750 | 1.000 | 4.0 | .3 | .3 | .0 | 13.7 |
| 1999 | EuroBasket | 9 | 31.3 | .582 | .529 | .771 | 3.4 | 1.8 | .9 | .0 | 15.2 |
| 2001 | EuroBasket | 7 | 33.9 | .516 | .426 | .714 | 9.1 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 28.7 |
| 2002 | World Championship | 9 | 31.2 | .407 | .286 | .921 | 8.2 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 24.0 |
| 2003 | EuroBasket | 4 | 34.8 | .453 | .455 | .841 | 6.2 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 22.5 |
| 2005 | EuroBasket qualification | 5 | 32.4 | .500 | .364 | .809 | 11.6 | 2.2 | 1.8 | .8 | 23.6 |
| 2005 | EuroBasket | 7 | 36.9 | .411 | .371 | .885 | 10.6 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 26.1 |
| 2006 | World Championship | 9 | 33.6 | .434 | .286 | .823 | 9.2 | 2.8 | 1.0 | .6 | 23.2 |
| 2007 | EuroBasket | 9 | 33.9 | .432 | .313 | .860 | 8.7 | 1.6 | .9 | .9 | 24.0 |
| 2008 | Olympic Games qualification | 5 | 31.2 | .500 | .435 | .922 | 8.2 | 2.6 | .2 | 1.0 | 26.6 |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | 5 | 28.4 | .419 | .417 | .958 | 8.4 | .6 | .2 | .0 | 17.0 |
| 2011 | EuroBasket | 8 | 29.9 | .442 | .421 | .933 | 6.6 | 1.4 | .4 | .4 | 19.5 |
| Career | 81 | 31.6 | .457 | .382 | .855 | 7.1 | 1.8 | .9 | .9 | 22.0 |
Career highlights[link]
NBA
- NBA Champion: 2011
- NBA Most Valuable Player: 2007
- NBA Finals MVP: 2011
- 11× NBA All-Star: 2002–2012
- 12× All-NBA Team: 2001–2012
- 4× First Team: 2005–2007, 2009
- 5× Second Team: 2002–2003, 2008, 2010–2011
- 3× Third Team: 2001, 2004, 2012
- Three-Point Shootout Champion: 2006
- 2× Western Conference champion: 2006, 2011
- First European player in the starting five of an All-Star-Game: 2007
- Only player in the NBA with 150 three-pointers and 100 blocks in a single season: 2001[92]
- One of only four players with an NBA Playoff career average of 25 ppg and 10 rpg (25.9 ppg, 10.3 rpg, May 5, 2012)
- One of only five players to become a member of the 50–40–90 Club: 2007
- One of eleven players to have been NBA Champion, NBA regular season MVP, NBA Finals MVP and a 10× NBA All-Star
- One of only three players to surpass the mark of 1000 in both three-pointers and blocks for the career
- Holds the record for most free-throws made in a single playoff season with 205 free-throws made: 2006[93]
- In Game 1 of the 2011 Western Conference Finals, he set a playoff record for most free throws made without a miss with 24
- On October 29, 2010, Nowitzki's free-throw streak came to an end at 82, when he missed a free-throw against Memphis. Since then he holds the record for the third longest free-throw streak in NBA history.
- Dallas Mavericks all-time statistical leader in games, points, rebounds, field goals, three-point field goals and free throws[94]
German national basketball team
- 2002 FIBA World Championship: bronze medal, MVP, top scorer, all-tournament team
- EuroBasket 2005: silver medal, MVP, top scorer, all-tournament team
- 2006 FIBA World Championship, EuroBasket 2001, EuroBasket 2007: top scorer, all-tournament team
- Goldener Ehrenring (golden honorary ring) of the DBB (German Basketball Federation): 2007
- Second best scorer (983 points) in the history of EuroBasket (September 2011)
- Best scorer in the history of the German national basketball team (2912 points in 141 international games, September 2011)
- Member of the German national basketball team which was voted Outstanding German Team of the Year: 2005[95]
Other achievements and highlights
- MVP of German Basketball Bundesliga: 1999[96]
- 9× European Basketball Player of the Year Awards
- 6× Euroscar: 2002–2006, 2011
- 2× FIBA Europe Player of the Year Award: 2005, 2011
- Mr. Europa: 2005
- German national flag bearer at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China
- Best NBA Player ESPY Award: 2011
- Best Male Athlete ESPY Award: 2011
- Outstanding Team ESPY Award with the Dallas Mavericks: 2011
- Silbernes Lorbeerblatt: 2011
- German Sportspersonality of the Year: 2011
Personal life[link]
Nowitzki's older sister, Silke Nowitzki, described Nowitzki as a confident but low-key character, unspoiled by money and fame.[97] He also enjoys reading and playing the saxophone.[2] Nowitzki passed his Abitur examination at Röntgen Gymnasium Grammar School of Würzburg. He also founded the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation, a charity which aims at fighting poverty in Africa.[98]
Nowitzki dated Sybille Gerer, a female basketball player from his local club DJK Würzburg. The relationship started in 1992 and held on for 10 years before it eventually ended; Nowitzki said, "At the end, we found out we developed in separate ways...It did not work anymore, but we are still good friends."[99] He added: "I surely want to start a family and have kids, but I cannot imagine it happening before I become 30."[99] In 2010, Nowitzki met and began dating Jessica Olsson, sister of twin Swedish footballers Martin Olsson and Marcus Olsson.[100]
Nowitzki acknowledged close ties to his mentor Holger Geschwindner, whom he called his best friend. He is also good friends with his ex-teammate Steve Nash.[101] Nash said of playing with Nowitzki, "We were both joining a new club, living in a new city, we were both single and outsiders: this creates a bond...He made life easier for me and I for him...our friendship was something solid in a very volatile world." Nowitzki added, "He would have also become a good friend if we had met at the supermarket."[101]
Books[link]
Nowitzki's career has been the subject of the book Dirk Nowitzki : German Wunderkind by German sports journalists Dino Reisner and Holger Sauer. It appeared in 2004 at the CoPress Munich publishing house under the ISBN 3-7679-0872-7. The 160-page hardcover book follows Nowitzki's beginnings in his native Würzburg and documents his entry and ascent in the NBA, and ends at the beginning of the 2004–05 NBA season.
In November 2011 the Würzburg local newspaper Main-Post published a 216-page book written by its sports journalists Jürgen Höpfl and Fabian Frühwirth: Einfach Er – Dirk Nowitzki – Aus Würzburg an die Weltspitze, ISBN 3-925232-73-7 (Just Him – Dirk Nowitzki – From Würzburg to top of the world).[102] Both Höpfl and Frühwirth accompanied Nowitzki throughout his career from its first days and collected for the book all the interviews and photos they made with Nowitzki through the years. The book looks back on the 2011 NBA Finals but also has a strong focus on Nowitzki's relation to his hometown Würzburg and his career progression starting in Würzburg. It features insights from former coaches, family members, and friends.
See also[link]
- List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association players with 1000 games played
- List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career 3-point 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 rebounding leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff free throw scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association players with 9 or more steals in a game
- List of National Basketball Association players with 50 or more points in a playoff game
- List of National Basketball Association franchise career scoring leaders
- List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise
- 2008 Summer Olympics national flag bearers
- 50–40–90 Club
References[link]
- ^ Nowitzki is first European to be named MVP, sports.espn.go.com, May 16, 2007, accessed January 6, 2008
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Dirk Nowitzki – Bio, nba.com, accessed January 6, 2008
- ^ http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/mavericks/post/_/id/4683475/dirk-nowitzki-named-europlayer-of-the-year
- ^ "Dirk Nowitzki named Germany's Sportsman of the Year". dailystar.com. 2011-12-18. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Sports/Basketball/2011/Dec-19/157315-dirk-nowitzki-named-germanys-sportsman-of-the-year.ashx#axzz1gyz6Idjb.
- ^ a b Sauer; Reisner (2004). Dirk Nowitzki – german wunderkind. CoPress Munich. pp. 12–20. ISBN 3-7679-0872-7.
- ^ Sauer, 30
- ^ Sauer, 14–17
- ^ a b Sauer, 20–22
- ^ Sauer, 22–24
- ^ Sauer, 25
- ^ Sauer, 26
- ^ Sauer, 30–31
- ^ Sauer, 33–38
- ^ Sauer, 38–39
- ^ Sauer, 38–45
- ^ Sauer, 37–38
- ^ Sauer, 39–40
- ^ Sauer, 42–43
- ^ Sauer, 47
- ^ a b Sauer, 49–51
- ^ DJK Basketball: Wir über uns, djk-wuerzburg-basketball.de, accessed March 9, 2008
- ^ Sauer, 54–59
- ^ Sauer, 59–65
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Dirk Nowitzki Statistics, basketball-reference.com, accessed January 6, 2008
- ^ Sauer, 67
- ^ Sauer, 69
- ^ Sauer, 71
- ^ Sauer, 74–75
- ^ a b c Sauer, 77
- ^ 2000–01 Standings, nba.com/history, accessed January 7, 2008
- ^ Playoff Appearances, nbahoopsonline.com, accessed January 7, 2008
- ^ a b Sauer, 89–90
- ^ Sauer, 92
- ^ Spurs rout Mavs to wrap up semifinal series, sportsillustrated.cnn.com, May 14, 2001, accessed January 6, 2008
- ^ Sauer, 93–94
- ^ 2001–02 Standings, nba.com/history, accessed January 5, 2008
- ^ Sauer, 103
- ^ a b Sauer, 104
- ^ Sauer, 105
- ^ Sacramento Stampedes Into Conference Finals, nba.com, May 13, 2002, accessed January 6, 2008
- ^ Sauer, 107
- ^ Sauer, 106
- ^ Sauer, 108–109
- ^ Sauer, 110
- ^ Sauer, 112
- ^ a b c d Sauer, 114
- ^ Mavs avoid losing series after blowing 3–0 lead, sports.espn.go.com, May 4, 2003, accessed January 7, 2008
- ^ Mavs make West finals for first time since 1988, sports.espn.go.com, May 17, 2003, accessed January 7, 2008
- ^ a b Sauer, 117
- ^ Spurs outscore Mavs 34–9 in final quarter, sports.espn.go.com, May 29, 2003, accessed January 7, 2008
- ^ Sauer, 118
- ^ Sauer, 118–119
- ^ Sauer, 119
- ^ Bibby hits for 36, Nowitzki misses at buzzer, sports.espn.go.com, accessed January 7, 2008
- ^ a b Rockets Reel in Game 1 Win, nba.com, April 23, 2005, accessed January 19, 2008
- ^ Rockets 113 @ Mavericks 111, Game 2 Box Score, nba.com, April 25, 2005, accessed January 19, 2008
- ^ Mavericks Cruise Past Rockets in Game 7, nba.com, May 7, 2006, accessed January 19, 2008
- ^ NBA Western Conference Semi Finals, Game 6, Suns 130 @ Mavericks 126, nba.com, May 20, 2005, accessed January 19, 2008
- ^ Nash Crashes Mavs' Party; Suns Advance, nba.com, May 20, 2005, accessed January 19, 2008
- ^ Dirk's Daggers Light Up Houston, nba.com, accessed January 7, 2008
- ^ NBA Standings – 2005–2006, sports.espn.go.com, accessed January 7, 2008
- ^ a b Nowitzki, Mavericks Outlast and Dethrone Spurs, nba.com, May 22, 2006, accessed January 7, 2007
- ^ Comeback win vaults Mavs into NBA Finals, sports.espn.go.com, accessed January 7, 2008
- ^ Simmons, Bill, "Time to put Dirk in Pantheon", sports.espn.go.com, accessed January 19, 2008
- ^ Dallas Mavericks @ Miami Heat, NBA Finals Game 3, Play-by-Play, nba.com, accessed January 7, 2008
- ^ Wade Leads Heat to First NBA Championship, nba.com, accessed January 7, 2008
- ^ NBA Standings – 2006–2007, sports.espn.go.com, accessed January 7, 2008
- ^ a b Warriors Make History, Close Out Mavs, nba.com, accessed January 7, 2008
- ^ Nowitzki stumbles to 2-for-13 shooting in Game 6, sports.espn.go.com, accessed January 7, 2008
- ^ "Dirk Nowitzki Wins 2006–07 MVP Award", nba.com, accessed January 7, 2008
- ^ a b Paul's Triple-Double Helps Hornets Oust Mavericks, nba.com, April 29, 2008, accessed May 9, 2008
- ^ Aron, Jaime, "Nets Slapped with Fifth Straight Loss", nba.com, March 8, 2008, accessed March 9, 2008
- ^ Stein, Marc, "Advisor: Dirk, Mavs agree to deal", sports.espn.go.com, July 4, 2010, accessed July 5, 2010
- ^ Mavericks finish off Heat 4–2 as Dallas wins its first NBA title, usatoday.com, June 13, 2011, accessed June 16, 2011
- ^ Sauer, 122–124
- ^ a b Sauer, 125–129
- ^ 2001 European Dream Team 2001, basket-stats.info, accessed January 19, 2008
- ^ a b c Sauer, 129–140
- ^ a b Sauer, 140–145
- ^ a b EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2005, eurobasket.com, accessed January 19, 2008
- ^ MVP Nowitzki Tops EuroBasket 2005 All-Tournament Team, eurobasket2005.fibaeurope.com, accessed January 19, 2008
- ^ Nowitzki Honoured by Player of the Year Status, fibaeurope.com, accessed June 22, 2011
- ^ Game Report, Lithuania vs Germany, 77–62, 7th Place, fiba.com, accessed January 19, 2008
- ^ Eurobasket 2007: Players – Statistical Leaders, www.eurobasket2007.org, accessed June 20, 2008
- ^ Deutsche Basketballer erkämpfen sich Olympia-Qualifikation, www.spiegel.de, accessed June 20, 2008
- ^ Basketball star Nowitzki to carry German Olympic flag, news.yahoo.com, August 6, 2008, accessed August 7, 2008.
- ^ Best Elimination-Game Performances: Win Shares Edition, basketball-reference.com, accessed June 16, 2011
- ^ ESPN.com's Greatest Power Forwards, sports.espn.go.com, June 2, 2005, accessed January 7, 2008
- ^ Charles Barkley: Ron Artest should be suspended: 'Lakers are done', hoopsdaily.com, May 5, 2011, accessed June 16, 2011
- ^ NBA & ABA Active Leaders and Records for Defensive Win Shares, basketball-reference.com, accessed June 16, 2011
- ^ MacMahon, Tim, "Dirk is first European to reach 20,000", sports.espn.go.com, January 14, 2010, accessed June 16, 2011
- ^ http://www.sport1.de/de/ussport/ussport_nba/artikel_417980.html
- ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ft_season_p.html
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- ^ Sauer, 46
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- ^ a b Sauer, 158
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- ^ http://www.einfach-er.de/art1026,11157
External links[link]
|
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dirk Nowitzki |
- Official website
- Dirk Nowitzki Foundation
- Dirk Nowitzki at NBA.com
- Dirk Nowitzki at FIBA.com
- Dirk Nowitzki at Basketball-Reference.com
- Dirk Nowitzki at DatabaseBasketball.com
- Dirk Nowitzki at the Internet Movie Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
Preceded by Wendell Alexis |
Basketball Bundesliga MVP 1999 |
Succeeded by Wendell Alexis |
Preceded by Dejan Bodiroga |
FIBA World Championship MVP 2002 |
Succeeded by Pau Gasol |
| Preceded by Peja Stojaković Pau Gasol |
Euroscar 2002–2006 2011 |
Succeeded by Tony ParkerTBD |
Preceded by Šarūnas Jasikevičius |
EuroBasket MVP 2005 |
Succeeded by Andrei Kirilenko |
| Preceded by Pau Gasol |
Mr. Europa 2005 |
Succeeded by Jorge Garbajosa |
| Preceded by No Award  Miloš Teodosić |
FIBA Europe Men's Player of the Year 2005 2011 |
Succeeded by Theodoros PapaloukasTBD |
Preceded by Steve Nash |
NBA Most Valuable Player Award 2007 |
Succeeded by Kobe Bryant |
| Preceded by Kobe Bryant |
NBA Finals MVP Award 2011 |
Succeeded by TBD |
| Preceded by Drew Brees |
Best Male Athlete ESPY Award 2011 |
Succeeded by TBD |
| Preceded by Kobe Bryant |
Best NBA Player ESPY Award 2011 |
Succeeded by TBD |
| Preceded by Sebastian Vettel |
German Sportspersonality of the Year 2011 |
Succeeded by TBD |
| Olympic Games | ||
| Preceded by Ludger Beerbaum |
Flagbearer for Germany Beijing 2008 |
Succeeded by TBD |
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Nowitzki, Dirk |
| Alternative names | Nowitzki, Dirk Werner |
| Short description | German basketball player |
| Date of birth | July 19, 1978 |
| Place of birth | Würzburg, (West) Germany |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Dirk_Nowitzki
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http://cs.wn.com/Dirk Nowitzki
http://id.wn.com/Dirk Nowitzki
http://es.wn.com/Dirk Nowitzki
http://ru.wn.com/Новицки, Дирк
http://pt.wn.com/Dirk Nowitzki
http://pl.wn.com/Dirk Nowitzki
http://fr.wn.com/Dirk Nowitzki
http://de.wn.com/Dirk Nowitzki
http://nl.wn.com/Dirk Nowitzki
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirk_Nowitzki
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.
This article is about American journalist. For Uruguayan footballer, see Robert Mario Flores.
Robert Flores is a sports journalist for ESPN. Joining the network in 2005, Flores is currently an anchor for ESPNEWS and for ESPN's SportsCenter (2007–present). Robert provides a Taco Bell Studio Update during each game of ABC College Football, and Saturday Night Football. He also serves as a substitute studio host for ESPN2's Friday Night Fights. Flores hosted the live afternoon edition of SportsCenter from 12 P.M - 3 P.M alongside Chris McKendry until early September 2009, when he was replaced with John Buccigross.
Flores is a native of Houston, Texas. He graduated from the University of Houston with a B.A. in Radio/Television in 1992.[1][2]
Notable Incidents[link]
In 2006, Robert Flores co-anchored ESPNEWS with Danyelle Sargent (now with Fox Sports Net) when she made her now infamous statement "What the fuck was that," due to technical difficulties. Coincidentally, Flores was once fired for muttering the same curse word on-air in 2004 when he worked for KEYE in Austin, Texas on a taped segment that was not intended for air.[3]
External links[link]
References[link]
- ^ "Robert Flores". ESPN. http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2009/10/29/robert-flores/. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
- ^ "Flores’ road from Cullen Boulevard to ESPN". Houston Chronicle. http://blog.chron.com/cougars/2011/08/flores-road-from-cullen-boulevard-to-bristol/. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
- ^ http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/tvblog/entries/2004/08/25/keye_defends_flores_firing_viewers_respond.html
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| Persondata | |
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| Name | Flores, Robert |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
 |
This biographical article related to television in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
http://wn.com/Robert_Flores
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Flores
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.
