The chase-down block is a type of block in basketball in which a player chases and then blocks the shot of an opponent player who had run ahead of the defense (as in a fast break). Often, the block involves hitting the ball into the backboard as the opponent tries to complete a lay-up.

This term was used for some of Miami Heat player LeBron James' blocks in the 2008–09 NBA season and at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. He had 23 of them in the 2008-09 season. One of the most recognized chase-down blocks in recent years is Tayshaun Prince's game-saving block on Reggie Miller in Game 2 the 2004 NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons.

References

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

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

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

Off the court

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

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

Endorsements

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

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

Public image

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tattoos

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

High school career

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

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

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

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

NBA career

Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-2010)

Rookie season

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

2004–05 season

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

2005–06 season

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

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

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

2006–07 season

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2008–09 season

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

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

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

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

2009–10 season

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

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

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

|Lebron James}}

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

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

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

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

Miami Heat (2010–present)

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

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

International career

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

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

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

Salaries

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

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

Playoffs

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

Awards and honors

2× NBA Most Valuable Player: 2009, 2010

NBA Rookie of the Year: 2004

NBA Scoring Champion: 2008

2× NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2006, 2008

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

6× All-NBA:

* First Team: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010

* Second Team: 2005, 2007

2× NBA All-Defensive:

* First Team: 2009, 2010

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2004

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

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

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

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

References

External links

Official website

LeBron: The Moment

U.S. National Team Bio

LeBron James: NBA.com Draft Profile

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

LeBron James: Monster Dunks – slideshow by Life magazine

LeBron James on ESPN Video Archive

LeBron James on FoxSports Video Archive

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

Name	Wally Szczerbiak
Position	Forward
Height ft	6
Height in	7
Weight lb	244
Number	10, 55, 3
Birth date	May 11, 1981
Birth place	Madrid, Spain
Nationality	AmericanSpanish
High school	Cold Spring Harbor
College	Miami
Draft round	1
Draft pick	6
Draft year	1999
Draft team	Minnesota Timberwolves
Career start	1999
Career end	2009
Teams
Highlights

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Walter Robert "Wally" Szczerbiak ( ; born March 5, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player.

Early life

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 1997 Empire State Games.

College career

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.

He was named a first team All-American, and second team All-American in 1998-99. In the same year, he was named MAC Player of the Year.

He finished his career at Miami University as the university's second all-time leading scorer with 1,847 points.

NBA career

Minnesota Timberwolves (1999–2006)

The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Szczerbiak 6th overall in the 1999 NBA Draft. His best year as a pro was in 2002 when he was a coaches' selection to the Western Conference All-Star team. Later he tied a Timberwolves franchise record of 44 points on April 13, 2003, since broken by Kevin Garnett. Szczerbiak was coming off the bench for the 2004-05 NBA season. He was uncomfortable with the role and wanted to be a starter. In the 2005-06 season, the former all–star returned to the starting role.

Boston Celtics (2006–07)

On January 26, 2006, Szczerbiak, along with Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones and a conditional first–round draft pick, was traded to the Boston Celtics for Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, Justin Reed, and two second-round draft picks.

Szczerbiak underwent knee surgery in the 2006 offseason to fix a knee which had been somewhat injured for many months.

In the 2006-07 season, Szczerbiak played well early on, including a 35-point performance against the Charlotte Bobcats early in the season. However, he was soon plagued by several injuries to both ankles, which greatly affected his performance, namely his shooting and jumping ability. Szczerbiak decided to have season–ending surgery on his ankles.

Seattle SuperSonics (2007–08)

On June 28 (the night of the 2007 NBA Draft), the Celtics traded Szczerbiak to the Seattle SuperSonics along with Delonte West and Jeff Green (Boston's 5th overall pick) for Ray Allen and Glen Davis (Seattle's 35th overall).

Cleveland Cavaliers (2008–09)

On February 21, 2008, Szczerbiak was traded from the SuperSonics to the Cleveland Cavaliers along with Sonics teammate Delonte West, in a 3-way deal also involving the Bulls, which also sent Ben Wallace and Joe Smith to Cleveland.

Szczerbiak played in 25 regular season games (one start) with the Cavaliers averaging 8.2 points and 3.2 rebounds. He scored 18 points against Detroit on April 16, 2008. Between the SuperSonics and the Cavaliers, Szczerbiak played in 75 games (two starts) and averaged 11.5 points and 2.9 rebounds.

During the playoffs, Wally took over as a starter for the Cleveland Cavaliers playing at the #2 spot. Wally helped the Cavs get past the first–round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs by putting up 26 points along with shooting 6–13 from the 3 point line in game six against the Washington Wizards. For the playoffs, Szczerbiak averaged 10.8 points per game.

During the 2008–2009 NBA season, Szczerbiak played in 74 games, starting in 5 of them. Given 20 minutes a game, Szczerbiak averaged 7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting .450% from the field and .411% from 3.

Free agency

During the offseason, Szczerbiak's contract ran up and was not renewed by the Cavaliers, making him a free agent. The accquistions of guard Anthony Parker and forward Jamario Moon, both formerly of the Toronto Raptors, had made Szczerbiak, who earned $63 million from a contract he had signed back with Minnesota, expendable.

Knee surgery and possible retirement

On November 5. 2009, Szczerbiak revealed that he had a third surgery performed on his left knee three weeks earlier, and that his career could be over as a result.

A week later, on November 11, 2009, he reportedly rejected a contract offer from the Denver Nuggets (which was worth the league's veteran minimum); opting instead to continue to rehabilitate from the knee surgery and possibly test the free agent market again if the rehab goes well. Another report around this date had him reportedly mulling the possibility of retirement for a broadcasting career after a tryout opportunity with the New York Knicks fell through.

Career transactions

June 30, 1999: Drafted 6th overall by Minnesota Timberwolves in 1999 NBA Draft. January 26, 2006: Traded by Minnesota along with Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones and a future first-round draft pick to the Boston Celtics for Ricky Davis, Marcus Banks, Mark Blount, Justin Reed and two future second-round draft picks. June 28, 2007: Traded by Boston along with Delonte West and draft rights of 5th pick Jeff Green to the Seattle SuperSonics for Ray Allen and draft rights of 35th pick Glen Davis. February 21, 2008: Traded by Seattle to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of three-team deal (Cleveland also acquired Ben Wallace, Joe Smith and a future second-round draft pick from Chicago Bulls and Delonte West from Seattle; Chicago acquired Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown from Cleveland; Seattle acquired Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall from Cleveland and Adrian Griffin from Chicago).

Personal life

Szczerbiak and his wife Shannon have 3 children, the youngest of whom was born on March 1, 2008. He is named Maximus Jack. The other two children are daughters named Annabella and Amberley. Szczerbiak has two younger siblings, Will (a graduate of Georgetown University) and Wendy (a current member of the women's basketball team at Lehigh).

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 1999–00 | align="left" | Minnesota | 73 || 53 || 29.7 || .511 || .359 || .826 || 3.7 || 2.8 || .8 || .3 || 11.6 |- | align="left" | 2000–01 | align="left" | Minnesota | 82 || 82 || 34.8 || .510 || .338 || .870 || 5.5 || 3.2 || .7 || .4 || 14.0 |- | align="left" | 2001–02 | align="left" | Minnesota | 82 || 82 || 38.0 || .508 || .455 || .831 || 4.8 || 3.1 || .8 || .3 || 18.7 |- | align="left" | 2002–03 | align="left" | Minnesota | 52 || 42 || 35.3 || .481 || .421 || .867 || 4.6 || 2.6 || .9 || .4 || 17.6 |- | align="left" | 2003–04 | align="left" | Minnesota | 28 || 0 || 22.2 || .449 || .435 || .828 || 3.1 || 1.2 || .4 || .0 || 10.2 |- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Minnesota | 81 || 37 || 31.6 || .506 || .373 || .855 || 3.7 || 2.4 || .5 || .2 || 15.5 |- | align="left" | 2005–06 | align="left" | Minnesota | 40 || 40 || 38.9 || .495 || .406 || .896 || 4.8 || 2.8 || .5 || .4 || 20.1 |- | align="left" | 2005–06 | align="left" | Boston | 32 || 31 || 36.7 || .476 || .393 || .898 || 3.8 || 3.2 || .6 || .1 || 17.5 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Boston | 32 || 19 || 28.1 || .415 || .415 || .897 || 3.1 || 1.7 || .6 || .1 || 15.0 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Seattle | 50 || 1 || 23.6 || .460 || .428 || .843 || 2.7 || 1.4 || .3 || .1 || 13.1 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Cleveland | 25 || 1 || 22.2 || .359 || .365 || .878 || 3.2 || 1.4 || .4 || .3 || 8.2 |- | align="left" | 2008-09 | align="left" | Cleveland | 74 || 5 || 20.6 || .450 || .411 || .849 || 3.1 || 1.1 || .4 || .1 || 7.0 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 651 || 393 || 30.8 || .485 || .406 || .860 || 4.0 || 2.4 || .6 || .2 || 14.1 |- | align="left" | All-Star | align="left" | | 1 || 0 || 12.0 || .667 || .667 || .000 || 3.0 || 3.0 || 1.0 || .0 || 10.0

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 1999–00 | align="left" | Minnesota | 4 || 4 || 23.5 || .400 || .000 || .000 || 2.0 || .5 || .8 || .2 || 6.0 |- | align="left" | 2000–01 | align="left" | Minnesota | 4 || 4 || 35.8 || .486 || .000 || .800 || 4.5 || 2.5 || 1.2 || .8 || 14.0 |- | align="left" | 2001–02 | align="left" | Minnesota | 3 || 3 || 43.7 || .477 || .222 || .889 || 7.0 || 2.0 || .7 || .0 || 20.0 |- | align="left" | 2002–03 | align="left" | Minnesota | 6 || 6 || 42.0 || .475 || .214 || .867 || 5.0 || 2.2 || 1.0 || .2 || 14.5 |- | align="left" | 2003–04 | align="left" | Minnesota | 12 || 0 || 24.8 || .420 || .345 || .927 || 3.3 || 1.7 || .5 || .2 || 11.8 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Cleveland | 13 || 13 || 28.8 || .376 || .323 || .929 || 1.8 || 1.5 || .2 || .1 || 10.8 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Cleveland | 12 || 0 || 12.8 || .444 || .167 || .818 || 2.3 || .6 || .2 || .1 || 3.6 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 54 || 30 || 26.8 || .427 || .285 || .882 || 3.1 || 1.4 || .5 || .2 || 10.2

References

External links

[http://static.espn.go.com/nba/draft99/players/profiles/szczerbiak_wally.html Statistics from ESPN.com

Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:American basketball players Category:American sportspeople of Ukrainian descent Category:Boston Celtics players Category:Cleveland Cavaliers players Category:Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks Category:Minnesota Timberwolves players Category:Seattle SuperSonics players Category:Miami RedHawks men's basketball players Category:People from Madrid Category:People from Long Island Category:Small forwards Category:Shooting guards

James Mitchell Chase (December 19, 1891 – February 5, 1945) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Biography

J. Mitchell Chase was born in Glen Richey, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1916. He was admitted to the bar in 1919 and commenced practice in Clearfield, Pennsylvania. During the First World War, he enlisted in the Air Service and served with the American Expeditionary Forces from 1917 to 1919. He served as commander of the American Legion, Department of Pennsylvania, in 1924 and 1925.

Chase was elected as a Republican to the Seventieth, Seventy-first, and Seventy-second Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1932. He resumed the practice of law and died in Clearfield. Interment in Hillcrest Cemetery.

References

Retrieved on 2008-02-10

The Political Graveyard

Category:1891 births Category:1945 deaths Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Category:American military personnel of World War I Category:Pennsylvania lawyers

Name	Von Wafer
Position	Shooting guard
Height ft	6
Height in	5
Weight lb	209
Team	Boston Celtics
Number	12
Birth date	July 21, 1985
Birth place	Homer, Louisiana
Nationality	American
High school	Pineview High SchoolR.L. PaschalLaurinburg InstituteHeritage Christian Academy
College	Florida State
Draft year	2005
Draft round	2
Draft pick	39
Draft team	Los Angeles Lakers
Career start	2005
Teams	Los Angeles Lakers (2005–2006) Los Angeles Clippers (2007)Denver Nuggets (2008)Portland Trail Blazers (2008)Houston Rockets (2008–2009)Olympiacos Piraeus (2009) Boston Celtics (2010-present)

Vakeaton Quamar Wafer (born on July 21, 1985 in Homer, Louisiana), commonly referred to as Von Wafer, is an American professional basketball player with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association.

He has previously played in the NBA with the L.A. Lakers, L.A. Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets. He was the 39th overall selection (ninth pick of the second round) in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. His nickname is "The Dutch Cookie".

High school

Wafer attended Pineview High School in Lisbon, Louisiana during his freshman, sophomore and junior years of high school. He averaged 32 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists during his junior season. Up to this point, Wafer was a virtual unknown on the national recruiting scene. Tim Loring, the coach of the Arkansas Wings AAU team, invited Wafer to play for them the summer before his senior year. This allowed Wafer to display his skills on a wider stage, and by the end of the summer, he was considered to be one of the top 10 seniors on many recruiting lists. He was also briefly at R.L. Paschal High School and Laurinburg Institute his senior year before deciding to attend and play at Heritage Christian Academy in Cleveland, Texas, where he averaged 26 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocks per game.

Wafer was the seventh McDonald's High School All-American to play at Florida State University. During the game, he scored 8 points and finished second to LeBron James in the McDonald's All-American slam-dunk contest.

College

During his freshman year at Florida State University in the 2003–04 season, Wafer averaged 7.9 points in 17.5 minutes a game with the Seminoles. He ranked third among all ACC freshmen with 43 three-point field goals made and scored in double figures 12 times. As a sophomore during the 2004-05 season, he led the team in scoring (12.5 ppg) and three-point field goals made (65). He made more than one three-point field goal in 14 games and surpassed the 20-point mark on six occasions. Despite some success that year, he was suspended for two games early in the season and benched frequently later. The Tallahassee Democrat reported that his family explained the suspensions were because of missed classes and study sessions.

Professional career

Wafer declared himself as an early-entry candidate for the 2005 NBA Draft after his sophomore year at FSU despite many draft experts predicting he would not be drafted. There were several hurdles he had to overcome to become a viable option for an NBA team to select him. Wafer was not invited to the annual Chicago pre-draft camp, which provides players who are not viewed as first-round prospects a chance to display their abilities in front of NBA team personnel. During a workout with the Phoenix Suns, Wafer reportedly was frustrated by the physical play from Jan Jagla, and responded by laying an intentional elbow to Jagla's nose, then walked off the court and ended the workout at that point. Los Angeles Lakers scout Irving Thomas, who played two seasons at FSU, saw three Seminoles games during the 2004-05 season and helped arrange a workout for Wafer with the Lakers. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak saw enough of Wafer's ability that they used the second of their two second-round picks to select Wafer in the draft.

Wafer was placed on waivers by the Los Angeles Lakers on October 26, 2006. He played in one pre-season game due to a bruised left heel. Wafer then played for the Colorado 14ers of the NBA Development League during 2006-07, and was named Player of the Month in January 2007. He was signed to a ten-day contract by the Los Angeles Clippers on February 21. He played one minute without scoring before being waived a week later. On April 12, 2007, the Denver Nuggets signed Wafer for the remainder of the 2006-07 season.

Houston Rockets

Wafer was signed by the Houston Rockets and managed to keep a spot on the team due to his hot shooting in the preseason. On January 13, 2009, Wafer scored a career-high 23 points on 10-14 shooting in 39 minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers. He found a regular place in the Rockets' starting lineup due to good performance as well as an injury to regular starter, Tracy McGrady. He continued to impress by scoring 21 points vs the Jazz and hitting the game-winning three at a game in Boston that the Rockets won 89–85. In that month he averaged 14.3 points per game. After Wafer moved to a team in Greece, the Rockets offered him a contract midway through the next season. He signed the contract, but unfortunately failed his physical, so he could not join the struggling Rockets.

Olympiacos Piraeus

Wafer joined the Greek Euroleague club Olympiacos Piraeus in August 2009, signing a two-year $10 million gross income contract. He was then waived by Olympiacos in December of 2009. Wafer shot 36.4% from the field and averaged 3.0 points per game and 1.3 rebounds per game in the Greek A1 League with Olympiacos. In Euroleague play, he shot 50% from the field and averaged 7.7 points per game, 1.3 rebounds per game, and 1.0 assists per game.

Dallas Mavericks

On February 24, 2010, Wafer signed a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks. He was not expected to crack the rotation during his tenure and although he was eligible to play six games, Wafer finished his contract with Dallas without playing a single minute.

Boston Celtics

On July 3, 2010, Wafer signed a free agent deal with the Boston Celtics. On Friday 29th October he was involved in a locker-room altercation with new teammate Delonte West.

Career transactions

June 28, 2005: Drafted 39th overall by Los Angeles Lakers in 2005 NBA Draft.

Assigned to D-League's Fort Worth Flyers on February 27, 2006 until March 22, 2006 and on April 12, 2006 until end of season.

October 26, 2006: Waived by L.A. Lakers. November 2, 2006: Drafted 22nd overall by Colorado 14ers in 2006 D-League Draft. February 21, 2007: Signed as a free agent by Los Angeles Clippers. February 28, 2007: Waived by L.A. Clippers. April 13, 2007: Signed as a free agent by Denver Nuggets. February 21, 2008: Traded by Denver to the Portland Trail Blazers for Taurean Green. September 29, 2008: Signed as a free agent by Houston Rockets. August 8, 2009: Signed as a free agent by Olympiacos Piraeus. December 11, 2009: Waived by Olympiacos Piraeus. February 24, 2010: Signed a ten-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 16 || 0 || 4.6 || .158 || .118 || .750 || .5 || .3 || .2 || .0 || 1.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers | 1 || 0 || 1.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 21 || 0 || 4.3 || .263 || .067 || .750 || .5 || .2 || .1 || .1 || 1.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Portland | 8 || 0 || 8.0 || .304 || .273 || .500 || 1.1 || .3 || .0 || .2 || 2.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 63 || 11 || 19.4 || .447 || .390 || .752 || 1.8 || 1.1 || .6 || .1 || 9.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 109 || 11 || 13.3 || .412 || .337 || .745 || 1.3 || .8 || .4 || .1 || 6.2

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 13 || 0 || 13.9 || .424 || .409 || .864 || .9 || .7 || .2 || .1 || 8.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 13 || 0 || 13.9 || .424 || .409 || .864 || .9 || .7 || .2 || .1 || 8.2

Notes

External links

Euroleague.net Profile

NBA D-League Profile

Basketpedya.com Profile

Greek A1 League Profile

ESPN.com FSU College Statistics

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:American basketball players Category:American expatriate basketball people in Greece Category:Basketball players from Louisiana Category:Boston Celtics players Category:People from Claiborne Parish, Louisiana Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:Florida State Seminoles men's basketball players Category:Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Category:Los Angeles Lakers players Category:Los Angeles Clippers players Category:Denver Nuggets players Category:Olympiacos B.C. players Category:Portland Trail Blazers players Category:Houston Rockets players Category:Shooting guards

Name	Tyreke Evans
Width	200px
Team	Sacramento Kings
Number	13
Position	Shooting guard/Point guard
Career start	2009
Height ft	6
Height in	6
Weight lb	220
League	NBA
Nationality	American
Birth date	September 19, 1989
Birth place	Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
High school	American Christian
College	Memphis
Draft round	1
Draft pick	4
Draft year	2009
Draft team	Sacramento Kings
Highlights

Tyreke Jamir Evans (born September 19, 1989 in Chester, Pennsylvania) is an American professional basketball player with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of Memphis, and was selected by the Sacramento Kings as the 4th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. He attended American Christian Academy in Aston, Pennsylvania, and by his sophomore year began drawing comparisons to NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady. As a senior, he averaged 32.1 points per game and was named the Most Valuable Player of the McDonald's All-American Game, where he posted 21 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists to help lead the East team to a 107-102 victory over the West. At the age of 16, he was featured in the documentary Gunning for That #1 Spot directed by Adam "MCA" Yauch of the Beastie Boys. Evans was chosen to be the keeper of the SLAM Magazine High School Diary for the 2008 season.

College

In April 2008, Evans announced that he would attend the University of Memphis, after also considering Villanova University and the University of Texas.

Evans transitioned from playing small forward in high school to guard in college. He struggled at times at the beginning of his freshman season at the shooting guard position. This continued until coach John Calipari inserted him as the starting point guard in the 11th game of the season, a 60-45 win over the University of Cincinnati. In 33 minutes, Evans nearly put up a triple-double, with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. The Tigers would not lose another game until falling to the Missouri Tigers in the NCAA Tournament.

Evans was named the Conference USA Rookie of the Week eight times.

Evans was the only freshman finalist for the 2009 U.S. Basketball Writers of America National Player of the year award, named in honor of Oscar Robertson.

NBA

2009-2010 (Rookie Season)

On March 31, 2009, Evans declared himself eligible for the 2009 NBA Draft. Evans decided to forgo his remaining three seasons of collegiate eligibility. On June 25, 2009, Evans was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the fourth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

On December 1, 2009, Evans was named NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played from the beginning of the season through November. During that time he averaged 18.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.33 steals in 36.1 minutes per game.

On December 21, 2009, he was instrumental in leading the Sacramento Kings back from a 35-point deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls, 102-98. Evans scored 9 of the Kings last 11 points, single-handedly outscoring the Bulls in the 4th quarter (11 points for Evans vs. 10 for the Bulls).

On January 4, 2010, Tyreke Evans was named Western Conference T-Mobile Rookie of the Month for the second straight month.

On February 12, 2010 Tyreke Evans won the 2010 Rookie/Sophomore Game MVP award after recording 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals on 11/15 shooting. In an act of sportsmanship, he chose to share the award with DeJuan Blair, who had scored 22 points and pulled down 23 rebounds.

On March 11, 2010, Evans recorded his first career triple-double in a win against the Toronto Raptors on Rally for RekeROY night. Evans scored 19 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds.

He also became the fourth NBA player in history to ever average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in his rookie year, joining Oscar Robertson (1960), Michael Jordan (1984) and LeBron James (2003).

On April 27, 2010, Evans was recognized for his accomplishments by being awarded the 2009-2010 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

NBA Statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Sacramento | 72 || 72 || 37.2 || .458 || .255 || .748 || 5.3 || 5.8 || 1.5 || 0.4 || 20.1 |- | align="left" | 2010–11 | align="left" | Sacramento | 31 || 31 || 36.9 || .393 || .276 || .741 || 4.7 || 5.4 || 1.7 || 0.5 || 17.2 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 103 || 103 || 37.1 || .438 || .263 || .747 || 5.1 || 5.7 || 1.6 || 0.4 || 19.3

As of January 14, 2011

Awards and honors

NBA Rookie of the Year: 2010

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2010

NBA Rookie Challenge MVP: 2010

McDonald's All-American Game MVP: 2008

Notes

External links

Memphis Bio

Tyreke Evans at NBA.com

Tyreke Evans News

Category:1989 births Category:People from Delaware County, Pennsylvania Category:American basketball players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Memphis Tigers men's basketball players Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:Living people Category:Sacramento Kings draft picks Category:Sacramento Kings players

Position	Shooting guardPoint guard
Height ft	6
Height in	4
Weight lb	210
Number	12
Team	Los Angeles Lakers
Nationality	American
Birth date	November 29, 1985
Birth place	Maywood, Illinois
College	Michigan State
High school	Proviso East High School Maywood, Illinois
Draft round	1
Draft pick	25
Draft year	2006
Draft team	Cleveland Cavaliers
Career start	2006
Teams
Highlights

Shannon Brown (born November 29, 1985, in Maywood, Illinois) is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Los Angeles Lakers. He is known for having one of the highest vertical leaps in the league, verified at 44.5 inches.

He appeared in music videos to Toni Braxton's "Yesterday" and Monica's "Love All Over Me".

High school/college career

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.

NCAA statistics

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2003-04 | style="text-align:left;"| Michigan State | 30 || 24 || 22.9 || .451 || .341 || .807 || 2.5 || 1.3 || 1.1 || 0.0 || 7.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2004-05 | style="text-align:left;"| Michigan State | 33 || 31 || 25.1 || .447 || .330 || .848 || 3.2 || 1.7 || 1.2 || 0.2 || 10.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005-06 | style="text-align:left;"| Michigan State | 34 || 34 || 35.2 || .467 || .390 || .830 || 4.4 || 2.7 || 1.5 || 0.1 || 17.2 |-

NBA career

Cleveland Cavaliers

.]] 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.

Brown was assigned to the NBA Development League's Albuquerque Thunderbirds on March 2, 2007 but was recalled by the Cavaliers a day later. In his sole game as a Thunderbird, Brown scored 14 points with four rebounds and six assists. Brown returned to the NBA Development League, this time with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, on January 11, 2008. He was recalled by the Cavaliers on January 17.

Through 2007-08's All-Star Break, Brown played in 15 games during the season (starting four games), averaging 7.0 points per game.

Chicago Bulls

On February 21, 2008, Brown was traded to the Chicago Bulls as part of a 3-team deal.

Charlotte Bobcats

On August 6, 2008, he was signed by the Charlotte Bobcats to a one-year contract.

Los Angeles Lakers

On February 7, 2009, Brown was traded, along with Adam Morrison, to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vladimir Radmanović.

Brown's time with the Lakers was initially limited. Towards the end of the season, Brown experienced an upswing of playtime. In the 5 final games of the season, Brown played for an average of 16.4 minutes. With those minutes, he averaged 7.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.

Brown's increased playtime would carry on to the playoffs. In the opening game in the first round match up against the Jazz, Brown played 22 minutes. He had 9 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds and a steal. He finished the series averaging 17.4 minutes, 7.2 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and one steal per game.

On July 6, 2009, Brown agreed to return to the Lakers for two years and $4.2 million.

It was announced on January 18, 2010 that he was selected to compete in the Sprite Slam Dunk Competition at Dallas in the 2010 All-Star weekend. On the same day, he led the Lakers with 22 points in their 98-92 win against the Orlando Magic. Brown participated in the dunk contest on February 13, 2010, but did not advance beyond the first round.

On February 16, 2010, in a game against the Golden State Warriors, Shannon Brown scored a career high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. He now has won two championship rings with the Lakers in both 2009 and 2010.

On August 5, 2010, Brown decided to return to the Lakers, agreeing to a two-year deal worth $4.6 million.

On August 8, 2010, Brown signed the deal with the Lakers.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 23 || 5 || 8.8 || .378 || .280 || .714 || .9 || .4 || .3 || .1 || 3.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 15 || 4 || 14.5 || .369 || .310 || .609 || 1.2 || 1.1 || .7 || .1 || 7.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Chicago | 6 || 0 || 3.7 || .200 || .000 || .500 || .3 || .0 || .2 || .3 || 1.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte | 30 || 0 || 11.4 || .455 || .286 || .800 || .8 || .9 || .6 || .2 || 4.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| LA Lakers | 18 || 0 || 7.6 || .524 || .667 || .889 || 1.1 || .6 || .2 || .1 || 3.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| LA Lakers | 82 || 7 || 20.7 || .427 || .328 || .818 || 2.2 || 1.3 || .7 || .4 || 8.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 174 || 16 || 15.7 || .421 || .327 || .778 || 1.5 || 1.0 || .6 || .3 || 6.1

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 1 || 0 || .0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 21 || 0 || 13.1 || .434 || .480 || .792 || 1.2 || .6 || .5 || .1 || 4.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 23 || 0 || 14.1 || .393 || .281 || .714 || 1.3 || .9 || .4 || .3 || 4.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 45 || 0 || 13.3 || .411 || .368 || .750 || 1.2 || .7 || .4 || .2 || 4.8

References

External links

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:American basketball players Category:Basketball players from Illinois Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players Category:Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Category:Cleveland Cavaliers players Category:Chicago Bulls players Category:Charlotte Bobcats players Category:Los Angeles Lakers players Category:Point guards Category:Shooting guards Category:People from Maywood, Illinois Category:Rio Grande Valley Vipers players

Caption	Rondo with the Celtics in Game 3 of the 2008 NBA Playoffs against the Hawks
Name	Rajon Rondo
Position	Point guard
Height ft	6
Height in	1
Weight lb	171
Team	Boston Celtics
Number	9
Nationality	American
Birth date	February 22, 1986
Birth place	Louisville, Kentucky
College	Kentucky
High school	Eastern HS (Middletown, Kentucky),Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia)
Draft round	1
Draft pick	21
Draft year	2006
Draft team	Phoenix Suns
Career start	2006
Highlights

Rajon Pierre Rondo (born February 22, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Rondo attended Eastern High School and Oak Hill Academy for his high-school basketball career, before receiving a scholarship from the University of Kentucky. He played for two years at Kentucky before declaring for the 2006 NBA Draft, represented by agent Bill Duffy.

During the draft, Rondo was selected 21st overall by the Phoenix Suns, and was subsequently traded to the Boston Celtics, where he made his NBA debut as a rookie during the 2006–07 season. He played a supporting role before he established himself as the starting point guard for the Celtics during the 2007–08 season. That season, Rondo earned his first NBA Championship, playing alongside All-Stars Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. His breakout performance came during the 2009 NBA Playoffs, where he nearly averaged a triple-double, and helped his team take the eventual Eastern-conference champion Orlando Magic a full seven games in the East semi-finals.

Early life

Rondo was born on February 22, 1986 in Louisville, Kentucky to Amber Rondo. He has three siblings: Dymon, William and Anton. He had little contact with his father, who left his family when he was seven years old. In his senior year at Oak Hill Academy, Rondo broke Jeff McInnis's single-season school record of 303 assists, while averaging a double-double. There, he included two efforts of 27 assists and a single-game school record of 31, merely four away from the all-time national record. Rondo was named to the McDonald's All-American Team in 2004 and scored a total of 14 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds in the all-star game. He also participated in the 2004 Jordan Capital Classic game, logging 12 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. He ended his career as Oak Hill Academy's all-time assists leader in a single season with 494 assists, surpassing Jeff McInnis.

College career

Rondo committed to University of Kentucky over hometown University of Louisville. Rondo, along with All-Americans Joe Crawford and Randolph Morris, gave Kentucky the top-rated recruiting class for 2004 according to Rivals.com. Rondo led Kentucky to several wins including clutch-shot victories against the University of Louisville, South Carolina and Central Florida, but Kentucky failed to advance to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament in either Rondo's freshman or sophomore seasons. He was named to the SEC All-Freshmen Team. He set a Kentucky Wildcats record for most steals in single-season, with a total of 87 steals in his freshman year and made at least one steal in every game. He finished his freshman year at Kentucky averaging 8.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.6 steals.

In his sophomore year he had a career high 12 assists against Ole Miss, despite playing just 23 minutes, and 25 points against Louisville. Rondo also set another Kentucky Wildcats record for most rebounds in a game by a guard, with 19 rebounds in an early season loss to Iowa. He was not known for being a shooter, however, going 18-66 from three with a 57.1% FT average. He averaged 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game in his sophomore year. He averaged 11.0 ppg and 4.5 apg in the eight-game tournament, garnering much attention from NBA scouts. The USA U-21 team won a gold medal at the Global Games held in Texas in late July.

NBA career

2006 NBA Draft

Following the 2005–06 NCAA season, Rondo announced he would forgo his final two seasons at Kentucky and enter the NBA draft. Rondo was drafted 21st overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 NBA Draft. Phoenix then traded him to the Boston Celtics along with Brian Grant for the Cleveland Cavaliers' first-round draft pick in the 2007 NBA Draft and cash considerations. He was the first point guard to be chosen in the draft. In another draft-day deal, the Celtics acquired Sebastian Telfair from the Portland Trail Blazers, finally uniting the backcourt Pitino had envisioned at Louisville. He was signed by the Boston Celtics on July 4, 2006.

Rookie season

During his rookie season in the NBA, Rondo played a supporting role and would split time with Sebastian Telfair and Delonte West. Rondo only started in 25 games that season due to his initial backup role to Telfair. He made his NBA regular season debut on November 1, 2006, in a home loss against the New Orleans Hornets. In his rookie season, he lacked on his jump shot which resulted in him slashing to the basket for a teardrop or layup. While coming off the bench, he managed to score a career-high 23 points against the Toronto Raptors, In his first career start, he matched his career-high against the Los Angeles Clippers, though the line-ups were constantly being shuffled between Telfair and Rondo at the point guard. and a career-high seven steals against the Indiana Pacers). which earned him an All-Rookie Second Team selection. He finished the season with an average of 6.4 ppg and 3.8 apg, ranking in the top ten in the NBA in steals (128) and also ranking in the top ten among rookies in several other categories, including first in steals, second in assists and sixth in minutes. In his 77 games played, he averaged 10.6 points per game (ppg), 5.1 assists per game (apg) and 4.2 rebounds per game (rpg). He made his successful return from injury and to the starting lineup in a road win against the New York Knicks. A week later, he matched his career-high against the Miami Heat, and then scored a career-high 24 points in a home game against the Los Angeles Clippers the following month. During the All-Star break, he was selected to play on the Sophomore Team in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam. Following the All-Star weekend, Rondo recorded a career-high 16 assists in a home victory against the Charlotte Bobcats. Despite his solid rookie year, there was much speculation about Boston needing a veteran point guard. In March, they signed veteran point guard Sam Cassell as a free agent to serve as a backup. Rondo made his playoff debut on April 20, 2008 against the Atlanta Hawks and finished the game with 15 points, 9 assists and 2 steals. The Celtics closed out the series in seven games, went on to defeat Cleveland in the next round, and then defeated the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. In the NBA Finals, facing the Los Angeles Lakers, Rondo recorded two strong performances, including a career-high 16 assists in Game 2. In Game 3, however, Rondo left the court in the third quarter after rolling his ankle. The ankle injury was considered a "non-factor", and Rondo eventually made his return in Game 4. In Game 6, the point guard posted a playoffs career-high 6 steals as the Celtics defeated the Lakers 4–2, giving Rondo his first NBA championship ring. After the game Lakers head coach Phil Jackson called Rondo the "star" of Game 6. Rondo's numbers increased from his previous season performance; however, he was criticized for his shooting. He recorded his first career triple-double along with a career-high in assists (16 points, 13 rebounds and 17 assists), against the Indiana Pacers. In a home win against the New York Knicks, Rondo led the team to tie a franchise record with eighteen straight wins. However, after the winning streak was snapped the team struggled, losing seven out of nine games after ending the streak. Rondo—matched up with one of the league's quicker guards, Tony Parker—recorded 16 assists in a losing effort against the Spurs, one short of his season-high. Less than a week later against the Mavericks, he recorded his second career triple-double (19 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists), and then recorded a career-high 32 points against the Phoenix Suns on his 23rd birthday. He became the first NBA athlete to sign an endorsement contract with Red Bull on April 17, 2009. He finished the season ranking fifth in the NBA in assists (8.2) and steals (1.9). The team finished the season as the second seed in the Eastern Conference, although they entered the playoffs without their injured All-Star power forward Kevin Garnett.

In the playoffs match-up against the Chicago Bulls, despite putting up a playoff career-high 29 points in Game 1, the Celtics lost in overtime. Boston won the next two games and in Games 2 and 4, Rondo recorded triple-doubles and became the first Celtic player with two triple-doubles in the same series since Larry Bird in 1986. He also became the first player with multiple triple-doubles in the same playoff series since Jason Kidd had three triple-doubles in the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals. In Game 6, he recorded a career-high 19 assists without a turnover, tying an NBA playoffs record. In the next round against the Orlando Magic, the Celtics lost the first game before Rondo's triple-double performance in Game 2 helped secure a home win. His third triple-double of the postseason tied Larry Bird's franchise record and also became the first to do that since Jason Kidd had four. However, the Celtics were defeated in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. During the postseason, Rondo nearly averaged a triple double with 16.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.8 assists.

2009–10 season

During the 2009–10 season, Rondo averaged career highs in points (13.7), assists (9.8) and steals (2.3) and became the first Celtic to lead the league in steals. On November 2, 2009, Rondo signed a five-year extension with the Celtics worth a guaranteed $55 million. In a road victory against the Orlando Magic on Christmas day, Rondo recorded 17 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists, two assists shy of a triple double. Three days later, Rondo scored 30 points along to go with 15 assists in a road loss to the Golden State Warriors. On January 10, 2010, Rondo recorded his third regular-season career triple-double, with 22 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds against the Toronto Raptors. On January 28, 2010, he received his first NBA All-Star selection as a reserve on the Eastern Conference squad for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. He also competed in the 2010 H-O-R-S-E contest but lost In the finals to Kevin Durant. Rondo recorded his fourth regular-season career triple-double against the Denver Nuggets on March 24, 2010, with 11 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds. Two days later against the Sacramento Kings, Rondo entered the game tied with Rick Fox for a franchise record of most steals in a single-season (167), eventually establishing the record with a second-quarter steal from Sean May. In a game against the Houston Rockets on April 2, 2010, he broke Bob Cousy's franchise record for most assists in a single-season.

In the 2010 NBA Playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in five games and faced the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round. In Game 2, Rondo dished out 19 assists tying his career-high and also tying a franchise record for most assists in a playoff game. In Game 4, he recorded his fourth postseason triple-double along with a playoff career-high 29 points and 18 rebounds. He joined Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only other player in NBA history to have 29 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists in a playoff game. The Celtics eventually defeated the Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games. In the Finals, the Celtics once again faced the Los Angeles Lakers, a team they previously beat in 2008. In Game 2, Rondo recorded his second triple-double of the postseason (19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists), however, despite Rondo's performance, the Celtics succumbed to the Lakers in seven games.

2010–11 season

In the first game of the 2010–11 season, Rondo put up 17 assists, which tied with Oscar Robertson for the third-most assists in a season opener. In the third game of the season, he dished out a career-high 24 assists along with a triple-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) against the New York Knicks. It tied him with Isiah Thomas as the only players in NBA history to have at least 24 assists in a triple-double. His total of 50 assists through the first three games of the season tied John Stockton's NBA record for most assists in the first 3 games of the season. With a 15 assists effort the following day, Rondo again set a record for most assists through the first five games.

Rondo's season also began with injuries. He has played through plantar fasciitis in his feet. He missed three games in November due to a strained left hamstring. He sprained his left ankle in a win against the New York Knicks on December 15, 2010, and missed the next seven games.

NBA career statistics

:Correct as of June 18, 2010

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Boston | 78 || 25 || 23.5 || .418 || .207 || .647 || 3.7 || 3.8 || 1.6 || .1 || 6.4 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Boston | 77 || 77 || 29.9 || .492 || .263 || .611 || 4.2 || 5.1 || 1.7 || .2 || 10.6 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Boston | 80 || 80 || 33.0 || .505 || .313 || .642 || 5.2 || 8.2 || 1.9 || .1 || 11.9 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Boston | 81 || 81 || 36.6 || .508 || .213 || .621 || 4.4 || 9.8 || 2.3 || .1 || 13.7 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 316 || 263 || 30.8 || .489 || .244 || .630 || 4.4 || 6.8 || 1.9 || .1 || 10.7 |- | align="left" | All-Star | align="left" | | 1 || 0 || 19.0 || .667 || .000 || .000 || 1.0 || 5.0 || 1.0 || .0 || 4.0

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Boston | 26 || 26 || 32.0 || .407 || .250 || .691 || 4.1 || 6.6 || 1.7 || .3 || 10.2 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Boston | 14 || 14 || 41.2 || .417 || .250 || .657 || 9.7 || 9.8 || 2.5 || .2 || 16.9 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Boston | 24 || 24 || 40.6 || .463 || .375 || .596 || 5.6 || 9.3 || 1.9 || .1 || 15.8 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 64 || 64 || 37.2 || .432 || .294 || .639 || 5.9 || 8.3 || 2.0 || .2 || 13.8

Awards and honors

NBA Champions Boston Celtics.]]

1× NBA Champion: 2008

1× NBA All-Star: 2010

2× NBA All-Defensive:

:* First Team: 2010 :* Second Team: 2009

NBA All-Rookie selection:

:*Second team: 2007

NBA regular season leader:

:*steals: 2010 (189) :*steals per game: 2010 (2.3)

Boston Celtics franchise records:

:*Most assists in a single season: 794 (2009–10) :*Most steals in a single season: 189 (2009–10)

See also

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

References

External links

The Official Site of Rajon Rondo

YardBarker – Rajon Rondo's Blog

NBA.com Draft Profile

Profile at UKAthletics.com

ESPN.com Player Card

Rajon Rondo Career Stats

ESPN.com 2010 NBA Playoffs Feature: "9 Stories on No. 9: The Legend of Rondo"; 06/08/10

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:American basketball players Category:Basketball players from Kentucky Category:Boston Celtics players Category:Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Category:Male basketball guards Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Louisville, Kentucky Category:Phoenix Suns draft picks Category:Point guards

Name	Paul Pierce
Caption	Pierce with the Celtics on January 13, 2008
Position	Small forward/Shooting guard
Height ft	6
Height in	7
Weight lb	235
Team	Boston Celtics
Number	34
Nationality	American
Birth date	October 13, 1977
Birth place	Oakland, California
College	Kansas
High school	Inglewood HS (Inglewood, California)
Draft round	1
Draft pick	10
Draft year	1998
Draft team	Boston Celtics
Career start
Highlights

Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977 in Oakland, California), also known as The Truth, is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He earned First Team All-America honors in his junior year at Kansas, and has been a starter every season since being selected by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. He is an eight-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA team selection and also led Boston to the NBA Finals in 2008, and 2010, winning the 2008 NBA Finals. He was named the 2008 NBA Finals MVP in his first trip to the NBA Finals. Pierce also is one of only three Celtics, alongside Larry Bird and John Havlicek, who have scored over 20,000 points in their career with the Celtics alone.

High school

Pierce was raised in Inglewood, California where he was the star of Inglewood High School's basketball team during his junior and senior years. He also participated in the 1995 McDonald's All-American Game alongside future NBA stars Kevin Garnett, Stephon Marbury, Vince Carter, and Antawn Jamison, and was a contestant in the game's Slam Dunk Contest, which was won by Carter.

College career

Pierce averaged 16.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in his three seasons at the University of Kansas, where he majored in Crime and Delinquency Studies, and earned MVP honors in the Big 12 Conference Tournament in both 1997 and 1998. Pierce played for Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams at Kansas. He entered the NBA Draft after his junior year and was selected with the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 1998 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics.

NBA career

Early career

After his NBA debut, Pierce's ability to score, rebound and play defense, and a healthy dose of late-game heroics led to his emergence as a top player in the Eastern Conference. Along with forward Antoine Walker, Pierce led the Celtics to the playoffs in 2002 for the first time in seven years and on to the Eastern Conference Finals. In the historic Game 3 of that series, he led the Celtics to the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in NBA playoff history. Pierce scored 19 of his 28 point total during the fourth quarter, and the Celtics recovered from a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the New Jersey Nets.

Pierce has averaged 22.5 points per game over his 12-year NBA career and is a 8-time NBA All-Star. Trade rumors involving Paul Pierce swirled when Danny Ainge returned as the Executive Director of Basketball Operations in May 2003. Ainge laid most of these rumors to rest in the 2006 off-season by signing Paul Pierce to a 3-year, $59 million contract extension. Ironically, Pierce is the only player left from the moment Ainge took over.

Pierce has often played his best games against the best individual competition, such as LeBron James, Tracy McGrady, and Kobe Bryant. For instance, Pierce scored a career high 50 points in a loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 15, 2006. After the game, James stated that he feels that Pierce is the top at the position in the Eastern Conference.

2005–06 season

In the 2005-06 NBA season, Pierce had the highest points-per-shot average among the top 30 scorers in the league, indicating that he is an efficient and consistent player. On March 8, 2006, Pierce extended his franchise-record streak of 30-point games at 8. On March 7, he scored seven points in overtime to beat the Washington Wizards on a "buzzer beater", and the next night the Celtics eked out a victory against Philadelphia on the strength of two late-game improbable shots by Pierce, one a three-pointer, the other an off-balance "buzzer beater" for the win. He scored at least 30 points for the 13th time in 14 games (between February 4 and March 12), the best such stretch in Celtics history.

2006–07 season

He followed up this stellar season with an injury-riddled 2006–07 campaign that saw him miss the first significant stretch of games in his career, due to a stress reaction in his foot. In spite of this injury, he still managed to put up his usual stellar numbers in the 47 games in which he saw action. But the Celtics, during that season, would have an 18-game losing streak and one of the worst seasons in franchise history, going 24–58.

2007–08 season

in Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks.]] being defended by LeBron James.]] Prior to the 2007–08 season, he expressed great excitement at the Celtics' acquisitions of fellow All-Stars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, and at the chance to contend for a championship. He slimmed down to his college weight of and vowed to pay more attention to defense, as he wouldn't have to carry the offense anymore.

On April 28, 2008, Pierce was fined $25,000 by the NBA for an alleged menacing gesture after falling to the ground and being taunted by Al Horford in Game 3 of the first round in the 2008 Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks on April 26, 2008. Sources claimed this gesture was a gang-related hand sign, but Danny Ainge, general manager of the Celtics, stated that Pierce has been repeatedly doing it before and that it was not gang-related, but rather a symbol used within the team.

NBA Champions Boston Celtics.]] On May 18, 2008, Pierce recorded the second-highest point total in franchise history in a Game 7 with 41 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. On June 5, 2008, in Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, Pierce was injured in the third quarter and was carried off the court in serious pain. However, he came back to the court only a few minutes later to spark the Celtics with 15 points in the third quarter en route to a 98–88 victory. He went on to lead the Celtics to their 17th championship after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers four games to two. Pierce was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player after the Celtics' 131–92 victory in Game 6 on June 17, 2008.

Not long after winning the championship, Pierce was asked, "Is Kobe (Kobe Bryant) really the best player in the world?" Pierce responded by saying, "I don't think Kobe is the best player. I'm the best player. There's a line that separates having confidence and being conceited. I don't cross that line but I have a lot of confidence in myself." The quote drew minor controversy.

2008–09 season

Pierce and the Celtics looked to repeat as world champions during the 2008-09 NBA season. Pierce missed only one game the entire season, led the team in scoring and was named to the 2009 NBA All-Star Game. Despite Pierce's success, with Kevin Garnett hurt the Celtics lost in the second round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs.

2009–10 season

At the 2010 NBA All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Pierce became the first Celtic since Larry Bird to win the Three-Point Shootout.

In game 3 of the first round between the Celtics and Miami Heat in the 2010 NBA Playoffs, Pierce hit a 21-foot jumper at the buzzer to beat Miami 100–98, and give the Celtics a 3–0 series lead.

On June 29, 2010 Paul Pierce opted out of his contract and triggered his early termination contract to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2010. However, on July 2, Pierce and the Celtics verbally agreed to a four-year extension keeping him in Boston through the 2013–14 season.

2010-11 season

On November 3, 2010, during a game against the the Milwaukee Bucks, Pierce scored his 20,000th career point on a free throw, becoming the third person in Celtics history to reach that milestone solely in a Celtics uniform.

Stabbing incident

On September 25, 2000, Pierce was stabbed 11 times in the face, neck, and back and had a bottle smashed over his head while at the Buzz Club, a late night dance club in Boston's theatre district. He had to undergo lung surgery to repair the damage. Nevertheless, Pierce was the only Celtic to start all 82 games in the 2000–01 season. Also, witnesses say that Pierce was attempting to separate the fighters when he was stabbed. Tony Battie, Pierce's teammate at the time, along with Battie’s brother, saved him by rushing him to a nearby hospital after the near-fatal stabbing.

International

Pierce was a member of the US national team for the 2002 FIBA World Championship, starting all nine games and averaging 19.8 ppg. Pierce was also selected for the United States National Basketball team for the 2006 FIBA World Championship, but did not compete because of minor off-season surgery.

Nickname

His nickname, The Truth, was accorded him by Shaquille O'Neal. After a Lakers' victory over the Celtics in 2001, O'Neal pulled a Boston reporter over and gestured toward his notepad. "Take this down", said O'Neal. "My name is Shaquille O'Neal and Paul Pierce is the [expletive] truth. Quote me on that and don't take nothing out. I knew he could play, but I didn't know he could play like this. Paul Pierce is the truth."

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 1998–99 | align="left" | Boston | 48 || 47 || 34.0 || .439 || .412 || .713 || 6.4 || 2.4 || 1.7 || 1.0 || 16.5 |- | align="left" | 1999–00 | align="left" | Boston | 73 || 72 || 35.4 || .442 || .343 || .798 || 5.4 || 3.0 || 2.1 || .9 || 19.5 |- | align="left" | 2000–01 | align="left" | Boston | 82 || 82 || 38.0 || .454 || .383 || .745 || 6.4 || 3.1 || 1.7 || .8 || 25.3 |- | align="left" | 2001–02 | align="left" | Boston | 82 || 82 || 40.3 || .442 || .404 || .809 || 6.9 || 3.2 || 1.9 || 1.0 || 26.1 |- | align="left" | 2002–03 | align="left" | Boston | 79 || 79 || 39.2 || .416 || .302 || .802 || 7.3 || 4.4 || 1.8 || .8 || 25.9 |- | align="left" | 2003–04 | align="left" | Boston | 80 || 80 || 38.7 || .402 || .299 || .819 || 6.5 || 5.1 || 1.6 || .6 || 23.0 |- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Boston | 82 || 82 || 36.1 || .455 || .370 || .822 || 6.6 || 4.2 || 1.6 || .5 || 21.6 |- | align="left" | 2005–06 | align="left" | Boston | 79 || 79 || 39.0 || .471 || .354 || .772 || 6.7 || 4.7 || 1.4 || .4 || 26.8 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Boston | 47 || 46 || 37.0 || .439 || .389 || .796 || 5.9 || 4.1 || 1.0 || .3 || 25.0 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Boston | 80 || 80 || 35.9 || .464 || .392 || .843 || 5.1 || 4.5 || 1.3 || .4 || 19.6 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Boston | 81 || 81 || 37.5 || .457 || .391 || .830 || 5.6 || 3.6 || 1.0 || .3 || 20.5 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Boston | 71 || 71 || 34.0 || .472 || .414 || .852 || 4.4 || 3.1 || 1.2 || .4 || 18.3 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 884 || 881 || 37.3 || .445 || .369 || .802 || 6.1 || 3.8 || 1.5 || .6 || 22.5 |- | align="left" | All-Star | align="left" | | 8 || 0 || 14.1 || .500 || .160 || .778 || 2.9 || 2.0 || 1.5 || .0 || 10.9

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2001–02 | align="left" | Boston | 16 || 16 || 42.0 || .403 || .288 || .764 || 8.6 || 4.1 || 1.7 || 1.2 || 24.6 |- | align="left" | 2002–03 | align="left" | Boston | 10 || 10 || 44.5 || .399 || .356 || .863 || 9.0 || 6.7 || 2.1 || .8 || 27.1 |- | align="left" | 2003–04 | align="left" | Boston | 4 || 4 || 40.5 || .342 || .294 || .839 || 8.8 || 2.5 || 1.2 || 1.0 || 20.8 |- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Boston | 7 || 7 || 39.6 || .505 || .259 || .868 || 7.7 || 4.6 || 1.9 || 1.4 || 22.9 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Boston | 26 || 26 || 38.1 || .441 || .361 || .802 || 5.0 || 4.6 || 1.1 || .3 || 19.7 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Boston | 14 || 14 || 39.7 || .430 || .333 || .842 || 5.8 || 3.1 || 1.1 || .4 || 21.0 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Boston | 24 || 24 || 38.8 || .438 || .392 || .824 || 6.0 || 3.4 || 1.0 || .6 || 18.8 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 101 || 101 || 39.9 || .425 || .340 || .820 || 6.6 || 4.1 || 1.3 || .7 || 21.4

Career highlights

NBA

NBA Champion: 2008

NBA Finals MVP: 2008

All-NBA Second Team: 2009

3-time All-NBA Third Team: 2002, 2003, 2008

8-time NBA All-Star: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 1999

NBA 3-Point Contest Winner: 2010

NBA regular-season leader, total points: 2002 (2144)

NBA regular-season leader, free throws made: 2003 (604)

College

Named First Team All-America by the Associated Press after his junior year at the University of Kansas.

Named Big Eight Freshman of the Year in 1995–96.

MVP of the Big 12 Conference Tournament in both 1997 and 1998.

Member of the All-Big 12 First Team in 1997–1998.

Other

Member of the US national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship.

Member of the 2006 USA Basketball World Championship Team (Did not play due to an elbow injury).

NBA records

Most consecutive free throws made, playoffs: 21 (Game 1, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round).

Most free throws made in one quarter, NBA Finals: 10 (Game 5, 2008 NBA Finals).

Boston Celtics franchise records

Scored 30 or more points in a franchise record 12 consecutive games

Most points scored in a game at TD Banknorth Garden: 50 (February 15, 2006 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers).

Most points scored in a half (including Overtime): 46 (December 1, 2001 2nd Half vs. New Jersey Nets).

Most points scored in an overtime period: 13 (December 1, 2001 vs. New Jersey Nets)

Most three-point field goals made, career: 989 (1998–present).

Most three-point field goals attempted, career: 2769 (1998–present).

Most free throws made in one game: 20 (November 2, 2002 vs. New York Knicks).

Most free throws attempted in one game: 24 (November 5, 2005 vs. New York Knicks).

Most free throws made in one half: 14 (March 2, 2001 vs. Utah Jazz).

Most free throws made in one season: 612 (2005–2006, breaking his own record of 604, set in 2002–2003).

Most free throws attempted in one season: 812 (2005–2006, breaking his own record of 753 in 2002–2003).

Most steals in one game: 9 (tied with Larry Bird; December 3, 1999 vs. Miami Heat).

Most free throws made without a miss, playoffs: 21 (Game 1, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round).

Most points scored in one half, playoffs: 32 (Game 4, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round vs. Indiana Pacers).

Highest scoring average through one month: 33.5 PPG (February 2006).

Only Celtics player in franchise history to lead the NBA in total points scored in a season, scoring 2,144 points in 2001–2002.

Career scoring average: 22.5 PPG, 2nd only to Larry Bird.

Currently is the Celtics 2nd all time leading scorer, behind only John Havlicek.

Triple-doubles

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Number ! Date ! Opponent ! Box Score ! Points ! Rebounds ! Assists ! Steals ! Blocks ! Notes |- |1 | | Orlando Magic |align=center|W 91-83
Recap |align=center|27 |align=center|13 |align=center|13 |align=center|3 |align=center|0 |align=center| |- |2 | | Milwaukee Bucks |align=center|W 106-96
Recap |align=center|26 |align=center|10 |align=center|10 |align=center|1 |align=center|0 |align=center| |- |3 | | New Orleans Hornets |align=center|W 108-90
Recap |align=center|19 |align=center|10 |align=center|10 |align=center|1 |align=center|2 |align=center| |- |4 | | New Jersey Nets |align=center|W 110-89
Recap |align=center|28 |align=center|10 |align=center|10 |align=center|4 |align=center|1 |align=center| |- |5 | | Philadelphia 76ers |align=center|W 104-101
Recap |align=center|31 |align=center|12 |align=center|10 |align=center|0 |align=center|3 |align=center| |- |6 | | Indiana Pacers |align=center|W 99-88
Recap |align=center|18 |align=center|10 |align=center|12 |align=center|4 |align=center|1 |align=center| |- |}

See also

List of National Basketball Association career scoring 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 steals leaders

List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders

List of National Basketball Association players with 9 or more steals in a game

Notes

External links

} at ESPN.com

University of Kansas Men's Basketball

USA National Team

Paul Pierce Official Site

RedsArmy.com: The Voice Of Celtics Fans

Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:American basketball players Category:Basketball players from California Category:Boston Celtics draft picks Category:Boston Celtics players Category:Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:NBA Finals MVP Award winners Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Inglewood, California Category:People from Middlesex County, Massachusetts Category:People from Oakland, California Category:Small forwards Category:Shooting guards Category:Survivors of stabbing Category:United States men's national basketball team members

Mario Marceé West (born June 19 1984, in Huntsville, Alabama) is an American professional basketball player with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League. He has played with Atlanta Hawks and the Maine Red Claws in the NBA Development League. He was not drafted by the Hawks but later signed after the 2007 NBA Draft.

NBA/NBA Development League

West played with the Atlanta Hawks during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. Following his stint with the Red Claws to start the 2009-10 season, West resigned with Atlanta for the remainder of the 2009-10 season. While with the Hawks, he played in 156 games over 3 seasons, including 6 starts. He averaged 4.4 minutes and .8 points per game over that time. He played with the Boston Celtics during the 2010 preseason, but was cut prior to the start of the season. He subsequently returned to the Maine Red Claws, the Development League affiliate of the Celtics for the start of the 2010-11 season.

College

West went to Georgia Tech and joined as a walk on his freshman year and red-shirted. He was named a team captain just before his senior season started. While at Georgia Tech, West won the 2007 college slam dunk championship. West also earned a bachelor's degree in Business Management and Economics.

High school

West was a Douglas County player of the year as a senior at Douglas County High School. He also earned honorable mention all-state honors after averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds a game. Mario was team captain during his junior and his senior year.

References

External links

NBA.com: Mario West player profile

http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/news/index.html?article_id=1

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:Basketball players from Alabama Category:American basketball players Category:Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball players Category:Undrafted National Basketball Association players Category:Atlanta Hawks players Category:Maine Red Claws players Category:Shooting guards Category:People from Huntsville, Alabama Category:People from Douglas County, Georgia Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia

Caption	Chalmers with the Heat
Position	Point guard
Number	15
Height ft	6
Height in	1
Weight lb	195
Team	Miami Heat
Nationality	American
Birth date	May 19, 1986
Birth place	Anchorage, Alaska
High school	Bartlett (Anchorage)
College	Kansas
Draft round	2
Draft pick	34
Draft team	Minnesota Timberwolves
Draft year	2008
Career start	2008
Highlights	2009 NBA All-Rookie Second Team

Almario Vernard "Mario" Chalmers (born May 19, 1986 in Anchorage, Alaska) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the NBA. He was selected 34th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Chalmers played for the University of Kansas in college for three seasons, including the 2007–08 national championship team, hitting a dramatic three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in regulation to send the game against the Memphis Tigers into overtime, with Kansas eventually winning the game.

In the 2006–2007 Big 12 Coaches Awards, Chalmers was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year with Marcus Dove of Oklahoma State. Chalmers was also voted on the All Big 12 Third Team, and the All Big 12 Defensive Team.

In the 2007–2008 season, Chalmers was named Big 12 All-Defensive First Team and All Big 12 Second Team. He was also named Most Outstanding Player of the 2008 NCAA Championship.

High school

Chalmers attended Bartlett High School in Anchorage, Alaska. Chalmers was named 4A State Player of the Year three times in a row, joining Trajan Langdon as the only other player to do so. Chalmers also led his school to two state championships in 2002 and 2003, and a runner up finish in 2004.

College

Chalmers was rated the #2 overall point guard in the 2005 recruiting class by Rivals.com and Scout.com. He considered Arizona, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech before finally committing to KU on May 21, 2004.

Freshman year

Chalmers began his college career on the bench behind guard Jeff Hawkins, but worked his way into the starting rotation in January 2006. He finished the season starting 21 of the final 22 games (missing only senior night). He finished his freshman year averaging 11.5 points per game, second on the team. His 15 points against Bradley in the NCAA tournament totaled four straight 15 point games. He became the second freshman in Big 12 history to win Conference Player of the Week honors and was named National Freshman of the Week twice. He also set the KU and Big 12 record for most steals in a season by a freshman with 89. Chalmers won KU's Clyde Lovellette Most Improved Player Award (co- with Julian Wright), and the Dutch Lonborg Free Throw Percentage Award (78.8%). {|class="wikitable" !Year !Games Played !Minutes/Game !Points/Game !Rebounds/Game !Assists/Game !Turnovers/Game !Assist/Turnover !Steals/Game !Steals/Season |- |2005–2006 |33 |26.0 |11.5 |2.2 |3.8 |2.8 |1.37 |2.7 |89 |}

Sophomore year

Chalmers was second on the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game, recording four 20 point games during the 06–07 season. In the Big 12 Coaches Awards, Chalmers was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year with Marcus Dove of Oklahoma State. Chalmers was also voted on the All Big 12 Third Team, and the All Big 12 Defensive Team, and was the Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player. His season total of 97 steals put him in first place in Kansas basketball history for steals in a single season. {|class="wikitable" !Year !Games Played !Minutes/Game !Points/Game !Rebounds/Game !Assists/Game !Turnovers/Game !Assist/Turnover !Steals/Game !Steals/Season |- |2006–2007 |38 |29.2 |12.2 |3.0 |3.3 |2.4 |1.36 |2.6 |97 |}

Junior year

Chalmers averaged 12.8 points per game during his junior year. He also led the team in assists per game, with 4.3; 3-point shooting accuracy, at 46.8%; and steals, with 97. His 97 steals tied the school's single season record, a record he set as a sophomore. He scored 30 points in Kansas' win in the Big 12 Conference tournament title game against Texas.

He was named Big 12 All-Defensive First Team and All Big 12 Second Team.

Chalmers helped his team win the 2008 NCAA Championship with a three-point shot with 2.1 seconds left in the final game (often referred to as Mario's Miracle). His three just before the end of regulation brought the game into overtime, when Kansas would take over and beat the Memphis Tigers. Police responding to their hotel room following a fire alarm at 2:00 a.m. claimed that the room smelled strongly of marijuana but none was found and no charges were filed. Fellow NBA rookie Michael Beasley was also reported to have been in the room at the time, but was not asked to leave camp. Beasley was later fined $50,000 for his involvement in the incident. Chalmers denied any connection with marijuana and was later fined $20,000 by the league for missing the rookie camp, but was not fined or suspended for any drug-related violations.

2008–09 season

Chalmers started all 82 regular season games his rookie year and finished the season averaging 10.0 points, 4.9 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.95 steals on 32.0 minutes per game. His 1.95 steals per game ranked number one among all rookies and the fourth highest among all players.

On November 5, 2008 Chalmers set a new Miami Heat team record for steals with 9 in just his fourth game in the NBA.

2009-10 season

Chalmers had played in every game up to missing January 31 game against Milwaukee Bucks. It was the first game he had missed in his two year career. He has averaged 7.1 PPG and 3.4 APG. On January 31, 2010, an MRI confirmed that Chalmers has a torn ligament in his thumb. Chalmers returned from the injury a few weeks later, and played out the remainder of the season and the playoffs.

Number change

On July 8, 2010, when LeBron James announced he would be joining the Miami Heat, Chalmers changed to his collegiate number 15, and James took Chalmers' old number 6.

Personal life

Chalmers was born to Ronnie and Almarie Chalmers. He has an older sister named Roneka, who resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. He also has a son, named Zachiah A'mario Johnson. Chalmers is the cousin of former Los Angeles Clippers guard and Xavier standout Lionel Chalmers, and former Minnesota Timberwolves guard Chris Smith. He has four tattoos: on his shoulders he has his grandmother's names and the day she was born and the day she died with a dollar in the middle because she would give all the children a dollar, the tattoo on the bottom of his wrist says "quickness" and "confidence", the two words his grandmother told him all the time, the one on top of his left wrist is his mother's name, on his back he has one that says "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth".

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Miami | 82 || 82 || 32.0 || .420 || .367 || .767 || 2.8 || 4.9 || 2.0 || .1 || 10.0 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Miami | 73 || 22 || 24.8 || .401 || .318 || .745 || 1.8 || 3.4 || 1.2 || .2 || 7.1 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 155 || 104 || 28.6 || .412 || .346 || .759 || 2.3 || 4.2 || 1.6 || .1 || 8.6

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Miami | 7 || 7 || 33.0 || .400 || .286 || .714 || 2.7 || 4.4 || 2.9 || .1 || 7.3 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Miami | 5 || 0 || 26.2 || .450 || .350 || .846 || 1.8 || 2.6 || .6 || .0 || 10.8 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 12 || 7 || 30.1 || .422 || .317 || .800 || 2.3 || 3.7 || 1.9 || .1 || 8.8

See also

List of National Basketball Association players with 9 or more steals in a game

References

External links

KU player bio

Lawrence Journal-World profile

NBADraft.net profile

DraftExpress profile

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:Basketball players from Alaska Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players Category:Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks Category:Miami Heat players Category:People from Anchorage, Alaska Category:Point guards

Name	Kobe Bryant
Width	233px
Caption	Bryant in February 2007
Position	Shooting guard
Height ft	6
Height in	6
Weight lb	205
Team	Los Angeles Lakers
Number	24
Birth date	August 23, 1978
Birthplace	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
High school	Lower Merion HS, Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Draft year	1996
Draft round	1
Draft pick	13
Draft team	Charlotte Hornets
Career start	1996
Teams
Highlights

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 led to O'Neal's departure following the 2003–04 season. In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault after having sex with a hotel employee in Edwards, Colorado. In September 2004, prosecutors dropped the case after his accuser refused to testify, and Bryant had to rebuild his image while becoming the cornerstone of the Lakers. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process. second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point performance. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010 and was named NBA Finals MVP on both occasions.

Bryant currently ranks fourth and ninth on the league's post-season scoring and all-time 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 twelve All-Star appearances, winning the All-Star MVP Award three times (2002, 2007, and 2009). He is a twelve-time member of the All-NBA team and ten-time All-Defensive team, and is 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 NBA player of the 2000s decade.

Early years

Childhood and youth

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. Bryant was raised Roman Catholic. When Bryant was six, his father left the NBA and moved his family to Italy to begin playing professional basketball. Bryant became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak Italian and Spanish fluently. During summers, Bryant would come back to the United States to play in a basketball summer league. He started playing basketball when he was 3 years old, and his favorite team growing up was the Lakers. Bryant's grandfather would mail him videos of NBA games, which Bryant would study. He has said that if he had stayed in Italy, he would have tried to become a professional soccer player; Upon Joe Bryant's retirement from playing basketball in 1991, the Bryant family moved back to the United States.

High school

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 (junior and senior) basketball team. His father coached him his sophomore 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. while playing alongside future NBA teammate Lamar Odom. 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. 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. He ended his career as Southeastern Pennsylvania's all-time leading scorer at 2,883 points, surpassing both Wilt Chamberlain and Lionel Simmons. 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. Bryant's varsity coach, Greg Downer, commented that Bryant was "a complete player who dominates". though the two were/are just friends. His SAT score of 1080 would have ensured his basketball scholarship to various top-tier colleges. 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.

NBA career

1996 NBA Draft

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. However, according to Arn Tellem, Bryant's agent at the time, Bryant playing for the Charlotte Hornets was "an impossibility". However, Bill Branch, the Hornets' head scout at the time, said that the Hornets agreed to trade their draft selection to the Lakers the day before the draft. The Lakers didn't tell the Hornets who to select until five minutes before the pick was made. 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". On July 1, 1996, West traded his starting center, Vlade Divac, to the Hornets in exchange for Bryant's draft rights. 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.

First three seasons (1996–99)

During his rookie season, Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel. At the time he became the youngest player ever to play in an NBA game (a record since broken by teammate Andrew Bynum), and also became the youngest NBA starter ever. 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. Bryant's performance throughout the year earned him a spot on the NBA All Rookie second team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight. His final minutes of the season ended in disaster when he shot 3 air balls at crucial times in the game.

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. 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. Bryant was the runner-up for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award, and through fan voting, he also became the youngest NBA All-Star starter in NBA history. He was joined by fellow team mates 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.

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. The playoff results, however, were no better, as the Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semi-finals.

Three-peat (1999–2002)

Bryant's fortunes would soon change when Phil Jackson became coach for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999. After years of steady improvement, Bryant became one of the premier shooting guards in the league, earning appearances in the league's All-NBA, All-Star, and All-Defensive teams. The Los Angeles Lakers became premier championship contenders under Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, who formed an outstanding 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.

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. 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). 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. 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 missed the rest of the game and game 3. In game 4, Bryant scored 22 points in the second half, and led the team to an overtime victory as O'Neal fouled out of the game. Bryant scored the winning shot to put the Lakers ahead 120–118. With a game 6 victory, the Lakers won their first championship since 1988.

Statistically, the 2000–01 season saw Bryant perform similarly to the previous year except Bryant was averaging 6 more points a game (28.5). It was also the year when disagreements between Bryant and O'Neal began to surface. 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 overtime. 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. 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. 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 Trail 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 Western Conference Finals in the 2000 NBA Playoffs. 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. At age 23, Bryant became the youngest player to win three championships. This cemented Bryant's reputation as a clutch player.

Coming up short (2002–04)

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,

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. Before the season began, Bryant was arrested for sexual assault. 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. 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 three-pointer as time ran out to tie the game and send it into over time. The game eventually went to a second over time and Bryant made another three pointer as time expired to lift the Lakers past the Trail Blazers 105–104. In the Finals, they were defeated in five games by the Detroit Pistons, who won their first championship since 1990. In that series, Bryant averaged 22.6 points per game and 4.4 assists. He shot a mere 35.1% from the field. Phil Jackson's contract as coach was not renewed, and Rudy Tomjanovich took over. Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant. 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.

Playoffs disappointments (2004–07)

in October 2005]] 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 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". Midway through the season, Rudy Tomjanovich suddenly resigned as Lakers coach, citing the recurrence of health problems and exhaustion. Without Tomjanovich, stewardship of the remainder of the Lakers' season fell to career assistant coach Frank Hamblen. 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. During the season, Bryant also engaged in public feuds with Ray Allen and Karl Malone.

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. 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 had outscored the entire Mavericks team 62–61, the only time a player has done this through three quarters since the advent of the 24-second shot clock. 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 the two players. A month later, at the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, the two were seen laughing together.

in Staples Center, second highest single scoring performance in NBA history, surpassed only by Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962.]] On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points in a victory against the Toronto Raptors. 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. 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. For the month of January, Bryant averaged 43.4 points per game, the eighth highest single month scoring average in NBA history and highest for any player other than Chamberlain. 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). He won the league's scoring title for the first time, posting a scoring average of (35.4). 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. 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.

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. 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. Despite Bryant's 27.9 points per game in the series, the Lakers broke down, and ultimately fell to the Suns in seven games. In the 2006 off-season, Bryant had knee surgery, preventing him from participating in the 2006 FIBA World Championship tournament.

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. 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. 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. Later, on March 6, he seemed to repeat the motion, this time striking Minnesota Timberwolves guard Marko Jarić. 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. The following game, Bryant recorded 50 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 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. The only other Laker to do so was Elgin Baylor, who also scored 50+ in three consecutive contests in December 1962. Bryant finished the year with a total of ten 50-plus point games, 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. Throughout the 2006–07 season, Bryant's jersey became the top selling NBA jersey in the United States and China. 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. In the 2007 NBA Playoffs, the Lakers were once again eliminated in the first round by the Phoenix Suns, 4–1.

MVP year (2007–08)

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. 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. 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." 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. Bryant would later be shown on an infamous amateur video saying that center Andrew Bynum should have been traded for All-Star Jason Kidd.

in 6 games during the 2008 NBA Finals.]] 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. 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 and the Lakers' medical staff will just have to continue to monitor on a day-to-day basis." In early September 2008, Bryant decided not to have surgery to repair the injury.

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. 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." 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. 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.

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. 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. In the first game of the next round against the Jazz, Bryant scored 38 points as the Lakers beat the Jazz in Game 1. The Lakers won the next game as well, but dropped Games 3 and 4, even with Bryant putting up 33.5 points per game. The Lakers then won the next two games to win the semifinals in 6. The Lakers then lost to the Boston Celtics in 6 games.

Repeat (2008–10)

record with 61 points]]

In the 2008–09 season, the Lakers opened the campaign by winning their first seven games. Bryant led the team to tie the franchise record for most wins to start the season going 17–2, 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, 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. 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. 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. 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, and was selected to the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team for the seventh time in his career.

NBA Champions Los Angeles Lakers]] 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, becoming 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 and the first since Michael Jordan to average 30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for a title-winning team in the finals.

During the 2009–10 season, Bryant made six game-winning shots including a buzzer-beating, one-legged three point shot against the Miami Heat on December 4, 2009. Bryant considered the shot one of the luckiest he has made. Despite the injury, Bryant elected to continue playing with it, rather than take any time off to rest the injury. Bryant also became the youngest player (31 years, 151 days) to reach 25,000 points during the season, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain. He continued his dominant clutch plays making yet another game winning three-pointer against the Sacramento Kings, and what would be the game-winning field goal against the Boston Celtics. The following day, he surpassed Jerry West to become the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history. 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. Two weeks later, he made his sixth game-winning shot of the season against the Toronto Raptors.

of the Orlando Magic on January 18, 2010]] (left) and Bryant (center) with Barack Obama (right) on January 25, 2010]]On April 2, 2010, Bryant signed a three-year contract extension worth $87 million. 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, eventually defeating them in six games. The Lakers swept the Utah Jazz in the second round 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. 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. In a rematch against the 2008 Champions 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. This marked the first time the Lakers won a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Bryant said that this was the most satisfying of all of his five championships.

2010–11 season

The Lakers started the 2010–11 season by winning their first eight games. 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. Bryant also recorded his first triple double since January 21, 2009.

Player profile

.]] 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, has been selected to every All-NBA Team since 1999, and has been featured in the last twelve NBA All-Star games. In 2007, an ESPN poll of sportswriters voted him as the second best shooting guard in NBA history behind Jordan. He is known for his ability to create shots for himself and is a standout three-point shooter, sharing the single-game NBA record for three pointers made with twelve. Bryant is often cited as one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA, though his 45.4% career field goal average is considered moderate. He 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.

Aside from his scoring ability, he has established himself as a standout defender, having made the All-Defensive first or second team ten of the last eleven seasons. For nine consecutive seasons, Bryant has been selected by an NBA GM survey as the player they most want taking the shot with the game on the line. Both Sporting News and TNT named Bryant the NBA player of the 2000s decade.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 71 || 6 || 15.5 || .417 || .375 || .819 || 1.9 || 1.3 || .7 || .3 || 7.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 79 || 1 || 26.0 || .428 || .341 || .794 || 3.1 || 2.5 || .9 || .5 || 15.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 50 || 50 || 37.9 || .465 || .267 || .839 || 5.3 || 3.8 || 1.4 || 1.0 || 19.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 66 || 62 || 38.2 || .468 || .319 || .821 || 6.3 || 4.9 || 1.6 || .9 || 22.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 68 || 68 || 40.9 || .464 || .305 || .853 || 5.9 || 5.0 || 1.7 || .6 || 28.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 80 || 80 || 38.3 || .469 || .250 || .829 || 5.5 || 5.5 || 1.5 || .4 || 25.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 82 || 82 || 41.5 || .451 || .383 || .843 || 6.9 || 5.9 || 2.2 || .8 || 30.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 65 || 64 || 37.6 || .438 || .327 || .852 || 5.5 || 5.1 || 1.7 || .4 || 24.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 66 || 66 || 40.7 || .433 || .339 || .816 || 5.9 || 6.0 || 1.3 || .8 || 27.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 80 || 80 || 41.0 || .450 || .347 || .850 || 5.3 || 4.5 || 1.8 || .4 || 35.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 77 || 77 || 40.8 || .463 || .344 || .868 || 5.7 || 5.4 || 1.4 || .5 || 31.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 82 || 82 || 38.9 || .459 || .361 || .840 || 6.3 || 5.4 || 1.8 || .5 || 28.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 82 || 82 || 36.1 || .467 || .351 || .856 || 5.2 || 4.9 || 1.5 || .4 || 26.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 73 || 73 || 38.8 || .456 || .329 || .811 || 5.4 || 5.0 || 1.6 || .3 || 27.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 1021 || 873 || 36.4 || .455 || .340 || .838 || 5.3 || 4.7 || 1.5 || .6 || 25.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| All-Star | style="text-align:left;"| | 11 || 11 || 27.1 || .503 || .354 || .778 || 4.5 || 4.6 || 2.7 || .4 || 18.8

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 1996–97 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 9 || 0 || 14.8 || .382 || .261 || .867 || 1.2 || 1.2 || .3 || .2 || 8.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1997–98 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 11 || 0 || 20.0 || .408 || .214 || .689 || 1.9 || 1.5 || .3 || .7 || 8.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1998–99 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 8 || 8 || 39.4 || .430 || .348 || .800 || 6.9 || 4.6 || 1.9 || 1.2 || 19.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1999–00 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 22 || 22 || 39.0 || .442 || .344 || .754 || 4.5 || 4.4 || 1.5 || 1.5 || 21.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2000–01 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 16 || 16 || 43.4 || .469 || .324 || .821 || 7.3 || 6.1 || 1.6 || .8 || 29.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2001–02 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 19 || 19 || 43.8 || .434 || .379 || .759 || 5.8 || 4.6 || 1.4 || .9 || 26.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 12 || 12 || 44.3 || .432 || .403 || .827 || 5.1 || 5.2 || 1.2 || .1 || 32.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 22 || 22 || 44.2 || .413 || .247 || .813 || 4.7 || 5.5 || 1.9 || .3 || 24.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 7 || 7 || 44.9 || .497 || .400 || .771 || 6.3 || 5.1 || 1.1 || .4 || 27.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 5 || 5 || 43.0 || .462 || .357 || .919 || 5.2 || 4.4 || 1.0 || .4 || 32.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 21 || 21 || 41.1 || .479 || .302 || .809 || 5.7 || 5.6 || 1.7 || .4 || 30.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 23 || 23 || 40.8 || .457 || .349 || .883 || 5.3 || 5.5 || 1.7 || .9 || 30.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 23 || 23 || 40.1 || .458 || .374 || .842 || 6.0 || 5.5 || 1.4 || .7 || 29.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 198 || 178 || 39.4 || .448 || .337 || .815 || 5.2 || 4.8 || 1.4 || .7 || 25.5

Accomplishments and records

International career

at the 2008 Summer Olympics]] }}

Bryant's senior international career with the United States national team began in 2006. 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 is ranked 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 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.

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.

On June 23, 2008, he was named to the USA Men's Senior National Team for the 2008 Summer Olympics. 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. 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.

Off the court

Personal life

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". 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,

They married on April 18, 2001, at St. Edward Roman Catholic Church in Dana Point, California. 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. In an early 2007 interview, it was revealed that Bryant still speaks Italian fluently.

Sexual assault allegation

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 hotel in Eagle 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.

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. 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." 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

Before starting the 1996–97 NBA season, Bryant signed a 6-year contract with Adidas worth approximately $48 million. His first signature shoe was the Equipment KB 8. 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, 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. A notable exception was Nike, Inc., who had signed him to a 5-year, $40–45 million contract just before the incident. 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. 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 (alongside Jimmy Kimmel) in 2010.

In 2008 Bryant completed a pair of viral videos showing him doing dangerous stunts to promote Nike's Hyper Dunk shoes. The first showed Bryant jumping over a speeding Aston Martin and the second one showed Bryant with the crew of Jackass jumping over a pool of snakes. Both videos received over 4.5 million views each on YouTube. Bryant later hinted that the stunts were fake, as actually doing them would violate his contract with the Lakers by participating in dangerous activities. 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. 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. On February 9, 2009, Bryant was featured on the cover of ESPN The Magazine. However, it wasn't for anything basketball related, rather it was about Bryant being a big fan of FC Barcelona. CNN estimated Bryant's endorsement deals in 2007 to be worth $16 million a year. 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.

On 13 December 2010, Kobe signed a two-year deal to become the new global brand ambassador for Turkish Airlines airline company. A global advertising campaign featuring Kobe Bryant is planned for 2011.

Bryant has appeared as the cover athlete for the following video games: Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside NBA Courtside 2002 NBA 3 On 3 Featuring Kobe Bryant NBA '07: Featuring the Life Vol. 2

NBA 2K10

Philanthropy

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. Bryant also started the Kobe Bryant China Fund which will partner with the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, a charity backed by the Chinese government. The Kobe Bryant China Fund will raise money within China earmarked for education and health programs. On November 4, 2010, Bryant appeared alongside Zach Braff at the 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.

See also

Kobe Bryant (song)

Kobe Bryant – Shaquille O'Neal feud

Kobe Doin' Work

List of active NBA players who have spent their entire career with one team

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 3-point scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders

List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders

List of National Basketball Association players with 50 or more points in a playoff game

List of National Basketball Association players with most championship rings

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 top individual scoring season averages

Notes

External links

Official Site

Kobe Bryant at NBA.com

NBA.com – The Ultimate Kobe Page

Kobe Bryant Video on ESPN Video Archive

Kobe Bryant Video on FoxSports Video Archive

Category:1978 births Category:African American basketball players Category:American expatriates in Italy Category:American Roman Catholics Category:Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from Pennsylvania Category:Charlotte Hornets draft picks Category:Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year Category:Living people Category:Los Angeles Lakers players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:National Basketball Association high school draftees Category:NBA Slam Dunk Contest champions Category:NBA Finals MVP Award winners Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Newport Beach, California Category:People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:Shooting guards Category:United States men's national basketball team members

Name	Jason Richardson
Position	Swingman (G/F)
Number	23
Height ft	6
Height in	6
Weight lb	225
Team	Orlando Magic
Nationality	American
Birth date	January 20, 1981
Birth place	Saginaw, Michigan
Draft round	1
Draft pick	5
College	Michigan State
Draft year	2001
Draft team	Golden State Warriors
Career start	2001
Teams	Golden State Warriors (2001–07) Charlotte Bobcats (2007–08) Phoenix Suns (2008-10) Orlando Magic (2010-present)
Highlights	NBA All-Rookie First Team (2002)2× NBA Slam Dunk Champion(2002-2003)

Jason Anthoney "J-Rich" Richardson (born January 20, 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association.

A 6'6", 225 lb. shooting guard/small forward, Richardson was taken by the Golden State Warriors as the fifth overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft from Michigan State, earning the NBA Rookie Challenge MVP and All-Rookie Team First Team honors his debut season in the league.

He is regarded as one of the NBA's most demonstrative dunkers, winning the NBA Slam Dunk crown in 2002 and 2003, joining Michael Jordan as the (at the time) competition's only back-to-back champions.

Professional career

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors drafted Jason Richardson out of Michigan State University with the 5th overall pick. While playing for Michigan State, Richardson, Mateen Cleaves, Charlie Bell, Morris Peterson and Dave Thomas won a Division 1 NCAA National Championship.

Richardson competed in the Rookie Challenge as a rookie in 2002 and a sophomore in 2003. His teams won both years, and he was awarded the Rookie Challenge MVP as a rookie. As a sophomore, he had a memorable moment when, in the closing seconds of the game, he bounced the ball off Carlos Boozer's forehead and then made a three-pointer before the clock ran out.

During his time with Golden State, Richardson gained popularity for his outstanding scoring, ability to dunk, dedication to the team and fans, and ethical maturity. The long time captain of the Warriors, Richardson organized a letter of apology to Warrior fans after the team failed to make the playoffs for the 12th straight season. The letter ran in several Bay Area newspapers. The following year, Richardson helped lead the Warriors to their first playoff game in 13 years. They won in the first round, upsetting the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks, but lost in the second round to the Utah Jazz.

Although no longer playing for Golden State, Richardson remains one of the most popular players among Warrior fans because of his electric style of play and ability to shoot three-pointers, as well as the longevity and tenor of his tenure with the team. Richardson set the Warrior franchise record for three-pointers made in a game without missing (8) in a home win against the Phoenix Suns. Richardson is especially known for his high-flying abilities and is widely regarded as one of the best dunkers in the NBA today. He won the NBA Slam Dunk Contests in 2002 and 2003, and also competed in the 2004 contest, but lost to Fred Jones in the finals.

Charlotte Bobcats

On June 28, 2007, Richardson was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats along with the draft rights to 36th pick Jermareo Davidson for the draft rights to eighth pick Brandan Wright.

Richardson began to gain attention with the Bobcats when he led the team to a road win against the Boston Celtics after scoring 34 points. This was only the Celtics' fourth loss of the season and second loss at home. It was also the Bobcats' second road win of the season, ending an 11 game road losing streak. Richardson also led the Bobcats to a franchise-record five consecutive game winning streak, including a home win against his former team, the Golden State Warriors. Richardson posted 42 points against the Warriors. The 2007–08 season was a season of rebuilding for Richardson and the Bobcats. He was able to get his points per game average back up to 21.8, lead the Bobcats in scoring, and lead the league in three-point field goals made.

Phoenix Suns

On December 10, 2008, Richardson was traded along with Jared Dudley, and a 2010 second round pick to the Phoenix Suns for Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and Sean Singletary. The Suns dealt for Richardson, as they were looking for another backcourt scorer to take pressure off of Steve Nash.

In his first game as a Sun, Richardson scored a game-high 21 points, including an alley-oop from Leandro Barbosa that brought the crowd to their feet. His first year in Phoenix resulted in the team missing the playoffs for the first time since 2003.

However, in his second year with the team, he helped bring them back to the playoffs with his play on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. In the first round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs, Richardson led the Suns to a first-round victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, including a career playoff-high 42 points in a Game 3 blowout. In the next round, Richardson helped the Suns to a series sweep against the San Antonio Spurs, before falling to the L.A. Lakers in game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.

Orlando Magic

On December 18, 2010, Richardson was traded to the Orlando Magic along with Hedo Türkoğlu and Earl Clark for Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, Mickaël Piétrus, a 2011 first-round draft pick and $3 million cash.

Personal life

Since being acquired by the Phoenix Suns, Richardson has been involved in two off-court legal issues involving Arizona police agencies:

On December 21, 2008, Richardson was cited for driving while under the influence of alcohol by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Police. Court action on this incident is pending at this time.

Richardson was arrested and briefly detained again on February 15, 2009, by Scottsdale, Arizona police after he was observed driving at a tremendously high speed. According to police reports, Richardson was clocked doing 90 MPH in a 35 MPH zone. When stopped, it was discovered that the Sun's star had his young son, age 3, in the back seat unrestrained. Richardson was booked by Scottsdale Police for criminal speeding, reckless driving, and reckless endangerment of a child.

Following the latter incident, Richardson was suspended without pay by the Suns for one game for "Conduct detrimental to the Team". No Court date has been set at this time on these charges.

Then on August 28, 2009, the NBA suspended Richardson for the first two games of the 2009-10 season due to his DUI arrest.

Awards and Accomplishments

NBA Slam Dunk Champion: 2002, 2003

Rookie Challenge MVP: 2002

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2002

1999 McDonald's All-American

1999 Mr. Basketball of Michigan

Career transactions

June 27, 2001: Drafted 5th overall by Golden State Warriors in 2001 NBA Draft.

June 28, 2007: Traded by Golden State along with draft rights of 36th pick Jermareo Davidson to the Charlotte Bobcats for draft rights of 8th pick Brandan Wright. December 10, 2008: Traded by Charlotte along with Jared Dudley and their 2010 second-round draft pick (which ended up being Gani Lawal) to the Phoenix Suns for Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and Sean Singletary.

December 18, 2010: Traded by Phoenix along with Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark for Marcin Gortat, Vince Carter, and Mikael Pietrus.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2001–02 | align="left" | Golden State | 80 || 75 || 32.9 || .426 || .333 || .671 || 4.3 || 3.0 || 1.3 || .4 || 14.4 |- | align="left" | 2002–03 | align="left" | Golden State | 82 || 82 || 32.9 || .410 || .368 || .764 || 4.6 || 3.0 || 1.1 || .3 || 15.6 |- | align="left" | 2003–04 | align="left" | Golden State | 78 || 78 || 37.6 || .438 || .282 || .684 || 6.7 || 2.9 || 1.1 || .5 || 18.7 |- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Golden State | 72 || 72 || 37.8 || .446 || .338 || .693 || 5.9 || 3.9 || 1.5 || .4 || 21.7 |- | align="left" | 2005–06 | align="left" | Golden State | 75 || 75 || 38.4 || .446 || .384 || .673 || 5.8 || 3.1 || 1.3 || .5 || 23.2 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Golden State | 51 || 49 || 32.8 || .417 || .365 || .657 || 5.1 || 3.4 || 1.1 || .6 || 16.0 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Charlotte | 82 || 82 || 38.4 || .441 || .406 || .752 || 5.4 || 3.1 || 1.4 || .7 || 21.8 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Charlotte | 14 || 14 || 35.1 || .441 || .458 || .745 || 4.1 || 2.6 || 1.0 || .2 || 18.7 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Phoenix | 58 || 57 || 33.1 || .488 || .383 || .778 || 4.5 || 1.9 || 1.1 || .4 || 16.4 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Phoenix | 79 || 76 || 31.5 || .474 || .393 || .739 || 5.1 || 1.8 || .8 || .4 || 15.7 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 671 || 660 || 35.1 || .442 || .370 || .710 || 5.3 || 2.9 || 1.2 || .5 || 18.3

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Golden State | 11 || 11 || 38.9 || .476 || .354 || .704 || 6.7 || 2.0 || 1.3 || .4 || 19.1 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Phoenix | 16 || 16 || 33.3 || .502 || .475 || .759 || 5.4 || 1.1 || 1.1 || .2 || 19.8 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 27 || 27 || 35.6 || .491 || .421 || .741 || 6.0 || 1.4 || 1.2 || .3 || 19.5

References

External links

Jason Richardson Profile at NBA.com

Jason Richardson's Apology Letter at GSoM

2k6-2k7 REPORT CARD: Jason Richardson (GSoM)

www.jrich23.com Jason Richardson's Official Website

Category:1981 births Category:African American basketball players Category:Charlotte Bobcats players Category:Golden State Warriors draft picks Category:Golden State Warriors players Category:Living people Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players Category:NBA Slam Dunk Contest champions Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:Basketball players from Michigan Category:People from Saginaw, Michigan Category:Shooting guards Category:Phoenix Suns players Category:Orlando Magic players

Name	Eric Bledsoe
Team	Los Angeles Clippers|position = Point Guard
Number	12
Draft round	1
Draft pick	18
Draft year	2010
Draft team	Oklahoma City Thunder
Career start	2010
Height ft	6
Height in	1
Weight lb	190
Nationality	American
Birth date	December 09, 1989
Birth place	Birmingham, Alabama
High school	Parker High School (Birmingham, Alabama)
College	Kentucky
Highlights

Eric Bledsoe (born December 9, 1989 in Birmingham, Alabama) is an American basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers. He was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 18th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He was regarded as one of the nation's top point guards while in high school.

College career

Bledsoe played for one year at the University of Kentucky, averaging 11.3 points per game. Although he is primarily a point guard, he played mostly shooting guard for the 35–3 Wildcats.

Professional career

On April 7, 2010, Bledsoe announced that he would forgo his final three seasons of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2010 NBA Draft. He was touted for his quickness, ball handling ability, and ability to hit the long ball. Bledsoe was picked 18th overall in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder but was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Grade controversy

In September 2010, it was reported that Bledsoe may have been ineligible to play his one season for Kentucky when discrepancies were found in his high school transcripts. The Alabama Public School System hired independent attorneys of the Birmingham-based law firm of White Arnold & Dow, led by former President of the Alabama State Bar Mark White and former Federal Court judge U.W. Clemon, to investigate claims that one of Bledsoe's grades was improperly changed. One specific grade, an Algebra change from a C to an A, had raised Bledsoe's GPA high enough to make him NCAA-eligible.

External links

Bledsoe's Career Night Propels Kentucky Over Florida

References

Category:Living people Category:1989 births Category:American basketball players Category:Basketball players from Alabama Category:Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Category:Los Angeles Clippers players Category:Oklahoma City Thunder draft picks Category:People from Birmingham, Alabama Category:Point guards

Width	230px
Position	Shooting guard / Point guard
Number	3
Height ft	6
Height in	4
Weight lb	220
Nationality
High school	Harold L. Richards High School
Birth date	January 17, 1982
Birth place	Chicago, Illinois
College	Marquette University
Team	Miami Heat
Draft round	1
Draft pick	5
Draft year	2003
Draft team	Miami Heat
Career start	2003
Teams
Highlights

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 six 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.

Early life

Dwyane Wade was born on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois to Dwyane Sr. and Jolinda Wade. He cites one of his older sisters, Tragil, as the individual most responsible for his childhood upbringing and for steering him in the proper direction. His parents divorced and he lived with his father and stepmother in Robbins, Illinois during his childhood. As a child growing up in the Chicago area Wade idolized former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan, and has said he patterns his game after him.

Wade attended Harold L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn, playing for the school's varsity basketball team. Wade grew four inches in the summer before his junior year and saw an increase in playing time, averaging 20.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. The following year, Wade averaged 27.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game while leading his team to a 24–5 record.

College career

Wade chose to play college basketball for Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During Wade's freshman year at Marquette, he was ineligible to play with the men's team due to a violation of the NCAA's Proposition 48. Wade sought tutoring to improve his writing skills in order to regain eligibility. When Wade became eligible to play the following year (2001–2002), he led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 17.8 ppg, led the conference in steals at 2.47 per game, and accumulated averages of 6.6 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game. Marquette finished with a 26–7 record, His triple double was the fourth in NCAA Tournament history. Wade's exceptional play helped lead Marquette over the Wildcats 83–69 and into the Final Four; Wade was named MVP of the Midwest Regional. Marquette finished the season ranked #6 in the AP poll, the school's highest ranking since the 1976–77 season. Wade's strong tournament play resulted in increased visibility in the national media and, consequently, a high draft projection. As a result, he elected to forgo his senior year at Marquette and enter the 2003 NBA draft. On February 3, 2007, almost four years after Wade played in his final collegiate game, Marquette retired his jersey at halftime of a game against Providence. Although Marquette requires student-athletes to graduate prior to receiving jersey retirement honors, the University made a special exception for Wade based on his accomplishments since leaving Marquette.

NBA career

2003–04

Selected 5th overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat, Wade quickly emerged as a productive player on a youthful Miami Heat team and averaged 16.2 points on 46.5% shooting with averages of 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Wade is one of only four Marquette University players to be drafted in the first round; his is the highest draft selection in school history. the Heat would gradually improve and finish 42–40 to qualify for the NBA playoffs. He further distinguished himself with outstanding performances in the playoffs, Wade continued his high level of play in the second round by averaging 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists per game and limited him in the seventh. The Heat lost the series in the seventh game despite leading three games to two after the fifth game and holding a lead with three minutes remaining in Game 7.

2005–06

By the 2005–06 season Wade had developed into one of the most prominent players in the NBA and was elected to his second All-Star Game. In the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, Wade made the game winning put-back off of the Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson's missed shot, to lead the East to a 122–120 victory over the West. He scored 20 points on 9/11 field goals in 30 minutes of play. He finished the 2005–06 regular season averaging 27.2 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.95 steals per game. Returning late in the half, Wade resurrected his team by scoring 15 of his 28 points while suffering from intense pain, leading the Heat to the much-needed 3–2 series lead. After this, Wade successfully led his team to the 2006 NBA Finals, despite suffering from flu-like symptoms in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons. He put up a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists in that game, including an 8-point flurry to close out the third quarter that put the game out of reach. respectively, helped bring the Heat back from a 0–2 deficit to lead the series at 3 games to 2. In Game 3 Wade tied his career playoff high with 42 points and grabbed a career high 13 rebounds. 15 of his 42 points came in the fourth quarter, in which the Heat erased a 13 point deficit over the final 6:29 with a 22–7 run which included a go-ahead jumper by NBA veteran Gary Payton that sealed the win. The Heat went on to win Game 6 behind Wade's 36 points, taking the series 4–2, and Wade was presented with the Finals MVP trophy. He became the fifth youngest player in NBA history to capture NBA Finals MVP honors and recorded the third highest scoring average by a player in his first NBA Finals with 34.7 points per game. His 33.8 PER in the NBA finals was ranked by ESPN's John Hollinger as the greatest Finals performance since the NBA-ABA merger.

2006–07

In the 2006–07 season, Wade missed a total of 31 games due to injury. He was elected to his third straight All-Star Game and received All-NBA honors. He became the first guard to earn All-NBA honors after missing at least 31 games in a season since Pete Maravich of the Utah Jazz earned Second Team honors during the 1977–78 season. But with Shaquille O'Neal healthy and Pat Riley returning to the bench after undergoing hip and knee surgeries, the Heat seemed poised to surge into the second half of the season. However, during a game against the Houston Rockets on February 21, 2007, while attempting to steal the ball from Shane Battier, Wade dislocated his left shoulder and was assisted off the court in a wheelchair. After the injury he was left with the decision to either rehabilitate the shoulder or undergo season-ending surgery. Wade later announced that he would put off the surgery and rehabilitate his shoulder with the intention of rejoining the team in time for the playoffs. After missing 23 games to recover from the injury, Wade returned to the active roster in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats. Sporting a black sleeve to help protect his dislocated left shoulder, Wade played 27 minutes and recorded 12 points and 8 assists, in a 111–103 overtime loss. For the season, Wade averaged 27.4 points, 7.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game shooting 50% from the field, and finished the season as the NBA's leader in PER (Player efficiency rating).

In the playoffs, Wade averaged 23.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game, as the Heat were swept in the first round by the Chicago Bulls. Following the playoffs, Wade underwent a pair of successful surgeries to repair his dislocated left shoulder and left knee. The knee ailment, commonly called "jumper's knee," prevented Wade from joining USA Basketball in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament over the summer.

2007–08

After missing the Tournament of Americas Olympic Qualifiers over the summer, Miami's eight pre-season games and first seven regular season games to recover from off-season left knee and left shoulder surgeries, Wade made his first appearance of the 2007–08 season on November 14, 2007. Battling pain in his left knee throughout the season, Wade was elected to his fourth consecutive All-Star Game appearance. However, with the Heat holding the worst record in the NBA and Wade still experiencing problems in his left knee, Heat coach Pat Riley announced Wade would miss the final 21 games of the season to undergo OssaTron treatment on his left knee. Wade averaged 24.6 points, 6.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game for the season. Early in the season, Wade became the second player in NBA history to tally at least 40 points, 10 assists and five blocked shots in a game since Alvan Adams did so in the 1976–77 season. With a healthy Wade leading the league in scoring and the Heat making a push for a playoff position, Wade was elected to his fifth consecutive All-Star game appearance.

Following the All-Star game, Wade recorded 50 points on 56.6% shooting and added 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a blow-out loss against the Orlando Magic. Wade became the fourth player in NBA history to score at least 50 points while his team lost by at least 20 in a game. Wade became the second player to record 15 or more assists after scoring at least 50 points since Wilt Chamberlain did so in 1968. Two games later, Wade tied a franchise record with 24 points in the fourth quarter, as he led the Heat back from a 15 point deficit in the final nine minutes of the quarter to secure a 120–115 win over the New York Knicks. For the game, Wade recorded 46 points on 55% field goal shooting, 10 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks. The following game, in former teammate Shaquille O'Neal's return to Miami since being traded, Wade tied a career-high with 16 assists and added 35 points on 62% shooting, 6 rebounds, a steal and a block, as the Heat defeated the Phoenix Suns 135–129. Wade became the only player in Heat history to have multiple games with at least 30 points and 15 assists. Wade finished with 48 points on 71.4% shooting, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks in 50 minutes. Two games later, Wade surpassed Alonzo Mourning and became the Heat's all-time leading scorer in a triple overtime classic against the Utah Jazz. Wade finished with 50 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks in a 140–129 win. Wade also became just the fifth player in NBA History to reach 2,000 points, 500 assists, and 150 steals in a season. After a 97–92 win against the Charlotte Bobcats, Wade helped the Heat clinch a playoff berth and become only the second team in NBA History to reach the postseason after winning 15 or fewer games the year before. In a 122–105 win against the New York Knicks, Wade recorded a career high 55 points on 63% field goal shooting and added 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Wade recorded 50 points through three quarters and was pulled out of the game while he was one point shy of eclipsing the franchise record of 56 points set by Glen Rice. On November 12 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wade made a spectacular dunk over Anderson Varejão, considered by many to be one of the greatest of the season until then. LeBron James himself described the dunk as "great, probably top 10 all-time". Two days later against the New Jersey Nets, with the Heat down by two in the final seconds, Wade hit a clutch three-point shot, giving the Heat the win by one point, 81-80. On January 6, Wade scored a season-high 44 points in an overtime loss against the Boston Celtics, the most points scored by a player in a losing effort in the season until that point. On January 21, Wade was selected to play for the East in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, which was his sixth overall All-Star appearance. Wade was named the game's MVP after recording 28 points, 11 assists, 5 steals and 6 rebounds.

In just his second game back from the All-Star Game on February 17, Wade strained his calf in the first quarter. He left the game with 8 points in 8 minutes of play, ending his personal and also Heat's franchise record streak of 148 consecutive games with at least 10 points. On April 2, Wade was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month and Player of the Week twice for his play in the month of March, leading the Heat to a 12-3, the team's best record since March 2006. It was his first Player of the Month award of the season and 5th of his career. He averaged 26.9 and 7.5 assists per game, which both ranked third in the Eastern Conference, and 2.3 steals per game, which ranked first. Wade recorded six 30 points games and had six double-doubles in the month, including a season-high 14 assists in an overtime win against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 4.

For the season, Wade averaged 26.6 points on 47.6% field goal shooting, 6.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, while leading his team to a 47–35 record, clinching the fifth seed in the NBA Playoffs. It was also Wade's sixth career playoff game with at least 40 points scored.

2010-11

looking to pass as a member of the Miami Heat in the 2010-11 season.]] On July 7, it was announced that Wade would be re-signing with the Miami Heat, along with former Toronto Raptor, Chris Bosh. The following day, LeBron James announced he would be joining the Heat to play with Wade and Bosh. Wade, Bosh and James signed their contracts on July 9.

United States national team

}} Wade was a member of the 2004 US Olympics team with fellow NBA All-Stars LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. The team competed in the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, in which Wade averaged 19.3 points per game. The team won a bronze medal, which disappointed many USA fans who had hoped for a return to the days of the original "Dream Team". Wade was named to the USA Men's Basketball National Team from 2006–2008. He was named co-captain of the 2006 team, along with James and Anthony. In 2007, due to injury, Wade was unable to compete at the Tournament of Americas Olympic Qualifiers, where the United States compiled a 10–0 record and qualified for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

At the 2008 Olympics, the United States went unbeaten and earned gold medal honors, defeating the 2006 World Champion Spain in the final game. Wade led the team in scoring throughout the tournament and tallied a game high 27 points in 27 minutes on 75% field goal shooting and added 4 steals, 2 assists and 2 rebounds in the game. For the tournament, he averaged a team high 16 points in 18 minutes on 67% field goal shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2.3 steals, as the United States lived up to their Redeem Team moniker and captured gold medal honors for the first time since 2000.

Player profile

at the rim.]] Wade plays the shooting guard position, but is also capable of playing point guard. On offense, he has established himself as one of the quickest and most difficult players to guard in the NBA. Wade's signature one-two step allows him to dash past bigger defenders and occasionally get the extra foul shot. Wade is able to get to the free throw line consistently; he ranked first in free-throw attempts per 48 minutes in 2004–05 and again in the 2006–07 season. He has proven himself an unselfish player, averaging 6.6 assists per game throughout his career.

David Thorpe, an athletic trainer who runs a training center for NBA players in the offseason, also cites Wade's developing post up game as one of his strengths. "Watching Wade operate on the left block is literally like watching old footage of MJ (Michael Jordan)," comments Thorpe. a pump fake Wade uses to get his opponent to jump, so that he can then drive around him to the basket.

Salaries

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Season !! Team !! Salary |- | 2003–04 || Miami || $2,636,400 |- | 2004–05 || Miami || $2,834,160 |- | 2005–06 || Miami || $3,031,920 |- | 2006–07 || Miami || $3,841,443 |- | 2007–08 || Miami || $13,041,250 |- | 2008–09 || Miami || $14,410,581 |- | 2009–10 || Miami || $15,779,912 |- | 2010–11 || Miami || $14,000,000 |}

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 61 || 56 || 34.9 || .465 || .302 || .747 || 4.0 || 4.5 || 1.4 || .6 || 16.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 77 || 77 || 38.6 || .478 || .289 || .762 || 5.2 || 6.8 || 1.6 || 1.1 || 24.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 75 || 75 || 38.6 || .495 || .171 || .783 || 5.7 || 6.7 || 2.0 || .8 || 27.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 51 || 50 || 37.9 || .491 || .266 || .807 || 4.7 || 7.5 || 2.1 || 1.2 || 27.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 51 || 49 || 38.3 || .469 || .286 || .758 || 4.2 || 6.9 || 1.7 || .7 || 24.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 79 || 79 || 38.6 || .491 || .317 || .765 || 5.0 || 7.5 || 2.2 || 1.3 || 30.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 77|| 77 || 36.3 || .476 || .300 || .761 || 4.8 || 6.5 || 1.8 || 1.1 || 26.6 |- class="unsortable" | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 471 || 463 || 37.6 || .482 || .289 || .770 || 4.9 || 6.6 || 1.8 || 1.0 || 25.4 |- class="unsortable" | style="text-align:left;"| All-Star | style="text-align:left;"| | 6 || 5 || 22.3 || .590 || .222 || .632 || 3.2 || 4.3 || 3.0 || .5 || 17.7

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 13 || 13 || 39.2 || .455 || .375 || .787 || 4.0 || 5.6 || 1.3 || .3 || 18.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 14 || 14 || 40.8 || .484 || .100 || .799 || 5.7 || 6.6 || 1.6 || 1.1 || 27.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 23 || 23 || 41.7 || .497 || .378 || .808 || 5.9 || 5.7 || 2.2 || 1.1 || 28.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 4 || 4 || 40.5 || .429 || .000 || .688 || 4.8 || 6.3 || 1.2 || .5 || 23.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 7 || 7 || 40.7 || .439 || .360 || .862 || 5.0 || 5.3 || .9 || 1.6 || 29.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 5 || 5 || 42.0 || .564 || .405 || .675 || 5.6 || 6.8 || 1.6 || 1.6 || 33.2 |- class="unsortable" | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 66 || 66 || 40.9 || .482 || .347 || .793 || 5.3 || 6.0 || 1.6 || 1.0 || 26.3

Awards and honors

NBA Champion: 2006

NBA Finals MVP: 2006

NBA Scoring Title: 2009

NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2010

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

5× All-NBA:

:* First Team: 2009, 2010 :* Second Team: 2005, 2006 :* Third Team: 2007

3× All-Defense:

:* Second Team: 2005, 2009, 2010

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2004

NBA All-Star Skills Challenge Champion: 2006, 2007

Gold medal with Team USA: 2008 Summer Olympic Games

Bronze medal with Team USA: 2004 Summer Olympic Games

Bronze medal with Team USA: 2006 FIBA World Championship

Miami Heat All-time Leading Scorer

Miami Heat All-time Assists Leader

2005 Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award

2006 Best NBA Player ESPY Award

2006 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year

Off the court

and former teammate Antoine Walker and others.]] Wade married his high school girlfriend Siohvaughn Funches but filed for a divorce in 2007. He has two sons, Zaire Blessing Dwyane Wade (born February 4, 2002) and Zion Malachi Airamis Wade (born May 29, 2007). Wade's nicknames include D-Wade and Flash, which was given to him by former teammate Shaquille O'Neal who would sing, "He's the greatest in the Universe," in reference to the Queen song of the same name from the 1980 film Flash Gordon. Wade is also a devout Christian and chose the number 3 because it represents the Holy Trinity. He tithes 10% of his salary to a church in Chicago.

Wade has been featured in a number of magazine articles and publications. In 2005, he was featured on People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, and in 2006 he was named the NBA's best dressed player by GQ Magazine. In 2007, Esquire named him to their 4th annual Best Dressed Men in the World list for the second straight year. Wade has endorsement deals with companies such as Gatorade, Lincoln, Staples, Sean John, T-Mobile (his TV commercials feature him paired with NBA legend Charles Barkley), and Topps. He had his own line of shoes with Converse named "The Wade" and a series of Sidekick phones known as the D-Wade Edition with T-Mobile. During the 2009-10 season, Wade switched from Converse to Nike's Jordan Brand. Wade noted that the partnership ended on good terms, stating, "When I came into the NBA, I didn't have a lot of exposure and Converse gave me an opportunity to head a brand and be the face of a brand. I'm really thankful for six long, good years. I've gotten five shoes out of the deal and my dream came true at the Converse brand, because they put my name on a pair of sneakers." He hosts a variety of community outreach programs in Chicago and South Florida. In May 2008, Wade purchased a church for his mother, a Baptist pastor in Chicago. Wade's mother, Jolinda, is a former drug user but has since abandoned that lifestyle and devoted her life to spreading Christianity. In addition, Wade donated some furnishings, clothing, and gifts to the family for the holiday. Wade stated that he knew Stolzenberg previously and wished to add to his collection of Heat memorabilia. In January 2010, Wade co-founded the Haitian earthquake relief fund with former teammate Alonzo Mourning. The fund seeks to raise money to help the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. In the three days since the fund began soliciting donations from athletes, Wade announced that the "Athletes Relief Fund for Haiti" had already raised over $800,000. Wade stated, "I expected nothing less from my friends and colleagues in the sports community, our commitment to this cause knows no bounds, and we will continue to accept any and all donations throughout the days ahead."

See also

2002–03 Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team

List of all-time Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball leaders

List of National Basketball Association season scoring leaders

List of Olympic medalists in basketball

List of 2010–11 NBA season transactions

References

External links

NBA.com profile

Marquette University Men's Basketball team biography

US Olympic Team bio

2003 NBA Draft profile

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:American Christians Category:Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from Illinois Category:Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball players Category:Miami Heat draft picks Category:Miami Heat players Category:NBA Finals MVP Award winners Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Shooting guards Category:United States men's national basketball team members

Position	Point guard
Height ft	6
Height in	3
Weight lb	190
Team	Chicago Bulls
Number	1
Nationality	American
Birth date	October 04, 1988
Birth place	Chicago, Illinois
High school	Simeon Career Academy (Chicago, Illinois)
College	Memphis
Draft round	1
Draft pick	1
Draft year	2008
Draft team	Chicago Bulls
Career start	2008
Teams
Highlights

Derrick Martell Rose (born October 4, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Chicago Bulls of the 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. 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 his hometown 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 only his second season, Rose was selected as an All-Star for the first time for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game; he was also named a starter for the U.S. Team at the 2010 FIBA World Championships.

In 2009, an NCAA investigation revealed that Rose's SAT scores had been invalidated, making him retroactively ineligible to play for Memphis. As a result, the NCAA vacated Memphis's entire 2007–08 season.

Early life

Derrick Rose was born and raised in Chicago's South Side to Brenda Rose and was the youngest of four brothers. He grew up an avid fan of basketball, rooting for the Michael Jordan-led Bulls, and spending long hours on nearby courts with his brothers Dwayne, Reggie and Allan. With their influence, he dribbled at an early age and became ambidextrous. As his special talent for basketball grew and the number of city championships won increased, his brothers began to restrict outside contact to him, fearing his road to the NBA would be exploited and derailed by outside parties, such as with the case with former Chicago prospect Ronnie Fields. Rose played AAU ball with the Mean Street Express, where he was coached by brother Reggie and starred alongside Indiana prep star Eric Gordon.

High school

In 2003, Rose enrolled at Simeon Career Academy. He played freshmen and JV basketball for the Wolverines and wore #25 in honor of Ben "Benji" Wilson, a former promising player who was murdered by a gang member in 1984. Rose wasn't allowed on varsity due to a long-standing tradition that head coach Bob Hambric, who had been with the school since 1980 had; no freshman on the varsity team. That rule didn't lessen Rose's play and he went on to put up 18.5 points, 6.6 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game and led both the freshmen and sophomores to city championships with a 24–1 record. Hambric softened his stance and allowed the freshman a chance to play on varsity in the state tournament, but Rose declined, wanting the players to get due credit. The next year Hambric retired and Robert Smith was hired, opening the path to varsity. In Rose's much-publicized debut, he had 22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals over Thornwood High School in a sold-out game filled with college scouts and coaches. He led the Wolverines to a 30–5 mark while averaging 19.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 2.4 steals but the season ended after a loss in state regionals. Rose's play garnered him his first national award: a Parade Third Team All-American spot.

During his junior year in 2006, the Simeon Wolverines broke through and won the Chicago Public League championship held at the United Center where Rose starred with 25 points and crowd pleasing dunks. The team advanced through the playoffs and earned a berth in the Class AA state championship against Richwoods High School, where a fourth quarter buzzer beater by Richwood forced overtime. The score was knotted at 29 late in the extra period when Rose stole the ball and buried the game winning jumper with 1.5 seconds remaining. The title was the Simeon's first since the Wilson-led Wolverines won in 1984. The team finished 33–4, nationally ranked and Rose was awarded with an All-State Illinois mention, EA Sports All-American Second Team pick and another Parade All-American selection.

Entering his senior year, Rose was ranked the fifth best prospect in the nation by Sports Illustrated. In January 2007, Simeon traveled to Madison Square Garden in New York City in January 2007 to play Rice High School and star guard Kemba Walker. The Wolverines, however, lost 53–51. The season highlight was a nationally televised contest on ESPN against Virginia perennial power Oak Hill Academy two weeks later. Matched up with hyped junior guard Brandon Jennings, Rose had 28 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds and held Jennings to zero points in the first three quarters, 17 overall in a 78–75 win. For his performance, USA Today named him their high school player of the week. Simeon went on to repeat as Public League champions and defended their state championship, defeating O'Fallon High School 77–54. In doing so, Simeon became the first Chicago Public League school to win two straight state championships. In his final high school game, Rose scored 2 points, but pulled down 7 rebounds and totaled 8 assists. The Wolverines ended the season 33–2 and ranked 1st in the nation by Sports Illustrated and 6th on USA Today's Super 25. Rose averaged 25.2 points, 9.1 assists, 8.8 rebounds and 3.4 steals.

Overall Simeon's record while Rose played was 120–12. and was named to the McDonald's All-American team. He was also awarded with First Team honors by Parade selection and USA Today and USA Today First Team All-American. Rose was selected to play in the Jordan Brand All-Star Game and Nike Hoop Summit. In 2009, Rose was named the decade's third greatest high school point guard by ESPN RISE magazine behind Chris Paul and T.J. Ford.

High school statistics

{| class="wikitable sortable" ! H.S. !! Year ! GP !! GS !! SPG !! RPG !! APG !! PPG !! FG% |- | Simeon || 2003–04* | 25 || 25 || 2.1 || 4.7 || 6.6 || 18.5 || — |- | Simeon || 2004–05 | 35 || 35 || 2.4 || 5.1 || 8.3 || 19.8 || .500 |- | Simeon || 2005–06 | 37 || 37 || 2.6 || 5.4 || 8.7 || 20.1 || .570 |- | Simeon || 2006–07 | 35 || 35 || 3.4 || 9.1 || 8.8 || 25.2 || .590 |-class=sortbottom | colspan=2| Career | 132 || 132 || 2.7 || 6.2 || 8.2 || 21.1 || — |}

(*) – Non–varsity season

College

.]] Rose accepted a scholarship to play for the University of Memphis Tigers under John Calipari, who recruited him after seeing the high schooler play in an AAU game. Strong efforts were made by Indiana University and in-state University of Illinois to sign Rose to their own programs. Illinois in particular planned to pair their five-star recruit Eric Gordon and Rose together. Gordon however retracted his verbal commitment from the Fighting Illini, opting to play for Indiana, and Rose subsequently gave his verbal commitment before the start of his senior season. Rose chose Memphis because of the school's history of putting players in the NBA and the prospect of Rod Strickland, a 17 year veteran of the league, mentoring him. Rose switched to #23, unable to wear his customary #25, retired by the school in honor of Penny Hardaway.

With the addition of Rose and veteran teammates Joey Dorsey and Chris Douglas-Roberts, the Tigers started out the season ranked third in the nation. Memphis sprinted to a 26–0 start and claimed the number one ranking in the country for the first time in over 25 years before falling to the University of Tennessee Volunteers 66–62 in February. Memphis was able to bounce back and capture the Conference USA Tournament to qualify for the "Big Dance" with a 33–1 record. Rose averaged 14.9 points per game, 4.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game during the regular season and earned All-American Third Team honors among others. He finished as a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award as well as the John R. Wooden Award.

Memphis was seeded No. 1 in the South Region and blew out most of its competition on its way to the Final Four. Rose earned high praise for his increased focus on defense, hounding Texas Longhorn guard D.J. Augustin into a low-percentage game in the Elite Eight. In a match-up against the UCLA in the Final Four, Rose finished with 25 points and 9 rebounds while putting tight pressure on Bruins' point Darren Collison to lead the Tigers to the NCAA championship game against the University of Kansas Jayhawks with a 85–67 victory. The win set a NCAA mark for most wins in a season (38). Against Kansas, Rose scored 17 points on 7–17 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and dished seven assists, but missed a critical free throw at the end of the second half, and Memphis fell in overtime, 75–68. Memphis concluded the season 38–2. Rose was named to the All-Final Four team after averaging 20.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6 assists during the tourney.

On April 15, Rose declared for the 2008 NBA Draft.

Grading controversy

According to the University of Memphis' legal counsel Sheri Lipman, a month after the loss to the Kansas Jayhawks, the NCAA sent a letter to the school stating that Rose had "an invalidated standardized test score the previous year at Chicago's Simeon High School". The next January, the NCAA sent another letter, charging Memphis with knowing that Rose had someone else take his SAT for him. Memphis started its own investigation and sent its response back on April 24.

On May 28, the Memphis Commercial Appeal obtained the letter through the Freedom of Information Act and released it. Although the player's name was redacted due to privacy laws, process of elimination and sources revealed the player as Derrick Rose. The next day in a separate investigation, James Sullivan, Inspector General of the Chicago Public Schools district's Board of Education, released a report of his investigation stating that four student-athletes of a CPS school had one-month grade boosts to alter their college transcripts. The Chicago Sun-Times revealed the school as Simeon Career Academy and that three of the four were Rose and his former teammates Kevin Johnson and Tim Flowers, prominent members of the back-to-back championship teams. Sullivan started the investigation because "none of the grade changes were supported by any documentation”. He also failed to find a suspect as "at least seven people at Simeon had the ability to access student grades and records".

Memphis contended that it had learned of the allegations about Rose's SAT score shortly after he enrolled at the school. It conducted its own investigation, in which Rose was questioned by four school officials. Ultimately, Memphis was unable to find any evidence that Rose had cheated based on what was available at the time, and cleared him to play.

Rose released a statement through his lawyer Daniel E. Reidy: “Mr. Rose is aware of the allegations reported in the press. Mr. Rose cooperated fully with the University of Memphis' athletic and legal departments’ investigation of this issue when he was a student, and that investigation uncovered no wrongdoing on his part."

On August 20, the NCAA vacated Memphis' 2007–08 season. It took the line that even though Rose's score hadn't been thrown out until after the season, strict liability required that he be declared ineligible.

College statistics

NBA career

Chicago Bulls (2008-present)

2008–09 season: Rookie of the Year

Rose was selected first overall in the draft by the Chicago Bulls, He was selected to the U.S. Select Team to scrimmage against and prepare the National Team for the Olympics in Beijing. In mid-July, he played two games in the Orlando Pro Summer League until forced out by tendonitis in his right knee, ending his summer, but returned in October to play all eight preseason games.

Rose started his rookie year strong, becoming the first Bulls draftee to score 10 points or more in his first 10 games since Michael Jordan, and earned Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for November and December. During the All-Star Weekend, Rose played in the Rookie Challenge, and won the Skills Challenge, where he beat out several All-Stars to become the first rookie to claim the trophy. Overcoming a January and February slump, Rose returned to form and won monthly rookie honors in March. Meanwhile, the Bulls, re-energized by the trade deadline acquisitions of John Salmons and Brad Miller, finished the regular season on a 12–4 spurt to qualify for the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. Chicago's late push contributed to Rose's winning Rookie of the Year, joining Michael Jordan (1985) and Elton Brand (2000) as the only Bulls to do so. Rose became the second player in NBA history to record 35 points and 10 assists in his playoff debut, after Chris Paul. Rose averaged 19.7 points on 47.5% shooting, 6.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game in his playoff debut, as the Bulls were defeated by the Celtics in 7 games.

2009–10 season: All Star bid

}} Rose's sophomore season started off on a bad note when he injured his ankle in his first preseason game. Rose would go on to miss the rest of the preseason. Rose did start the Bulls season opener against the San Antonio Spurs but played limited minutes in a win. Rose's ankle bothered him for most of November, but as his ankle healed, his game improved greatly. On January 28, 2010, Derrick Rose was elected to his first career All Star Game as a reserve for the Eastern Conference, making him the first Bulls player to make the All-Star game since Michael Jordan in 1998. Rose had eight points, four assists and three steals in his first game as an All-Star. The Bulls once again made the playoffs in the 2009–10 season finishing with a 41–41 record. In the playoffs Rose averaged 26.8 points and 7.2 assists, but the Bulls still lost in five games to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

On April 13, 2010, Rose set a new career-high 39 points against the Celtics, making 15–22 FGs, and 9–10 free throws.

According to a January 2010 report by ESPN, Rose had the 4th best selling jersey in the league.

2010–11 season

On October 30, 2010, in only the Bulls' second game of the season, Rose tied his career high 39 points in a 101–91 win against the Detroit Pistons. Two days after, Rose contributed 13 assists, helping Luol Deng score his career high 40 points in a win against the Portland Trail Blazers.

On December 10, 2010, Rose grabbed 29 points and 9 assists, leading the Bulls to their first victory over the the Los Angeles Lakers since December 19, 2006.

NBA statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | | align="left" | Chicago | 81 || 80 || 37.0 || .475 || .222 || .788 || 3.9 || 6.3 || .8 || .2 || 16.8 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Chicago | 78 || 78 || 36.8 || .489 || .267 || .766 || 3.8 || 6.0 || .7 || .4 || 20.8 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Chicago | 34 || 34 || 37.6 || .458 || .385|| .789 || 4.4 || 8.3 || 1.1 || .5 || 23.9 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 193 || 192 || 37.0 || .477 || .318 || .779 || 3.9 || 6.5 || .8 || .3 || 19.6 |- | align="left" | All-Star | align="left" | | 1 || 0 || 15.4 || .500 || .000 || .000 || .0 || 4.0 || 3.0 || .0 || 8.0

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2009 | align="left" | Chicago | 7 || 7 || 44.7 || .492 || .000 || .800 || 6.3 || 6.4 || .6 || .7 || 19.7 |- | align="left" | 2010 | align="left" | Chicago | 5 || 5 || 42.4 || .456 || .333 || .818 || 3.4 || 7.2 || .8 || .0 || 26.8 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 12 || 12 || 43.8 || .473 || .200 || .809 || 5.1 || 6.8 || .7 || .4 || 22.7

Career highs

Regular season

Playoffs

Game-winning shots

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" ! Shot ! Time (sec) ! Score ! Opponent ! Date |- |Two free throws |10.8 |101—98 |vs. Atlanta Hawks | |- |11-foot jump shot |5.4 |121—119 (2 OT) |vs. Washington Wizards | |}

Accomplishments and awards

NBA

NBA Rookie of the Year: 2009

Skills Challenge Champion: 2009

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2009

NABC 3rd Team All-American

Conference USA Freshman of the Year

Conference USA Player of the Week for games between December 17 through the 23rd

2K Sports College Hoops Classic MVP

*2K Sports College Hoops Classic All-Tournament Team

High school

Senior year (2006–2007)

*Class AA State Championship

*Class AA Tournament MVP

Illinois Mr. Basketball 2007

Parade 2007 All-America First Team

All State Illinois 2007

*MaxPreps.com All-America First Team

*Slam Magazine 2007 First Team

MidStateHoops.com 2007 Class AA Player of the Year

Junior year (2005–2006)

*Class AA State Championship

*Class AA Tournament MVP

Parade 2006 All-American Fourth Team

Off the court

Rose's family includes his mother, Brenda, and three older brothers, Dwayne, Reggie, and Allen.

Rose has signed a shoe deal with Adidas for an undisclosed amount of money. He has also signed with Wilson Sporting Goods. His agent is former Bulls guard B. J. Armstrong.

Rose was announced as the cover athlete for the 2K Sports Downloadable Content game, NBA 2K10 Draft Combine, which was released on Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3.

See also

2006 high school boys basketball All-Americans

Notes

External links

Official Website

Statistics

College statistics at StatSheet.com

Profiles

NBA.com Player Profile

Scout.com Profile

Rivals.com Profile

NBADraft.net Profile

DraftExpress Profile

USA Basketball Bio

CollegeHoops.net Bio

}}

Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:American basketball players Category:Chicago Bulls draft picks Category:Chicago Bulls players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Memphis Tigers men's basketball players Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:Point guards Category:Basketball players from Illinois Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:United States men's national basketball team members

Name	Dante Cunningham
Team	Portland Trail Blazers
College	Villanova
Position	Power forward
Career start	2009
Number	33
Height ft	6
Height in	8
Weight lb	230
Nationality	American
Birth date	April 22, 1987
Birth place	Clinton, Maryland
High school	St. John's (Washington, D.C.)Potomac High School (Oxon Hill, Maryland)
Draft round	2
Draft pick	33
Draft year	2009
Draft team	Portland Trail Blazers

Dante Cunningham (born April 22, 1987) is an American professional basketball player who was drafted in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA. Cunningham, a power forward, attended Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

Early life

Cunningham was born in Clinton, Maryland, to Searcy Blankenship and Ron Cunningham. His older sister Davalyn played in the WNBA.

High school

Cunningham was originally educated at St. John's High School in Washington, D.C. While a junior, he averaged 10 points per game and 7.4 rebounds. One of his teammates, Dwayne Anderson, would later play at Villanova with Cunningham.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Portland | 63 || 2 || 11.2 || .495 || .000 || .646 || 2.5 || .2 || .4 || .4 || 3.9 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 63 || 2 || 11.2 || .495 || .000 || .646 || 2.5 || .2 || .4 || .4 || 3.9

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Portland | 5 || 0 || 8.4 || .600 || .00 || .833 || 2.6 || .0 || 1.0 || .0 || 4.6 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 5 || 0 || 8.4 || .600 || .00 || .833 || 2.6 || .0 || 1.0 || .0 || 4.6

International career

Cunningham was included on a preliminary list for Great Britain's Eurobasket 2009 qualifying matches in 2008.

References

Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:Basketball players from Maryland Category:People from Prince George's County, Maryland Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Villanova Wildcats men's basketball players Category:Villanova University alumni Category:Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Category:Portland Trail Blazers players

Name	Corey Brewer
Nationality	American
Team	Minnesota Timberwolves
College	Florida
Position	Small forward/shooting guard
Career start	2007
Draft round	1
Draft pick	7
Draft team	Minnesota Timberwolves
Draft year	2007
Number	22
Height ft	6
Height in	9
Weight lb	185
Birth date	March 05, 1986
Birth place	Portland, Tennessee
High school	Portland High SchoolPortland, Tennessee
Highlights	2007 NCAA Tournament MOP

Corey Wayne Brewer (born March 5, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves. He formerly played small forward for the Florida Gators, where he starred on the men's basketball team which won both the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournaments, as well as the 2005, 2006, and 2007 SEC Tournament. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2007 NCAA tournament.

Early years

Brewer attended Portland High School, where he played high school basketball for the Portland Panthers. As a senior in 2003–2004, Brewer averaged 29.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game and was named the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Class 2A "Mr.Basketball" and a McDonald's All American.

Basketball career

dunk exhibition (October 13, 2006)]] He was projected by ESPN.com's Chad Ford to be a lottery pick to mid-first round pick in the 2006 NBA Draft if he had entered the draft that year. However, Brewer, along with teammates Joakim Noah and Al Horford announced at the championship pep rally that they would be returning for their junior seasons. On April 5, 2007 Brewer chose to enter the NBA draft. Brewer was selected seventh overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Brewer recorded the first triple-double in University of Florida basketball history on 18 December 2005 posting 15 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists (the 13 assists were the most by a Gator since Jason Williams had a UF-record 17 in 1997). He also drew six charges on the defensive end that game.

Due to the retirement of the #2 jersey in Minnesota worn by the deceased Malik Sealy, Brewer expressed the desire to sport the #22 instead. He officially adopted the #22 for the season's summer leagues, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Minnesota | 79 || 35 || 22.8 || .374 || .194 || .800 || 3.7 || 1.4 || 1.0 || .3 || 5.8 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Minnesota | 15 || 8 || 20.5 || .411 || .417 || .737 || 3.3 || 1.7 || 1.0 || .2 || 6.2 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Minnesota | 82 || 82 || 30.3 || .431 || .346 || .648 || 3.4 || 2.4 || 1.4 || .4 || 13.0 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 176 || 125 || 26.1 || .412 || .330 || .696 || 3.6 || 1.9 || 1.2 || .3 || 9.2

See also

List of Florida Gators basketball players

References

External links

U. Florida website with career stats

Article about Corey's life in Tennessee

Washington Post article about his match-up against Arron Afflalo in 2007

Article about Corey and his family

Official Website

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:American basketball players Category:Basketball players from Tennessee Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Florida Gators men's basketball players Category:Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks Category:Minnesota Timberwolves players Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Robertson County, Tennessee Category:People from Sumner County, Tennessee Category:Small forwards Category:TSSAA Mr. Basketball

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

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

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

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

Early years

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

High school

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

Summer circuit

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

College career

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

NBA career

2005–2006: Rookie stardom

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

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

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

2006–07 season

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

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

2007–08 season

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

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

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

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

2008–09 season

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

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

2009–10 season

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

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

International

}} in Beijing.]]

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

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

Awards and honors

NBA All-Star: 2008, 2009, 2010

All-NBA Team:

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

NBA All-Defensive Team:

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

NBA Rookie of the Year: 2006

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2006

Bronze medal with Team USA, 2006 FIBA World Championship

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

Gold medal with Team USA, 2008 Summer Olympic Games

NBA records

Consecutive games with a steal: 108, to

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

Recorded a steal in every game he played.

Tied with Michael Jordan ()

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

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

2nd in NBA history

Seasons leading the league in steals: 2 (–)

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

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

3rd in NBA history

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

Trailing Earvin "Magic" Johnson and John Stockton

Steals, game: 9, vs. Dallas Mavericks,

New Orleans Hornets records

Regular season

Free throws made, career: 1,634

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

Assists, season: 925 () (11.6 apg)

Assists, game: 21, at Los Angeles Lakers,

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

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

Point-assist double-doubles, career: 150

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

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

Triple-doubles, career: 11

Triple-doubles, season: 6 ()

Steals, season: 217, (2.7 spg)

Steals, game: 9, vs. Dallas Mavericks,

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

Rookie

Paul's rookie year was .

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

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

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

Assists, season: 611 (7.8 apg)

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

Steals, season: 175 (2.2 spg)

Steals, game: 7, vs. Utah Jazz,

Playoffs

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

Assists, game: 17, vs. Dallas Mavericks,

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

Playoffs

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

Personal life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See also

List of National Basketball Association season assists leaders

List of National Basketball Association season steals leaders

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

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

Notes

External links

ChrisPaul3.com - The Official Website of Chris Paul

The Official MySpace of Chris Paul

Chris Paul fan forum

Chris Paul NBADraft.net profile

IGN.com: Chris Paul interview

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

}}

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

Name	Blake Griffin
Caption	Blake Griffin during his tenure at Oklahoma.
Height ft	6
Height in	10
Weight lb	251
Team	Los Angeles Clippers
Number	32
Position	Power forward
Birth date	March 16, 1989
Birth place	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
High school	Oklahoma Christian School (Edmond, Oklahoma)
College	Oklahoma
Nationality	American
Draft round	1
Draft pick	1
Draft team	Los Angeles Clippers
Draft year	2009
Teams
Career start	2009
Highlights

Blake Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Griffin had an outstanding high school career at Oklahoma Christian School, winning state titles each of his four years under his father who was the head coach. He played college basketball for the University of Oklahoma Sooners and was awarded numerous accolades in his second year including the Naismith College Player of the Year, Oscar Robertson Trophy and the John Wooden Award. After two seasons at Oklahoma, Griffin left college to enter the 2009 NBA Draft where he was selected first overall by the Clippers. Listed as a power forward, he is known as one of the NBA's most prolific dunkers with outstanding leaping ability.

Early life

Childhood

Griffin was born on March 16, 1989 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Gail and Tommy Griffin. Griffin and his older brother, Taylor Griffin, were home-schooled by their mother from first grade until Taylor was in the tenth grade and Griffin was in eighth. He grew up playing basketball games in his driveway with his older brother and was a fan of the Chicago Bulls. Growing up, he was good friends with Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams and played on the same Athletes First AAU basketball team along with Xavier Henry of the Memphis Grizzlies. Griffin’s parents owned a trophy company that Bradford’s father would use and Bradford’s father owned a gym where Griffin and his brother Taylor played basketball. Apart from basketball, he also played baseball, preferring to play as first baseman, soccer and football as a wide receiver, safety and a tight end.

High school

Griffin and his brother Taylor attended Oklahoma Christian School for high school where they played under their father who was the head coach. They played together during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 high school seasons, winning two state high school basketball championships together. In his sophomore year, the Saints repeated as Class 3A state champions and finished the season with a 24–2 record, while averaging 13.6 points per game in what was his final high school season with his brother. He was named to the Little All-City All-State team and his brother was named The Oklahoman Player of the Year. After the season, his brother went off to college to play for the Oklahoma Sooners. During the summer of 2005, Griffin played against Kevin Durant and Ty Lawson while playing for the Athletes First AAU team.

As a junior, he averaged 21.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists, leading the Saints through the playoffs and earning a berth in the Class 2A championship game, beating Washington High School for a third straight state championship and was named the state tournament MVP. He gained national attention as a high school junior and caught the attention of the new head coach for the Oklahoma Sooners, Jeff Capel, who first heard of Griffin through his brother Taylor.

During his senior year, he averaged 26.8 points, 15.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.9 blocks per game while leading the team to a 26–3 record. On March 10, 2007, he played his final high school game in the state title game against Pawnee High School. He was named the Player of the Year by both the Tulsa World and The Oklahoman and named a Oklahoma Boys All-State First Team, EA Sports Second Team and a Parade Third Team All-American. He was ranked as the nation's #13 high school senior by HoopScoop, #20 by scout.com and #23 by rivals.com, and as the country's third-best power forward by HoopScoop, sixth by rivals.com and the seventh by scout.com. At the McDonald's All-American game in Louisville, Kentucky he won the Powerade Jam Fest slam dunk contest.

College career

After accepting a scholarship to play for the University of Oklahoma Sooners over University of Connecticut, Duke University, University of Florida, University of Illinois, University of Kansas, Michigan State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and in-state Oklahoma State University, he was one of the highest rated and most decorated recruits ever at Oklahoma. He ranked ninth in scoring, fourth in rebounding and third in field goal percentage in Big 12.

Less than two months after injuring his left knee, he injured his right knee in a home victory against Texas A&M;. The injury this time was torn cartilage, and he had arthroscopic surgery on March 2, 2008. but was back on the court a week after the injury with 14 points and 8 rebounds in 28 minutes versus the Missouri Tigers, a win for the Sooners on their home floor. He was expected to be a lottery pick in the 2008 NBA Draft but decided to forgo the NBA draft and return to college for a second season to give himself time to mature physically and make Oklahoma a contender for the NCAA championship. In the third game of the season against the Davidson Wildcats, he scored 25 points and grabbed 21 rebounds, after which he scored 35 points and 21 rebounds against Gardner–Webb, becoming the first player in Big 12 history to record back-to-back games of at least 20 points and 20 rebounds.

On February 21, he received a concussion in a loss to the Texas Longhorns, when he caught an inadvertent shot to the face from the open hand of Texas center Dexter Pittman. He sat out the second half during the Sooners loss with a bloody nose. After sitting out the next game, a loss to Kansas Jayhawks, Griffin was cleared by the medical staff and returned a week later to get 20 points and 19 rebounds in a victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Sooners fell short to the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Big 12 Tournament. In the NCAA Tournament, he scored 33 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the second-round win over the Michigan Wolverines, just the second player in the 2000s decade with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in the NCAA tournament. However, the Sooners lost to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the South Regional final.

Griffin averaged 22.7 points, 14.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game during the regular season and earned All-American First Team honors. He led the Big 12 in scoring and rebounds, and recorded at least 20 points and 15 rebounds 15 times, which is a Big 12 record. With 30 double-doubles during the season, he was one short of the NCAA record of 31 set by David Robinson in 1986–1987. His total of 504 rebounds where the most in a season by an NCAA Division I player since Indiana State's Larry Bird had 505 in 1978–79 and his rebounding average of 14.4 was the highest since Wake Forest's Tim Duncan averaged 14.7 in 1996–97.

Towards the end of his sophomore season, Griffin was awarded numerous accolades. He was a unanimous choice by voters in all nine geographical districts for the Oscar Robertson Trophy and was named Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year, receiving 66 of the 71 national media panel members' votes. Griffin was announced as the winner of the prestigious Naismith College Player of the Year on April 5 in Detroit. Three days after announcing that he would turn pro, he won the John Wooden Award as college basketball's top player. A press conference announcing his decision was aired nationally on ESPNews. He was selected as the first overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2009 NBA Draft. Griffin played for the Clippers' Summer League Team and was named Summer League MVP. In their final preseason game, he injured his kneecap as he landed after a dunk. The day before the 2009–10 season started it was confirmed that Griffin had a stress fracture in his left knee, delaying his NBA debut for seven weeks. Griffin had surgery on his broken left kneecap and it was reported that he would miss the rest of the season.

After missing the entire 2009–10 season, Griffin was still considered a rookie during the 2010-11 season. In his debut for the Clippers against the Portland Trail Blazers, Griffin scored 20 points and registered 14 rebounds. At the beginning of the season, Baron Davis and Chris Kaman were out with injuries and the Clippers got off to a slow start, losing thirteen of their first fourteen games. On November 20, 2010, he set a Clippers record for most points scored by a rookie with 44 in a home loss to the New York Knicks. Griffin was named the NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for November and December. He also set a franchise record for most consecutive double-doubles with 23 in a home game against the Golden State Warriors. On February 19, 2011, he will participate in the NBA's Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers | 34 || 34 || 37.1 || .523 || .667 || .588 || 12.5 || 3.2 || .7 || .6 || 21.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 34 || 34 || 37.1 || .523 || .667 || .588 || 12.5 || 3.2 || .7 || .6 || 21.7

Awards

McDonald's All-American (2007) Oscar Robertson Trophy (2009) Unanimous AP All American (2009) Sports Illustrated Player of the Year (2009) Sporting News Player of the Year (2009) Athlon Sports Player of the Year (2009) NBA Western Conference T-Mobile Rookie of the Month - November 2010 He started a fundraiser called Dunking for Dollars, in which he donates $100 to fight childhood obesity for every dunk he makes.

See also

2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season rebounding leaders

References

External links

Official Site

Blake Griffin at NBA.com

Blake Griffin at ESPN.com

Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:American basketball players Category:African American basketball players Category:Basketball players from Oklahoma Category:Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Los Angeles Clippers draft picks Category:Los Angeles Clippers players

: For other uses, see Augustine, Augustinus and Saint Augustine.

Name	Augustine of Hippo| birth_date=November 13, 354
Death date	August 28, 430
Feast day	August 28 (Western Christianity)June 15 (Eastern Christianity)
Venerated in	Catholic ChurchEastern OrthodoxyOriental OrthodoxyAnglican CommunionLutheranism
Caption	Portrait by Philippe de Champaigne, 17th century.
Birth place	Thagaste, Numidia (now Souk Ahras, Algeria)
Death place	Hippo Regius, Numidia (now modern-day Annaba, Algeria)
Titles	Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church
Attributes	child; dove; pen; shell, pierced heart
Patronage	brewers; printers; theologiansBridgeport, Connecticut; Cagayan de Oro, Philippines; Ida, Philippines; Kalamazoo, Michigan; Saint Augustine, Florida; Superior, Wisconsin; Tucson, Arizona; Avilés, Spain
Titles in the church	Doctor of the Church, Father of the Church
Major shrine	San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro, Pavia, Italy

Augustine of Hippo (; ) (November 13, 354 – August 28, 430), also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius (present-day Annaba, Algeria). He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province. His writings were very influential in the development of Western Christianity.

Augustine, a Latin Church Father, is one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. He "established anew the ancient Faith" (conditor antiquae rursum fidei), according to his contemporary, Jerome. In his early years he was heavily influenced by Manichaeism and afterward by the Neo-Platonism of Plotinus. After his conversion to Christianity and baptism (387), Augustine developed his own approach to philosophy and theology, accommodating a variety of methods and different perspectives. He believed that the grace of Christ was indispensable to human freedom, and he framed the concepts of original sin and just war.

When the Western Roman Empire was starting to disintegrate, Augustine developed the concept of the Church as a spiritual City of God (in a book of the same name), distinct from the material Earthly City. His thought profoundly influenced the medieval worldview. Augustine's City of God was closely identified with the church, the community that worshipped God.

In the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, he is a saint and pre-eminent Doctor of the Church, and the patron of the Augustinian religious order; his memorial is celebrated 28 August, the day of his death. He is the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, sore eyes, and a number of cities and dioceses. Many Protestants, especially Calvinists, consider him to be one of the theological fathers of Reformation due to his teaching on salvation and divine grace. In the Eastern Orthodox Church he is blessed, and his feast day is celebrated on 15 June. Among the Orthodox, he is called "Blessed Augustine", or "St. Augustine the Blessed".

Life

Early childhood

Augustine, a Roman African, was born in 354 in the municipium of Thagaste (now Souk Ahras, Algeria) a provincial Roman city in North Africa to a pagan father named Patricius and a Christian mother named Monica. Regarding his ethnic origins, there is a consensus among scholars that his origins represented an intermingling of the main North African peoples, that is Berbers, Latins and Phoenicians. Augustine's family name, Aurelius, suggests that his father's ancestors were given full Roman citizenship by the Edict of Caracalla in 212, while being previously freedmen of the gens Aurelia. Augustine's family had been Roman, from a legal standpoint, for at least a century when he was born. Regarding his mother, it is assumed by her name that she was of Berber origin. That said, due to the solid rank of his family (they were honestiores), his mother language would have been Latin. In 369 and 370, he remained at home. During this period he read Cicero's dialogue Hortensius (now lost), which he described as leaving a lasting impression on him and sparking his interest in philosophy.

Studying at Carthage

At age 17, through the generosity of fellow citizen Romanianus, At a young age, he developed an affair with a young woman in Carthage. She was his lover for over thirteen years and gave birth to his son Adeodatus.

Rhetoric

During the years 373 and 374, Augustine taught grammar at Thagaste. The following year, he moved to Carthage to conduct a school of rhetoric, and would remain there for the next nine years.

While he was in Milan, Augustine's life changed. While still at Carthage, he had begun to move away from Manichaeism, in part because of a disappointing meeting with the Manichean Bishop, Faustus of Mileve, a key exponent of Manichaean theology.

Christian conversion

In the summer of 386, after having read an account of the life of Saint Anthony of the Desert which greatly inspired him, Augustine underwent a profound personal crisis, which led him to convert to Christianity, abandon his career in rhetoric, quit his teaching position in Milan, give up any ideas of marriage, and devote himself entirely to serving God and to the practices of priesthood, which included celibacy. Key to this conversion was a childlike voice he heard telling him in a sing-song voice, tolle, lege ("take up and read"):

I cast myself down I know not how, under a certain fig-tree, giving full vent to my tears; and the floods of mine eyes gushed out an acceptable sacrifice to Thee. And, not indeed in these words, yet to this purpose, spake I much unto Thee: and Thou, O Lord, how long? how long, Lord, wilt Thou be angry for ever? Remember not our former iniquities, for I felt that I was held by them. I sent up these sorrowful words: How long, how long, "to-morrow, and tomorrow?" Why not now? why not is there this hour an end to my uncleanness? So was I speaking and weeping in the most bitter contrition of my heart, when, lo! I heard from a neighbouring house a voice, as of boy or girl, I know not, chanting, and oft repeating, "Take up and read; Take up and read. " Instantly, my countenance altered, I began to think most intently whether children were wont in any kind of play to sing such words: nor could I remember ever to have heard the like. So checking the torrent of my tears, I arose; interpreting it to be no other than a command from God to open the book, and read the first chapter I should find. For I had heard of Antony, that coming in during the reading of the Gospel, he received the admonition, as if what was being read was spoken to him: Go, sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me: and by such oracle he was forthwith converted unto Thee. Eagerly then I returned to the place where Alypius was sitting; for there had I laid the volume of the Apostle when I arose thence. I seized, opened, and in silence read that section on which my eyes first fell: Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, in concupiscence. No further would I read; nor needed I: for instantly at the end of this sentence, by a light as it were of serenity infused into my heart, all the darkness of doubt vanished away.The Confessions of Saint Augustine, Book VIII, Paragraphs 28 and 29.

Augustine had heard a childlike voice singing from a nearby house. He paused to give thought to how and why such a child would sing those words and then left his garden and returned to his house. At his house he picked up a book written by the Apostle Paul Epistle to the Romans, and opened it and instantly read: (Romans 13: 13-14) "Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, in concupiscence." He would detail his spiritual journey in his famous Confessions, which became a classic of both Christian theology and world literature. Ambrose baptized Augustine, along with his son, Adeodatus, on Easter Vigil in 387 in Milan, and soon thereafter in 388 Augustine returned to Africa. He remained in this position at Hippo until his death in 430. Augustine worked tirelessly in trying to convince the people of Hippo, who were a diverse racial and religious group, to convert to Christianity. He left his monastery, but continued to lead a monastic life in the episcopal residence. He left a rule (Latin, regula) for his monastery that has led him to be designated the "patron saint of regular clergy", that is, clergy who live by a monastic rule.

Much of Augustine's later life was recorded by his friend Possidius, bishop of Calama (present-day Guelma, Algeria), in his Sancti Augustini Vita. Possidius admired Augustine as a man of powerful intellect and a stirring orator who took every opportunity to defend Christianity against all detractors. Possidius also described Augustine's personal traits in detail, drawing a portrait of a man who ate sparingly, worked tirelessly, despised gossip, shunned the temptations of the flesh, and exercised prudence in the financial stewardship of his see.

Teaching philosophy

Along with being a prominent figure in the religious spectrum, Augustine was also very influential in the history of education. He introduced the theory of three different categories of students, and instructed teachers to adapt their teaching styles to each student's individual learning style. The three different kinds of students are: the student who has been well-educated by knowledgeable teachers; the student who has had no education; and the student who has had a poor education, but believes himself to be well-educated. If a student has been well educated in a wide variety of subjects, the teacher must be careful not to repeat what they have already learned, but to challenge the student with material which they do not yet know thoroughly. With the student who has had no education, the teacher must be patient, willing to repeat things until the student understands, and sympathetic. Perhaps the most difficult student, however, is the one with an inferior education who believes he understands something when he does not. Augustine stressed the importance of showing this type of student the difference between "having words and having understanding," and of helping the student to remain humble with his acquisition of knowledge.

Another radical idea which Augustine introduced is the idea of teachers responding positively to the questions they may receive from their students, no matter if the student interrupted his teacher.

Augustine also founded the restrained style of teaching. This teaching style ensures the students' full understanding of a concept because the teacher does not bombard the student with too much material; focuses on one topic at a time; helps them discover what they don't understand, rather than moving on too quickly; anticipates questions; and helps them learn to solve difficulties and find solutions to problems.

Yet another of Augustine's major contributions to education is his study on the styles of teaching. He claimed there are two basic styles a teacher uses when speaking to the students. The mixed style includes complex and sometimes showy language to help students see the beautiful artistry of the subject they are studying. The grand style is not quite as elegant as the mixed style, but is exciting and heartfelt, with the purpose of igniting the same passion in the students' hearts.

Augustine's contemporaries often believed astrology to be an exact and genuine science. Its practitioners were regarded as true men of learning and called mathemathici. In reality, according to Augustine, they were not genuine students of Hipparchus or Eratosthenes but "common swindlers". Augustine himself was attracted by their books in his youth. He was particularly fascinated by those who claimed to foretell the future. It was at the time when for a period of nine years he continued his interest in Manichaeism. Astrology played a prominent part in Manichean doctrine. Later as a bishop he used to warn that one should avoid mathematicians who combine science and horoscopes: :Hence, a devout Christian must avoid astrologers (Latin mathematici) and all impious soothsayers, especially when they tell you the truth, for fear of leading his soul into error by consorting with demons and entangling himself with the bonds of such association.

Augustine balanced his teaching philosophy with the traditional Bible-based practice of strict discipline. For example, he agreed with using punishment as an incentive for children to learn. He believed all people tend toward evil, and students must therefore be physically punished when they allow their evil desires to direct their actions.

Death

Basilica, Pavia.]]

Shortly before Augustine's death, Roman Africa was overrun by the Vandals, a warlike tribe with Arian sympathies. They had entered Africa at the instigation of Count Boniface, but soon turned to lawlessness, plundering private citizens and churches and killing many of the inhabitants. The Vandals arrived in the spring of 430 to besiege Hippo, and during that time Augustine endured his final illness.

Possidius records that one of the few miracles attributed to Augustine took place during the siege. While Augustine was confined to his sick bed, a man petitioned him that he might lay his hands upon a relative who was ill. Augustine replied that if he had any power to cure the sick, he would surely have applied it on himself first. The visitor declared that he was told in a dream to go to Augustine so that his relative would be made whole. When Augustine heard this, he no longer hesitated, but laid his hands upon the sick man, who departed from Augustine's presence healed.

Possidius also gives a first-hand account of Augustine's death, which occurred on August 28, 430, during the siege of Hippo by the Vandals. Augustine spent his final days in prayer and repentance, requesting that the penitential Psalms of David be hung on his walls so that he could read them. He directed that the library of the church in Hippo and all the books therein should be carefully preserved. Shortly after his death, the Vandals raised the siege of Hippo, but they returned not long thereafter and burned the city. They destroyed all of it but Augustine's cathedral and library, which they left untouched.

According to Bede's True Martyrology, Augustine's body was later removed to Cagliari, Sardinia by the Catholic bishops whom the Arian Vandal Huneric had expelled from north Africa. Bede tells that the remains were subsequently redeemed out of the hands of the Saracens there— by Peter, bishop of Pavia and uncle of the Lombard king Liutprand— and deposited in the church of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro (Italian for "Saint Peter in the Sky of Gold") in Pavia, Italy, about the year 720.

In January 1327 Pope John XXII issued the papal bull Veneranda Santorum Patrum, in which he appointed the Augustinians guardians of the tomb of Augustine (the Arca di Sant'Agostino), which was remade in 1362 and elaborately carved with bas-reliefs of scenes from Augustine's life. The actual remains of Augustine, however, were no longer identified. Then, illiterate stonemasons working in the crypt altar removed paving blocks and discovered a marble box. Within it were other boxes; in the third box were fragments of wood, numerous bones and bone fragments, and glass vials. Some of the workers later claimed to have seen the name "Augustine" written in charcoal on the top of the box. A factor complicating the authentication of the remains was that San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro was shared by the two Augustinian religious orders in bitter rivalry. The controversy on the authenticity of the bones resulted in broadsides, pamphlets and books.

The Augustinians were expelled in 1700, taking refuge in Milan with the relics of Augustine, and the disassembled Arca, which were removed to the cathedral there. The erstwhile cathedral in Pavia fell into disrepair; it was a military magazine under the Napoleonic occupation. It was not reconstructed until the 1870s, under the urging of Agostino Gaetano Riboldi, later Cardinal Riboldi, and reconsecrated in 1896 when the relics of Augustine and the shrine were once again reinstalled.

Works

Name	Augustine of Hippo
Region	West
Era	Ancient/Medieval
Nationality	Roman
Titles	Bishop; Theologian; Philosopher
Tradition movement	Platonism, Neoplatonism, Christian philosophy, Stoicism
Influences	Paul, Ambrose, Plato, Aristotle, Mani, Cicero, Virgil, Plotinus
Influenced	Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hugh of Saint Victor, Martin Luther, John Calvin, René Descartes, Cornelius Jansen, Nicolas Malebranche, Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, Hannah Arendt, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Antonio Negri, Modern Phenomenology and Hermeneutics

Augustine was one of the most prolific Latin authors in terms of surviving works, and the list of his works consists of more than a hundred separate titles. Please see a near-exhaustive list below. They include apologetic works against the heresies of the Arians, Donatists, Manichaeans and Pelagians, texts on Christian doctrine, notably De Doctrina Christiana (On Christian Doctrine), exegetical works such as commentaries on Book of Genesis, the Psalms and Paul's Letter to the Romans, many sermons and letters, and the Retractationes (Retractions), a review of his earlier works which he wrote near the end of his life. Apart from those, Augustine is probably best known for his Confessiones (Confessions), which is a personal account of his earlier life, and for De civitate dei (Of the City of God, consisting of 22 books), which he wrote to restore the confidence of his fellow Christians, which was badly shaken by the sack of Rome by the Visigoths in 410. His De trinitate (On the Trinity), in which he developed what has become known as the 'psychological analogy' of the Trinity, is also among his masterpieces, and arguably one of the greatest theological works of all time. He also wrote On Free Choice Of The Will (De libero arbitrio), addressing why God gives humans free will that can be used for evil.

Influence as a theologian and thinker

Augustine was a bishop, priest, and father who remains a central figure, both within Christianity and in the history of Western thought, and is considered by modern historian Thomas Cahill to be the first medieval man and the last classical man. In both his philosophical and theological reasoning, he was greatly influenced by Stoicism, Platonism and Neo-platonism, particularly by the work of Plotinus, author of the Enneads, probably through the mediation of Porphyry and Victorinus (as Pierre Hadot has argued). Although he later abandoned Neoplatonism some ideas are still visible in his early writings. His generally favourable view of Neoplatonic thought contributed to the "baptism" of Greek thought and its entrance into the Christian and subsequently the European intellectual tradition. His early and influential writing on the human will, a central topic in ethics, would become a focus for later philosophers such as Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. In addition, Augustine was influenced by the works of Virgil (known for his teaching on language), Cicero (known for his teaching on argument), and Aristotle (particularly his Rhetoric and Poetics).

Augustine's concept of original sin was expounded in his works against the Pelagians. However, St. Thomas Aquinas took much of Augustine's theology while creating his own unique synthesis of Greek and Christian thought after the widespread rediscovery of the work of Aristotle. Augustine's doctrine of efficacious grace found eloquent expression in the works of Bernard of Clairvaux; also Reformation theologians such as Martin Luther and John Calvin would look back to him as their inspiration.

Augustine was canonized by popular acclaim, and later recognized as a Doctor of the Church in 1298 by Pope Boniface VIII. His feast day is August 28, the day on which he died. He is considered the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, sore eyes, and a number of cities and dioceses. Catholic theologians generally subscribe to Augustine's belief that God exists outside of time in the "eternal present"; that time only exists within the created universe because only in space is time discernible through motion and change. His meditations on the nature of time are closely linked to his consideration of the human ability of memory. Frances Yates in her 1966 study The Art of Memory argues that a brief passage of the Confessions, 10.8.12, in which Augustine writes of walking up a flight of stairs and entering the vast fields of memory clearly indicates that the ancient Romans were aware of how to use explicit spatial and architectural metaphors as a mnemonic technique for organizing large amounts of information.

Augustine's philosophical method, especially demonstrated in his Confessions, has had continuing influence on Continental philosophy throughout the 20th century. His descriptive approach to intentionality, memory, and language as these phenomena are experienced within consciousness and time anticipated and inspired the insights of modern phenomenology and hermeneutics. Edmund Husserl writes: "The analysis of time-consciousness is an age-old crux of descriptive psychology and theory of knowledge. The first thinker to be deeply sensitive to the immense difficulties to be found here was Augustine, who laboured almost to despair over this problem." Martin Heidegger refers to Augustine's descriptive philosophy at several junctures in his influential work, Being and Time. Hannah Arendt began her philosophical writing with a dissertation on Augustine's concept of love, Der Liebesbegriff bei Augustin (1929): "The young Arendt attempted to show that the philosophical basis for vita socialis in Augustine can be understood as residing in neighbourly love, grounded in his understanding of the common origin of humanity." Jean Bethke Elshtain in Augustine and the Limits of Politics finds likeness between Augustine and Arendt in their concepts of evil: "Augustine did not see evil as glamorously demonic but rather as absence of good, something which paradoxically is really nothing. Arendt ... envisioned even the extreme evil which produced the Holocaust as merely banal [in Eichmann in Jerusalem]." Augustine's philosophical legacy continues to influence contemporary critical theory through the contributions and inheritors of these 20th century figures.

According to Leo Ruickbie, Augustine's arguments against magic, differentiating it from miracle, were crucial in the early Church's fight against paganism and became a central thesis in the later denunciation of witches and witchcraft. According to Professor Deepak Lal, Augustine's vision of the heavenly city has influenced the secular projects and traditions of the Enlightenment, Marxism, Freudianism and Eco-fundamentalism.

Influence on St. Thomas Aquinas

For quotations of St. Augustine by St. Thomas Aquinas see Aquinas and the Sacraments and Thought of Thomas Aquinas.

On the topic of original sin, Aquinas proposed a more optimistic view of man than that of Augustine in that his conception leaves to the reason, will, and passions of fallen man their natural powers even after the Fall.

Influence on Protestant reformers

While in his pre-Pelagian writings Augustine taught that Adam's guilt as transmitted to his descendants much enfeebles, though does not destroy, the freedom of their will, Protestant reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin affirmed that Original Sin completely destroyed liberty (see total depravity).

Theology

Abortion and ensoulment

Like other Church Fathers, St Augustine "vigorously condemned the practice of induced abortion" as a crime, in any stage of pregnancy. In his works, Augustine did consider that the gravity of participation in an abortion depended on whether the fetus had yet received a soul. According to his beliefs, this occurred at 40 days for males, and 90 for females. Initially, the two elements were in perfect harmony. After the fall of humanity they are now experiencing dramatic combat between one another.

They are two categorically different things. The body is a three-dimensional object composed of the four elements, whereas the soul has no spatial dimensions. Soul is a kind of substance, participating in reason, fit for ruling the body. Augustine was not preoccupied, as Plato and Descartes were, with going too much into details in efforts to explain the metaphysics of the soul-body union. It suffices for him to admit that they are metaphysically distinct; to be a human is to be a composite of soul and body, and that the soul is superior to the body. The latter statement is grounded in his hierarchical classification of things into those that merely exist, those that exist and live, and those that exist, live, and have intelligence or reason.

Baptism

Against the Pelagians Augustine strongly stressed the importance of infant baptism. About the question if baptism is an absolute necessity for salvation however, Augustine appears to have refined his beliefs during his lifetime, causing some confusion among later theologians about his position. He said in one of his sermons:

This belief was shared by many early Christians.

However, a passage from his City of God, concerning the Apocalypse, may indicate that Augustine did believe in an exception for children born to Christian parents:

Creation

In "The Literal Interpretation of Genesis" Augustine took the view that everything in the universe was created simultaneously by God, and not in seven calendar days like a plain account of Genesis would require. He argued that the six-day structure of creation presented in the book of Genesis represents a logical framework, rather than the passage of time in a physical way - it would bear a spiritual, rather than physical, meaning, which is no less literal. One reason for this interpretation is the passage in Sirach 18:1, creavit omni simul ("he created all things at once"), which Augustine took as proof that the days of Genesis 1 had to be taken non-literally. At the same time, however, Augustine did not hold to an age of the earth of millions or more years, as the quotation below from The City of God indicates. Augustine also does not envision original sin as originating structural changes in the universe, and even suggests that the bodies of Adam and Eve were already created mortal before the Fall. Apart from his specific views, Augustine recognizes that the interpretation of the creation story is difficult, and remarks that we should be willing to change our mind about it as new information comes up.

In "City of God", Augustine rejected both the immortality of the human race proposed by pagans, and contemporary ideas of ages (such as those of certain Greeks and Egyptians) that differed from the Church's sacred writings:

Ecclesiology

Augustine developed his doctrine of The Church principally in reaction to the Donatist sect. He taught a distinction between the "church visible" and "church invisible". The former is the institutional body on earth which proclaims salvation and administers the sacraments while the latter is the invisible body of the elect, made up of genuine believers from all ages, and who are known only to God. The visible church will be made up of "wheat" and "tares", that is, good and wicked people (as per Mat. 13:30), until the end of time. This concept countered the Donatist claim that they were the only "true" or "pure" church on earth.

Augustine's ecclesiology was more fully developed in City of God. There he conceives of the church as a heavenly city or kingdom, ruled by love, which will ultimately triumph over all earthly empires which are self-indulgent and ruled by pride. Augustine followed Cyprian in teaching that the bishops of the church are the successors of the apostles. At the Reformation, theologians such as John Calvin accepted amillennialism while rejecting aspects of mediaeval ecclesiology which had been built on Augustine's teaching.

Augustine taught that the eternal fate of the soul is determined at death, and that purgatorial fires of the intermediate state purify only those that died in communion with the Church. His teaching provided fuel for later theology. When she moved to Milan, the bishop Ambrose forbade her to use the offering of wine, since "it might be an occasion of gluttony for those who were already given to drink". So, Augustine wrote of her:

Just war

Augustine agreed strongly with the conventional wisdom of the time, that Christians should be pacifists in their personal lives. But he routinely argued that this did not apply to the defense of innocents. In essence, the pursuit of peace must include the option of fighting to preserve it in the long-term. Such a war could not be preemptive, but defensive, to restore peace.

Thomas Aquinas, centuries later, used the authority of Augustine's arguments in an attempt to define the conditions under which a war could be just:

First, war must occur for a good and just purpose rather than for self-gain or as an exercise of power.

Second, just war must be waged by a properly instituted authority such as the state.

Third, peace must be a central motive even in the midst of violence.

Mariology

Although Augustine did not develop an independent Mariology, his statements on Mary surpass in number and depth those of other early writers. Even before the Council of Ephesus, he defended the ever Virgin Mary as the Mother of God, who, because of her virginity, is full of grace. Likewise, he affirmed that the Virgin Mary “conceived as virgin, gave birth as virgin and stayed virgin forever”.

In addition, a prayer to the Virgin Mary is traditionally ascribed to Augustine, and is attached to one of his sermons:

Natural knowledge and biblical interpretation

Augustine took the view that the Biblical text should not be interpreted as properly literal, but rather as metaphorical, if it contradicts what we know from science and our God-given reason. While each passage of Scripture has a literal sense, this "literal sense" does not always mean that the Scriptures are mere history; at times they are rather an extended metaphor. In The Literal Interpretation of Genesis, St. Augustine wrote:

A more clear distinction between "metaphorical" and "literal" in literary texts arose with the rise of the Scientific Revolution, although its source could be found in earlier writings, such as those of Herodotus (5th century BC). It was even considered heretical to interpret the Bible literally at times.

Original sin

Augustine taught that Original sin of Adam and Eve was either an act of foolishness (insipientia) followed by pride and disobedience to God or the opposite: pride came first. The first couple disobeyed God, who had told them not to eat of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17). The tree was a symbol of the order of creation. Self-centeredness made Adam and Eve eat of it, thus failing to acknowledge and respect the world as it was created by God, with its hierarchy of beings and values. They would not have fallen into pride and lack of wisdom, if Satan hadn't sown into their senses "the root of evil" (radix Mali). Their nature was wounded by concupiscence or libido, which affected human intelligence and will, as well as affections and desires, including sexual desire. In terms of Metaphysics, concupiscence is not a being but bad quality, the privation of good or a wound.

Augustine's understanding of the consequences of the original sin and of necessity of the redeeming grace was developed in the struggle against Pelagius and his pelagian disciples, Caelestius and Julian of Eclanum, They refused to agree that libido wounded human will and mind, insisting that the human nature was given the power to act, to speak, and to think when God created it. Human nature cannot lose its moral capacity for doing good, but a person is free to act or not to act in a righteous way. Pelagius gave an example of eyes: they have capacity for seeing, but a person can make either good or bad use of it. Like Jovinian, pelagians insisted that human affections and desires were not touched by the fall either. Immorality, e.g. fornication, is exclusively a matter of will, i.e. a person does not use natural desires in a proper way. In opposition to that, Augustine pointed out to the apparent disobedience of the flesh to the spirit, and explained it as one of the results of original sin, punishment of Adam and Eve's disobedience to God:

Augustine had served as a "Hearer" for the Manicheans for about nine years, who taught that the original sin was carnal knowledge. This allowed Augustine, after his conversion, to find narrow path between the Manichean and Pelagian positions.

The view that not only human soul but also senses were influenced by the fall of Adam and Eve was prevalent in Augustine's time among the Fathers of the Church. It is clear that the reason of Augustine's distance towards the affairs of the flesh was different than that of Plotinus, a neo-Platonist who taught that only through disdain for fleshly desire could one reach the ultimate state of mankind. Augustine taught the redemption, i.e. transformation and purification, of the body in the resurrection.

Some authors perceive Augustine's doctrine as directed against human sexuality and attribute his insistence on continence and devotion to God as coming from Augustine's need to reject his own highly sensual nature as described in the Confessions. But in view of his writings it is apparently a misunderstanding. Augustine teaches that human sexuality has been wounded, together with the whole of human nature, and requires redemption of Christ. That healing is a process realised in conjugal acts. The virtue of continence is achieved thanks to the grace of the sacrament of Christian marriage, which becomes therefore a remedium concupiscentiae - remedy of concupiscence. The redemption of human sexuality will be, however, fully accomplished only in the resurrection of the body.

The sin of Adam is inherited by all human beings. Already in his pre-Pelagian writings, Augustine taught that Original Sin was transmitted by concupiscence, which he regarded as the passion of both, soul and body, making humanity a massa damnata (mass of perdition, condemned crowd) and much enfeebling, though not destroying, the freedom of the will.

Augustine's formulation of the doctrine of original sin was confirmed at numerous councils, i.e. Carthage (418), Ephesus (431), Orange (529), Trent (1546) and by popes, i.e. Pope Innocent I (401-417) and Pope Zosimus (417-418). Anselm of Canterbury established in his Cur Deus Homo the definition that was followed by the great Schoolmen, namely that Original Sin is the "privation of the righteousness which every man ought to possess", thus interpreting concupiscence as something more than mere sexual lust, with which some Augustine's disciples had defined it as later did Luther and Calvin, a doctrine condemned in 1567 by Pope Pius V. Augustine's doctrine about the liberum arbitrium or free will and its inability to respond to the will of God without divine grace is interpreted (mistakenely according to Roman Catholics) in terms of Predestination: grace is irresistible, results in conversion, and leads to perseverance. The Calvinist view of Augustine's teachings rests on the assertion that God has foreordained, from eternity, those who will be saved. The number of the elect is fixed.

Sacramental theology

Also in reaction against the Donatists, Augustine developed a distinction between the "regularity" and "validity" of the sacraments. Regular sacraments are performed by clergy of the Catholic Church while sacraments performed by schismatics are considered irregular. Nevertheless, the validity of the sacraments do not depend upon the holiness of the priests who perform them (ex opere operato); therefore, irregular sacraments are still accepted as valid provided they are done in the name of Christ and in the manner prescribed by the church. On this point Augustine departs from the earlier teaching of Cyprian, who taught that converts from schismatic movements must be re-baptised. and he considered the scattering of Jews by the Roman Empire to be a fulfillment of prophecy.

Augustine also quotes part of the same prophecy that says "Slay them not, lest they should at last forget Thy law" (Psalm 59:11). Augustine argued that God had allowed the Jews to survive this dispersion as a warning to Christians, thus they were to be permitted to dwell in Christian lands. Augustine further argued that the Jews would be converted at the end of time.

Views on lust

Augustine struggled with lust throughout his life. He had a mistress before he converted, but once he became a Christian, he condemned all forms of extra-marital sex (including his previous relationship with his mistress), considering them unlawful and unbiblical. In the Confessions, Augustine describes his personal struggle in vivid terms: "But I, wretched, most wretched, in the very commencement of my early youth, had begged chastity of Thee, and said, 'Grant me chastity and continence, only not yet.'" At sixteen Augustine moved to Carthage where again he was plagued by this "wretched sin":

For Augustine, the evil was not in the sexual act itself, but rather in the emotions that typically accompany it. In On Christian Doctrine Augustine contrasts love and lust:

Here we can see the theoretical resolution of the struggle documented in Confessions: that proper love exercises a denial of selfish pleasure and the subjugation of corporeal desire to God.

To the pious virgins raped during the sack of Rome, he writes, "Truth, another's lust cannot pollute thee." Chastity is "a virtue of the mind, and is not lost by rape, but is lost by the intention of sin, even if unperformed."

Augustine viewed erections themselves as involuntary: at times, without intention, the body stirs on its own, insistent; at other times, it leaves a straining lover in the lurch.

In short, Augustine's life experience led him to consider lust to be one of the most grievous sins, and a serious obstacle to the virtuous life.

List of Works (books, letters and sermons)

On Christian Doctrine (, 397-426)

Confessions (Confessiones, 397-398)

City of God (De civitate Dei, begun ca. 413, finished 426)

On the Trinity (De trinitate'', 400-416)

Enchiridion (Enchiridion ad Laurentium, seu de fide, spe et caritate)

Retractions (Retractationes): At the end of his life (ca. 426-428) Augustine revisited his previous works in chronological order. The English translation of the title has led some to assume that at the end of his career, Augustine retreated from his earlier theological positions. In fact, the Latin title literally means 're-treatments" (not "Retractions") and though in this work Augustine suggested what he would have said differently, it provides little in the way of actual "retraction." It does, however, give the reader a rare picture of the development of a writer and his final thoughts.

The Literal Meaning of Genesis (De Genesi ad litteram)

On Free Choice of the Will (De libero arbitrio)

On the Catechising of the Uninstructed (De catechizandis rudibus)

On Faith and the Creed (De fide et symbolo)

Concerning Faith of Things Not Seen (De fide rerum invisibilium)

On the Profit of Believing (De utilitate credendi)

On the Creed: A Sermon to Catechumens (De symbolo ad catechumenos)

On Continence (De continentia)

On the teacher (De magistro)

On the Good of Marriage (De bono coniugali)

On Holy Virginity (De sancta virginitate)

On the Good of Widowhood (De bono viduitatis)

On Lying (De mendacio)

To Consentius: Against Lying (Contra mendacium [ad Consentium])

To Quodvultdeus, On Heresies (De haeresibus ad Quodvultdeum)

On the Work of Monks (De opere monachorum)

On Patience (De patientia)

On Care to be Had For the Dead (De cura pro mortuis gerenda)

On the Morals of the Catholic Church and on the Morals of the Manichaeans (De moribus ecclesiae catholicae et de moribus Manichaeorum)

On Two Souls, Against the Manichaeans (De duabus animabus [contra Manichaeos])

Acts or Disputation Against Fortunatus the Manichaean ([Acta] contra Fortunatum [Manichaeum])

Against the Epistle of Manichaeus Called Fundamental (Contra epistulam Manichaei quam vocant fundamenti)

Reply to Faustus the Manichaean (Contra Faustum [Manichaeum])

Concerning the Nature of Good, Against the Manichaeans (De natura boni contra Manichaeos)

On Baptism, Against the Donatists (De baptismo [contra Donatistas])

The Correction of the Donatists (De correctione Donatistarum)

On Merits and Remission of Sin, and Infant Baptism (De peccatorum meritis et remissione et de baptismo parvulorum)

On the Spirit and the Letter (De spiritu et littera)

On Nature and Grace (De natura et gratia)

On Man's Perfection in Righteousness (De perfectione iustitiae hominis)

On the Proceedings of Pelagius (De gestis Pelagii)

On the Grace of Christ, and on Original Sin (De gratia Christi et de peccato originali)

On Marriage and Concupiscence (De nuptiis et concupiscientia)

On the Nature of the Soul and its Origin (De natura et origine animae)

Against Two Letters of the Pelagians (Contra duas epistulas Pelagianorum)

On Grace and Free Will (De gratia et libero arbitrio)

On Rebuke and Grace (De correptione et gratia)

On the Predestination of the Saints (De praedestinatione sanctorum)

On the Gift of Perseverance (De dono perseverantiae)

Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount (De sermone Domini in monte)

On the Harmony of the Evangelists (De consensu evangelistarum)

Treatises on the Gospel of John (In Iohannis evangelium tractatus)

Soliloquies (Soliloquiorum libri duo)

Enarrations, or Expositions, on the Psalms (Enarrationes in Psalmos)

On the Immortality of the Soul (De immortalitate animae)

Answer to the Letters of Petilian, Bishop of Cirta (Contra litteras Petiliani)

Against the Academics (Contra Academicos)

Sermons, among which a series on selected lessons of the New Testament

Homilies, among which a series on the First Epistle of John

Translations

English translations of Augustine's work abound. One of the best translations of Augustine into English currently available is the one offered by New City Press in the series The Works of St. Augustine: A translation for the 21st Century. To date, this is also the most complete translation of Augustine's works in English. The second most complete translation of Augustine's works in English is by the Catholic University of America Press. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy offers a list of selected translations, which however does not claim to be exhaustive.

In popular culture

Augustine was played by Dary Berkani in the 1972 television movie Augustine of Hippo. He was also played by Franco Nero in the 2010 mini-series .

See also

References

Bibliography

:: ^g Saint Augustine, pages 30, 144; City of God 51, 52, 53 and The Confessions 50, 51, 52

Règle de St. Augustin pour les religieuses de son ordre; et Constitutions de la Congrégation des Religieuses du Verbe-Incarné et du Saint-Sacrament (Lyon: Chez Pierre Guillimin, 1662), pp. 28–29. Cf. later edition published at Lyon (Chez Briday, Libraire,1962), pp. 22–24. English edition, (New York: Schwartz, Kirwin, and Fauss, 1893), pp. 33–35.

Pagels, Elaine Adam, Eve, and the Serpent: Sex and Politics in Early Christianity Vintage Books (September 19, 1989) ISBN 0-679-72232-7

External links

;General

"St. Augustine, Bishop and Confessor, Doctor of the Church", Butler's Lives of the Saints

The Life and Writings of St. Augustine of Hippo: Bishop & Doctor of the Christian Church

Augustine of Hippo edited by James J. O'Donnell – texts, translations, introductions, commentaries, etc.

St. Augustinus | Augustine of Hippo – a site dedicated to the life and teaching of the doctor of the Catholic Church.

Augustine's theory of knowledge

;Bibliography

Augustine of Hippo at EarlyChurch.org.uk – extensive bibliography and on-line articles

;Works by Augustine

St. Augustine at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library

Aurelius Augustinus at "IntraText Digital Library" – texts in several languages, with concordance and frequency list

Augustinus.it – Latin and Italian texts

Sanctus Augustinus at Documenta Catholica Omnia – Latin

City of God, Confessions, Enchiridion, Doctrine audio books

;Biography and criticism

Order of St Augustine

Blessed Augustine of Hippo: His Place in the Orthodox Church

Augustine's World: An Introduction to His Speculative Philosophy by Donald Burt, OSA, member of the Augustinian Order, Villanova University

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