Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination tournaments where only one team or player per match can advance to the next round. In other sports, particular those prominently played in North America where draws are generally disfavored, some form of extra time is employed for all games.

The rules of overtime or extra time vary between sports and even different competitions. Some may employ "sudden death", where the first player or team who scores immediately wins the game. In others, play continues until a specified time has elapsed, and only then is the winner declared. If the contest remains tied after the extra session, depending on the rules, the match may immediately end as a draw, additional periods may be played, or a different tiebreaking procedure such as a penalty shootout may be used instead.

The term "overtime" is primarily used in North America, whereas "extra time" is used in other continents.

Association football

Professional association football play an extra 30 minutes, made up of two 15-minute periods. Not all competitions employ extra time; for example, CONMEBOL has historically never used extra time in any of the competitions it directly organises, such as the Copa Libertadores (today, it uses extra time only in the final match of a competition). If such a game is still tied after extra time it is usually decided by kicks from the penalty spot, commonly called a penalty shootout. If the score remains level after extra time, the game is determined as a draw and the winning penalty shootout team are provided with recognition.

Beach Soccer

In beach soccer, since there are no draws, if teams are level after regulation time, three minutes of extra time are played, followed by a sudden death penalty shootout.

==American and Canadian football==

Professional

The NFL introduced overtime for the playoffs in 1941, and started in pre-season games in 1955. In 1974, the NFL adopted sudden death overtime for regular season games. If the score is tied after regulation time has concluded, an additional 15-minute period is played. The captains meet with the officials for a coin toss, and then one side kicks off to the other, as at the start of a game. The first team to score during the extra period wins the game. In the regular season, if the overtime period is completed without either side scoring, the game ends in a draw. Because there cannot be a tie in the playoffs, the teams switch ends of the field and start additional 15-minute overtime periods until one side scores.

"In March 2010, the NFL amended its rules for overtime after a vote by the team owners. If the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on their first possession, they are declared the winner. If they score a field goal on their first possession, however, the opposing team is given possession of the ball and an opportunity to score(in postseason); if the score is tied again after that possession, sudden death rules apply and the next team to score by any method is declared the winner, and the number of additional 15 minute periods will not matter. If neither team scores there will be another overtime period to be played before resulting in a tie (with exception of postseason, when the game will be played until a winner is declared) The rule change currently applies to both regular, and postseason games."-www.nfl.com

The short-lived World Football League, for its inaugural 1974 season (the same year the NFL established sudden death in the regular season), used extra time (one full fifteen-minute quarter, divided into two halves).

College, high-school, and Canadian football

In college and high school football, as well as the Canadian Football League, an overtime procedure is used to determine the winner. This method is sometimes referred to as a "Kansas Playoff," or "Kansas Plan" because of its origins for high school football in that state. A brief summary of the rules:

A coin toss determines which side shall attempt to score first, and at which end zone the scores shall be attempted.

Each team in turn will receive one possession (similar to innings in baseball), starting with first-and-10 from a fixed point on the opponent's side of the field:

*In college football, the possession begins at the opponent's 25-yard line.

*In high school football, the ball begins at the 10-yard line, with the option for state high school associations to use different yardage (such as the 15, 20, or 25-yard line)

*In the CFL, where a single point can be scored on a punt, the 35-yard line is used.

The game clock does not run during overtime; the play clock, however, is enforced.

A team's possession ends when it scores (touchdown or field goal), misses a field goal, fails to gain a first down on the final down, or loses the ball by turnover. As usual, a touchdown by the offense is followed by a try for one or two points. (In NCAA football, teams must attempt a two-point conversion after a touchdown starting in the third overtime. Starting in 2010, CFL teams must attempt the two-point conversion on any touchdown in overtime.)

In college football the defense may score on a play on which it gains possession by turnover. In high school football, the defense is generally not allowed to score if it gains possession, although the Oregon School Activities Association adopted the college rule experimentally in 2005, and the University Interscholastic League of Texas, the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association use NCAA football rules.

Each team receives one charged time-out per overtime procedure (except in the CFL).

If the score remains tied at the end of the overtime procedure, an additional overtime procedure is played. The team with the second possession in one overtime procedure will have the first possession in the next overtime procedure.

In the CFL there is a limit of two overtime procedures in regular-season games (after which the game is a tie), but no limit in playoff games. In American college and high school football, the overtime procedures are continued until a winner is determined.

On two occasions, just two plays were required to determine an overtime winner in an NCAA football game. These occurred on September 26, 2002, when Louisville defeated Florida State 26-20, and September 27, 2003 when Georgia Tech defeated Vanderbilt 24-17.

It is possible for a college game to end after a single play in overtime if the team on defense secures a turnover and returns it for a touchdown. (One example of a defensive touchdown ending the game occurred on September 9, 2005 when Ohio defeated Pittsburgh 16-10 on an 85 yard interception return by Dion Byrum; this occurred on the third play of overtime.) Furthermore, it is possible (but not likely) that the defense may get a safety on the first possession in overtime, thus ending the game after only one overtime play. Because this would require the offense to go backward 75 yards, this is extremely improbable and has never happened in FBS.

The short-lived XFL used a modified Kansas Playoff, where the series would start on the 20-yard line and have four downs to score. However, if the first team to play overtime scored a touchdown in less than four downs, the second team would have to score in just as many plays (for instance, if the first team scored a touchdown on three downs, the second team would only have three downs to score a touchdown). Neither team could kick a field goal until the fourth down. Rather than a coin toss, the winner of the opening scramble at the beginning of the game also got to choose to go first or second in overtime.

Basketball

In basketball, if the score is tied at the end of regulation play, the teams play a five-minute overtime period. In levels below collegiate/Olympic play, an overtime period is half the length of a standard quarter, i.e., four minutes for high school varsity. FIBA 33, a formalized version of the halfcourt three-on-three game, uses two-minute overtime periods. The alternating possession rule is used to start all overtime periods under international rules while a jump ball is used under high school and NCAA rules, with the arrow reset based on the results of the jump ball to start each overtime. The National Basketball Association, which uses a quarter-possession rule to start periods after the opening jump, also uses a jump ball. The entire overtime period is played; there is no sudden-death provision. The only exception is in FIBA 33, in which the game ends by rule once either team has scored at least 33 points. All counts of personal fouls against players are carried over for the purpose of disqualifying players. If the score remains tied after an overtime period, an additional overtime period is played.

As many as six overtime periods have been necessary to determine a winner in a NBA game.

In exhibition games (non-competitive play), it is upon the discretion of the coaches and/or organizers if an overtime is to be played, especially if it is a non-tournament game (a one-off event).

Starting in 2009–10, the quarterfinals of the Eurocup, Europe's second-tier transnational competition, will be the only competitive games in which overtime will not automatically be employed. The quarterfinals of that competition, from 2009–10, are two-legged ties determined on aggregate score. The first game may end in a draw. The second game will have an overtime only if it is required to break an aggregate tie at the end of regulation in the second leg. Although other competitions use two-legged ties at various stages, the Eurocup quarterfinals is the only tournament to use overtime only if the aggregate score after the second game is tied.

Ice hockey

In ice hockey, if the score is tied at the end of regulation play, certain leagues play overtime. NHL (regular season): If a game is tied after regulation time (three 20-minute periods), the teams play in a sudden death 5-minute overtime period, with a goaltender and four skaters per side (as opposed to the standard five). If nobody scores in the overtime period, the teams engage in a "penalty shootout" where 3 skaters, selected by the head coaches on the teams, go one-on-one against the opposing goaltender, taking the puck at center ice for a "penalty shot." If the shootout remains tied after the initial 3 rounds, the shootout continues in a sudden-death fashion.

The 5-minute overtime period was introduced for regular season games beginning with the 1983-84 NHL season, but with teams at full strength on the ice. Overtime in the regular season was reduced to four skaters a side starting in the 2000-2001 season.: Following an intermission, an additional full 20-minute period is played. Teams remain at full strength unless this is affected by penalties during the third period. A goal ends the game in sudden death; if neither team scores, another intermission is taken, followed by an additional overtime period. The teams change ends of the ice for each period. This has made for lengthy games in the history of the NHL playoffs, with some games going as far as five or six overtimes before the deciding goal is scored.

NCAA (regular season): If a game is tied at the end of regulation, the teams play a sudden-death 5-minute overtime. Both teams play at full strength, unless affected by penalties. If neither team scores during overtime, the game ends in a tie.

NCAA (in-season tournaments): For tournaments held during the season (such as the Beanpot and Great Lakes Invitational), in which advancement or determination of a champion is necessary, organizers have the option of either using the post-season overtime procedure or using the regular-season procedure followed by a penalty shootout. Statistics from a shootout are not counted by the NCAA, and a game decided by a shootout is considered a tie for NCAA tournament selection purposes.

NCAA (post-season): Same as the NHL overtime procedure above, except that all overtimes are played with the teams defending the same ends as for the third period. Games decided in overtime are considered wins or losses rather than ties, regardless of how many overtimes are played.

International (round robin): As of the 2007 IIHF World Championships, the IIHF instituted the "three point rule", which not only awarded the winning team three points for a regulation win, but awarded them two points for a win in a 5 minute overtime period or a Game Winning Shot (shootout). Games in IIHF round robins can therefore no longer end in a tie. In the World Cup of Hockey in 2004, the NHL's tiebreaking procedure at the time was followed: there was a five-minute sudden death period at four skaters per side, and if the score remained tied after the overtime period, it stood as a tie. The game between Sweden and Finland ended in a 4-4 tie after 65 minutes.

International (medal rounds): Various tiebreaking procedures have been used for international tournaments, with all of them save one (World Cup of Hockey 2004) following a common theme: one period varying in length of sudden-death overtime followed by a shootout of five skaters per side (as opposed to the NHL's three skaters per side). The length of the overtime period has varied between 5, 10, and 20 minutes, and 5-on-5 and 4-on-4 formats have been used. The most recent format used was at the 2010 Olympics (particularly in the gold medal game); there were 20 minutes of 4-on-4 followed by a shootout. In 2006, it was 20 minutes of 5-on-5. All men's games ended in regulation during the medal rounds, while the women's semifinal between the United States and Sweden required a shootout to determine the winner. At the World Cup of Hockey in 2004, the NHL's postseason tiebreaking procedure was used (multiple 20-minute periods of 5-on-5 until a goal is scored). The only overtime game in the playoff round was the semifinal between the Czech Republic and Canada. Canada won 4-3 with a goal 2 minutes and 16 seconds into the first overtime period.

As many as six overtime periods have been necessary to determine a winner in the NHL. In Gaelic football (and hurling), two halves of ten minutes are played after a draw. In major Gaelic football tournaments, extra time is only used if a replay finishes in a tie.

In field hockey matches, extra time of 7½ minutes each way is played.

If a game of curling is tied at the end of its prescribed number of rounds (called ends), extra ends are played until there is a winner.

Ties are allowed to stand in most forms of cricket, but Twenty20 cricket provides for tiebreaker procedures should a winner be necessary (such as in tournament settings): a limited extra session called a Super Over.

Longest games

Baseball

MLB – American League – May 8, 1984: Chicago White Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 in 25 innings. The game took 8 hours and 6 minutes to decide.

MLB - National League – May 1, 1920: Game between the Brooklyn Robins and Boston Braves ended in a 1-1 tie after 26 innings.

Minor league – International League - April 18, 1981: In the longest professional baseball game ever played, the Pawtucket Red Sox defeated the Rochester Red Wings 3–2 in 33 innings. The game was suspended at the end of the 32nd inning at 4:09 AM local time and resumed one month later. The decisive 33rd inning took just 18 minutes to play.

Collegiate – May 30, 2009: The Texas Longhorns defeated the Boston College Eagles 3-2 in 25 innings in the Austin regional of the 2009 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament.

Basketball

NBA – January 6, 1951: The Indianapolis Olympians and the Rochester Royals played six overtimes, with Indianapolis winning 75-73 in a four-hour game.

Collegiate (NCAA Division I) – December 21, 1981: Cincinnati edged Bradley 75-73, also in seven overtimes.

Collegiate (NCAA Division II) – February 18, 1956: Black Hills edged Yankton (a college which no longer exists) 80-79 after seven extra periods.

Collegiate (NCAA Division III) - November 24, 2010: Skidmore edged Southern Vermont 128-123, also in seven overtimes.

American football

Five National Football League playoff games have gone into a second overtime, the longest being an AFC divisional playoff game on December 25, 1971. The Miami Dolphins defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-24 at 7:40 into the second overtime (at 82:40 of total play, the longest game in NFL history). The most recent 2OT NFL game came in an NFC divisional playoff game on January 10, 2004, with the Carolina Panthers defeating the St. Louis Rams 29-23 in the first play of the second overtime, on a long touchdown pass.

In the former American Football League, the championship game played on December 23, 1962 went two overtimes, with the Dallas Texans defeating the Houston Oilers 20-17, on a 25-yard field goal at 2:54 into the second overtime. (This game, along with all other AFL games, were incorporated into the NFL record books following the 1970 merger of the two leagues.)

The former United States Football League had a triple-overtime playoff game on June 30, 1984. The Los Angeles Express defeated the Michigan Panthers, 27-21, on a walk-off touchdown 3:33 into the third overtime (at 93:33 of total play, the longest professional football game ever played in the United States).

Collegiate (NCAA Division I FBS, formerly Division I-A) - The Arkansas Razorbacks hold the record for the most longest overtimes college football games. On November 3, 2001, Arkansas beat the Mississippi (Ole Miss) Rebels 58-56 in seven overtimes; the game had been tied 17-17 after four quarters. On November 1, 2003, Arkansas beat the Kentucky Wildcats 71–63, also in seven overtimes; the score was tied 24-24 at the end of regulation play. Further in 2006 FIU and North Texas tied the seven overtime record.

Collegiate (NCAA Division I FCS, formerly Division I-AA) - September 27, 1998: Bethune-Cookman University recorded a 63-57 victory over Virginia State University, ending in the 8th overtime.

High School (UIL) Nacogdoches High School (TX) vs Jacksonville High School (TX)-October 29–30, 2010 played a 12 overtime game ending in a 84-81 victory for Jacksonville. Which also set a National record

Ice hockey

NHL – March 23, 1936: The Detroit Red Wings beat the Montreal Maroons 1-0 in the 6th overtime and after a total of 116:30 minutes had been played in overtime.

Collegiate (NCAA Division I, men's) – March 8, 1997: In a WCHA men's quarterfinal, Colorado College defeated Wisconsin 1-0 in the 4th overtime, after 129:30 minutes of play. Yale University @ Union College amd Quinnipiac university at Union college both extended 5 overtimes

Collegiate (NCAA Division I, women's) – March 10, 1996: In the ECAC women's championship game, New Hampshire defeated Providence 3-2 in the 5th overtime, after 145:35 minutes of play.

Lacrosse

Collegiate (NCAA Division I, men's) – March 28, 2009: The Virginia Cavaliers team played in the longest game in the history of NCAA Division I lacrosse—a 10-9 victory over the Maryland Terrapins in seven overtime periods.

See also

Tiebreaker

Green-white-checker finish, the procedure used in American auto racing to add extra laps when the last lap ends in a yellow flag ("caution") condition.

Replay (sports), a procedure in some sports to resolve a tied game in which a game is played from the beginning, with the original match discarded.

References

Category:Terms used in multiple sports

}} Vladimir Radmanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Владимир Радмановић) (born November 19, 1980) is a professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the NBA. He previously played with the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Seattle SuperSonics, and Charlotte Bobcats.

Pre-NBA

Born into the Serbian family of a JNA officer hailing from the Dalmatian coastal town of Zadar in Croatia, Radmanović was born in Trebinje, in the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the former Yugoslavia, where his father Stevan was stationed at the time. He grew up in various locales dictated by the requirements of his father's profession.

Radmanović played basketball for Red Star Belgrade and KK FMP Železnik before entering the into the NBA in 2001.

NBA career

Seattle SuperSonics

Radmanović was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics as the 12th pick of 2001 NBA Draft. Although consistent throughout his first two seasons, Radmanović became a candidate for the NBA Most Improved Player Award in the 2003-04 season, when he averaged 12 points and 5.3 rebounds per game mostly as a sixth man. He established himself as a deadly three-point shooter, making around 40% of his attempts.

He was integral to the Sonics' success in the 2004–05 season as a sixth man. He averaged 11.8 points per game and 4.6 rebounds, helping the Sonics win their first-round playoff matchup against the Sacramento Kings. On January 26, 2005, he made a career-high 8 three-point field goals against the Los Angeles Lakers. After the 2004-05 season, Radmanović turned down a six year, $42 million dollar contract offer to re-sign with the Sonics, and instead decided to sign a one-year deal, making him an unrestricted free agent after next season.

He was nicknamed "Broadway Joe" by Supersonics announcer Kevin Calabro, after his resemblance to NFL quarterback Joe Namath.

Los Angeles Clippers

After voicing his frustration for not being a starter, on February 14, 2006, Radmanović was traded from the SuperSonics to the Los Angeles Clippers for power forward Chris Wilcox.

The change of venue greatly improved his performance. Radmanović averaged 10.7 ppg, a career-best averages of 5.7 rpg and 2.1 apg, while shooting 41.8% of his three-pointers.

Los Angeles Lakers

On July 1, 2006, he agreed to terms with Los Angeles Lakers for the full mid-level exception over 5 years (at an estimated $31M). Although he was believed to be a lock to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers (he at first accepted their offer at an estimated $31M over five years), he changed his mind after being promised a starting job with the Los Angeles Lakers. Although the Lakers were offering the same amount of money as Clippers, Radmanović was persuaded to join the team by Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, Magic Johnson and his good friend, Vlade Divac, who were all convinced his shooting and playing opportunities would greatly increase in the Lakers' triangle offense. Jackson has also called Vladimir a "space cadet" and "my favorite Martian" in reference to his being out of position and taking wild three point shots. He was also referred to as "Vlad Rad." He started all 21 games in the 2007-2008 Playoffs for the Lakers, and was high scorer for one game and high rebounder for several games.

Snowboarding injury

On February 18, 2007, Radmanović told the Lakers that he had separated his shoulder, when he fell on a patch of ice in Park City, Utah the day before, during the weekend of the 2007 NBA All-Star Game and would be out approximately eight weeks.

However, on February 23, 2007, Radmanović revealed that he had actually hurt himself in a fall while snowboarding. Radmanović's Lakers contract banned him from taking part in activities that involve significant risk of injury, including skiing and snowboarding. Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins said Radmanovic will likely play both small and power forward.

Golden State Warriors

On November 16, 2009, Radmanovic was traded to the Golden State Warriors along with Raja Bell in exchange for Stephen Jackson and Acie Law.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2001–02 | align="left" | Seattle | 61 || 16 || 20.2 || .412 || .420 || .681 || 3.8 || 1.3 || .9 || .4 || 6.7 |- | align="left" | 2002–03 | align="left" | Seattle | 72 || 16 || 26.5 || .410 || .355 || .706 || 4.5 || 1.3 || .9 || .3 || 10.1 |- | align="left" | 2003–04 | align="left" | Seattle | 77 || 38 || 30.1 || .425 || .371 || .748 || 5.3 || 1.8 || 1.0 || .6 || 12.0 |- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Seattle | 63 || 0 || 29.5 || .409 || .389 || .786 || 4.6 || 1.4 || .9 || .5 || 11.8 |- | align="left" | 2005–06 | align="left" | Seattle | 47 || 16 || 23.2 || .401 || .367 || .887 || 4.0 || 1.5 || .7 || .3 || 9.3 |- | align="left" | 2005–06 | align="left" | L.A. Clippers | 30 || 11 || 29.5 || .417 || .418 || .731 || 5.7 || 2.1 || 1.0 || .5 || 10.7 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | L.A. Lakers | 55 || 15 || 17.9 || .424 || .339 || .726 || 3.3 || 1.2 || .4 || .3 || 6.6 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | L.A. Lakers | 65 || 41 || 22.8 || .453 || .406 || .800 || 3.3 || 1.9 || .7 || .2 || 8.4 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | L.A. Lakers | 46 || 28 || 16.8 || .444 || .441 || .852 || 2.5 || .8 || .6 || .2 || 5.9 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Charlotte | 32 || 3 || 21.1 || .401 || .357 || .645 || 3.3 || 1.3 || .6 || .2 || 8.3 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Charlotte | 8 || 0 || 16.6 || .333 || .318 || .667 || 3.6 || .9 || .4 || .1 || 4.9 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Golden State | 33 || 20 || 23.0 || .385 || .267 || .762 || 4.5 || 1.2 || .8 || .2 || 6.6 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 589 || 204 || 23.9 || .417 || .379 || .753 || 4.1 || 1.5 || .8 || .3 || 8.9

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2001–02 | align="left" | Seattle | 5 || 2 || 22.6 || .438 || .538 || 1.000 || 3.6 || 1.0 || .2 || .2 || 7.6 |- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Seattle | 6 || 0 || 20.3 || .371 || .238 || .500 || 3.0 || .5 || .7 || .5 || 5.3 |- | align="left" | 2005–06 | align="left" | L.A. Clippers | 12 || 2 || 20.5 || .470 || .463 || .696 || 4.0 || 1.1 || .6 || .5 || 8.1 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | L.A. Lakers | 21 || 21 || 22.9 || .444 || .372 || .833 || 3.8 || 1.5 || .6 || .1 || 8.0 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 44 || 25 || 21.9 || .440 || .392 || .735 || 3.7 || 1.2 || .6 || .2 || 7.6

Notes

External links

Vladimir Radmanović at NBA.com

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Serbian basketball players Category:Serbian expatriate basketball people in the United States Category:KK Crvena zvezda players Category:Seattle SuperSonics draft picks Category:Seattle SuperSonics players Category:Los Angeles Clippers players Category:Los Angeles Lakers players Category:Charlotte Bobcats players Category:Golden State Warriors players Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Small forwards Category:People from Trebinje Category:Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics

Name	Steve Blake
Caption	Blake in December 2010
Team	Los Angeles Lakers
Number	5
Position	Point guard
Height ft	6 | height_in = 3
Weight lb	172
Nationality	American
Birth date	February 26, 1980
Birth place	Hollywood, Florida
High school	MiamiOak Hill Academy
College	Maryland
Draft round	2
Draft pick	38
Draft year	2003
Draft team	Washington Wizards
Career start	2003
Teams	Washington Wizards (2003–05)Portland Trail Blazers (2005–06; 2007-10)Milwaukee Bucks (2006–07)Denver Nuggets (2007)Los Angeles Clippers (2010)Los Angeles Lakers (2010-present)

Steven Hanson Blake (born February 26, 1980 in Hollywood, Florida) is an American professional basketball point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. Previously, he played for the Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Amateur career

High school

Blake spent his freshman and sophomore year at Miami Killian High School and then transferred to Miami High School, where he played with another future NBA player, Udonis Haslem. Miami won consecutive state championships, but after the Miami New Times exposed the fact that Blake and other players were using fake addresses to enroll in the school, one of the titles was expunged. After being banned from playing again anywhere in the FHSAA, he then attended Oak Hill Academy before coming to Maryland.

College

After high school, he attended the University of Maryland. Blake was the team's starter the first day of his freshman year and was the first ACC player to compile 1,000 points, 800 assists, 400 rebounds and 200 steals. He finished his career 5th in NCAA all-time career assists with 972. Widely known for his superb passing ability, Blake helped lead the Terrapins to a Final Four appearance (2001) and the 2002 NCAA championship; less well-known for his scoring, Blake did average eleven points per game in his senior year. He averaged over six assists per game in each of his four years, including averages of 7.9 and 7.1 in 2002 and 2003, respectively. For his efforts, he was named to a variety of all-ACC teams during his career, including the rookie and defensive squads, capped by a first-team All-ACC spot his senior year. At the start of the 2003–04 basketball season, Blake's uniform number (25) became only the 15th to be retired to the rafters of Maryland's Comcast Center.

NBA career

Washington

Blake was selected by the Washington Wizards with the 38th pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. He averaged 5.9 points, 2.8 assists, and 18.6 minutes per game while playing in 75 games his rookie season with the Wizards. In his second season Blake's playing time decreased to 14.7 minutes and only 44 games played.

Portland

In September 2005, Blake (then a restricted free agent with the Wizards) was offered a contract by the Portland Trail Blazers, which the Wizards declined to match. This became the second reunion with former Maryland Terrapin and Washington Wizards backcourt teammate Juan Dixon, who also signed with the Trail Blazers in the 2005 off-season.

In Blake's first season with the Blazers, he became a starter and played a significant role when Sebastian Telfair was injured. Blake's playing time increased from 14.7 minutes and 44 games with only one start in 2004–05 to 26.2 minutes and 68 games with 57 starts in 05–06. Blake reestablished himself as a terrific passer and fundamental point guard claiming third in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio. He also increased his field goal percentage by 11%.

Milwaukee

In July 2006, Blake was traded (along with Brian Skinner and Ha Seung-Jin) to the Milwaukee Bucks for Jamaal Magloire.

Denver

On January 11, 2007, Blake was traded to the Denver Nuggets in return for Earl Boykins and Julius Hodge. Blake started in 40 of the 49 remaining games of the Nuggets' 2006–07 season, and in five playoff games in a 4–1 first-round loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Portland

Blake became an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2007, and agreed to a three-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers on July 13, 2007.

The 2008–09 season saw a rise in Blake's numbers. Through his first 38 games, he averaged a career-high 11.7 points per game, while also achieving career highs in free throw percentage and three-point percentage.

On February 22, 2009, Blake tied an NBA record with 14 assists in the first quarter of a game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Los Angeles Clippers

On February 16, 2010, Blake was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers with Travis Outlaw and $1.5 million in cash for Marcus Camby.

Los Angeles Lakers

On July 8, 2010, Blake officially signed a four-year $16 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. On October 26, 2010, in the season opener against the Houston Rockets, he hit a clutch 3-pointer to give the Lakers the lead. He also defended Houston's Aaron Brooks on the following possession, forcing him to miss a tough shot at the buzzer, sealing the win for the Lakers.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2003–04 | align="left" | Washington | 75 || 14 || 18.6 || .386 || .371 || .821 || 1.6 || 2.8 || .8 || .1 || 5.9 |- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Washington | 44 || 1 || 14.7 || .328 || .387 || .805 || 1.6 || 1.6 || .3 || .0 || 4.3 |- | align="left" | 2005–06 | align="left" | Portland | 68 || 57 || 26.2 || .438 || .413 || .791 || 2.1 || 4.5 || .6 || .1 || 8.2 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Milwaukee | 33 || 2 || 17.7 || .349 || .279 || .550 || 1.4 || 2.5 || .3 || .1 || 3.6 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Denver | 49 || 40 || 33.5 || .432 || .343 || .727 || 2.5 || 6.6 || 1.0 || .1 || 8.3 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Portland | 81 || 78 || 29.9 || .408 || .406 || .766 || 2.4 || 5.1 || .7 || .1 || 8.5 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Portland | 69 || 69 || 31.7 || .428 || .427 || .840 || 2.5 || 5.0 || 1.0 || .1 || 11.0 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Portland | 51 || 28 || 27.4 || .403 || .377 || .750 || 2.3 || 4.0 || .7 || .0 || 7.6 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | L.A. Clippers | 29 || 10 || 26.3 || .443 || .437 || .750 || 2.4 || 6.1 || .7 || .1 || 6.8 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 499 || 299 || 25.7 || .411 || .393 || .780 || 2.1 || 4.3 || .7 || .1 || 7.5

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Washington | 4 || 0 || 4.3 || .250 || .000 || .000 || .8 || .5 || .0 || .0 || .5 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Denver | 5 || 5 || 36.0 || .452 || .500 || .000 || 2.4 || 4.6 || .6 || .0 || 7.2 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Portland | 6 || 6 || 38.5 || .489 || .417 || .714 || 4.0 || 6.2 || .8 || .0 || 9.8 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 15 || 11 || 28.5 || .463 || .439 || .714 || 2.6 || 4.1 || .5 || .0 || 6.5

See also

List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career assists leaders

References

External links

Official website

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:American basketball players Category:Basketball players from Florida Category:Denver Nuggets players Category:Los Angeles Clippers players Category:Los Angeles Lakers players Category:Maryland Terrapins men's basketball players Category:Milwaukee Bucks players Category:People from Hollywood, Florida Category:People from West Linn, Oregon Category:Point guards Category:Portland Trail Blazers players Category:Washington Wizards draft picks Category:Washington Wizards players

Randy Lennard Shannon (born February 24, 1966 in Miami, Florida) is a former head football coach of the University of Miami Hurricanes.

Early life

When Shannon was three years old, his father was murdered. At 10, his older twin brothers became addicted to crack cocaine. His brothers and older sister died of AIDS. Shannon attended Miami Norland High School and earned all-state and honorable mention All-America recognition from Street & Smith's as a senior linebacker at Norland. Shannon also competed in basketball, averaging 19 points a game, and competed in the triple jump on the track and field team.

He played college football for the University of Miami, starting at outside linebacker for the 1987 national championship team. After graduating in 1988, Shannon played briefly as a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys.

Coaching career

Early years

Shannon was first hired by Miami coach Dennis Erickson in 1991 to be a graduate assistant. He later became the team's defensive line coach and linebackers coach. Shannon worked as linebackers coach for the Miami Dolphins in 2000 and as a defensive assistant in 1998 and 1999.

In 2001, Miami coach Larry Coker hired Shannon to be the defensive coordinator. That year Shannon received the Broyles Award given annually to the best assistant coach in college football.

During Shannon's six years as UM's defensive coordinator, his defenses ranked as follows in total defense nationally:

2001 - 6th

2002 - 7th

2003 - 2nd

2004 - 28th

2005 - 4th

2006 - 7th

University of Miami Head Coach

Shannon was officially introduced as the head coach of Miami on December 8, 2006, replacing Larry Coker in the position. Shannon reportedly agreed to a four-year deal worth over $4 million. He was the sixth black head coach at the time in Division I-A NCAA football, the others being Kevin Sumlin, (University of Houston), Sylvester Croom (Mississippi State), Tyrone Willingham (Washington), Ron Prince (KSU), and Turner Gill (Buffalo). Coker stayed on to coach the team to a 21–20 MPC Computers Bowl victory over the University of Nevada; Shannon assumed all other functions, including recruiting, immediately upon his hiring.

2007: Debut season

Shannon's first decision as head coach was to remove the players' surnames from their jerseys. This led The Miami Herald to jokingly refer to the team as a "no name offense, no name defense." Fans found the decision made the game more difficult to follow.

The season opened with a victory over Marshall in his first game as head coach. The second game was a 51-13 loss to the University of Oklahoma.

Miami did defeat then-20th ranked Texas A&M; in the third game, but then collapsed, losing to unranked North Carolina and, in the Orange Bowl, to unranked Georgia Tech and North Carolina State. One highlight was Miami's fourth quarter comeback against rival Florida State. However, this was offset by the team's embarrassing final appearance ever at the Orange Bowl in which Miami suffered a 48-0 loss against 21st University of Virginia, the worst loss for the program in the history of its play at the Orange Bowl and the worst overall loss since the 1998 'Canes loss at Syracuse (66–13).

Miami finished the season losing to Boston College 28–14. Under Shannon, the team lost 6 out of their 7 last games, finishing with a losing record and failing to qualify for a bowl game for the first time in over a decade.

Two days after the season ended, one of Miami's former players, Sean Taylor, was shot in his home in Miami. Shannon expressed frustration over the media's handling of such incidents, alleging that the coverage made it appear as though the University of Miami is a haven for crime.

2008 season

Prior to the start of the 2008 season, Shannon was ranked dead last in a Sporting News ranking of the 66 BCS head coaches.

Shannon's squad finished the 2008 season with a 7-6 record (4-4 ACC) and a loss to Cal in the Emerald Bowl. The regular season was highlighted by losses to in-state rivals Florida and Florida State, and a surprising victory over eventual-ACC Champion Virginia Tech. Miami's loss to Florida, was its first in the rivalry since 1985 and snapped a 6-game winning streak over the Gators. After the game, Shannon garnered national media attention when he implicitly accused Florida head coach Urban Meyer of trying to run up the score late in the Gators' 26-3 win and suggested that it was an indictment of Meyer's character that should not go unnoticed by recruits. The 'Canes briefly returned to the Top 25 rankings for the first time since early in the 2006 season before surrendering 472 rushing yards—and 518 yards of total offense—to unranked Georgia Tech in a 41-23 late-November loss that eliminated Miami from ACC Championship contention. Tech's 472 yards on the ground were the second most ever allowed by Miami.

Off-season turmoil

In the immediate aftermath of the bowl game, Shannon fired his offensive coordinator, Patrick Nix, over philosophical differences. Nix wanted to employ more of a spread attack, whereas Shannon remained committed to Miami's traditional pro style offense. Shannon eventually hired former Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles assistant coach Mark Whipple for the position.

Nix's departure was followed by news that Robert Marve, a redshirt-freshman quarterback who started 11 of Miami's 13 games during the season, asked for a release to transfer to another school. Marve cited a strained relationship with Shannon as his reason for leaving. Shannon granted the request, but initially included broad restrictions blocking Marve from transferring to any school in the ACC, SEC, or state of Florida. After the conditions drew harsh criticism from Marve's father, his former high school coach, and members of the media, Shannon softened his stance somewhat by dropping the blanket SEC prohibition and barring Marve from three SEC schools in particular: Florida, LSU, and Tennessee. In defending the new restrictions, the athletic department alleged that Marve's camp initiated improper contact with the three schools during the season. After a hearing before the university's athletics appeals committee, Eugene Marve claimed that Shannon did not produce any evidence of the allegation and instead argued that allowing the banned transfers would hurt Miami in the "recruiting wars." Ultimately, the committee partially repealed the restrictions, permitting Marve to transfer in-state to either South Florida or Central Florida but upholding the prohibitions on a transfer to Florida, LSU, or Tennessee.

On the heels of the Marve saga, wide receiver Jermaine McKenzie announced that he was transferring to Memphis. McKenzie became the fourth member of Shannon's first recruiting class to transfer out of the program during the off-season, joining Marve, and running back Shawnbrey McNeal.

Shannon's staff suffered more upheaval when defensive coordinator Bill Young left to assume the same position at Oklahoma State, his alma mater, in late January. Young's departure made him the third offensive or defensive coordinator to leave the program during Shannon's two seasons as head coach, joining Nix and former defensive coordinator Tim Walton, both of whom were fired. North Carolina assistant John Lovett was hired to replace Young in February.

The off-season losses continued when freshmen backup quarterbacks Cannon Smith and Taylor Cook both asked to be released from their scholarships just before the start of the 2009 season.

2009 Season

Randy Shannon's Hurricanes did show improvement in the 2009 season, in which the Canes finished with a record of 9-4. The Canes started out the season with an impressive 3-1 record against a tough group of four ranked opponents. The Hurricanes did go on to drop two regular season games following the impressive start, and ended with a disappointing loss in their bowl against Wisconsin. Even with the four tough losses, Shannon's teams have shown an improvement of at least two wins per season every year he's been the head coach. Following Miami's improved finish in 2009, several preseason polls have Miami in the top twenty five for the first time since Shannon has been the head coach.

Recruiting

Though Shannon's teams have gone through some struggles on the field, he has brought in recruiting classes ranked in the top 25. Three members of his second recruiting class—Marcus Forston, Marcus Robinson, and Sean Spence—were recognized by College Football News as freshman All-Americans.

2010 Season

The Hurricanes started the year with high expectations, ranked 13th in the Associated Press and Coaches Poll. However, after winning 3 of their first 4 games, they were humiliated at home by Florida State, 45-17. Losses to Virginia, Virginia Tech and South Florida followed.

Fired

After the South Florida loss, the university announced its decision to immediately terminate Shannon. On December 13, 2010, the University of Miami announced the hiring of his replacement, former Temple University head coach Al Golden.

Head coaching record

*Shannon was fired from Miami before bowl game.

References

External links

Randy Shannon biography at University of Miami Official Athletics Web Site.

Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:African American coaches of American football Category:American football linebackers Category:Dallas Cowboys players Category:Miami Dolphins coaches Category:Miami Hurricanes football coaches Category:Miami Hurricanes football players Category:People from Miami, Florida Category:Players of American football from Florida

Caption	Gasol with the Lakers
Position	Power forward/Center
Height ft	7
Height in	0
Weight lb	250
Number	16
Team	Los Angeles Lakers
Nationality	Spanish
Birth date	July 06, 1980
Birth place	Barcelona, Spain Spain) is a Spanish professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born to Marisa Sàez and Agustí Gasol, and he spent his childhood in Spain. Gasol was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2001 NBA Draft, but his rights were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, with whom he won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He currently holds the Memphis Grizzlies franchise records for career games played, minutes played, field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, offensive, defensive, and total rebounds, blocked shots, turnovers, and points. After seven seasons with the team, Gasol was traded to the Lakers on February 1, 2008. His younger brother, Marc Gasol is also a professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA.

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Liga ACB players Category:Spanish basketball players Category:Catalan basketball players Category:Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Centers (basketball) Category:FC Barcelona Bàsquet players Category:Atlanta Hawks draft picks Category:Memphis Grizzlies players Category:Los Angeles Lakers players Category:Olympic basketball players of Spain Category:Olympic silver medalists for Spain Category:Forwards (basketball) Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Spanish expatriate basketball people in the United States Category:Sportspeople from Barcelona

Name	Luol Deng
Position	Small forward
Height ft	6
Height in	9
Weight lb	220
Team	Chicago Bulls
Number	9
Nationality	British
Birth date	April 16, 1985
Birth place	Wau, Sudan
College	Duke
High school	Blair Academy
Draft round	1
Draft pick	7
Draft year	2004
Draft team	Phoenix Suns
Career start	2004
Highlights	2004-05 NBA All-Rookie First Team 2007 NBA Sportsmanship Award

Luol Michael Deng (born April 16, 1985 in Wau, Sudan) is a Sudanese-British professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls and the Great Britain national basketball team. He plays the small forward position.

Early life

Deng is a member of the Dinka ethnic group. When he was young, his father Aldo, a member of the Sudanese parliament, moved the family to Egypt to escape the Second Sudanese Civil War. In Egypt, they met former NBA center Manute Bol, another Dinka, who taught Deng's older brother, Ajou Deng, how to play basketball while also serving as a mentor for Luol himself. When they were granted political asylum, his family emigrated to Brixton, South London. Deng developed an interest in soccer, admiring Tino Asprilla of Newcastle United, but also continued to play basketball, and was invited to join England's 15-and-under teams in both sports. After graduation, he decided to attend Duke University. In one season at Duke, he appeared in 37 games and made 32 starts. He averaged 30.1 minutes and scored 15.1 points per game en route to a berth in the 2004 Final Four. He is only the 10th freshman in ACC history to lead all rookies in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage.

Professional career

Chicago Bulls (2004-present)

2004-05 Season

After one year at Duke, Deng entered the 2004 NBA Draft. He was picked seventh overall by the Phoenix Suns, but was immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls by prior agreement. Deng suffered a season-ending wrist injury late in his rookie season, but still made the NBA All-Rookie First Team to help the resurgent Bulls return to the playoffs for the first time in several years. Deng averaged 11.7 points per game, playing in 61 games. On 8 February Deng recorded a double-double.

2005-06 Season

In his second season, he posted strong performances throughout March and April to help the Bulls earn their second consecutive playoff berth. His offensive statistics improved in his sophomore season, increasing his scoring to 14.3 points per game, and increasing his rebounding to 6.6 per game, up from a 5.3 average his rookie season. Deng had four straight double-double performances from 28 February to 5 March, with at least ten points and rebounds in each game. In the playoffs, the Bulls faced off against the Miami Heat in a best of 7 game series. Deng came off the bench in all six games, averaging ten points per game.

2006-07 Season

For the 2006-07 season, Deng was the only Bull to start all 82 regular season games. All of his numbers continued to improve, and he led the team in minutes played (37.5) and field goal percentage (.517), while playing a strong second scoring option to Ben Gordon, with a marked improvement to 18.8 points per game. Deng also notably rarely committed fouls on defense (2.00 per game), despite the minutes he played and frequently being outsized in matchups against power forwards such as Kevin Garnett.

On 27 December 2006 Deng was driving the lane when Miami Heat player James Posey grabbed him, causing concern that Deng may have re-injured his wrist. Posey earned a flagrant foul, was ejected and suspended for one game. Deng scored 32 points against the Cavaliers just three nights later, resolving concern that the wrist would be re-injured. On 26 March 2007 Deng posted a new career-high 38 points to lead the Bulls to a home victory against the Portland Trail Blazers. Deng was in rhythm, converting a spectacular 18 of his 25 shots from the field.

Deng has won three major sportsmanship awards. On 3 May 2007, Deng won the NBA's sportsmanship award in a vote by players. The award honors the player who best exemplifies ethical behavior, fair play and integrity on the court. For that award, the league will donate $25,000 on his behalf to Pacific Garden Mission, the oldest continuously operating rescue mission in the country. Deng also won the 2006-2007 Golden Icon Award for Best Sports Role Model. The awards are presented by the Travolta entertainment family. Most recently, he won the 2008 UN Refugee Agency's Humanitarian of the Year Award as part of the UNHCR's ninemillion.org campaign to bring education and sports to millions of displaced children.

2007-08 Season

In the 2007-08 season, Luol played in sixty-three games, but still averaged 17.0 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game. The Bulls missed the playoffs in the 2007-08 season.

2008-09 Season

Due to injury, Deng only played in 48 games. During the regular season Luol's scoring dropped to 14.1 points per game and his rebounding dropped to 6.0 per game. The Bulls made the playoffs, but Luol missed the entire playoffs due to injury. He made his debut against Georgia in Pau, France on 9 August 2007, scoring 19 points. In his first competitive qualifying game representing Great Britain Deng scored (32 Pts, 16 Rbs, 11 Asts, 8 Stls & 2 Blks) against Slovakia, at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena on 21 August 2007.

Contract negotiations

On July 31, 2008, Luol Deng officially agreed to a six-year deal with the Bulls worth a guaranteed US$71 million. With incentives he could get up to US$80 million.

Off the court

Deng is involved in numerous charities. He has been noted for his work on behalf of the Lost Boys of Sudan and other refugees. During the summers of 2006 and 2007, Luol went to Africa, Asia and Europe with the NBA for their Basketball Without Borders Tour. He is also a spokesperson for the World Food Programme. "He really does epitomize everything I had hoped for as a person and a basketball player," general manager John Paxson said. "I think it's one of the reasons we've gotten to the level we're at this year. I'm truly proud of him. I think the world of him as a person and as a player."

He counts himself a fan of English Premier League side Arsenal F.C.

Deng has been the cover athlete for NBA Live video games in the UK.

Following the 2009-2010 season, Deng made a highly publicized first return to his native Sudan.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Chicago | 61 || 45 || 27.3 || .434 || .265 || .741 || 5.3 || 2.2 || .8 || .4 || 11.7 |- | align="left" | 2005–06 | align="left" | Chicago | 78 || 56 || 33.4 || .463 || .269 || .750 || 6.6 || 1.9 || .9 || .6 || 14.3 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Chicago | 82 || 82 || 37.5 || .517 || .143 || .777 || 7.1 || 2.5 || 1.2 || .6 || 18.8 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Chicago | 63 || 59 || 33.8 || .479 || .364 || .770 || 6.3 || 2.5 || .9 || .5 || 17.0 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Chicago | 49 || 46 || 34.0 || .448 || .400 || .796 || 6.0 || 1.9 || 1.2 || .5 || 14.1 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Chicago | 70 || 69 || 37.9 || .466 || .386 || .764 || 7.3 || 2.0 || .9 || .9 || 17.6 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 403 || 357 || 34.2 || .474 || .309 || .767 || 6.5 || 2.2 || 1.0 || .6 || 15.8

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2005–06 | align="left" | Chicago | 6 || 0 || 30.0 || .429 || .200 || .571 || 4.8 || .5 || .8 || .7 || 10.2 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Chicago | 10 || 10 || 41.0 || .524 || .000 || .807 || 8.7 || 2.4 || 1.0 || .7 || 22.2 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Chicago | 5 || 5 || 40.6 || .463 || .083 || .731 || 5.0 || 1.4 || 1.4 || .8 || 18.8 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 21 || 15 || 37.7 || .490 || .111 || .740 || 6.7 || 1.6 || 1.0 || .7 || 18.0

Notes

External links

Duke profile

USA Today Article

Britball.com Article

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:Expatriate basketball people in the United States Category:British expatriate basketball people Category:British expatriate sportspeople in the United States Category:Chicago Bulls players Category:Dinka people Category:Blair Academy alumni Category:Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players Category:Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Category:English basketball players Category:English people of Sudanese descent Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from South Norwood Category:Phoenix Suns draft picks Category:Small forwards Category:Sudanese basketball players Category:Sudanese expatriates in the United States Category:Sudanese immigrants to the United Kingdom Category:Black British sportspeople

Name	Jason Maxiell
Caption	Maxiell warming up before a game.
Position	Power forward
Height ft	6
Height in	7
Weight lb	260
Nationality	American
Birth date	February 18, 1983
Birth place	Chicago, Illinois
High school	Newman Smith High School Carrollton, Texas
College	Cincinnati
Team	Detroit Pistons
Number	54
Draft round	1
Draft pick	26
Draft year	2005
Draft team	Detroit Pistons
Career start	2005

Jason Dior Maxiell (born February 18, 1983 in Chicago, Illinois) is a professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Detroit Pistons as a power forward.

Playing career

A 6 feet 7 inches, 245 lb power forward, Maxiell was selected by the Pistons with the 26th pick in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft. He attended Newman Smith High School in Carrollton, Texas. During his career at the University of Cincinnati, where he was coached by Bob Huggins, Jason earned All-Conference USA Second Team honors. He led Conference USA in blocked shots (2.8 bpg) and ranked 18th in the nation. His 91 blocks are the second-highest University of Cincinnati single-season total. He averaged 17.3 points in three postseason games and shot .607 from the field. Posted 22 points (8-of-11 shooting), nine rebounds and six blocks in NCAA Tournament opening round win vs. Iowa. Recorded a career-high eight blocks to go with 14 points and 10 rebounds vs. Houston. Scored a career-high 30 points and tallied seven blocks vs. Longwood. Tied his career with 15 rebounds and recorded 21 points and five blocks vs. Northern Iowa.

Maxiell finished 11th on Cincinnati's career scoring list with 1,566 points (13th in Conference USA history) and second on the Cincinnati career chart for blocked shots with 252 (4th in Conference USA). He played 129 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in Bearcats' history, and started the last 77 contests.

Maxiell is drawing comparisons with former Pistons forward Rick Mahorn due to his burly size and ability to create inside presence.

On October 30, 2008, Maxiell agreed to a four year, $20 million deal.

NBA accomplishments

Career highs

Minutes 35:31 vs. Milwaukee Bucks, March 25, 2007

Points 28 vs. Washington Wizards, April 11, 2008

Rebounds 16 vs. Houston Rockets, March 7, 2010

Blocks 6 vs. Golden State Warriors, December 16, 2007

Game-winning shots

vs. Seattle December 17, 2006

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2005–06 | align="left" | Detroit | 26 || 0 || 6.1 || .426 || .000 || .333 || 1.1 || .1 || .2 || .2 || 2.3 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Detroit | 67 || 8 || 14.1 || .500 || .000 || .526 || 2.8 || .2 || .4 || .9 || 5.0 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Detroit | 82 || 7 || 21.6 || .538 || .000 || .633 || 5.3 || .6 || .3 || 1.1 || 7.9 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Detroit | 78 || 4 || 18.1 || .575 || .000 || .532 || 4.2 || .3 || .3 || .8 || 5.8 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Detroit | 76 || 29 || 20.4 || .511 || .000 || .574 || 5.3 || .5 || .5 || .5 || 6.8 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 329 || 48 || 17.7 || .528 || .000 || .564 || 4.2 || .4 || .4 || .8 || 6.1

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Detroit | 14 || 0 || 10.4 || .667 || .000 || .522 || 2.4 || .1 || .3 || .6 || 4.0 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Detroit | 17 || 6 || 21.8 || .625 || .000 || .469 || 4.0 || .9 || .9 || 1.3 || 5.6 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Detroit | 4 || 0 || 16.0 || .500 || .000 || .556 || 3.3 || .5 || .2 || .2 || 3.8 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 35 || 6 || 16.6 || .626 || .000 || .500 || 3.3 || .6 || .6 || .9 || 4.7

References

External links

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:American basketball players Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Basketball players from Texas Category:Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball players Category:Detroit Pistons draft picks Category:Detroit Pistons players Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Basketball players from Illinois

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

Playername	David Beckham
Fullname	David Robert Joseph Beckham
Dateofbirth	May 02, 1975
Cityofbirth	Leytonstone, London
Countryofbirth	England
Height
Position	Midfielder
Currentclub	Los Angeles Galaxy
Clubnumber	23
Youthyears1	|youthclubs1 = Brimsdown Rovers
Youthyears2	1987–1991 |youthclubs2 = Tottenham Hotspur
Youthyears3	1991–1993 |youthclubs3 = Manchester United
Years1	1993–2003 |clubs1 = Manchester United |caps1 = 265 |goals1 = 62
Years2	1995 |clubs2 = → Preston North End (loan) |caps2 = 5 |goals2 = 2
Years3	2003–2007 |clubs3 = Real Madrid |caps3 = 116 |goals3 = 13
Years4	2007– |clubs4 = Los Angeles Galaxy |caps4 = 48 |goals4 = 9
Years5	2009 |clubs5 = → Milan (loan) |caps5 = 18 |goals5 = 2
Years6	2010 |clubs6 = → Milan (loan) |caps6 = 11 |goals6 = 0
Nationalyears1	1992–1993 |nationalteam1 = England U-18 |nationalcaps1 = 3 |nationalgoals1 = 0
Nationalyears2	1994–1996 |nationalteam2 = England U-21 |nationalcaps2 = 9 |nationalgoals2 = 0
Nationalyears3	1996– |nationalteam3 = England |nationalcaps3 = 115 |nationalgoals3 = 17
Pcupdate	7 November 2010
Ntupdate	3 November 2009

David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE (born 2 May 1975) is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and Milan, as well as the England national team, for whom he holds the all-time appearance record for an outfield player.

Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. clinching the La Liga championship in his final season with the club. In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid for the Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy, signing a five-year contract with them on 1 July 2007. While a Galaxy player, he spent two loan spells in Italy with Milan in 2009 and 2010.

In international football, Beckham made his England debut on 1 September 1996, at the age of 21. He was made captain from 15 November 2000 until the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, during which he played 58 times. He earned a much-publicised hundredth cap against France on 26 March 2008, and became the all-time outfield player appearance record holder on 28 March 2009 when he surpassed Bobby Moore's total of 108 caps. and in 2004 was the world's highest-paid footballer when taking into account salary and advertising deals. Beckham was the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches. With such global recognition he has become an elite advertising brand and a top fashion icon. When joining the MLS in 2007 he was given the highest player salary in the league's history, with his playing contract with the Galaxy over the next three years being worth $6.5m per year.

Beckham is married to former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham (née Adams). The couple have three sons and currently reside in Beverly Hills, California.

Club career

Childhood and early career

Beckham was born at Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, London, England. He is the son of David Edward Alan "Ted" Beckham (b. Edmonton, London, July–September 1948), a kitchen fitter, and Sandra Georgina Beckham (née West) (b. 1949)(m. London Borough of Hackney, 1969) , a hairdresser. He regularly played football in Ridgeway Park, Chingford, as a child, and attended Chase Lane Primary School and Chingford Foundation School. In a 2007 interview, Beckham said that, "At school whenever the teachers asked, 'What do you want to do when you're older?' I'd say, 'I want to be a footballer.' And they'd say, 'No, what do you really want to do, for a job?' But that was the only thing I ever wanted to do." Beckham's maternal grandfather was Jewish, and Beckham has referred to himself as "half Jewish" and wrote in his autobiography "I've probably had more contact with Judaism than with any other religion". In his book Both Feet on the Ground, he stated that growing up he attended church every week with his parents and his older sister, Lynne Georgina and younger sister, Joanne Louise.

His parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters who would frequently travel to Old Trafford from London to attend the team's home matches. David inherited his parents' love of Manchester United, and his main sporting passion was football. He attended one of Bobby Charlton's football schools in Manchester and won the chance to take part in a training session at FC Barcelona, as part of a talent competition. He played for a local youth team called the Ridgeway Rovers – coached by his father, Stuart Underwood and Steve Kirby. Beckham was a Manchester United mascot for a match against West Ham United in 1986. Young Beckham had trials with his local club Leyton Orient, Norwich City and attended Tottenham Hotspur's school of excellence. Tottenham Hotspur was the first club he played for. During a two-year period in which Beckham played for Brimsdown Rovers' youth team, he was named Under-15 Player of the Year in 1990. He also attended Bradenton Preparatory Academy, but signed schoolboy forms at Manchester United on his fourteenth birthday, and subsequently signed a Youth Training Scheme contract on 8 July 1991.

Manchester United

Beckham was part of a group of young players at the club who guided the club to win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992, with Beckham scoring in the second leg of the final against Crystal Palace. He made his first appearance for United's first-team that year, as a substitute in a League Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion, and signed his first professional contract shortly afterwards. United reached the final of the Youth Cup again the following year, with Beckham playing in their defeat by Leeds United, and he won another medal in 1994 when the club's reserve team won their league, although he didn't play in any first team games that season. He played four times for United in the league that season, as they finished second behind Blackburn Rovers and missed a third successive Premier League title by a single point. He was not in the squad for United's FA Cup final clash with Everton on 20 May, which they lost 1-0 and were left without a major trophy for the first time since 1989.

On 7 December 1994, Beckham made his UEFA Champions League debut, scoring a goal in a 4–0 victory at home to Galatasaray in the final game of the group stage. However, this victory was of little use as they finished third out of four in their group behind FC Barcelona on goal difference.

He then went to Preston North End on loan for part of the 1994–95 season to get some first team experience. He impressed, scoring two goals in five appearances, notably scoring directly from a corner kick. Beckham returned to Manchester and finally made his Premier League debut for Manchester United on 2 April 1995, in a goal-less draw against Leeds United.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had a great deal of confidence in the club's young players. Beckham was part of a group of young talents Ferguson brought in to United in the 1990s ("Fergie's Fledglings"), which included Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville. When experienced players Paul Ince, Mark Hughes, and Andrei Kanchelskis left the club after the end of the 1994–95 season, his decision to let youth team players replace them instead of buying star players from other clubs (United had been linked with moves for players including Darren Anderton, Marc Overmars, and Roberto Baggio, but no major signings were made that summer), drew a great deal of criticism. The criticism increased when United started the season with a 3–1 defeat at Aston Villa, with Beckham scoring United's only goal of the game; however, United won their next five matches and the young players performed well.

Beckham swiftly established himself as United's right-sided midfielder (rather than a right-winger in the style of his predecessor Andrei Kanchelskis) and helped them to win the Premier League title and FA Cup double that season, scoring the winner in the semi-final against Chelsea and also provided the corner that Eric Cantona scored from in the FA Cup Final. Beckham's first title medal had, for a while, looked like it wouldn't be coming that season, as United were still 10 points adrift of leaders Newcastle United at the turn of the new year, but Beckham and his team-mates had overhauled the Tynesiders at the top of the league by mid March and they remained top until the end of the season.

Despite playing regularly (and to a consistently high standard) for Manchester United, Beckham did not break into the England squad before Euro 96.

At the beginning of the 1996–97 season David Beckham was given the number 10 shirt that had most recently been worn by Mark Hughes. On 17 August 1996 (the first day of the Premier League season), Beckham became something of a household name when he scored a spectacular goal in a match against Wimbledon. With United leading 2–0, Beckham noticed that Wimbledon's goalkeeper Neil Sullivan was standing a long way out of his goal, and hit a shot from the halfway line that floated over the goalkeeper and into the net. When Beckham scored his famous goal, he did so in shoes custom-made for Charlie Miller ("Charlie" embroidered on boots), which had been given to Beckham by mistake. In a UK poll conducted by Channel 4 in 2002, the British public voted the goal #18 in the list of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments. During the 1996–97 season, he became an automatic first-choice player at United helping them to retain the Premier League championship, and being voted PFA Young Player of the Year by his peers.

On 18 May 1997, Eric Cantona retired as a player and left the coveted number 7 shirt free, and with Teddy Sheringham arriving from Tottenham Hotspur as Cantona's successor, Beckham left his number 10 shirt for Sheringham and picked up the number 7 jersey. Some fans had felt the number 7 shirt should be retired after Cantona had himself retired, but the shirt number remains in use to this day (most recently by another England star Michael Owen).

United started the 1997–98 season well but erratic performances in the second half of the season saw United finish second behind Arsenal.

In the 1998–99 season, he was part of the United team that won The Treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, a unique feat in English football. There had been speculation that the criticism that he had received after being sent off in the World Cup would lead to him leaving England, but he decided to stay at Manchester United.

To ensure they would win the Premier League title, United needed to win their final league match of the season, at home to Tottenham Hotspur (with reports suggesting that the opposition would allow themselves to be easily beaten to prevent their deadly local rivals Arsenal from retaining the title), but Tottenham took an early lead in the match. Beckham scored the equaliser and United went on to win the match and the league.

Beckham played centre-midfield in United's FA Cup final win over Newcastle United and for the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final against Bayern Munich, since United's first string centre-midfielders Paul Scholes and Roy Keane were suspended for the match. United were losing the match 1–0 at the end of normal time, but won the trophy by scoring two goals in injury time. Both of the goals came from corners taken by Beckham. Those crucial assists, coupled with great performances over the rest of the season, led to him finishing runner up to Rivaldo for 1999's European Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year awards.

Despite Beckham's achievements in the 1998–99 season, he was still unpopular among some opposition fans and journalists, and he was criticised after being sent off for a deliberate foul in Manchester United's World Club Championship match against Necaxa. It was suggested in the press that his wife was a bad influence on him, and that it might be in United's interests to sell him, but his manager publicly backed him and he stayed at the club. During the 1999–2000 season, there was a talk of a transfer to Juventus in Italy, but this never happened.

By the early 2000s, the relationship between Ferguson and Beckham had begun to deteriorate, possibly as a result of Beckham's fame and commitments away from football. In 2000, Beckham was given permission to miss training to look after his son Brooklyn, who had gastroenteritis, but Ferguson was furious when Victoria Beckham was photographed at a London Fashion Week event on the same night, claiming that Beckham would have been able to train if Victoria had looked after Brooklyn that day. He responded by fining Beckham the maximum amount that was permitted (two weeks' wages – then £50,000) and dropping him for a crucial match against United's rivals Leeds United. He later criticised Beckham for this in his autobiography, claiming he had not been "fair to his teammates" Beckham had a good season for his club, though, and helped United to win the Premier League by a record margin.

"He was never a problem until he got married. He used to go into work with the academy coaches at night time, he was a fantastic young lad. Getting married into that entertainment scene was a difficult thing – from that moment, his life was never going to be the same. He is such a big celebrity, football is only a small part."' – Alex Ferguson speaking about Beckham's marriage in 2007.

Beckham helped United retain the Premier League title in 1999–2000 by an 18-point margin – after being pushed by Arsenal and Leeds United for much of the season, United won their final 11 league games of the season, with Beckham scoring five goals during this fantastic run of form. He managed six league goals that season, and scored eight goals in all competitions.

He was a key player in United's third successive league title in 2000–01 – only the fourth time that any club had achieved three league titles in a row. He scored nine goals that season, all in the Premier League.

On 10 April 2002, Beckham was injured during a Champions League match against Deportivo La Coruña, breaking the second metatarsal bone in his left foot. There was speculation in the British media that the injury might have been caused deliberately, as the player who had injured Beckham was Argentine Aldo Duscher, and England and Argentina were due to meet in that year's World Cup. The injury prevented Beckham from playing for United for the rest of the season and they missed out on the Premier League title to Arsenal (also being knocked out of the European Cup by Bayer Leverkusen on away goals in the semi-finals), but he signed a three-year contract in May, following months of negotiations with the club, mostly concerning extra payments for his image rights. The income from his new contract, and his many endorsement deals, made him the highest-paid player in the world at the time.

2001–02 was arguably Beckham's best season as a United player, though. He scored 11 goals in 28 league games, and a total of 16 goals in 42 games in all competitions, the best tally of his career.

Following an injury early in the 2002–03 season, Beckham was unable to regain his place on the Manchester United team, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær having replaced him on the right side of midfield. His relationship with his manager deteriorated further on 15 February 2003 when, in the changing room following an FA Cup defeat to Arsenal, a furious Alex Ferguson threw or kicked a boot that struck Beckham over the eye, causing a cut that required stitches. The incident led to a great deal of transfer speculation involving Beckham, with bookmakers offering odds on whether he or Ferguson would be first to leave the club. Although the team had started the season badly, their results improved greatly from December onwards and they won the league, with Beckham managing a total of 11 goals in 52 games in all competitions.

He was still a first-choice player for England, however, and was awarded an OBE for services to football on 13 June 2003.

Beckham had made 265 Premier league appearances for United and scored 61 goals. He also made 81 Champions league appearances, scoring 15 goals. Beckham won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, one European Cup, one Intercontinental Cup, and one FA Youth Cup in the space of 12 years. By this stage, he was their joint second longest serving player behind Ryan Giggs (having joined them at the same time as Nicky Butt, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes).

Real Madrid

at Real Madrid in August 2003]] As the summer 2003 transfer window approached Manchester United appeared keen to sell Beckham to FC Barcelona but instead the player joined reigning Spanish champions Real Madrid for €35 million (£25m) transfer fee on a four-year contract as the latest of the galáctico signings by club president Florentino Pérez. The news came as a bitter pill to the newly elected Barça president Joan Laporta who based much of his presidential campaign precisely on signing Beckham. Though announced in mid-June, the transfer was completed on 1 July 2003, making him the third Englishman to play for the club after Laurie Cunningham and Steve McManaman. Following a successful medical on 2 July, Beckham was unveiled in front of 500 accredited journalists from 25 countries at Real's basketball facility where he was handed the Real shirt by club legend Alfredo di Stéfano. Although Beckham had worn the number seven shirt for Manchester United and England, he was unable to wear it at Madrid as it was currently assigned to club captain Raúl. The Englishman decided to wear number 23 instead, citing his admiration of basketball player Michael Jordan, who also wore the number 23 shirt, as the reason behind his decision.

In the week before Beckham presentation, Real named Carlos Queiroz as their new head coach, meaning that Beckham got reunited with a familiar face upon arriving to Madrid since Queiroz spent the previous season as Alex Ferguson's assistant at Manchester United. In late July 2003, the club went on a tour of the Far East as part of the pre-season training, but also to cash in on Beckham's huge marketing appeal in Asia where he enjoyed tremendous following. Real's brand recognition in that part of the globe was already well established as the club made financially successful trips to Asia during previous off-seasons, however the presence of global marketing icon such as Beckham made this particular tour a financial smash for los Merengues.

Shortly after his Real switch, Beckham also dropped his longtime agent Tony Stephens of SFX Europe who guided him to and through super-stardom and was one of the key players that engineered Beckham's move from Manchester to Madrid. Beckham signed on with Simon Fuller and his company 19 Entertainment that already managed the career of David's wife Victoria. Beckham also appointed close friend Terry Byrne to be his personal manager.

In late August 2003, Real Madrid won the Spanish Super Cup over two legs versus RCD Mallorca, with Beckham scoring the final goal in a 3–0 return leg win at home, thus setting the stage for the start of the league season. Playing on a star-laden team along with Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos, Raúl, Iker Casillas, etc., Beckham didn't require much time to settle in, scoring five times in his first 16 matches (including a goal less than three minutes into his La Liga debut). Queiroz mostly favoured the adaptable 5-3-2 formation with two fullbacks Michel Salgado and Roberto Carlos often joining the attack down the wings, while Beckham quickly found a regular playing spot on the right of the 3-man midfield alongside Zidane and Figo.

Real Madrid were runners-up in the Copa del Rey, were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League at the quarter-final stage and finished the league season in fourth place, meaning the team, whose president Pérez expected them to win either the Spanish league or the Champions League each season, did not match expectations.

In July 2004, while Beckham was in pre-season training in Spain, an intruder scaled a wall at the Beckham home while carrying a can of petrol. Victoria and their children were in the house at the time, but security guards apprehended the man before he reached the house.

The league season began with new head coach José Antonio Camacho behind the bench, but he ended up lasting only three matches, handing in his resignation following week 3 fixture as Real dropped to eighth spot in the La Liga standings. Camacho's assistant Mariano García Remón took over on temporary basis as Real leadership scrambled to find a permanent replacement. Beckham made more headlines on 9 October 2004 when he admitted intentionally fouling Ben Thatcher in an England match against Wales in order to get himself booked. Beckham was due to receive a one-match suspension for his next caution, and had picked up an injury, which he knew would keep him out of England's next match, so he deliberately fouled Thatcher in order to serve his suspension in a match that he would have had to miss anyway. The Football Association asked Beckham for an explanation of his actions and he admitted that he had "made a mistake" and apologised. He was sent off shortly afterwards, this time in a league match for Real Madrid against Valencia CF. Having received a yellow card, he was judged to have sarcastically applauded the referee and was given a second yellow card, causing an automatic dismissal, although the suspension was cancelled on appeal two days later.

By Christmas 2004, with the team sitting in second league spot, García Remón was gone as Vanderlei Luxemburgo became the new head coach. However, the well-traveled Brazilian failed to inspire the team to the title as Real again finished the season in the runner-up spot.

On 3 December 2005, Beckham was sent off for the third time that season in a league match against Getafe CF. One day later Luxemburgo got the axe and was replaced with Juan Ramón López Caro. By the end of that season, Beckham led La Liga in number of assists.

During the season, Beckham established football academies in Los Angeles and east London and he was named a judge for the 2006 British Book Awards. Real Madrid finished second to Barcelona in the 2005–06 La Liga, albeit with a large 12-point gap, and reached the last 16 only in the Champions League after losing to Arsenal. The season also marked the end of an era for the club as Pérez resigned his president post in January 2006 with Vicente Boluda named as replacement on interim basis until the end of the season.

The summer 2006 off-season marked a turbulent time as club president elections were held. Ramón Calderón became the new Real president. As expected, none of the club officials that served under the previous president were kept, including head coach López Caro.

Initially out of favour with newly arrived head coach Fabio Capello, Beckham started only a few games at the beginning of the season, as the speedier José Antonio Reyes was normally preferred on the right wing. In the first nine matches Beckham started, Real lost seven.

On 10 January 2007, after prolonged contract negotiations, Real Madrid's sporting director Predrag Mijatović announced that Beckham would not remain at Real Madrid after the end of the season. However, he later claimed that he was mistranslated and that he actually said that Beckham's contract had not yet been renewed.

On 11 January 2007, Beckham announced that he had signed a five-year deal to play for Los Angeles Galaxy beginning 1 July 2007. On 13 January 2007, Fabio Capello said that Beckham had played his last game for Real Madrid, although he would continue to train with the team. A few days later while speaking to the students at Villanueva University Center in Madrid, club president Calderón said that Beckham is "going to Hollywood to be half a film star", adding "our technical staff were right not to extend his contract, which has been proved by the fact that no other technical staff in the world wanted him except Los Angeles".

However, about a month later, Capello backtracked on his earlier statement, allowing Beckham to rejoin the team for the match against Real Sociedad on 10 February 2007. The player immediately repaid his head coach's trust by scoring the equalising goal from a 27-yard free kick as Real Madrid eventually recorded a 2–1 victory. In his final UEFA Champions League appearance for the club, Real Madrid were knocked out of the competition by Bayern Munich at the round-of-16 stage (on the away goals rule) on 7 March 2007. The return leg against Bayern was Beckham's 103rd match in the Champions League, at the time placing him third on the all-time appearances list in the competition.

On 17 June 2007, the last day of the La Liga season, Beckham started in his final match for the club, a 3–1 win over RCD Mallorca, which saw them clinch the title from Barcelona. With Real down 0–1 Beckham limped off the field and was replaced by José Antonio Reyes who scored two goals leading the team to that season's La Liga title, their first since Beckham had signed with them and 30th overall in club's history. Although Real and Barca both finished level on points, Madrid took the title because of superior head-to-head record, capping a remarkable six-month turnaround for Beckham. With his wife and children along with celebrity friends Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes watching from a luxury box at Bernabeu Stadium, it was only Beckham's second piece of silverware since he joined the famous club.

Towards the end of the season, as Beckham was getting back into Capello's good books after successfully fighting his way back into the first team, Real Madrid announced they would try to untie his transfer to LA Galaxy, but were ultimately unsuccessful. Several weeks before Beckham's scheduled arrival to the United States, Real's management contacted LA Galaxy's ownership group about reacquiring the player, but were quickly turned down.

A month after the conclusion of Beckham's Real career, Forbes magazine reported that he had been the party primarily responsible for the team's huge increase in merchandise sales, a total reported to top US$600 million during Beckham's four years at the club.

Los Angeles Galaxy

|source=Beckham on going to AmericaFrom ESPN|width=20%|align=right}}

Beckham's involvement with Major League Soccer began while he was still a Real Madrid player when it was confirmed on 11 January 2007 that the world's most famous footballer would be leaving Madrid in six months in order to join MLS' Los Angeles Galaxy. The speculation about his new contract in Madrid was thus put to an end and the following day Beckham's official press conference was held in conjunction with the 2007 MLS SuperDraft.

Predictably, the announcement made top news all across the globe. Though many worldwide media outlets reported the deal to be worth US$250 million, the astronomical figure was soon revealed to be something of a PR stunt engineered by Beckham's media handlers (British representative agency 19 Entertainment). In order to maximize the media effect, in the press release they decided to list the potential sum that Beckham could make over the 5-year period from all his revenue sources, which in addition to his Galaxy pay also include his personal endorsements. Beckham's actual deal with the Galaxy was a 5-year contract worth US$32.5 million in total or $6.5 million per year.

The high-profile acquisition paid immediate financial dividends for Galaxy long before Beckham joined the team. On the strength of the signing and the media frenzy it created, the club was able to pull off a new 5-year shirt sponsorship deal with Herbalife nutrition company worth US$20 million. The gate revenue peaked as well with 11,000 new season tickets holders and sold-out luxury suites (each one of the 42 inside the team's home ground, the Home Depot Center). Even the LA Galaxy owners Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) saw an immediate spike in business. Involved on many business fronts worldwide, AEG was already leveraging its Beckham association in places such as China, where the company had been working aggressively in Shanghai and Beijing for years to receive clearance to build arenas and stadiums. The company's CEO Tim Leiweke put it as follows: "Suddenly, we're known as the company that owns the team that David Beckham is going to play for, so our world changed".

In the months following the announcement, the additional terms of Beckham's contract became public knowledge. One unique contract provision was giving him the option of buying an MLS expansion franchise at a fixed price whenever he stopped playing in the league - an allowance that the league's owners had never given to a player before. Another provision was the opt-out clause after the 2009 season, meaning that should he decide so, Beckham was free to leave the club after completing year three of his 5-year contract.

Beckham's contract with LA Galaxy took effect on 11 July, and on 13 July, the famous Englishman was officially unveiled as a Galaxy player at the Home Depot Center to much fanfare and world media interest in front of more than 5,000 gathered fans and some 700 accredited media members. Beckham chose to wear number 23. It was announced that Galaxy jersey sales had already reached a record figure of over 250,000 prior to this formal introduction.

In parallel, Beckham's handlers at 19 Entertainment succeeded in putting together an unprecedented US media rollout designed to expand his carefully crafted personal brand in America. He made the cover of Sports Illustrated, a few weeks earlier Adidas launched the extensive 13-part ad campaign "Fútbol meets Football" starring Beckham and NFL running back Reggie Bush, and W magazine published a racy photo spread featuring David and wife Victoria. Meanwhile, ESPN sports network was running "Hello, Goodbye" promotional campaign and it also agreed to air David Beckham: New Beginnings documentary produced by 19 Entertainment before the friendly match versus Chelsea, which was expected to be Beckham's American debut. In addition to popularizing soccer, Beckham's arrival was used as platform for entertainment industry endeavours. Since both Beckham's and his wife's often overlapping careers were handled by 19 Entertainment that's owned by Simon Fuller, who in turn has a business relationship with the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), one of Hollywood's most powerful talent agencies, it was important also for CAA that the Beckhams made as big a splash as possible upon their arrival in the United States. On July 16, CAA had hosted a welcoming bash for David at its new eight-storey, $400 million headquarters in Century City with CAA employees reportedly instructed beforehand to line the staircase and clap for Beckham upon his arrival. That night Victoria's reality show prime-time special aired on NBC, drawing terrible reviews in the American press and poor US viewership ratings.

On Saturday afternoon, 21 July, despite still nursing the injured left ankle that he picked up a month earlier during the final match of La Liga's season, Beckham made his Galaxy debut, coming on for Alan Gordon in the 78th minute of a 0–1 friendly loss to Chelsea as part of the World Series of Soccer. With a capacity crowd, along with a long Hollywood celebrity list featuring Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Eva Longoria Parker, Mary-Kate Olsen, governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Alicia Silverstone and Drew Carey among others, present at the Home Depot Center, the match was broadcast live on ESPN's main network. However, the proceedings on the field of play completely took a back seat to the Beckham spectacle, and despite the presence of worldwide football stars Andriy Shevchenko, Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard, and John Terry, the US television cameras were firmly focused on Beckham who spent most of the match on the bench. The match's added time featured a scare for already injured Beckham when he got tackled by Steve Sidwell whose cleats struck Beckham's right foot, sending him airborne before he crumpled hard to the ground. Though the existing injury wasn't aggravated too much, Beckham's recovery process was set back by about a week. ESPN's presentation of Beckham's debut earned a 1.0 TV rating, meaning it was seen in an average of 947,000 television homes in the US - a disappointing figure given the national media buzz and two weeks of constant promotion by ESPN. For comparison ESPN2's weekly MLS broadcasts on Thursdays drew a consistent 0.2 rating on virtually no promotion while Freddy Adu's MLS debut televised on ABC back in 2004 earned a 1.3 rating.

Back on the soccer front, Beckham missed the next four Galaxy matches - three in the North American SuperLiga and an MLS game away at Toronto FC though he still made the trip with his teammates, sitting on the bench in street clothes. It was in Toronto on 5 August that the team got its first taste of what life would be like on the road with Beckham on the roster. Due to security concerns, it was the first time the team flew on a charter for a road match, rather than flying commercial (MLS normally forbids charter flights for away matches, claiming they provide competitive advantage, but in this case they made an exception due to the frenzy created around Beckham and resulting security issues). Also, instead of the usual MLS-mandated modest hotels, LA Galaxy stayed at the five-star Le Méridien King Edward in downtown Toronto (an expense paid for by the local Toronto promoter), while the glitz and glamour continued with the velvet rope, red carpet party at the Ultra Supper Club with Beckham as the centerpiece guest.

Two weeks after his 12-minute appearance vs. Chelsea, still not fully healed Beckham finally made his league debut as a substitute on 9 August away versus DC United in front of the sellout crowd of 46,686 (nearly three times the average DC United home crowd) at the RFK Stadium, coming on for Quavas Kirk in the 71st minute. Coming into the nationally televised match on ESPN, played under a heavy downpour with his team down a man and down a goal, even if only 70% fit, Beckham left a mark during the remaining twenty plus minutes. He hit a long free kick that Carlos Pavón failed to finish on for the equalizier, and then in the final minutes Beckham served a weighted through ball into Donovan's path that United's keeper Troy Perkins managed to break up in the last moment - the Galaxy lost 1-0. The next match on the road trip was at New England Revolution and Beckham decided to sit it out, fearing further aggrivating his ankle on the Gillette Stadium's artificial surface.

Beckham returned to the pitch the following week, again facing DC United, in the SuperLiga semi-final on 15 August. During this game he had many firsts with the Galaxy; his first start, first yellow card and first game as team captain. He also scored his first goal for the team, from a free kick, and also made his first assist, for Landon Donovan in the second half. These goals gave the team a 2–0 victory, and a place in the North American SuperLiga final versus Pachuca on 29 August.

During the SuperLiga final against Pachuca, Beckham injured his right knee, with an MRI scan revealing that he had sprained his medial collateral ligament and would be out for six weeks. He returned to play in the final home match of the season. The Galaxy were eliminated from playoff contention on 21 October, in the final MLS match of the season, a 1–0 loss to the Chicago Fire. Beckham played as a substitute in the match, bringing his season totals to eight matches played (5 league); one goal scored (0 league); and three assists (2 league).

Beckham trained with Arsenal from 4 January 2008 for three weeks, until he returned to the Galaxy for pre-season training. Beckham scored his first league goal with the Galaxy on 3 April against the San Jose Earthquakes in the 9th minute. On 24 May 2008, the Galaxy defeated the Kansas City Wizards 3–1, giving the Galaxy their first winning record in two years and moving the club into first place in the Western Conference. In the match, Beckham scored an empty-net goal from 70 yards out. The goal marked the second time in Beckham's career that he had scored from his own half, the other being a 1996 goal from the half-way line against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park. Overall, however, the Galaxy had a disappointing year, failing to qualify for the end-of-season play-offs.

Loan to Milan

In 2008, Beckham's success in the England national team under Fabio Capello led to speculation that he might return to Europe in order to retain match fitness for the World Cup qualifying matches in 2009. On 30 October 2008, Milan announced that Beckham was to join them on loan from 7 January 2009. Despite this and other speculation, Beckham made it clear that the move in no way signalled his intent to leave MLS and announced his intent to return to the Galaxy in time for the start of the 2009 season in March. Many at Milan both within and outside of the club expressed serious reservations about the transfer, with it considered by some players no more than a marketing move. At Milan, he chose the number 32 shirt previously worn by Christian Vieri, as both the number 7 and 23 shirts were already used by Alexandre Pato and club captain Massimo Ambrosini, respectively. After his physical, Beckham was reportedly told by a club doctor that he believed he can continue playing football for another five years, when he will be 38.

Beckham made his Serie A debut for Milan against Roma on 11 January 2009 and played 89 minutes of the 2–2 draw. He scored his first goal in Serie A for Milan in a 4–1 victory over Bologna on 25 January, his third appearance for the club. Though Beckham was expected to return to L.A. in March, after impressing at the Italian club, scoring two goals in his first four matches and assisting on several more, rumours began to swirl that Beckham would stay in Milan, with the Italian club reportedly offering to pay a multi-million dollar fee for the English legend. The rumours were confirmed on 4 February, when Beckham stated that he was seeking a permanent transfer to Milan, in a bid to sustain his England career through the 2010 World Cup. However, Milan failed to match Galaxy's valuation of Beckham, in the US$10–15 million range.

Still, negotiations continued during a month of speculation. On 2 March, the Los Angeles Times reported that Beckham's loan had been extended through mid-July. This was later confirmed by Beckham, revealing what was described as a unique "timeshare" deal, in which Beckham would play with L.A. from mid-July till the end of the 2009 MLS season.

Return to Galaxy

After his return from Milan, many LA fans showed dislike and anger towards him as he missed the first half of the season and several held up signs saying "Go home fraud", and "Part time player". However, the Galaxy had a much more successful season than in previous years, rising from third to first in the Western Conference during Beckham's time with them. He remained a key part of the squad which saw Galaxy win the 2009 Western Conference final after a 2–0 overtime victory over the Houston Dynamo. In the final on 22 November 2009, the Galaxy lost to Real Salt Lake by 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw. Beckham also scored in the shootout.

Second loan spell at Milan

In November 2009, after the end of 2009 MLS season, it was confirmed that Beckham would return to Milan for a second loan period beginning in January 2010. On 6 January 2010, Beckham made a winning return in a Milan shirt, playing 75 minutes of a 5–2 victory over Genoa. On 16 February 2010, Beckham played against Manchester United for the first time since he left the club in 2003. He played 76 minutes of the match at the San Siro – which ended 3–2 to Manchester United – before being substituted by Clarence Seedorf.

Beckham returned to Old Trafford for the second leg of the tie on 10 March 2010; he did not start the match, but was brought on for Ignazio Abate in the 64th minute to a positive reception from the Manchester United fans. The score was 3–0 for United at that point and the tie was all but decided. The match was the first time Beckham had played against Manchester United at Old Trafford and saw him create several scoring opportunities via crosses and corner kicks, but Manchester United dominated Milan and beat them 4–0, winning the tie 7–2. Following the final whistle, he aroused a bit of controversy by draping the green-and-gold scarf around his neck that was given to him by the Manchester United supporters protesting against club owner Malcolm Glazer. As the fan protests against Glazer by the people gathered around Manchester United Supporters' Trust gained steam in 2010, the green-and-gold scarf had come to be seen as an anti-Glazer symbol, and by extension many saw Beckham's decision to publicly put it on as gesture of support. However, when asked about it later Beckham responded that protests are not his business.

In Milan's next game, against ChievoVerona, Beckham suffered a torn left Achilles tendon, causing him to miss the World Cup as well as the MLS season due to the injury, which took him out of action for the next five months. Doctor Sakari Orava performed surgery on Beckham's tendon in Turku, Finland, on 15 March 2010. After the operation, Orava affirmed that "it went quite fine. The prognosis is he needs a rehabilitation for the next few months, and the plaster cast is the next six to eight weeks. I would say that [it will be] maybe four months before he's running, but six months before he's jumping and kicking."

Second return to Galaxy

On 11 September 2010, after recovering from his Achilles tendon injury, Beckham returned to the game as a substitute in the 70th minute in the Galaxy's 3–1 win over Columbus Crew. On 4 October, Beckham scored a trademark free kick in a 2–1 win over Chivas to mark his first goal in 2010. On 24 October, Beckham scored his second goal of the season in the Galaxy's 2–1 win over Dallas which secured them their second successive Western Conference title and first MLS Supporters' Shield since 2002.

International career

Beckham made his first appearance for the England national football team on 1 September 1996, in a World Cup qualifying match against Moldova.

Beckham had played in all of England's qualifying matches for the 1998 World Cup and was part of the England squad at the World Cup finals in France, but the team's manager Glenn Hoddle publicly accused him of not concentrating on the tournament, and he did not start in either of England's first two matches. He was picked for their third match against Colombia and scored from a long-range free kick in a 2–0 victory, which was his first goal for England.

In the second round (last 16) of that competition, he received a red card in England's match against Argentina. Beckham, after having been fouled by Diego Simeone, kicked Simeone whilst lying on the floor, striking him on the calf muscle. Simeone later admitted to trying to get Beckham sent off by over-reacting to the kick and then, along with other members of his team, urging the referee to send Beckham off. The match finished in a draw and England were eliminated in a penalty shootout. Many supporters and journalists blamed him for England's elimination and he became the target of criticism and abuse, including the hanging of an effigy outside a London pub, and the Daily Mirror printing a dartboard with a picture of him centred on the bullseye. Beckham also received death threats after the World Cup.

The abuse that Beckham was receiving from English supporters peaked during England's 3–2 defeat by Portugal in Euro 2000, a match where Beckham set up two goals, when a group of England supporters taunted him throughout the match. Beckham responded by raising his middle finger and, while the gesture attracted some criticism, many of the newspapers that had previously encouraged his vilification asked their readers to stop abusing him.

On 15 November 2000, following Kevin Keegan's resignation as England manager in October, Beckham was promoted to team captain by the caretaker manager Peter Taylor, and then kept the role under new manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. He helped England to qualify for the 2002 World Cup Finals, with their performances including an impressive 5–1 victory over Germany in Munich. The final step in Beckham's conversion from villain to hero happened in England's 2–2 draw against Greece on 6 October 2001. England needed to win or draw the match in order to qualify outright for the World Cup, but were losing 2–1 with little time remaining. When Teddy Sheringham was fouled eight yards (7 metres) outside the Greek penalty area, England were awarded a free-kick and Beckham ensured England's qualification with a curling strike of the kind that had become his trademark. Shortly afterwards, he was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2001. He once again finished runner-up, to Luís Figo of Portugal, for the FIFA World Player of the Year award.

Beckham was partially fit by the time of the 2002 World Cup and played in the first match against Sweden. Beckham scored the winning goal of the match against Argentina with a penalty, causing Argentina to fail to qualify for the knockout stage. England were knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Brazil. The following month, at the opening ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, Beckham escorted Kirsty Howard as she presented the Jubilee Baton to the Queen.

Beckham played in all of England's matches at Euro 2004, but the tournament was a disappointment for him. He had a penalty saved in England's 2–1 defeat to France and missed another in a penalty shootout in the quarter-final match against Portugal. England lost the shootout thus going out of the competition.

Beckham became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in January 2005 and was involved in promoting London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. In October 2005, Beckham's sending off against Austria made him the first ever England captain to be sent off and the first (and only) player to be sent off twice while playing for England. He captained England for the 50th time in a friendly international against Argentina the following month.

In England's opening game at the 2006 World Cup, against Paraguay on 10 June 2006, Beckham's free kick led to an own-goal by Carlos Gamarra as England won 1–0. In England's next match, played against Trinidad and Tobago on 15 June 2006, Beckham's cross in the 83rd minute led to a Peter Crouch goal, which put England into the lead 1–0. Beckham gave another assist to Steven Gerrard. In the end they won 2–0. He was named Man of the Match by tournament sponsor Budweiser for this game.

During England's second round match against Ecuador, Beckham scored from a free kick in the 59th minute, becoming the first ever English player to score in three separate World Cups, and giving England a 1–0 victory and a place in the quarter-finals. He was sick before the game and vomited several times as a result of dehydration and illness after he scored the winning goal.

In the quarter-final against Portugal, Beckham was substituted following an injury shortly after half time and the England team went on to lose the match on penalties (3–1), the score having been 0–0 after extra time. After his substitution, Beckham was visibly shaken and emotional for not being able to play, being in tears at one point.

A day after England were knocked out of the World Cup, an emotional Beckham made a statement in a news conference saying that he had stepped down as England captain, saying, "It has been an honour and privilege to captain my country but, having been captain for 58 of my 95 games, I feel the time is right to pass on the armband as we enter a new era under Steve McClaren." (Beckham had actually won 94 caps up to that point.) He was succeeded by Chelsea captain John Terry.

Having stepped down as captain after the World Cup, Beckham was dropped completely from the England national team selected by new coach Steve McClaren on 11 August 2006. McClaren claimed that he was "looking to go in a different direction" with the team, and that Beckham "wasn't included within that." McClaren said Beckham could be recalled in future. Shaun Wright-Phillips, Kieran Richardson, and the World Cup alternative to Beckham, Aaron Lennon, were all included, although McClaren eventually opted to employ Steven Gerrard in that role.

from which John Terry scored]] On 26 May 2007, McClaren announced that Beckham would be recalled to the England squad for the first time since stepping down as their captain. Beckham started against Brazil in England's first match at the new Wembley Stadium and put in a positive performance. In the second half, he set up England's goal converted by captain John Terry. It looked as though England would claim victory over Brazil, but newcomer Diego equalised in the dying seconds. In England's next match, a Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia, Beckham sent two trademark assists for Michael Owen and Peter Crouch, helping England to prevail 3–0.

Beckham had assisted in three of England's four total goals in those two games, and he stated his desire to continue to play for England after his move to Major League Soccer.

On 22 August 2007, Beckham played in a friendly for England against Germany, becoming the first ever to play for England while with a non-European club team. On 21 November 2007, Beckham earned his 99th cap against Croatia, setting up a goal for Peter Crouch to tie the game at 2–2. Following the 2–3 loss, England failed to qualify for the Euro 2008 Finals. Despite this, Beckham said that he has no plans to retire from international football and wanted to continue playing for the national team. After being passed over by new England coach and Beckham's former manager at Real Madrid, Fabio Capello, for a friendly against Switzerland which would have given him his hundredth cap; Beckham admitted that he was not in shape at the time, as he had not played a competitive match in three months.

On 20 March 2008, Beckham was recalled to the England squad by Capello for the friendly against France in Paris on 26 March. Beckham became only the fifth Englishman to win 100 caps. Capello had hinted on 25 March 2008 that Beckham had a long term future in his side ahead of crucial qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup. On 11 May 2008, Capello included an in-form Beckham in his 31 man England squad to face the United States at Wembley Stadium on 28 May before the away fixture with Trinidad and Tobago on 1 June. Beckham was honoured before the match by receiving an honorary gold cap representing his 100th cap from Bobby Charlton, and was given a standing ovation from the crowd. He played well and assisted John Terry on the match-winning goal. When substituted at half-time for David Bentley, the pro-Beckham crowd booed the decision. In a surprise move, Capello handed Beckham the captaincy for England's friendly against Trinidad and Tobago on 1 June 2008. The match was the first time since the 2006 World Cup that Beckham had skippered England and marked a dramatic turnaround for Beckham. In two years, he had gone from being dropped completely from the England squad to being reinstated (though temporarily) as England captain.

During the 2010 World Cup Qualifier against Belarus in which England won 3–1 in Minsk, Beckham came off the bench in the 87th minute to earn his 107th cap making him England's 3rd highest capped player in history, over-taking Bobby Charlton in the process. On 11 February 2009, Beckham drew level with Bobby Moore's record of 108 caps for an English outfield player, coming on as a substitute for Stewart Downing in a friendly match against Spain. On 28 March 2009, Beckham surpassed Moore to hold the record outright when he came on as a substitute in a friendly against Slovakia, providing the assist for a goal from Wayne Rooney in the process.

In all, Beckham had made 16 appearances out of a possible 20 for England under Capello until his ruptured Achilles tendon of March 2010 ruled him out of selection for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

After a poor performance from England at the World Cup Capello remained as manager, but was under pressure to revamp the England squad for the imminent UEFA Euro 2012 qualification campaign. He unveiled a new team at the next England match, a home friendly game against Hungary on 11 August 2010, with Beckham still unavailable for selection but aiming for a return to playing in the MLS by the following month.

International goals

As of 28 October 2009

Coaching career

Due to an injury suffered to his torn left Achilles tendon, Beckham was forced to miss the 2010 FIFA World Cup as a player. On 14 May 2010 it was announced that Beckham would work as a mediator between management and the players, and as an English member of the coaching staff for the England national football team at the tournament. He maintained his training routine at Real Madrid and even when his relationship with management was strained in early 2007, Real Madrid president Ramón Calderón and manager Fabio Capello praised Beckham for maintaining his professionalism and commitment to the club.

Beckham was the first England player ever to collect two red cards and the first England captain to be sent off. Beckham's most notorious red card was during the 1998 FIFA World Cup after Argentina's Diego Simeone had fouled him, Beckham lashed out with his leg and the Argentine fell.

He amassed 41 yellow cards and four red cards for Real Madrid.

Honours

Club

;Manchester United

Premier League (6): 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03

FA Cup (2): 1995–96, 1998–99

UEFA Champions League (1): 1998–99

Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999

FA Community Shield (4): 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997

FA Youth Cup (1): 1992

;Real Madrid

La Liga (1): 2006–07

Supercopa de España (1): 2003

;Los Angeles Galaxy

MLS Western Conference (2): 2009, 2010

MLS Supporters' Shield (1): 2010

International

;England

Tournoi de France: 1997

FA Summer Tournament: 2004

Individual

Premier League Player of the Month (1): August 1996

PFA Young Player of the Year (1): 1996–97

Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year (1): 1996–97

UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (1): 1998–99

UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year (1): 1998–99

Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992–93 to 2001–02):

* Domestic & Overall Team of the Decade

* Goal of the Decade (vs. Wimbledon, 17 August 1996)

BBC Sports Personality of the Year (1): 2001

FIFA 100 ESPY Award – Best Male Soccer Player: 2004 ESPY Award – Best MLS Player: 2008

Orders and special awards

Officer in the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II: 2003

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador (2005–present)

"Britain's Greatest Ambassador" – 100 Greatest Britons awards The Celebrity 100, number 15 – Forbes, 2007 Number 1 on the list of the 40 most influential men under the age of 40 in the UK – Arena, 2007 Time 100: 2008

Gold Blue Peter Badge winner, 2001

Statistics

|- |1996||3||0 |- |1997||9||0 |- |1998||8||1 |- |1999||7||0 |- |2000||10||0 |- |2001||10||5 |- |2002||9||3 |- |2003||9||4 |- |2004||12||2 |- |2005||9||1 |- |2006||8||1 |- |2007||5||0 |- |2008||8||0 |- |2009||8||0 |- !Total||115||17 |}

David Beckham Academy

In 2005, Beckham founded the David Beckham Academy football school, operating from two sites: in London and in Los Angeles, California. It was announced in late 2009 that both would close. A mobile academy is being developed by Beckham, to travel around the UK and further afield.

Personal life

In 1997, Beckham started dating Victoria Adams, after she attended a Manchester United match. She was famously known as "Posh Spice" of the pop music group Spice Girls, one of the world's top pop groups at the time, and his team was also enjoying a great run of success. Therefore, their relationship instantly attracted a great deal of media attention. The couple were dubbed "Posh and Becks" by the media. He proposed to Victoria on 24 January 1998 in a restaurant in Cheshunt, England.

On July 4, 1999, David and Victoria married at Luttrellstown Castle in Ireland. The wedding attracted tremendous media coverage. Beckham's teammate Gary Neville was the best man, and the couple's infant son, Brooklyn, was the ring bearer. The media were kept away from the ceremony, as the Beckhams had an exclusive deal with OK! Magazine, but newspapers were still able to obtain photographs showing them sitting on golden thrones. 437 staff were employed for the wedding reception, which was estimated to have cost £500,000.

In 1999, the Beckhams purchased their most famous home in Hertfordshire, unofficially dubbed Beckingham Palace, estimated to be worth £7.5 million. David and Victoria have three sons together: Brooklyn Joseph Beckham (born 4 March 1999 in London), Romeo James Beckham (born 1 September 2002 in London, England), and Cruz David Beckham (born 20 February 2005 in Madrid, Spain (the word "cruz" is Spanish for "cross"). Both Brooklyn and Romeo's godfather is Elton John and their godmother is Elizabeth Hurley. They have stated that they would like to have more children, especially a daughter. On 9 January 2011, it was announced that the Beckhams are expecting their fourth child in the summer.

In April 2007, the family purchased their new Italian villa in Beverly Hills, to coincide with Beckham's transfer to the Los Angeles Galaxy in July. The mansion, priced at $22 million, is near the homes of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and talk-show host Jay Leno, in an exclusive gated community in the hills overlooking the city.

In September 2008, several media reported that David and Victoria turned to Buddhism.

In January 2010, Beckham announced that he was taking a pasta course at a local cooking school in Milan to fulfill a longtime desire of his.

Affair claims

In April 2004, the British tabloid News of the World carried claims by Beckham's former personal assistant Rebecca Loos that he and Loos had an extramarital affair. A week later, the Malaysian-born Australian model Sarah Marbeck claimed that she had slept with Beckham on two occasions. Beckham dismissed both accusations as "ludicrous". There has never been any proof of any of the allegations of Beckham's claimed infidelity. In an interview with W Magazine, Victoria Beckham told a reporter, "I'm not going to lie: it was a really tough time. It was hard for our entire families. But I realised a lot of people have a price."

Legal issues

In December 2008, Beckham and his bodyguard were sued by paparazzi photographer Emicles da Mata, who claimed that he was assaulted by them when attempting to take a picture of Beckham in Beverly Hills. Da Mata is seeking unspecified damages for assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In September 2010 Beckham announced that he is suing prostitute Irma Nici and several others over claims in the magazine In Touch that he had had sex with her.

Fame beyond football

Beckham's fame extends beyond the pitch; in much of the world his name is "as instantly recognisable as that of multinational companies like Coca-Cola and IBM." Beckham's relationship and marriage to Victoria, who has been famous in her own right as part of the musical group Spice Girls, contributed to David's celebrity beyond football.

Beckham became known as a fashion plate, and together with Victoria, the couple became lucrative spokespeople sought after by clothing designers, health and fitness specialists, fashion magazines, perfume and cosmetics manufacturers, hair stylists, exercise promoters, and spa and recreation companies. One recent example is a new line of aftershave and fragrances called David Beckham Instinct. In 2002 Beckham was hailed as the ultimate "metrosexual" by the man who invented the term and has been described as such by numerous other articles since. The Beckhams were reportedly paid $13.7 million in 2007 to launch his fragrance line in the US. In the world of fashion, David has already appeared on the covers of many magazines. U.S. covers have included the men's magazine Details, and with his wife for the August 2007 issue of W. According to Google, "David Beckham" was searched for more than any other sports topic on their site in 2003 and 2004. The search engine Ask Jeeves named Beckham in December 2009 as the third most online searched person in the last decade. The findings are based on online activity by British users of the search engine.

Upon their arrival in Los Angeles on 12 July 2007, the night before Beckham's formal introduction, Los Angeles International Airport was filled with paparazzi and news reporters. On the next night, Victoria appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to talk about the their move to LA, and presented Leno with a number 23 Galaxy jersey with his own name on the back. Victoria also talked about her NBC TV show On 22 July, a private welcoming party was held for the couple at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. A-list celebrities attending included Steven Spielberg, Jim Carrey, George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Oprah Winfrey.

Beckham's many endorsement deals make him one of the most recognisable athletes throughout the world. On 31 December 2008, it was announced that Pepsi Co. was ending its endorsement deal with the player after a 10-year collaboration. Beckham has several eponymous video games, including Go! Go! Beckham! Adventure on Soccer Island, a platform game for the Game Boy Advance, and David Beckham Soccer, a football game for the Xbox. In August 2010, Beckham signed an endorsement deal with EA SPORTS to become brand ambassador for EA SPORTS Active 2.

Beckham visited Afghanistan in May 2010 for a morale-boosting visit to British troops fighting the Taliban insurgency. The appearance of Beckham as well as British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Defence Secretary Liam Fox was believed to have prompted a Taliban attack on Kandahar airfield.

Charitable work

Beckham has supported UNICEF since his days at Manchester United and in January 2005, the English national team captain became a Goodwill Ambassador with a special focus on UNICEF's Sports for Development program. More recently Beckham has pledged his support for the current Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign.

On 17 January 2007, Rebecca Johnstone, a 19-year-old cancer patient from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, received a surprise phone call from Beckham. After the conversation, he sent her a Real Madrid jersey with his signature on it. Rebecca died on 29 January 2007.

Beckham is a spokesman for Malaria No More, a New York City-based non-profit launched in 2006. Malaria No More's mission is to end deaths caused by malaria in Africa. Beckham appears in a 2007 public service announcement advertising the need for inexpensive bed nets. The TV spot currently airs in the U.S. on Fox Networks, including Fox Soccer Channel, and can also be seen on YouTube.

Since joining Major League Soccer, Beckham has been a very public advocate in the U.S. for related charities such as "MLS W.O.R.K.S." On 17 August 2007, he conducted a youth clinic in Harlem, along with other current and former MLS players. This was in advance of his first New York City area match the following day against the New York Red Bulls. That team's Jozy Altidore and Juan Pablo Ángel were also with Beckham, teaching skills to disadvantaged youth to benefit FC Harlem Lions.

Appearances in films

Bend It Like Beckham

Beckham never personally appeared in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham, except in archive footage. He and his wife wanted to make cameo appearances, but scheduling proved difficult, so the director used lookalikes instead.

The Goal! Trilogy

Beckham makes a cameo appearance with Zinedine Zidane and Raúl, in the 2005 film Goal!: The Dream Begins. Lookalike Andy Harmer, who played him in Bend It Like Beckham, also appears here in one party scene as Beckham. Beckham himself appears in the sequel in a larger role, when the film's lead character gets transferred to Real Madrid. This time the story centres around the Real Madrid team, and besides Beckham, other real life Real Madrid players also appear on and off the pitch, alongside the fictional characters. Beckham appeared in , which was released straight to DVD on 15 June 2009.

Despite moving to Los Angeles, California, Beckham has expressed no personal interest in pursuit of acting roles, saying he is too "stiff".

Records

Beckham has captained England 59 times, one of the most in England's history.

With his free kick goal against Ecuador in the second round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Beckham gained membership into two of football's exclusive clubs: he became the only English player — and the 21st player regardless of nationality — to score in three world cups; Real Madrid teammate Raúl also achieved this feat a few days earlier. It also made him only the fifth player in World Cup history to score twice from a direct free kick; the other four were Pelé, Roberto Rivelino, Teófilo Cubillas, and Bernard Genghini (Beckham had previously scored this way against Colombia in the first round of the 1998 FIFA World Cup). All three goals were against South American teams (Colombia, Argentina, and Ecuador) and from set pieces (the two aforementioned free kicks and a penalty against Argentina).

Tattoos

Beckham has at least 17 tattoos adorning his body, including recent black-and-white image of Christ drawn on his right side, based on a painting called "The Man Of Sorrows" by Catholic artist Matthew R. Brooks done after death of his grandfather in 2009. There are also names of his sons Romeo, Cruz and Brooklyn, name of his wife Victoria, written in Hindi, because Beckham thought it would be "tacky" to have it in English. On his right shoulder, there's an angel with the text 'In the face of adversity'. In his autobiography "David Beckham: My Side", Becks reveals some of his thoughts on tattoos: "The idea came to me much later, a little while after Brooklyn was born. I was talking to Mel B and her then-husband, Jimmy Gulzar, and the subject of tattoos came up. I ended up going to this Dutch guy who'd done all of Jimmy's. I'd finally realised what I wanted a tattoo to represent. Mine are all about the people in my life, my wife and sons, who I want with me always. When you see me, you see the tattoos. You see an expression of how I feel about Victoria and the boys. They're part of me."

See also

Franchise player

List of current MLS players

References

Books

Internet

External links

The Official David Beckham Website

The David Beckham Academy

MLS player profile

Milan profile

Category:1998 FIFA World Cup players Category:2002 FIFA World Cup players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:A.C. Milan players Category:BBC Sports Personality of the Year winners Category:British expatriate sportspeople in the United States Category:British expatriates in Italy Category:British expatriates in Spain Category:England international footballers Category:England under-21 international footballers Category:English bloggers Category:English expatriates in the United States Category:English expatriate footballers Category:English footballers Category:English Football Hall of Fame inductees Category:Expatriate footballers in Italy Category:Expatriate footballers in Spain Category:Expatriate soccer players in the United States Category:English male models Category:FIFA 100 Category:FIFA Century Club Category:Association football midfielders Category:La Liga footballers Category:Los Angeles Galaxy players Category:Manchester United F.C. players Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:People from Leytonstone Category:Premier League players Category:Preston North End F.C. players Category:Real Madrid C.F. players Category:Serie A footballers Category:British people of Jewish descent Category:The Football League players Category:UEFA Euro 2000 players Category:UEFA Euro 2004 players Category:1975 births Category:Living people

Name	Anthony Morrow
Nationality	American
Position	Guard/Forward
Height ft	6
Height in	5
Weight lb	210
Team	New Jersey Nets
Number	22
Birth date	September 27, 1985
Birth place	Charlotte, North Carolina
High school	Charlotte Latin School(Charlotte, North Carolina)
College	Georgia Tech
Draft round	Undrafted
Draft year	2008
Career start	2008
Teams	Golden State Warriors (2008-2010)

Anthony Jarrad Morrow (born September 27, 1985 in Charlotte, North Carolina), nicknamed A-Mo, is an American professional basketball player for the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The , shooting guard went undrafted out of the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 2008 NBA Draft, but was later signed by the Golden State Warriors and is now considered one of the best pure shooters in the NBA.

NBA

On July 25, 2008, Morrow was signed by the Golden State Warriors after going undrafted in the 2008 NBA Draft. In his first NBA start, he scored 37 points on 15-for-20 shooting against the Los Angeles Clippers—the most points ever scored in a game by an undrafted player in his rookie season—and grabbed 11 rebounds. Morrow finished the 2008-09 season as the first rookie and first Warrior ever to lead the league in three-point field goal shooting, going 86-for-184 for a .467 percentage.

In the 2009 NBA Summer League, Morrow scored 47 points for the Warriors in a game against the New Orleans Hornets - setting the record for the most points scored by an individual in a game at the NBA Summer League.

In the 13th game of the 2009–10 NBA season, Morrow set a new career high with 6 three point makes in a victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

On July 13, 2010, Morrow was traded to the New Jersey Nets for a future second-round draft pick.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Golden State | 67 || 17 || 22.6 || .478 || .467 || .870 || 3.0 || 1.2 || .5 || .2 || 10.1 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Golden State | 69 || 37 || 29.2 || .468 || .456 || .886 || 3.8 || 1.5 || .9 || .2 || 13.0 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 136 || 54 || 26.0 || .472 || .460 || .879 || 3.4 || 1.4 || .7 || .2 || 11.6

References

External links

Anthony Morrow Player Info @ DraftExpress.com

Anthony Morrow – Gergia Tech Player Bio

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:American basketball players Category:Basketball players from North Carolina Category:Golden State Warriors players Category:Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball players Category:New Jersey Nets players Category:People from Charlotte, North Carolina Category:Shooting guards Category:Undrafted National Basketball Association players Category:Small forwards