- published: 29 Dec 2009
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Quentin Richardson (born April 13, 1980) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. At 6'6" (1.98 m) and 228 lb (104 kg), he plays as a small forward.
Richardson was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Lee and Emma Richardson.He arrived at DePaul University after leading Whitney Young High School to the state AA boys Basketball title in 1998. He averaged 17.9 points per game, and 10.2 rebounds per game in his two seasons at DePaul. He became the only player in school history to have 1,000+ points, 500+ rebounds, and 100+ three-point field goals. As a freshman, he was elected both the Conference USA Player of the Year, and Freshman of the Year. Richardson declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore year with DePaul in 2000.
Richardson was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 18th pick of the 2000 NBA Draft. He was selected after fellow Clippers Darius Miles and Keyon Dooling. Richardson would star in a documentary with Miles entitled The Youngest Guns which chronicled their first three seasons in the NBA with the Clippers. Richardson spent four seasons with the Clippers before signing with the Phoenix Suns as a free agent.
Kevin Maurice Garnett (born May 19, 1976) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In high school, Garnett was a 1995 McDonald's All-American at Farragut Career Academy and won a national player of the year award. Garnett entered the 1995 NBA Draft, where he was selected with the 5th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves and became the first NBA player drafted directly out of high school in 20 years.
Garnett made an immediate impact with the Minnesota Timberwolves leading them to eight-consecutive playoff appearances. In 2004, Garnett led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals and was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 2003–04 season. Since his second season in the NBA, Garnett has been named to 14 All-Star Games, winning the All-Star MVP award in 2003, and is currently tied for 3rd-most All-Star selections in NBA history. He was awarded the regular season's NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the 2007–08 season and has been a nine-time member of the All-NBA Teams selection and a twelve-time member of the All-Defensive Teams selection. Garnett currently holds several all-time Timberwolves franchise records.
LeBron Raymone James (/ləˈbrɒn/; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a sophomore at St. Vincent – St. Mary High School. He was selected with the number one pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Listed as a small forward, James has set numerous youngest player records since joining the league. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2003–04, was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2009, 2010, and 2012 and has been both an All-NBA selection and an All-Star every season since 2005. In 2010, a much-publicized free agency process ended with James signing with the Miami Heat.
James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to consecutive playoff appearances from 2006 through 2010. In 2007, the Cavaliers advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, but lost to the San Antonio Spurs. In 2011, James and the Miami Heat advanced to the NBA Finals but lost to the Dallas Mavericks. James has been a member of the USA national team, winning a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and gold at the 2008 Olympics.