Devin Brown

No. 23 – Erie BayHawks
Shooting guard
Personal information
Born	(1978-12-30) December 30, 1978 (age 33) Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Nationality	American
High school	South San Antonio West (San Antonio, Texas)
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
College	Texas–San Antonio (1998–2002)
NBA Draft	2002 / Undrafted
Pro career	2002–present
Career history
2002	Kansas Cagerz (USBL)
2002	San Antonio Spurs
2002–2003	Fayetteville Patriots (NBDL)
2003	Denver Nuggets
2003–2005	San Antonio Spurs
2005–2006	Utah Jazz
2006–2007	New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets
2007–2008	Cleveland Cavaliers
2008–2010	New Orleans Hornets
2010	Chicago Bulls
2011	Asseco Prokom (Poland)
2012–present	Erie BayHawks (D-League)
Career highlights and awards
NBA D-League Most Valuable Player (2003) All-NBA D-League First Team (2003) NBA D-League Rookie of the Year (2003) NBA champion (2005)

Devin Brown (born December 30, 1978) is an American professional basketball shooting guard for the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League.

Brown was born in Salt Lake City, Utah,^[1] and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He played organized basketball at South San Antonio West Campus High School, a school on the south side of San Antonio, where he became the all-time high school scorer in greater San Antonio.

College career[link]

Brown played four seasons at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is the all-time leading scorer in school history with 1,922 career points. His collegiate averages were 18.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.75 steals in 32.0 minutes. In addition to that, Brown is the only player in UTSA school history to record a triple double — a 33-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist performance — which he did on February 17, 2001 against the Louisiana–Monroe Indians. Brown was named Southland Conference Freshman of the Year in 1998–99 and named First Team All-Southland Conference three times. His number was retired by UTSA, the first Roadrunner to receive such an honor.

Professional career[link]

Early years[link]

Brown was not selected in the 2002 NBA Draft. He was, however, the 6th overall pick in the CBA Draft by the Sioux Falls Skyforce and the 18th overall pick in the USBL Draft by the Kansas Cagerz.^[2] He was also drafted 2nd overall by Fayetteville Patriots in 2002 National Basketball Development League Draft.^[3]

Brown began his professional career with the Cagerz in 2002. During his rookie year, he averaged 17.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and won the USBL Rookie of the Year.^[4]

The following year Brown received an invite to the San Antonio Spurs' training camp. He was cut before the season started but then re-signed in November 2002 for two weeks during which he played in seven games.^[2]

Also in November 2002, Brown was drafted with the second overall pick of the then-named National Basketball Development League draft by the Fayetteville Patriots.^[5] He played 44 games for the Patriots and was named the 2003 NBDL Most Valuable Player as well as the 2003 NBDL Rookie of the Year.^[6][7] He averaged 16.9 points on 50% shooting, 4.1 rebounds and two assists in 24.7 minutes.

Denver Nuggets (2002–2003)[link]

Brown earned a ten-day contract with the Denver Nuggets in April 2003, appearing in three games with two starts.

San Antonio Spurs (2003–2005)[link]

After playing for the Spurs 2003 Summer League team, Brown signed with the team for the third time. Brown appeared in 58 games for the Spurs in 2003–04, logging major minutes as the season progressed and played a major role in the playoffs. In game six of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers, Brown scored 15 points, 6 rebounds and three assists in a playoff-career-high 28 minutes.

Brown established career highs in all categories in the 2004–05 season while playing for the Spurs. In 67 games played, he averaged 7.4 points and 2.6 rebounds. On December 9, 2004, Brown committed a turnover in the final seconds of a game against the Houston Rockets; Tracy McGrady stole the ball and hit the winning three-point shot, and the Rockets won 81-80 after trailing 74-64 in the final minute.^[8] With Brown, the Spurs won their third NBA Championship in June 2005. In the Finals, Brown saw the most game time in Game 4 with 20 minutes, but the Spurs lost that game to the Detroit Pistons 102-71. Brown scored 8 points on 2 for 8 field goal shooting and 1 for 3 free throw attempts and had three rebounds and two assists.^[9]

Utah Jazz (2005–2006)[link]

On September 9, 2005, as a restricted free agent, Brown signed a two year offer sheet with the Utah Jazz. The Spurs had the right to match the offer sheet but did not do so.^[10] During the 2005–2006 season, Brown played in 81 games for the Jazz (starting 14) and he averaged 7.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. On February 13, 2006, he scored a career high 25 points in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Golden State Warriors (2006)[link]

On July 12, 2006, the Jazz traded Brown, along with Keith McLeod and Andre Owens, to the Golden State Warriors for veteran guard Derek Fisher,^[11] but he was waived during training camp.^[12]

New Orleans Hornets (2006–2007)[link]

On December 22, 2006, he signed with the New Orleans Hornets to help fill in gaps left by injuries to the team's major players.^[13] Brown played in 58 games for the Hornets (starting 49 of them), and averaged a career-high 11.6 points per game with and 4.3 rebounds. On April 10, 2007, Brown tied his career high by putting up 25 points against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2007–2008)[link]

On September 29, 2007, he signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers.^[14] Brown played in 78 regular season games as a Cavalier (starting 20). He averaged 7.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists, scoring a season-high 20 points against the Sacramento Kings on November 9, and was three assists away from a triple-double against the Washington Wizards on February 22, 2008. On April 2, he tied his season-high against the Charlotte Bobcats. He also had 5 rebounds and 8 assist as a starter in that game. Brown scored double digit points on 19 occasions and rebounds twice.

Return to New Orleans Hornets (2008–2010)[link]

On August 22, 2008, he signed a two year contract with the New Orleans Hornets.

Chicago Bulls (2010)[link]

On January 25, 2010, Devin Brown was traded to the Chicago Bulls for Aaron Gray.^[15]

Asseco Prokom (2011)[link]

In September 2011, Brown signed with Asseco Prokom in Poland.^[16] He was released by Asseco Prokom in October 2011.^[17]

Honors, rankings and milestones[link]

2002 USBL Rookie of the Year

2003 NBDL Rookie of the Year

2003 NBDL Most Valuable Player

On April 14, 2007, Brown scored his 2,000th NBA career point in a game against the Houston Rockets.

On April 27, 2007, Brown had his number 14 retired by the Kansas Cagerz of the USBL.^[4]

On March 6, 2008, Brown had his 500th NB career assist in a game against the New York Knicks. On March 21, he scored his 2,500th NBA career point in a game against the Toronto Raptors, grabbing his 1,000th NBA career rebound against the Philadelphia 76ers nine days later.

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Playoffs[link]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Brown's official site
• Devin Brown at Basketball-Reference.com
• NBA D-League profile of Brown
• UTSA Roadrunners bio
• NBA biography, 2002-2006 in depth
• NBA biography, 2002-2006 in brief, 2006-2007 in depth

Tracy McGrady

Tracy McGrady during his tenure with the Rockets.
No. 1 – Atlanta Hawks
Shooting guard/Small forward
Personal information
Born	(1979-05-24) May 24, 1979 (age 33) Bartow, Florida
Nationality	American
High school	Auburndale High School (Auburndale, Florida) Mount Zion Christian Academy (Durham, North Carolina)
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft	1997 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall
Selected by the Toronto Raptors
Pro career	1997–present
Career history
1997–2000	Toronto Raptors
2000–2004	Orlando Magic
2004–2010	Houston Rockets
2010	New York Knicks
2010–2011	Detroit Pistons
2011–present	Atlanta Hawks
Career highlights and awards
NBA Most Improved Player (2001) 7× NBA All-Star (2001–2007) 2× NBA Scoring Champion (2003–2004) 2× All-NBA First Team (2002–2003) 3× All-NBA Second Team (2001, 2004, 2007) 2× All-NBA Third Team (2005, 2008)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Tracy Lamar McGrady, Jr. (born May 24, 1979) is an American professional basketball player with the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA.

Entering the league after graduating from high school, McGrady eventually became a seven-time All-Star. He led the league in scoring in 2003 and 2004. He has also played for the Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, and Detroit Pistons. McGrady was ranked on SLAM Magazine's "Top 75 Players of All-Time" in 2003. McGrady's style of play has been compared to that of George Gervin.^[1]

Early years[link]

Tracy McGrady played high school basketball at Auburndale High School in Auburndale, Florida for three years. He then transferred to Mount Zion Christian Academy, in Durham, North Carolina. McGrady created a national buzz after his performance in the Adidas ABCD Camp, where the best high school players in the U.S. are invited annually. He was named High School Player of the Year by USA Today. McGrady has stated that if he had not gone straight to the NBA from high school, he would have attended Kentucky.^[2]

NBA career[link]

Toronto Raptors (1997–2000)[link]

McGrady was drafted ninth overall in the first round of the 1997 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors.

In McGrady's first two seasons with the Raptors, he averaged less than 10 points per game, mainly coming off the bench. In his second season, he began playing alongside his third cousin, Vince Carter. The 1999–2000 season was McGrady's first breakout season in the NBA. He was a starter in 34 games out of 79, averaging 15.4 points per game, and a career-high 1.9 blocks per game. McGrady also competed in the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest, finishing third, behind Carter and Steve Francis.

In 2000, the duo of McGrady and Carter helped lead the Raptors to the playoffs, for the first time in franchise history. However, the team was swept 3–0 by the New York Knicks in the first round. McGrady was often overshadowed by Carter during his time in Toronto, and he became a free agent in the summer of 2000. In the off-season, he expressed interest in playing for family and friends in his home state of Florida.

Orlando Magic (2000–2004)[link]

On August 3, 2000, McGrady was dealt to the Orlando Magic in a sign-and-trade deal for a first round pick. In Orlando, he played alongside Grant Hill, who had been acquired that summer in hope of bringing Orlando back among the Eastern Conference's elite teams. However, an ankle injury limited Hill to only 4 games and McGrady became the leader and 1st scoring option of the team. For the first time in his career McGrady was selected as an All-Star when he was voted by the fans to start in the midseason classic for the Eastern Conference. At season's end he was presented with the 2001 NBA Most Improved Player Award. Even though McGrady had elevated his game from solid contributor to star, the Magic were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks.

The following season, McGrady continued his great play. With Hill struggling with injuries, the Magic were once again a one-man show. He made his second All-Star team and First Team All-NBA while averaging 26 points per game. The Magic posted a 44–38 record for the year but they were beat again in the first round of the playoffs, this time by the Charlotte Hornets.

In the 2002–03 season, McGrady averaged 32.1 points per game and captured the NBA scoring title, becoming the youngest player to do so since the ABA-NBA merger. Despite McGrady's personal accolades, the Magic failed to reach the second round of the playoffs. In a rather infamous moment, during the 2003 NBA Playoffs, the Magic (who were an #8 seed) surprisingly took a 3–1 series lead against the heavily favored #1 seed Detroit Pistons. Prior to the fifth game in Detroit, McGrady was quoted as saying that how wonderful it was to "finally be in the position to advance to the second round (of the playoffs)". Orlando, however, lost Games 5, 6, and 7 by an average of more than 20 points, and Detroit advanced to the second round.

In the 2003–04 season, he once again captured the NBA scoring title, averaging 28 points per game, and set a career high with 62 points against the Washington Wizards at the TD Waterhouse Centre on March 10, 2004. With this performance, he became the fourth player in the past 12 years to score over 60 points in a game.

Houston Rockets (2004–2010)[link]

In 2004, McGrady joined the Houston Rockets.

On June 29, 2004, McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, and Reece Gaines were traded to the Houston Rockets in a seven-player deal that sent Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato to the Magic. Though it was initially viewed as a fair trade by spectators, it has since been looked at as one of the more lopsided trades in NBA history, as McGrady was selected to multiple All-Star games while Orlando traded Francis after less than two seasons.^[3] In his first year with the Houston Rockets, McGrady teamed with 7' 6" center Yao Ming, to form one of the more potent duos in the Western Conference.

The Rockets first season with McGrady started off slowly as they struggled to find a compatible point guard to play with McGrady's skill set in the backcourt. The solution was found when Bob Sura, who was returning from an injury, played well enough to earn the starting PG job. The Rockets traded Tyronn Lue for Jon Barry for 3-point shooting off the bench. The Rockets also acquired David Wesley from the Hornets to bolster their backcourt defense, particularly on smaller guards. With these new trades, McGrady was moved to SF, with a starting lineup of Bob Sura, David Wesley, Juwan Howard, and Yao Ming. The Rockets then ran the offense through McGrady, utilized the inside game of Yao, and used the perimeter game of Howard's baseline jumper and 3-point shooting effectively. On December 9, 2004, he scored 13 points in the last 35 seconds of a game against the San Antonio Spurs, with four consecutive 3 pointers (one of which was part of a four-point play), including a steal and the game-winning 3 pointer with 1.7 seconds left in the game that helped the Rockets win 81–80.^[4][5] The Rockets finished the 2004–05 season 51–31 as the 5th seed in the playoffs.

McGrady shooting over Wizards guard Deshawn Stevenson.

Despite McGrady's stellar play in the first round of the 2005 NBA Playoffs where he averaged 30.7 ppg, 6.7 apg, and 7.4 rpg, Houston was eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in game seven by 40 points, despite having a 2–0 lead to start the series. McGrady missed 6 of his first 7 shots in Game 7 and the Rockets were never able to match the intensity of the Dallas Mavericks. McGrady's signature moment in the Dallas playoffs series was in Game 2, where he blew past Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki and dunked over Dallas center Shawn Bradley, who is 7' 6". In that game, McGrady also hit the game winner for a 113-111 win.

In the early 2005–06 season, McGrady missed eight games because of multiple back spasms. His back problems resurfaced on January 8, 2006 when he had to be taken out at halftime in a game against the Denver Nuggets on a stretcher to the hospital because of severe back spasms. He had been out for five games. Since his return, the spasms have still been a problem for McGrady. In the 2005–06 season the Rockets were 2–15 in games he did not play in and 2–16 in games McGrady did not finish. While McGrady was injured for five games with his back injury, the Rockets did not win a single game. Other injuries include him falling on his back in a game against the Indiana Pacers. Despite his back injuries, McGrady was voted into the 2006 All-Star Game in Houston. His western conference teammates constantly put the ball in his hands to put him in contention for the All-Star MVP award in front of his Houston home crowd. A controversy resulted in the final minute when McGrady attempted a jump shot that would have given the West the lead and control of the game. Replays showed LeBron James, who was guarding McGrady appearing to make contact with McGrady's elbow, causing the shot attempt to fall way short of the basket. However, no foul was whistled, the East won, and LeBron James was named All-Star MVP.

McGrady posting up on Caron Butler.

In the 2006–07 season, McGrady started out slowly, and after missing 7 games with back spasms he visited a doctor. In an interview with TNT, McGrady said that he thought that his body was slowing down. He believed that he could no longer be as explosive as he was in the past due to his back injury. Shortly after another bout with back spasms, McGrady went to Waco, Texas where Dr. John Patterson performed "Synergy Release Therapy" to cure his chronic back problems, particularly the back spasms.^[6] However, since Yao Ming was having another breakout season, he was deferring to Yao as the number one option.^[7] Since Yao went down with a leg injury, McGrady stepped up his overall play, re-establishing himself as one of the game's premier players and by doing so led Houston to the 5th best record in the league. On December 29, 2006, he became the third youngest player in NBA history to reach 14,000 points and 4,000 rebounds.^[8] However, in the playoffs, the Rockets lost their first round series to the Utah Jazz 4–3, again preventing McGrady from advancing to the second round of the playoffs. Prior to the series with the Jazz, McGrady had stated in an interview with Stephen A. Smith that if he and the Rockets failed to make it out of the first round again, it was "on me".^[9] At his post-game press conference following the game 7 defeat, McGrady, still visibly emotional from the loss, said "I tried, man, I tried." ^[10]

After the 2006–07 season, following the Rockets first round playoff defeat, Jeff Van Gundy was fired as head coach by Rockets management. Rick Adelman was hired as head coach as Rockets owner Leslie Alexander wanted a more uptempo offense to utilize the offensive skill set of Yao and McGrady.

The 2007–08 season for the Rockets was decimated by injuries, most notable Yao Ming being placed on injured reserve in February. Incredibly, the Rockets won 22 straight games (10 without Yao). The Rockets finished as the 5th seed in the West and earned a rematch with the Utah Jazz. However, by the time playoffs came, McGrady was already nursing shoulder and knee injuries as he had bandages placed on his shoulder and his knee throughout the playoff series. McGrady took pain-killing injections in and had fluid drained from both his shoulder and knee to allow him to play.^[11][12][13] The Jazz again eliminated the Rockets in six games, despite McGrady recording 40 points and 10 rebounds in the decisive Game Six, a 113–91 loss.^[14]

In May 2008, McGrady underwent arthroscopic surgery on both his left shoulder and left knee.^[15]

On February 18, 2009, McGrady announced on his website that he would have surgery on his left knee and would miss the remainder of the 2008–09 season. He had already missed 18 games before the All-Star break, including a two-week stretch in January, and said before the season that his knee was not healed from his off-season surgery. Head coach Rick Adelman, who found out about the announcement when he read the newspaper in the morning, criticized McGrady for not informing the team of the decision.^[16] He decided to have microfracture surgery in Chicago on February 24, 2009. The cartilage damage to be repaired by the microfracture surgery was in a small area on a non-weight-bearing surface, and the rest of his knee was otherwise healthy, according to the team doctor.^[13][17]

Despite McGrady being on injured reserve, the Rockets beat the Trail Blazers 4–2 in the first round of the playoffs to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997. The Rockets would compete in a memorable series against the eventual NBA champion LA Lakers, before losing Game 7 in LA. Since McGrady was on the Rockets' roster during the 2009 NBA Playoffs, he officially advanced past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in his career.

McGrady only played in six games with the Rockets during the 2009–10 season, all in limited minutes as a reserve due to injuries, before being traded to the New York Knicks in February.

New York Knicks (2010)[link]

McGrady with the New York Knicks

On February 18, 2010, McGrady was traded to the New York Knicks as part of a three-team trade involving Houston, New York, and the Sacramento Kings.^[18] On February 20, 2010, McGrady made his debut for the Knicks against the Oklahoma City Thunder,^[19] to a sold-out Madison Square Garden, amid many "We Want T-Mac!" chants.^[20][21] He scored 26 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and dished 5 assists in 32 minutes of play as New York lost in overtime.^[22] This was McGrady's first game since December 23, 2009 against the Orlando Magic.^[23] His first win as a member of the Knicks came six days later, in a 23-point effort against the Washington Wizards.^[24]

Detroit Pistons (2010–2011)[link]

On August 16, 2010, McGrady signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Pistons.^[25] On December 7, 2010, McGrady returned to Houston for the first time to a mixture of applause and boos from the home crowd and scored 11 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and dished 3 assists in a 97-83 loss.^[26] On January 14, 2011, McGrady scored a season-high of 22 points in a 101-95 win over the Toronto Raptors. McGrady averaged 8.0 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in 23.4 minutes for the Pistons but they failed to make the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Atlanta Hawks (2011–present)[link]

On December 7, 2011, ESPN reported that McGrady agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks for the veteran minimum.^[27] In his debut as a Hawk, McGrady finished with 12 points, 2 rebounds, a steal and a block in less than 20 minutes of action in a 106-70 blowout win over the New Jersey Nets. Less than a week later, on January 2, 2012, McGrady scored 13 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter of a game against the then-undefeated Miami Heat, to lead the Hawks to a comeback victory.^[28] Over the season, he averaged a career-low 5.3 points per game in 16 minutes per game.

Off the court[link]

Personal life[link]

McGrady has four children—daughters Layla Clarice, Laycee Aloe, and sons Laymen Lamar, Layden—with his wife CleRenda Harris, whom he had dated for 10 years. Their first son was born on December 27, 2005 during a 82–74 loss against the Utah Jazz in which McGrady left during halftime to see his girlfriend going into labor.^[29] The couple were married on September 12, 2006 in Mexico. McGrady and Vince Carter are third cousins; McGrady learned that his grandmother and Carter's grandmother were cousins at a family reunion while he was still in high school and Carter played at the University of North Carolina.^[30] The two played together with the Toronto Raptors for two years before McGrady left for free agency. After McGrady left, he and Carter had a feud, but this was resolved in a short period of time.^[31]

Tracy's younger brother, Chancellor "Chance" McGrady, played for the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Runner-Up Memphis Tigers basketball team.^[32]

In 2008, McGrady was criticized for his comments on the All-Star game being held in New Orleans, only 3 years removed from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. McGrady publicly questioned the quality of public safety and protection of NBA players.^[33]

Upon retirement, Tracy has stated that he plans on focusing his efforts on the two companies that he currently runs. The first is a bottled water company in Florida, called BLUE04. The second is a technology company based in Washington DC, called Dasdak.^[34]

Endorsements[link]

In 2002, McGrady signed a longterm partnership with Adidas, agreeing to an endorsement deal that will last through his playing career and beyond.^[35] He also appeared on the cover of NBA Live 07.

Philanthropy[link]

McGrady has traveled to the Darfurian refugee camps in Chad with John Prendergast and Omer Ismail of the ENOUGH Project. McGrady is actively recruiting NBA players to support a sister schools initiative linking schools in Darfurian refugee camps to American middle schools, high schools and universities.^[36]

In 2009, McGrady changed his jersey number to #3. He made the switch to promote his humanitarian efforts in the Darfur region of the Sudan and a documentary on his summer 2007 visits to refugee camps in the region. The documentary is called 3 Points.^[37] However, he went back to wearing # 1 when he joined the Pistons.

USA career[link]

Medal record
Men’s basketball
Competitor for  United States
FIBA Americas Championship
Gold	2003 San Juan	Team competition

He was a member of the United States men's national basketball team in the 2003 Tournament of the Americas where the USA team won the tournament and qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was invited to the Olympics but did not attend.

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Playoffs[link]

NBA career achievements[link]

• 2× NBA Scoring Champion: 2003 (32.1), 2004 (28.0)
• 7× NBA All-Star: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
• 7× All-NBA:

• First Team: 2002, 2003
• Second Team: 2001, 2004, 2007
• Third Team: 2005, 2008