Rick Adelman

Rick Adelman (born June 16, 1946 in Lynwood,
California) is a head basketball coach and former
player in the National Basketball Association.  He
currently coaches the Sacramento Kings; previously
in his career he has served as head coach of the
Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trail
Blazers. 

Adelman began his basketball career as a
collegiate star at Loyola Marymount University.
In the 1968 NBA Draft, he was selected by the
Houston Rockets|San Diego Rockets (now the Houston
Rockets) in the 7th round.  He played two seasons
in San Diego before being taken by the expansion
Trail Blazers in the 1970 expansion draft; he then
played three seasons in Portland.  He also played
for the Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz|New Orleans (now
Utah) Jazz, and the Sacramento Kings|Kansas
City/Omaha (now Sacramento) Kings.  He retired
from playing basketball in 1975.

From 1977 through 1983, Adelman coached at
Chemeteka Community College in Salem, Oregon,
after which he was hired by the Portland Trail
Blazers (then coached by Jack Ramsay) as an
assistant.  When Ramsay was fired and replaced
with Mike Schuler in 1986, Adelman was retained;
when Schuler was in turn fired during the 1989
season (when poor team chemistry resulted in the
team having a losing record), Adelman was promoted
to interim coach.  After leading the team into the
playoffs that year (despite a 39-43 record),
Adelman was given the coaching position on a
full-time basis in the 1989 off-season.

The next three years were quite successful for
Adelman and the Trail Blazers; the team went to
the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992 (losing to the
Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls in the
finals); and went to the Western Conference finals
(losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1991.
Adelman spent two more years with the team, but
was dismissed after the 1993-1994 season.

In 1995, Adelman was hired as the head coach of
the Golden State Warriors.   He was unable to
duplicate his success in Portland, and was fired
after only two years with the team. 

After a year's absence from the sidelines; Adelman
was hired by the Sacramento Kings in 1998, a
position he still holds.  Under Adelman's
guidance, the Kings have been one of the more
successful Western Conference teams in recent
years, with several trips to the conference
finals.  The Kings have yet to advance to the NBA
finals during Adelman's tenure, however.

In 2005, Adelman's name was mentioned as a
possibility to replace Maurice Cheeks in Portland
(where he still has family connections and still
maintains a home).  However,  management of the
Kings reportedly a request from the Trail Blazers
to interview Adelman.   

Adelman is widely regarded around the league as a
"player's coach", and is considered one of the
more capable coaches in the NBA.  However, he is
sometimes criticized for being too hands-off; some
NBA observers have suggested that Adelman's teams
are not as fundamentally sound as their opponents.
Adelman's defenders counter that his teams have
often over-achieved--advancing deep into the
playoffs without the benefit of a superstar such
as a Michael Jordan or Shaquille O'Neal. 

Adelman has a long association with Kings' general
manager (and former ex-Trail Blazer) Geoff Petrie.
Adelman's contract with the Kings expires at the
end of the 2005-2006 season.

Luol Deng

Luol Deng (born April 16, 1985 in Wow, Sudan|Wow,
Sudan) is a professional basketball player in the
National Basketball Association|NBA. In 2003, Deng
was widely considered to be the second most
promising player among U.S. high school seniors,
after only LeBron James. He attended Blair Academy
in New Jersey, along with Charlie Villanueva,
another NBA draftee.  Deng opted to play one
season of college basketball for Duke University,
after which he was chosen seventh overall in the
2004 NBA Draft. The pick was made by the Phoenix
Suns, but Deng was immediately traded to the
Chicago Bulls as part of a previous arrangement.
In Chicago, he wears number 9 and plays the
shooting guard and small forward positions. Deng
suffered a season-ending wrist injury late in his
rookie season but still made the NBA All-Rookie
First Team. Considered a prototypical small
forward, Deng's physical attributes and
understanding of the game promise him a bright
future.

Deng was born in Sudan, and has since lived in
Egypt, the United Kingdom|UK, as well as the
United States.

==Trivia==

Deng's older brother was taught to play basketball
by NBA legend Manute Bol. Bol, also a native of
Sudan, has been a mentor to Deng throughout his
professional career.

Deng reportedly grew an inch (to 6'9") between his
first and second seasons in the NBA.

Alex English

Alex English (born January 5 1954 in Columbia,
South Carolina) is a former University of South
Carolina and Denver Nuggets basketball player. He
was a top scorer in the NBA throughout the decade
of the 1980s, averaging 21.5 points and 5.5
rebounds per game.  He was named to seven NBA
All-Star teams, his #2 jersey was retired by the
Nuggets, and he was elected to the Basketball Hall
of Fame.

English spent the vast majority of his career with
the Nuggets, but also played briefly with the
Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers and Dallas
Mavericks.

English's style has been described as smooth and
elegant. While he did not possess the physical
strength of his contemporaries Dominique Wilkins
and James Worthy, he relied more on his technique
and his finesse. These skills allowed him to place
11th on the NBA all-time scoring list, as of July
2005. Besides, he has the distinction of being the
basketball player having scored the most points in
the 80's.

In June 2004, English was hired to become the
director of player development, as well as one of
the assistant coach (sport)|coaches for the
Toronto Raptors.

Patrick Ewing

Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a
former National Basketball Association|NBA player.
He played most of his career with the New York
Knicks as their starting center
(basketball)|center. 

Ewing was born in Kingston, Jamaica; when he was
12 years old, he came to the United States with
his family, who settled in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, where he attended Cambridge Rindge
and Latin. He played college basketball for
Georgetown University, where he led the Hoyas to
the National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA
championship game in 1982, 1984, and 1985, winning
in 1984. By the time he arrived at Georgetown, he
had become a naturalized U.S. citizen, making him
eligible for membership on the U.S. Olympic
Games|Olympic team in 1984; he won a gold medal
with that team.

In 1985 he was selected first overall in the NBA
Draft by the New York Knicks|Knicks.  Although
injuries marred his first year in the league, he
was named NBA Rookie of the Year Award|NBA Rookie
of the Year by averaging 20 points, 9 rebounds and
2 blocks per game.  Very soon, he became one of
the premier center (basketball)|centers of the
league.  Ewing was an eleven time National
Basketball Association All-Star Game|NBA All-Star,
was named to the All-NBA First Team once, to the
All-NBA Second Team six times and to the NBA
All-Defensive Second Team three times.  He was a
member of the original Dream Team at the 1992
Olympic Games|Olympics, winning a second gold
medal.  In 1996, he was also given the honor of
being named one the 50 Greatest Players in NBA
History. 

In spite of all his honors, Ewing never managed to
lead the New York Knicks|Knicks to a NBA
championship, although he was a key contributor to
the Knicks' run to the Eastern Conference
championship in 1994 (the Knicks returned to the
NBA Finals in 1999, but Ewing missed the latter
part of their playoff run due to a hamstring
injury). This incident of the New York Knicks
making it to the NBA Finals despite Patrick Ewing
being injured is the prime evidence for a theory
called the "Ewing Theory". In 2000, he finally
left the New York Knicks|Knicks, being traded to
the Seattle Supersonics.  After a year with the
Seattle Supersonics|Supersonics and another with
the Orlando Magic, he finally announced his
retirement on September 18, 2002.

On February 28, 2003 Patrick Ewing's jersey with
number 33 was retired in a large ceremony at
Madison Square Garden. Although he failed to win a
NBA championship, he remains one of the best
center (basketball)|centers to ever play and
perhaps the greatest player in Knicks history.
Patrick Ewing continues his career as an assistant
coach with the Houston Rockets.
Footer 1992 Olympic Champions Basketball Men

Naismith Award Winners Men|
 preceded=Michael Jordan|
 succeeded=Johnny Dawkins

NCAA Tournament MOP Men|
 preceded=Hakeem Olajuwon|Akeem Olajuwon|
 succeeded=Ed Pinckney

Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett (born May 19, 1976 in Mauldin, South
Carolina), often simply known as KG, is a
professional basketball player in the NBA. He is
also known by the nickname The Big Ticket. After
graduating from Farragut Academy in Chicago, he
was drafted in 1995, the first player in 20 years
to join the league straight from high school.
Because of his freakish athleticism and 7-foot
stature, he is widely considered to be one of the
most unique and revolutionary basketball players
ever to play the game. Garnett can play all five
positions on the floor, though he has made his
mark playing the power forward position.

Garnett started slow, but ended up leading the
Minnesota Timberwolves in blocks in his rookie
season. He has since become not only the best
player on the Timberwolves, but also one of the
best players in the NBA. Garnett was selected to
play in every All-Star game after his second
season, winning All-Star MVP in 2003.

Garnett was a candidate for league MVP in 2002 and
2003, finishing second in the voting to Tim Duncan
in 2003. He was named league MVP in 2004 after
posting 24.3 points per game and leading the NBA
in rebounds per game at 13.9.

Garnett and the Timberwolves have had difficulty
in the playoffs, however, losing seven consecutive
first round series. This streak ended in 2004, as
the Timberwolves achieved the best record in the
Western Conference and defeated the Denver Nuggets
and Sacramento Kings in the playoffs before losing
to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western
Conference Finals. In the process, Garnett
silenced numerous critics when he became only the
5th player in history to record 30+ points and 20+
rebounds in a 7th game. He registered 32 points
and 21 rebounds in the Game 7 victory over
Sacramento. Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell
played key roles alongside Garnett in the
Timberwolves\' 2004 success. However, they failed
to match this performance in 2005, leading to the
Timberwolves\' shocking failure to make the
playoffs that year.

Kevin married long time girlfriend Brandi Padilla
in the summer of 2004. The two had a private
ceremony in California. The wedding was the reason
he did not take part in the Olympic games. Brandi
is sisters with the wife of Jimmy Jam Harris who
is one of Kevin\'s close friends.

George Gervin

George Gervin (born April 27, 1952 in Detroit,
Michigan) is a former professional basketball
player, a shooting guard for the American
Basketball Association|ABA's Virginia Squires and
the National Basketball Association|NBA's San
Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls.  Gervin never
failed to average at least fourteen points in any
of his fourteen ABA and NBA seasons, and finished
an NBA career average of 26.2 points per game.
Gervin holds the interesting distinction of being
a former teammate of both Julius Erving (with the
Squires) and Michael Jordan (with the Bulls),
although in Gervin's only season in Chicago,
Jordan played only eighteen games due to injury.

Nicknamed Iceman for his cool demeanor on the
court, Gervin was primarily known for his scoring
talents, leading the NBA in scoring average three
years in a row from 1978 to 1980. He gained his
fourth and last scoring title in 1982.

His first scoring crown, which took place in 1978,
was one of NBA's most famed moments. He defeated
fellow scorer David Thompson by seven hundredths
of a point (27.22 to 27.15). Although Thompson
came up with a memorable performance for the last
game of the regular season, scoring 73 points,
Gervin maintained his slight lead by dropping 63
points on his last game of the season.

His trademark was the finger roll, a technique
consisting in shooting his layups by rolling the
basketball along his fingertips.

Gervin was inducted to the Basketball Hall of
Fame, had his #44 jersey retired by the Spurs and
was named to the NBA fifty greatest players
list|NBA's fifty greatest players list.

Gerald Green

Gerald Green Jr. (born January 26, 1986 in
Houston, Texas) is a professional basketball
player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He was
drafted by the Celtics with the 18th pick in the
first round of the 2005 NBA Draft.

Green attended Gulf Shores Academy in Houston,
Texas. He committed himself to attend Oklahoma
State University, but chose instead to enter the
draft directly out of high school.

Green will presumably be one of the last players
to jump directly from high school to the NBA, as
the new collective bargaining agreement between
NBA owners and the NBA Players' Association
mandates that American players who enter the NBA
Draft must be at least one year removed from the
graduation of their high school class and reach
age 19 no later than December 31 of the calendar
year of the draft.

Devin Harris

Devin Harris (born February 27, 1983 in Wauwatosa,
Wisconsin) is an American basketball player for
the Dallas Mavericks. Harris attended the
University of Wisconsin and gained national
notoriety for his play at the collegiate level.

==Early Life==
Devin Harris grew up in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, a
first ring suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is
the child to Terry and Julie Harris and has a
brother named Bruce and a sister named Tanisha.
Throughout high school, Harris was a superior
athlete and took up basketball and volleyball. He
only played volleyball for one season, a season in
which he gained all-conference honors, before he
set that aside to focus on basketball. Harris was
nagged by injuries after his sophomore year of
high school and was unable to participate in the
summer basketball camps and tournaments that are
ever important in the recruiting process. Thus,
Harris flew somewhat under the radar and finally
accepted an offer to play for Dick Bennett at the
University of Wisconsin. Bennett retired in the
midst of the upcoming season and by the time
Harris arrived on campus, Bo Ryan was the head
coach.

==Playing Career==
In Harris' freshman season, the 2001-2002 season,
Harris was already a starter on a relatively
unheralded team. The Badgers came into the season
being predicted to finish as low as ninth in the
Big Ten Conference (which has eleven teams). On a
team lead by seniors Charlie Wills and Travon
Davis, the Badgers won an unexpected Big Ten
Championship (shared with three other teams:
Indiana University, University of Illinois, and
Michigan State University).

Harris' sophomore season was his "breakout" year.
Harris, along with senior Kirk Penney and fellow
sophomore Mike Wilkinson, led the Badgers to their
second consecutive Big Ten Championship. In the
NCAA Tournament, the Badgers reached the "Sweet
16". In the "Sweet 16" game against the University
of Kentucky, Harris showed a national audience his
skill although the team lost.

The 2003-2004 season had Harris establishing
himself as one of the top players in the nation.
Harris was the leader on the team and was
considered a "coach on the floor" by Bo Ryan. He
received Big Ten Player of the Year and was named
a Second Team All-American. Harris decided to
leave college early after his junior year to play
in the NBA.

Harris was selected fifth overall by the
Washington Wizards and subsequently traded to the
Dallas Mavericks in a deal in which the Wizards
obtained Antawn Jamison and the Mavericks obtained
Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, and Christian Laettner.
In Harris' rookie season, he averaged 5.7 ppg and
2.2 apg. He ranked 2nd in the NBA in Steals per 48
Minutes at 3.15 (behind only Larry Hughes). In
November 2004, he was named the got milk? Rookie
of the Month. Although he started for much of the
early portion of the season, his playing time
dwindled as the season progressed. This could be
due to the coaching uncertainties and changes of
the Mavericks moving from Don Nelson to Avery
Johnson or Harris' need to add strength to compete
more efficiently at the NBA level.

George Karl

George Matthew Karl (born May 12, 1951 in the
Pittsburgh suburb of Penn Hills, Pennsylvania) is
a former National Basketball Association|NBA
player and current head coach of the Denver
Nuggets. Karl is currently 13th on the all-time
win list for coaches in the NBA. After a college
career at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill|University of North Carolina he played
for the San Antonio Spurs from 1973-1978.
Immediately after his playing career ended Karl
became an assistant coach for the Spurs.  Karl
then moved on to the  Continental Basketball
Association as head coach of the Montanna Golden
Nuggets.  As coach of the Golden Nuggets, Karl won
CBA Coach of the Year two two times, in 1981 &
1983. 

Karl was then given the chance to coach in the NBA
as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers from
1984-1986 before moving on to the Golden State
Warriors where he would coach until 1988.  After
being fired from the Warriors, Karl returned to
the CBA as coach of the Albany Platoons, once
again winning coach of the year in 1991.  Karl
returned to the NBA as coach of the Seattle
Supersonics.  He would hold this position from
1991-1998, leading them to the NBA Finals in 1996
where they would lose to the Chicago Bulls 4 games
to 2.  In 1998, he moved to the Milwaukee Bucks
where he served as head coach and general manager,
where he would stay until he resigned following
the 2003 season.  He returned to the NBA in 2005
when he took over the job of head coach of the
Nuggets from interim head coach Michael Cooper on
January 27.

On July 27, the Nuggets announced that Karl had
prostate cancer.

Jamaal Magloire

Jamaal Magloire (born May 21 1978 in Toronto,
Ontario, Canada) is a professional basketball
player, currently playing for the New Orleans
Hornets of the National Basketball Association. 

A 6'11", 259-pound (2.11 m, 117.5 kg) center
(basketball)|center, Magloire started 12 games as
a sophomore for the University of
Kentucky|Kentucky Wildcats team that won the NCAA
Men's Division I Basketball Championship|national
championship in 1998.  He finished his college
career as Kentucky's all-time leader in blocked
shots, with 268.

He was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the
19th pick of the 2000 NBA Draft, but filled a
reserve role for his first two NBA seasons, in
which he averaged 6.5 points in 16.8 minutes per
game.  But in 2002-03, the Hornets' first year in
New Orleans, he started all 82 games, averaging
10.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

2003-04 was the season in which Magloire really
began to get some respect from coaches and peers
around the NBA.  He averaged 13.6 points and 10.3
rebounds per game while starting all 82 games, and
was even named to the Eastern Conference All-Star
Team.  Magloire being named an All-Star was
perhaps a controversial decision at the time, with
many pundits and sportswriters asking, "Who the
heck is Jamaal Magloire?"  But he more than held
his own against the best the NBA had to offer,
contributing 19 points and 8 rebounds in his 21
minutes of action.

Kenyon Martin

Kenyon Lee Martin (born December 30, 1977 in
Saginaw, Michigan|Saginaw, Michigan) is an NBA
basketball player for the Denver Nuggets, playing
at the power forward (basketball)|power forward
position.  He is noted for his excellent defensive
and rebounding skills, as well as his intensity
and aggressive dunking. 

Martin was an outstanding player in college,
playing for the University of
Cincinnati|Cincinnati Bearcats.  As a senior, he
averaged 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks
per game and was the consensus National Player of
the Year, earning numerous awards from various
organizations.    After his senior year, the
University of Cincinnati retired his #4 jersey on
April 25, 2000.  Later that year, he was selected
first overall in the 2000 NBA Draft by the New
Jersey Nets. Martin is both the last college
senior and last American-born collegian to date to
be the top overall pick; the five top picks since
him consist of three high school players (Kwame
Brown, LeBron James, Dwight Howard), one
international player with two years of U.S.
college experience (Andrew Bogut), and one
international player with no college experience
(Yao Ming).

As a rookie, Martin averaged 12 points, 7.4
rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game and was named to
the NBA All-Rookie First Team.  Then next year,
Martin averaged 14.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3
steals and 1.7 blocks per game in helping the Nets
to a winning record.  Along with Nets stars Jason
Kidd and Richard Jefferson, Martin led the Nets to
the 2002 NBA Finals, where they were swept by the
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal-led Los Angeles
Lakers.  In his third season Martin again helped
his team into the NBA Finals, where the Nets lost
4 games to 2 against the Tim Duncan-led San
Antonio Spurs.  The next year, Martin averaged
16.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks en route
to his first NBA All-Star selection, as a backup
forward for the Eastern Conference All-Stars.  In
the 2004 NBA All-Star Game, Martin scored 17
points, grabbed 7 rebounds and had 3 assists.

At the end of the 2003-04 season, Martin was
signed by the Nets to a $93 million, 7-year
contract, then traded to the Nuggets for three 1st
round draft picks. 

Martin is married with three children, sons Kenyon
Jr. and Kameron, and daughter Cierra Reign.  In
his free time he enjoys watching movies and
playing video games. Martin's half brother,
Richard Roby is a Sophomore guard for Colorado
University.

Tracy McGrady

Tracy Lamar McGrady, Jr. (born May 24, 1979 in
Bartow, Florida), nicknamed T-Mac, is a well known
basketball player in the NBA. He currently plays
for the Houston Rockets.

==Early Career==
McGrady (6 ft 8 in - 2.04 m), who plays either
shooting guard or small forward, is one of the
first players that went from high school (Mt. Zion
Christian Academy) straight to the NBA without
attending college. He created a national buzz
after his spectacular performance in adidas ABCD
Camp, for the best high school players in the
nation. He was drafted ninth in the first round of
the 1997 draft by the Toronto Raptors. Chicago
Bulls GM Jerry Krause had arranged a draft-day
trade to send Scottie Pippen to Vancouver for the
4th overall pick, which he would have used to take
McGrady. But, Krause was forced to call off the
deal when Michael Jordan threatened to retire if
it was made.

McGrady had a decent start with the Raptors,
getting better numbers in all categories every
year. The cousin and teammate of Vince Carter,
McGrady often found himself in the shadow of his
glorifed cousin, whose show-stopping dunks made
him an instant star. McGrady even assisted Carter
in the 2000 NBA Dunk Contest, an event in which
McGrady also was competing in. The young duo led
the Raptors to their first playoff berth in the
2000 Playoffs, where they were swept by the
veteran New York Knicks.

==A New Start==
McGrady's career took off when he forced a
sign-and-trade to the Orlando Magic in exchange
for a first round draft pick in 2000. In the
2000-2001 season, he won the Most Improved Player
Award and was selected a starter in the All Star
game. He and Grant Hill (basketball player)|Grant
Hill both were supposed to be valuable players for
Orlando, but because of a long series of injuries
to Hill, McGrady became the best player for the
Magic. In the 2002-2003 season, McGrady captured
the NBA scoring title, averaging 32.1 points per
game. In the 2003-2004 season, he once again
captured the NBA scoring title, averaging 28
points per game.

McGrady set an NBA season high when he dropped 62
against the Washington Wizards on March 10, 2004.
With this performance, he became the 4th player in
the past 12 years to score over 60 points in a
game.

However, fortunes turned sour in Orlando after a
league-worst 21 win season. Amid allegations of
slacking off during games (he later admitted to
not giving 100% every game that season), the
relationship between McGrady and Magic General
Manager John Weisbrod worsened. Soon, Weisbrod
decided to trade the unhappy McGrady instead of
keeping him for another year and risk him leaving
the Magic without compensation.

==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. In his first season in Houston, McGrady
teamed with Yao Ming, a 7'6" Chinese center, to
end the season ranked 5th in the Western
Conference. However, Houston was eliminated in the
first round by the Dallas Mavericks in a 7-game
series; with the final game being a blowout
victory by 40 points.

Even though the Rockets were eliminated from the
playoffs, McGrady still left his marks.

On December 9th, 2004 he scored 13 points in the
last 35 seconds of a game against the San Antonio
Spurs, putting on one of the great clutch
performances in NBA history. The Rockets won
81-80.

He threw down a thundrous dunk over 7'6 Mavericks
center Shawn Bradley in Game 2 of the Western
Quarter Finals.

At the age of 26, McGrady has already been the NBA
scoring leader twice (in 2003 and 2004.) He has
also been named to the All NBA First Team two
times, and the All NBA Second team 3 times.
McGrady is also one of the most succesful
prep-to-pros players ever, following in the
footsteps of Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and
Jermaine O'Neal. The biggest knock on McGrady is
the fact that none of his teams have ever advanced
past the first round in his NBA career.

McGrady was ranked #75 on SLAM Magazine'es Top 75
NBA Players of all time in 2003.

==Personal==
He and his girlfriend Clarenda Harris have a
daughter, Layla Clarice. Despite the rather ugly
separation between him and the Orlando Magic, he
still has a house in the city.

Vince Carter

Vincent Lamar Carter (born January 26, 1977 in
Daytona Beach, Florida) is a professional
basketball player for the New Jersey Nets of the
National Basketball Association.

He was a McDonald's All-American Player in 1995
http://www.mcdonaldsallamerican.com/alumni03_nba.h
tm.

He attended the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill|University of North Carolina for three
years. He was then picked fifth overall in the
1998 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors and
immediately traded to the Toronto Raptors for the
rights to college teammate Antawn Jamison. Up
until his trade on December 17, 2004, he was the
franchise player for the Raptors, in addition to
amazing fans with spectacular slam dunks. He
easily won the Rookie of the Year Award for the
1998-99 season. Next year, Carter was selected to
be an All Star for the first time, and showcased
his athleticism by winning the NBA Slam Dunk
Contest. He has been an All Star several times
since then, and has been consistently voted into
the starting lineup through fan balloting. As of
2005, Carter has averaged 23.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG and
4.0 APG. His career high in points was 51 on
February 27, 2000 against the Phoenix Suns.

During the Summer 2000 Olympics Carter performed
one of the most memorable dunks in history when he
literally leaped over the 7' 3" frame of French
center Frederic Weis.

Carter is one of the lead endorsers of Nike
Basketball, along with LeBron James and Kobe
Bryant, cashing in on a 6 year 30 million dollar
deal signed in 2000. Since then, branded as a
signature athlete, Nike has released the Nike Shox
VC, the Nike Shox VC II, the Nike Shox VC III, and
the Nike Shox VC IV performance basketball
footwear (The Nike Shox VC V is scheduled for
release in January of 2006). Nike has placed
Carter as the face for its innovative Shox
technology and the ambassador for the recently
resurrected Flight Line of Nike Basketball
footwear.   

He is a distant cousin of former Raptors teammate
Tracy McGrady, who plays for the Houston Rockets
and is currently brother-in-law to Antawn Jamison
his ex-North Carolina Tar Heel teammate, who plays
for the Washington Wizards.

On the morning of the day of Game 7 of the 2001
Eastern Conference playoffs (Raptors vs
Philadelphia 76ers), Sunday, May 20, he attended
his UNC graduation, in which Stuart Scott gave a
graduation speech. In that game, Carter missed a
game-winning shot with 2.0 seconds remaining
http://www.nba.com/games/20010520/TORPHI/recap.htm
l.

Carter's mother, often a spokesperson for her
Mother's boy|son, made it clear in the 2004
offseason that he wanted to be traded from the
Raptors. Carter was traded to the New Jersey Nets
on December 17, 2004 by the Raptors for Alonzo
Mourning, Eric Williams, Aaron Williams and two
future first-round draft picks. In early January
2005, he admitted in a television interview with
TNT's John Thompson to not giving effort in his
last months as a Raptor; when asked if he always
played hard, Carter replied, "In years past, no. I
was fortunate to have the talent. You get spoiled
when you’re able to do a lot of things. You
see that you don’t have to work at
it.” Carter's play improved considerably
with the Nets. As a result of his higher level of
play, his popularity resurged, although his image
may be tarnished by the way he parted ways with
the Raptors and his admission that he did not play
hard in the final weeks on that team. As a Net
Carter averaged 27.5 points per game, along with
5.9 rebounds a game and 4.7 assists per game.
Vince made his return to the Air Canada Centre as
a member of the Nets on April 15, 2005 and scored
39 points in front of what many considered the
most hostile home crowd in Toronto Raptors
history.  The sellout crowd booed Carter
mercilously chanted his name from the pre-game
shootaround to the final buzzer, and many fans
brought derogatory signs to express their
frustration at Carter's apparent lack of effort in
his final days as a Raptor. Carter was able to
ignore the heckling of bitter Raptor fans and the
Nets would ultimately prevail in blowout fashion,
101-90. Upon the conclusion of the match, Carter
was seen clutching the game ball near the Nets'
team bench while emphatically stating, "this is
still my house!"

The resurrected Vince Carter would eventually
guide the Nets to an eigth-place seed in the 2005
NBA Playoffs. While New Jersey would eventually
swept by the Shaquille O'Neal-led Miami Heat, the
series marked Carter's first game in the NBA
postseason since 2001. Carter finished with
averages of 26.8 points per game, 8.5 rebounds and
5.8 assists, his playoffs highlighted by a
buzzer-beating two point fadeaway shot in the 1st
OT of Game Three that would force a second and
deciding overtime.

Carter was listed as the greatest dunker of all
time by a December 2002 issue of SLAM magazine.

Desmond Mason

Desmond Mason (born October 11 1977 in Waxahachie,
Texas) is an NBA basketball player currently
playing for the Milwaukee Bucks.  He is designated
as a swingman, meaning he plays both shooting
guard and small forward.

He was drafted out of Oklahoma State University -
Stillwater|Oklahoma State University by the
Seattle SuperSonics with the 17th pick of the 2000
NBA Draft.  In 2003 he was traded, along with Gary
Payton (basketball)|Gary Payton, to the Bucks for
Ray Allen.

In 2001, he became the first Sonics player in
franchise history to win the NBA.com Slam Dunk
contest.

(In addition to his skills on the court, he is an
accomplished painter.)

Dirk Nowitzki

Dirk Werner Nowitzki (born June 19 1978 in
Würzburg, Germany) is a basketball player who
stars for the National Basketball
Association|NBA's Dallas Mavericks. The 7'0" (2.13
m) Nowitzki is an all-purpose forward with the
skills to be a dangerous scorer from inside or
outside, and to play any position on the front
line (center, power forward, or small forward). He
is said to be the best white basketball player
since Larry Bird, one of the all-time greatest.
Fans and players alike have taken a liking to
calling him "Dirk Diggler", based on the infamous
porn star featured in Boogie Nights.

A native of Würzburg, Nowitzki came from an
athletic family; his father was a team
handball|handball player and his mother was a
member of the German women's national basketball
team. He first gained international attention at
the spring 1998 Hoop Summit, where he scored 33
points to lead a team of international juniors to
a surprise victory over a United States|U.S.
junior team. He was selected ninth overall in the
1998 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, but was
immediately traded to the Mavericks.

Mavs GM Don Nelson touted Nowitzki as the
sure-fire 1998-99 Rookie of the Year at the draft,
a lofty expectation for a 19-year-old who was in
the U.S. for the first time. Dallas fans were
understandably upset, then, when Nowitzki looked
lost when on the floor in mop-up minutes as a
rookie. Determined to prove that he could be a
force in the NBA, Nowitzki returned to Germany in
the 1999 offseason, working hard on sharpening his
total game. The summer of work helped immensely,
as Dirk emerged as a starter and future star in
1999-2000, when he averaged 17.5 points, 6.5
rebounds, and 2.5 assists, finishing second in
voting for the league's Most Improved Player.

The following season (2000-2001|01), he averaged
21.8 points and 9.2 rebounds and became the first
Maverick to be named to the All-NBA team, making
the third team.

In 2001-2002|02, he averaged 23.4 points and 9.9
rebounds and made his first appearance in the NBA
All-Star Game. He was again selected to the
All-NBA team, this time on the second team. In the
following summer, he played on the German national
team that finished third at the Basketball World
Championship|FIBA World Championships in
Indianapolis and was named the tournament MVP.

Before the 2002-2003|03 season, he was named in a
survey of NBA general managers as the league's top
international player. He met those expectations;
he matched his 2001-02 rebound average and
increased his scoring average to a career-high
25.1 points. He was again selected to the All-Star
Game and the All-NBA second team.

He suffered through nagging ankle injuries in
2003-2004|04, but still managed to finish in the
top 10 in the NBA in scoring, at 21.8 ppg, and
added 8.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He was again
selected for the All-Star Game, and again made the
All-NBA team, this time on the third team.
Nowitzki was one of the Mavericks' few bright
spots in a five-game loss to the Sacramento Kings
in the first round of the 2004 playoffs, averaging
26.6 points and 11.8 rebounds for the series.

On December 2nd, 2004, he scored  a career-high 53
points against the Houston Rockets.
http://www.nba.com/games/20041202/HOUDAL/recap.htm
l

Dirk was voted to the first team All-NBA squad for
the 2004-05 season, although the Mavericks were
ousted from the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns, led
by former teammate and current friend Steve Nash.
That season he also earned third place in the
league's Most Valuable Player vote, behind Nash
and Shaquille O'Neal, after posting 26.1 ppg, 9.7
rpg and 3.1 apg during the regular season.

Jermaine O'Neal

Jermaine O'Neal (born October 13, 1978 in
Columbia, South Carolina) is an United
States|American National Basketball
Association|NBA basketball player who currently
plays for the Indiana Pacers.

O'Neal declared his eligibility for the 1996 NBA
Draft straight out of high school and was selected
by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 17th pick
of the first round.  In Portland, O'Neal spent
most of his time coming off of the bench,
averaging around four points per game. He became
the youngest player to start an NBA game at the
age of 18 years and one month.

During the 2000 off-season, O'Neal was traded to
the Indiana Pacers with Joe Kleine in exchange for
Dale Davis.  At Indiana, O'Neal was named a
starter and became a standout player, averaging
12.9 points in his first season, three times more
than any season he had at Portland.  His averages
continued to improve in the following seasons.  In
the 2001-02 season, O'Neal averaged 19.0 points,
10.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game on the way
to winning the NBA Most Improved Player Award.  He
also earned his first National Basketball
Association All-Star Game|NBA All-Star Game
selection and his first All-NBA Team selection,
being selected to the All-NBA Third Team. 

In the 2002-03 season, O'Neal continued to improve
and became one of only three NBA players to
average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per
game.  He was selected to start in the National
Basketball Association All-Star Game|NBA All-Star
Game and was again selected to the All-NBA Third
Team.

By the 2003-04 season, O'Neal was averaging 20.1
points and 10 rebounds per game, leading the
Indiana Pacers|Pacers to the best record in the
NBA, earning an All-NBA Second Team selection and
placing third in NBA Most Valuable Player
Award|MVP balloting.  In the playoffs, he helped
lead the Indiana Pacers|Pacers to an Eastern
Conference finals appearance against the Detroit
Pistons.  However, he was ineffective because of
injury, and the Pacers lost to the Detroit
Pistons|Pistons in six games.

He was a member of the U.S.A. men's basketball
team that finished a disappointing sixth place in
the 2002 Basketball World Championship|World
Basketball Championships in Indianapolis.  Though
he helped the U.S. team qualify for the Olympics
during the 2003 Tournament of the Americas and was
a member of the 'core group' for the Olympics, a
knee injury forced him to drop out of the national
team that competed in the 2004 Olympics.

O'Neal has been called a poster child for
so-called prep-to-pro players, for his patience
and determination to become a star player in the
NBA.  He has also evolved into the role of team
leader for the Indiana Pacers|Pacers and will be
counted on to try and lead them to the NBA Finals.
On November 19, 2004 however, O'Neal became
involved in The Malice at The Palace|a massive
brawl at the end of a game against Detroit, and
was filmed striking a Pistons supporter on the
basketball court.  As a result, O'Neal was
suspended indefinitely by Commissioner David Stern
while the NBA investigated the incident. On
November 21, O'Neal received a 25-game suspension
for his part in the brawl. However, thanks to the
urging of an arbitrator in just before Christmas,
Jermaine won a 10-game reduction in his sentence
and has since returned to action with the Pacers.

O'Neal scored a career-high 55 points in Indiana's
116-99 home victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on
January 4 2005.  He also volunteered to donate
$1,000 to the victims of 2004's 2004 Indian Ocean
earthquake|deadly tsunamis for every point he
scored in the January 6 game against San Antonio
Spurs|San Antonio, as part of a joint donation by
the SFX Agency.  He scored 32 points against the
Spurs in a losing effort, but decided instead to
donate $55,000 based on the strength of his
earlier game against the Bucks.

Robert Parish

Robert Parish (born on October 30, 1953 in
Shreveport, Louisiana), is a former American
basketball center (basketball)|center. His
nickname was "Chief", after the mute Native
American in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's
Nest. According to legend, former Celtics forward
Cedric Maxwell gave him this nickname because of
Parish's stoic nature.

After a discreet career at Centenary College of
Louisiana, Parish was drafted in the first round
of the 1976 NBA draft by the Golden State
Warriors, before being sent to the Boston Celtics,
where he played his best basketbal years. Playing
14 years with the Celtics from 1980 to 1994, he
won three NBA titles (1981, 1984 and 1986) teaming
with legendary small forward Larry Bird, and, from
1983 to 1992 with Kevin McHale. The trio is
regarded by many as the best frontcourt in NBA
history.

He played two more seasons with the Charlotte
Hornets and then played his final season with the
Chicago Bulls in 1997, which led to his fourth NBA
title. He was 43 years old when he retired from
basketball. He is the oldest player to ever play a
NBA game, and his 1,611 games played are
unmatched.

He was known as a versatile center, using his
impressive (7ft 1in/2.16 m) size in defense to
contain opposing players, while being able to
launch precise shots from outside
wiktionary:paint|the paint and to finish
wiktionary:fast break|fast breaks thanks to his
speed, which was uncanny for a man of his stature.

His trademark was his curious jump shot, which
traversed a very high arc before falling through
the net.

In honor of his achievements, the Celtics retired
Parish's double-zero jersey number in 1998. He was
enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

Nate Robinson

Nate Robinson (born May 31, 1984) is an NBA
player. He was the 21st overall selection of the
2005 NBA Draft, chosen by the Phoenix Suns before
being traded to the New York Knicks with Quentin
Richardson for Kurt Thomas (basketball
player)|Kurt Thomas. Robinson played college
basketball at the University of Washington.

Listed at 5'9" (1.75 m) but in reality 5'7" (1.70
m), Robinson is one of the smallest players in the
NBA, with only a few players his height or
shorter. However, despite his size, Robinson is
known as an explosive dunker, and footage of a
slam dunk he made during the summer league games
was posted on nba.com.

Robinson also played college football and was a
highly touted return man.

Josh Smith

Joshua Smith (born December 5 1985 in Los Angeles,
California) plays guard and forward for the
National Basketball Association's Atlanta Hawks.

He was selected with the 17th pick by the Hawks in
the 2004 NBA Draft out of Oak Hill Academy in
Mouth of Wilson, Virginia|Mouth of Wilson,
Virginia. In his rookie season he was best known
for his high leaping ability when attempting slam
dunks. Smith won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest during
the 2005 National Basketball Association All-Star
Weekend|NBA All-Star Weekend. He did so whilst
wearing a Dominique Wilkins throwback jersey.

In his rookie season, he averaged 9.7 points, 6.2
rebounds and 1.95 blocks per game.

Mehmet Okur

Mehmet Okur (born May 26, 1979 in Yalova, Turkey)
is a professional basketball player who currently
plays Power forward (basketball)|power forward for
the National Basketball Association's Utah Jazz.

Okur is a product of the youth program of Efes
Pilsen SK|Efes Pilsen, one of Turkey's top clubs.
He  helped the Turkish 22-and-under national team
win the 1997 world championship. From 1998 to
1999, Okur played for Tofas Bursa, winning the
Turkish National Cup and league championships.
Okur was selected 38th overall in the second round
of the 2001 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. He
played for the Pistons in two seasons from 2002 to
2004, helping Detroit win the NBA Finals|NBA
championship in June 2004. Because of salary cap
limitations, the Pistons were unable to pay a
top-level salary to Okur, but he was able to
parlay his success into a 6-year, United States
dollar|$50 million contract with the Jazz.

At 2.11 metre|m (6foot (unit of length)|'11inch|")
and 113 kilogram|kg (249 pound|lb), Okur is a
large power forward. He has inside presence, but
also a reliable jump shot extending to 3-point
range, and is a solid free throw shooter with a
.807 career average.

Antoine Walker

Antoine Walker (born August 12,1976 in Chicago,
Illinois) is a professional basketball player with
the Miami Heat in the National Basketball
Association. He has played for four different
teams during his NBA career.

Walker grew up in Dolton, Illinois and attended
Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, the same
school as current several other professional
sportsmen including Philadelphia Eagles
quarterback Donovan McNabb, Chicago Bears tackle
Steve Edwards, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive
end Simeon Rice. He was a key factor in the
University of Kentucky Wildcats 1996 NCAA Men's
Division I Basketball Championship-winning team.
As a freshman at the University of Kentucky he was
named SEC Tournament MVP. In his sophomore year
Antoine was named All-SEC First, All-SEC
Tournament and to the All-NCAA Regional Teams.
After his sophomore season he declared for the
1996 NBA Draft and was picked sixth overall by the
Boston Celtics. Walker teamed with Paul Pierce to
help Boston play at a standard reminiscient of its
1980s heights, and was selected for several
National Basketball Association All-Star
Game|All-Star Games during this time.

Nine days before start of the 2003-04 season, he
was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He played in a
relatively limited capacity due to the plethora of
high-caliber players at his new team, including
homonymous Antawn Jamison, newly acquired from the
Golden State Warriors. On August 8, 2004 Walker
and Tony Delk were traded to the Atlanta Hawks for
Jason Terry, longtime Hawks member Alan Henderson
and a draft pick. On February 24, 2005, Walker was
traded back to the Celtics in a deal that sent
Gary Payton (basketball)|Gary Payton, Tom
Gugliotta, Michael Stewart (basketball
player)|Michael Stewart, and a first round draft
pick to the Hawks.

On August 2 2005, Walker was involved in a 5-team,
13-player deal (the largest trade in NBA history)
that sent him from the Celtics to the Miami Heat.

Ben Wallace

Ben Wallace (born September 10, 1974 in White
Hall, Alabama) is a professional basketball player
in the National Basketball Association|NBA who
plays center (basketball)|center (and sometimes
power forward (basketball)|power forward) for the
Detroit Pistons. He is listed at 6 ft 9 in (2.06
m) and 240 lbs (109 kg). As of 2005, he is
regarded as the premier defensive player in the
league. His nickname is "Big Ben."

Wallace has gained great notoriety in the Detroit,
Michigan|Detroit area and nationwide, and fans
often arrive at his games sporting wigs in honor
of his trademark Afro hairstyle. However, he now
only wears his Afro for some games; for most
games, he has his hair styled into cornrows.

==Basketball Career==
Wallace played college basketball at Virginia
Union University|Virginia Union, a Division II
school. Wallace was not drafted to the National
Basketball Association|NBA, but was signed as a
rookie free agent by the Washington
Wizards|Washington Bullets on October 2, 1996.

In 1999 Wallace was traded to the Orlando Magic
alongside with Tim Legler, Terry Davis, and Jeff
McInnis for Isaac Austin and on August 3, 2000,
was traded again along with Chucky Atkins to the
Detroit Pistons for Grant Hill (basketball
player)|Grant Hill. Since then he has been a
defensive force, winning the NBA Defensive Player
of the Year Award in the 2001-2002|02,
2002-2003|03, and 2004-2005|05 seasons. In the
2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons, he led the league in
both rebounds and blocked shots. In 2003, he was
voted by fans to his first National Basketball
Association All-Star Game|NBA All-Star Game, as
the starting center for the Eastern Conference.
Wallace became the first undrafted player to ever
start in an All-Star game.  He, along with
Chauncey Billups, captained the Pistons' 2004 NBA
Finals|NBA championship team.

He finished second in the league in rebounds and
blocks per game for the 2003-2004|04 season. His
career highs for one game are 28 rebounds and 10
blocks, although he has never scored more than 22
points in a regular-season game. (His playoff
career high is 29 points.)  He also was a starter
for the 2004 All-Star Game.

Wallace again returned to the All-Star Game in
2005, his third in succession. This time, he was
selected as a reserve, as the popular Shaquille
O'Neal, now in the Eastern Conference, finished
ahead of Wallace in the fan balloting. During the
2004-05 season, Wallace also became Detroit's
franchise leader in block (basketball)|blocked
shots. He now has recorded 1,116 blocks for the
Pistons. Wallace has also become the Pistons' all
time blocked shots leader in the playoffs.

Wallace again won the NBA Defensive Player of the
Year Award in 2004-05, joining Dikembe Mutombo as
the only players to have won the award three
times.

==Player Profile==
As of 2005, Wallace is considered the
quintessential defensive specialist. He features
an impressive physique - even measured against the
standards of his NBA peers - which allows him to
outmuscle most of his opposition. Wallace
constantly ranks among the best rebounders and
shot-blockers. His uncanny defensive timing allows
him to defend with great intensity without drawing
a personal foul|foul (lifetime average personal
fouls per game: 2,1
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/ben_wallace/). In
addition, he is seen also as one of the most
reliable contributors, rarely failing to deliver
in important games. All these features were
showcased especially in the 2004 NBA Finals, when
6'9", 240 lbs. Wallace contained 7'1", 325 lbs.
elite center Shaquille O'Neal.

His drawback is his offensive game. Although he
averaged almost 10 points per game in 2005, he is
not considered as allround as other defensive
stalwarts like Tim Duncan. As some big men like
Shaquille O'Neal or Wilt Chamberlain, Wallace is
also an atrocious free throw shooter. As of July
2005, his lifetime average is .420.


Year         Age Team G PPG FGP FTP 3PP RPG APG
1996-97  22  WAS  34 1.1 .348 .300 .000 1.7 0.1
1997-98  23  WAS  67 3.1 .518 .357 .000 4.8 0.3
1998-99  24  WAS  46 6.0 .578 .356 .000 8.3 0.4
1999-00  25  ORL  81 4.8 .503 .487 .000 8.0 0.8
2000-01  26  DET  80 6.4 .490 .336 .250 13.2 1.5
2001-02  27  DET  80 7.6 .531 .423 .000 13.0 1.4
2002-03  28  DET  73 6.9 .481 .450 .167 15.4 1.6
2003-04  29  DET  81 9.5 .421 .490 .125 12.4 1.7
2004-05  30  DET  74 9.7 .453 .428 .111 12.2 1.7
Totals                        
616 6.5 .479 .420 .133 10.6 1.2



==Accolades==
As of 2005, Wallace has won the NBA Defensive
Player of the Year Award three times, a feat only
equalled by Dikembe Mutombo.

He was the first undrafted player to start in the
NBA All-Star Game.

Wallace is also one of only five players in
history (along with Julius Erving, Sam Lacey,
Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson (basketball
player)|David Robinson) to have recorded 100
blocks and 100 steals in five consecutive seasons.

==Controversy==
On November 21, 2004, Wallace was suspended for
six games by Commissioner David Stern for his role
in The Malice at The Palace|a massive brawl at a
home game on November 19, 2004 that involved the
Pistons, the Indiana Pacers and Pistons
supporters.  Wallace's retaliation to a hard foul
by the Pacers' Ron Artest had helped trigger the
chaos which resulted in an early end to the game.

On December 3, 2004, Wallace's suspension ended
when the Pistons faced the San Antonio Spurs.

==Trivia==
ESPN announcers have said that Ben Wallace is able
to bench press 460 pounds (210 kg) and curl 200
pounds (90 kg) for several repetitions.  The
Detroit Free Press has also added that he has only
3.8 percent body fat.

Rasheed Wallace

Rasheed Abdul Wallace (born September 17, 1974 in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a professional
basketball player in the National Basketball
Association.  He currently plays Power forward
(basketball)|power forward for the Detroit
Pistons.

Originally selected out of the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill|University of North
Carolina by the Washington Wizards|Washington
Bullets (now the Wizards) in the 1995 NBA Draft,
Wallace was named to the All-Rookie second team
following his first season. Following the same
season he and Harvey Grant was traded to the
Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Rod
Strickland and Kevin Duckworth. He had a career
high 42 points against the Denver Nuggets in 2001
and was a key member of the Blazers team that made
it to the Western Conference Finals that same
year. Wallace had a career best 19.4 points per
game in 2002 for the Blazers.

In 2004 Rasheed Wallace helped power the Detroit
Pistons to the NBA title and obtained his first
championship ring, or "ship" as Rasheed would say.
In Detroit, Wallace has become known for selfless
team play and integrated with Ben Wallace to form
the core of the Pistons' smothering defensive
game. At 6'11" and 230 pounds (104 kg), Wallace
plays Power forward (basketball)|power forward or
center (basketball)|center defending on the
opposition and is capable of making almost any
play offensively, from a slam dunk to a long
3-point jump shot. He is an adequate free throw
shooter, an excellent passing big man, and a good
rebounder at both ends of the court.

== Controversy ==

Wallace is a controversial player. He regularly
led the NBA in technical fouls and earned himself
a bad reputation among fans by numerous missteps
during his Portland period, and even was booed
sometimes during home games. He seldom talked to
the media, and he became notorious for saying to
reporters, "It was a good game. Both teams played
hard."

On the other hand, many praise his unselfish play
and his obvious talent. In addition, he is a
well-known benefactor, often attending charity
events. Wallace participates in various community
activities. The Rasheed A. Wallace Foundation
http://www.rawallacefoundation.com was established
in 1997 to assist in the recreational and
educational development of youth in Philadelphia,
PA, Portland, OR, Durham, NC, and other selected
communities. Each program promotes social,
cultural & academic development for youth.

Wallace's teammates have nearly universally
praised his presence in the locker room, and his
image has been rehabilitated somewhat since coming
to Detroit. His technical fouls have continued,
but he has become much less likely than before to
receive 2 technicals in a single game, which
results in a player's ejection from that game. He
has become a generally worthwhile interview
subject. He has selflessly taken a back seat to
Pistons leaders Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups;
indeed, despite his undeniable star quality, he
has often seemed more comfortable in a supporting
role. This may go hand-in-hand with another
quality his critics have emphasized, Wallace's
inconsistency. He typically intersperses dominant
performances with indifferent ones. For a player
with such elite athletic gifts, he may not be
comfortable with the pressure of being a team's
primary star, expected to prove his status with
regularly exceptional offensive play. Some
journalists have speculated this explains the
contrast in his Portland and Detroit behavior.

==Background==

===Early Years===
Rasheed began his basketball career in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Simon
Gratz High School. Rasheed was named USA Today
High School Player of the Year after the 1992-93
season and was selected first team All America by
Basketball Times. Despite limited playing time of
just 19 minutes per game, Rasheed still managed to
average 16 points, 15 rebounds and 7 blocks during
his senior year. In addition to basketball,
Rasheed also ran track and high jumped.

===College===
University of North Carolina then-coach Dean Smith
lured Rasheed to Chapel Hill, North Carolina for
his college years. Smith was a revered mentor to
Wallace as he was to Wallace's eventual Detroit
coach Larry Brown; Rasheed has indicated that this
North Carolina bond with Brown helped Wallace
adjust quickly to the Piston system. During his
time at Carolina, Rasheed had tremendous success
in the national spotlight. Named a second-team
All-American by the AP his second year, Rasheed
ranks as the leading career field goal shooter in
Atlantic Coast Conference history with a .635
percentage.

Rasheed helped lead the Tar Heels to the NCAA
Final Four in 1995. Rasheed left North Carolina to
enter the 1995 NBA Draft after his sophomore
season. Wallace was selected in the 1st round, the
4th pick draft pick overall by the Washington
Bullets.

===NBA career===
As a rookie in Washington, Rasheed played in 65
games, 51 of which he started. While mostly
playing power forward, he also gained experience
in the center position although being physically
overmatched. Wallace was selected to the rookie
team for the All Star Weekend. Later that year, he
fractured his left thumb during a game against
Orlando and could not return until the following
year.

After the season, Rasheed was traded to the
Portland Trail Blazers, a move that proved
beneficial for both sides. He led the Blazers in
scoring 12 times, and also ranked third in the
league in field goal percentage. Unfortunately,
just as his season was gaining momentum, Rasheed
again broke his left thumb--ironically in a game
against the Bullets--and was forced to miss the
next month of the season, but he returned in time
for a strong performance in the first round
playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Despite the Blazers losing the series, Wallace's
play was a bright spot that gave Blazer fans
something to look forward to in 97-98.

Rasheed's next season was one of many highs. The
young superstar signed a long term contract to
stay with the Portland Trail Blazers. Rasheed was
showcased as the team's all-around player on a
club with many specialists. Rasheed began
extending himself into the community more than
ever, most notably with his Rasheed Wallace
Foundation, but his career suffered from numerous
missteps on and off the court.

Rasheed led the Trail Blazers to the Western
Conference Finals in 1999 and 2000, losing to the
San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers,
respectively. Both teams would go on to win the
NBA Finals. The 2000 series against the Lakers was
most noted for the Blazers blowing a 24 point lead
going into the fourth quarter. Wallace would never
again experience that level of success with
Portland.

After some mediocre years, Rasheed was traded to
the Detroit Pistons, established himself as a
regular starter and helped them win an unexpected
NBA title in 2004, beating the heavily favoured
Lakers 4 games to 1. He currently sports the #36
(rather than his usual #30) in the memory of his
late brother, and is seen as one of the premier
players at the power forward position. He became
especially popular with Detroit fans for his
boisterous on-court emotions and periods of hot
3-point shooting. Nearly every time he gets the
ball, the fans scream "Sheed!". After the
championship season, he paid for custom
"championship belts" to be made for each of his
teammates and presented them as gifts when the
next season's training started.

Throughout the 2004-05 season, Wallace often
carried the belt into his locker before games to
inspire the Pistons' title defense. In the 2005
playoffs, for the second consecutive year, the
following happened: the Pistons fell behind in a
best-of-7-games series with the Indiana Pacers;
after the loss, Rasheed guaranteed to the media
that the Pistons would win the next game; and the
Pistons proved Rasheed right, then went on to win
the series. The difference was that in 2004
Rasheed had had a poor shooting night and the
Pistons had won anyway; in 2005 Rasheed played a
brilliant all-around game to ensure the guarantee
would be fulfilled. He finished with 17 points
scored, 12 rebounds, 5 blocked shots and 2 steals.

After the second-round elimination of the Pacers,
Rasheed played his best series of the postseason
in the Eastern Conference finals against the
top-seeded Miami Heat. He shot a 50 percent field
goal percentage and averaged 14.5 points a game in
the series' seven games, and saved his
hottest-shooting night for the decisive Game 7.
Against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals,
Rasheed seemed to be poised to become the series
goat when, in overtime of the remarkably closely
fought Game 5, Wallace abandoned playing defense
on Robert Horry with nine seconds to play and the
Pistons leading 85-83 on their home court. This
was inexplicable because Horry, a widely feared
3-point specialist, was having one of the hottest
long-range shooting nights of his frequently
heroic career. Horry made the game-winning 3-point
shot with six seconds to go, the Spurs took a
3-games-to-2 lead, and many pundits assumed the
Finals were all but over, and that Rasheed's blown
defensive assignment would take on additional
infamy. The Pistons would have to win 2 straight
games in San Antonio to repeat as champions, and
only one team facing such a situation in NBA
Finals history had even won one game (the 1953-54
Syracuse Nationals).

For the Pistons to do so on the road after such a
shocking loss seemed daunting at best. But well
into the fourth quarter, Game 6 was as tense as
Game 5, except that the Pistons were more
consistently maintaining a narrow lead. Rasheed
had committed his fifth personal foul as the 4th
quarter began and left the game so that he would
have hope of playing the last few minutes; one
more foul would have ended his night. Then, after
re-entering the game with five minutes to play,
Rasheed scored 7 of the Pistons' last 13 points to
finish with 16. The Pistons had a one-point lead
before Rasheed started shooting but wound up
winning 95-86. Rasheed's final basket was a
rebound, too, as he tipped in Billups' missed
driving layup. Then, with the Pistons ahead 91-86
and 1:30 left to play, Rasheed made two brilliant
defensive plays that sealed the win. He stripped
the ball from the quicker Emanuel Ginóbili|Manu
Ginobili as the Argentine star dribbled under the
basket, then rebounded a missed Ginobili jump
shot. Rasheed had earned some measure of
redemption, helped his teammates hold San Antonio
scoreless over the last two-and-a-half minutes,
and forced a winner-take-all Game 7 two nights
later.

Luke Walton

Luke Theodore Walton (born March 28 1980 in San
Diego, California) is a professional basketball
player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National
Basketball Association. His position is small
forward.


Growing up as the son of former NBA great Bill
Walton, Luke was certainly no stranger to the
sport of basketball.  His three brothers: Adam,
Nathan (who also unsuccessfully ran for governor
during the 2003 California recall), and Chris also
play or have played basketball for their schools.
He has a tattoo on his arm representing himself
and his brothers playing ball.

After graduating from University of San Diego High
School in 1998, he enrolled at the University of
Arizona and majored in Family Studies.  There, he
played for the Wildcats under coach Lute Olson.
He was selected in the 2003 NBA Draft with the
third pick of the second round (32nd overall) by
the Lakers.  Standing in at 6'8" tall and 235 lbs,
Walton has been with the Lakers his entire NBA
career.

Walton's game is not flashy, and he does not make
the highlight reel often, but he is skilled in the
fundamentals of basketball: positioning, timing,
and teamwork. His passing skills brought him great
success in the triangle offense under Phil
Jackson. In fact, the main criticism against him
is that he passes too often, as was exemplified in
a game at the end of the 2004–05 season,
where the Lakers were down by a point with time
running out and he was in position to score.
Instead, he passed the ball to Kobe Bryant, who
was unable to get a shot off. As the buzzer
sounded, Kobe slammed the ball on the floor in
frustration (he later said he didn't blame Walton
for the pass). Walton suffered an injury in the
2004 preseason and was unable to find a place in
coach Rudy Tomjanovich's rotation, but returned to
a regular spot in the lineup after the coach's
resignation midway through the season.

Lenny Wilkens

Lenny Wilkens was born in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section, one of the toughest neighborhoods of the city. Although Wilkens' father died when Lenny was only five, his mother, a deeply religious woman, made sure that young Lenny resisted the temptations of the streets. He excelled in school while holding down a succession of after-school jobs as soon as he was old enough to work. A sympathetic priest encouraged the boy's athletic interests and helped him win a basketball scholarship to Providence College. In Wilkens' first year at providence, the freshman squad had a record 23-0 season. Wilkens was a first-team selection to two All-America teams, and in his senior year he was named the tourney's Most Valuable Player. He was named outstanding player in the New England area, and graduated in 1960 with a degree in economics.

Wilkens enjoyed a 15-year playing career in the NBA, playing for the St. Louis Hawks, the Seattle SuperSonics, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers. He ranks among the all-time leaders in assists, free throws and games played, and was named Most Valuable Player in the 1971 All-Star Games.

Wilkens has since served the Seattle SuperSonics as both Head Coach and General Manager, leading them to an NBA Championship in 1979. He coached the Cleveland Cavaliers for seven years, and was Head Coach of the Atlanta Hawks from 1993 to 2000. In three of those seasons, Wilkens led the Hawks to 50 victories, including two consecutive 50-win seasons. He has led his teams into the playoffs in 16 out of 20 seasons.

In 1995 Wilkens broke the NBA record for most regular-season victories by a coach, and has since become the first coach in NBA history to break the 1,000-victory threshold. After the 1997-98 season he was named to the NBA's list of the 50 Greatest Players -- and Top 10 Coaches -- in the league's history. He was the only person to make both lists. Including playoff and All-Star games, he has participated in more games as player and coach than anyone else in league history. A former vice president of the NBA Players Association, Lenny Wilkens has also served as president of the NBA Coaches Association. In January 2004, he returned to his native New York to coach the New York Knicks.

Allen İverson

Allen Ezail Iverson (born June 7, 1975 in Hampton, Virginia) is an American professional basketball player. He is an All-Star point guard/shooting guard for the National Basketball Association's Philadelphia 76ers franchise.

****

Life

While attending Bethel High School in Hampton, Iverson was a spectacular all-around athlete who was regarded as one of the top high school basketball players in the country.

As quarterback he lead his team to the Virginia State Championship.

He concentrated on basketball, enrolling at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he played for legendary college coach John Thompson.

NBA Career

Later known as "A.I." or "The Answer," Allen Iverson was originally selected with the first pick (1 overall) in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and has led the team in scoring ever since. As a rookie he quickly gained national popularity for a famous left-to-right crossover dribble which caused some defenders, most notably Michael Jordan (one of the premier players of all time) to stumble awkwardly. At just 6'0" and a skinny 165 pounds (1.83 m, 75 kg), Iverson employs his superior quickness, virtuoso ball handling ability, and massive heart to single-handedly carry his team on his back. He had his best season in 2001, leading the NBA in scoring, winning the Most Valuable Player Award, and reaching the NBA Finals. In these finals, the 76ers faced a powerful Los Angeles Lakers squad that featured Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers had reached the final series undefeated throughout the playoffs, and most of the basketball world expected the Lakers to easily handle the 76ers. But Allen Iverson carried his team to a shocking overtime victory in the series opener at in Los Angeles, and nearly upset the Lakers again in game two.

The NBA changed several rules during the off-season, and allowed zone defenses. These new rules have since limited Iverson's effectiveness somewhat, but he was still able to lead the NBA in steals and minutes played while maintaining his high scoring output. In fact, Iverson has led the NBA in scoring four times (1998-99, 2000-01, 2001-02, and 2004-05,) and, in the process, has tied George Gervin for the third-most scoring titles. He only trails Wilt "the stilt" Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.

On February 12, 2005, Iverson scored a career-high 60 points against the Orlando Magic.

He had lavishly praised then-76ers head coach Larry Brown, often saying that he would not have reached the heights that he has in the sport without Brown's guidance. He had a love-hate relationship with Brown, however. After the 76ers were defeated in the first round of the 2002 NBA playoffs, Brown criticized Iverson for missing team practices. Iverson later held a press conference in which he said: "We're talking about practice. We're not even talking about the game, the actual game, when it matters. We're talking about practice."

Iverson later reunited with Brown as a member and co-captain of the 2004 USA Olympics basketball team. However, the were only able to win the bronze medal. A gold medal had been expected. Iverson, along with teammate LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, were benched during a game, when they were late to a practice session. The United States team had a dismal start against Germany who had failed to qualify for the Olympic competition. However Iverson kept the game from going into overtime with a miraculous half-court shot in the closing seconds.

In 2003, Allen Iverson was ranked 53rd on SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA players of all time.

NBA All-Star selections:

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Total selections (6)

NBA Rookie Of The Month

Nov 1997

NBA Rookie Of The Year

1997

All-NBA First Team

1999

2001

2005

All-NBA Second Team

2000

2002

2003

NBA All-star Game MVP

2001

2005

NBA MVP

2001

Trivia

Served as a co-captain for Team USA at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, and led the team in scoring (13.8 ppg)

Feb. 19, 2004, vs. Seattle scored 40 points in a game for the 50th time

Named an Eastern Conference All-Star starter in 2005 for the 6th year in a row (2000-05)

10th fastest player to reach 14,000 points on Jan. 23, 2004

Averaged 14.3 points and 3.8 assists per game helping USA Basketball Men's Senior National team qualify for the 2004 Olympics

Named the 2000-01 NBA Most Valuable Player, leading the league in scoring (31.1 ppg) and steals (2.51 spg)

Most Valuable Player of the 2001 and 2005 All-Star Game

Three times selected All-NBA Second Team (2000, 2002, 2003)

Three times selected All-NBA First Team (1999, 2001, 2005)

Named the 1996-97 Schick NBA Rookie of the Year, becoming the first 76ers player to ever win the award

Set the Sixers all-time rookie record with 1,787 points

Scored 40 points in five straight games in April 1997 to set an NBA rookie record

Named MVP (most valuble prick) of the Schick Rookie Game during the 1997 NBA All-Star Weekend, posting 19 points and a game-high 9 assists

Named NBA Rookie of the Month for November, 1997, leading all rookies in scoring (21.8 ppg), assists (6.4 apg) and steals (2.67 spg)

His biggest bum boy is Daniel Austin

Daniel Austin loves him, and kisses his picture before he goes to bed. Ill breh

Controversy

Allen Iverson has been a controversial figure.

Dating back to his teenage years, Iverson has had trouble with the law. One highly publicized incident that jeopardized his college career involved his role in a fight between black and white patrons at a bowling alley. Iverson maintained his innocence, but was convicted. However, the Supreme Court overturned the conviction. Later incidents have even led some supporters to reconsider the rumors. For instance, it was alleged that Iverson had threatened his wife with a handgun, but he was later acquitted of the charges.

Iverson also attempted to release a rap album named "40 Bars" under the alias "Jewelz". The cover of the album featured Iverson holding a large pile of diamonds in his hands. However, Iverson eventually scrapped plans to release it.

His 30th birthday party went awry on June 7, 2005. He was initially denied entry to his own birthday party (which was held at the Garden of Eden Club in Los Angeles) by a bouncer who told him that he couldn't enter because one of President Bush's daughters and the Secret Service were inside the club. (To make the situation look even worse for Iverson, the bouncers had admitted troubled former child star Todd Bridges.) According to some people, Iverson reacted "true to his expletive-filled on-court persona," at one point shouting, "I didn't vote for her!" When he was Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher, Iverson laughed it out, then he successfully played the same prank, this time keeping Indiana Pacers' Jermaine O'Neal out from his birthday party. It was aired on MTV on July 3, 2005.

Opinions of Iverson's basketball ability

There are many different opinions on Allen Iverson the basketball player. While he scores lots of points, he also shoots a below average field goal percentage. As of now his career field goal percentage is .419. He improved his shot selection, and is a better, and more alert passer than he was earlier in his career. He is now one of the best mid-range jump shooters in the league, where he is oft to pull up 15 feet from the basket near the top of the key. When he drives to the basket, he is extremely good at laying the ball up high off the glass in order to avoid getting blocked. Also worth noting is that Iverson rarely lays the ball up using his left hand. He often resorts to spinning his entire body around to lay the ball up with his right hand on the left side of the basket. Despite this deficiency, defenders are unable to stop this move. Iverson is also very good at using his elbows to create space while turning the corner around a defender as he drives to the basket. Iverson has very long arms, so this creates a lot of space.

Public Image After '04 Olympics

The public image of Iverson drastically improved with his decision to play on the 2004 USA Olympic Team. Many All-Star and headline players who had originally agreed to play for the team backed out. This left the team with Iverson, the San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan, and LeBron James (who was still a rookie,) as the only true "name" players on the team. Iverson's show of national pride, sacrifice, and performance aided in his improved public image.

NBA Dress Code Controversy

On October 17, 2005, NBA commissioner David Stern instituted a mandatory dress code for all NBA players. Stern's edict stated that all players must dress in conservative attire while acting within the purview of their employment by an NBA franchise in public, or when acting as a representative of the league in public.

Stern banned what critics and supporters call "hip-hop culture"-related attire such as throwback jerseys, jeans, hats, t-shirts, large items of jewelry, and Timberland boots. Punishment for violations would include fines and possible suspensions for repeat violations.

Iverson, Tim Duncan, the Indiana Pacers' Stephen Jackson and the Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce countered that Stern's dress code would not change a person's character regardless of what type of clothing they wore, and that associating hip-hop styles of dress with violent crime, drugs, or a bad image is racist. Many players and pundits contend that David Stern is hypocritical considering that the NBA exploits the culture when it suits them. For instance, the advertising of many prominent NBA sponsors, such as Nike, Reebok, Puma and adidas were heavily influenced by hip-hop culture.

Charlie Villanueva

Charlie Villanueva is a first-generation American Latino, son of Dominican immigrants, born August 24, 1984 and raised in Elmhurst, Queens. Villanueva an NBA player now for the Milwaukee Bucks, was drafted at the age of 20, seventh overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. Charlie Villanueva, best known as “Charlie V.”, enjoyed a successful rookie season last year, averaging 13.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in 81 games, 36 as a starter. He ranked second among all rookies in points and rebounds, third in blocks and minutes, seventh in field goal percentage and eighth in steals. The 6’10” forward notched 12 double-doubles last season and set Toronto rookie single-game records for points (48) and rebounds (18). His rookie campaign was further highlighted by an appearance in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge at All-Star Weekend, NBA Rookie of the Month honors for the month of December 2005, and a spot on the All-NBA Rookie First Team.

He attended high school at Newtown in his hometown of Queens for his freshmen year, where he played with NBA player Smush Parker, before transferring to Blair Academy in Blairstown, NJ during his sophomore year, where he played with NBA player Luol Deng and earned All-American honors as a senior as well as New Jersey Player of the Year. He entered the NBA Draft in 2003, but decided to withdraw his eligibility to attend college at the University of Connecticut.

In his first year at UConn, Villanueva was named to the Big East All-Rookie Team and was a member of the 2004 NCAA Men's Basketball National Champions. In the Summer of 2004, Villanueva was a member of the gold medal-winning United States 21-and-under team at the World Championships. Villanueva attended the University of Connecticut for two seasons before becoming an early entry candidate for the 2005 NBA Draft. Villanueva made the announcement during a press conference at Gampel Pavilion where he was joined by UConn Hall of Fame Head Coach Jim Calhoun. He was the Huskies leading scorer in his sophomore season, averaging 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds receiving second-team All-Big East honors.

He played his best ball down the stretch in 2004-05, averaging 18.2 points and 9.7 rebounds over the final ten games of the season and averaging 19.0 points and 9.5 rebounds during the NCAA Tournament. Villanueva led the team with 12 double-doubles on the year. Villanueva is the eighth UConn player to declare early for the NBA Draft, joining Donyell Marshall (1994), Ray Allen (1996), Richard Hamilton (1999), Khalid El-Amin (2000), Caron Butler (2002), Ben Gordon (2004) and Emeka Okafor (2004).

Villanueva’s most notable highlight was recorded on the night of March 26, 2006, where he set a career high and Raptors rookie record for points in a game with 48 in a 116-125 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Charlie Villanueva's 48 points was the fourth highest performance ever by a rookie. He joins an elite class of athletes: Allen Iverson (50 pts - 1997), Michael Jordan (49 pts - 1985), and Kelly Tripucka (49pts - 1992). Villanueva was voted second in the running for the 2005-06 Rookie of the Year award, finishing 2nd to Chris Paul.

On June 30, 2006, Charlie Villanueva was traded by the Toronto Raptors to the Milwaukee Bucks for point guard T.J. Ford and cash considerations.

Villanueva suffers from an autoimmune skin condition called alopecia areata which affects over 5 million North Americans. Alopecia results in hair loss on his scalp and elsewhere on his body, but the disease is not otherwise life-threatening or harmful, nor contagious. Villanueva has become a spokesman for the NAAF (National Alopecia Areata Foundation) to help others growing up with the same condition. In March 2006, the NBA recognized his efforts by giving him the prestigious league's Community Assist Award for the month of February. He also received the Community MVP award by the Toronto Raptors in October 2005 and again in November 2005.

He wears number 31 in salute of his favorite player of all time Reggie Miller.

Highlights

· New Jersey State High School Player of the Year (March 2003)

· New Jersey High School All-State Selection (March 2003)

· McDonald’s High School All-American (March 2003)

· Big East Conference All-Rookie Team (March 2004)

· NCAA National Championship (April 2004)

· USA Junior World Basketball Team Gold Medalist (July 2004)

· Big East All-Conference Second Team (March 2005)

· NBA Draft Lottery Seventh Pick (June 2005)

· Toronto Raptors Community MVP Award (October 2005)

· Toronto Raptors Community MVP Award (November 2005)

· NBA Rookie of the Month (December 2005)

· NBA All-Star Rookie Challenge Selection (February 2006)

· NBA Cares Community Assist Award (February 2006)

· Toronto Raptors Rookie Record: Single-Game 48 Points (March 2006)

· Toronto Raptors Rookie Record: Single-Game 18 Rebounds (April 2006)

· NBA All-Rookie First Team Honors (May 2006)

· NBA Rookie of the Year Runner Up (May 2006)