Chris Mullin

Chris Mullin
Christopher Paul Mullin (born July 30, 1963) is a retired American basketball player and former general manager of the NBA's Golden State Warriors. He has also been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Mullin played shooting guard and small forward in the NBA from 1985 to 2001. After playing at St. John's University, during which he won Big East Men's Basketball Player of the Year three times and was a member of the 1984 amateur U.S. team, Mullin was chosen as the seventh pick by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 1985 NBA Draft.
He played with the Warriors from the 1985-86 until the 1996–97 seasons. Thereafter, Mullin played with the Indiana Pacers from 1997 until the 1999–2000 season. He retired after the 2000–01 season, playing for his original team, the Warriors.
He was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a young player in New York, Mullin studied the games of African Americans and Knicks stars Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe while admiring Larry Bird and wearing #17 in honor of John Havlicek.[1] As a youth, he regularly traveled to the Bronx and Harlem, predominately African American neighborhoods, to play against the best basketball players in New York City.[1] Mullin began his high school career at Power Memorial Academy, where he was a teammate of Mario Elie. He transferred as a junior to the Catholic Xaverian High School of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Signing to play for St. John's University in nearby Queens, Mullin in his freshman year averaged 16.6 points per game (also setting the school freshman record for points scored). In his subsequent three years for the Redmen, he would be named Big East Player of the Year three times, named to the All-America team three times, play for the gold medal-winning 1984 Olympic team, receive the 1985 Wooden Award, USBWA College Player of the Year and lead his team to the 1985 Final Four. Mullin finished his career as the Redmen's all-time leading scorer. He also holds the distinction of being one of only two players in history to win the Haggerty Award (given to the best college player in the New York City area) three times (1983–1985). Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson has credited Mullin with teaching him the importance of rigorous practice in the gym during their one year together at St. John's.

In Mullin's first three seasons with the Warriors, he was primarily a spot-up shooting guard playing in the backcourt alongside Eric "Sleepy" Floyd. In his second season, the Warriors advanced to the Western Conference semifinals under George Karl, where they lost to the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.
For five consecutive seasons, from 1988 until 1993, Mullin scored an average of 25 or more points and five rebounds. Additionally, the Warriors made five straight playoff appearances. Mullin, Richmond, and 1989 first-round draftee Tim Hardaway formed the trio "Run TMC" that were the focal stars of this playoff run. A 5-time All-Star, Mullin also won Olympic gold twice—as a member of the 1984 amateur team, and for the 1992 Dream Team.
In 1993-94, Mullin's and the Warriors' fortunes began to change. Nelson traded for Chris Webber on NBA Draft day and dealt Richmond to the Sacramento Kings for Billy Owens, hoping to make the Warriors stronger in the frontcourt. Mullin's body began breaking down, however, and he began to miss significant numbers of games. The Warriors had a successful first season with Webber, but he and Don Nelson began to bicker over his use as a player. This led Nelson to resign, and subsequent coaches saw Mullin as injury-prone and began to center the team around Latrell Sprewell. Mullin was traded after the 1996–97 season to the Indiana Pacers for second-year center Erick Dampier and NBA journeyman Duane Ferrell.
Mullin had a successful first season with the Pacers, coached by Larry Bird. He started all 82 games, averaged 11.3 points per game, and helped the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in seven tough games. Bird, however, began to phase Mullin out and give more time to Jalen Rose at small forward. Mullin did, however, appear in three games of the 2000 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. After that season, Mullin was waived by the Pacers. He then once again signed with Warriors for the 2000–01 season, his last season as a player.
Effort more than physicality marked Mullin's playing style. Somewhat lanky at 215 pounds and six-foot seven inches, Mullin managed to hold his own. He was a dead-eye outside shooter and could go to either his left or right and shoot with either hand, despite being naturally left-handed. This made him difficult for many NBA small forwards to guard. In fact, he was compared to NBA legend Larry Bird because both players lacked speed, had a great outside shot and had the innate ability to put their defender off guard.[2] He was on the All-NBA second team (1989 and 1991), third team (1990), and first team (1992). Mullin also appeared in the 1995 Billy Crystal movie Forget Paris.
After his playing days were over, Mullin was hired as a special assistant by the Warriors, and was named Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for the team on April 22, 2004. On May 11, 2009, the team announced that Mullin's expiring contract would not be renewed.[3] He was replaced by Larry Riley as the Warriors' General Manager.
He is currently an NBA analyst for ESPN.
On Feb. 28, 2011, Chris Mullin was elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Induction will take place at the Hall of Fame on Nov. 20, 2011 as part of a three-day celebration that includes the CBE Classic at Sprint Center. [4]
On April 4, 2011, Chris Mullin was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place on August 12, 2011.
The Warriors also announced that they will retire # 17 for Mullin.

John Stockton

John Stockton
John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is a retired American professional basketball player who spent his entire career as a point guard for the Utah Jazz of the NBA from 1984 to 2003. Stockton is regarded as one of the best point guards of all time, holding the NBA records for most career assists and steals by considerable margins. He was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Stockton was born in Spokane, Washington to Clementine Frei and Jack Stockton and had Irish and Swiss German ancestry. He attended grade school at St. Aloysius and moved on to high school at Gonzaga Prep, graduating in 1980. He then played college basketball for Gonzaga University in his hometown where he averaged 20.9 points per game while shooting 57% from the field in his senior year. His grandfather, Houston Stockton had also been a well known athlete at Gonzaga. John Stockton was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 16th overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft.
John Stockton averaged a career double-double, with 13.1 points and 10.5 assists per game. He holds the NBA's record for most career assists (15,806) by a margin of more than 4,000, as well as the record for most career steals (3,265). He had five of the top six assists seasons in NBA history (the other belonging to Isiah Thomas). He holds the NBA record for the most seasons, games, and consecutive games played with one team, and is third in total games played, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Parish. He missed only 22 games during his career, 18 of them in one season. He played in 38 games where he tallied 20 or more assists.
Stockton appeared in 10 All-Star games, and was named co-MVP of the game in 1993 with Jazz teammate Karl Malone, which was held in Salt Lake City, Utah. He played with the 1992 and 1996 US Olympic basketball teams, known as Dream Team I and III, the first Olympic squads to feature NBA players, keeping the game ball from both Gold Medal games. He was selected to the All-NBA First Team twice, the All-NBA Second Team six times, the All-NBA Third Team three times, and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team five times. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history in 1996. Stockton's career highlight came in Game 6 of the 1997 Western Conference Finals. Stockton scored the last 9 points for the Jazz, including a buzzer-beating 3-point shot over the Houston Rockets' Charles Barkley, to send the Jazz to the first of its two consecutive NBA Finals appearances. In both of these appearances, Stockton's Jazz teams were defeated by the Chicago Bulls. In Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, Stockton made a three-pointer with 41.9 seconds left to give the Jazz an 86-83 lead, but Bulls guard Michael Jordan made two field goals to put his team ahead 87-86, the second one after stealing from Jazz forward Karl Malone. Stockton missed a three-point attempt with 5.2 seconds left and said in a post-game interview that he felt confident that the shot would go in.

On May 2, 2003, Stockton announced his retirement with a released statement instead of the customary news conference. The Jazz later held a retirement ceremony for him, in which Salt Lake City renamed the street in front of the Energy Solutions Arena (then known as the Delta Center), where the Jazz play, John Stockton Drive.[6] His number-12 jersey was retired by the Jazz during a game on November 22, 2004. A statue of Stockton can be seen in front of the Energy Solutions Arena; an accompanying statue of Karl Malone was placed nearby on March 23, 2006. The Malone and Stockton statues stand on a bronze plaque commemorating their achievements together. Stockton was announced as a member of the 2009 class of inductees to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 6, 2009; he was formally inducted on September 11.
Along with Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins, Elgin Baylor, Reggie Miller, Pete Maravich, and his teammate Karl Malone, John Stockton is considered to be one of the best players never to have won an NBA championship.
Stockton, a 10-time NBA All-Star, commandingly holds the NBA record for career assists with 15,806 (10.5 per game). Stockton also holds the record for assists-per-game average over one season (14.5 in 1990), and is one of three players who have logged more than 1,000 assists in one season, joining Kevin Porter (1,099 in 1979) and Isiah Thomas (1,123 in 1985) in the exclusive list. Stockton did this seven times, with season totals of 1,164, 1,134, 1,128, 1,126, 1,118, 1,031 and 1,011 assists.[8]
He and Karl Malone are regarded by many as the quintessential pick and roll duo. Apart from his passing skill, Stockton was also a capable scorer (13.1 points per game career average and a .515 career shooting percentage) with a reliable three-point shot (.384 lifetime average). He is 30th on the all-time NBA scoring list with 19,711 career points.[9] Despite the fact that he never pulled down more than 9 rebounds (or recorded more than 9 steals) during a regular season game, he recorded one career triple double, in a playoff game against the Dallas Mavericks on April 28, 2001. He scored 12 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and had 10 assists.
On defense, Stockton holds the NBA record for career steals with 3,265, nearly 30 percent more than second placed Michael Jordan, who had 2,514.[10]
Stockton was known for his unassuming, no-nonsense approach to the game, hard-nosed defense, and fanatical work-ethic in preparation, which resulted in his extreme durability. He played 1,504 of 1,526 possible games in his 19-season career. In his first 13 seasons, he missed only four games (all in the 1989-1990 season) until he missed the first 18 games of the 1997-1998 season due to an injured MCL in his left knee sustained in the preseason. That was the only major injury in his career and he never missed another game after returning from that injury. In his last season at age 41, he started in all 82 games, and finished with more-than-respectable averages of 10.8 ppg and 7.7 apg.

Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant
Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 6'9" small forward/shooting guard who is also capable of playing power forward, Durant was the consensus 2007 National College Player of the Year and the 2006–2007 Big 12 Player of the Year, amongst other awards. After a standout freshman season at the University of Texas,[2] Durant opted to enter the NBA Draft,[2] where he was selected second overall by the Seattle SuperSonics. There he went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award after his debut season. In 2007, Durant signed an endorsement contract with Nike.[3] In the 2009–10 season Durant led the NBA in scoring and became the youngest player ever to win the NBA scoring title.[4] He would later be named to the 2010 All NBA First Team.
A 6'9" swingman with a 7'5" wingspan,[10] Durant was one of four freshman starters for the University of Texas basketball team. Durant started in all 35 games of the season, which culminated with a loss in the second round of the NCAA tournament to the University of Southern California. Texas finished third in the conference with a 12–4 record and was the runner-up in the 2007 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament.Although he had a slender frame, Durant frequently used it to his advantage by posting up bigger players, while shooting over smaller guards.Coming into the season, Durant was widely hailed by the media as the Big 12's top freshman and a top candidate to be named Freshman of the Year.[16] He averaged 25.8 points per game and 11.1 rebounds per game during his freshman season with the Texas Longhorns.

On October 31, 2007, Durant made his NBA debut with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals[26] in a loss to the Denver Nuggets.[27] On November 16, 2007 Durant made the first game-winning shot of his NBA career with a key 3-pointer to beat the Atlanta Hawks in double overtime.[28] Durant finished with 21 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. On November 30, 2007, Durant scored 35 points to beat the Indiana Pacers. Associated Press reported that Durant was awarded the NBA Rookie of the Year Award for the 2007–08 season.
Following the 2007–08 season, the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma as the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although Durant was not selected to play in the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix, he did take part in two events. On February 13, 2009, Durant led the Sophomore team to a 122–116 victory over the Rookie side at the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam. He was crowned the MVP for the game after he set the scoring record with 46 points, breaking the old mark set in 2004 when Suns F-C Amar'e Stoudemire had 36 for the sophomores. The next day, Durant came from behind to win the first ever H-O-R-S-E Competition in NBA All-Star weekend history, beating out Joe Johnson from the Atlanta Hawks and O. J. Mayo from the Memphis Grizzlies after getting four quick letters early in the game.
Durant won the 2010 H-O-R-S-E contest to win his second in a row. He also made his first All-Star Game appearance, and coached the rookies at the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam. He became the youngest in league history to win the scoring title at 21, averaging 30.1 points per game, beating out LeBron James. Durant also set the modern record for most games in a row with at least 25 points, breaking Allen Iverson's old record.
On April 18, 2010, Durant made his playoff debut with 24 points in a 79–87 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He scored 32 in a 95–92 loss in game 2, but responded with 29 points and 19 rebounds in a 101–96 win at Oklahoma City. He then went on to put up 22 points in the game four win against the defending champs. In game 5, Durant chipped in 17 points as his team lost, 111–87. Game 6 ended the season for the Thunder as Pau Gasol tipped the ball in for a buzzer-beating basket. The Los Angeles Lakers went on to round 2 of the playoffs as they won 95–94. Durant scored 26 points in his last game of the season.
On July 7, 2010, Durant announced on his Twitter page that he signed a 5-year contract extension with the Thunder.[40] The extension is worth about $86 million
Durant was finally able to represent the USA at 2010 FIBA World Championship and turned out to be the go-to-guy since other stars were unavailable for various reasons. Before the tournament, he downplayed this notion saying "he was another guy on the team."[45] Eventually, he led Team USA to its first FIBA World Championship since 1994 and was named MVP of the Tournament.[46] Along the way, Durant broke several Team USA scoring records including most points in a tournament (205) and most points in a single game (38). He averaged 22.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals in nine games.
He has expressed interest in playing for the 2012 Olympics.

Gary Payton

Gary Payton
Gary Dwayne Payton (born July 23, 1968) is a former American professional basketball point guard. He is best known for his 13-year tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics, and holds Seattle franchise records in points, assists, and steals. He has also played with the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, the last with whom he won an NBA Championship.

The only point guard ever to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, Payton is widely considered one of the greatest of all time at that position. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine times, an NBA record he shares with Michael Jordan, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant. Payton got his nickname "The Glove" when Payton's cousin called him during the 1993 Western Conference Finals series against Phoenix and told him, "you're holding Kevin Johnson like a baseball in a glove," and the nickname was born.

Considered the "NBA's reigning high scorer among point guards" in his prime, Payton is referred to as "probably as complete a guard as there ever was" by NBA Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich.
Payton was the second overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, and spent his first 12½ seasons with the Sonics. Entering the league to star-studded expectations, Payton struggled during his first two seasons in the league, averaging 8.2 points per game during that span. However, he soon proved himself to be one of the league's top point guards, while, during the 90s Payton, alongside Shawn Kemp formed the "Sonic Boom" – one of the most thrilling tandems of all time. He earned his first of 9 consecutive All-NBA team selections when he was chosen to the All-NBA Third team in 1994. Payton would go on to make the All-NBA First-Team in 1998 and 2000, All-NBA Second Team in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2002, and All-NBA Third Team in 1994 and 2001. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team a record nine consecutive seasons (1994–2002), and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1996, the first guard to have won the award in 8 years. He has been selected to the NBA All-Star Team nine times and was voted as a starter in 1997 and 1998. He was a member of the gold medal-winning 1996 and 2000 U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball Teams. In 1996, Payton and the SuperSonics, under coach George Karl, reached the NBA Finals after winning a franchise record 64 games and lost in six games to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. In the middle of the 2002–03 season at the trade deadline, Payton was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks in a five-player deal that sent Ray Allen to Seattle. Payton played the remaining 28 games with the Bucks. As an unrestricted free agent prior to the 2003–04 season, Payton, along with Karl Malone, signed with the Los Angeles Lakers to make a run at the NBA Championship. According to his agent, he turned down a $35 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers to sign with the Lakers for the mid-level exception. In reality, the Blazers had a huge payroll at the time and could not have offered more than the same mid-level exception. Despite injuries to Malone, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant during the regular season, the Lakers won 56 games and the Pacific Division. The Lakers then beat Houston, San Antonio, and Minnesota on the way to the Finals, where they lost to Detroit four games to one.

Prior to the 2004–05 season, the Lakers traded Payton and Rick Fox to the Boston Celtics for center Chris Mihm, small forward Jumaine Jones and point guard Chucky Atkins. While Payton expressed displeasure with the trade, he ultimately did report to Boston and began the 2004–05 season as the Celtics' starting point guard. On February 24, 2005 Payton was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that brought former Celtic Antoine Walker back to Boston. The Hawks then waived Payton immediately following the trade, and he returned a week later to Boston as a free agent. Payton started all 77 games he played for the Celtics and they won the Atlantic Division before losing in the first round to the Indiana Pacers.
Payton won his only championship as a member of Miami Heat.

On September 22, 2005, he signed a one-year $1.1 million contract with Miami, reuniting with Walker (who was acquired seven weeks earlier by the Heat), as well as former Lakers' teammate Shaquille O'Neal. Payton finally won his first NBA Championship in his sixteenth season in the league when, on June 20, 2006, the Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks in game six of the 2006 NBA Finals for a four to two series victory. Payton hit two crucial shots in that series: a game-winning shot in game three that ignited the Heat's comeback in the series (after being down 0–2) and, in game five, the Heat's final field goal in a one-point victory.

On September 6, 2006, the 38-year old Payton re-signed with the defending champion Miami Heat on a one-year, $1.2 million contract. During the subsequent 2006-07 NBA season, Payton continued to climb up several NBA all-time lists: he moved from 17th to 8th in all-time NBA games played, passed John Havlicek and Robert Parish to move into 7th in all-time minutes played, and passed Hal Greer and Larry Bird to become the 21st-highest scorer in NBA history.
Payton is well-known for his trash-talk. His trademark open-mouth, bobbing-head style on the court (combined with his 17 years in the league) led to Payton receiving the third-most technical fouls of all time (behind Jerry Sloan and Rasheed Wallace). This, along with other factors, earned Payton a reputation as a difficult, volatile, and somewhat egotistical presence in the locker room, which was further fueled by various fines and suspensions handed out to him by team management during Payton's last few years in Seattle.
Payton's all-time rankings for points (31st) and assists (8th) highlight the tremendous offensive contributions he made throughout his career, but he is most widely recognized for his defensive contributions. The Sporting News said in 2000 that Payton was "building a case as the best two-way point guard in history", and asked "If you weigh offense and defense equally, is Payton the best ever?"[12] When comparing Payton to the all-time greats, it has been said that "Payton arguably is the best defender of them all, and his offensive game is better than most."[5]

His defensive prowess was once described by Kevin Johnson:

"You think of guys with great hands, like Maurice Cheeks and Derek Harper. Gary is like that. But he's also a great individual defender and a great team defender. He has all three components covered. That's very rare."
During the 2008–09 season, Payton served as a studio analyst for NBA TV and as an occasional substitute analyst on The NBA on TNT. He was replaced with Kevin McHale for the 2009–10 season.

Željko Rebrača

Željko Rebrača

Željko Rebrača (Serbian: Жељко Ребрача; born April 9, 1972 in Prigrevica village near Apatin, Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player. Formerly in the NBA, he finished his career with the Spanish ACB League team Pamesa Valencia.
He began his professional career in 1991 with KK Partizan. With KK Partizan he won 2 national championships (1992 and 1995), 3 national cups (1992, 1994 and 1995) and the Euroleague (1992).

In 1995-99 he played in the Italian League for Benetton Treviso, where he won the Italian Championship in 1997 under coach Mike D'Antoni. He followed up that by winning the Saporta Cup in 1999 and the Italian Supercup in 1998, while playing under coach Željko Obradović.

He has played for the European basketball giant Panathinaikos during the 1999-00 and 2000-01 seasons, winning with them 2 Greek Championships and 1 Euroleague Championship at the Final Four in 2000, which was hosted in Thessaloniki. He was awarded with the Euroleague Final Four MVP.

The 7'0" center was a second round (54th overall) draft pick of the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1994 NBA Draft. The Sonics immediately traded his NBA rights to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who then traded his rights to the Toronto Raptors in 1999, who in turn traded his rights to the Detroit Pistons in 2001.

In the NBA, he has played for the Detroit Pistons (2001–04), the Atlanta Hawks (2004) and the Los Angeles Clippers (2004–06). His most productive season was his rookie year, in which he averaged 6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game as a member of the Detroit Pistons. His career NBA averages are 5.9 points per game and 3.2 rebounds per game in 15.3 minutes per game.

Rebrača has been plagued with heart problems. Those problems caused him to miss many games in his NBA career, including most of the first half of the 2005-06 NBA season. Rebrača holds NBA career highs of 24 points (scored on April 10, 2002) and 16 rebounds (set on January 29, 2005).

On April 6, 2007, after being on the injured list through the 2006-07 NBA season, Rebrača was waived by the Clippers,[1] and on June 19, 2007, he signed with Pamesa Valencia, in the Spanish basketball league ACB.[2] On December 17, 2007, Rebraca announced his retirement from the game of basketball.

He was a member of the Yugoslavian national team (for which he became one of the Serbian MVPs). He won the gold medal with his national team at both EuroBaskets 1995 and 1997. With Yugoslavia he also won the silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Basketball Tournament in Atlanta, in the U.S. He also won the gold medal at the 1998 FIBA World Championship.
Rebrača was one of the founding members of the Group Seven Children's Foundation.

Kenyon Martin

Kenyon Martin
Kenyon Lee Martin (born December 30, 1977) is an American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "K-Mart", he has most recently played power forward for the Denver Nuggets of the NBA. He was selected first overall in the 2000 NBA Draft. He is 6'9" and 240 lbs.
Martin played for the Cincinnati Bearcats under the direction of Bob Huggins. As a senior, he averaged 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. He was the consensus National Player of the Year, earning numerous awards from various organizations, but suffered a broken leg in the Conference USA Tournament, keeping him out of the NCAA Tournament that year. 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.
As a rookie for the New Jersey Nets, Martin brought his trademark intensity to the NBA. Moving from center to power forward, he averaged 12 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In his second season, Martin averaged 14.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game in helping the Nets rise from last place in the Atlantic Division to an Eastern Conference title and the best season to date in the Nets' NBA history. Along with Nets stars Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson, Martin led the Nets to the 2002 NBA Finals, where they were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers. In his third season Martin again helped his team into the NBA Finals, where the Nets lost in six games against the 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 traded to the Denver Nuggets for three future 1st round draft picks in a sign-and-trade deal.

Martin had a solid start to his Nuggets career before off-the-court issues and injuries began to snowball.

Martin played in 70 games during the 2004–05 season, averaging 15.5 points and 7.3 rebounds. However, a problem with his knee was detected shortly into the off-season, and on May 16, 2005, Kenyon underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee.

During the 2005–06 season, Martin missed 26 games due to knee tendinitis, but was able to return in time for the playoffs. However, during that playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Martin was suspended from the Denver Nuggets indefinitely for "conduct detrimental to the team."[5] During halftime of game two of the first round series, Martin got into an argument with head coach George Karl over his playing time, and proceeded ironically to refuse to play for the second half of the game. During the offseason, Karl and Martin apparently "patched things up."[6]

Believing injuries were behind him, Kenyon and the Nuggets were crushed to learn the swelling now occurring in his right knee would require another microfracture procedure. On November 15, 2006, after playing just two regular season games, Martin underwent his second knee operation in less than two years.
During the third-quarter of a 2006 game against the Chicago Bulls, a fan sitting two rows behind Martin yelled at him, "Suit up, you chump," referring to the fact Martin was in the midst of one of his increasingly frequent stints on the injured reserve and in street clothes behind the Nuggets bench. All accounts indicate that the fan did not use any profanities. At that point, Martin is said to have stood up, pointed at the heckler, and then motioned to one of his 'bodyguards' to go confront the heckling fan, ordering "shut him up". His friend then stood up and yelled at the heckler, "Shut your mouth before we take you outside and beat your ass!." He also apparently screamed at a Nuggets fan named Don Miller--who, along with his teenage son, happened to be sitting next to the heckler--calling him a "fat fucking white boy." Martin was subsequently fined $15,000 and cautioned to no longer bring his entourage to games.[8][9]

On February 11, 2006, after a Denver win over the Dallas Mavericks, a volatile Martin was involved in a heated and profanity-laced locker room exchange with a local sports radio personality.[10]

To symbolize a fresh and healthy restart to his career, Kenyon changed his uniform number from 6 to the number 4, which he wore in college, for the 2007–08 season.[11]

The 2008–09 season campaign witnessed a mentally refurbished Kenyon Martin continuing his infamous commitment on the defensive end, helping lead the Nuggets to a franchise record-tying 54-28 record. The Nuggets lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bo McCalebb

Bo McCalebb
Lester "Bo" McCalebb (Macedonian: Лестер "Бо" МекКејлеб (born May 4, 1985) is a Macedonian professional basketball player born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He is currently under contract with Montepaschi Siena and currently plays for Macedonia's national basketball team in Eurobasket 2011 where he is the team's key player.
Position Point guard , Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m),Weight 180 lb (82 kg)
McCalebb attended O. Perry Walker High School in New Orleans, Louisiana.[1] He played college basketball for the New Orleans Privateers for five years.
He has spent 2008–09 season in Turkey where he had a lot of success in Mersin BB, averaging 17.4 points and 4.6 assists per game. He was also the Turkish League leader in steals with 2.7 per game.

On October 16, 2009, McCalebb signed with the Euroleague club Partizan Belgrade a week after the team released former point guard Milt Palacio for failure to join the team on time. He had an amazing season in Partizan winning the Serbian national championship, Liga ABA (Adriatic League), the Serbian national cup and lead them to the Euroleague Final Four and earning an All-Euroleague Second Team selection.
In June 2010 he signed a three-year deal with Montepaschi Siena.

In his first season in Italy he had even more success, again leading his team to the Euroleague Final Four, and winning the Italian league, Italian Basketball Cup and Italian Basketball Supercup. Due to his consistently strong performances, McCalebb is widely regarded as one of the elite point guards in european basketball.
McCalebb decided to play for the Macedonian national basketball team and he received a Macedonian passport. He is one of the key players on the national team with his teammates Pero Antić and Todor Gecevski. The "Macedonian MVP", as the Macedonians call him, was the second leading scorer for the qualifying for the Euro Basket 2011, with a strong showing against Great Britain and NBA star Luol Deng.On September 1st, Macedonia beat Croatia with McCalebb scoring 19 points. He had another strong showing versus Greece in the third game in group play, scoring game-high 27 points and leading the team to a 72-58 win. McCaleeb scored 18 points against Finland in a 72-70 win. Then on September 8-th (Macedonia's independence day)he led the team with 27 points in their 65-63 win over Georgia and placed Macedonia in the quarter-finals.

David Robinson

David Robinson
David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965(1965-08-06)) is a retired American NBA basketball player, who played center for the San Antonio Spurs for his entire NBA career. Based on his prior service as an officer in the United States Navy, Robinson earned the nickname "The Admiral". He and teammate power forward Tim Duncan were nicknamed "The Twin Towers". Robinson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame along with Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Jerry Sloan, and C. Vivian Stringer[1] on September 11, 2009. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest centers in NBA history.
Robinson is widely considered to be the best basketball player in U.S. Naval Academy history.[3] He chose the jersey number 50 after his idol Ralph Sampson. By the time he took the court in his first basketball game for the Navy Midshipmen men's basketball team, he had grown to 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), and over the course of his college basketball career he grew to 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m).[4] In Robinson's final two years, he was a consensus All-America and won college basketball's two most prestigious player awards, the Naismith and Wooden Awards as a Naval Academy first classman (senior).After graduating from the Naval Academy, Robinson became a civil engineering officer at the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia. The Navy excused him from three years of the normal five years of his military commitment following graduation from the Naval Academy. Nonetheless, Robinson continued to serve in a reserve role with the Navy and was regularly featured in recruiting materials for the service. Despite the nickname "Admiral", Robinson's actual rank upon fulfilling his service commitment was Lieutenant, Junior Grade

Although there was speculation that Robinson might choose not to sign with the Spurs and to become a free agent once his Navy commitment ended,[7][8] Robinson decided in the end to come to San Antonio. Robinson joined the Spurs for the 1989–90 season, and led the Spurs to the greatest single season turnaround in NBA history at the time[9] (a record the Spurs themselves broke in 1997-98, after drafting Tim Duncan, which was then broken by the Boston Celtics in the 2007–08 NBA season). The Spurs went from 21–61[10] in the 1988–89 season to 56–26 in 1989–90, for a remarkable 35 game improvement. They advanced to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs where they lost in seven games to the eventual conference champion Portland Trail Blazers. Following the 1989–90 season, he was unanimously named the NBA rookie of the year, and subsequently Sega produced a game featuring him entitled David Robinson's Supreme Court.

The Spurs made the playoffs seven more seasons in a row, but never advanced further than the Western Conference finals. Robinson also made the 1992 US Olympic Dream Team that won the gold medal in Barcelona. During the 1993–94 season, he became locked in a duel for the NBA scoring title with Shaquille O'Neal, scoring 71 points (breaking George Gervin's single-game franchise record of 63 on the final day of the 1977-78 NBA season) against the Los Angeles Clippers to win it.[11]

Robinson went on to win the MVP trophy in 1995, and in 1996 he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.[12] Still, from 1991 to 1996, Robinson was thwarted in his quest to claim the one prize that had eluded him: an NBA title. During that span the Spurs were eliminated from the playoffs by the Warriors, Suns (twice), Jazz (twice), and Rockets. The loss against the Rockets was particularly painful for Robinson because it occurred in the Western Conference Finals with Robinson playing head-to-head against his chief rival, Hakeem Olajuwon. By his own admission, Robinson was outplayed by Olajuwon in the series, their only meetings in post-season play.

Early in the 1997 season, Robinson's dreams of becoming a champion seemed to vanish when he was seriously injured. Robinson hurt his back in the preseason. He did return to play, but six games later, suffered a broken foot in a home game against the Miami Heat, and ended up missing the rest of the regular season. As a result of the injury to Robinson and other key players, the Spurs finished the season with a dismal 20–62 record. However, his injury proved to be a blessing in disguise: due to their dismal record in 1997, the Spurs enjoyed the first pick in the next year's NBA draft, and with it they selected Tim Duncan out of Wake Forest University, who was, after a few years, the final key to Robinson's quest for an NBA title.
[edit] Champion
Robinson announced he would retire from basketball after the 2002–03 campaign.

On June 15, 2003, in the finale to Robinson's career, the Spurs sealed another NBA title with an 88–77 victory over the New Jersey Nets in game six of the 2003 NBA Finals. Turning back the clock, Robinson scored 13 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in his final game for the Spurs. He and the year's regular season and NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan shared Sports Illustrated magazine's 2003 Sportsmen of the Year award.

Robinson averaged 21.1 points per game, 10.7 rebounds per game, 3.0 blocks per game, and 2.5 assists per game over 987 games in his NBA career. Also, he is one of only a very small group of players to have scored over 20,000 career points in the NBA, as well as being one of only four players to have recorded a quadruple-double[9] (with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 blocks against the Detroit Pistons on February 17, 1994), and one of the only five players to record more than 70 points in a single game (with 71 points against the Los Angeles Clippers on April 24, 1994), only Elgin Baylor (71 points), Wilt Chamberlain (70, 72, 73×2, 78, 100 points), David Thompson (73 points), and Kobe Bryant (81 points) have scored more than 70 points

Juan Antonio San Epifanio Ruiz (Epi)

Juan Antonio San Epifanio Ruiz (Epi)
Juan Antonio San Epifanio Ruiz (Epi) (born 12 June 1959 in Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain) is a retired Spanish basketball player, considered one of the greatest small forwards ever to play in Europe. Named the European Player of the Year Mister Europa in 1984, he spent all his career in FC Barcelona.
The Aragonese holds the record among Spanish players with most national team caps (239 during a period longer than fifteen years). He is also the only Spanish player who took part in 4 Olympic Games (Moscow-80 to Barcelona-92). Silver Olympic medallist for Spain in LA-84, silver medal in European Champs in Nantes-83. In 1991, he got European bronze National Team. With F.C. Barcelona, he was a 3 times finalist in the European Champions Cup, twice Saporta Cup winner, once Korać Cup holder, 7 times national league champion and 10 cup winner. His 54 points scored in a game against Joventut Badalona in the early 80's counts among his most memorable performances and is the 2nd best scoring record ever in the Spanish League. Ranko Žeravica was the one who gave him the opportunity to play for Barcelona's first team in 1979. In 1973 he made his debut with CN Helios in the Spanish third division. He was named by L’Equipe as the Best European Player of the 80's.

At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona he was honoured to be the last to carry the olympic torch before handing it to the archer Antonio Rebollo who lit the fire in the cauldron with an arrow.

San Epifanio, known by everyone as Epi, grew up in Zaragoza and began to play in his native city, but the local club C.N. Helios Zaragoza rejected him. In 1974 FC Barcelona signed his older brother Herminio to a contract. Herminio insisted that Juan would join him at the club, and so the two moved to Barcelona.
At Barcelona, Juan quickly improved his skills and became a member of the Spanish junior national team.

In 1977 he joined the first team and quickly became the leading man in barcelona's successful team of the 80's, which finally broke the long lived dominance of Real Madrid after a prolonged period, together with players such as Ignacio Solozábal, Juan de la Cruz, Audie Norris and others.

In a total of 18 seasons at the club he won the Spanish league title 7 times (1981, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1994), the King's Cup 10 times (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1991, and 1994), the Saporta Cup twice (1985–1986), the Korać Cup once (1987) and the world championship for clubs once (1985). Although he reached the European Champions Cup Final 3 time (1984, 1990, 1991), he never lifted the most important trophy in European basketball.
In the same year he debuted with FC Barcelona, he also made his first appearance for the national team. He appeared in a total of 239 games, giving him the all-time lead in national appearances for Spain.

Tony Delk
Tony Lorenzo Delk (born January 28, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team.
Tony Delk was picked 16th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He was traded by the Hornets along with Muggsy Bogues to the Golden State Warriors for B. J. Armstrong on November 7, 1997, where he played for two seasons before signing with the Sacramento Kings on August 16, 1999. He appeared in 46 games in 1999-00, subsequently joining the Phoenix Suns on August 1, 2000.

In a January 2, 2001 overtime game against his former Kings team, he scored a career-high 53 points on 20-for-27 field goal shooting.[1] Delk was eventually dealt with Rodney Rogers to the Celtics, for Joe Johnson, Milt Palacio, and Randy Brown.

Prior to 2004-05, after a year with the Dallas Mavericks, Delk was again traded, this time to the Atlanta Hawks, along with Antoine Walker, in a deal for Jason Terry and Alan Henderson. Delk lasted one and a half seasons with the Hawks before being waived on February 25, 2006, signing with the Detroit Pistons on March 1, where he backed up point guard Chauncey Billups.

Delk finished his NBA career with averages of 9.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 1.9 APG as he, in August 2006, signed a contract with the Greek basketball team, Panathinaikos, in Athens. He won the Greek Cup, the Greek Championship and the European Championship with Panathinaikos, but was released in May 2007, citing compatibility issues. He announced his retirement from professional basketball in November 2007. In 2008, nonetheless, he played three games for the Gigantes of Carolina in the BSN, the professional basketball league of Puerto Rico. He retired, once again, and served as a technical assistant with the same team.
On April 16, 2009 it was announced that Delk would be returning to his alma mater along with his former college teammate Scott Padgett to serve on coach John Calipari's staff at the University of Kentucky. [4] In July 2011, the New Mexico State Aggies basketball team hired him as an assistant coach to Marvin Menzies

Andrei Kirilenko

Andrei Kirilenko
Andrei Gennadyevich Kirilenko (Russian: Андрей Геннадьевич Кириленко; born February 18, 1981) is a Russian-American professional basketball player who most recently played at the small forward position for the Utah Jazz in the National Basketball Association. He is 206 cm (6'9") tall and weighs 103 kg (227 lb).

At age fifteen, Kirilenko began playing professional basketball in his native Russia with the Russian Basketball Super League. The Utah Jazz drafted him in 1999, and he became the first Russian player selected in the first round of a draft and youngest European player drafted. After the draft, Kirilenko spent two years with PBC CSKA Moscow and played with the Russian national team in the 2000 Summer Olympics. In 2001, Kirilenko joined the Jazz. In the NBA, Kirilenko played in the 2004 All-Star Game, was an NBA All-Defensive Team pick for three seasons, and made the NBA All-Rookie Team after his first season. Kirilenko continues to compete internationally with the Russian national team. In 2011, Kirilenko became an American citizen.

He is sometimes nicknamed AK47 because his initials are AK and his jersey number is 47.

Kirilenko was born in the Soviet Russian city of Saint Petersburg, Russia.[1] When he was ten, he began playing organized basketball. In 1997, Kirilenko became the youngest player ever to compete in the Russian Superleague. After spending two seasons with Spartak Saint Petersburg, he joined CSKA Moscow in 1998. In his first season, he helped his new team win the Russian Superleague championship.[2] He was also selected to participate in the Russian All-Star game, helping the West beat the East 138–107 and winning the slam dunk contest.
Kirilenko was the youngest European player at the time to be drafted in the National Basketball Association, when the Utah Jazz selected him with the 24th pick. Kirilenko was also the first Russian picked in the first round of an NBA Draft.[1] However, he remained with CSKA Moscow for the next two seasons. In the 1999–2000 season, he helped his team win the inaugural championship of the Eastern European Basketball League and its second Russian Superleague championship in a row.

Andrei Kirilenko participated in the 2000 Summer Olympics as a member of the Russian national basketball team, which finished 8th in the tournament. On February 8, 2001, in his third season with CSKA Moscow, Kirilenko became the second player ever in the history of the Euroleague to record a triple-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 steals against Lietuvos Rytas. He showed off his all-around skills in the European Championships, finishing in top ten in 7 out of 8 statistical categories.

Kirilenko joined the Utah Jazz in 2001. He was named to the first team on the NBA All-Rookie team. He has since emerged as one of the top young players in the NBA, and one of the league's top weak-side defenders. He was selected to play as a reserve in the 2004 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles. In the 2003–04 NBA season, he ranked third in the league in blocked shots per game and fourth in the league in steals per game,[1] becoming just the second player in NBA history to rank in the top five in both categories (David Robinson ranked first in blocked shots per game and fifth in steals per game in the 1991–92 NBA season). During the NBA offseason, Kirilenko plays for the Russian national basketball team.

Kirilenko became the leader of the Jazz in 2003 after John Stockton retired and Karl Malone left Utah to join the Los Angeles Lakers.[2] He played and started in 78 of the Utah's 82 games and led them to a 42–40 record.
In the middle of the 2004–05 season against the Washington Wizards, Kirilenko sustained a broken right wrist, sidelining him for the remainder of the season. Despite only playing in 41 of the Jazz' 82 games, he amassed enough blocked shots during the season to qualify as the league leader in blocks per game, and was named to the second team on the NBA All-Defensive Team.[1]

In the 2005–06 season Kirilenko was again among the league's best shot blockers and defenders. He recorded a career high 10 blocks against Indiana on March 26 and finished first in the league with total blocks (220) and second in blocks per game with 3.2, just behind league leader Marcus Camby at 3.3. He was named to the first team on the NBA All-Defensive Team.

Kirilenko averaged 15.3 points, 8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 3.2 blocks and 4.3 assists per game in the 2005–2006 season.

Kirilenko and Hakeem Olajuwon are the only 2 NBA players who have finished a game with at least 6 steals, 6 blocks, 6 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists since 1985-96.[3]

The 2006–2007 season was a tremendous disappointment for Kirilenko. While playing in 70 games and not missing much playing time, he averaged career lows in points (8.3), rebounds (4.7), and field goal attempts (3.4). It has been said that much of this decline can be attributed to the main offensive emphasis on Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams, and Mehmet Okur, and that Kirilenko was uncomfortable losing his position as the main go-to guy on the team. His frustration eventually culminated in a widely-publicized breakdown near the end of the Jazz's first-round playoffs series against the Houston Rockets. Kirilenko bounced back to lead Russia to the championship in EuroBasket 2007, and was named MVP of the tournament. Following his performance in the 2007 European championship he asked to be released from his contract to return to Russia to play basketball.

Despite the trade rumors and controversy created by these statements, he rebounded in the 2007–08 NBA season and backed off on trade demands. His statistics for the 2007–08 NBA season were: 11.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.2 spg, and 1.5 bpg, all of which were improvements over his previous season's stats (with the exception of blocks and rebounds). He worked out personally with former Jazz shooting guard Jeff Hornacek on his shooting in the 2007 off-season, and his field goal percentage improved from 47% to 51%. Most impressively, his 3-point shooting improved from 21% to a career-high 38%.
Kirilenko has also played at 4 European Championships, the 2003 European Championship, the 2005 European Championship, and the 2007 European Championship, where he won the gold medal of the competition and was named the MVP of the tournament. With the win in the 2007 European Championship, Russia qualified to the 2008 Summer Olympics, where Kirilenko also played for Russia and he was also named Russia's Flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony of the games.