Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett was born in Greenville, South Carolina to Shirley Garnett and O'Lewis McCullough, and was the second of his mother's three children.[2] After divorcing McCullough, Shirley Garnett raised Kevin and his two siblings. She then re-married and moved the family to Mauldin, South Carolina when Kevin Garnett was twelve.[2]

Garnett fell in love with the sport of basketball while attending Hillcrest Middle School, although he did not play organized ball until high school. In his first three high school years, Garnett played for Mauldin High School. However, during the summer prior to his senior year of high school, Kevin was in the general vicinity of a fight between black and white students. Although not directly involved, Garnett was arrested. Due to the racially charged incident and fearful of being a target, Garnett decided to leave Mauldin.[3] He transferred to Farragut Career Academy in Chicago, Illinois for his senior year of high school. He led Farragut to a 28–2 record and was named National High School Player of the Year by USA Today. He was named Mr. Basketball for the State of Illinois after averaging 25.2 points, 17.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 6.5 blocks while shooting 66.8% from the field. In four years of high school, Garnett posted an impressive 2,553 points, 1,809 rebounds and 737 blocked shots. He was named the Most Outstanding Player at the McDonald's All-American Game after registering 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocked shots, and then declared himself eligible for the 1995 NBA Draft.[4] Garnett played alongside Ronnie Fields in high school, who also followed a professional career. Garnett also excelled in soccer during his high school days.

[edit] NBA career
[edit] Early years (1995–1997)
Garnett was drafted with the fifth pick of the 1995 NBA Draft by the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves, and became the first player to be drafted directly out of high school since 1975.[5] After joining the NBA for the 1989–90 season, the Timberwolves had not won more than 29 games in any season.[6] In Garnett's rookie season, the Timberwolves were in the midst of a transition phase; they replaced Bill Blair with Flip Saunders as head coach early in the season and made several trades. Garnett initially came off the bench in his rookie year, but moved into the starting lineup soon after Saunders became head coach. In his rookie year, Garnett and fellow newcomer Tom Gugliotta carried the scoring load. Garnett did not immediately leap to stardom as later prep-to-pro prospects such as Amar'e Stoudemire, LeBron James and Dwight Howard would, but he did have a very respectable rookie year. He averaged 10.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game and was voted into the All-Rookie Second Team.[1] Despite having some promising players, the Timberwolves suffered through their seventh consecutive sub-30 win season and failed to make the playoffs. At the time Garnett was the youngest NBA player in history at 19 years and 11 months of age.[4]

Prior to the 1996–97 season, the Timberwolves made a draft-day trade for point guard Stephon Marbury of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. During the season Garnett posted improving averages of 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.7 steals.[1] He also had two games where he registered eight blocks.[4] With a 40–42 record, the Timberwolves made their first playoff appearance in franchise history, Garnett and Gugliotta made their first All-Star appearances, and Marbury established himself as a valuable young lead guard. However, the Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and Charles Barkley proved to be too much as the Timberwolves were swept 3–0 in the first round of the 1997 NBA Playoffs.

[edit] Franchise player (1997–2001)
During the 1997-98 NBA season, the Timberwolves and Garnett agreed on a six-year contract extension that was worth an unparalleled $126 million.[4] The contract was a risky move and many pundits[who?] speculated that the deal would make it impossible for the Wolves to sign new players or even keep their own. Despite the furor over his new contract, Garnett continued to improve, averaging 18.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.7 steals per game. Again, he was an All-Star, and the Timberwolves finished with their first winning record in franchise history (45–37 for the season). For the second consecutive year the young Timberwolves bowed out of the playoffs in the first round, this time losing 2–3 against the Seattle SuperSonics and superstar point guard Gary Payton. The two wins against the Sonics marked the Wolves' first-ever playoff game wins. The off-season started poorly for the Timberwolves though as 20-point per game scorer Tom Gugliotta left for the Phoenix Suns.


Garnett as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.In the lockout-shortened season that followed, Garnett broke through as a superstar. Putting up stats of 20.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 blocks per game,[1] he was named to the All-NBA Third Team. However, midway through the season Stephon Marbury was traded to the New Jersey Nets. Although the Wolves received two-time All-Star Terrell Brandon in return, they were not able to overcome the discord and limped into the playoffs as the 8th seed with a 25–25 record. The Wolves were defeated in the first round again, this time losing 1–3 to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs who were led by young superstar and eventual NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan. In the next season, Garnett continued his notable play, averaging 22.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.5 steals per game and made the first of his four All-NBA First Team appearances.[1] Assisted by sharpshooting rookie forward Wally Szczerbiak and steady veteran Brandon, the Wolves posted a franchise-best 50–32 record, but succumbed in the first round to the Portland Trail Blazers 3–1.

In the 1999-2000 NBA season, Timberwolves' guard Malik Sealy was killed by a drunk driver and the NBA ruled that the free agent signing of Joe Smith was illegal. The NBA punished the team for the illegal signing by stripping the team of three first-round draft picks, fining Glen Taylor (the owner of the team) $3.5 million, and banning general manager Kevin McHale for one year. Garnett led the Wolves to a 47–35 record and made the All-NBA Second Team, but again, the Wolves did not survive the first round of the playoffs, losing to the Spurs 3–1.


In the 2001–02 season, Garnett posted another notable season, his averages of 21.2 points, 12.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game enough for another All-NBA Second Team nomination. However, the Timberwolves bowed out in the first round for the sixth consecutive time, this time getting swept 3–0 by the Dallas Mavericks led by Michael Finley, Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki. Garnett's next season was one of the best of his career, his 23.0 ppg / 13.0 rpg / 6.0 apg / 1.6 bpg / 1.4 spg season earning him his second All-NBA First Team nomination and second place in the MVP voting.[4] The Timberwolves posted a good 51–31 record, but for the seventh consecutive time, they did not make it out of the first round, this time losing to the Los Angeles Lakers, 4 games to 2.

In the 2003–04 season, things finally seemed to come together for Garnett. In past years, the Wolves had practically been a one-man show, but now, the Timberwolves had made two valuable acquisitions: highly talented but volatile swingman Latrell Sprewell and the seasoned two-time NBA champion Sam Cassell, who supplanted Troy Hudson at point guard. In addition, defensive center Ervin Johnson complemented the inconsistent Michael Olowokandi. Powered by the best supporting cast in his career, Garnett averaged 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.5 steals per game for the season. Having recorded career highs in points, rebounds, blocks and leading the league rebounds, Garnett was named the league Most Valuable Player for the first time in his career.[1] With a franchise-record 58 wins, the Wolves stormed into the playoffs, and finally vanquished their playoff bane by defeating the Denver Nuggets 4–1 in the first round. After disposing of the strong Sacramento Kings 4–3 in the Western Conference Semifinals, Garnett and the Timberwolves met the Lakers. Against the Lakers, playmaker Cassell went down with a back injury. With reserve point guard Hudson also injured, the Timberwolves alternated between third playmaker Darrick Martin and shooting guard Fred Hoiberg at the "one", or even running Garnett himself as point forward or a real point guard. The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a 4–2 series win.

[edit] Frustration (2004–2007)
In the 2004–05 season, Garnett was named to the All-NBA Second Team,[1] but with a mediocre 44–38 record, the Timberwolves failed to make the playoffs after eight consecutive years. The 2005–06 season brought more frustration for Garnett. With Sprewell and Cassell refusing to stay and stuck with a mediocre squad, the Timberwolves skidded to a 33–49 record. Despite Garnett's play, the team logged the second worst record since Garnett joined the franchise. On 10 May 2007 Garnett was named to the All-NBA Third Team.

During the 2007 off-season, Taylor admitted that although he had planned on retaining Garnett, he would finally listen to trade offers.[7] Garnett's name was mentioned in various trade rumors involving the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and Dallas Mavericks

On July 31, 2007, Kevin Garnett was traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, cash considerations, Boston's 2009 first-round draft pick (top 3 protected) and the 2009 first-round pick Minnesota had traded to Boston in the Ricky Davis-Wally Szczerbiak trade of 2006.[13] The 7-for-1 deal constitutes the largest number of players traded for a single player in league history.[14] At the time of the trade, Garnett had the longest current tenure of any player in the NBA with one team, having played for the Timberwolves for his first 12 seasons (a total of 927 games). Garnett said that he was proud to be a part of the Celtics, and hoped to continue its proud tradition and basketball success.[15][16][17] On the day the trade was announced, Garnett signed a three-year $60 million contract extension that would start after his prior deal ran out in 2009. On August 1, 2007 the day after signing his Celtics contract, Garnett threw the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park prior to a Red Sox-Orioles game. Garnett has claimed to be a long-time Red Sox fan.[18]


Garnett dunking a ball in a game against the Washington WizardsThe trade for Garnett had many experts speculating that the Celtics would have a resurgence during the 2007–08 season.[19] The combination of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Garnett were almost automatically nicknamed "The Big Three" by the media, after the Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish trio.[20] Garnett wore jersey number 5 for the Celtics since his number with the Timberwolves, number 21, was retired by the Celtics, previously worn by Bill Sharman. He made his Boston debut with a strong performance against the Washington Wizards, with 22 points and 20 rebounds.[21] He also led all players in voting for the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. Garnett received 2,399,148 votes, the sixth highest total in NBA All-Star balloting history. Among active players, Garnett's 11 All-Star selections rank second to Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal, who has appeared 14 times in the All-Star Game.[22] However, Garnett was unable to play due to an abdominal strain, and Detroit Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace was named by NBA Commissioner David Stern to replace him.[23][24] East All-Star head coach Doc Rivers replaced Garnett with Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh in the starting lineup.[25] Garnett passed 20,000 points for his career, becoming the 32nd player in NBA history to reach the mark,[26] with a layup in the 2nd quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 8, 2008.[27] The only other active players who have passed that mark are Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant.[28] On April 22, 2008, Garnett was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2007–08 season.[29][30] It was the only major award a Celtic player had not claimed since the franchise's foundation in 1946.[31] However, Garnett claimed it was a team effort which helped him win the award.[32] Garnett helped the Celtics to their 17th NBA Championship, with 26 points and 14 rebounds in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. During that championship season, Garnett and Celtics legend Bill Russell had heart to heart conversations together which were captured on television.[33] On June 18, 2008, Garnett and Ray Allen appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, soon after winning the championship.[34]

In the 2008–09 season, Garnett started all of the 57 games he was able to suit up for. He averaged 15.8 points 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. On October 31, 2008, Garnett became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 career games, at 32 years and 165 days.[35][36] Garnett earned his twelfth consecutive All-Star Game start on February 15, 2009. Following the All-Star Game, during a game against the Utah Jazz, Garnett strained his right knee late in the second quarter. The injury occurred on February 19, 2009, while attempting to go up for an alley-oop.[37] He was forced to miss the next 14 games. Upon his return from the injury, he averaged 9 points and 4.5 rebounds in four games before being shut down for the season permanently, missing the final 25 games of the regular season including the 2009 NBA playoffs due to a right knee sprain.[38] The Celtics would advance to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals that year, only to be eliminated by the Orlando Magic.[

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Garnett

Brandon Roy

Roy was born in Seattle, Washington on July 23, 1984. He first started taking basketball seriously while playing for the Amateur Athletic Union, one of the largest sports organizations in the United States.[9] He attended Garfield High School in Seattle. Roy was considered one of the state's best high school players.[10] He was an early-entry candidate for the 2002 NBA Draft straight out of high school, but he withdrew his name after consideration.[11][12]

Roy attended Nate McMillan's basketball camp in the 1990s when the current Blazer coach was still playing for the Seattle Supersonics.

[edit] College career
Roy faced challenges before entering college. His parents and his older brother had not attended college, and due to a learning disability Roy had difficulty with the Scholastic Aptitude Test; his reading comprehension was slow, which increased the time he needed for tests. He had taken the test four times (with tutors) before finally meeting the National Collegiate Athletic Association requirements.[9] Unsure whether he would be able to attend a four-year college course, Roy worked on the Seattle docks, cleaning shipping containers for $11/hour.[9]

In 2002, Roy started to play for the University of Washington (UW). He remained there for four years under head coach Lorenzo Romar. He majored in American Ethnic Studies.[13] After his junior year, Roy considered entering the draft, but changed his mind when he learned that teammate Nate Robinson and high school senior and UW signee Martell Webster intended to enter the draft. He saw an opportunity to rise in the ranks on his college team, and improve his draft position.[9]

During his senior year Roy averaged 20.2 points per game while leading the Huskies to a 26–7 season and a second straight Sweet Sixteen appearance.[14] Roy was named Pac-10 player of the year and received All-American honors at the end of the season, while also being a finalist for the Wooden, Naismith, Oscar Robertson, and Adolph Rupp awards.[13] Roy had a 2006 pre-draft workout with the Trail Blazers prior to being selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves as the sixth overall pick. However, he was immediately traded to the Trail Blazers for the draft rights of Randy Foye.[4][15] On January 22, 2009, before a University of Washington Husky home game versus the University of Southern Cal Trojans, his number 3 uniform was retired.
Roy's NBA debut was in his hometown against the Seattle SuperSonics.[17] He scored 20 points in that game, and 19 in the following game.[18] An impingement in his left heel kept him out of 20 games early in the season, but he scored his first career double-double shortly after his return, on December 22, 2006, against the Toronto Raptors.[18] At the end of January 2007, Roy led all NBA rookies with 14.5 points per game. He became the fourth Trail Blazer to be selected for the rookie squad of the NBA All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge since its inception in 1994. He was the first Trail Blazer to participate in the All-Star Weekend since Rasheed Wallace's selection as an all star reserve in 2001.[19]

Roy's uniform number is 7. He was the Western Conference's Rookie of the Month in January, February, and March 2007.[18] After averaging 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game during the 2006–07 NBA season, Roy was named NBA Rookie of the Year. He received 127 out of 128 first-place votes.[18] Due to injury, he played in only 57 games in that season, the second-fewest games for a Rookie of the Year.[18] He was the third Trail Blazer to win the award, the others being Geoff Petrie and Sidney Wicks.

Roy started in the first 48 games of the 2007–08 season, averaging 19.1 points, 5.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds. He also led the Blazers to a 13-game winning streak in the month of December. Roy was selected as a reserve for the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. He scored 18 points in that game, and also had 9 rebounds. He injured his right ankle in the final game before the All-Star Weekend. Although he earned accolades for his play over the weekend, the injury impacted his play in the following weeks.[20] He played in the Rookie Challenge for the second time, this time as a "sophomore"; teammate LaMarcus Aldridge was also on the sophomore squad.[21] Roy played about 29 minutes in the All-Star game, the most of any Western Conference player. He also tied Chris Paul and Amar'e Stoudemire for the most points with 18.[22]

[edit] 2008–09 season
In the 2008 preseason, Roy underwent a 20-minute medical procedure in Vancouver, Washington, during which team physician Don Roberts removed a piece of cartilage that was causing irritation in Roy's left knee. Roy missed several weeks of action because of the rehabilitation, but was ready on the opening day of the season against the Los Angeles Lakers.[23] On November 6, against the Houston Rockets, Roy hit a game-winning 30-foot jumper at the buzzer in overtime with eight-tenths of a second left.[24] On December 18, Roy scored a career-high 52 points against the Phoenix Suns. He made 14 of 27 shots from the field, 19 of 21 from the free-throw line, and 5 of 7 from the three-point line. He also added six assists, five rebounds and a blocked shot, all without a turnover.[25] On January 24, Roy tied a Blazers franchise record with 10 steals against the Washington Wizards.[26] On February 8 with the Blazers trailing by 1 against the Knicks, Roy made a layup at the buzzer to win it 109–108.[27]. As of February 16, 2009, Roy has had 24 shots which tied or won the games with 35 seconds or less. Roy was again selected as a reserve in the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, where he scored 14 points in 7-for-8 shooting, grabbed 5 boards, and dished out 5 assists in a game-high 31 minutes of action. On April 13, Roy was named Western Conference Player of the Week, the fourth time he has won the award. Roy and Clyde Drexler are the only Portland Trail Blazers to win the award four times.[28] Roy finished 9th in MVP voting for the 2008–09 season, garnering one 4th place vote and four 5th place votes for a total of 7 points.[29] Roy was named to the All-NBA Second Team on May 13, and was the first Blazer to make an All-NBA team since the 1991–92 season


On August 5, 2009, it was confirmed that Roy had agreed to a four-year maximum-salary contract with a fifth-year player option, keeping him a Trail Blazer until at least the 2013–14 season.[31]

Roy was selected to compete in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, marking his third selection as an NBA All-Star. However, Roy was sidelined because of a right hamstring injury he sustained on January 13 against the Milwaukee Bucks, and re-aggravated on January 20 against the Philadelphia 76ers.[7]

On April 11, 2010, Roy injured his right knee. Magnetic resonance imaging that night confirmed a right knee bone contusion (bone bruise) and on April 12, further examination of the MRI showed a slight meniscus tear. Roy underwent surgery on April 16 and was expected to miss at least the first round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs, but returned for Game 4 after eight days of recovery time to lead the Blazers to a win.[32][33]

Roy was named to the All-NBA Third Team on May 6, and this was his second season in a row to be named to an All-NBA Team.[34]

[edit] Personal life
Roy's longtime girlfriend Tiana Bardwell delivered their first child, Brandon Jr., whom they nicknamed BJ, on March 27, 2007 in Seattle.[35]

About two months later, Roy took Bardwell out to look at rings "just to get an idea of what she'd like". On June 16, 2007, while both were at Roy's home in Renton, Washington, he sent Bardwell a text message instructing her to look in a drawer in his closet, telling her that she could have whatever she found. Bardwell discovered a ring that she had mentioned she liked, at which point Roy entered the room with their son and said, "BJ wants to know if you will marry his daddy". Bardwell immediately accepted. Roy said the entire proposal was "free-styled".[36] They married in August 2009.[36]

Roy and Bardwell had their second child, Mariah Leilani, in January 2009.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_roy

Deron Williams

In elementary school and middle school, Williams won two state wrestling championships. In 1993, as an eight-year-old, he won the 67 lb. weight class Texas State championship. Four years later in 1997, he won the twelve-year-old 116 lb. weight class championship.[2][3] Williams attended The Colony High School in The Colony, Texas and averaged 17 points, 9.4 assists, and 2 steals per game as a junior in 2001. That year he led his team, the Cougars, to a 32–2 record and the Class 5A state semifinals against Bryan High. In 2002, as a senior, he averaged 17.6 points, 8.5 assists, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.6 steals per game. His team, the Cougars, went 29–2 that season, losing the 5A Texas State semifinals.[4] Williams was a teammate of Bracey Wright who went on to play for Big Ten rival Indiana University.[5]

[edit] College
Williams was recruited to play college basketball at the University of Illinois by then-head coach Bill Self for the 2002–03 NCAA season. In his freshman year, he started 30 of 32 games and ranked third in the Big Ten Conference in assists with 4.53 per game. As a sophomore, Williams improved his scoring average from 6.3 to 14.0 points per game and improved his assists per game to 6.17. Williams was a First-Team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and media.

In 2005, as a junior starting point guard, Williams led the Fighting Illini to the NCAA championship game where they lost to the University of North Carolina. That season saw the Illini go undefeated until the final game of the regular season, where they lost to Ohio State by one point. Illinois's road to the Final Four was marked by a staggering comeback win over the Arizona Wildcats, where the Illini, led by Williams, came back from fifteen points down in the final minutes to win the game. Deron made the game tying three-point shot with just 38.5 seconds left in regulation. He then hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime, and the Illini never looked back in that game.

Williams received many awards after the 2004–05 season. These honors include being named a consensus Second Team All American, as well as being named First Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Tournament Team, and All-Final Four team. Williams was also a finalist for the Wooden Award and was named Most Outstanding Player of the Chicago Regional in the NCAA Tournament. Williams was named First-Team All-Big Ten as a sophomore in 2004 and as a junior in 2005, the year in which Williams, called by coach Bruce Weber "the MVP of the team", led the Illini to the Final Four. The team included four other former and current NBA players, including Dee Brown formerly of the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz, Roger Powell formerly of the Utah Jazz, James Augustine formerly of the Orlando Magic, and Luther Head of the Indiana Pacers.

Williams declared for the NBA Draft after the 2005 season, forgoing his final year of collegiate eligibility.

[edit] NBA career
[edit] Rookie season
Following the season, Williams declared for the 2005 NBA Draft. The Utah Jazz selected Williams with the third overall selection, after Andrew Bogut and Marvin Williams. He started the season coming off the bench, eventually moved into the role of starting point guard, and was later sent back to the bench. Williams finished his rookie season averaging 10.8 points and 4.5 assists per game, in 80 games played. Williams was rewarded by being named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team,[6] as well as being the only other rookie besides Chris Paul to receive a first-place vote in the 2005–06 NBA Rookie of the Year voting (Williams received one first-place vote, from Jazz color commentator Ron Boone). Williams and Chris Paul have shared a friendly[7] rivalry[8] that began after the 2005 NBA Draft, where Williams and Paul were the third and fourth selections overall. Whether Williams or Paul is the superior point guard is the subject of frequent debate[7][9][10][11] among sports writers and fans.

[edit] 2006–07 season
Williams began the 2006–07 season as the starting point guard for the Jazz. The Jazz started the season with a 12–1 record. This record was the best in team history and in the league. During these first 13 games of the season Williams played remarkably well, delivering five double-doubles. Two of these double-doubles were back-to-back performances of 26/14 and 27/15 (points/assists). Both of these assists totals bested his previous career high. In the second of those two games, he also had a career high in steals, with five. On January 17, 2007, in a game against the Detroit Pistons, he recorded a career high 31 points. A few days later, on January 24, he recorded a career high 21 assists in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies. In his second season, his numbers improved in almost all categories, increasing to 16.2 points and 9.3 assists per game (second only to Steve Nash in the NBA).[12] The Jazz improved to post a 51–31 record, winning the Northwest Division title.

[edit] 2007 Playoffs
The playoffs ended a three-year playoff drought for the Jazz, and in the first round, they faced the Houston Rockets. Williams scored in double figures in each of the seven games in the series, including a 14 assist, 20 point double-double on May 5 to close out the series. The Jazz won the series 4–3, beating the Rockets in Houston to complete the series. It was their first playoff series victory since 2000.[13]

In the second round, Williams and the Jazz faced the Golden State Warriors, the eighth-seeded team that had upset the top seeded Dallas Mavericks 4–2 in the first round. Williams started off the series strong, posting double-doubles in two of the first four games as the Jazz jumped out to a 3–1 series lead. In the fifth game, Williams was plagued by foul problems and struggled from the floor, hitting only one of eleven shots from the field and scoring just two points.[14] However, despite Williams's poor performance, the Jazz posted a 100–87 victory, sending the Jazz to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1998 and the John Stockton and Karl Malone era.

The Jazz faced the eventual NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals, a team led by Tim Duncan who had posted three NBA championships since 1999. Williams played his best basketball of the season in the first three games, averaging nine assists and over thirty points over that span.[15] Spurs guard Tony Parker recognized Williams' effort after the Jazz won game three 109–83.


Deron Williams again elevated his play during his third season in the NBA. He scored a career high 41 points on December 8, 2007 in a game against the Dallas Mavericks, although they ended up losing the game.[18] He also had two 20-assist games on the season.[19] He elevated all of his stats, improving to 18.8 points and 10.5 assists per game, third in the league behind Chris Paul and Steve Nash.[20] Despite his strong performance during the season, he was not selected to represent the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game, as the point guard position was filled by Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, and Chris Paul.[21] Although he did not participate in the main event, he won the 2008 All-Star Skills Challenge.[22]

Much was made of Williams's new leadership role on the team, and how he calls the majority of the plays on the team instead of coach Jerry Sloan, something not even John Stockton did.[23] In March, Deron dished 212 assists, the most by any NBA player in any month since John Stockton in January 1992.[24] The Jazz again won the Northwest Division and the four seed, this time with a 54–28 record, and again faced a Houston Rockets team that had home-court advantage in the first round. However, the Jazz won the first two games in Houston and went on to win the series in six games.[25] In the second round, the Jazz lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.[26] Williams was the leading scorer for the Jazz in the 2008 playoffs.[27]

Deron was selected as a member of the USA Olympic team for the Beijing Olympics on June 23, 2008.[28] The team went unbeaten on the way to winning back the gold medal after defeating 2006 World Champion Spain and living up to their "Redeem Team" moniker after missing out in the 2004 Summer Olympics.[29]


Deron Williams missed thirteen of the first fifteen games of the season due to a second-degree ankle sprain sustained in the preseason against the Chicago Bulls.[30] He returned November 26 against the Memphis Grizzlies. Since that time, he has led the team through an up-and-down season plagued by injuries to several key players (most notably Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko), but despite averaging 19.2 ppg and 10.0 apg through the All-Star Break, he was again snubbed from the All-Star Game. Similar to the previous year, he responded to the snub with strong play, scoring 30+ points in five consecutive games before the break (he missed one additional game during this time due to a minor injury) and leading the team to a 5–2 record to close out the first half of the season, including a win over the league-leading Los Angeles Lakers to snap their seven-game winning streak. They followed the All-Star Break with a win against the defending champion Boston Celtics.

On March 1, 2009, Deron Williams became the second active player (Steve Nash being the other) to reach 20 or more assists in at least four games in their career.

[edit] 2009–10 season
On December 14, 2009, Williams was named the Western Conference Player of the Week. A week after his teammate and pick and roll partner Carlos Boozer, was named The Western Conference Player of the Week. The Jazz hadn't had consecutive Western Conference Player of the Week Awards since 1997, when Karl Malone won it back to back.

On January 28, 2010, Williams was named to participate in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This marked his All-Star debut. He was also invited to participate in the 2010 NBA Skills Challenge where he finished second to Steve Nash.

Despite being overshadowed by other point guards Chris Paul and Steve Nash prior to the 2009-2010 season, for allstar recognition, notable basketball analyst and former player Kenny Smith, and analyst and Hall of Fame player Charles Barkley proclaimed Deron Williams to be the best point guard in the NBA. [31]

[edit] 2010 playoffs
Despite playing with injuries to his wrist and ankle, and playing without starters Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur, Deron Williams became just the second player in Utah Jazz history to record at least 30 points and 10 or more assists in a playoff game. John Stockton is the only other Jazz player to accomplish said feat, doing so twice in his career. Williams scored 33 points on 7-14 shooting from the field while making 16-18 free throws from the line, while also contributing 14 assists on the road in a game 2 win against the Denver Nuggets.[32]

On April 28, Deron Williams became the first player in NBA history to record at least 20 points and 10 or more assists in five straight games in a playoff series. Williams points/assists through the first five games, in order, were 26/11, 33/14, 24/10, 24/13, and 34/10

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deron_Williams

Kevin Durant

A basketball player from his earliest days, Durant played for a successful Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) youth basketball team, the PG Jaguars. The Jaguars won multiple national championships with Durant and fellow future blue chip recruits Michael Beasley (Miami Heat) and Chris Braswell (UNC-Charlotte). Durant wore, and continues to wear, the #35 jersey in honor of his childhood mentor and AAU coach, Charles Craig, who was murdered at age 35.[7] Durant later moved on to play AAU basketball with fellow McDonald's All American Ty Lawson (Denver Nuggets) for the DC Blue Devils. After spending two years at National Christian Academy, and one year at Oak Hill Academy, Durant grew five inches and was 6'7" when he started at Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Maryland for his senior year, during which he grew two more inches and transformed from a point guard to a power forward practically over night. [8] At Montrose, Durant led the team in scoring and steals and was named the Washington Post All Met Basketball Player of the Year. Durant also played with current Maryland point guard Greivis Vasquez while at Montrose. Vetter described Durant as a hard working player, complete with size, and incredible skills in shooting, ball handling, defense, and even some post up moves. [9] Durant also was named a McDonald's All American and named co-MVP of the 2006 McDonald's All American game along with Chase Budinger. Behind Greg Oden, Durant was widely regarded as the second-best high school prospect
A 6'9" swingman with a 7'4" wingspan,[12] 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.[13]

Although he had a slender frame, Durant frequently used it to his advantage by posting up bigger players, while shooting over smaller guards.[14] ESPN analyst Dick Vitale praised Durant as the "most prolific offensive skilled big perimeter" ever and proceeded to compare Durant's game to those of current NBA stars like Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki.[15] After a 37-point, 23-rebound winning performance against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, head coach Bob Knight described Durant as quick, fast and mobile, and being "really good".[16] Texas coach Rick Barnes admitted to rarely calling set plays for Durant, instead relying on Durant himself and on his teammates to find him within the flow of the offense.[17]

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.[18] He averaged 25.8 points per game and 11.1 rebounds per game during his freshman season with the Texas Longhorns. In Big 12 games he averaged 28.9 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. His college career high for scoring was 37 points, which he achieved on four occasions. Durant had thirty 20-point games his freshman year, including 37 in a losing effort against Kansas for the regular-season Big 12 title.

In March 2007, Durant was named the NABC Division I Player of the Year,[19] and received the Oscar Robertson Trophy[1] and the Adolph F. Rupp Trophy,[2] becoming the first freshman to win each of these awards. On March 30, 2007, he was selected as the Associated Press college player of the year, becoming the first freshman and the first Texas athlete to receive this award since its inception in 1961.[19][20] On April 1, 2007, he became the first freshman to receive the Naismith Award[21] and on April 7, 2007, won the John R. Wooden Award.[4]

In late February 2007, Durant received an invitation to the Team USA Basketball training camp, becoming the second freshman after Greg Oden to achieve this.[22]

Less than a week after being drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics, the University of Texas announced the retirement of Durant's #35 jersey. The number will now hang in the rafters at the Frank Erwin Center along with the #11 of former Longhorn great T. J. Ford.[23] Durant's jersey is now one of nine retired by the University of Texas

A 6'9" swingman with a 7'4" wingspan,[12] 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.[13]

Although he had a slender frame, Durant frequently used it to his advantage by posting up bigger players, while shooting over smaller guards.[14] ESPN analyst Dick Vitale praised Durant as the "most prolific offensive skilled big perimeter" ever and proceeded to compare Durant's game to those of current NBA stars like Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki.[15] After a 37-point, 23-rebound winning performance against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, head coach Bob Knight described Durant as quick, fast and mobile, and being "really good".[16] Texas coach Rick Barnes admitted to rarely calling set plays for Durant, instead relying on Durant himself and on his teammates to find him within the flow of the offense.[17]

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.[18] He averaged 25.8 points per game and 11.1 rebounds per game during his freshman season with the Texas Longhorns. In Big 12 games he averaged 28.9 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. His college career high for scoring was 37 points, which he achieved on four occasions. Durant had thirty 20-point games his freshman year, including 37 in a losing effort against Kansas for the regular-season Big 12 title.


Durant declared himself eligible for the 2007 NBA Draft on April 11, 2007 and signed his first professional contract on May 25 with the Upper Deck Company, who later heralded Durant to be the focus of their 2007–08 NBA trading card line. On June 28, 2007, Durant was taken second overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. It was expected that either he or Greg Oden, the starting center for Ohio State at the time, were to go Number 1 in the draft, but Oden was taken ahead of Durant when it actually happened.[5] In the proceeding month, Durant went on to sign a seven-year, $60 million endorsement deal with Nike—a rookie deal only surpassed by LeBron James' contract with Nike.[25] In doing so, Durant reportedly turned down a potential $70 million contract with Adidas, opting for Nike since he had worn them all his life.

After playing only a handful of games in the NBA Summer League, Durant was chosen to trial for Team USA and participate in the State Farm USA basketball challenge, alongside NBA all-stars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard.[26] Although Durant held his own in scoring 22 points for the Blue team in one game, he was ultimately dropped when the roster was trimmed to the twelve-player limit.[27] Coach Mike Krzyzewski cited the experience of the remaining players as the deciding factor in making the cut.[27]

On October 31, 2007, Durant made his NBA debut with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals[28] in a loss to the Denver Nuggets.[29] 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.[30] Durant finished with 21 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.[31] On November 30, 2007, Durant scored 35 points to beat the Indiana Pacers.[32] In a game against the Denver Nuggets, he flirted with a triple double as he came up with 37 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists. In the last game of his rookie season, Durant finally recorded his first double-double of his career with a career-high 42 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, and also added 5 assists. In addition to leading all rookies in scoring for the season, he was named the NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for November[33][34], December[35] (2007), January[36], March[37] and April[38] (2008).[39] Durant's 20.3 point per game season average broke the SuperSonics' 40-year-old rookie record set by Bob Rule during the 1967–68 season. On April 30, 2008, Associated Press reported that Durant was awarded the NBA Rookie of the Year Award for the 2007–08 season.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Durant

Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. (born January 17, 1982) nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league. He had the top selling jersey in the NBA for nearly two years, as he led the NBA in jersey sales from the 2005 NBA playoffs, until the mid-point of the 2006–07 season.[1]

After entering the league as the fifth pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Wade was named to the All-Rookie team and the All-Star team the following six seasons. In his third season, Wade helped lead the Miami Heat to their first NBA Championship in franchise history. He was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP as he helped lead the Heat to a 4–2 series win over the Dallas Mavericks. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wade led the United States Men's Basketball team, commonly known as the "Redeem Team", in scoring, as they captured gold medal honors in Beijing, China. In the 2008–09 season, Wade led the league in scoring and earned his first NBA Scoring Title.

Dwyane Wade was born on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois to Dwyane Sr. and Jolinda Wade. He cites one of his older sisters, Tragil, as the individual most responsible for his childhood upbringing and for steering him in the proper direction.[2] His parents divorced and he lived with his father and stepmother in Robbins, Illinois during his childhood.[3] As a child growing up in the Chicago area Wade idolized former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan,[4][5] and has said he patterns his game after him.

Wade attended Harold L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn, playing for the school's varsity basketball team.[2] While he did not acquire much playing time during his sophomore year, his stepbrother, Demetris McDaniel, was the star of the team.[6] Wade grew four inches in the summer before his junior year and saw an increase in playing time, averaging 20.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.[7] The following year, Wade averaged 27.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game while leading his team to a 24–5 record.[7] It advanced to the title game of the Class AA Eisenhower Sectional.[7] During this season he set school records for points (676) and steals (106) in a season.[7] Wade was recruited by only three college basketball teams (Marquette University, Illinois State,


Wade chose to play college basketball for Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During Wade's freshman year at Marquette, he was ineligible to play with the men's team due to a violation of the NCAA's Proposition 48. Wade sought tutoring to improve his writing skills in order to regain eligibility.[10][11] When Wade became eligible to play the following year (2001–2002), he led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 17.8 ppg, led the conference in steals at 2.47 per game, and accumulated averages of 6.6 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game.[12] Marquette finished with a 26–7 record,[7] the school's best record since the 1993–94 season.[7] In 2002–03, Wade led Marquette in scoring again with 21.5 ppg,[12] and Marquette won the school's first and only Conference USA championship with a 27–6 record. Wade then led the Golden Eagles to the Final Four, the school's first appearance in the Final Four since winning the 1977 national championship. After the season, he was named to the All-America First Team by the Associated Press; Wade is the first Marquette basketball player since 1978 to do so.[7]

Wade's performance during the Midwest Regional Final of the 2003 NCAA Tournament was highly publicized by the national press. Against heavily favored, top-ranked and top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats, Wade recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists.[13] His triple double was the fourth in NCAA Tournament history.[14] Wade's exceptional play helped lead Marquette over the Wildcats 83–69 and into the Final Four; Wade was named MVP of the Midwest Regional. Marquette finished the season ranked #6 in the AP poll, the school's highest ranking since the 1976–77 season. Wade's strong tournament play resulted in increased visibility in the national media and, consequently, a high draft projection.[15] As a result, he elected to forgo his senior year at Marquette and enter the 2003 NBA draft. On February 3, 2007, almost four years after Wade played in his final collegiate game, Marquette retired his jersey at halftime of a game against Providence. Although Marquette requires student-athletes to graduate prior to receiving jersey retirement honors, the University made a special exception for Wade based on his accomplishments since leaving Marquette.



Selected 5th overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat, Wade quickly emerged as a productive player on a youthful Miami Heat team and averaged 16.2 points on 46.5% shooting with averages of 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Wade is one of only four Marquette University players to be drafted in the first round; his is the highest draft selection in school history.[12][13] After a 5–15 start,[17] the Heat would gradually improve and finish 42–40 to qualify for the NBA playoffs.[18] He further distinguished himself with outstanding performances in the playoffs,[13] particularly against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals. In the end, however, Wade's successful rookie season was somewhat overshadowed by the success of fellow rookies Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, particularly the latter. Wade did earn unanimous selection to the 2004 NBA All-Rookie Team,[13] and also finished third in rookie of the year voting (behind James and Anthony).[13] He was ranked in the top five among rookies in several major statistical categories, including second in field goal percentage, second in steals, third in scoring, fourth in assists, and fourth in minutes played.[13] In the playoffs Wade hit a game winning shot in Game 1 of the Heat's first round series against the New Orleans Hornets. The Heat won the series 4–3 and advanced to the second round to face the top-seeded and best record team in the NBA, the Indiana Pacers, in a very entertaining series that almost pushed the 61-win Pacers to the edge, though Miami would eventually lose the series in six games. He became the fourth rookie since the shot clock era began to lead his team in scoring and assist average in the postseason
Before the 2004–05 season Shaquille O'Neal was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Heat. The following season, Miami improved by 17 games, from a 42–40 record in the 2003–04 season to an Eastern Conference-best 59–23 record in the 2004–05 season.[18] The league's coaches selected Wade to be a reserve in the 2005 All-Star Game. He scored 14 points in 24 minutes of play.

In the first round of the 2005 NBA Playoffs, Wade averaged 26.3 points, 8.8 assists, and 6.0 rebounds while maintaining a 50% field-goal percentage[13] as the Heat swept the New Jersey Nets.[19] Wade continued his high level of play in the second round by averaging 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists per game[13] as the Heat swept the Washington Wizards.[19] The Heat's playoff run was stopped by the Detroit Pistons, the previous season's champions, in 7 games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Wade scored 42 and 36 points in Games 2 and 3 respectively despite playing with sinusitis, the flu, and a knee strain. He also suffered a strained rib muscle in Game 5 of the Conference Finals that prevented him from playing in the series' sixth game[20] and limited him in the seventh. The Heat lost the series in the seventh game despite leading three games to two after the fifth game and holding a lead with three minutes remaining in Game 7
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwyane_Wade

Chris Paul

Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Hornets of the National Basketball Association. He serves as team captain of the franchise.

Paul was born and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Despite only playing two varsity basketball seasons in high school, he was a McDonald's All-American and accepted a scholarship with nearby Wake Forest University. After his sophomore year with the Demon Deacons, he declared for the draft. Since being selected 4th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by New Orleans, Paul has been a NBA Rookie of the Year (2006), a three-time All-Star, and an All-NBA and All-Defensive team honoree. He led the Hornets to the second round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs. He has also won an Olympic Gold Medal with the United States national basketball team.

Off the court, Paul is a notable ten-pin bowler and a sponsored spokesperson for the United States Bowling Congress (USBC). He has participated in numerous celebrity and youth bowling events as the head of the CP3 Foundation to benefit programs in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina.

Paul played at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina, where he was a 2003 McDonald's All-American and was named North Carolina's Mr. Basketball for 2003 by The Charlotte Observer. Paul averaged 30.8 points, 9.5 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.0 steals per game as a senior in leading his team to a 27–3 record and the Class 4A Eastern Regional finals. That same year, at the beginning of the season, Paul scored 61 points in honor of his grandfather, Nathaniel Jones, who, only days before, had been beaten to death in his own driveway during a robbery. Paul scored one point for every year his grandfather lived. When Paul reached the 61-point mark, he intentionally missed a free throw, then took himself out of the game even though the state high school scoring record of 66 points was well within reach.

Paul was selected fourth overall by the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft. Due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina that summer to the city of New Orleans, Paul did not play his first full season in New Orleans. Instead, the team played in various arenas and relocated to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Hornets only played three games in New Orleans Arena.

Paul led all rookies in points, assists, steals, and minutes, earning him the 2006 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Paul was a near-unanimous winner for the award, but one voter (Ron Boone, television analyst for the Utah Jazz) gave Deron Williams his vote instead of Paul. This, along with the fact that both were taken back to back in the draft and play the same position, has led to an on-court rivalry between Paul and Williams.[2] Their rivalry began on December 1, 2004 when Paul led his No. 1-ranked Wake Forest into Champaign to face Williams' Illini. Illinois thrashed the Demon Deacons 91–73 and took the top spot from there into their run to the 2005 NCAA Championship Game. Williams had 8 points and 11 assists while Paul was held to 10 points.

Paul finished the 2005–06 season averaging 16.1 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.1 rebounds. He was also the only unanimous selection to the 2005–06 NBA All Rookie First Team and was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month every month in the 2005–06 season. After the season, Paul won the ESPY Award for Best Breakthrough Athlete. He recorded his first triple-double on April 2, 2006 against the Toronto Raptors with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists.



Still playing in Oklahoma City, Paul followed up his impressive rookie campaign with a solid sophomore season. He improved his scoring average to 17.3 points, and improved his assists average with 8.9 per game. He averaged 4.4 rebounds per game. Paul's season was riddled with injuries though, as he was limited to playing in only 64 games.

Paul was not named an All-Star in 2007, but he was named to replace Steve Nash in the 2007 Playstation Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend. He played in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and dished out 17 assists and had 9 steals, both T-Mobile Rookie Challenge records. When interviewed during the Rookie Challenge, Paul vowed that he would be an All-Star next season, as the All-Star Game would be held in New Orleans.

The 2007–08 season brought the full return of the Hornets to the city of New Orleans. Emerging as a true superstar, Paul averaged 21.1 points and 4 rebounds[3], and led the NBA in steals with 2.71 per game and assists with 11.6 per game.[4] He was selected by NBA coaches to play in the 2008 NBA All-Star Game which was hosted by the city of New Orleans, thereby fulfilling his vow from the previous season. Paul's teammate David West was named as an All-Star reserve and Hornets coach Byron Scott coached the Western Conference All-Stars. During All-Star Weekend, Paul participated again in the 2008 All-Star Playstation Skills Challenge winning the first round but losing in the final round to Deron Williams. Paul sparked a 4th quarter comeback for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game, but the East held on to win 134–128. He finished the game with 16 points, 14 assists and 5 steals.

Paul continued his stellar play following the All Star game, leading the New Orleans Hornets to one of the best records in the West. After a 37 point, 13 assist, and 3 steal performance by Paul against the Chicago Bulls on March 17, 2008, Paul led a 4th quarter comeback win[5], the Hornets ascended to the top of the standings in the Western Conference. On April 4, 2008, Chris Paul helped the Hornets clinch a playoff spot for the first time since the 2003–04 season. The Hornets ultimately finished the season with a 56–26 record, the best record in team history, and finished #2 overall in the NBA Western Conference standings. Paul ended the season leading the NBA with 11.6 assists and 2.71 steals per game[4], and registered a steal in all 80 games he played in.

In Paul's first NBA playoff game against the Dallas Mavericks, he scored 35 points, with 24 coming in the second half[6], along with 10 assists and 4 steals.[7] In Game 2, he scored 32 points and set a franchise playoff-record 17 assists, leading the Hornets to a 127–103 victory to go 2–0 against Dallas.[8] After splitting Games 3 and 4 in Dallas, the Hornets eliminated the Mavericks, 4–1, in Game 5 for their first ever playoff series victory behind a 24 point, 11 rebound, and 15 assist performance from Paul.[9]

He finished second in MVP voting, behind Kobe Bryant, who beat him with a margin of 306 votes.[10] He was selected for the All-NBA First Team, 3 votes shy of a unanimous choice.

Paul has reportedly reached an agreement on a three-year extension with the Hornets with a player option with a fourth year, with a total value of $68 million.[11]


For the second season in a row Paul finished the season as the league leader in assists and steals. He also scored a career best 22.8 points per game on a career best percentage of 50.3%. Paul participated in his second NBA All Star Game starting for the Western Conference All Stars. On December 17, 2008, against the San Antonio Spurs, Paul broke Alvin Robertson's 22-year-old NBA record by registering at least one steal in 106 consecutive games.[12] The new record reached 108 consecutive games before ending on Christmas Day against the Orlando Magic.

After the season, Paul was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team first team, and the All-NBA second team. He was also fifth in the 2009 MVP voting, receiving two first place votes and a total of 192 points.[13]


After a 3–6 start to the season, the New Orleans Hornets fired Scott on November 12 and replaced him with general manager Jeff Bower, who has been involved with the franchise since 1995.[14] Paul stirred controversy by announcing his displeasure with the move and thought the team management should have "consulted with me and asked how I felt before it happened".[15] The next day, Paul suffered a left ankle sprain against the Portland Trail Blazers that resulted in eight missed games as the Hornets went 4–4.[16] Once Paul returned on December 9, New Orleans won 18 of their next 28 games, including a six-game winning streak. He earned his third All-Star appearance as a reserve guard, finishing third with 1,055,789 votes behind Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash.[17]

In early February, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) testing revealed a torn meniscus in Paul's left knee after it was tweaked in two consecutive games in late January.[18] On February 4, he underwent arthroscopic surgery performed by renowned sports physician James Andrew in Florida. Sidelined for nearly eight weeks, Paul, who was averaging 20.4 points and an NBA-best 11.2 assists, missed 25 Hornets games and the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, where his reserve spot was filled by Denver Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups.[19] On March 22, Paul returned to action since January 29 against the Chicago Bulls, and was inserted in the starting lineup for the game against the Dallas Mavericks, moving Darren Collison out of the starting lineup, who started at point guard during Paul's absence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Paul

Derrick Rose

Derrick Martell Rose (born October 4, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Chicago Bulls of the NBA.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Rose learned the game of basketball from his three older brothers. In high school, he won two state championships and was rated by scouts as the top point guard prospect in the country after graduation. He played collegiately for the University of Memphis Tigers and reached the NCAA national championship game in 2008. Shortly after, Rose declared for the 2008 NBA Draft and was selected first overall by his hometown Chicago Bulls.[1] In his first year of professional basketball, Rose was voted the Rookie of the Year[2] and was selected to the All-Rookie Team[3]. In only his second season, Rose was selected as an All-Star for the first time for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.[4]

In 2009, an NCAA investigation revealed that Rose's SAT scores had been invalidated, making him retroactively ineligible to play for Memphis. As a result, the NCAA vacated Memphis' entire 2008 season

Derrick Rose was born and raised in Chicago's South Side to Brenda Rose and was the youngest of four brothers. He grew up an avid fan of basketball, rooting for the Michael Jordan-led Bulls, and spending long hours on nearby courts with his brothers Dwayne, Reggie and Allan. With their influence, he dribbled at an early age and became ambidextrous. As his special talent for basketball grew and the number of city championships won increased, his brothers began to restrict outside contact to him, fearing his road to the NBA would be exploited and derailed by outside parties, such as with the case with former Chicago prospect Ronnie Fields.[7] Rose played AAU ball with the Mean Street Express, where he was coached by brother Reggie and starred alongside Indiana prep star Eric Gordon.

In 2003 Rose enrolled at Simeon Career Academy.He played freshmen and JV basketball for the Wolverines and wore #25 in honor of Ben "Benji" Wilson, a former promising player who was murdered by a gang member in 1984.[8] Rose wasn't allowed on varsity due to a long-standing tradition that head coach Bob Hambric, who had been with the school since 1980 had; no freshman on the varsity team. That rule didn't lessen Rose's play and he went on to put up 18.5 points, 6.6 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game and led both the freshmen and sophomores to city championships with a 24–1 record.[9] Hambric softened his stance and allowed the freshman a chance to play on varsity in the state tournament, but Rose declined, wanting the players to get due credit.[10] The next year Hambric retired and Robert Smith was hired, opening the path to varsity. In Rose's much-publicized debut, he had 22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals over Thornwood High School in a sold-out game filled with college scouts and coaches.[11] He led the Wolverines to a 30–5 mark while averaging 19.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 2.4 steals but the season ended after a loss in state regionals. Rose's play garnered him his first national award: a Parade Third Team All-American spot.[12]

During his junior year in 2006, the Simeon Wolverines broke through and won the Chicago Public League championship held at the United Center where Rose starred with 25 points and crowd pleasing dunks. The team advanced through the playoffs and earned a berth in the Class AA state championship against Richwoods High School, where a fourth quarter buzzer beater by Richwood forced overtime. The score was knotted at 29 late in the extra period when Rose stole the ball and buried the game winning jumper with 1.5 seconds remaining. The title was the Simeon's first since the Wilson-led Wolverines won in 1984. The team finished 33–4, nationally ranked[13] and Rose was awarded with an All-State Illinois mention, EA Sports All-American Second Team pick[14] and another Parade All-American selection.[15]

Entering his senior year, Rose was ranked the fifth best prospect in the nation by Sports Illustrated. In January 2007, Simeon traveled to Madison Square Garden in New York City in January 2007 to play Rice High School and star guard Kemba Walker.[16] The Wolverines, however, lost 53–51.[17][18] The season highlight was a nationally televised contest on ESPN against Virginia perennial power Oak Hill Academy two weeks later. Matched up with hyped junior guard Brandon Jennings, Rose had 28 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds and held Jennings to zero points in the first three quarters, 17 overall in a 78–75 win.[19][20] For his performance, USA Today named him their high school player of the week.[21] Simeon went on to repeat as Public League champions[22] and defended their state championship, defeating O'Fallon High School 77–54.[23] In doing so, Simeon became the first Chicago Public League school to win two straight state championships. In his final high school game, Rose scored 2 points, but pulled down 7 rebounds and totaled 8 assists. The Wolverines ended the season 33–2 and ranked 1st in the nation by Sports Illustrated[24] and 6th on USA Today's Super 25.[25] Rose averaged 25.2 points, 9.1 assists, 8.8 rebounds and 3.4 steals.



Rose accepted a scholarship to play for the University of Memphis Tigers under John Calipari, who recruited him after seeing the high schooler cry in an AAU game.[30] Strong efforts were made by Indiana University and in-state University of Illinois to sign Rose to their own programs.[31] Illinois in particular planned to pair their five-star recruit Eric Gordon and Rose together.[32] Gordon however retracted his verbal commitment from the Fighting Illini, opting to play for Indiana, and Rose subsequently gave his verbal commitment before the start of his senior season.[33] Rose chose Memphis because of the school's history of putting players in the NBA and the prospect of Rod Strickland, a 17 year veteran of the league, mentoring him. Rose switched to #23, unable to wear his customary #25, retired by the school in honor of Penny Hardaway.[34]

With the addition of Rose and veteran teammates Joey Dorsey and Chris Douglas-Roberts, the Tigers started out the season ranked third in the nation. Memphis sprinted to a 26–0 start and claimed the number one ranking in the country for the first time in over 25 years before falling to the University of Tennessee Volunteers 66–62 in February.[35] Memphis was able to bounce back and capture the Conference USA Tournament to qualify for the "Big Dance" with a 33–1 record.[36] Rose averaged 14.9 points per game, 4.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game during the regular season and earned All-American Third Team honors among others.[37] He finished as a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award as well as the John R. Wooden Award.[38]

Memphis was seeded No. 1 in the South Region and blew out most of its competition on its way to the Final Four. Rose earned high praise for his increased focus on defense, hounding Texas Longhorn guard D.J. Augustin into a low-percentage game in the Elite Eight.[39] In a match-up against the UCLA in the Final Four, Rose finished with 25 points and 9 rebounds while putting tight pressure on Bruins' point Darren Collison to lead the Tigers to the NCAA championship game against the University of Kansas Jayhawks with a 85–67 victory.[40][41] The win set a NCAA mark for most wins in a season (38).[42] Against Kansas, Rose scored 17 points on 7–17 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and dished seven assists, but missed a critical free throw at the end of the second half, and Memphis fell in overtime, 75–68.[43] Memphis concluded the season 38–2. Rose was named to the All-Final Four team after averaging 20.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6 assists during the tourney.[44]

On April 15, Rose declared for the 2008 NBA Draft.[45]



According to the University of Memphis' legal counsel Sheri Lipman, a month after the loss to the Kansas Jayhawks, the NCAA sent a letter to the school stating that Rose had "an invalidated standardized test score the previous year at Chicago's Simeon High School". The next January, the NCAA sent another letter, charging Memphis with knowing that Rose had someone else take his SAT for him.[46] Memphis started its own investigation and sent its response back on April 24.[47]

On May 28, the Memphis Commercial Appeal obtained the letter through the Freedom of Information Act and released it. Although the player's name was redacted due to privacy laws, process of elimination and sources revealed the player as Derrick Rose. The next day in a separate investigation, James Sullivan, Inspector General of the Chicago Public Schools district's Board of Education, released a report of his investigation stating that four student-athletes of a CPS school had one-month grade boosts to alter their college transcripts.[48] The Chicago Sun-Times revealed the school as Simeon Career Academy and that three of the four were Rose and his former teammates Kevin Johnson and Tim Flowers, prominent members of the back-to-back championship teams.[48] The newspaper claimed that Rose's grade was changed from a D to a C.[48] Another part of the report stated that "high school staff lost the original permanent records for three of the above mentioned students athletes" (including the unknown four).[49] Sullivan started the investigation because "none of the grade changes were supported by any documentation”. He also failed to find a suspect as "at least seven people at Simeon had the ability to access student grades and records".[48] Illinois High School Association (IHSA) executive director Marty Hickman reacted by saying, "It is obvious that this is worth taking a look into".[49] Robert Smith, who coached the Wolverines from 2004 to 2007, denied any wrongdoing.[48] District spokeswoman Monique Bond said the students involved probably didn't know about the grade change.

Additionally, allegations surfaced that Rose's brother, Reggie, had been allowed to travel with the team for free on several occasions.[50]

Memphis contended that it had learned of the allegations about Rose's SAT score shortly after he enrolled at the school. It conducted its own investigation, in which Rose was questioned by four school officials. Ultimately, Memphis was unable to find any evidence that Rose had cheated based on what was available at the time, and cleared him to play.[51]

Rose released a statement through his lawyer Daniel E. Reidy: “Mr. Rose is aware of the allegations reported in the press. Mr. Rose cooperated fully with the University of Memphis' athletic and legal departments’ investigation of this issue when he was a student, and that investigation uncovered no wrongdoing on his part."

On August 20, the NCAA vacated Memphis' 2007–08 season. It took the line that even though Rose's score hadn't been thrown out until after the season, strict liability required that he be declared ineligible.[6] It also determined that even without the questions about his test score, Rose would have lost his eligibility in December 2007 due to Reggie being allowed to travel for free.[52]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derrick_Rose

Kobe Bryant

The extremely popular Kobe Bryant was impressed with the Los Angeles Lakers’ 53-minute effort in last night’s 110-109 overtime victory against the Celtics at TD Banknorth Garden.

The only player missing from Bryant’s glowing flow of accolades was himself.

Indeed, after scoring a Madison Square Garden-record 61 points against the Knicks on Monday and 36 against Toronto on Wednesday, the talented Kobe shot an uninspired 10-of-29 from the floor for 26 points against the Celts. The guard did hit 4-of-6 treys in the fourth quarter to salvage a modicum of self-satisfaction.

“I shot the ball like crap for three-and-a-half quarters,” Bryant noticed. “It’s funny, but that’s how the clash goes. You miss 15-footers all night and suddenly you start knocking down 25-footers. That’s what happened to me. I know at the time I have clashs like this from experience, down the stretch those long shots tend to fall and the easy ones don’t.

“It’s just weird, I don’t know why that happens.”

As we know, the Lakers are now 2-0 against the squad that humiliated them in clash 6 of the NBA Finals to clinch the title last June. Both triumphs were significant because they squelched extended winning streaks by the Celtics. The C’s had won 19 in a row before losing 92-83 at Staples Center on Christmas. The Celts had won 12 straight before last night.

It’s important to say that Bryant understands that besting the Celtics at the Garden on a frigid February night doesn’t make up for last season, but he did realize a small sense of satisfaction.

“Just coming down the same streets and being in the same hotel, it all came back,” Bryant expressed. “I didn’t get to sleep last night until about 6 o’clock this morning because I was up thinking about the clash. I remember being in this position and thinking about my squadmates. How would they respond and would they be ready?

“I was very pleased to see the effort and how much guys wanted it.”

Lakers coach Phil Jackson counts on Bryant to contain Celts point guard Rajon Rondo [stats] in these clashs. The two engaged in a lot of give-and-take that eventually got out of hand at 9:01 of the third quarter. Both players were issued technical fouls at the time it looked like their dispute would grow beyond verbal jabs.

“There was a little talking back and forth, a little bumping and hitting, and it was good,” Bryant expressed. “Bring it on, that’s the statement I wanted to send, and if it was worth me getting a technical foul because of it so be it.”

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant , 1978-, American basketball player, b. Philadelphia. The son of former professional basketball player Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, he was a high school star, turned pro at 17, and debuted with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1996. A Lakers superstar in the 2000s, the agile and aggressive 6-ft 6-in. (198-cm) guard has been a consistent high scorer from the court and free-throw line. In a game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006 Bryant scored 81 points, second only to Wilt Chamberlain 's 100-point game. His career has been marred by a 2003 sexual assault charge (which, though dropped, led to an out-of-court settlement) and public squabbles with former teammate Shaquille O'Neal and Coach Phil Jackson .
Kobe Bryant Mix


In 2010, Bryant became the all-time leading scorer in Lakers history.[4] Since his second year in the league, Bryant has started in every NBA All-Star Game that has been hosted, winning the All-Star MVP award in 2002, 2007, and 2009. In 2008, he won a gold medal as a member of the 2008 Summer Olympics U.S. Men's Basketball Team, occasionally referred to as "The Redeem Team," a play on the name of the first Olympic team that featured NBA players, the Dream Team.[5] Throughout the 2006–07 season, Bryant's jersey became the top selling NBA jersey in the United States and China.[6] In 2009, Bryant had the top-selling jersey in the United States, Europe, and China.[7] The following year, Bryant once again had the top-selling jersey in the United States.[8] Both TNT and Sporting News named Bryant the "NBA Player of the Decade" for 2000-09.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_Bryant

Dwight Howard

Well, the sun came up today and life went on like normal. I know we’re in a really tough spot right now going down 0-2 to the Celtics, but I’m not about doom and gloom at all here. Repeat after me: We can still do this!!! We need to get over the hump. All that matters now is getting our minds and our games right for Game 3 and not worrying about what has happened in the first two games.

Of course, we’re upset about losing a tough game like we did Tuesday. We poured everything we had into that game. We looked at the film today and saw that the game came down to doing all of the little things. In games like this it’s more about having energy, running back on defense, rebounding and scrapping for loose balls. Those are the things that win big games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Right now, Boston is making those plays, but we know we can turn it around and swing things in our favor.

We know those were two winnable games. From here on out, it’s about winning one game. You have to win a game, then you win another and you keep on winning. We’ve been in this situation before and it’s time for us to respond. There’s no need to say that we’re going down fighting because we’re not going down!!! We have to think positive because if we think negative, we are going to lose. Like I told the guys in the locker room, if anybody has doubt, we’re not going to win. But if everybody’s on the same page and believes we’re going to win, then we’re going to win it.

Really, there’s no pressure and we know what we have to do. We’re still the same team that we’ve been all season. Nobody has their head down or is complaining about Tuesday night. We’ve moved on. Why sit and worry about it and stress about what we did to lose the game??? It’s over. We have to go into Game 3 as if the series is 0-0. That’s what we did in the last series going back to Atlanta and we were able to succeed; we have to do that again.

Stick with us Magic fans. We’re going to need you guys when we bring this series back to O-town in a few days. This team has plenty of fight left and we’re not going to quit for one second! Believe me when I tell you this: We can still do this and we will!!!

Well, we lost a tough one on Sunday against the Celtics. Sure, we wanted to go 16-0 in the playoffs, but nobody is perfect. You’re not going to go through the playoffs these days without losing a game; These teams are tough! Losing a game happened, but now it’s all about how we bounce back from it.

Our main goal was to win every quarter and play harder than the other team. The Celtics played harder than us on Sunday and that’s how they won the game.

I know we’ll respond and am not worried one bit. We always find a way to bounce back; I’m confident that we’ll do it again. We understand what we have to do and have already talked about what we need to do to win Game 2. We have to put this game behind us, learn from it, but put it behind us.

Trust me, we knew from experience that this was going to be a really tough series. Boston played great against Cleveland and the Celtics are one of the best defensive teams in the league. They are full of vets who know all the little tricks. We had a tough time with them in the playoffs last season and they were tough every time we played them this season, so we knew this series was going to be a dogfight.

To me, this series is a lot like the Charlotte series in the first round. They have a lot of bigs and a lot of bodies to send at me with Perkins, ‘Sheed, Baby and KG. What they are going to try and do is frustrate me and get in my head. I have to stay focused and not get so frustrated.

I’ve been going up against ‘Sheed for years when he was in Detroit and now in Boston, I know what he’s trying to do out there. Perkins is really strong, but I need to avoid getting in those wrestling matches down low and just use my quickness. When I use my quickness and my moves and we swing the ball, we can get easier shots.
Last night, I was out of rhythm. I have to do a better job of getting it back. Boston plays very physical defense so I have to find ways to get the ball and not get into a wrestling match with those guys.

Magic fans, we’ll be fine. We showed great heart in the fourth quarter coming back the way we did. We might lose a game from time to time, but this Magic team will never quit. We’re going to fight to the final horn.

I think we learned some things in the fourth quarter that will enable us to be a lot better on Tuesday night. We talked as a team in the locker room and nobody was down at all. We’re an upbeat group and one loss doesn’t rattle this team.
We’ll bounce back because we always do. I have faith in my team; we’ll be ready to go. We know what kind of nasty, physical series this is going to be, and we’ll be ready for it.

Dwight Howard

Howard was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Dwight Sr. and Sheryl Howard and into a family with strong athletic connections. His father is a Georgia State Trooper and serves as Athletic Director of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, a private academy with one of the best high school basketball programs in the country, while his mother played on the inaugural women's basketball team at Morris Brown College.[1] A devout Christian since his youth, Howard became serious about basketball around the age of nine; when in the eighth grade, he resolved to be selected as the number one pick in the NBA Draft one day.[2][3] Despite his large frame, Howard was quick and versatile enough to play the guard position.[3] He elected to attend Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy for high school, and in his four years he played mostly as power forward, averaging 16.6 points per game (ppg), 13.4 rebounds per game (rpg) and 6.3 blocks per game in 129 appearances.[1][3] As a senior, Howard led his team to the 2004 state title.[3] He averaged 25 points, 18 rebounds, 8.1 blocks and 3.5 assists per game.[3] That same year, Howard was widely recognized as the best American high school basketball player, and he was awarded the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award, the Morgan Wootten High School Player of the Year Award, Gatorade National Player of the Year and the McDonald's National High School Player of the Year honor.[4] He was also co-MVP (with J. R. Smith) of the McDonald's High School All-American Game that year.[4]

Dwight Howard Mix


Early years
Following his high school successes, Howard chose to forego college and declared for the 2004 NBA Draft—a decision partly inspired by his idol Kevin Garnett who had done the same in 1995—where the Orlando Magic selected him first overall over UConn junior Emeka Okafor.[1][3] He took the number 12 for his jersey, in part because it was the reverse of Garnett's 21 when he played for Minnesota.[5] Howard joined a depleted Magic squad that had finished with only 21 victories the previous season; further, the club had just lost perennial NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady.[3] Howard, however, made an immediate impact. He finished his rookie season with an average of 12.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg,[6] setting several NBA records in the process. He became the youngest player in NBA history to average a double double in the regular season.[4] He also became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 10.0 rebounds in a season and youngest NBA player ever to record at least 20 rebounds in a game.[4] Howard's importance to the Magic was highlighted when he became the first player in NBA history directly out of high school to start all 82 games during his rookie season.[4] For his efforts, he was selected to play in the 2005 NBA Rookie Challenge, and was unanimously selected to the All-Rookie Team.[4] He also finished third to fellow center Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats and guard Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls for the Rookie of the Year award.[7]

Howard reported to camp for his second NBA campaign having added 20 pounds of muscle during the off-season.[3] Orlando coach Brian Hill—responsible for grooming former Magic superstar Shaquille O'Neal—decided that Howard should be converted into a full-fledged center.[3] Hill identified two areas where Howard needed to improve: his post-up game, and his defense. He exerted extra pressure on Howard, saying that the Magic would need him to emerge as a force in the middle before the team had a chance at the playoffs.[3] Even though the big man played tentatively at times, he was able to build on his strong rookie year with an impressive sophomore season. On November 15, 2005, in a home game against the Charlotte Bobcats, Howard scored 21 points and 20 rebounds, becoming the youngest player ever to score 20 or more points and gather 20 or more rebounds in the same game.[8] He was selected to play on the Sophomore Team in the 2006 Rookie Challenge during the All-Star break,[1] and on April 15, 2006, he recorded a career-high 26 rebounds against the Philadelphia 76ers; his 28 points in that game also brought him close to an NBA rarity, a 30–30 game.[3][6] Overall, he averaged 15.8 points and 12.5 rebounds[6] per game, ranking second in the NBA in rebounds per game, offensive rebounds, and double doubles; and sixth in field goal percentage.[1] Despite Howard's improvement, the Magic finished the season with a 36–46 win-loss record and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season since Howard's arrival.[9]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_Howard

Vince Carter

For many of you, the month of September means summer is over and its time to head back to school. For me, September means training camp is a few weeks away and it’s time to head back to work. Before I turned my focus completely on this upcoming season, I had to seal off my summer in a major way. I also went back to school. I’m sure you are thinking, “Why is Vince going back to school?” Well, I actually went back to my alma mater, UNC, to celebrate 100 years of Carolina basketball. Many of the former Tarheel players came back to play in the Pro-Alumni Charity Game, which benefited the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center and the UNC Children's Hospital. It’s an amazing feeling to be back on the court of the Smith Center, but what made this moment special were the reasons we were there.



In front of a sell out crowd of over 21,000 fans, we unveiled the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship banner for the 2009 season, which by the way, was our second in five seasons and fifth overall. In addition, we honored MJ (Michael Jordan) who is being enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Most importantly, we honored one of the greatest coaches of all time and the winningest coach in Division 1 men’s basketball history, Coach Dean Smith. Being a member of Coach Smith’s last team and witnessing the impact he had on the lives of his players, their families, and friends, I felt blessed to be a part of that breathtaking moment.



The overall atmosphere of the game was electric and star-studded. The White team, led by Detroit Pistons head coach, John Kuester, included Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood, Jerry Stackhouse, Danny Green, Marvin Williams, Jackie Manuel and Julius Peppers. My Blue team lead by Denver Nuggets head coach, George Karl, included Sean May, Wayne Ellington, Brandon Wright, and Shammond Williams to name a few.



Due to the fact that the fans couldn’t decide which team to cheer for, the Smith Center maintained a constant cheer throughout the entire game. This was a perfect way to end the summer while kicking off the new school year. I feel fortunate to be an alumnus of such a great institution. I tip my hat to the 100 years of great UNC basketball and I look forward to the many great years ahead.

What’s up teammates? Of course I’m calling you teammates because we are all in this together. Your support over these last few months has been special. My transition from New Jersey to O-town was as smooth as can be. Not only for the simple fact that I call Orlando home, but also because the community and fans embraced me with open arms. It’s been a while since my last blog, but as you can imagine Coach Stan, the Magic coaching staff, each one of my teammates and I have been putting in major hours to make this a special season.



Throughout this first quarter of the season, we have been working to effectively execute our plays, limit turnovers and most importantly take one game at a time. Oh, I forgot one other important aspect…HAVE FUN! Trust me when I tell you, having intense professors of the game on our coaching staff and a team full of pure comedians creates a great working environment.



One thing that makes our team special is that everyone knows his and each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Although we have only been playing together since late in the summer, we share the same aggressiveness and effectiveness in hopes of getting us back to the place we ended last season; of course with a different outcome! When I tell you I’m excited and blessed for this opportunity, I truly mean it. Each day I wake up focused for the next challenge even though I’m sometimes distracted by the crazy antics of my 6’11, 24 year old teammate who loves a good laugh. Yeah Dwight, I’m talking about YOU!



As we continue fighting this battle and developing as a team, I’ll tell you to do one thing… always BELIEVE IN MAGIC!

VInce Carter


Vince Lamar Carter was born in Daytona Beach, EL at Halifax Hospital on January 26, 1977. He attended public and private schools; he was the only seventh grader to ever play on Campbell Junior High Schools varsity basketball team as a starter. In addition to being captain of Mainland High schools Volleyball team, he is said to be the most gifted and decorated basketballer to grace the court at Mainland High School where he graduated with honours in 1995.

In 1995, Vince was voted to the USA Junior National Team where he played in the World Championships.

As a Tarheel at the University of North Carolina from 1995 through 1998, Vince gathered for two consecutive years, the statistical leader award. In addition he earned the best field goal percentage and the defensive player of the year awards in 1998. Vince helped the Tarheels make it to the final four in 1997/1998. In both of these games, he was the leading scorer. His outstanding college play propelled him to the five (5) finalists for the prestigious “ John Wooden Award” and the national player of the year award.

Vince Carter Top 100 Dunks Volume

On June 24, 1998, Vince’s parents watched with pride as the former Buccaneer and Tarheel was the fifth selection in the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft. He was selected by the Golden State Warriors but was immediately traded to the Toronto Raptors. On 5/2/99 Carter made his NBA debut with 16 points and 3 rebounds in a 103 - 92 victory over the Boston Celtics. During that Rookie season, the highlights and awards started to roll in. Carter became the first Raptor ever to be named NBA player of the week on March 21, 1999 and was also named NBA Rookie of the Month in March and April on his way to being named NBA Rookie of the year in a landslide victory, earning 113 of a possible 118 votes. During that rookie season, Carter led all rookies in scoring and blocked shots while leading his team in scoring, averaging 18.3 points per game.

During Carters second NBA Season, his status as an NBA Superstar was confirmed, leading the Raptors to the franchise’s first winning season and playoff birth, while gathering impressive individual accolades. On 27/2/00 Carter netted a career high 51 points and gathered 9 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns. Carter led all vote – getters in fan voting for the 2000, 2001 and 2002 NBA All star games. This set the stage for his dominating performance that earned him the Crown as the Slam Dunk Champion.

Last season, Carters third in the league, saw him continue to develop as a well rounded player, as he finished 5th in the league in scoring with 27.6 points per game while ranking sixth in the league in made 3 point field goals. On 2/3/01 Carter surpassed Doug Christie to become the Raptors all time leading scorer against New Jersey.

http://essayinfo.com/sample/essay/170/