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1997–98 Los Angeles Clippers Season
The 1997–98 NBA season was the Clippers' 28th season in the National Basketball Association, and their 4th season in Anaheim. During the off-season, the Clippers signed free agent James Robinson, and acquired Stojko Vrankovic from the Minnesota Timberwolves. With Loy Vaught going down early into the season with a back injury after only playing just ten games, averaging just 7.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, the Clippers struggled losing 14 of their first 16 games. After holding a 5–24 start, the team managed to win four of their next five games, but then lost 12 of their next 13 games afterwards, and held an 11–37 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the team traded Brent Barry to the Miami Heat in exchange for last year's Most Improved Player Isaac Austin. The Clippers lost 15 of their final 17 games, including a 10-game losing streak between March and April, finishing last place in the Pacific Division with a 17–65 record. Lamond Murray showed improvement ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Fitch
William Charles Fitch (May 19, 1932 – February 2, 2022) was an American professional basketball coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He developed multiple teams into playoff contenders and won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 1981. Before entering the professional ranks, he coached college basketball at the University of Minnesota, Bowling Green State University, the University of North Dakota, and his alma mater, Coe College. Fitch's teams twice qualified for the NCAA tournament. He won the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, and was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. College coaching career Fitch coached at four universities: the University of Minnesota, Bowling Green State University, the University of North Dakota, and his alma mater, Coe College. He led North Dakota to three NCAA Division II men's basketball tournaments, including a Final Four appearance in 1966. At his only season with Bowling Green ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brent Barry
Brent Robert Barry (born December 31, 1971), also known by the nickname "Bones", is an American basketball executive, broadcaster and former player. He is the current vice president of basketball operations for the San Antonio Spurs. The shooting guard played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning two NBA Finals, league championships with the Spurs in 2005 NBA Finals, 2005 and 2007 NBA Finals, 2007, and also won the Slam Dunk Contest in 1996 NBA All-Star Game, 1996. He is the son of former NBA player Rick Barry. After retiring, Barry worked as a sports commentator for the ''NBA on TNT'' and was a studio host for the NBA TV show ''NBA Gametime''. In 2018, he returned to the Spurs as an executive. He is also a commentator of the NBA 2K series and has been a commentator since the release of ''NBA 2K21''. Playing career Brent Barry was selected by the Denver Nuggets in the first round (15th pick) of the 1995 NBA draft, but was traded to the Los Angeles C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2002–03 NBA Season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4–2 in the 2003 NBA Finals. This would be Michael Jordan's last season in the NBA. This season would also mark the first finals since the 1998–99 NBA season that the Lakers did not appear in, and the Spurs' first finals appearance since then. Notable occurrences *The Hornets relocate from Charlotte, North Carolina to New Orleans, Louisiana. *At halftime of the Hornets' first game in New Orleans, the team retired Pete Maravich's jersey number against their former tenants, the Utah Jazz. Though Maravich never played for the Hornets, he had been a star player with LSU Tigers and New Orleans Jazz. *The San Antonio Spurs played their first game at the SBC Center, (now the AT&T Center). *The Houston Rockets played their final season at the Compaq Center (formerly as The Summit). *The 2003 NBA All-Star Game was held at t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lenny Wilkens
Leonard Randolph Wilkens (born October 28, 1937) is an American former basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, first in 1989 as a player, as a coach in 1998, and in 2010 as part of the 1992 United States Olympic "Dream Team," for which he was an assistant coach. In 1996, Wilkens was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team, and in 2021 he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. In addition, in 2022 he was also named to the list of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History, being the only person to be in both NBA 75th season celebration list as player and coach. He is also a 2006 inductee into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. Wilkens was a combined 13-time NBA All-Star as a player (nine times) and as a head coach (four times), was the 1993 NBA Coach of the Year, won the 1979 NBA championship as the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics, and an Olympic gold me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1998–99 Detroit Pistons Season
The 1998–99 NBA season was the Pistons' 51st season in the National Basketball Association, and 42nd season in the city of Detroit. On March 23, 1998, the owners of all 29 NBA teams voted 27–2 to reopen the league's collective bargaining agreement, seeking changes to the league's salary cap system, and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) opposed to the owners' plan, and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary. After both sides failed to reached an agreement, the owners called for a lockout, which began on July 1, 1998, putting a hold on all team trades, free agent signings and training camp workouts, and cancelling many NBA regular season and preseason games. Due to the lockout, the NBA All-Star Game, which was scheduled to be played in Philadelphia on February 14, 1999, was also cancelled. However, on January 6, 1999, NBA commissioner David Stern, and NBPA director Billy Hunter finally reached a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1998–99 Orlando Magic Season
The 1998–99 NBA season was the tenth season for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association. On March 23, 1998, the owners of all 29 NBA teams voted 27–2 to reopen the league's collective bargaining agreement, seeking changes to the league's salary cap system, and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) opposed to the owners' plan, and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary. After both sides failed to reach an agreement, the owners called for a lockout, which began on July 1, 1998, putting a hold on all team trades, free agent signings and training camp workouts, and cancelling many NBA regular season and preseason games. Due to the lockout, the NBA All-Star Game, which was scheduled to be played in Philadelphia on February 14, 1999, was also cancelled. However, on January 6, 1999, NBA commissioner David Stern, and NBPA director Billy Hunter finally reached an agreement to end the locko ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lorenzen Wright
Lorenzen Vern-Gagne Wright (November 4, 1975 – July 19, 2010) was an American professional basketball player for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He was drafted seventh overall in the 1996 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers and played for the Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, and Cleveland Cavaliers. Wright went missing on July 18, 2010, and was found shot to death 10 days later. In December 2017, his ex-wife Sherra Wright-Robinson was charged with facilitating his murder; a year and a half later, she pled guilty. Her friend, Billy Ray Turner, was convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and attempted first-degree murder in March 2022, and received a life sentence in prison. Widespread coverage of his disappearance, as well as his status as a popular Memphis figure, led to the prosecution of his murder being highly publicized in Memphis. Early life and college Raised in Oxford, Mississippi, Wright played ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Darrick Martin
Darrick David Martin (born March 6, 1971) is an American basketball coach, most recently head coach for the Reno Bighorns of the NBA G League. He played basketball for more than a decade, shuttling between the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), where he won the 2003 CBA Playoffs MVP, and the NBA. In 2003, he even played for the Harlem Globetrotters. He then went on to play for the Los Angeles Lightning of the Independent Basketball Association (IBL). He was named the head coach of Reno in June 2016. High school honors and collegiate history As a senior at St. Anthony High School, Martin was a Parade First-Team All-American and named to the McDonald's High School All-American team. Martin received a full scholarship from UCLA and played on a Bruins squad with future NBA players Don MacLean, Tracy Murray and Mitchell Butler. As a quick point guard, he completed his college career at UCLA in 1992 ranked second in school history in both assists (636) and steals (179) behind J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eric Piatkowski
Eric Todd Piatkowski (; born September 30, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball, Nebraska Cornhuskers. He is the son of former American Basketball Association (1967-1976), ABA player Walt Piatkowski. High school career Piatkowski attended Stevens High School (South Dakota), Rapid City Stevens High School and was a student and a standout in basketball. In basketball, as a senior, he led his team to the 1989 South Dakota Class AA State Championship, was an All-State selection, and was named the Mr. Basketball for the State of South Dakota. College career Piatkowski played at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for coach Danny Nee from 1990 to 1994. He was a member of the All Big Eight Freshman team in 1991 and was honorable mention All Big Eight his freshman and sophomore seasons. Piatkowski was a first team All-Big Eight pick by the Associ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maurice Taylor
Maurice De Shawn Taylor (born October 30, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played power forward and center positions. Originally from Detroit, Taylor played college basketball at Michigan and was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers as the 14th overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft. Taylor played from 1997 to 2007 in the NBA for the Clippers, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, and Sacramento Kings. From 2009 to 2011, Taylor played internationally in Italy and China. College career Taylor attended the University of Michigan. The athletic forward, from Henry Ford High School in Detroit, burst onto the national scene during the 1994 Maui Invitational with fellow freshman Maceo Baston. He won Big Ten Freshman of the Year for the 1994–1995 season, averaging 12.4 points and 5.1 rebounds and playing in the NCAA Tournament. As a sophomore, he averaged 14 points and 7 rebounds and was picked 2nd Team All-Big Ten. Off the court that year, Taylor was involv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rodney Rogers
Rodney Ray Rogers (born June 20, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who played for several teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early life Rogers was the fourth and youngest child born to Willie Wardsworth and Estella Rogers. He spent most of his childhood growing up in the McDougald Terrace housing project in Durham. His father, who left the family and moved to Texas when Rogers was a toddler, died when Rogers was eight.Atkinson, Charlie. - "Battling the Odds: Life Hasn't Dealt Kindly with Hillside's Rogers". - ''Greensboro News & Record''. - February 23, 1990. , - McCann, Gary. - "Rogers Making Most of Chance". - ''Greensboro News & Record''. - May 26, 1991. , - Chandler, Charles. - "Deacons' Rogers Keeps Family Close During Tough Times". - ''Charlotte Observer''. - March 12, 1992. , - McCann, Gary. - "Kid From the 'Hood Has Dreams". - ''Greensboro News & Record''. - November 22, 1992. , - "Rogers leaving demons in his past". - ''The De ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NBA Most Improved Player Award
The NBA's Most Improved Player Award (MIP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons. The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points; each second-place vote is worth three points, and each third-place vote is worth one point. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award. The criteria for selecting the most improved player was initially open-ended, but the NBA clarified in later years that it was intended for an up-and-coming player who improved dramatically and not a player who made a comeback, distinguishing it from the defunct NBA Comeback Player of the Year Award. Starting with the 2022–23 NBA season, winners receive the George Mikan Trophy, n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
