Audie James Norris (born December 18, 1960) is an American retired professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. Norris played for the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

, from 1982 to 1985. His former teammate

Mychal Thompson Mychal George Thompson (born January 30, 1955) is a Bahamian-American former basketball player. The top overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Thompson played the center position for the University of Minnesota and center and forward for the Na ...

, who is the father of

Klay Thompson Klay Alexander Thompson (born February 8, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A four-time NBA champion with the Warriors, he is a five-time NBA All-Star ...

, gave him the nickname "The Atomic Dog", because of his brutal in-game dunks. After retiring from playing professional basketball in 1994, Norris has spent his time coaching and developing the skills of young student athletes. With more than 10 years as a consultant to European basketball teams, he has over 18 years of basketball coaching experience, on several levels of competition, from the cadet level, to

semi-pro ''Semi-Pro'' is a 2008 American sports comedy film. The film was directed by Kent Alterman in his directorial debut, written by Scot Armstrong, and produced by Jimmy Miller. It stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin and Maura Tier ...

men's leagues. He is a certified Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) Basketball Superior Coach, and a member of the Spanish Basketball Coaches Association, AEEB. Norris was also named an

Ambassador, by the league's commissioner

Adam Silver Adam Silver (born April 25, 1962) is an American lawyer and sports executive who serves as the fifth and current commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He joined the NBA in 1992 and has held various positions within the lea ...

, and he has participated in the NBA Ambassador programs, with Jr. NBA and NBA Cares. His brother Sylvester Norris was also a player for the NBA's

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

College career

Norris played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

Jackson State University Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi in terms of studen ...

, with the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

, from 1978 to 1982, while he studied Therapeutic Recreation and Special Education. During his time at Jackson State, he accumulated numerous accolades during those 4 years. He was named Freshman of the Year, and was a two-time league MVP. He was inducted into the Jackson State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.

Professional career

Norris was selected by the

in the second round of the 1982 NBA draft with the 37th overall pick of the draft. In three seasons with the Trail Blazers in the NBA, he averaged 4.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game. After that, Norris moved to Europe, to continue playing professional basketball. After he left the NBA, Norris spent the two seasons playing in the

Italian League The Italic League or Most Holy League was an international agreement concluded in Venice on 30 August 1454, between the Papal States, the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Milan, the Republic of Florence, and the Kingdom of Naples, following the Tr ...

, with Benetton Treviso. He was an Italian League All-Star in 1986. He then spent the next six seasons of his career in the Spanish League with

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...

. While with Barcelona, Norris played on one of the best teams in Europe at that time. Some of his teammates with the club included "Epi",

Nacho Solozábal Nachos are a Mexican culinary dish consisting of fried tortilla chips or ''totopos'' covered with melted cheese or cheese sauce, as well as a variety of other toppings and garnishes, often including meats (such as ground beef or grilled chicken ...

, Andrés Jiménez, and

Chicho Sibilio Chicho is a Spanish male nickname. It can be a pet name for many different Spanish names, including Francisco and Narciso. Notable people known by this nickname include: * Cándido Sibilio * Chicho Frumboli, also known as Mariano Frúmboli, Argenti ...

. With Barcelona, Norris won three Spanish League championships (

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, and

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

), two Spanish King's Cup titles (

and

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

), the

Spanish Super Cup Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

title (1987), the second-tier Spanish Prince's Cup title (1988), and the Catalan League title (

). With Barcelona, he also played in three straight

EuroLeague Final Four The EuroLeague Final Four is the final four format championship of the European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague Basketball Company used the final four format for the first time in 2002, f ...

s (

, and

), where he also made the

EuroLeague Finals The EuroLeague Finals are the championship finals of the EuroLeague competition. The EuroLeague is the highest level tier, and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe. Title holders * ......1958 Rīgas ASK * 1958� ...

in consecutive years (1990 and 1991). He was a two-time Spanish League All-Star (1988 and 1990), and he was also voted to the 1991

EuroLeague All-Final Four Team The EuroLeague All-Final Four Team, or FIBA SuproLeague All-Final Four Team, was an award given by Europe's premier level league, the EuroLeague, to the top five basketball players of each season's EuroLeague Final Four competition. The EuroLeag ...

. Norris finished his

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

career playing in the Greek League. He played with Peristeri Athens, during the 1993–94 season.Tougaloo College Adds To Athletic Staff
posted October 21, 2005 In total, Norris played 12 seasons as a professional basketball player.

Coaching career

During his basketball coaching career, Norris has served as an assistant coach for the

Jackson State Tigers The Jackson State Tigers and Lady Tigers represent Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi, in NCAA intercollegiate athletics. Conference affiliation Jackson State University's athletic teams participate in the Southwestern Athletic Confe ...

, head coach of the Saint Joseph Catholic High School girls basketball team, assistant

basketball coach Basketball coaching is the act of directing and strategizing the behavior of a basketball team or individual basketball player. Basketball coaching typically encompasses the improvement of individual and team offensive and defensive skills, as wel ...

of the

Tougaloo College Tougaloo College is a private historically black college in the Tougaloo area of Jackson, Mississippi. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It was originally established in 1869 by New Yo ...

girls basketball team, head coach of the Jackson State Lady Tigers, assistant coach of the Jackson Rage Pro team, head coach at Genesis One Christian Prep School, and head coach of the New Horizon Preparatory School. He has also had coaching appearances with the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

, Top 100 Camp, Uariachi Hoop Camp, 5-Star Basketball Camp, Mo Williams Skill Development Camp, and the Emvipi Foundation Academy. Since 2012, he has also worked at his camps and basketball clinics worldwide, in countries such as

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, and at the annual summer Audie Norris Basketball Camp, which is held at

L'Hospitalet de Llobregat L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (; es, Hospitalet de Llobregat), often shortened to L'Hospitalet or just L'H, is a municipality of Spain, located to the immediate southwest of Barcelona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is part of the Bar ...

, in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. In 2014, Norris signed with the

Spanish ACB League The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

team CDB Sevilla, as an assistant coach. However, he was officially listed as the team's

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

, instead of

Scott Roth Scott Edward Roth (born June 3, 1963) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Tasmania JackJumpers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). Early life Roth was born in Cleveland, Oh ...

, whose coaching license had not yet been processed by the Liga ACB.Audie Norris será el primer entrenador del Sevilla como 'tapadera' del 'ilegal' Roth
Marca.com, 3 October 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014 He was hired to coach the team's post players, two of whom later went on to play in the

Kristaps Porziņģis Kristaps Porziņģis (; born 2 August 1995) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the tallest active players in the NBA, standing at tall, and plays bo ...

and

Willy Hernangómez Guillermo Gustavo "Willy" Hernangómez Geuer (born 27 May 1994) is a Spanish professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at , he plays at the center position. Professional c ...

. In 2016, Norris took over as the head coach of the Jump10 Elite Training Camp, and he then served as the head coach of the Chinese team that was participating at the World Jump10 Hoops Challenge in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, where the team finished in 4th place. In September 2016, Norris worked for a month coaching the post players of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

team

Guangzhou Long-Lions The Guangzhou Loong Lions () are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Guangzhou, Guangdong. They play in the Southern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). History The team was founded in November 2000 as Shaanxi Gait ...

. Two of those players were sent to the Spanish league team Movistar Estudiantes.

Personal life

Norris' older brother, Sylvester, is also a former

player. He played with the

References

External links

*
NCAA statistics
@ sports-reference.com

Italian League Player Profile

Spanish League Archive Player Profile

Spanish League statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norris, Audie 1960 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people African-American basketball coaches African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Basketball players from Jackson, Mississippi Centers (basketball) FC Barcelona Bàsquet players Greek Basket League players Jackson State Tigers basketball players Liga ACB players Pallacanestro Treviso players Peristeri B.C. players Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Portland Trail Blazers players Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Jackson, Mississippi