Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13, 1979) is an American former 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 who is a studio analyst for the ''
NBA on TNT''. He was a two-time
NBA All-Star
The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...
, made the
All-NBA Third Team in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
, and twice
led the NBA in steals. He was drafted with the third overall pick in the
1999 NBA draft by the
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...
. He also played in the NBA for the
New Orleans Hornets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
,
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
,
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
,
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...
and
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
. Davis 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 ...
for the
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...
, earning
All-American honors before turning professional after his sophomore year. He was a star high school player while at
Crossroads School. Davis holds the NBA's career playoff record for steals per game with an average of 2.28 over 50 games.
Early life
Davis was born in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
and grew up in the
South Central area. His grandmother and guardian, Lela Nicholson, was instrumental in pushing him to play basketball. With her encouragement, he eventually enrolled at
Crossroads School, a prestigious private school in
Santa Monica
Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to i ...
.
As a senior at Crossroads, Davis led his team to the championship of The Beach Ball Classic tournament in
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as "The Grand Strand" in the northeastern part of the state. Its ...
over perennial prep powerhouse
Simon Gratz High School
Simon Gratz High School Mastery Charter, formerly Simon Gratz High School is a secondary school in Philadelphia, named after Simon Gratz (1840-1925), a member of the Philadelphia Board of Education. Originally a public high school operated by th ...
(
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
), while earning MVP honors and a spot on the All-Tournament team along with future
St. John's standout
Erick Barkley
Erick Barkley (born February 21, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Queens, New York, he played high school basketball at Christ the King Regional High School and the Maine Central Institute and college basketba ...
at that prestigious event. That year, Davis was also named
Gatorade National Player of the Year and a
''Parade'' All-American. He was also selected to play in the prestigious
McDonald's All-American High School Basketball Game in
Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
in 1997, playing with future NBA players
Elton Brand,
Shane Battier
Shane Courtney Battier (born September 9, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He's also worked for ESPN and recently joined the board of Yext.
Battier is best known for his four years playing basketball at Duke, his 13 y ...
,
Larry Hughes and
Ron Artest.
College career
After a highly contested recruiting battle that saw
Kansas
Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...
,
Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
,
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...
, and
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
in hot pursuit for his services, Davis selected UCLA as college choice, so that he could play in front of his family and friends. During this time, Davis was involved in a minor controversy pertaining to his driving a 1991
Chevy Blazer
The Chevrolet Blazer is an automobile nameplate used by General Motors for its Chevrolet brand since 1969 for several SUV models:
* Full-size Chevrolet K5 Blazer, based on the C/K pickup chassis and built from 1969 to 1995 (renamed Blazer in 19 ...
that was a gift from his sister, then a UCLA employee. The car was sold to her by
Jim Harrick's son. At the time, Harrick was the UCLA men's basketball coach, presenting both a conflict of interest and a potential recruiting violation, since rumor had it that the car was purchased below market value. The controversy subsided when it was discovered that Davis's sister had, in fact, bought the car at fair market value. Davis then enrolled at UCLA in 1997 without problem. In 1998, Davis was named the
Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and made the
third-team All-American his sophomore year in 1999.
In Davis's two years at UCLA, he averaged 13.6 points and 5.1 assists for the Bruins. While coming down from a dunk during an NCAA Tournament game his freshman year, he injured his knee and tore his
anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formati ...
(ACL). Surprisingly, though, he made a full recovery the next season and seemed to have regained nearly all of the speed, quickness, and explosiveness he had before the injury while doing enough on the basketball court to warrant his declaring for the
1999 NBA draft after his sophomore campaign.
Professional career
Charlotte Hornets (1999–2002)
Davis was the third pick in the
1999 NBA draft by the
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...
. In his NBA debut, a 100–86 win over the
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...
, Davis scored nine points, and added five rebounds, two assists and two steals. In Davis's first year, he backed up
Eddie Jones and
David Wesley
David Barakau Wesley (born November 14, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the current television color analyst for the New Orleans Pelicans. He is the cous ...
, as the Hornets lost in the first round of the
playoffs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...
to the 76ers in four games.
Davis saw better success the following year, as his averages in points, assists, steals and minutes per game all increased and he started all 82 games for the Hornets. Davis lead the Hornets back into the playoffs, and swept the
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
before being defeated by the
Ray Allen-led
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 196 ...
in seven games in the second round. Davis is credited with making the
longest shot in NBA history at the
Bradley Center
The Bradley Center (also known as the BMO Harris Bradley Center under sponsorship agreements) was a multi-purpose arena located on the northwest corner of North Vel R. Phillips Ave. and West State Streets in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United ...
on February 17, 2001, when he made an shot with 0.7 seconds remaining in the third quarter against the Bucks. During
All-Star weekend, he also participated in the
Slam Dunk Contest and the
Rising Stars Challenge
The next season, Davis again started all 82 games while averaging 18 points and 8.5 assists per game. He was also selected as an injury replacement for
Vince Carter
Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played p ...
in the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. The Hornets made the playoffs with Davis for the third time in as many years, but after defeating the
Tracy McGrady
Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, two- ...
-led
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...
in the opening round, they were eliminated in the second round by the
Jason Kidd-led
New Jersey Nets.
New Orleans Hornets (2002–2005)
In the summer of 2002, the Hornets relocated from
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...
, to
. In the
New Orleans Hornets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
' inaugural season, Davis suffered multiple injuries that limited him to just 50 games. He was still able to lead the Hornets back to the playoffs, but they would fall to the
Allen Iverson
Allen Ezail Iverson (; born June 7, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Answer", he played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) at both the shooting guard and point guard positions. Iv ...
-led
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...
in the first round. Iverson would later describe Davis as the most difficult defensive assignment of his career.
The following season saw injuries limited Davis to 67 games. Despite this, he led the league in steals per game, was voted an All-Star for the second time, and earned an All-NBA third team selection. Davis also won the
Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend. The Hornets were ultimately ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the
Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. (; born January 17, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Wade spent the majority of his 16-year career playing for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won three NBA cham ...
-led
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
in seven games.
The Hornets made the playoffs in each of Davis's five years with the team, and only advanced past the first round in the two years he started every game. After Davis was traded to Golden State, New Orleans failed to make the playoffs for three straight years. He played for the
U.S. national team in the
2002 FIBA World Championship.
Golden State Warriors (2005–2008)
On February 24, 2005, Davis was traded from the Hornets to the
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
for guard
Speedy Claxton and veteran forward
Dale Davis after tension with the Hornets' coaching staff and several nagging injuries. The move created one of the more potent backcourts in the NBA with Davis and star guard
Jason Richardson. It also saw Davis's return to California, where he had craved to return since his college days at
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
.
After two seasons in which the Warriors underachieved under coach
Mike Montgomery, the Warriors hired former coach
Don Nelson
Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335 (he held the record for most wins for almost 12 ...
for the
2006–07 season. His high-scoring offensive system was designed to fit Davis's up-tempo style. Although Davis suffered through knee soreness and underwent surgery during the season, he still led the league in steals per game and the Warriors to their first playoff appearance since
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...
. The Warriors swept the regular season series against the Mavericks 3–0, giving them an advantage and won the series against the top-seeded
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. Th ...
4–2, making them the first No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed since the NBA changed the 1st round from a 5-game series to a 7-game series. It was numerically the largest upset in the history of the NBA playoffs, with the 67–15 Mavericks' regular-season win–loss record 25 games better than the 42–40 Warriors'. Davis averaged 25 points per game in the series.
Steve Kerr
Stephen Douglas Kerr (born September 27, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a nine-time NBA champion, havi ...
, then television analyst, called Davis's performance in the
2007 NBA playoffs "outrageous...stunningly athletic and creative and explosive." Davis's playoff highlights included numerous acrobatic layups, a buzzer-beating half-court three-pointer, and a memorable dunk over
Andrei Kirilenko
Andrei Gennadyevich Kirilenko (russian: Андрей Геннадьевич Кириленко; born February 18, 1981) is a Russian-American basketball executive and former professional basketball player, currently the commissioner of the Russ ...
. The
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...
eliminated the undersized Warriors 4 games to 1. Davis averaged 25.3 points, 6.5 assists, 2.9 steals, and 4.5 rebounds per game in the 2007 Playoffs.
In 2008, during a playoff elimination game against the Phoenix Suns, Coach Nelson benched Davis at halftime due to his poor play (shooting 2–13 in 17 minutes). Down fourteen at the half, the Warriors lost by six. Some sportswriters criticized Nelson's decision to bench his team's star with an entire half left to play; other writers speculated about possible friction between Davis and Nelson, which Nelson denied. After the 2007–08 season, in which the Warriors were narrowly edged out of playoff contention despite a record of 48–34 (led by Davis—who remained injury-free throughout the season—with averages of 21.8 PPG, 7.6 assists, 2.3 steals, 4.6 RPG), Davis's agent Todd Ramasar stated that Davis might opt out of his contract with the Warriors, which would have paid him $17.8 million, to pursue other options. On June 30, 2008, Davis opted out of his contract with the Golden State Warriors.
Los Angeles Clippers (2008–2011)
On July 1, 2008, Davis verbally agreed to a 5-year, $65 million deal to play for his hometown team, the
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
, and officially signed with the Clippers on July 10, 2008.
Davis initially decided to join the Clippers with the intent of playing with
Elton Brand, but Brand shockingly opted out of his contract to sign with the
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...
. After officially signing with the Clippers, Davis said that Brand's departure had no impact on his decision to come to Los Angeles.
Prior to Davis's arrival, the Clippers had never even won their division or conference, and had only advanced past the first round of the playoffs twice since entering the league in 1970. Davis promised to change that, and despite Brand's departure, Clippers fans remained excited to have a star who could compete with crosstown rival
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely r ...
's popularity.
Davis's first year with the Clippers was marked with a series of injuries and disappointments, as the Clippers struggled to a 19–63 record in which Davis was only able to play 65 games, and saw his points per game average and field goal percentage take a steep decline. Despite this, Davis did produce a few bright spots on the year. On November 22, he scored 30 points and handed out 10
assists in a game against the New Jersey Nets. He also had a pair of 20-assist games on the year.
On November 20, 2009, at a home game vs the
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
, Baron reached and surpassed the 5,000-assist mark. In his third year with the Clippers, a rejuvenated and healthy Davis saw some success playing alongside youngsters
Eric Gordon
Eric Ambrose Gordon Jr. (born December 25, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In high school, he was named "Mr. Basketball" of Indiana during his senior yea ...
,
DeAndre Jordan
Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. (born July 21, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies.
Jordan was se ...
and Rookie of the Year
Blake Griffin. While Davis was finally showing the ability that prompted Clippers management to sign him, run-ins with the coaching staff and Clippers' owner
Donald Sterling as well as the team's decision to get younger and rebuild, made the Clippers decide to move in a new direction.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2011)
On February 24, 2011, Davis was traded to the
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...
along with a first round pick (which turned out to be the first overall pick in the
2011 NBA draft
The 2011 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2011, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (23:00 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. Kia Motors was the presenting spons ...
,
Kyrie Irving), in exchange for
Mo Williams
Maurice Williams (born December 19, 1982) is the head men's basketball coach at Jackson State University and a former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a successful high scho ...
and
Jamario Moon
Jamario Raman Moon (born June 13, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for one season at Meridian Community College and began his professional career with teams in the United States Basketball Le ...
. This trade to Cleveland marked a reunion between Davis and former coach Byron Scott, to which Davis was quoted as saying "I know we're together for a reason. There's some things my game can benefit from just playing in his system". Davis chose to wear no. 85 to honor his grandparents who raised him in Los Angeles and whose house was on 85th Street. In his debut with the Cavs, Baron scored 18 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, had 5 assists, and made four three-point shots, in a win over the
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
.
Despite joining a Cavaliers team who at the time of the trade had the worst record in the NBA (which included a record-setting 26-game losing streak), Davis helped the Cavaliers close the season with several victories, including a 102–90 upset victory over
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...
and the
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
, to ensure that Cleveland did not have the worst record in the league at the season's end.
On December 14, 2011, the Cavaliers waived Davis via the
amnesty clause. He still made the $30 million over the two years left on his contract, but it did not count against Cleveland's salary cap.
The Cavaliers had drafted
Kyrie Irving with their first overall pick, and wanted to give him the starting point guard spot, allowing Davis to seek a starting job on a contending team. The Knicks, Heat and Lakers were in the market for a point guard at the time.
New York Knicks (2011–2012)
On December 19, 2011, Davis signed a one-year contract with the
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
, choosing New York over the Lakers and Heat who also expressed interest in signing Davis. At the time of the signing, Davis had a
herniated disk
Spinal disc herniation is an injury to the cushioning and connective tissue between vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physic ...
in his back.
He did not make his debut for the Knicks until February 20, 2012, coming off the bench to score a three-pointer along with an assist.
Davis took over as the Knicks' starting point guard following the season-ending injury to
Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Shu-How Lin (born August 23, 1988) is a Taiwanese-American professional basketball player who last played for the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He unexpectedly led a winning turnaround with the N ...
. He also started the four playoff games he played in. On May 6, 2012, during Game 4 of the first round of the
playoffs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...
in New York's win against the
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
, Davis injured his right knee while dribbling down the court. He was carted off the court on a stretcher. He underwent surgery after an
MRI revealed a partial tear of the
patellar tendon
The patellar tendon is the distal portion of the common tendon of the quadriceps femoris, which is continued from the patella to the tibial tuberosity. It is also sometimes called the patellar ligament as it forms a bone to bone connection when ...
in his right knee and complete tears of the right
ACL and
MCL.
Delaware 87ers (2016)
Davis became an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2012, but he was expected to be out until May 2013 while recovering from his surgery. He made a return to the basketball court in July 2015, scoring 44 points in the
Drew League
The Drew League is a pro–am basketball league held every summer in Los Angeles, California. Established in 1973, the league has grown in popularity over the years, with NBA players regularly participating in its games.
History
The Drew L ...
(which was the subject of his documentary ''The Drew: No Excuse, Just Produce''), and subsequently announced his interest in returning to the NBA. On January 15, 2016, he signed a contract to play in the
NBA Development League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...
, and on March 2, he was acquired by the
Delaware 87ers. Two days later, he made his D-League debut in a 114–106 loss to the
Iowa Energy, recording eight points, one rebound, four assists and three steals in 19 minutes off the bench. In six games for Delaware to conclude the 2015–16 season, Davis averaged 12.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Davis participated in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game 2017 as part of Michael Smith's West Team.
3's Company (2018)
On June 22, 2018, Davis made his debut for
3's Company of the
Big3
Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former NBA players and international play ...
league, leading the team with 17 points and 9 rebounds in a 21-point win. Davis finished the
2018 season with averages of 15.2 points, 4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1 steal in five games played; he ranked 5th in the league in steals per game, 5th in 3-pointers, and 6th in 3-point percentage.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
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Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
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Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
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Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
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, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
, 67 , , 66 , , 40.1 , , .395 , , .321 , , .673 , , 4.3 , , 7.5 , , style="background:#CFECEC, 2.4* , , .4 , , 22.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
, 18 , , 13 , , 32.9 , , .366 , , .321 , , .771 , , 3.7 , , 7.2 , , 1.7 , , .2 , , 18.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 28 , , 19 , , 35.3 , , .401 , , .341 , , .755 , , 3.9 , , 8.3 , , 1.8 , , .4 , , 19.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 54 , , 48 , , 36.5 , , .389 , , .315 , , .675 , , 4.4 , , 8.9 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , 17.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 63 , , 62 , , 35.3 , , .439 , , .304 , , .745 , , 4.4 , , 8.1 , , style="background:#CFECEC, 2.1* , , .5 , , 20.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 82 , , 82 , , 39.0 , , .426 , , .330 , , .750 , , 4.7 , , 7.6 , , 2.3 , , .5 , , 21.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
L.A. Clippers
, 65 , , 60 , , 34.6 , , .370 , , .302 , , .757 , , 3.7 , , 7.7 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , 14.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
L.A. Clippers
, 75 , , 73 , , 33.6 , , .406 , , .277 , , .821 , , 3.5 , , 8.0 , , 1.7 , , .6 , , 15.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
L.A. Clippers
, 43 , , 35 , , 29.5 , , .416 , , .296 , , .760 , , 2.8 , , 7.0 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , 12.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...
, 15 , , 9 , , 25.3 , , .421 , , .414 , , .815 , , 2.4 , , 6.1 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 13.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, 29 , , 14 , , 20.5 , , .370 , , .306 , , .667 , , 1.9 , , 4.7 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 6.1
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career
, 835 , , 692 , , 34.2 , , .409 , , .320 , , .711 , , 3.8 , , 7.2 , , 1.8 , , .4 , , 16.1
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , All-Star
, 2 , , 0 , , 14.5 , , .286 , , .111 , , .000 , , .5 , , 6.0 , , .5 , , .0 , , 4.5
Playoffs
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
, 4 , , 0 , , 14.3 , , .435 , , .167 , , .500 , , 1.5 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 5.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
, 10 , , 10 , , 39.7 , , .480 , , .400 , , .714 , , 4.4 , , 5.8 , , style="background:#CFECEC, 2.8* , , .5 , , 17.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
, 9 , , 9 , , 44.6 , , .378 , , .339 , , .597 , , 7.0 , , 7.9 , , style="background:#CFECEC, 3.6* , , .6 , , 22.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...
, style="text-align:left;",
, 5 , , 5 , , 38.8 , , .446 , , .343 , , .727 , , 3.6 , , 8.4 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , 20.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
, style="text-align:left;",
, 7 , , 7 , , 37.1 , , .377 , , .327 , , .758 , , 4.1 , , 7.0 , , 1.6 , , .7 , , 18.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 11 , , 11 , , 40.5 , , .513 , , .373 , , .770 , , 4.5 , , 6.5 , , style="background:#CFECEC, 2.9* , , .6 , , 25.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
, style="text-align:left;",
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, 4 , , 4 , , 24.3 , , .478 , , .286 , , 1.000 , , .8 , , 3.3 , , .0 , , .0 , , 7.8
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career
, 50 , , 46 , , 37.0 , , .442 , , .350 , , .709 , , 4.3 , , 6.2 , , style="background:#E0CEF2;", 2.3 , , .5 , , 18.8
Awards and honors
;NBA
* 2×
NBA All-Star
The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...
(, )
*
All-NBA Third Team ()
* 2×
NBA steals leader (, )
*
NBA Skills Challenge champion ()
;College
*
AP Third-team
All-American (
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
)
* First-team
All-Pac-10 (1999)
*
Pac-10 Freshman of the Year (1998)
*
Pac-10
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Divisio ...
All-Freshman Team (1998)
*
Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team
*
UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame (2016)
;High school
*
Gatorade Player of the Year
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' cross country, boys' football, boys' ...
(1997)
*
McDonald's All-American (1997)
*
California Mr. Basketball Each year the California Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in the U.S. state of California. Many have gone on to play in the NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a p ...
(1997)
Personal life
On January 30, 2014, Davis married former
Creative Artists Agency
Creative Artists Agency LLC (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. It is regarded as an influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous clients. In March 2016, CAA had 1,800 emplo ...
(CAA) agent Isabella Brewster, the sister of actress
Jordana Brewster
Jordana Brewster (born April 26, 1980) is a Panamanian-American actress. Best known for her role as Mia Toretto in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise, she made her acting debut in an episode of ''All My Children'' in 1995 and next took on the recu ...
. In April 2014, Brewster announced she and Davis were expecting a child. In January 2016, Brewster gave birth to the couple's second child. The couple split in June 2017. In late 2017, Davis was spotted on several dates with actress
Laura Dern
Laura Elizabeth Dern (born February 10, 1967) is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, and five Golden Globe Awards.
Born to actor Bruce Dern and act ...
.
Broadcasting career
Since 2017, Davis is also a regular panelist during NBA on TNT's Monday coverage called ''Players Only'', which features only former NBA players as studio analysts, play-by-play announcers, and color analysts for games.
Film and television
In addition to his NBA career, Davis has had an increasing role in the film industry, with the intention of making it a full-time career when his playing days are over.
He is a member of the
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to me ...
, having earned membership by appearing in movies such as ''
The Cookout
''The Cookout'' is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Lance Rivera, written by Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere. The film introduces Quran Pender (credited as "Storm P") as Todd Anderson and stars Ja Rule, Tim Meadows, Jenifer Lewis, Meagan ...
'' and guest-starring on the ABC Family show
''Lincoln Heights'' and ABC's
''The Forgotten''. He has made appearances both as himself and fictional characters in movies and on television, and has also been involved in producing a number of films, ranging from ''
The Pool Boys'' to ''
Crips and Bloods: Made in America''.
Davis and high school friend, Cash Warren, formed a production company called ''Verso Entertainment'' in 2005.
Davis appeared on the DVD commentary track of the 2008 film ''
Step Brothers'' alongside
Will Ferrell and
John C. Reilly
John Christopher Reilly (born May 24, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, musician, producer, and writer. After his film debut in '' Casualties of War'' (1989), he gained exposure through his supporting roles in '' Days of Thunder'' (1990), '' ...
, and appears as himself during season three of ''
Hot In Cleveland''. He appeared in the 2012 film ''
That's My Boy'' as a gym teacher, and in 2015, he appeared in
Yahoo! Screen
The company Yahoo! ran several similar video services. Yahoo! Video, a video hosting service, was established in 2006. Later, the ability to upload videos was removed, changing it to a more pure video on demand service; the website became a p ...
's ''
Sin City Saints'', playing the role of Billy Crane. He also played himself in the 2015 film ''
The Night Before'', and portrayed a doctor in ''
Joe Dirt 2''.
On November 12, 2015, Davis co-starred alongside
Kyrie Irving,
Ray Allen and
J. B. Smoove
Jerry Angelo Brooks (born December 16, 1965), commonly known by his stage name J. B. Smoove, is an American actor, comedian and writer. After beginning his career in 1995 on ''Def Comedy Jam'', he was a writer and performer on NBC's ''Saturday Ni ...
as Louis in the fourth episode of "Uncle Drew", a series of
Pepsi Max
Pepsi Max (also known as Pepsi Black in some countries) is a low- calorie, sugar-free cola, marketed by PepsiCo as an alternative to Pepsi and Diet Pepsi. Pepsi Max is still available primarily in Asian and European markets. While Pepsi Max wa ...
advertisements written and directed by Irving.
In
Mozart in the Jungle
''Mozart in the Jungle'' is an American comedy-drama streaming television series developed by Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, Alex Timbers, and Paul Weitz for the video-on-demand service Amazon Prime Video. It received a production order in ...
's last three episodes of the third season, Davis made a special guest appearance as Kevin Majors, an injured NBA player.
Davis appeared in the 2017 Chinese film ''
My Other Home
''My Other Home'', also known as ''Another Shot'', is a 2017 Chinese-American sports biographical film directed by Larry Yang and produced by Huang Jianxin, starring American basketball player Stephon Marbury as himself, focusing on his days in Chi ...
'' starring
Stephon Marbury.
He stars in the scripted television sitcom ''WTF, Baron Davis'' on the
Fuse
Fuse or FUSE may refer to:
Devices
* Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current
** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles
* Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...
channel, premiering January 20, 2019.
In 2019, Davis was able to work with the director
Kelly Blatz as an executive producer for the film ''
Senior Love Triangle''.
Baron Davis the basketball player should not be confused with Baron Davis the voice actor, who did additional voices in ''
Tarzan II'' and ''
The Jungle Book 2''. However, Davis the basketball player did some voiceover work for the series ''
TripTank
''TripTank'' is an American adult animated sketch comedy television series which premiered April 2, 2014 on Comedy Central. The show is made up of various sketches, portrayed by multiple animation styles created by many different animators and w ...
'', as Stedmund the horse.
Business
In 2012, Davis formed the gaming company ''5 Balloons Interactive'' with Sean O'Brien, formerly of EA Sports, to produce games for the
iPhone,
iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, ...
, and
iPod Touch
The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a musi ...
. Their first game was called "Getting Buckets".
In 2016, Davis created the Black Santa Company to promote African American stories and figures. It also sells shirts, beanies, onesies, as well as Christmas ornaments among other products.
November 2019, Davis joined an advisory board for Tinley Beverage Company Inc.
See also
*
List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders
*
List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders
*
List of National Basketball Association annual steals leaders
In basketball, a steal is a "defensive action" that causes the opponent to turn the ball over. The National Basketball Association's (NBA) steal title is awarded to the player with the highest steals per game average in a given season. The ste ...
*
References
External links
NBA.com profile*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Baron
1979 births
Living people
African-American basketball players
All-American college men's basketball players
Basketball players from Los Angeles
Big3 players
Charlotte Hornets draft picks
Charlotte Hornets players
Cleveland Cavaliers players
Crossroads School alumni
Delaware 87ers players
Golden State Warriors players
Los Angeles Clippers players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
National Basketball Association All-Stars
New Orleans Hornets players
New York Knicks players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Point guards
UCLA Bruins men's basketball players
United States men's national basketball team players
American men's basketball players
2002 FIBA World Championship players
Goodwill Games medalists in basketball
Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American sportspeople
American men's 3x3 basketball players