Derrick Demetrius Coleman (born June 21, 1967) 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. Coleman was born in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

, but grew up and attended high school in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, and attended college at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

. He was selected first overall in the 1990 NBA draft by the

New Jersey Nets 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, ...

. Throughout his career, the left-handed Coleman was an effective low post scorer, averaging 16.5 points and 9.3 rebounds. He enjoyed his best years as a member of the

, where he averaged 19.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. When Coleman entered the NBA, he was compared to elite power forwards such as

Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone spen ...

and

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the Natio ...

, and expected to put up similar numbers, only with the added ability to shoot from three-point range. Instead, his career was overshadowed by numerous injuries.

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

once remarked that "Coleman could have been the best power forward ever; instead he played just well enough to ensure his next paycheck." Coleman's Syracuse jersey number, 44, was retired on March 5, 2006. As of 2007, he was working as a developer and entrepreneur in

. He has also appeared as an occasional studio analyst for

NBA TV NBA TV is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and operated by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit. Dedicated to basketball, the network features exhibition, regular ...

's "NBA Gametime Live" coverage.

NBA career

Coleman was the first overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft after a successful college career. He had a solid rookie season and won the

NBA Rookie of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottl ...

in 1991. Coleman went on to improve during the 1991–92 season, averaging close to 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. The Nets were an up-and-coming team as well, with young players like Coleman, Kenny Anderson, Chris Morris and

Mookie Blaylock Daron Oshay "Mookie" Blaylock (born March 20, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player. He spent 13 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, and the Golden State Warriors. Col ...

teaming up with solid veteran players like

Sam Bowie Samuel Paul Bowie (born March 17, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A national sensation in high school and outstanding collegian and Olympic team member, Bowie's professional promise was undermined by repeated injuries ...

Chris Dudley Christen Guilford Dudley (born February 22, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player and politician. He played 886 games across 16 seasons in the NBA for the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets, Portland Trail Blazers, New ...

, Terry Mills and

Dražen Petrović Dražen Petrović (; 22 October 1964 – 7 June 1993) was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he initially achieved success playing professional basketball in Europe in the 1980s, before joining the Natio ...

. The addition of coach

Chuck Daly Charles Jerome Daly (July 20, 1930 – May 9, 2009) was an American basketball head coach. He led the Detroit Pistons to two consecutive National Basketball Association (NBA) championships in 1989 and 1990—during the team's "Bad Boys" era— ...

, who won two NBA championships with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

as head coach, was enough to get the Nets a winning record and into the playoffs during the 1992–93 season. The 1993–94 season was the peak for Coleman and the Nets during his time with the team. The Nets made it to the playoffs for the third straight season, while Coleman averaged his second straight 20 points, 10 rebounds season and was selected to represent the Nets in the All-Star game along with teammate Kenny Anderson. In 1995, the Nets traded Coleman,

Rex Walters Rex Andrew Walters (born March 12, 1970) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Previously, he was the Associate Hea ...

, and Sean Higgins to 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 Eas ...

for

Shawn Bradley Shawn Paul Bradley (born March 22, 1972) is a German-American former professional basketball player who played center for the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, and Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the ...

Tim Perry Timothy D. Perry (born June 4, 1965) is an American former basketball player. Following his college career with Temple he played professionally for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association and Liga ACB. Playing career Perry played colle ...

, and

Greg Graham Gregory Lawrence Graham (born November 26, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played five seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). College career Graham played collegiately for Bob Knight and the Indi ...

. During a 1995 game featuring Coleman's Nets and rival

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), ...

, Coleman controversially referred to Malone as an '

Uncle Tom Uncle Tom is the title character of Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel, ''Uncle Tom's Cabin''. The character was seen by many readers as a ground-breaking humanistic portrayal of a slave, one who uses nonresistance and gives his life to protect ...

'. In 1999, Coleman signed with 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 2001, he was reacquired by the Philadelphia 76ers in a three-team trade involving the Golden State Warriors, where the Hornets acquired Chris Porter,

Robert Traylor Robert DeShaun "Tractor" Traylor (February 1, 1977 – May 11, 2011) was an American professional basketball player. He got his nickname because of his hulking frame. Traylor was the sixth pick in the 1998 NBA draft and played seven seasons in th ...

, George Lynch, and

Jérôme Moïso Jérôme Moïso (born 15 June 1978) is a French former professional basketball player. College career He played college basketball at UCLA with the UCLA Bruins. Professional career A forward-center who has played in the NBA, Moïso was selected ...

. He played for the US national team in the

1994 FIBA World Championship The 1994 FIBA World Championship was the 12th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. The tournament was hosted by Canada from August 4 to 14, 1994. The tournament was held at SkyDome and Maple L ...

, winning the gold medal. In 2004, Coleman and

Amal McCaskill Amal Omari McCaskill (born October 28, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player, at the center position. After a four-year career at Marquette University, McCaskill was selected by the National Basketball Association's Orlando ...

were traded to the

for

Corliss Williamson Corliss Mondari Williamson (born December 4, 1973) is an American basketball coach and former basketball player who played for four teams during his 12-year NBA career. He last served as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns. His nickname is ...

. The 2004–05 season would be Coleman's last, as he was cut by the team in January 2005. He was one of nine NBA players that faced suspension for his role in the infamous November 2004

Pacers–Pistons brawl The Malice at the Palace (also known as the Pacers–Pistons brawl) occurred during a National Basketball Association (NBA) game between the Indiana Pacers and the defending champion Detroit Pistons on Friday, November 19, 2004, at The Palace ...

. Coleman is one of only three players in NBA history to record a

five-by-five In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: point (basketball), points, rebound (basketball), rebounds, assist (basketball), assists ...

in a game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds (the other two being

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian Americans, Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Ass ...

and

Draymond Green Draymond Jamal Green Sr. (born March 4, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Green, who plays primarily at the Power forward (basketball), power forward ...

Post NBA

Coleman purchased a home in

Franklin Lakes, New Jersey Franklin Lakes is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,079, an increase of 489 (+4.6%) from the 2010 census count of 10,590, which in turn reflected a ...

, where he resided until 2010, when he moved to

. After the

water crisis Water scarcity (closely related to water stress or water crisis) is the lack of fresh water resources to meet the standard water demand. There are two types of water scarcity: physical or economic water scarcity. Physical water scarcity is wher ...

began in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

, Coleman drove 65 miles daily to bring residents clean bottled water and eating utensils, which they did not have access to.How former NBA bust Derrick Coleman became a hero
/ref>

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, 74 , , 68 , , 35.2 , , .467 , , .342 , , .731 , , 10.3 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , 18.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , 58 , , 34.0 , , .504 , , .303 , , .763 , , 9.5 , , 3.2 , , 0.8 , , 1.5 , , 19.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 73 , , 36.3 , , .460 , , .232 , , .808 , , 11.2 , , 3.6 , , 1.2 , , 1.7 , , 20.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 77 , , 36.1 , , .447 , , .314 , , .774 , , 11.3 , , 3.4 , , 0.9 , , 1.8 , , 20.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 56 , , 54 , , 37.6 , , .424 , , .233 , , .767 , , 10.6 , , 3.3 , , 0.6 , , 1.7 , , 20.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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. Sinc ...

, 11 , , 11 , , 26.7 , , .407 , , .333 , , .625 , , 6.5 , , 2.8 , , 0.4 , , 0.9 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 57 , , 54 , , 36.9 , , .435 , , .269 , , .745 , , 10.1 , , 3.4 , , 0.9 , , 1.3 , , 18.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 59 , , 58 , , 36.2 , , .411 , , .265 , , .772 , , 9.9 , , 2.5 , , 0.8 , , 1.2 , , 17.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

, 37 , , 29 , , 31.8 , , .414 , , .212 , , .753 , , 8.9 , , 2.1 , , 0.6 , , 1.1 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , 64 , , 31.7 , , .456 , , .362 , , .785 , , 8.5 , , 2.4 , , 0.5 , , 1.8 , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 3 , , 20.1 , , .380 , , .392 , , .685 , , 5.4 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 0.6 , , 8.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 58 , , 58 , , 35.9 , , .450 , , .337 , , .815 , , 8.8 , , 1.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.9 , , 15.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 64 , , 35 , , 27.2 , , .448 , , .328 , , .784 , , 7.0 , , 1.4 , , 0.8 , , 1.1 , , 9.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 30 , , 24.8 , , .413 , , .222 , , .754 , , 5.6 , , 1.4 , , 0.7 , , 0.8 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 10.0 , , .214 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 3.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 781 , , 672 , , 33.2 , , .447 , , .295 , , .769 , , 9.3 , , 2.5 , , 0.8 , , 1.3 , , 16.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 1 , , 18.0 , , .167 , , .000 , , – , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4, , 4, , 40.5, , .486, , .167, , .762, , 11.3, , 5.3, , 1.8, , 1.0, , 22.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5, , 5, , 45.0, , .532, , .417, , .806, , 13.4, , 4.6, , 1.2, , 2.6, , 26.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4, , 4, , 43.3, , .397, , .556, , .780, , 14.3, , 2.5, , 0.5, , 1.3, , 24.5 , - , 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 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4, , 4, , 42.3, , .474, , .313, , .786, , 12.5, , 3.5, , 0.8, , 3.0, , 20.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5, , 0, , 17.6, , .265, , .250, , .778, , 5.0, , 1.2, , 0.8, , 0.4 , , 5.4 , - , 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;",

, 5, , 5, , 38.2, , .524, , .308, , .800, , 9.2, , 2.0, , 0.2, , 1.4, , 12.8 , - , 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 des ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 12, , 12, , 37.4, , .500, , .400, , .872, , 8.0, , 2.0, , 0.6, , 1.3, , 13.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 39 , , 34 , , 37.4 , , .472 , , .351 , , .806 , , 9.9 , , 2.8 , , 0.8 , , 1.5 , , 16.8

References

External links

nba.com/historical/playerfile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Derrick 1967 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Alabama Basketball players from Detroit Charlotte Hornets players Detroit Pistons players FIBA World Championship-winning players McDonald's High School All-Americans National Basketball Association All-Stars New Jersey Nets draft picks New Jersey Nets players People from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey Philadelphia 76ers players Power forwards (basketball) Northern High School (Detroit, Michigan) alumni Sportspeople from Mobile, Alabama Syracuse Orange men's basketball players United States men's national basketball team players 1994 FIBA World Championship players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople

NBA career

Post NBA

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links