Kareem Reid (born August 27, 1975) is a former

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

in the

National Basketball 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 ...

. He played college basketball for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, and went on to play professionally in several leagues in the United States and Europe."Kareem Reid."
NBA Development League. ''www.stats.nbadleague.com.'' Retrieved May 29, 2014. Reid is also a well known street-ball player in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, playing in the

Rucker Park Greg Marius Court at Holcombe Rucker Park is a basketball court in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, just east of the former Polo Grounds site. It is geographically at the base of a large cliff ...

league, where he won three consecutive championships at the Entertainers Ballers Classic from 2002-2004.Diaz, Angel, and Justin Block
"23. Kareem Reid - The 25 Greatest Streetball Players of All Time."
''www.complex.com.'' Retrieved October 28, 2013.

High school career

Reid led St. Raymond High School for Boys to New York City and state championships as a junior in 1993, and to the city championship as a senior in 1994. One of the top rated point guards in the country as a senior, Reid was named a

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger ...

, and signed with the Arkansas Razorbacks after being discovered by Head Coach

Nolan Richardson Nolan Richardson Jr. (born December 27, 1941) is a former American basketball head coach best known for his tenure at the University of Arkansas, where he won the 1994 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and led the Razorbacks to three F ...

while playing in the

King Cotton Classic King Cotton Holiday Classic is a national-level high school basketball tournament held in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The tournament was founded by Travis Creed, a bank executive from Pine Bluff, in 1982.Pine Bluff, Arkansas Pine Bluff is the eleventh-largest city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff Combin ...

. Reid participated in the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival, helping his East team to a silver medal.

Collegiate years

Reid was forced to sit out the 1994-95 season at the University of Arkansas because his ACT score was disputed by the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

. Opening the 1995-96 season as a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

, Reid led the Razorbacks to the Sweet Sixteen of the 1996 NCAA Tournament, and the NIT Final Four as a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

. He finished his Razorback career as the all-time leader in assists with 748, and third all-time in steals with 251. Reid averaged 11.3 points, 5.7 assists, and 1.91 steals per game for the Razorbacks."Kareem Reid Stats."
''www.sports-reference.com.'' Retrieved March 20, 2016. Reid was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team after the 1995-96 season, and was named 2nd Team All-SEC as a sophomore.

Professional career

Despite averaging 10.3 points and 8.7 assists at the 1999

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, (PIT), is the oldest amateur basketball tournament in the United States and the only postseason camp restricted to college basketball seniors. The Portsmouth Invitational is the first of two NBA pre-draft ...

, Reid went undrafted by 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 ...

. Reid went on to play in several professional leagues in the United States and overseas, including a stint with the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...

. In 2003, Reid signed a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

contract with 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, ...

, but was released prior to the start of the regular season. Reid played well during his time with the Hornets, causing

Baron Davis Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who is a studio analyst for the ''NBA on TNT''. He was a two-time NBA All-Star, made the All-NBA Third Team in 2004, and twice led the NBA in s ...

to comment that he was as difficult to guard as any NBA, and wanted him to remain on the team. After his release from the Hornets, Reid signed with the

Asheville Altitude Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and ...

, leading them to the

NBDL 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 ...

championship in the 2003-04 season."2003-04 Asheville Altitude Stats."
''www.basketball-reference.com.'' Retrieved October 28, 2013. Reid averaged 12.0 points per game, and finished third in the league with 6.7 assists per game. He joined the

Arkansas Rimrockers The Arkansas RimRockers were a minor league basketball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas, which played in the American Basketball Association and the NBA Development League. Season by season Franchise history The RimRockers began pl ...

for their inaugural season in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

, leading the league in assists at 9.0 per game. Reid was named league MVP and earned the Championship Game MVP in the Rimrockers' championship win after the 2004-05 season. He remained with the Rimrockers when the team moved the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

for the 2005-06 season, leading the league in assists with an average of 8.1 per game. Reid was signed by the

Albany Patroons The Albany Patroons are a professional basketball team that plays in The Basketball League (TBL). Previously, the team competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in the United States Basketball League (USBL). The Patroons won ...

of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

On February 23, 2007. Reid also played for the team while it was in the

United States Basketball League The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to ...

. He played for

JA Vichy Jeanne d'Arc de Vichy-Clermont Métropole was a professional basketball club based in Vichy, France. The club played their home games at both Maison des Sports de Clermont-Ferrand and Palais des Sports de Vichy. In 2015, JA Vichy and Stade Clermo ...

in France from 2008 to January 2011 when he left the team. He played the 2011-12 season with

Hyères-Toulon Var Basket Hyères-Toulon Var Basket, also referred to as simply Hyères-Toulon or HTV, is a basketball club based in Hyères and Toulon, France. Created by the merger of Omni Sport Hyerois and Club Sportif Toulonnais, the club shares its home games between ...

in France, averaging 7.6 assists per game.

Street ball career

Reid has been known by the nickname "The Best Kept Secret" since his years on the playground hoops scene in the Bronx. In 2004, Reid led the Terror Squad team owned by

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...

to their third consecutive Entertainer's Basketball Classic championship.Flores, Ronnie
"Elite 24: Rucker Park Legends."
''www.espn.com'', July 21, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2013. Reid scored the final nine points in a come-from-behind victory over a

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

team that featured

players

and

Gilbert Arenas Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. (; born January 6, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Arenas attended Grant High School in the Valley Glen district of Los Angeles, and accepted a scholarship offer to the University of Arizona lat ...

, and was named the game's MVP.

References

External links