Latrell Fontaine Sprewell (born September 8, 1970) 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 played for 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 ...

, 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 ...

, and the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

in 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 ...

(NBA). During his career, Sprewell received four

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 al ...

selections and an

All-NBA First Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

selection; he also helped the Knicks reach the 1999 NBA Finals and the Timberwolves to the 2004 Western Conference finals. Despite Sprewell's accomplishments, his career was overshadowed by a 1997 incident in which he choked and punched then-Warriors coach

P. J. Carlesimo Peter John Carlesimo (born May 30, 1949) is an American basketball coach who coached in both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and college basketball for nearly 40 years. He is also a television broadcaster, having worked with ESPN, '' Th ...

during practice, which resulted in a 68-game suspension.

Early life

Sprewell attended Washington High School in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

College career

Sprewell played competitively with the Three Rivers Community College Raiders Basketball Team in

Poplar Bluff, Missouri Poplar Bluff is a medium city in Butler County in Southeast Missouri, United States. It is the county seat of Butler County and is known as "The Gateway to the Ozarks" among other names. The population was 16,225 at the 2020 census. The Poplar B ...

, from 1988 to 1990, and from 1990 to 1992 with the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

, where he was a teammate of future NBA players

Robert Horry Robert Keith Horry (; born August 25, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player and current sports commentator. He played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning seven championships, the most of any pla ...

Jason Caffey Jason Andre Caffey (born June 12, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player who won two championship rings with the Chicago Bulls in the late 1990s. He later became the head coach of the American Basketball Association's Mobile ...

, James Robinson, and

Marcus Webb Marcus Lataives Webb (born May 9, 1970) is an American retired professional basketball player who played briefly in the National Basketball Association (NBA). High school Born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama, Webb played at basketball at Sidn ...

Professional career

Golden State Warriors (1992–1998)

Sprewell was selected 24th overall in the

1992 NBA draft The 1992 NBA draft took place on June 24, 1992, at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. The draft is considered to be one of the deepest in NBA history. The top three picks (Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner) were considere ...

by the

. Sprewell, nicknamed "Spree", made an immediate impact, starting 69 of the 77 games he played in during his rookie season and averaging 15.4 points per game. His performance improved over the next few years; he led the team in scoring and played on the Western Conference All-Star team in 1994, 1995, and 1997, scoring 24.2 ppg in 1996–97, fifth in the league. In 1993–1994 he led the league in games played and minutes per game as the Warriors, led by Sprewell and NBA Rookie of the year

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

Chris Webber Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player. Drafted number one overall by the Orlando Magic, though arguably best known and remembered as the star forward for the Sacramento Ki ...

, made it back to 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 eithe ...

. They lost in the first round to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

in three games.

1997 choking incident

A significant blemish on Sprewell's career occurred on December 1, 1997, when he attacked head coach

during a Warriors practice in

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

. When Carlesimo yelled at Sprewell to make crisper passes (specifically asking him to "put a little mustard" on a pass), Sprewell responded that he was not in the mood for criticism and told the coach to keep his distance. When Carlesimo approached, Sprewell threatened to kill him and dragged him backward by his throat, choking him for 7–10 seconds before his teammates and assistant coaches pulled him off Carlesimo. Sprewell returned about 20 minutes later after showering and changing and again accosted Carlesimo. He landed a glancing blow at Carlesimo's right cheek before being dragged away again by the assistant coaches. This was not Sprewell's first violent incident with the Warriors; in 1995, he fought with teammate

Jerome Kersey Jerome Kersey (June 26, 1962 – February 18, 2015) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Portland Trail Blazers (1984–1995), Golden State Warriors (1995–96), Los Angele ...

, returned to practice carrying a two-by-four, and reportedly threatened to return with a gun. In a 1993 practice, Sprewell fought with

Byron Houston Byron Dwight Houston (born November 22, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'5", 250-pound power forward, he played collegiately for Oklahoma State University and was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round (27t ...

, who was 50 pounds heavier than Sprewell and had what many teammates described as a

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...

-like demeanor and physique. Sprewell was suspended for 10 games without pay. The next day, in the wake of a public uproar, the Warriors voided the remainder of his contract, which included $23.7 million over three years, and 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 ...

suspended him for a year. Sprewell took the case to

arbitration Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that resolves disputes outside the judiciary courts. The dispute will be decided by one or more persons (the 'arbitrators', 'arbiters' or 'arbitral tribunal'), which renders the ' ...

and the contract voiding was overturned, but the league did suspend him for the rest of the season without pay, which amounted to 68 games. He sought to vacate the arbitration contract under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. His case went through all appeals, and was remanded. During the time he was serving his suspension from the NBA, Sprewell was charged with

reckless driving In United States law, reckless driving is a major moving traffic violation that generally consists in driving a vehicle with willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property. It is usually a more serious offense than careless ...

for his role in a 90-mile-per-hour accident that injured two people. He spent three months under house arrest as part of a no-contest plea. Sprewell's 68-game suspension was the longest suspension given by the NBA until

Ron Artest Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

was suspended for the remainder of the 2004–05 season (including the

), totaling to 86 games, due to his involvement in a brawl in Detroit.

New York Knicks (1999–2003)

Due to the

NBA lockout The NBA lockout may refer to any of the four lockouts in the history of the National Basketball Association: *The 1995 NBA lockout, which lasted for three months before the 1995–96 season. *The 1996 NBA lockout, which lasted for a couple of hour ...

, Sprewell did not play again until February 1999, after the Warriors traded him to the

for

John Starks John Levell Starks (born August 10, 1965) is an American former professional basketball shooting guard. Starks was listed at 6'5" and 190 pounds during his NBA playing career. Although he was undrafted in the 1988 NBA draft after attending four ...

, Chris Mills, and

Terry Cummings Robert Terrell "Terry" Cummings (born March 15, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Cummings was voted Rookie of the Year and was a two-time All-Star, a ...

. Sprewell played 37 games for the Knicks that season, playing off the bench in all but four games. Many pundits felt that trading for the alleged volatile Sprewell was too big a gamble for the Knicks, but Sprewell vowed he was a changed man. The Knicks, who at the time still revolved around veteran All-Star

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...

, narrowly qualified for the 1999 playoffs, making the field as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. They navigated past 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 (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

and

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

, becoming the first eighth seed in NBA history to reach the

Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

, where they met the

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 ( ...

, who beat them in five games. Sprewell enjoyed a good series for the most part, averaging 26.0 ppg. He tallied 35 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Knicks' 78-77 Game 5 loss, and was featured on the cover of the September 1999 issue of ''

SLAM Magazine ''Slam'' is an American basketball magazine in circulation since 1994. History ''Slam'' was launched in 1994 as a basketball magazine that combined the sport with hip hop culture at a time when the genre was becoming increasingly popular. It wa ...

''. Sprewell moved into the Knicks' starting lineup for the 1999–2000 season at small forward, and averaged 18.6 points, helping the Knicks to a 50–32 record, good enough for the third seed in the Eastern Conference, led by Sprewell, Ewing and

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

Allan Houston. The Knicks navigated past the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

in three hard-fought games and the

in seven even harder-fought games in the first two rounds of the playoffs, en route to the Eastern Conference Finals against the

. But their quest for back-to-back NBA Finals appearances came to an end when they lost to the Pacers in 6 games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Sprewell averaged 19.7 ppg in the series, and the Knicks gave him a five-year $62 million contract extension. The 2000–01 season saw Sprewell step up as the Knicks' leader with Ewing traded to the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

, making his only All-Star appearance for the Knicks that year, scoring 17.7 points. But despite another impressive season from Sprewell, the Knicks lost in the first round to the

in five games in the

. In 2001–02 Sprewell averaged 19.4 ppg, including 49 points in a game against the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

, one of three times he scored 40 or more points that season; but the Knicks missed the

for the first time in 15 years. Before the 2002–03 season, Sprewell reported to training camp with a broken hand, which he claimed occurred when he slipped on his yacht; the Knicks fined him a record $250,000 for failing to report the incident. He then sued the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'' for claiming he had broken his hand in a fight.ESPN Classic - Sprewell's Image Remains in a Chokehold
/ref> Sprewell lost the lawsuit. That season, Sprewell made NBA history as he hit 9 of 9 three-point shots in one game, making the most three-pointers without a single miss for the first time en route to a season-high 38 points versus 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 ...

. The record has since been tied twice by then-

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

guard

Ben Gordon Benjamin Ashenafi Gordon (born April 4, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. Gordon played for 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and he played college basketball for the University of Connecticut, ...

. After that season, in which the Knicks missed the

for the second year in a row, Sprewell was traded to the

in a four-team trade involving

Keith Van Horn Keith Adam Van Horn (born October 23, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Van Horn played for the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball ...

Glenn Robinson Glenn Alan Robinson Jr. (born January 10, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Dog" and "The Chosen One", he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1994 to 2005 for the Milwaukee Bucks, Atl ...

, and

Terrell Brandon Thomas Terrell Brandon (born May 20, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for three teams during his 11-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time All-Star, Brandon was a key starter on ...

Minnesota Timberwolves (2003–2005)

In the 2003–04 season, Sprewell became part of the league's highest-scoring trio alongside superstar

Kevin Garnett Kevin Maurice Garnett ( ; born May 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played for 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed KG by his initials, and the "Big Ticket" for his emphatic dunki ...

and

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 ...

Sam Cassell Samuel James Cassell Sr. (born November 18, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach and former point guard who serves as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drafted 24th overall i ...

. With a 58–24 record, the Timberwolves qualified for the 2004 playoffs as the top seed in the Western Conference. They navigated past 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 ...

in five games and the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

in seven in the first two rounds of the playoffs. In the Western Conference Finals they met the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, who defeated them in six games, still the Timberwolves' only appearance in the conference finals. Sprewell finished third in team scoring at 16.8 ppg, behind Garnett's 24.2 and Cassell's 19.8. On October 31, 2004, the

offered Sprewell a three-year, $21 million contract extension, a substantial pay cut. Claiming to feel insulted by the offer, he publicly expressed outrage, declaring, "I have a family to feed." He declined the extension and the Timberwolves offered him nothing more. Having once more drawn the ire of fans and sports media, Sprewell had the worst season of his career in the final year of his contract. In the summer of 2005, 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 (NBA), Ea ...

and

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

all expressed interest in signing Sprewell, but none ended up signing him. One month into the 2005–06 season and without a contract, Sprewell's agent, Bob Gist, said his client would rather retire than play for the NBA minimum salary, telling ''

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 ...

'', "Latrell doesn't need the money that badly. To go from being offered $7 million to taking $1 million, that would be a slap in the face." Several days later, Gist said that Sprewell planned to wait until "teams get desperate" around the

trade deadline In professional sports within the United States and Canada, a trade is a sports league transaction between sports clubs involving the exchange of player rights from one team to another. Though player rights are the primary trading assets, draft p ...

in February, and then sign with a contending team—an eventuality that never materialized. Gist said that Sprewell would not be interested in signing for any team's $5 million mid-level exception, calling that amount "a level beneath which prewellwould not stoop or kneel!" In March 2006, Sprewell was offered contracts by the

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 (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

and

, both of which were considered at the time strong favorites to win the

NBA Championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

, but Sprewell failed to respond and remained a free agent as the season closed. The

also showed some interest in him at the start of that season, but nothing came of it. Over the course of his career, Sprewell started 868 of the 913 games he played in, averaging 18.8 ppg, 4.2 apg, and 4.1 rpg with playoff career averages of 19.7 ppg, 3.4 apg, and 4.3 rpg. He was an

selection at the end of his second season and made the All-NBA Defensive second team that same season.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1992–93 , align="left" , Golden State , 77 , , 69 , , 35.6 , , .464 , , .369 , , .746 , , 3.5 , , 3.8 , , 1.6 , , .7 , , 15.4 , - , align="left" , 1993–94 , align="left" , Golden State , 82 , , 82 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 43.1* , , .433 , , .361 , , .774 , , 4.9 , , 4.7 , , 2.2 , , .9 , , 21.0 , - , align="left" , 1994–95 , align="left" , Golden State , 69 , , 69 , , 40.2 , , .418 , , .276 , , .781 , , 3.7 , , 4.0 , , 1.6 , , .7 , , 20.6 , - , align="left" , 1995–96 , align="left" , Golden State , 78 , , 78 , , 39.3 , , .428 , , .323 , , .789 , , 4.9 , , 4.2 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , 18.9 , - , align="left" , 1996–97 , align="left" , Golden State , 80 , , 79 , , 41.9 , , .449 , , .354 , , .843 , , 4.6 , , 6.3 , , 1.7 , , .6 , , 24.2 , - , align="left" , 1997–98 , align="left" , Golden State , 14 , , 13 , , 39.1 , , .397 , , .188 , , .745 , , 3.6 , , 4.9 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , 21.4 , - , align="left" , 1998–99 , 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 * '' ...

, 37 , , 4 , , 33.3 , , .415 , , .273 , , .812 , , 4.2 , , 2.5 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 16.4 , - , align="left" , 1999–00 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 82 , , 40.0 , , .435 , , .346 , , .866 , , 4.3 , , 4.0 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 18.6 , - , align="left" , 2000–01 , align="left" ,

, 77 , , 77 , , 39.2 , , .430 , , .304 , , .783 , , 4.5 , , 3.5 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , 17.7 , - , align="left" , 2001–02 , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 81 , , 41.1 , , .404 , , .360 , , .821 , , 3.7 , , 3.9 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 19.4 , - , align="left" , 2002–03 , align="left" ,

, 74 , , 73 , , 38.6 , , .403 , , .372 , , .794 , , 3.9 , , 4.5 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , 16.4 , - , align="left" , 2003–04 , align="left" ,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, 82 , , 82 , , 37.8 , , .409 , , .331 , , .814 , , 3.8 , , 3.5 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 16.8 , - , align="left" , 2004–05 , align="left" ,

, 80 , , 79 , , 30.6 , , .414 , , .327 , , .830 , , 3.2 , , 2.2 , , .7 , , .3 , , 12.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 913 , , 868 , , 38.6 , , .425 , , .337 , , .804 , , 4.1 , , 4.0 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , 18.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 4 , , 1 , , 19.3 , , .486 , , .125 , , .529 , , 3.8 , , 2.5 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , 11.0

Playoffs

, - , 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 ...

, align="left" , Golden State , 3 , , 3 , , 40.7 , , .433 , , .348 , , .667 , , 3.0 , , 7.0 , , .7 , , 1.0 , , 22.7 , - , align="left" ,

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 shootin ...

, align="left" ,

, 20 , , 8 , , 37.2 , , .419 , , .160 , , .850 , , 4.8 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 20.4 , - , 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 ...

, align="left" ,

, 16 , , 16 , , 43.8 , , .414 , , .333 , , .784 , , 4.4 , , 3.6 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 18.7 , - , 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 ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 42.4 , , .407 , , .214 , , .760 , , 3.0 , , 3.4 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 18.4 , - , 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 6 ...

, align="left" ,

, 18 , , 18 , , 42.8 , , .421 , , .385 , , .779 , , 4.4 , , 4.0 , , 1.6 , , .7 , , 19.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 62 , , 50 , , 41.1 , , .418 , , .330 , , .803 , , 4.3 , , 3.4 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 19.7

Personal life

In October 1994, Sprewell's four-year old daughter was mauled in the family backyard by one of two pet

pit bull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

s, having an ear bitten off and suffering bites to her face.

Legal issues

On August 30, 2006,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

investigated a claim by a 21-year-old female that she and Sprewell were having consensual sex aboard his yacht when Sprewell began to strangle her. Police allegedly observed red marks on her neck. Police investigating the allegation searched Sprewell's yacht for evidence. On September 6, police declined to press charges. Sprewell then sought a

restraining order A restraining order or protective order, is an order used by a court to protect a person in a situation involving alleged domestic violence, child abuse, assault, harassment, stalking, or sexual assault. Restraining and personal protection or ...

along with "civil remedies" against the accuser. On January 31, 2007, Sprewell's long-term companion sued him for $200 million for ending their relationship agreement. She claimed Sprewell agreed to support her and their four children through college. On August 22, 2007, Sprewell's $1.5 million yacht was repossessed by a

federal marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforcem ...

. He had failed to continue paying for and insuring the vessel, for which he reportedly still owed approximately $1.3 million. In February 2008, the yacht was auctioned for $856,000 after Sprewell defaulted on the mortgage. Three months later, a Milwaukee-area home Sprewell owned went into

foreclosure Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the collateral for the loan. Formally, a mortg ...

status. In July 2009, a

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

mansion Sprewell owned went into foreclosure status,Westchester Supreme Court Index No. 09-16447 but that action was dismissed on motion of another party's attorney. In 2011, Sprewell owed the state of Wisconsin $3.5 million in unpaid income taxes. On January 1, 2013, he was arrested for disorderly conduct after police received numerous complaints about loud music. On September 8, 2017, Sprewell was involved in an altercation in a Milwaukee bar with Alexander Schenk. The altercation was broken up by local officers, and a citation was made to both parties.

References

External links

Sprewell Bio at NBA.com
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#1 Hoops Feud of All TimeLatrell Sprewell: The American Dream
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sprewell, Latrell 1970 births Living people African-American basketball players Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Milwaukee Golden State Warriors draft picks Golden State Warriors players Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Minnesota Timberwolves players National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association controversies New York Knicks players Shooting guards Small forwards Violence in sports 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople

Early life

College career

Professional career

Golden State Warriors (1992–1998)

1997 choking incident

New York Knicks (1999–2003)

Minnesota Timberwolves (2003–2005)

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

Legal issues

See also

References

External links