Michael Graham (born July 14, 1963)1994–95 Official CBA Guide and Register, page 286 is a retired American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He is known for his college career at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, where he appeared on the cover of

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 twi ...

magazine after helping the Hoyas to the 1984 NCAA championship. Graham, a 6'9" power forward from

Spingarn High School Joel Elias Spingarn High School was a public high school located in the District of Columbia, USA. The school is named after Joel Elias Spingarn (1875–1939) an American educator and literary critic who established the Spingarn Medal in 1913, aw ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, signed with future Hall of Fame coach John Thompson at Georgetown. As a freshman in 1983–84, Graham became a key player for the Hoyas. He provided rugged defense and rebounding, appearing in all but two of the team's 37 games – starting 17. While his regular season statistics were pedestrian, Graham became a key player for the Hoyas in their quest for a national championship. In the 1984 Final Four, Graham scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and led the Hoyas to a victory over the Houston Cougars for the national championship. In the championship game, Graham scored 14 points on 7–9 shooting and was one of two Georgetown players to be named to the All-Final Four team along with Most Outstanding Player

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 ...

. Following the championship win, Graham – whose fiery demeanor and shaved head were seen as personifying the Hoyas' aggressive playing style – appeared on the cover of ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine. Following the championship season, Graham had academic difficulties and was suspended from the Georgetown team. He ultimately transferred to the

University of the District of Columbia The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a public historically black land-grant university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1851 and is the only public university in the city. UDC is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall ...

in an attempt to play Division II basketball, but ultimately declared for the 1986 NBA draft without playing a game for the Firebirds. Graham was drafted by 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 ...

in the fourth round of the draft (76th pick overall), but did not make the Sonics' final roster. He played several seasons in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), for the Albany Patroons, Charleston Gunners,

Wyoming Wildcatters The Wyoming Wildcatters were a professional basketball team based in Casper, Wyoming. They played 6 seasons in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), the defunct development league for the National Basketball Association (NBA). They man ...

, Rochester Flyers,

Tulsa Fast Breakers The Savannah Spirits were a professional basketball team that played for two years in the Continental Basketball Association from 1986 to 1988, amassing a total regular season record of 42 wins and 60 losses for a total of 306.5 points. The team ...

and

Columbus Horizon The Columbus Horizon is a defunct basketball team from Columbus, Ohio that played for five seasons in the Continental Basketball Association from 1989 to 1994. History Plans to bring professional basketball to Columbus were unveiled in Septembe ...

. In his four CBA seasons, Graham averaged 7.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Graham also played in Europe and South America.

References

External links

College statistics and bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Michael 1963 births Living people Albany Patroons players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Washington, D.C. Charleston Gunners players Columbus Horizon players Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball players Power forwards (basketball) Rochester Flyers players Seattle SuperSonics draft picks Tulsa Fast Breakers players Wyoming Wildcatters players