Ruben Nathaniel Patterson (born July 31, 1975) 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. During his career, he played as a

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

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 ...

. During his college career at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

, Patterson earned third-team All-American honors and helped lead the Bearcats to

Conference USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...

titles in both of his seasons there. Drafted by 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 ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

, Patterson began his career with the Greek team AEK Athens BC before joining the Lakers in his rookie season. Later, he played for the NBA teams

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 ...

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

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 ...

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 1968 ...

, and

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 ...

before ending his career with the Lebanese team

Champville SC Champville SC ( ar, نادي الشانفيل الرياضي) is a Lebanese basketball team from Dik El Mehdi, Lebanon, which competes in the Lebanese Basketball League. History In Game 4 of the 2011–2012 Finals, Champville defeated Anibal Zah ...

Early life

Patterson had a troubled family life, both parents and one of his sisters battled

drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use of ...

, and his father spent time in

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

. As a youth, he lived mostly with his mother, Charlene Patterson, who died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

when he was at the

. After hearing of her death while on a road trip at UAB, he rejected an offer to fly home and spend time with his family, instead staying with his team for the game and scoring 32 points. "My mother would have wanted me to play," Patterson later explained. Patterson started off his college basketball career in the small town of

Independence, Kansas Independence is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,548. It was named in commemoration of the Declaration of Independence. History Independence w ...

at the

Independence Community College Independence Community College is a public community college in Independence, Kansas. It was formerly Independence Community Junior College. History Independence Community College was established in 1925 as grades 13 and 14 of the Independence p ...

. He later transferred to the University of Cincinnati.

Professional career

Patterson was a second-round selection of the

1998 NBA Draft The 1998 NBA draft took place on June 24, 1998, at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This draft helped turn around four struggling franchises: the Dallas Mavericks, the Sacramento Kings, the Boston Celtics, and the Tor ...

(31st pick overall), chosen by the

. Due to the lock-out season of 1998, he started the season in the Greek league playing with AEK Athens BC where he averaged 12.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 19 games. He later played for the Lakers, the

, the

, and the

, averaging a career 10.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He nicknamed himself the "Kobe Stopper" after claiming he could play strong defense against NBA superstar

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 ...

. Patterson left the Lakers for Seattle on August 10, 1999, as a free agent. He quickly became known as a solid defensive player and a good shooter, finishing fourth in the league in field goal percentage. He finished his second season in Seattle after starting 74 of 81 games, and third on the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game. After that season, he signed with the Portland Trail Blazers. In his second year in Portland, trouble began to brew for Patterson. He was punched in the face by teammate

Zach Randolph Zachary McKenley Randolph (born July 16, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Z-Bo", the 2-time NBA All-Star played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans before being drafted in the 2001 NBA draft by ...

during a practice. Randolph intervened in an argument between Patterson and rookie teammate

Qyntel Woods Qyntel Deon Woods (born February 16, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He played mainly at the small forward position, but he also played at the shooting guard position, on occasion. Early life and college career Woods w ...

. The move cost Randolph $100,000. Often outspoken and erratic, Patterson was temporarily suspended from the Trail Blazers in the 2005–06 season for speaking harshly to coach

Nate McMillan Nathaniel McMillan (born August 3, 1964) is an American basketball coach and former player who serves as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He coached the Seattle SuperSonics from 2000 to 2005, the Po ...

and refusing to return to a game, upset about his lack of playing time. Patterson later explained his outburst, saying he was frustrated and it was "like the devil hit me and told me to get it out". He also demanded that he get at least 25 minutes per game or be traded. In February 2006, Patterson was traded to the

. In the following off-season, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for Joe Smith. In Milwaukee, Patterson posted the best numbers of his career with 14.7 points, 2.9 assists and 31.0 minutes per game. He also tied a career-high in rebounds per game with 5.4 and posted a career-best 55% field goal average. On August 29, 2007, Patterson signed a contract with the

. Patterson was waived by the Clippers on December 13, 2007. He later joined the Lebanese club Champville.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1998–99 , align="left" ,

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' ...

, 24 , , 2 , , 6.0 , , .412 , , .167 , , .710 , , 1.3 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 2.7 , - , align="left" , 1999–00 , align="left" ,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, 81 , , 74 , , 25.9 , , .536 , , .444 , , .692 , , 5.4 , , 1.6 , , 1.2 , , 0.5 , , 11.6 , - , align="left" , 2000–01 , align="left" ,

, 76 , , 22 , , 27.1 , , .494 , , .056 , , .681 , , 5.0 , , 2.1 , , 1.4 , , 0.6 , , 13.0 , - , align="left" , 2001–02 , align="left" ,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, 75 , , 13 , , 23.5 , , .515 , , .250 , , .701 , , 4.0 , , 1.4 , , 1.1 , , 0.5 , , 11.2 , - , align="left" , 2002–03 , align="left" ,

, 78 , , 17 , , 21.2 , , .492 , , .150 , , .627 , , 3.4 , , 1.3 , , 0.9 , , 0.4 , , 8.3 , - , align="left" , 2003–04 , align="left" ,

, 73 , , 1 , , 22.6 , , .506 , , .167 , , .553 , , 3.7 , , 1.9 , , 1.2 , , 0.3 , , 6.9 , - , align="left" , 2004–05 , align="left" ,

, 70 , , 36 , , 28.0 , , .531 , , .080 , , .599 , , 3.9 , , 2.0 , , 1.5 , , 0.3 , , 11.6 , - , align="left" , 2005–06 , align="left" ,

, 45 , , 2 , , 23.5 , , .496 , , .000 , , .611 , , 3.4 , , 1.3 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 11.4 , - , align="left" , 2005–06 , align="left" ,

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 26 , , 20 , , 28.3 , , .543 , , .167 , , .580 , , 3.5 , , 2.6 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 13.2 , - , align="left" , 2006–07 , align="left" ,

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 ...

, 81 , , 53 , , 31.0 , , .548 , , .158 , , .641 , , 5.4 , , 2.9 , , 1.4 , , 0.3 , , 14.7 , - , align="left" , 2007–08 , align="left" ,

, 20 , , 5 , , 16.4 , , .453 , , .000 , , .558 , , 3.2 , , 0.9 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 5.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 649 , , 245 , , 24.6 , , .517 , , .179 , , .641 , , 4.2 , , 1.8 , , 1.2 , , 0.4 , , 10.7

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 1998–99 , align="left" ,

, 3 , , 0 , , 1.7 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - , align="left" , 1999–00 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 16.8 , , .538 , , .000 , , .867 , , 3.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 8.2 , - , align="left" , 2001–02 , align="left" ,

, 3 , , 0 , , 21.7 , , .333 , , .000 , , .750 , , 2.3 , , 0.3 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 5.3 , - , align="left" , 2002–03 , align="left" ,

, 7 , , 0 , , 22.1 , , .481 , , .000 , , .690 , , 3.7 , , 1.6 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 10.0 , - , align="left" , 2005–06 , align="left" ,

, 4 , , 1 , , 14.5 , , .529 , , .000 , , .400 , , 1.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 5.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 22 , , 1 , , 16.7 , , .477 , , .000 , , .719 , , 2.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 6.7

College

, - , align="left" , 1996–97 , align="left" ,

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, 31 , , 26 , , 23.3 , , .548 , , .282 , , .604 , , 5.6 , , 1.4 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 13.7 , - , align="left" , 1997–98 , align="left" ,

, 19 , , 14 , , 27.9 , , .472 , , .269 , , .602 , , 6.3 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 16.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 50 , , 40 , , 25.1 , , .515 , , .274 , , .603 , , 5.9 , , 1.7 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 14.8

Legal issues

Patterson was involved in a number of off-the-court issues during his basketball career. He would have to register himself as a

sex offender A sex offender (sexual offender, sex abuser, or sexual abuser) is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and legal jurisdiction. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crime ...

to establish legal residency in many U.S. states, due to pleading guilty in 2001 to attempted

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

of his child's

nanny A nanny is a person who provides child care. Typically, this care is given within the children's family setting. Throughout history, nannies were usually servants in large households and reported directly to the lady of the house. Today, modern ...

in September 2000. It was reported that he forced the nanny to perform a sex act on him.Neighbor complained that Patterson had not registered
updated June 9, 2007 In February 2001, Patterson was convicted of

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than adm ...

assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

for attacking a man who scratched his car outside a

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

night club. Patterson was arrested in 2002 for felony

domestic abuse Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner v ...

charges on his wife. His wife later dropped the charges and they divorced. He was accused of failing to register as a sex offender on May 15, 2007, after moving into a new house in Cincinnati and a bench warrant was issued. His agent, former NFL player

Tim McGee Timothy Dwayne Hatchett McGee (born August 7, 1964) is a former professional American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Washington Redskins from 1986 to 1994. Before his N ...

, said Patterson's failure to register was "an oversight" after Patterson was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine on June 8. In March 2010, Patterson was arrested in

Hamilton County, Ohio Hamilton County is located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 830,639, making it the third-most populous county in Ohio. The county seat and largest city is Cincinnati. The county i ...

on DUI charges after it was found that his blood alcohol level was .117. He was sentenced to a $500 fine and a three-day driving program, and was ordered not to consume alcohol for 18 months. In 2019, Patterson plead guilty to charges of unpaid child support. While at one point he owed more than $100,000, he told

The Cincinnati Enquirer ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the ''Enquirer'' is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, alth ...

that he is currently paying down this debt.

References

External links

Ruben Patterson biography
at NBA.com *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Ruben 1975 births Living people 21st-century American criminals AEK B.C. players African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Lebanon American male criminals American men's basketball players American people convicted of assault American sportspeople convicted of crimes Basketball players from Cleveland Big3 players Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball players Denver Nuggets players Greek Basket League players Independence Pirates men's basketball players Los Angeles Clippers players Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Los Angeles Lakers players Milwaukee Bucks players People who entered an Alford plea Portland Trail Blazers players Seattle SuperSonics players Small forwards 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople American men's 3x3 basketball players