Shawn Paul Bradley (born March 22, 1972) is a German-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

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 ...

for 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 ...

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, ...

, and

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 ...

of 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). Nicknamed "the Stormin'

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

", Bradley is one of the tallest players in NBA history at . Bradley was born in

Landstuhl Landstuhl () is a town in the Kaiserslautern district of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. It is the seat of ''Verbandsgemeinde Landstuhl'', a kind of "collective municipality." Landstuhl is situated on the north-west edge of the Palatinate F ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

, as his family was stationed at the U.S. military base medical facility, and grew up in

Castle Dale, Utah Castle Dale is a city in northwestern Emery County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,630 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Emery County. History The first settlement at Castle Dale was made in 1879. Geography Castle Dal ...

. He holds citizenship in both the United States and Germany.

Early life

Shawn Bradley was born on March 22, 1972, in

, where his father was working at a U.S. military hospital. Bradley came from a tall family: his father Reiner Bradley (1949–2010) was tall, and his mother Teresa was . Bradley was already by the end of junior high school (age 13–14), and by the end of his junior year of high school (age 16–17) he had grown to , one inch shy of his adult height of . In 2018, genetic analysis of Bradley's DNA showed that his great height is not the result of any physical or genetic disorders, but because he happened to inherit a natural but extremely rare combination of the thousands of genetic variants that determine human height. Bradley was raised on a farm outside the small town of

. He and his siblings were raised in

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church). Bradley was a standout

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player at Emery High School from 1987 to 1990. He was one of the most successful basketball players in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

high school history, finishing with career averages of 20.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 5.4 blocked shots per game. During his time at the school, Emery compiled a 68–4 record and won two state championships. Bradley was named All-State three times and twice earned the season MVP award. In his senior year, he averaged 25 points, 17 rebounds, and 9 blocks per contest. He was named All-American by several national publications, including '' Parade Magazine'', '' Street and Smith'', ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'', and others. He turned in a strong performance at the

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is the all-star basketball game played each year for American and Canadian boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the concl ...

(12 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks), earning the Most Valuable Player award for the West team. As of 2015, Bradley still holds Utah state records for blocked shots in a single game (18), season (209), and career (605).

College career and LDS mission

Bradley was heavily recruited by many colleges from across the United States, but ultimately decided to play at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

(BYU) in

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU). Provo lies between the ...

. During his freshman season (1990–91), he started all 34 games for BYU, averaging 14.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. But his main contribution to the team was shot-blocking: he led the entire nation in total blocks (177) and average (5.2 per game)—setting an

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 ...

freshman record in both categories. In one game against

Eastern Kentucky Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways * Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air ...

(EKU), Bradley blocked 14 shots, tying the NCAA single-game record set by

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

David Robinson David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed ...

in 1986. In that same game, Bradley also established a new career high by scoring 29 points. BYU received a bid to the NCAA tournament that season, and Bradley continued his dominating defense. In a first-round game against

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, he set a tournament single-game record with 10 blocked shots, leading the Cougars to a 61–48 victory. However, he struggled with foul trouble in the second round (he received 5 personal fouls in the game), and BYU lost to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, 76–61. Bradley collected several awards and honors for his outstanding freshman season. He was named the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...

(WAC) Freshman of the Year, in addition to All-WAC defensive team and newcomer team honors. He was also named Honorable Mention All-American by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

(AP) Bradley took a two-year leave of absence from BYU from 1991 to 1993 to serve as a full-time missionary for the LDS Church. He was assigned to serve in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia. After his mission, Bradley decided to forego his final three years of NCAA eligibility and declared for the NBA Draft.

Professional career

Philadelphia 76ers (1993–1995)

Bradley entered the 1993 NBA Draft as one of the most intriguing and highly debated prospects in the history of the NBA draft. Supporters claimed his tremendous size and surprising athleticism would allow him to dominate the league. Critics argued that he would struggle in the NBA due to his thin build – listed at just , he was described by

Ric Bucher Richard Mathias Bucher (born 1961) is an NBA analyst for Fox Sports and an occasional host of FS1's "Speak For Yourself" afternoon talk show. He also hosts a daily podcast, "On The Ball with Ric Bucher." Before joining Fox he was a SiriusXM radio h ...

The Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a city in western Miami-Dade County and the Miami metropolitan area, several miles west of Downtown Miami.Lee Rose, player personnel director for the

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 ...

at the time, said, "Size-wise, he'll get pushed around a little bit," – and lack of experience (just one season of college basketball, followed by a two-year hiatus from the sport due to his church mission). Ultimately, he was drafted by the

with the second overall pick, behind

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 ...

and ahead of

Penny Hardaway Anfernee Deon "Penny" Hardaway (born July 18, 1971) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Memphis Tigers men's basketball team in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). Hardaway pla ...

. Given the novelty of a 7-foot-6 center playing for the 76ers, Bradley was issued jersey number 76. Philadelphia's management saw Bradley as a major project with huge long-term potential. The team acquired legendary big man

Moses Malone Moses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A cen ...

to serve as a mentor for Bradley, hoping to develop his skills in the low post. Also, the franchise hired strength and conditioning consultant

Pat Croce Pasquale "Pat" Croce (born November 2, 1954) is an American entrepreneur, sports team executive and owner, author, and TV personality. He served as team president of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Philadelphia 76ers from 1996 to 2001 ...

and registered dietitian Jeanie Subach, as well as assistant coach

Jeff Ruland Jeffrey George Ruland (born December 16, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He is the former head coach of the Iona Gaels men's basketball team and the UDC Firebirds men's college basketball team. Early life an ...

, to add bulk to Bradley's skinny frame. His rookie season (1993–94) produced mixed results. In his first game, Bradley totaled just 6 points and 5 rebounds, but he did manage to block 8 shots in 25 minutes. For much of his career, Bradley was inconsistent in scoring and rebounding, but he always excelled at blocking shots. He averaged 10.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game in his first season – good enough to earn NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors. But he shot a dismal 40.9 percent from the floor and constantly struggled with turnovers and foul trouble. He suffered a season-ending injury in February of that year, dislocating his kneecap in a collision with

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 ...

Harvey Grant Harvey Grant (born July 4, 1965) is an American former professional National Basketball Association basketball player. He is the identical twin brother of Horace Grant, also a former NBA player. College Grant transferred to Oklahoma after a year ...

. Bradley returned to full strength in his second season, playing in all 82 games for the 76ers. His scoring actually declined slightly (9.5 points per game), but his rebounding and shot-blocking increased. He racked up 274 rejections, setting a franchise record for most blocks in a single season. Bradley gave Philly fans a glimpse of his potential in a game against 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 ...

in November, posting career highs of 28 points and 22 rebounds in a 97–83 victory. He also tied a career high with 9 blocked shots, and was credited with 9 additional "intimidations" as the Clippers were held to their lowest-ever point total against the 76ers. He finished the season in strong fashion, posting 13

double-double 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: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

s in his last 17 games.

New Jersey Nets (1995–1997)

Despite these highlights, Bradley continued to baffle and frustrate Philadelphia with his inconsistent play. Just 12 games into his third season (1995–96), the 76ers traded Bradley to the

for

Derrick Coleman Derrick Demetrius Coleman (born June 21, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player. Coleman was born in Mobile, Alabama, but grew up and attended high school in Detroit, Michigan, Detroit, and attended college at Syracuse Univer ...

. He played the final 67 games of the year with the Nets, and tantalized Nets fans with some strong play in the second half of the season. In February, he dominated a match-up against fellow giant

Gheorghe Mureșan Gheorghe Dumitru Mureșan (; born 14 February 1971), also known as "Ghiță" (), is a Romanian former professional basketball player. At , he is tied with Manute Bol for the tallest player ever to have played in the NBA. Early life Mureșan was ...

, leading the Nets to a 99–81 victory against the

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

. Bradley scored a season-high 27 points over the 7-foot-7 Mureşan, and also added 9 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Bradley lifted his game to new levels in March 1996. He posted a career-high 32 points and added 15 rebounds against

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

early in the month, and set another career high a week later with 10 blocked shots against 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 ...

. He recorded his first career

triple-double 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: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

in the very next game, tallying 19 points, 17 rebounds, and a career-best 11 blocked shots in another match-up against Mureşan and the Bullets. In April, Bradley posted back-to-back triple-doubles (against

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

); in the process, he became the first player in NBA history to record consecutive games of double-figure blocked shots twice in a single season. His season averages for 1995–96 were 11.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game—all career highs. The Nets began the 1996–97 season under new management:

John Calipari John Vincent Calipari (born February 10, 1959) is an American basketball coach. Since 2009, he has been the head coach of the University of Kentucky men's team, with whom he won the NCAA Championship in 2012. He has been named Naismith College C ...

was named head coach in the off-season, and John Nash replaced

Willis Reed Willis Reed Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is an American retired basketball player, coach and general manager. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Memo ...

as general manager. Reed had been a big believer in Bradley, but Calipari and Nash weren't nearly as excited about the 7-foot-6 enigma. In an effort to save some cash against the salary cap, the Nets traded their big center (and his big contract) to the Dallas Mavericks in a blockbuster mid-season deal that involved nine players.

Dallas Mavericks (1997–2005)

Bradley embraced yet another "fresh start" with a new franchise. With increased playing time in Dallas, Bradley posted some of the best numbers of his career. In a game against the Clippers, he tied his career high by scoring 32 points—the most ever by a center in the history of the Mavericks franchise. He also added a season-high 16 rebounds in that same contest. He finished the year with averages of 13.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game—breaking career highs set during the previous season. But most importantly, Bradley provided strong defense in the paint that Dallas had been lacking before his arrival. In fact, Bradley finished the year as the top shot-blocker in the entire league, averaging 3.4 swats per contest. It was the first time any Mavericks player had ever led the NBA in any statistical category. And yet, Bradley continued to be plagued by maddening inconsistency that defined his entire professional career. During the 1997–98 season, Dallas coach

Jim Cleamons James Mitchell Cleamons (born September 13, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player and current coach. Playing career He played collegiately at the Ohio State University, and was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 1 ...

experimented by bringing Bradley off the bench in several games (instead of his usual role as starter). In one particular game, it paid off in a major way: Bradley totaled 22 points, 22 rebounds, and a career-high 13 blocked shots in an April contest against the Trail Blazers. Bradley became the fifth NBA player to record at least 20 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 blocks in a single game, and the first to do so off the bench. The previous players to record a 20–20–10 game with points, rebounds, and blocks were

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...

Elvin Hayes Elvin Ernest Hayes (born November 17, 1945), nicknamed "the Big E", is an American former professional basketball player and radio analyst for his alma-mater Houston Cougars. He is a member of the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and a ...

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

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

. Bradley finished the year with a team-record 214 blocked shots; his average of 3.3 per game ranked third in the NBA. Bradley played 7 more seasons in the league, remaining with the Mavericks until his retirement in 2005. Over that span, his playing time slowly declined, mainly due to some injuries and constant juggling of the team's lineups and rotations by coach

Don Nelson Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335 (he held the record for most wins for almost 12 ...

. In particular, Bradley's offensive role became very limited, but he remained an imposing defensive presence. In fact, in the 2000–01 season, he broke his own team record by blocking 228 shots for Dallas—the highest total in the NBA that year. The Mavericks emerged as a perennial playoff contender, mostly due to the rise of star players such as

Dirk Nowitzki Dirk Werner Nowitzki (, ; born June 19, 1978) is a German former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at , he is widely regarded as one of the gr ...

and Steve Nash, but Bradley's defense made a significant contribution. He finished his career with averages of 8.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in 23.5 minutes of action per game.

National team career

Bradley has competed internationally for Germany; he and Dallas teammate

were members of the

German national basketball team The Germany men's national basketball team (german: Deutsche Basketballnationalmannschaft or ''Die Mannschaft'') represents Germany in international basketball competition. The team is directed by the German Basketball Federation (''Deutscher B ...

that finished in fourth place at the

EuroBasket 2001 The 2001 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2001, was the 32nd FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2002 FIBA World Championship, giving a be ...

in Turkey. In order to participate in this tournament, Bradley made use of his birth by a German mother to obtain German citizenship.

Post-basketball career

After his retirement as a player, Bradley became involved with West Ridge Academy, a coeducational private school for at-risk youths in

West Jordan, Utah West Jordan is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is a suburb of Salt Lake City and has a mixed economy. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 116,961, placing it as the third most populous in the state. T ...

. Bradley's role with the school involves some of the functions of a vice principal, counselor, and coach. Describing Bradley, school executive director Ken Allen said, "Shawn has a great presence—due to his size—and has immediate credibility with the kids. His instant credibility when he's talking to kids makes him an incredible mentor. He is a great example of someone who has worked hard and been very successful. Being so tall wasn't always easy for him. He knows about being the 'odd kid' and dealing with that." On March 19, 2010, Bradley filed papers to run as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

against incumbent Democratic Representative Tim Cosgrove for the 44th District seat in the

Utah House of Representatives The Utah House of Representatives is the lower house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The House is composed of 75 representatives elected from single member constituent districts. Each district conta ...

. On November 2, 2010, Bradley lost the election to Cosgrove, earning 46.49% of the vote against Cosgrove's 51.13%.

Personal life

Bradley has participated in many charitable endeavors. In the 2000–01 season he donated $25 for each blocked shot to Bryan's House, a managed facility for children affected by HIV and AIDS. He is a national spokesman for the

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Children's Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) (French: Réseau Enfants-Santé (RES)) is a nonprofit organization that raises funds for children's hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. Donations support the health of 10 million children each ...

. Bradley has also participated in the "

Basketball Without Borders Basketball Without Borders is a basketball instructional camp organized by the NBA in conjunction with FIBA. It presents itself as a “basketball development and community outreach program that unites young basketball players to promote the sport ...

" program with other NBA players like

Dikembe Mutombo Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo (born June 25, 1966) is a Congolese-American former professional basketball player. Mutombo played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Outside basketball, he has becom ...

DeSagana Diop DeSagana N'gagne Diop ( ; born January 30, 1982) is a Senegalese former professional basketball player who is currently head coach for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League. Early life Diop played soccer while growing up in Senegal. He began ...

and

Malik Rose Malik Jabari Rose (born November 23, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. Rose played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning championships with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 and 2003. High school ...

and found his experiences with children in Africa uplifting. He has also participated in treating leprosy colonies in India through the Rising Star Outreach. As a member of the LDS Church, while in the NBA, Bradley was fined for refusing to attend a mandatory meeting at a strip club, due to his religious beliefs. Bradley and his first wife, Annette Evertson, had six children together. They later divorced, and in 2017, Bradley married Carrie Cannon, adopting her three children in 2019. On January 20, 2021, Bradley was struck from behind by a motorist while riding his bicycle near his home in

St. George, Utah St. George is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Utah, United States. Located in southwestern Utah on the Arizona border, it is the principal city of the St. George Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The city lies in the northe ...

, which resulted in a traumatic

spinal cord injury A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cor ...

in his neck that left him

paralyzed Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...

. A driver attempted to pass Bradley on the left in the same travel lane while Bradley himself was in the process of passing another car parked on the shoulder of the road. While the police report notes that trip information was obtained from Bradley's

Garmin Garmin Ltd. (shortened to Garmin, stylized as GARMIN, and formerly known as ProNav) is an American, Swiss-domiciled multinational technology company founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell and Min Kao in Lenexa, Kansas, United States, with headquart ...

device to confirm his speed and general position, the report does not mention any information on police verifying similar information from the driver on her speed or position, nor a field sobriety test being administered. In fact, the police report notes that the driver left the scene of the crash only to return later. In a 2022 interview with ''

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 ...

'', Bradley stated that he and his family intend to move into a more wheelchair-friendly home in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, while he continues his rehabilitation. Bradley described his height as a "hindrance" to his recovery, as quadriplegia at his height has no medical precedent.

TV and movie appearances

Bradley had a role in the film ''

Space Jam ''Space Jam'' is a 1996 American live-action/animated sports comedy film directed by Joe Pytka, with animation sequences directed by Bruce W. Smith and Tony Cervone, and written by Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris, and Herschel ...

'' in 1996,Shawn Bradley profile
Internet Movie Database depicted as one of the NBA stars who lose their talent alongside

Muggsy Bogues Tyrone Curtis "Muggsy" Bogues (born January 9, 1965) is a former American basketball player. The shortest player ever to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Bogues played point guard for four teams during his 14-season caree ...

, Larry Johnson,

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

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 ...

. He also appeared as himself in an episode of ''

Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both this series and that film starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texa ...

'', and had a cameo appearance as an auto mechanic in ''

The Singles Ward The Singles Ward franchise includes the original film, ''The Singles Ward'' from 2002 and the 2007 sequel, ''The Singles 2nd Ward'', both directed and written by Kurt Hale and John Moyer. The Singles Ward ''The Singles Ward'' is a 2002 romantic ...

'' movie. In 2011, he appeared in a music video tribute to

Jimmer Fredette James Taft "Jimmer" Fredette (born February 25, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player. He last played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. Fredette was the 2011 National Player of the Year in college ...

, along with former BYU football star

Chad Lewis Chad Wayne Lewis (born October 5, 1971) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams. Early life Lewis grew up in Orem, Utah and played football and ran track at Or ...

and legendary coach

LaVell Edwards Reuben LaVell Edwards (October 11, 1930 – December 29, 2016) was an American football head coach for Brigham Young University (BYU). With 257 career victories, he ranks as one of the most successful college football coaches of all time. Among ...

. He has also appeared in an episode of '' Studio C''. Bradley was featured in the

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

30 for 30 ''30 for 30'' is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This includes three "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series un ...

short documentary "

Posterized Posterized is North American slang derived from an action in the game of basketball, in which the offensive player " dunks" over a defending player in a play that is spectacular and athletic enough to warrant reproduction in a printed poster. Th ...

" given his propensity "for being on the wrong end of a lot of great dunks."

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , 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 ...

, 49 , , 45 , , 28.3 , , .409 , , .000 , , .607 , , 6.2 , , 2.0 , , 0.9 , , 3.0 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 59 , , 28.8 , , .455 , , .000 , , .638 , , 8.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.7 , , 3.3 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , 11 , , 27.8 , , .443 , , .000 , , .760, , 8.8 , , 0.7 , , 0.7 , , 3.2 , , 8.8 , - , 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 ...

, 67 , , 57 , , 29.8 , , .443 , , .250 , , .679 , , 7.9 , , 0.8 , , 0.6 , , 3.7 , , 12.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 40 , , 38 , , 30.7 , , .436 , , .000 , , .664 , , 8.1 , , 0.5 , , 0.6 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 4.0* , , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 32 , , 32.1 , , .461 , , .000 , , .642 , , 8.7 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 2.7 , , 14.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 64 , , 46 , , 28.5 , , .422 , , .333 , , .722 , , 8.1 , , 0.9 , , 0.8 , , 3.3 , , 11.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 49 , , 33 , , 26.4 , , .480 , , .000 , , .748 , , 8.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.7 , , 3.2 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 54 , , 24.7 , , .479 , , .200 , , .765 , , 6.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.9 , , 2.5 , , 8.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 35 , , 24.4 , , .490 , , .167 , , .787 , , 7.4 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 2.8 , , 7.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 53 , , 16 , , 14.3 , , .479 , , .000 , , .922 , , 3.3 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 1.2 , , 4.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 39 , , 21.4 , , .536 , , .000 , , .806 , , 5.9 , , 0.7 , , 0.8 , , 2.1 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 66 , , 5 , , 11.7 , , .473 , , .000 , , .837 , , 2.6 , , 0.3 , , 0.5 , , 1.1 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 14 , , 11.5 , , .452 , , .000 , , .683 , , 2.8 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 0.8 , , 2.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 832 , , 484 , , 23.5 , , .457 , , .103 , , .716 , , 6.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.6 , , 2.5 , , 8.1

Playoffs

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

, 10 , , 10 , , 25.6 , , .529 , , .000 , , .769 , , 7.1 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 3.9 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 0 , , 3.6 , , .500 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 0.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , 7 , , 14.5 , , .400 , , .000 , , .750 , , 3.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 0.8 , , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 0 , , 1.5 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 0 , , 3.9 , , .667 , , .000 , , .500 , , 0.9 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 1.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 43 , , 17 , , 13.0 , , .478 , , .000 , , .741 , , 3.4 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 1.1 , , 3.0

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Shawn 1972 births Living people 20th-century Mormon missionaries American athlete-politicians American men's basketball players American Mormon missionaries in Australia American people of German descent Basketball players from Utah BYU Cougars men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Citizens of Germany through descent Dallas Mavericks players German Latter Day Saints German people of American descent Latter Day Saints from Utah McDonald's High School All-Americans National Basketball Association players from Germany German men's basketball players New Jersey Nets players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Philadelphia 76ers players People from Emery County, Utah People from Landstuhl Sportspeople from Rhineland-Palatinate Utah Republicans

Early life

College career and LDS mission

Professional career

Philadelphia 76ers (1993–1995)

New Jersey Nets (1995–1997)

Dallas Mavericks (1997–2005)

National team career

Post-basketball career

Personal life

TV and movie appearances

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links