Vincent Lamont Baker (born November 23, 1971) 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 in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, 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 i ...

(NBA). He appeared in four consecutive

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...

s. As of 2018, Baker serves as an assistant coach 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 196 ...

High school and college basketball career

High school

Baker played for Old Saybrook High School in

Old Saybrook Old Saybrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,481 at the 2020 census. It contains the incorporated borough of Fenwick, as well as the census-designated places of Old Saybrook Center and Saybroo ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

. He first started on Old Saybrook's varsity in his junior year. Baker was passed over by the bigger Division I schools and signed a scholarship offer from the

Hartford Hawks The Hartford Hawks are the NCAA Division I athletic teams of the University of Hartford, located in West Hartford, Connecticut. Hartford sponsors teams in eight men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports. The men's and women's tennis teams were ...

College

During Baker's inaugural season in 1989, he averaged 4.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, which earned him a place on the

North Atlantic Conference The North Atlantic Conference (NAC) is an athletic conference, affiliated with the NCAA ’s Division III, consisting primarily of small liberal arts colleges in the Northern New England states of Maine and Vermont, as well as New York. Th ...

(now

America East Conference The America East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I founded in 1979, whose members are located in the Northeastern United States. The conference has nine core members including eight public research ...

) All-Rookie Team. Named a starter for his sophomore season, Baker averaged 19.7 PPG and 10.4 RPG and a first team All-NAC spot. As a Junior, Baker averaged 27.6 PPG (2nd in the country), 9.9 RPG, and 3.7 blocks per game (5th in the country), though the team finished with an abysmal 6–21 record. Entering his final season, Baker was called "America's Best-Kept Secret" by ''

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 tw ...

'' and the conference's most dominant player since

Reggie Lewis Reginald C. Lewis (November 21, 1965 – July 27, 1993) was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics from 1987 to 1993. Early life Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Lewis attended high schoo ...

by ''Street & Smith's College/Prep Basketball Preview'' in 1992. Baker averaged 28.3 PPG (4th in the country) and finished with 792 points in only 28 games, a conference record that still remains in the NAC. He finished with 2,238 points, a school record that still stands. However, Baker was not able to translate his immense scoring abilities into team success, as none of his teams ever made the NCAA tournament, and the best his

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

teams ever finished in a season was .500 (14–14). Baker's jersey (#42) hangs on the east wall of Chase Arena in the Reich Family Pavilion.

NBA career

Milwaukee Bucks

After a college career at the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and ...

, Baker was selected by the

with the 8th pick of the

1993 NBA draft The 1993 NBA draft took place on June 30, 1993, at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The draft had some talented players at the top, but injuries and personal problems hurt many of them. Chris Webber, Penny Hardaway, Allan Hou ...

. He played four seasons in Milwaukee, during which he was the leading star (alongside

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 received three all-star selections. On March 14, 1995, Baker recorded a triple double, with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists, in a win against the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

. On April 11, 1995, Baker scored 31 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and recorded 9 assists in a 114–100 victory over the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

. During the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons, Baker averaged at least 21.0 points. On March 1, 1997, Baker recorded a career-high 6 blocks, alongside 20 points and 15 rebounds, in a 103–92 loss against 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 ...

. Despite his personal success as a player while in Milwaukee, the Bucks were not able to make the postseason during his tenure with the team.

Seattle SuperSonics

After four seasons with the Bucks, he was 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 ...

following the 1996–97 NBA season in a three-team deal that sent Tyrone Hill 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 ...

to the Bucks, and

Shawn Kemp Shawn may refer to: *Shawn (given name) *Shawn (surname) See also * Sean * Shaun Shaun is an anglicized spelling of the Irish name Seán. Alternative spellings include Shawn, Sean and Shawne. Notable persons with the given name include: Peo ...

and Sherman Douglas to 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 Central ...

. Baker helped the SuperSonics to a strong 1997-98 NBA season and a first round win over 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 ...

, while proving to be a valuable replacement for Kemp. On May 12, 1998, in a decisive Game 5 of a hard-fought Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers (both teams finished the season with a 61–21 record, though Seattle had home-court advantage due to a tiebreaker), Baker led Seattle with 29 points and 9 rebounds in a losing effort. On February 1, 2000, Baker scored 33 points, recorded 5 assists, and 5 rebounds, in a 104–96 victory against

Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone sp ...

and the Jazz.

Boston Celtics

After four years in Seattle, Baker was traded to the Boston Celtics with

Shammond Williams Shammond Omar Williams (born April 5, 1975) is a retired American-born naturalized Georgian professional basketball player. Standing at , he played at both point guard and shooting guard positions. During his career he played in the NBA and in ...

for Kenny Anderson,

Vitaly Potapenko Vitaly Nikolaevich Potapenko ( uk, Віталій Миколайович Потапенко, pronounced ''vee-TAH-lee poe-TAH-pen-koe'', born March 21, 1975) is a Ukrainian former professional basketball player who is currently an assistant coach ...

and

Joseph Forte Joseph Xavier Forte (born March 23, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He played two seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was an All-American player at North Carolina. Beginnings Forte got his start ...

. While his career averages include 15.1 points per game, his numbers had dropped considerably in the twenty-first century. After the 1998–99 NBA lockout season in Seattle, Baker's weight ballooned to near 300 pounds and his game suffered tremendously. While Baker was able to get his weight down to around 250, Baker revealed that he was a recovering

alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...

who used to

binge Binge or Binges may refer to: Behavior Binge, a behavior engaged in excessively over a short period of time, such as: * Binge drinking * Binge eating * Binge-watching Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Binge'' (EP), a 2018 EP by Machine Gun Kel ...

in hotel rooms and at home after playing poorly. In an interview with the ''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'', Baker said Celtics coach Jim O'Brien smelled alcohol on him in practice and confronted him about it. The team suspended him and he was eventually released.

New York Knicks

Baker would sign with the New York Knicks. The team reached the playoffs in the

2003–04 NBA season The 2003–04 NBA season was the 58th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Detroit Pistons defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 4–1 in the 2004 NBA Finals. Events This was the last season for the original two-div ...

Houston Rockets

Baker was traded to the Rockets with Moochie Norris for

Maurice Taylor Maurice De Shawn Taylor (born October 30, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played power forward and center positions. Originally from Detroit, Taylor played college basketball at Michigan and was selected by the L ...

on February 24, 2005.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Rockets would ultimately release Baker on October 7, 2005. He would spend the

2005–06 NBA season The 2005–06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. The Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, four games to two to win their first NBA championship. Notable occurrences * A new league dres ...

in a reserve role with 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 ...

Minnesota Timberwolves

Baker signed with the

on October 1, 2006, reuniting him with head coach

Dwane Casey Dwane Lyndon Casey (born April 17, 1957) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a former NCAA basketball player and coach, having played and coached there ...

, who served as an assistant coach when Baker was in Seattle. His tenure in Minnesota would be short-lived, though. Baker was released from the Timberwolves on November 13, 2006. He never played in a regular season game after being on the inactive list for the first six games.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

, 82 , , 63 , , 31.2 , , .501 , , .200 , , .569 , , 7.6 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , 1.4 , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 41.0* , , .483 , , .292 , , .593 , , 10.3 , , 3.6 , , 1.0 , , 1.4 , , 17.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 40.5 , , .489 , , .208 , , .670 , , 9.9 , , 2.6 , , .8 , , 1.1 , , 21.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 78 , , 40.5 , , .505 , , .278 , , .687 , , 10.3 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , 1.4 , , 21.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-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 ...

, 82 , , 82 , , 35.9 , , .542 , , .143 , , .591 , , 8.0 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 19.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 31 , , 34.2 , , .453 , , .000 , , .450 , , 6.2 , , 1.6 , , .9 , , 1.0 , , 13.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 75 , , 36.1 , , .455 , , .250 , , .682 , , 7.7 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , .8 , , 16.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 27 , , 28.0 , , .422 , , .063 , , .723 , , 5.7 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 55 , , 41 , , 31.1 , , .485 , , .125 , , .633 , , 6.4 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , .7 , , 14.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

, 52 , , 9 , , 18.1 , , .478 , , .000 , , .673 , , 3.8 , , .6 , , .4 , , .6 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 37 , , 33 , , 27.0 , , .505 , , .000 , , .732 , , 5.7 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , .6 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New York , 17 , , 0 , , 18.4 , , .404 , , .500 , , .711 , , 4.1 , , .7 , , .4 , , .5 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New York , 24 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .342 , , .000 , , .467 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , .1 , , .2 , , 1.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

, 3 , , 0 , , 4.3 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .7 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 8 , , 1 , , 10.6 , , .467 , , .000 , , .722 , , 2.4 , , .5 , , .5 , , .5 , , 3.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 791 , , 604 , , 32.5 , , .485 , , .215 , , .638 , , 7.4 , , 1.9 , , .7 , , 1.0 , , 15.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, All-Star , 4 , , 0 , , 17.5 , , .419 , , .000 , , .750 , , 6.0 , , .7 , , .5 , , .2 , , 8.7

Playoffs

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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 s ...

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, 10 , , 10 , , 37.1 , , .530 , , .000 , , .421 , , 9.4 , , 1.8 , , 1.8 , , 1.5 , , 15.8 , - , style="text-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 S ...

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

, 5 , , 4 , , 35.4 , , .400 , , .000 , , .588 , , 7.6 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 14.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2002 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 4 , , 28.8 , , .500 , , 1.000 , , .778 , , 5.0 , , .8 , , .6 , , 1.2 , , 13.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2004 , style="text-align:left;", New York , 4 , , 0 , , 14.3 , , .571 , , .000 , , .667 , , 3.0 , , .3 , , .8 , , .5 , , 5.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 24 , , 18 , , 31.2 , , .491 , , .500 , , .534 , , 7.0 , , 1.4 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 13.2

Other endeavors

Baker has a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

foundation called the Stand Tall Foundation. The Stand Tall Foundation is an organization that helps give kids a better future by financially assisting with different charitable and volunteer organizations. The goal of the Stand Tall Foundation is to help young people with their education, personal development and general well-being. On June 3, 2011, Baker was hired as an assistant high school boys basketball coach at St. Bernard School in Uncasville, Connecticut. In 2014, Baker was named to a team assembled by

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best reboundin ...

as part of his "basketball diplomacy" effort in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

; the team was assembled to play an exhibition game against the North Korean Senior National Team to celebrate the birthday of Kim Jong-un. As of December 2015, Baker was managing a Starbucks location in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Baker later became Fox Sports Milwaukee's home team broadcaster. In 2017, Baker became the head of the basketball department at Camp Greylock. As of 2019, Baker serves as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks. He won a championship with the Bucks in that role during 2021. On July 18, 2020, The Vin Baker Foundation hosted a 5k run called "Addiction Ends Here".

Personal life

Baker's mother is Jean Baker. His father, Rev. James Baker, is an auto mechanic and Baptist minister. Baker has a wife and four children. On June 19, 2007, Baker was arrested in Norwich, Connecticut for drunk driving after leaving

Foxwoods Resort Casino Foxwoods Resort Casino is a hotel and casino complex owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on their reservation located in Ledyard, Connecticut. Including six casinos, the resort covers an area of . The casinos have more th ...

. On June 21, 2008 ''ml-implode.com'' reported that Baker's Durham, Connecticut home was foreclosed and put up for sale for $2.3 million. The house was purchased by U.S. Bank for $2.5 million at an auction on June 28, 2008. Baker reportedly lost over $100 million due to financial troubles. Baker has struggled with depression and alcoholism. Baker cites these issues as the main reason his career seemingly derailed out of nowhere. In 2013, the ''New York Daily News'' reported that he had stopped drinking alcohol on April 17, 2011.

References

External links

The Curious Case of Vin Baker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Vin 1971 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Connecticut Basketball coaches from Florida Basketball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Connecticut Basketball players from Florida Boston Celtics players Centers (basketball) Hartford Hawks men's basketball players High school basketball coaches in Connecticut Houston Rockets players Los Angeles Clippers players Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Milwaukee Bucks assistant coaches Milwaukee Bucks draft picks Milwaukee Bucks players National Basketball Association All-Stars New York Knicks players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball People from Lake Wales, Florida People from Old Saybrook, Connecticut Power forwards (basketball) Seattle SuperSonics players Sportspeople from Polk County, Florida United States men's national basketball team players