Benjamin Roy "B. J." Armstrong Jr. (born September 9, 1967) 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. Armstrong won three NBA championships during his career as a point guard for the

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 ...

Early life

Armstrong was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

and attended Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Township, Michigan. He graduated in 1985.

Playing career

College career

Armstrong had an illustrious career at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

as the Hawkeyes' all-time leader in assists with 517 upon graduation; and is currently ranked sixth all-time. He also ranked sixth on the school's all-time steals list (178) and fourth in total points (1,705). The 6-foot-2 guard shot .443 (136-of-307) from three-point range over his four-year career and averaged 18.6 points and 5.4 assists as a senior. Armstrong received his bachelor's degree from Iowa in May 1989.

National Basketball Association

Chicago Bulls

Selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the

1989 NBA draft The 1989 NBA draft took place on June 27, 1989, in New York City. Despite eight of the top ten picks being considered busts, including the first two picks Pervis Ellison and Danny Ferry, the draft produced many talented players such as Shawn Ke ...

, the 6'2" (1.88 m) Armstrong helped the team return to the Eastern Conference Finals after compiling 55 regular season victories in

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

. In

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

, he helped them win their first NBA title against the Los Angeles Lakers after winning 61 games. In 1992, Armstrong averaged double-digit scoring while coming off the bench behind longtime starter

John Paxson John MacBeth Paxson (born September 29, 1960) is an American basketball administrator and former player who was vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2009 to 2020. He was th ...

to help the Bulls win 67 games and their second straight title. In

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

, he locked down the starting job, contributing to a 57–25 record and the Bulls' third straight title. He also claimed the NBA's three-point field goal percentage crown with a mark of .453 on 63-for-139 shooting. In

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 sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

, he emerged as more of a leader in the wake of Michael Jordan's abrupt retirement, placing third on the team in scoring. He was voted a starter in the 1994 NBA All-Star Game, finished second in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage at .444 while leading the team to a 55–27 record and a second-round exit from the playoffs. Armstrong finished third in scoring again in

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

as the Bulls posted a 47–35 record, and with Jordan,

Scottie Pippen Scotty Maurice Pippen Sr. (born September 25, 1965), usually spelled Scottie Pippen, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with the ...

and

Toni Kukoč Toni Kukoč, nicknamed ''“The Waiter”'' (; born September 18, 1968) is a Croatian-American former professional basketball player who serves as Special Advisor to Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago Bulls. After a highly successful perio ...

, led the team to the second round again.

Golden State Warriors

Armstrong was the first player chosen in the 1995 NBA Expansion Draft (via

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 ...

) but refused to report. He was traded by the Raptors to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Carlos Rogers and 4 other players and played for the Warriors in 1996 and in

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

Charlotte Hornets

Four games into the 1997–98 season, he was acquired by the Charlotte Hornets, playing 62 games that year. He also played 10 games for the Hornets in the 1999 season before being signed by the Orlando Magic in March of that year.

Orlando Magic

Armstrong was signed by the Orlando Magic in March of the 1998–99 NBA season.

Return to Chicago

On August 30, 1999, he was again signed by the Bulls and played the 1999–2000 season and retired at the end of the season, ending his career with the team that drafted him and with which he spent much of his playing career.

Later endeavors

Armstrong stepped into Chicago's front office as a special assistant to Vice President of Basketball Operations Jerry Krause. Having replaced Paxson as the Bulls' starting point guard years before, Armstrong was himself replaced by Paxson as hire to the GM job in Chicago when Krause resigned in 2003. Armstrong remained with the organization as a scout for a couple of seasons, leaving in 2005. Armstrong served as a basketball analyst for

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%). Th ...

's ''NBA Fast Break'' series. Since 2006 he has also been employed by Wasserman Media Group, a sports marketing and representation group out of Los Angeles, California representing professional athletes and entertainers. He currently serves as an agent for Knicks point guard Derrick Rose, who was the first player selected in the 2008 NBA draft. He also serves as an agent for

Bismack Biyombo Bismack Biyombo Sumba (born August 28, 1992) is a Congolese professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Sacramento Ki ...

Emmanuel Mudiay Emmanuel Kabeya Mudiay (born March 5, 1996) is a Congolese-American professional basketball player for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. He played high school basketball for Grace Preparatory Academy and Prime Prep Academy in Texas, where he ...

Donatas Motiejūnas Donatas Motiejūnas (; born September 20, 1990) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for AS Monaco Basket of LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague. He was drafted 20th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves before going on ...

, JaVale McGee,

Denzel Valentine Denzel Robert Valentine (born November 16, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. As a senior, Valentine became the first playe ...

, and Josh Jackson.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 81 , , 0 , , 15.9 , , .485 , , .500 , , .885 , , 1.3 , , 2.5 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 5.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

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, 82 , , 0 , , 21.1 , , .481 , , .500 , , .874 , , 1.8 , , 3.7 , , 0.9 , , 0.0 , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 82 , , 3 , , 22.9 , , .481 , , .402 , , .806 , , 1.8 , , 3.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 82 , , 74 , , 30.4 , , .499 , , .453 , , .861 , , 1.8 , , 4.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.1 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 82 , , 82 , , 33.8 , , .476 , , .444 , , .855 , , 2.1 , , 3.9 , , 1.0 , , 0.1 , , 14.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 82 , , 82 , , 31.4 , , .468 , , .427 , , .884 , , 2.3 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.1 , , 14.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 82 , , 64 , , 27.6 , , .468 , , .473 , , .839 , , 2.2 , , 4.9 , , 0.8 , , 0.1 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 49 , , 17 , , 20.8 , , .453 , , .278 , , .861 , , 1.5 , , 2.6 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 7.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 4 , , 0 , , 14.8 , , .316 , , .000 , , .714 , , 1.8 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, 62 , , 0 , , 12.5 , , .510 , , .265 , , .860 , , 1.1 , , 2.3 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 3.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 1 , , 17.8 , , .488 , , .750 , , .900 , , 1.6 , , 2.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 5.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

, 22 , , 0 , , 8.2 , , .422 , , .143 , , .818 , , 1.0 , , 1.5 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 2.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 27 , , 18 , , 21.6 , , .446 , , .448 , , .880 , , 1.7 , , 2.9 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 7.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 747 , , 341 , , 23.8 , , .477 , , .425 , , .856 , , 1.8 , , 3.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 9.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 1 , , 22.0 , , .556 , , .500 , , – , , 1.0 , , 4.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 11.0

Playoffs

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

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

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 16, , 0, , 13.6, , .339, , .000, , .917, , 1.3, , 1.8, , 0.6, , 0.0, , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

† , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 17, , 0, , 16.1, , .500, , .600, , .800, , 1.6, , 2.5, , 1.1, , 0.1, , 5.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 1992† , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 22, , 0, , 19.7, , .453, , .294, , .789, , 1.1, , 2.1, , 0.6, , 0.0, , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

† , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 19, , 19, , 33.8, , .524, , .512, , .909, , 1.5, , 3.3, , 1.0, , 0.1, , 11.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 10, , 10, , 36.0, , .519, , .583, , .818, , 2.4, , 2.5, , 0.8, , 0.0, , 15.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 10, , 10, , 28.8, , .456, , .448, , .818, , 1.8, , 2.7, , 0.6, , 0.0, , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

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

, 9, , 0, , 16.2, , .381, , .400, , .750, , 1.1, , 2.0, , 0.7, , 0.0, , 4.1 , - , style="text-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 shoot ...

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

, 2, , 0, , 1.5, , .000, , –, , –, , 0.0, , 0.5, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 0.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 105 , , 39 , , 22.5 , , .471 , , .451 , , .832 , , 1.4 , , 2.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 7.9

References

External links

Career statistics
databasebasketball.com
NBA Profile
NBA.com

aodonline.org
Interview with B. J. Armstrong
SportsAgentBlog.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, BJ 1967 births 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players American sports agents Basketball players from Detroit Brother Rice High School (Michigan) alumni Charlotte Hornets players Chicago Bulls draft picks Chicago Bulls players Golden State Warriors players Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball players Living people Medalists at the 1987 Summer Universiade National Basketball Association All-Stars Orlando Magic players Point guards Toronto Raptors expansion draft picks Universiade medalists in basketball Universiade silver medalists for the United States