Christopher Stephen Copeland (born March 17, 1984) nicknamed "The X-Factor" 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 last played for MoraBanc Andorra of the

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, ...

. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sy ...

from 2002 until 2006.

Early life

Copeland was born in

Orange, New Jersey The City of Orange is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 30,134, reflecting a decline of 2,734 (−8.3%) from the 32,868 counted in 2000. Orange was original ...

to mother, Terry, in 1984. With his father absent from his life from birth, Copeland always looked up to his older brother, Vincent Alphaquan, a basketball standout at Seton Hall Prep and Columbus High School in New York before he played at Jackson State. At age 4, he established a practice routine with Vincent as his coach, honing his game with various dribbling drills in a narrow alleyway next to their house. He continued with the regimen through childhood at Elmwood Park under Vincent's guidance. This all changed in May 1997 when Vincent slipped into a coma after a drunk driver struck him in a hit-and-run accident on Central Avenue in East Orange, just a few blocks away from the Copelands' house. He regained consciousness for a couple days, but six weeks after the accident, he unexpectedly died. Vincent, engaged to marry that June, was 22. One weekend in August 1999, Copeland and his mother visited his aunt in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

where she brought Copeland, then 15, to nearby Hermitage High School. He wandered into the gym where, by chance, the school's players were running pick-up games. He was already 6-foot-6, and he was immediately noticed. Upon their chance encounter with the coaches at Hermitage, Terry decided she and her son would leave New Jersey. She quit her job as a senior administrator for Unity Hospice in Newark, and by October 1999, her son was enrolled at Hermitage. As a senior in 2001–02, he averaged 15 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.7 blocks per game for the Panthers as he earned Most Valuable Player honors, as well as Virginia High School Colonial District Co-Player of the Year, Virginia All-State honorable mention, all-region, all-district and all-metro first-team selection. As both a junior and senior, he helped Hermitage win the Colonial District Championship.

College career

In his freshman season at

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

, Copeland proved to be a valuable contributor off the bench as he often provided CU with clutch points despite limited minutes. In 26 games, he averaged 2.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per game. In his sophomore season, Copeland played in 27 of the Buffs 28 games while averaging 9.2 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 12 points against Iowa State on March 3, 2004, along with five rebounds and four-of-four from the free-throw line. For the season, he averaged 2.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. In his junior season, Copeland earned Big 12 All-Improved team honors after more than tripling his points per game average. He scored a career-high 25 points against Richmond on January 4, 2005. In 29 games (15 starts), he averaged 11.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 blocks in 25.2 minutes per game. In his senior season, Copeland helped CU to a 20–10 overall record and an NIT berth as he played in all 30 games with 28 starts while averaging 24.3 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 22 points against Kansas on January 11, 2006. For the season, he averaged 12.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.

College statistics

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2002–03 , style="text-align:left;",

, 26 , , 0 , , 7.7 , , .377 , , .250 , , .577 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , .1 , , .3 , , 2.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2003–04 , style="text-align:left;", Colorado , 28 , , 0 , , 9.2 , , .379 , , .393 , , .594 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , .3 , , .5 , , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2004–05 , style="text-align:left;", Colorado , 29 , , 15 , , 25.2 , , .448 , , .375 , , .814 , , 5.6 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 1.2 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , style="text-align:left;", Colorado , 30 , , 28 , , 24.3 , , .440 , , .357 , , .688 , , 5.1 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , 1.1 , , 12.1 , -

Professional career

Fort Worth Flyers (2006-2007)

Copeland went undrafted in the 2006 NBA draft. On March 29, 2007, he was acquired by the Fort Worth Flyers of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

. He went on to play 20 games for the Flyers to close out the 2006–07 season.

CB L'Hospitalet (2007)

On September 20, 2007, Copeland signed with

CB L'Hospitalet Club Bàsquet L'Hospitalet, also known as Torrons Vicens L'Hospitalet for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team based in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia and plays in the Complex Esportiu L'Hospitalet Nord, in LEB Plata leagu ...

of Spain for the 2007–08 season.

Matrixx Magixx (2007–2008)

In October 2007, Copeland left L'Hospitalet and signed with

Matrixx Magixx Matrixx Magixx was a professional basketball team based in Nijmegen and later Wijchen. The club played in the Dutch Basketball League (DBL), the Dutch top-tier league. Home games of the Magixx were played in Sporthal De Arcus since 2012, therefor ...

of the Netherlands for the rest of the 2007–08 season.

TBB Trier (2008–2010)

In the summer of 2008, Copeland signed with

TBB Trier Gladiators Treves, for sponsorship reasons known as Römerstrom Gladiators Trier, is a professional basketball club based in Trier, Germany. The club plays in the ProA. Their home arena is Trier Arena, which has a capacity of 5,495 people. From 1 ...

of Germany for the 2008–09 season. In June 2009, he re-signed with the Trier for the 2009–10 season. He played 67 games over two seasons as he averaged 13.2 ppg in 2008–09 and 16.9 ppg in 2009–10.

Okapi Aalstar (2010–2012)

In July 2010, Copeland signed with

Okapi Aalstar Okapi Aalst is a Belgian professional basketball club from Aalst, Belgium. The club competes in the top tier BNXT League and plays its home games in the Okapi Forum, which has a seating capacity of 2,800 people. Okapi is a long-time participant ...

of Belgium for the 2010–11 season. In April 2011, he signed a two-year contract extension with the club. However, he left Aalstar following the 2011–12 season after earning Belgian League MVP and Star of the Coaches honors.

New York Knicks (2012–2013)

On July 16, 2012, Copeland signed a one-year deal with the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

and went on to average 13.8 points in five games for the Knicks during the 2012

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season competition organized by the National Basketball Association. NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups ...

. On November 2, 2012, he made his NBA debut in the Knicks' season opener against the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

, recording no points in just under two minutes of action. On December 18, 2012, Copeland was assigned to the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League. He was recalled on December 19, reassigned on December 20 and recalled again on December 21; he did not appear in a game for Erie during his time with them. On April 17, 2013, Copeland recorded a career-high 33 points in the Knicks' final regular season game against the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

. He subsequently won the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for the month of April. In 2012–13, Copeland averaged 8.7 points per game, and despite not being named to an

NBA All-Rookie Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...

, he still managed to tie

Harrison Barnes Harrison Bryce Jordan Barnes (born May 30, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels before being sele ...

at sixth place in the

NBA Rookie of the Year The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gott ...

voting (with eight points each). On June 25, 2013, the Knicks extended a qualifying offer to make Copeland a restricted free agent.

Indiana Pacers (2013–2015)

On July 10, 2013, Copeland received a two-year, $6.1 million offer sheet from the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first estab ...

. The Knicks declined to match the offer, and Copeland signed with the Pacers on July 14. After a promising rookie season with the Knicks, Copeland's production dropped off dramatically with the Pacers in 2013–14 as he averaged just 3.7 points and 6.5 minutes in 41 games, playing behind

Paul George Paul Clifton Anthony George (born May 2, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "PG-13", he is a seven-time NBA All-Star and six-time member of th ...

, Danny Granger and

Evan Turner Evan Marcel Turner (born October 27, 1988) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He was most recently an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted second overall ...

. On November 5, 2014, Copeland recorded 19 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in a 94–96 overtime loss to the Washington Wizards.

Milwaukee Bucks (2015–2016)

On July 29, 2015, Copeland signed with 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 ...

. He made his debut for the Bucks in the team's season opener against the New York Knicks on October 28, recording 8 points and 2 rebounds in a 122–97 loss. On February 22, 2016, he was waived by the Bucks. Two days later, the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

put in a waiver claim on Copeland in order to waive him, so as to go above the season's minimum team salary of $63 million. On September 22, 2016, Copeland signed with the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

, but was waived on October 3.

Tofaş (2016–2017)

On December 5, 2016, Copeland signed with Turkish club

Tofaş Tofaş (acronym for ''Türk Otomobil Fabrikası Anonim Şirketi''; ''Turkish Automobile Factory Joint-Stock Company'' pronounced ) is a Turkish automobile manufacturer which was established in 1968 by Vehbi Koç, who was the founder of Koç Ho ...

for the rest of the 2016–17 BSL season. He averaged 9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in 21 games of the 2016–17 BSL season, helping his club reach the playoffs.

Andorra (2017–2018)

On November 3, 2017, Copeland signed with

Andorra , image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg , symbol_type = Coat of arms , national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...

. He joined the club with an agreement until February 2018, in order to replace injured Georgian forward

Beka Burjanadze Beka Burjanadze ( ka, ბექა ბურჯანაძე) (born January 3, 1994) is a Georgian professional basketball player for Leyma Básquet Coruña of the LEB Oro. Early career He played some years in Cajasol Sevilla's junior teams, ...

. On January 29, 2018, he parted ways with Andorra after appearing in six games.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 56 , , 13 , , 15.4 , , .479 , , .421 , , .759 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , .2 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, 41 , , 0 , , 6.5 , , .470 , , .418 , , .714 , , .8 , , .4 , , .1 , , .2 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 50 , , 12 , , 16.6 , , .361 , , .311 , , .733 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .2 , , 6.2 , - , 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 i ...

, 24 , , 1 , , 6.5 , , .333 , , .278 , , .857 , , .4 , , .5 , , .1 , , .0 , , 2.1 , - , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 171 , , 26 , , 12.3 , , .427 , , .365 , , .752 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .2 , , .2 , , 5.8

Playoffs

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

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

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

, 9 , , 1 , , 10.3 , , .400 , , .478 , , 1.000 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , .6 , , .0 , , 4.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

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

, 12 , , 0 , , 6.8 , , .429 , , .375 , , .667 , , .4 , , .1 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.0 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 21 , , 1 , , 8.3 , , .414 , , .436 , , .727 , , .7 , , .1 , , .4 , , .1 , , 3.5

Personal life

On April 8, 2015, Copeland was stabbed in the abdomen outside of a nightclub in New York City. His ex-girlfriend, Katrine, was also slashed in her arm and leg.

Pero Antić Pero Antić ( mk, Перо Антиќ, ; born July 29, 1982), is a North Macedonian basketball executive and former professional player. He currently serves as a president of the Basketball Federation of North Macedonia. Antić was a member an ...

and

Thabo Sefolosha Thabo Patrick Sefolosha (; born May 2, 1984) is a Swiss former professional basketball player. He has also played in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets, in the Turkish Basketball ...

of the

were arrested at the scene for interfering with police. Copeland was taken to

Bellevue Hospital Bellevue Hospital (officially NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and formerly known as Bellevue Hospital Center) is a hospital in New York City and the oldest public hospital in the United States. One of the largest hospitals in the United States ...

, where he was listed in stable condition.

References

External links

Colorado Buffaloes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Copeland, Chris 1984 births Living people African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Belgium American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in Spain American expatriate basketball people in the Netherlands American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Basketball players from New Jersey BC Andorra players American expatriate basketball people in Andorra CB L'Hospitalet players Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball players Dutch Basketball League players Fort Worth Flyers players Indiana Pacers players Liga ACB players Matrixx Magixx players Milwaukee Bucks players New York Knicks players Okapi Aalstar players People from Orange, New Jersey Power forwards (basketball) Small forwards Sportspeople from Essex County, New Jersey Tofaş S.K. players Undrafted National Basketball Association players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people