Daniel Lewis Majerle (; born September 9, 1965), also known by the nickname "Thunder Dan", 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 and former coach of the

Grand Canyon Antelopes The Grand Canyon Antelopes (more commonly referred to as the Lopes) are the 21 athletic teams representing Grand Canyon University, located in Phoenix, Arizona. Most of the university's athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division I level in the ...

. He played 14 years 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) with 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 ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

. He won a bronze medal with the U.S. national team at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

, and a gold medal at the

1994 FIBA World Championship The 1994 FIBA World Championship was the 12th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. The tournament was hosted by Canada from August 4 to 14, 1994. The tournament was held at SkyDome and Maple ...

Early years

Born and raised in

Traverse City, Michigan Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population wa ...

, Majerle starred for Traverse City High School (now Central) and

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the private normal school became a state institution and renamed Ce ...

in Mount Pleasant, where he played for four years with averages of 21.8 points and 8.9 rebounds a game. In 1987, he helped lead the Chippewas to the NCAA Tournament. He held the school season record for points until Marcus Keene broke the mark in the 2016–17 season. Majerle's great-grandfather Frank Majerle Sr. emigrated to the United States in 1901 at age 20 from what is now

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

but was then part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. Frank Sr. settled in Haring, Michigan, and married American-born Anna Suhorepec (anglicized to Suhropetz) whose parents were also from

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

, more specifically Slovenia.

NBA career

Phoenix Suns (1988–1995)

The Suns selected Majerle with the 14th pick of the

1988 NBA draft The 1988 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1988, in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds. This was also the first draft for the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, prior to their i ...

, which the Suns acquired (along with Kevin Johnson) in a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers for Larry Nance. During the draft, he was promptly booed when his name was announced over the public address system. Suns coach

Cotton Fitzsimmons Lowell Gibbs "Cotton" Fitzsimmons (October 7, 1931 – July 24, 2004) was an American college and NBA basketball coach. A native of Bowling Green, Missouri, he attended and played basketball at Hannibal-LaGrange Junior College in Hannibal, Mi ...

publicly chastised the Suns fans and told them "you'll be sorry you ever booed this young man". In his rookie season Majerle played in 54 games and started in 5, averaging 8.6 points as a bench player. The Suns won 55 games and made the playoffs, and Majerle increased his scoring average to 14.3 points a game as Phoenix advanced all the way to the Western Conference Finals before losing to the defending champion

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. The young Majerle continued to be used as a backup for the next two seasons and became popular for his impressive jumping ability and "thunderous"

slam dunk A slam dunk, also simply known as dunk, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with one ...

that would lead to his nickname "Thunder Dan". During the 1989–90 season, he started in 23 games and increased his scoring average to 11 points a game as the Suns again advanced to the Western Conference Finals where this time they were eliminated by the

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

. Despite another successful season for Majerle and the Suns in the 1990–91 season, they fell in the first round of the playoffs to the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

. Majerle had become an effective three-point shooter and defensive specialist and was named to the 1990–91 NBA All-Defensive Second team at the conclusion of the season. The 1992 season featured more improvement for Majerle, who had become an even more effective three-point shooter and defensive specialist. Despite starting in just 15 of the 82 games he played in, Majerle was selected to play in the

1992 NBA All-Star Game The 1992 NBA All-Star Game was the 42nd edition of the All-Star Game. It was hosted at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida on February 9, 1992, where the West defeated the East, 153–113. The game is memorable for the return of Los Angeles L ...

. The Suns again made the playoffs but lost in the conference semifinals to Portland. In the offseason, Phoenix managed to pull off a major step towards an NBA title, as they acquired superstar forward

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 Nati ...

in a trade with 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 Ea ...

1993: Trip to the Finals

The Suns had improved significantly with the addition of Barkley, while the trade itself which featured the departure of guard

Jeff Hornacek Jeffrey John Hornacek (; born May 3, 1963) is an American professional basketball coach and a former player who is a coaching consultant for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously was the head coach for both the ...

meant that Majerle now served as the team's starting shooting guard. The result was a 62-win season for Phoenix, with Barkley winning the Most Valuable Player Award and Majerle finishing second on the team in scoring while being named to his second NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Majerle also finished first in the NBA in three-point field goals made and attempted, and scored 18 points in the

1993 NBA All-Star Game The 1993 NBA All-Star Game took place on February 21, 1993, and was an exhibition game played between the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, home of the Utah Jazz. This was the 43rd edition Nati ...

. The Suns entered the playoffs as the number 1 seed in the Western Conference, and defeated the Lakers, the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

and 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 ...

to reach the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is a ...

with Majerle averaging 15 points in the playoffs and posting big games such as a 34-point performance in the 5th game against Seattle. In the Finals, the Suns faced the defending champion

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 ...

led by

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

and Scottie Pippen. Despite having home court advantage the Suns could not beat the 2-time champions, who won in 6 games to win three championships in a row. Majerle performed well in the Suns win in game 3, scoring 28 points in the win in Chicago.

Last years in Phoenix

Majerle would again lead the league in three-point field goals and attempts in the 1993–94 season, as the Suns won 56 games and made the playoffs before losing to the eventual champion

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

in a 7-game semifinal series. He would then go on to play for Team USA and win in the World Championships in Canada. He would earn another selection to the All-Star game in the following season, scoring 10 points in the

1995 NBA All-Star Game The 1995 NBA All-Star Game was the 45th edition of the All-Star Game. The Western Conference won 139-112. The city of Phoenix hosted the event for the second time (the only previous All-Star game there occurred in 1975). Mitch Richmond of the Sa ...

which was held in Phoenix. Despite this, Majerle started in 46 games, playing small forward often as the team now featured

Wesley Person Wesley Lavon Person (born March 28, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After his playing career, Person became a women's basketball assistant coach and then the he ...

at shooting guard and veteran

A. C. Green A.C. Green Jr. (born October 4, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Iron Man", he holds a National Basketball Association (NBA) record for most consecutive regular-season games played with 1,192. Green played ...

at forward. The Suns again lost in the semifinals to Houston in 7 games, and Majerle was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the offseason.

Cleveland Cavaliers (1995–1996)

In Cleveland, Majerle was used as a reserve at small forward, starting in 15 of the 82 games behind Chris Mills and averaging 10.6 points a game. The Cavaliers won 47 games before losing to 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 ...

in a 3-game sweep in the first round, with Majerle increasing his scoring to 16.7 (second on the team) during the series. In the offseason the Cavaliers released Majerle, and he would go on to sign with the

Miami Heat (1996–2001)

The Heat were a team with a bright future, as they featured all-stars

Alonzo Mourning Alonzo Harding Mourning Jr. (born February 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who has served as vice president of player programs and development for the Miami Heat since June 2009. Mourning played most of his 15-yea ...

and

Tim Hardaway Timothy Duane Hardaway Sr. (born September 1, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player. Hardaway played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets a ...

, and were coached by

Pat Riley Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...

. Injuries limited Majerle to 36 games during the 1996–97 season, as the Heat managed to win a franchise-best 61 games and the Atlantic Division. During the regular season, on December 7, 1996, against the Chicago Bulls, Majerle made a three-pointer with one second remaining to win the game 83–80. In the playoffs, the veteran Majerle was in healthy shape, and the Heat beat the up-and-coming

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 ...

in the first round before facing the Knicks in a grueling 7 game series in which Majerle scored 18 points in the sixth game. The Heat would eventually fall to the defending champion Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals in 5 games. Majerle would again play as the team's backup small forward in the 1997–98 season, averaging 7 points a game as one of the team's main three-point threats, and Miami would post another winning season before losing to New York in the first round of the playoffs. The 1998–99 season would be shortened to 50 games as a result of a league lockout, and with teammate

Voshon Lenard Voshon Kelan Lenard (born May 14, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player who played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was listed as 6' 4" (1.93 m) and 215 lbs, and was born in Detroit, Michigan. ...

hurt for much of the season, Majerle stepped in to start in 48 games. Miami won another Atlantic Division title, but again lost to New York in 5 games in the first round. The team continued to use Majerle as a starter during the 1999–2000 season, as he started in 69 of 82 games and again averaged 7 points during the season. In the playoffs, Miami defeated 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 ...

in the first round before facing the Knicks in another 7-game series in which New York again prevailed. Majerle averaged 9 points in the playoffs and led the team with 20 three-point field goals. In the 2000 offseason it was revealed that Alonzo Mourning would not play as a result of a kidney disease, and the 2000–01 season would feature new acquisitions such as Eddie Jones and Anthony Mason, and Majerle would serve as a reserve. The Heat would lose in the first round of the playoffs in a sweep to 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 ...

, and in the offseason Majerle would sign a deal returning to his original team in Phoenix.

Return to Phoenix (2001–2002)

In his return to the Suns, Majerle received much praise and applause from the hometown Suns fans, playing in 65 games and leading the team in three-point field goals made with 79. His NBA career finished on April 17, 2002, when he officially retired as a member of his original team.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 54 , , 5 , , 25.1 , , .419 , , .329 , , .614 , , 3.9 , , 2.4 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 73 , , 23 , , 30.7 , , .424 , , .238 , , .762 , , 5.9 , , 2.6 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , 11.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 77 , , 7 , , 29.6 , , .484 , , .349 , , .762 , , 5.4 , , 2.8 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , 13.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 82 , , 15 , , 34.8 , , .478 , , .382 , , .756 , , 5.9 , , 3.3 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , 17.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 82 , , 82 , , 39.0 , , .464 , , .381 , , .778 , , 4.7 , , 3.8 , , 1.7 , , .4 , , 16.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 80 , , 76 , , 40.1 , , .418 , , .382 , , .739 , , 4.4 , , 3.4 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , 16.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 82 , , 46 , , 37.7 , , .425 , , .363 , , .730 , , 4.6 , , 4.1 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 15.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 82 , , 15 , , 28.9 , , .405 , , .353 , , .710 , , 3.7 , , 2.6 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 10.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, 36 , , 26 , , 35.1 , , .406 , , .338 , , .678 , , 4.5 , , 3.2 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 72 , , 22 , , 26.8 , , .419 , , .376 , , .784 , , 3.7 , , 2.2 , , .9 , , .2 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 48 , , 48 , , 33.8 , , .396 , , .335 , , .717 , , 4.3 , , 3.1 , , .8 , , .1 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 69 , , 69 , , 33.4 , , .403 , , .362 , , .812 , , 4.8 , , 3.0 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 53 , , 19 , , 24.6 , , .336 , , .315 , , .818 , , 3.1 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 65 , , 1 , , 18.2 , , .343 , , .336 , , .590 , , 2.7 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .2 , , 4.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 955 , , 454 , , 31.6 , , .431 , , .358 , , .741 , , 4.5 , , 2.9 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 11.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 3 , , 1 , , 19.3 , , .429 , , .333 , , .750 , , 5.0 , , 2.7 , , .3 , , .7 , , 10.7

Playoffs

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

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 12 , , 0 , , 29.3 , , .438 , , .286 , , .792 , , 4.8 , , 1.2 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 14.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, astrophysicis ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 16 , , 0 , , 29.9 , , .487 , , .333 , , .785 , , 5.1 , , 2.1 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , 12.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 4 , , 0 , , 27.5 , , .375 , , .364 , , .737 , , 3.8 , , 1.8 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 7 , , 0 , , 38.0 , , .432 , , .273 , , .962 , , 6.3 , , 2.9 , , 1.4 , , .0 , , 18.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 24 , , 24 , , 44.6 , , .431 , , .394 , , .696 , , 5.8 , , 3.7 , , 1.4 , , 1.2 , , 15.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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; Nels ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 10 , , 10 , , 41.0 , , .362 , , .339 , , .688 , , 4.3 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 10 , , 0 , , 30.7 , , .370 , , .364 , , .706 , , 3.1 , , 1.7 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

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

, 3 , , 0 , , 30.3 , , .444 , , .435 , , .889 , , 4.0 , , 3.0 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

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

, 17 , , 2 , , 29.2 , , .393 , , .338 , , .679 , , 4.2 , , 2.5 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 8.0 , - , 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;",

, 2 , , 2 , , 31.0 , , .375 , , .333 , , .500 , , 2.5 , , 2.5 , , 2.0 , , .5 , , 4.5 , - , 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;",

, 5 , , 5 , , 30.4 , , .192 , , .227 , , .714 , , 5.8 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 4.0 , - , 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;",

, 10 , , 10 , , 37.2 , , .423 , , .400 , , .714 , , 7.0 , , 3.2 , , 2.1 , , .1 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

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

, 3 , , 0 , , 23.7 , , .313 , , .286 , , .500 , , 3.3 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 5.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 123 , , 53 , , 34.5 , , .416 , , .353 , , .753 , , 5.0 , , 2.5 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 11.7

Post-NBA career

Majerle was inducted into the

Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor The Ring of Honor is an award given to prominent players and employees of the professional basketball team, the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Awardees are selected to recognize the significant role the individual has had ...

on March 9, 2003.NBA.com Dan Majerle
/ref> In 2006, he was inducted into the

Michigan Sports Hall of Fame The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame to honor Michigan sports athletes, coaches and contributors. It was organized in 1954 by Michigan Lieutenant Governor Philip Hart, Michigan State University athletic director Biggie Munn, presid ...

and into the

Arizona Sports Hall of Fame The Arizona Sports Hall of Fame is a sports hall of fame in the United States honoring any athlete who has "merited recognition and distinction in sports and who has brought fame and honor to the State of Arizona through outstanding sporting ac ...

in 2017. In 2003, Majerle made his broadcasting debut covering the 2003 NBA Playoffs for

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

and later became an 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%). The ...

. During the 2005 All-Star Weekend, he was a member of the Phoenix team that won the

Shooting Stars Competition The Shooting Stars competition was a National Basketball Association (NBA) contest during All-Star Weekend that was held on the Saturday before the All-Star Game. It involved a current NBA player, a WNBA player, and a retired NBA player competing ...

Coaching career

Phoenix Suns (2008–2013)

Majerle was the associate head coach for the Phoenix Suns from 2008 to 2013.

Grand Canyon University (2013–2020)

On March 15, 2013, it was announced that Majerle would coach for

Grand Canyon University Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a private for-profit Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona. Based on student enrollment, Grand Canyon University was the largest Christian university in the world in 2018, with 20,000 attending students on c ...

in their first season as a Division I team. On December 23, 2015, Majerle led

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...

to their first tournament victory as a Division I team when they won the 2015 Global Sports Classic championship. He was fired on March 17, 2020, after his first losing season, with his seven years stint at Grand Canyon coming to an end. On May 19, 2020, Majerle filed a lawsuit against

over the handling of its firing from the head coach position and pending salaries.

Personal life

Majerle owns three sports grill restaurants called "Majerle's".Majerle\'s Sports Grill , Downtown Phoenix, North Phoenix, and Flagstaff Arizona
/ref> Dan has four children with Tina Majerle: Madison, McKenzie, Mia, and Max, who also plays basketball. Dan had a hole in one at Shadow Ridge Country Club in Omaha, Nebraska, in 2021 with Creighton Coach Greg McDermott and Doug McDermott as witnesses.

Head coaching record

References

External links

NBA coach profile

Grand Canyon coach profile

Majerle's
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Majerle, Dan 1965 births Living people 1994 FIBA World Championship players American male film actors American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players American people of Slovenian descent Basketball coaches from Michigan Basketball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Michigan Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball players Cleveland Cavaliers players College men's basketball head coaches in the United States FIBA World Championship-winning players Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball coaches Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Miami Heat players National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association broadcasters Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in basketball People from Traverse City, Michigan Phoenix Suns assistant coaches Phoenix Suns draft picks Phoenix Suns players Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from Traverse City, Michigan United States men's national basketball team players

Early years

NBA career

Phoenix Suns (1988–1995)

1993: Trip to the Finals

Last years in Phoenix

Cleveland Cavaliers (1995–1996)

Miami Heat (1996–2001)

Return to Phoenix (2001–2002)

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Post-NBA career

Coaching career

Phoenix Suns (2008–2013)

Grand Canyon University (2013–2020)

Personal life

Head coaching record

See also

References

External links