Xavier Maurice McDaniel (born June 4, 1963), nicknamed "X-Man", is an American retired 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, at 6 ft 7 in, played both

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

and

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

. He played in college at

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

High School career

McDaniel attended

A.C. Flora High School A. C. Flora High School is a public high school located in the City of Forest Acres, South Carolina, a suburb of Columbia. The school is one of seven high schools operated by Richland County School District One. The school was founded in 1959 t ...

in Columbia, South Carolina. During his time there, he helped the school basketball team win the state championship in 1981.

College career

While at

Wichita State Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

, McDaniel was the first person to lead the nation in both rebounding and scoring in the same season. In college, McDaniel began to shave both his head and his eyebrows to look more intimidating. He continued this all throughout his pro career. For his first two seasons at Wichita State, the Shockers were on NCAA probation. He was a teammate his freshman year of future NBA players

Antoine Carr Antoine Labotte Carr (born July 23, 1961) is an American retired basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Dawg", he played power forward (and sometimes center) for six different teams in the National Basketball Association across 16 seasons. Early life ...

and

Cliff Levingston Clifford Eugene Levingston (born January 4, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. Professional playing career A former power forward, Levingston played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Levingston st ...

. When Levingston left for the NBA, McDaniel became a starter and averaged 18.8 points and 14.4 rebounds as a power forward opposite Carr. The following season, Carr left, and McDaniel raised his scoring average to 20.6 points per game and was the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

MVP. He then led the nation in scoring (27.4) and rebounding (15.0) his senior season becoming the first player to do so. Xavier McDaniel was inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 1998. McDaniel was a consensus First Team All American during his senior year at Wichita State as well as the NCAA leader in points and rebounds during the same year.

Professional career

Seattle SuperSonics

McDaniel was selected by 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 ...

in the first round (4th overall) of the 1985 NBA draft and became an instant starter. He averaged 17.1 points per game and finished second in the NBA Rookie of the Year balloting to

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 ...

. His second season, he was one of a trio of 20 ppg scorers with the SuperSonics along with

Dale Ellis Dale or dales may refer to: Locations * Dale (landform), an open valley * Dale (place name element) Geography ;Australia *The Dales (Christmas Island), in the Indian Ocean ;Canada *Dale, Ontario ;Ethiopia *Dale (woreda), district ;Norway *Da ...

and Tom Chambers. The SuperSonics made it to the Western Conference finals that season, before losing to the

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 ...

. In that series, on May 23, 1987, McDaniel scored a career-high 42 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 122-121 loss. The following season, on January 20, 1988, McDaniel scored 41 points and grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds in a win over the Knicks. On April 6, 1989, McDaniel scored 37 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and recorded 6 assists in a 126-119 loss ro 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 averaged over 20 points per game for his final three seasons as a Sonic, including the 1988–89 season when he was used primarily as a bench player. McDaniel made his only all-star appearance in 1988 with the SuperSonics as a reserve player. Despite regular season success, the SuperSonics ultimately came up short in the postseason in each of McDaniel’s seasons. This, paired with tension among the team’s starters, such as McDaniel getting into a lengthy fist-fight with

, ultimately led to the SuperSonics opting for youth, and they traded McDaniel for two 1st round draft picks as well as Eddie Johnson.

Phoenix Suns

McDaniel was traded fifteen games into the 1990–91 season to the

for Eddie Johnson and two draft picks. On December 21, 1990, McDaniel scored 18 points, recorded 5 steals, and recorded 5 assists, in a 132-128 overtime loss to 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 (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

. The trade reunited him with teammate Tom Chambers, but it didn't produce the results the Suns were looking for. In October 1991, he was dealt 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 ...

for

Trent Tucker Kelvin Trent Tucker (born December 20, 1959) is an American retired professional basketball player who played eleven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A shooting guard, Tucker attended the University of Minnesota from 1978 t ...

Jerrod Mustaf Terrah Jerrod Mustaf (born October 28, 1969) is a retired American professional basketball player. Mustaf played at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. He was one of the most heavily recruited players in his senior year, and went on to ...

, and two 2nd round picks.

New York Knicks

In the Knicks he was a perfect fit in coach

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 ...

's physical style. He gained some notoriety for playing 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 1 ...

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 ...

tough in a grueling seven-game playoff series that the Bulls won on their way to their second NBA title.

Boston Celtics

Dismayed with Knicks' subpar contract offer in the offseason, McDaniel signed with the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

prior to the 1992–93 season. Dave Gavitt, the executive vice president for the Celtics claimed that “McDaniel wasn’t a perfect fit at his position but brought us something that would make us a better team” after signing McDaniel in free agency. During His three seasons with the Celtics, McDaniel averaged 11.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.

Iraklis Thessaloniki

In 1995, McDaniel signed with Greek club

Iraklis Thessaloniki Gymnasticos Syllogos Iraklis ( el, Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Ηρακλής, en, Gymnastics Club Heracles), commonly referred to as Iraklis, is a Greek multi-sports club based in Thessaloniki. The club was founded in 1908 as "Mace ...

. With Iraklis, he was a

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second most ...

finalist, in March 1996. During the FIBA EuroLeague 1995–96 season, he averaged 18.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. In the

Greek Basketball League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

, he averaged 18.5 points, 9 rebounds and 38 minutes a game, playing in 24 of 26 games, being suspended for two.

New Jersey Nets

In October 1996, McDaniel signed with the

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, ...

. On March 15, 1997, McDaniel led the Nets to a win, making 4 free-throws in the final 16 seconds of a 99-98 victory over the

. During his last two years with the New Jersey Nets, McDaniel’s numbers started to drop off and he ultimately decided to retire after the 1998 season.

Style of play

McDaniel was known for his physical style of play on the court which he often used to intimidate other plays. This caused McDaniel to get into many physical altercations during games and practices.

Post playing career

After retiring from professional basketball, McDaniel moved back to his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina to be closer and reconnect with his family. He obtained a real estate license after retirement and likes flipping houses. McDaniel owns a janitorial supply company in Columbia, South Carolina.

Television and film appearances

McDaniel had a brief cameo in the 1992 film ''

Singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

''. One of the film's main characters, Steve Dunne (

Campbell Scott Campbell Scott (born July 19, 1961) is an American actor, producer and director. His roles include Steve Dunne in '' Singles'', Mark Usher in '' House of Cards'', Joseph Tobin in ''Damages'', and Richard Parker in '' The Amazing Spider-Man'' an ...

), is having sex and begins fantasizing about a locker room interview with McDaniel in order to delay orgasm. At the end of the otherwise normal interview McDaniel says "Steve, don't cum yet." A year later McDaniel was featured on the

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

'' Married... with Children'' in the episode " A Tisket, a Tasket, Can Peg Make a Basket?" McDaniel played an

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of al ...

who roughs up lead character

Al Bundy Al Bundy is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television series '' Married... with Children''. Played by Ed O'Neill, Bundy is a misanthropic, working-class father of two who is portrayed as a somewhat tragicomedic fig ...

after his

wife A wife (plural, : wives) is a female in a marital relationship. A woman who has separated from her partner continues to be a wife until the marriage is legally Dissolution (law), dissolved with a divorce judgement. On the death of her partner, ...

pesters the All-Star during a basketball game. After retiring McDaniel appeared on

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was o ...

's televised

slamball Slamball is a form of basketball played with four trampolines in front of each net and boards around the court edge. The name SlamBall is the trademark of SlamBall, LLC. While SlamBall is based on basketball, it is a contact sport, with blocks ...

games where he coached the Riders squad in 2003. Afterwards he made a few appearances on the

reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...

Pros vs. Joes ''Pros vs. Joes'' was an American physical reality game show that aired on Spike from 2006 to 2010. The show featured male amateur contestants (the "Joes") matching themselves against professional athletes (the "Pros"; mostly of retired male and ...

'' in 2006. Xavier McDaniel played on the Orange "All-Star" Team with fellow NBA star

Clyde Drexler Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player and the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association ...

on an episode of ''Pros vs. Joes'', who coincidentally also appeared with McDaniel on the same ''Married... with Children'' episode 13 years earlier. McDaniel also appeared on the

MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, once the original MTV had started to sh ...

game show ''Pros vs. Joes,'' airing in 2006. Two joes beat McDaniel in a basketball competition.

Personal life

McDaniel's daughter, Xylina, a 6'2" forward, was one of 36 girls that were invited in June 2010 to participate in the United States Under-17 basketball team trials.Sports Illustrated, August 2, 2010, Where are they Now?, p.82, Published by Time Inc. She was the 2013

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

Freshman of the Year for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...

, where she played through 2016. His son, Xavier McDaniel Jr. won a state championship in 2015 for Hammond School, with former North Carolina guard

Seventh Woods Seventh Day'Vonte Woods (born August 7, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for UCC Demons of the Super League. He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels, South Carolina Gamecocks and Morgan State Bears. Earl ...

. Xavier Jr. played college basketball at the

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is a public research university with multiple campuses throughout the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas and is the southernmost member of the University of Texas System. The University of Texas ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , 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 , , 80 , , 33.0 , , .490 , , .200 , , .687 , , 8.0 , , 2.4 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 17.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 37.0 , , .509 , , .214 , , .696 , , 8.6 , , 2.5 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , 23.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 77 , , 34.7 , , .488 , , .280 , , .715 , , 6.6 , , 3.4 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , 21.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 10 , , 29.1 , , .489 , , .306 , , .732 , , 5.3 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 20.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 69 , , 67 , , 35.2 , , .496 , , .294 , , .733 , , 6.5 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , 21.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 81 , , 79 , , 35.3 , , .490 , , .000 , , .710 , , 6.3 , , 2.4 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 18.8 , - , 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 * '' ...

, 82 , , 82 , , 28.6 , , .478 , , .308 , , .714 , , 5.6 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .3 , , 13.7 , - , 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 ...

, 82 , , 27 , , 27.0 , , .495 , , .273 , , .793 , , 6.0 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , .6 , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 5 , , 24.0 , , .461 , , .244 , , .676 , , 4.9 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , .5 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , 15 , , 21.0 , , .451 , , .286 , , .712 , , 4.4 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .3 , , 8.6 , - , 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 ...

, 62 , , 5 , , 18.9 , , .389 , , .200 , , .730 , , 5.1 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .3 , , 5.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 20 , , 0 , , 9.0 , , .333 , , – , , .625 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .2 , , .1 , , 1.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 870 , , 529 , , 29.0 , , .485 , , .261 , , .718 , , 6.1 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , .5 , , 15.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 13.0 , , .111 , , – , , – , , 2.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.0

Playoffs

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

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

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, 14, , 14, , 37.7, , .488, , .200, , .607, , 8.4, , 3.0, , 1.5, , .6, , 20.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

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, 5, , 5, , 36.0, , .556, , .500, , .500, , 9.6, , 5.0, , .6, , .2, , 21.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1989 , style="text-align:left;",

, 8, , 8, , 35.1, , .403, , .333, , .756, , 8.4, , 2.8, , .3, , .6, , 18.8 , - , 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 Phil ...

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, 4, , 4, , 25.3, , .415, , .000, , .667, , 3.8, , 1.3, , .0, , .5, , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

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, 12, , 12, , 38.2, , .477, , .250, , .735, , 7.2, , 1.9, , .8, , .2, , 18.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1993 , style="text-align:left;",

, 4, , 0, , 31.5, , .415, , .000, , .667, , 4.5, , 2.3, , .3, , .8, , 12.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

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, 4, , 0, , 14.8, , .294, , .000, , .750, , 1.5, , 1.3, , .0, , .0, , 3.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 51 , , 43 , , 34.0 , , .464 , , .282 , , .667 , , 7.0 , , 2.6 , , .7 , , .4 , , 17.0

References

External links

Sonics Q&A: Xavier McDaniel
by Kevin Pelton, SUPERSONICS.COM , August 17, 2006

@ NBA.com * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mcdaniel, Xavier 1963 births Living people A.C. Flora High School alumni All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Greece American men's basketball players Basketball players from Columbia, South Carolina Boston Celtics players Greek Basket League players Iraklis Thessaloniki B.C. players National Basketball Association All-Stars National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees New Jersey Nets players New York Knicks players Phoenix Suns players Power forwards (basketball) Seattle SuperSonics draft picks Seattle SuperSonics players Small forwards Wichita State Shockers men's basketball players

High School career

College career

Professional career

Seattle SuperSonics

Phoenix Suns

New York Knicks

Boston Celtics

Iraklis Thessaloniki

New Jersey Nets

Style of play

Post playing career

Television and film appearances

Personal life

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links