All Entries in the "Player Spotlight" Category

LeBron James’ Magnificent Playoff Run is One for the Ages

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers fell six wins short of their ultimate goal but that should not obscure the fact that James put together one of the greatest individual performances in playoff history. He became the only player to ever average at least 35 ppg, 7 apg and 7 rpg for an entire playoff [...]

Brad Daugherty – The Shrubs Are My Brothers

Every now and then a hint of the coiled spring deep within the man once labeled soft and passive pops up.
A swing at Detroit Piston Bill Lambier in January of 1989, after being elbowed in the throat.
A somewhat alarming pronouncement regarding NASCAR:

Brad Daugherty admitted that he “likes to see the violence”, to which Suzy [Kolber] [...]

Mark Price Shot, Passed and “Split” His Way Into The NBA’s Elite

It is commonplace now for NBA point guards to split the two defenders on a pick and roll play, compromise the defense by penetrating the lane and then either shoot a runner or dish to a wide open teammate—but most people don’t realize that Cavaliers guard Mark Price brought this split technique to the forefront. [...]

Shawn Kemp – The Unfathered Father

Seek not every quality in one individual. — Confucius
Thomas Jefferson had several. George Washington was widely rumored to have a few. Murphy Brown had only one but sparked a nationwide debate. Somewhere in the middle is Shawn Kemp.
Shawn doesn’t talk much about fathering out-of-wedlock children except to say he wishes he could spend more time [...]

Ron Harper – The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Michael Jordan

I Roc-a-Fella like Shawn Carter with more game than Ron Harper –Deadly Combination, Big L
Candace Parker, WNBA rookie superstar and first female Bballer to be seriously compared to the NBA, admires one player above all:
I respect Jordan — he is the king — but I would walk past Jordan to get Ron Harper’s picture [...]

Tree Rollins – His Bite is Worse Than His Bark

I’m tryin’ to see the forest but there’s this one tree –Reuben Studdard
In 1987, Curry Kirkpatrick, writing for Sports Illustrated, reflected on a memorable 1983 Hawks-Celtic Playoffs fight. Tree Rollins elbowed Danny Ainge; Danny made the mistake of tackling Tree; one tetanus shot and a permanently reduced ability to give anyone the finger later, the [...]

Billy Thomas – Welcome to Cleveland

Billy Thomas is ready for the Playoffs:
I want to be there when the games matter most. I want the chance to be the guy. (Source: The Kansas City Star January 29, 1998)
The feeling is mutual. After a 2nd 10-day callup bringing Billy from the D-League’s Colorado 14ers to Cleveland, the Cavs extended an offer that [...]

Jim Chones – How Sweets It Is

To tell the story of Jim “Sweets” Chones is to tell the story of “If only…” If only he hadn’t Broken His Foot, if only he hadn’t Grown Up Poor, if only he hadn’t, well, I’ll let the Nets’ long-time scorer Herb Turetzky tell that one:
Scoring the pre-season game in 1972 at the Nassau Coliseum [...]

Damon Jones – The Dream Before The Dream

Damon Jones is the funniest, handsomest, smartest, world-class 3-point shooter never drafted.
And he’ll be the first to tell you.
Living a life of hyperbole comes naturally:
I think it’s a family gene . . . It’s in the DNA. [Damon’s Mom, Renee Jones-Lee]
Galveston Ball High coach Jerry Williams, denying any knowledge of Damon’s boy’s room gambling ring, [...]

Walt Wesley Steps Out of the Phog

Walt Wesley, the man who set the infamous 1966 Jo Jo White pick which made the movie Glory Road possible, quietly shepherds at-risk youth through tough times. Wesley, a Police Athletic League (PAL) executive in Fort Myers, Florida, offers a balanced perspective, stressing education:
It’s great to have aspirations of being a pro athlete, but you [...]

Mr. In-Between

As a first name. “Devin” is unusual, although not rare. Kind of in-between. “Brown” is cliché-common; put it after Devin, though, and it no longer sounds so ordinary. Rather in-between.
Undrafted out of the University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA) in 2002, Devin Brown split the 2002-2003 season between the NBA (10 games with San Antonio [...]