Roy was born in Seattle, Washington on July 23, 1984. He first started taking basketball seriously while playing for the Amateur Athletic Union, one of the largest sports organizations in the United States.
He attended Garfield High School in Seattle. Roy was considered one of the state's best high school players. He was an early-entry candidate for the 2002 NBA Draft straight out of high school, but he withdrew his name after consideration.
Roy attended Nate McMillan's basketball camp in the 1990s when the current Blazer coach was still playing for the Seattle Supersonics.
Roy's NBA debut was in his hometown against the Seattle SuperSonics. He scored 20 points in that game, and 19 in the following game. An impingement in his left heel kept him out of 20 games early in the season, but he scored his first career double-double shortly after his return, on December 22, 2006, against the Toronto Raptors. At the end of January 2007, Roy led all NBA rookies with 14.5 points per game. He became the fourth Trail Blazer to be selected for the rookie squad of the NBA All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge since its inception in 1994. He was the first Trail Blazer to participate in the All-Star Weekend since Rasheed Wallace's selection as an all star reserve in 2001.
Roy's uniform number is 7. He was the Western Conference's Rookie of the Month in January, February, and March 2007.After averaging 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game during the 2006–07 NBA season, Roy was named NBA Rookie of the Year. He received 127 out of 128 first-place votes. Due to injury, he played in only 57 games in that season, the second-fewest games for a Rookie of the Year. He was the third Trail Blazer to win the award, the others being Geoff Petrie and Sidney Wicks.
Roy started in the first 48 games of the 2007–08 season, averaging 19.7 points, 5.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds. He also led the Blazers to a 13-game winning streak in the month of December. Roy was selected as a reserve for the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. He scored 18 points in that game, and also had 9 rebounds. He injured his right ankle in the final game before the All-Star Weekend. Although he earned accolades for his play over the weekend, the injury impacted his play in the following weeks.
He played in the Rookie Challenge for the second time, this time as a "sophomore"; teammate LaMarcus Aldridge was also on the sophomore squad. Roy played nearly 29 minutes in the All-Star game, the most of any Western Conference player. He also tied Chris Paul and Amare Stoudemire for the most points with 18.
In the 2008 preseason, Roy underwent a 20-minute medical procedure in Vancouver, Washington, during which team physician Don Roberts removed a piece of cartilage that was causing irritation in Roy's left knee. Roy missed several weeks of action because of the rehabilitation, but was ready on the opening day of the season against the Los Angeles Lakers.On November 6, against the Houston Rockets, Roy hit a game-winning 30-foot jumper at the buzzer in overtime. On December 18, Roy scored a career-high 52 points against the Phoenix Suns. He made 14 of 27 shots from the field, 19 of 21 from the free-throw line, and 5 of 7 from the three-point line. He also added six assists, five rebounds and a blocked shot, all without a turnover. On January 24, Roy tied a Blazers franchise record with 10 steals against the Washington Wizards. On February 8 with the Blazers trailing by 1 against the Knicks, Roy made a layup at the buzzer to win it 109-108. As of February 16, 2009, Roy has had 24 shots where he tied or won the games with 35 seconds or less.
Roy was again selected as a reserve in the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, where he scored 14 points in 7-for-8 shooting, grabbed 5 boards, and dished out 5 assists in a game-high 31 minutes of action. On April 13, Roy was named Western Conference Player of the Week, the fourth time he has won the award. Roy and Clyde Drexler are the only Portland Trail Blazers to win the award four times. Roy finished 9th in MVP voting for the 2008-09 season, garnering one 4th place vote and four 5th place votes for a total of 7 points. Roy was named to the All-NBA Second Team on May 13, and was the first Blazer to make an All-NBA team since the 1991-92 season.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Brandon Dawayne Roy
Friday, May 22, 2009
Ronald William "Ron" Artest, Jr.
born November 13, 1979is an American professional basketball player who currently plays with the Houston Rockets of the NBA. Artest gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders as he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004. He was also criticized for assaulting a fan in the Pacers–Pistons brawl. Artest was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 16th pick of the 1999 NBA Draft. In the 1999–00 season he was named to the Second All-Rookie Team. In 2 1/2 seasons with Chicago he averaged 12.5 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, 2.9 assist per game, and 2 steals per game.
While playing for the Bulls, Artest was Michael Jordan's "favorite Bull"
In 2002, Artest was traded by the Bulls to the Pacers, along with Ron Mercer, Brad Miller, and Kevin Ollie, in exchange for Jalen Rose, Travis Best, Norman Richardson, and a second-round draft pick. Artest had his best season in the 2003–2004 season. He averaged 18.3 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game, and 3.7 assists per game. He made the 2004 All-Star Game as a reserve and he was the Defensive Player of the Year.
On November 19, 2004, Artest took center stage in arguably the most infamous brawl in professional basketball history.
The game took place in Auburn Hills, Michigan between Artest's Pacers and the home team Detroit Pistons. The brawl began when Artest fouled Pistons center Ben Wallace as Wallace was putting up a shot. Wallace, upset at being fouled hard when the game was effectively over (the Pacers led 97–82), responded by shoving Artest, leading to an altercation near the scorer's table. Artest walked to the sideline and lay down on the scorer's table. Reacting to Wallace throwing something at Artest, Pistons fan John Green threw a cup of beer at Artest, hitting him. Artest jumped into the front-row seats and confronted a man he incorrectly believed to be responsible which in turn erupted into a brawl between Pistons fans and several of the Pacers. Artest returned to the basketball court, and punched Pistons fan A.J. Shackleford, who was apparently taunting Artest verbally. This fight resulted in the game being stopped with less than a minute remaining. Artest teammates Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson were suspended indefinitely the day after the game, along with Wallace.
On November 21, the NBA announced that Artest would be suspended for the remainder of the season (73 games and playoff), the longest non-drug or betting related suspension in NBA history. Eight other players (four Pacers and four Pistons) received suspensions, without pay, which ranged from one to thirty games in length. Each of the Pacers players involved were levied fines and ordered to do community service. Several fans were also charged and were banned from attending any events at the Palace for life. Artest lost approximately $7 million in salary due to the suspension.
On July 29, 2008, it was reported that Artest was to be traded to the Houston Rockets along with Patrick Ewing, Jr. and Sean Singletary for Bobby Jackson, recently drafted forward Donté Greene, a 2009 first-round draft pick, and cash considerations.[11] The deal was made official on August 14, due to Greene's rookie contract signing on July 14. In response to the trade, Yao Ming was generally positive, but jokingly said that "hopefully he's not fighting anymore and going after a guy in the stands." In response, Artest said, "This is Tracy (McGrady) and Yao's team, you know. I'm not going to take it personal. I understand what Yao said, but I'm still ghetto. That's not going to change. I'm never going to change my culture. Yao has played with a lot of black players, but I don't think he's ever played with a black player that really represents his culture as much as I represent my culture."
Since then, Artest and Yao have exchanged extensive phone calls. Artest has also said, "Whatever Adelman needs me to do, whether that's come off the bench, sixth, seventh man, start, I don't even care. Whatever he needs me to do, I'm 100 percent sure it's going to work out."
On October 30, 2008, Artest received his first technical as a Houston Rocket, as he raced towards a group of Mavericks players and then quickly went to Yao Ming who bumped Josh Howard after play stopped. Artest was trying to pull Yao Ming away from the play and to the foul line, but contact was made with Maverick players. The TNT broadcast crew felt this technical was not warranted, and was based upon Artest's prior reputation as a feisty player in the league.
On May 6, 2009, Ron Artest was ejected in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers after Kobe Bryant committed what was later ruled to be a Flagrant 1 foul in which his elbow was thrown into Artest. Artest was indignant after having Kobe's forearm jabbed into his throat but finding himself called for the offensive foul. He preceded to give Bryant a piece of his mind after the play and then gave the officials lip as well, which resulted in an ejection by Joey Crawford.
On May 8, 2009, Artest was again ejected from Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers in the fourth quarter after a hard foul on Pau Gasol, who was attempting to dunk on a fast-break. Commentators and even Kobe Bryant whom had had an altercation with Artest in Game 2 in which Artest was ejected agreed the flagrant two foul and subsequent ejection was not warranted. True enough, it was determined the next day that the foul was not serious enough to warrant an ejection, and the flagrant two was downgraded
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Rafer Jamel "Skip to My Lou" Alston
born July 24, 1976 in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, New Yorkis an American professional basketball player currently with the NBA's Orlando Magic. Alston grew up in Jamaica Queens, New York and is widely regarded as one of the best streetball basketball players of all time. He is often referred to by his streetball nickname "Skip to My Lou", a name he received for skipping while he dribbled the ball.
He has been associated with shoe manufacturer And 1's "Mix Tape Tour" promotional streetball team.
Alston first played college basketball for Ventura College, a junior college, before finishing at Fresno State.
Alston struggled early in his NBA career, but was able to very successfully transition from streetball to the professional game. After sitting on the bench for most of the time he was with the Milwaukee Bucks, he emerged as a starter for the Miami Heat in 2004. He did not disappoint, averaging 12 points and 4 assists on a young Miami team that made it to the first round of the playoffs. During that season, in a March 26 game against the Dallas Mavericks, he hit a game-winning shot in overtime with 0.5 seconds left over the outstretched arms of Shawn Bradley to catapult Miami to a 119-118 victory. He signed with the Toronto Raptors during the summer of 2004.
Following a tumultuous tenure with the Toronto Raptors, Alston was traded to the Houston Rockets for guard Mike James on October 4, 2005. Although Alston frequently was criticized for his attitude while in Toronto, it is believed that Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy conferred with his brother, Miami Heat coach Stan Van Gundy, who coached Alston during the 2003-2004 NBA season, about Alston's work ethic and attitude. Jeff Van Gundy's reputation for toughness and his ability to get the most out of players previously considered "trouble-makers" or "temperamental" led to optimism on the part of the Rockets' staff In the 2006-2007 season, as the Rockets starting point guard, Alston averaged 13.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He finished the season ninth in steals among all NBA players, fourth in three pointers made, and 20th in assists.
On November 12, 2008, Alston was suspended for two games without pay for his role in a fight after a non-call foul with Matt Barnes and Steve Nash.Alston was traded to the Orlando Magic for Brian Cook on February 19, 2009. On April 30, 2009, Alston helped the Orlando Magic defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 4-2 in a best of 7 series in the NBA Playoffs first round. Alston had 21 points to go along with 10 assists.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Rashard Quovon Lewis
born August 8, 1979 in Pineville, Louisianais an American professional basketball player, currently with the NBA's Orlando Magic as a power forward and occasionally small forward.
Despite being recruited by Florida State, Kansas, and the University of Houston, Lewis bypassed college and opted for the 1998 NBA Draft, wherein he was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics with the third pick of the second round (32nd overall). At the time of his selection, he was the last player remaining in the "green room", where 15 of the top draft prospects sit until their selection. His hometown's team, the Houston Rockets, declined to select Lewis with any of their three first-round picks and instead chose Michael Dickerson, Mirsad Türkcan and Bryce Drew, much to the disappointment of Lewis and a large majority of Rockets fans.
He has since had a solid career as a forward including two All-Star berths - in the 2004-2005 season and in the 2008-2009 season. In 2001, Lewis was selected to play for the USA in the Goodwill Games in which they won the gold medal. On October 31, 2003, Lewis scored 50 points to pass Clyde Drexler (41 points) for the most points scored in a single game while playing in Japan. Lewis holds the SuperSonics' record for most three-pointers made, having passed Dale Ellis for second place on November 22, 2005 and Gary Payton for first place on March 13, 2007, when Lewis made his 918th three-pointer in the first quarter of a game against the Detroit Pistons.
After playing his first nine seasons for the Seattle SuperSonics, Lewis joined the Orlando Magic, having agreed to a six-year sign-and-trade deal worth $118 million on July 11, 2007.[1]On May 25, he had opted out of the last two years of the 7-year, $60 million deal he signed before the 2003-04 season. The final two years of his contract were worth a guaranteed $21 million.
In his first season with the Orlando Magic, Lewis was moved into the power forward position instead of his usual small forward positions. His three point shooting was not affected with his change in position though as he scored 53 more 3 pointers than he had ever scored in his career.
Rashard was just as crucial in the playoffs for the Magic, where they got to the second round of the playoffs, including a 33 point performance in their only win against the Detroit Pistons. Rashard finished the play off run as the Magic’s top scorer in the playoffs and also claiming his highest numbers in points, rebounds and assists.
Rashard started the season brilliantly as the the teams second top scorer and for his excellent play Rashard was rewarded with only his second appearance in the 2009 All-Star and will join team mates Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard.
Over his 10-year career, he holds an average of 16.8 points per game, with his career high of 22.4 points per game coming in 2006-07.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
LaMarcus Nurae Aldridge
born July 19, 1985, in Dallas, Texasis an American professional basketball player with the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. He is a 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) power forward–center. Aldridge attended Seagoville High School, where he became a Parade All-American and Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Class 4A Player of the Year prior to graduating in 2004 and attending the University of Texas at Austin
He declared for the 2004 NBA Draft but ultimately withdrew his name According to one report, Aldridge's initial decision to attend college rather than entering the pro ranks directly from high school was influenced by Shaquille O'Neal's personal advice that he should go to college and then evaluate his NBA prospects. However, in April 2006, near the end of his second year at UT, Aldridge announced that he would leave college to enter the 2006 NBA Draft. Aldridge was drafted 2nd overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, only to have his draft rights traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for their pick, Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa, shortly after. The Bulls acquired the pick from the New York Knicks in the 2005 Eddy Curry trade.
Aldridge missed the first seven games of the 2006-07 NBA season due to off-season shoulder surgery, but returned ahead of schedule due in part to an injury to fellow rookie teammate Brandon Roy. Aldridge made an immediate impact on offense, averaging 8.4 points on 54% shooting from the field through his first 14 games. After the loss of starting center Joel Przybilla in February 2007 to season-ending knee surgery, Aldridge was awarded the starting center position and improved his scoring to 14.7 points alongside 8.0 rebounds per game in the month of March. This placed him second in the voting for the Western Conference Rookie of the Month to Roy. On March 31, 2007, in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers, Aldridge was taken to Providence Hospital in Portland for shortness of breath and irregular heartbeat. He was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome on April 9, 2007, and missed the remaining eight games of the 2006-07 season.
Aldridge was one of six players named to the 2007 NBA All-Rookie first team; he tied for fifth place along with Toronto Raptors player Jorge Garbajosa.[
Aldridge increased his play in his sophomore year, with career highs in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals, and finished third in voting for the Most Improved Player award. During this season, Aldridge had injury troubles due to plantar fasciitis, which caused him to miss games from December 11 to December 18, 2007. After the time missed, Aldridge still had some trouble with the foot but was able to play effectively..
Monday, May 18, 2009
Dwight David Howard
GROWING UP
Dwight David Howard was born in Atlanta on December 8, 1985, to Dwight and Sheryl Howard. (Click here for today's sports birthdays.) Sheryl lost seven children to miscarriage before Dwight was born, so he was always called “The Miracle Child.’’ Dwight's dad was—and is—a Georgia State trooper who also serves as Athletic Director of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. Both parents were very athletic. Sheryl played on the inaugural basketball team at Morris Brown College. Dwight got serious about hoops around the age of nine.
Dwight spent his childhood years in the small town of Swainsboro, then moved to Atlanta with his family. They maintained their small-town values in the big city, which helped keep Dwight grounded when he started flying around the local courts. He was a prodigy almost from the moment he first wrapped his long fingers around a basketball. Dwight was big and fast and strong. He had quick feet, a decent shot, and was as comfortable handling the ball as most guards. In seventh grade, he wrote a paper listing his seven goals for life and listed one of them as being the top pick in the NBA Draft.
Dwight’s early basketball hero was Michael Jordan. He had the shoes, the short, and even some of the hang time. As he grew, he came to appreciate Magic Johnson's combination of size and ballhandling skills.
Later, Dwight gravitated toward Kevin Garnett, modeling himself after the versatile and athletic big man. The youngster was also drawn to "Da Kid"because he had jumped directly from high school to the pros. Dwight found this idea very intriguing.
Something basketball people found intriguing about Dwight as he began making a name for himself around Atlanta was how much his teammates enjoyed playing with him. He had serious game, but never took the game so seriously that he didn’t have fun. In fact, no one laughed louder on the court—it was Dwight’s trademark. This kept his teammates loose. Basically, he was just a big, goofy kid with an ear-to-ear smile. And playing ball made him smile the most.
Dwight enrolled at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy as a seventh grader in 1998. He was still running the show as a point guard at this point, but that ended as soon as he made the varsity in 2000, when he began working out as a small forward. He had sprouted seven inches to 6-9 the previous off-season, and was penciled in as the team’s power forward.
Prep basketball is big in Atlanta and Dwight played for a small school against some weaker opponents. Consequently, he did not get the notoriety of some stars in other area programs. But by the end of Dwight’s junior year, the SACA gym was full of college and pro scouts. Word of a 6-10 forward with big-man footwork and little-man ballhandling skills tends to get around. He averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds that season, and helped SACA reach the Class A championship game.
As a senior, Dwight led SACA to the 2004 state title. He scored 25 points, grabbed 18 boards, blocked eight shots and and added 3.5 assists per game. Dwight finished his prep career with 2,146 points, 1,728 rebounds, and 811 blocked shots in 129 varsity games. He was given the Naismith and Morgan Wooten High School Player of the Year award, the Gatorade National Player of the Year Award, and the prestigious McDonald’s National Player of the Year Award. Howard was also named Mr. Basketball for the state of Georgia. For good measure, he was voted co-president of the student body and had a strong voice in the school choir.
ON THE RISE
Kevin Garnett, 2000 SI for Kids
By this time, Dwight had been told by enough objective observers that he would draw first-round interest from the NBA in the June draft. After much thought, he decided to go from the prom to the pros. Had he settled on school, it would only have been for a year or two of seasoning—the education component was not really an issue.
When the NBA lottery was held, Dwight watched with great interest—still hoping to fulfill his seventh-grade prophecy. When the ping-pong balls delivered the first pick to the Orlando Magic, Dwight knew he had a chance at being number one. The Magic definitely needed help on the front line.
From Orlando’s perspective, the decision on draft day came down to Dwight versus UConn senior Emeka Okafor. Okafor had the polish after four years in the Big East and one national championship, but Orlando saw Dwight’s upside—and were impressed by his maturity. The team went with the gangly prepster with the top pick.
Dwight joined a moribund Magic squad that had finished with only 21 victories the previous season. Over the summer, the club had had lost Tracy McGrady, Drew Gooden and Juwan Howard. In fact, not one of the team’s opening night starters from 2003 was wearing an Orlando uniform anymore. The star veterans on the current squad were meteoric Steve Francis and oft-injured Grant Hill. The Magic’s front line included journeymen Tony Battie, Hedo Turkgolu and Kelvin Cato, while Jameer Nelson and Cuttino Mobley were paired with Francis in the backcourt. Doug Christie, acquired later in the year, ended up as the team’s starting two-guard.
Dwight made an immediate impact. Orlando fans had forgotten what is was to have a multi-skilled, high-energy big man on the floor, having lost Shaquille O’Neal in 1996. He got off the floor so quickly that opponents simply could not keep him off the offensive glass. If the enemy center jogged back on defense, Dwight would sprint right past him to finish the Orlando break. And after just a few weeks, he and Francis had the alley-oop working to perfection.
Dwight Howard, 2005 Bowman
With Hill relatively healthy and Dwight enjoying more good nights than bad, the Magic managed to ambush a number of top teams. They finished the year with 36 wins, defeating the New Jersey Nets and Indian Pacers three times each, and posting wins over that year’s playoff finalists, the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs.
Dwight began the year in the starting lineup and never came out, starting all 82 games forst for coach Johnny Davis and and then Chris Jent, who replaced him on an interim basis in the spring. Dwight led the club in games, starts, rebounds and blocked shots. He averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds, and finished third in voting for NBA Rookie of the Year. The teenager achieved a ranking of eighth in the league in rebounding, 10th in field goal percentage, and 19th in blocked shots.
Dwight was no longer a wiry power forward when he reported to camp for his second NBA campaign. Team physicians expected him to keep growing (up and out), and they were right—he had added 20 pounds of muscle. It was time to start grooming him to be an NBA center. This was one of the prime reasons the Magic selected Brian Hill to be their new coach. He was on the sidelines when Shaq arrived in Orlando, and built a championship-caliber team around the big guy in a hurry. Hill identified two areas where Dwight needed to make immediate improvement—his post-up game, and his defense. He placed extra pressure on his second-year star, announcing that the Magic would need him to emerge as a force in the middle before the team had a chance to make the playoffs. When Orlando started 2005-06 sluggishly, it looked like Hill was right. Dwight may have improved in all areas of his game, but he still played tentatively at times.
MAKING HIS MARK
Finally, in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he served notice on the league that his rookie days were over. LeBron James swooped into the lane for one of his signature dunks, which Dwight had no chance to block. But he did have time to send a "Not In My House” message, dropping LeBron to the hardwood with a thud that had NBA execs gasping for air.
The Magic arrived at a major decision in February, dispatching Francis to the New York Knicks and essentially putting the team in the hands of a 20-year-old. The fans were unhappy to see Orlando kiss off its season, but they understood the importance of establishing a new direction.
Grant Hill, 2005 ESPN The Magazine
What happened next was nothing short of remarkable. With Dwight leading the charge, the Magic became one of the league’s best teams in the second half. They went on a tear, winning seven straight at one point, and launched an improbable run from the division cellar to the brink of the playoffs. On April 15th, Dwight scored 28 points and grabbed 26 rebounds, coming tantalizingly close to one of the NBA’s rarest achievements, a 30-30 game. He was named the conference’s top player in the season’s final month. Alas, the Magic fell three games short of a post-season berth, losing a couple of heart breakers at the end of the schedule.
Dwight’s year was simply astonishing, regardless of his age. He became the youngest player in history to lead the league in rebounds with 1,020. He finished second to Ben Wallace in offensive rebounds, and second behind Garnett in rebounds per game and double-doubles. Dwight was a model of consistency, averaging 15.8 points and 12.5 boards at home and 15.7 and 12.4 on the road.
With the prospect of their best player building on these numbers—and some room under the cap—the Magic are in position to assert themselves in a division that has practically been conceded to the downstate Heat since Shaq arrived. Well, Dwight has arrived, too. And watch out if he has some friends to bring to the party.
DWIGHT THE PLAYER
Dwight Howard, 2005 Uper Deck
When asked to describe his rebounding technique, Dwight can’t. He just feels that he wants the ball more than other players, describing rebounding itself as a “mental game.” That may be so, but in Dwight’s case he gets off the floor incredibly fast, using his long arms and growing upper body to pluck balls out of the air.
On offense, he is murder around the rim, but still must develop post-up moves. Opponents often make an effort to force him to handle the ball outside the lane, hoping he will try a jumper or pass off. A little further out, Dwight can turn and face his defender, and take almost every big man in the NBA off the dribble. On the break, he is a good, athletic finisher.
Dwight’s defense is adequate for his position. With increased size and experience, the Magic expect him to become a defensive force.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Kenyon Lee Martin
born December 30, 1977, in Saginaw, Michigan
is an American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "K-Mart", he currently plays power forward for the Denver Nuggets of the NBA. Martin was a talented and extremely boisterous player in college, playing for the Cincinnati Bearcats under the direction of Bob Huggins. As a senior, he averaged 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. He was the consensus National Player of the Year, earning numerous awards from various organizations, but suffered a broken leg in the Conference USA Tournament, keeping him out of the NCAA Tournament that year.
Cincinnati retired his #4 jersey on April 25, 2000. Later that year, he was selected first overall in the 2000 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets. Martin is currently the last American-born college senior to have been the top overall pick; the top picks since him consist of three high school players (Kwame Brown, LeBron James and Dwight Howard), one international player with two years of U.S. college experience (Andrew Bogut), two international players with no American college experience (Yao Ming and Andrea Bargnani) and two college freshmen (Greg Oden and Derrick Rose).
Kenyon graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice.
As a rookie for the New Jersey Nets, Martin brought his trademark intensity to the NBA. Moving from center to power forward, he averaged 12 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In his second season, Martin averaged 14.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game in helping the Nets rise from last place in the Atlantic Division to an Eastern Conference title and the best season to date in the Nets' NBA history. Along with Nets stars Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson, Martin led the Nets to the 2002 NBA Finals, where they were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers. In his third season Martin again helped his team into the NBA Finals, where the Nets lost in six games against the San Antonio Spurs. The next year, Martin averaged 16.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks en route to his first NBA All-Star selection, as a backup forward for the Eastern Conference
All-Stars. In the 2004 NBA All-Star Game, Martin scored 17 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and had 3 assists.
Martin and teammate Alonzo Mourning almost fought when Martin mocked Mourning's life-threatening kidney disease. Martin later admitted that he had made a mistake and apologized to Mourning. He received a taste of his own medicine when then Knicks forward Tim Thomas remarked on Martin's speech impediment and eye twitching tic during a game, as well as calling Martin a "fugazi", a slang term for a fake or fraud.
At the end of the 2003-04 NBA season, Martin was traded to the Denver Nuggets for three future 1st round draft picks in a sign-and-trade deal.
Martin had a solid start to his Nuggets career before off-the-court issues and injuries began to snowball.
Martin played in 70 games during the 2004-2005 season, averaging 15.5 points and 7.3 rebounds. However, a problem with his knee was detected shortly into the off-season, and on May 16, 2005, Kenyon underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee.
During 2005-2006, Martin missed 26 games due to knee tendinitis, but was able to return in time for the playoffs. However, during that playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers,
Martin was suspended from the Denver Nuggets indefinitely for "conduct detrimental to the team." During halftime of game two of the first round series, Martin got into an argument with head coach George Karl over his playing time, and proceeded ironically to refuse to play for the second half of the game. During the offseason, Karl and Martin apparently "patched things up."
Believing injuries were behind him, Kenyon and the Nuggets were crushed to learn the swelling now occurring in his right knee would require another microfracture procedure. On November 15, 2006, after playing just two regular season games, Martin underwent his second knee operation in less than two years.
During the third-quarter of a 2006 game against the Chicago Bulls, a fan sitting two rows behind Martin yelled at him, "Suit up, you chump," referring to the fact Martin was in the midst of one of his increasingly frequent stints on the injured reserve and in street clothes behind the Nuggets bench. All accounts indicate that the fan did not use any profanities. At that point, Martin is said to have stood up, pointed at the heckler, and then motioned to one of his 'bodyguards' to go confront the heckling fan, ordering "shut him up". His friend then stood up and yelled at the heckler, "Shut your mouth before we take you outside and beat your (expletive)!." He also apparently screamed at a Nuggets fan named Don Miller--who, along with his teenage son, happened to be sitting next to the heckler--calling him a "fat (expletive) white boy." Martin was subsequently fined $15,000 and cautioned to no longer bring his entourage to games.
On February 11, 2006, after a Denver win over the Dallas Mavericks, a volatile Martin was involved in a heated and profanity-laced locker room exchange with a local sports radio personality.
To symbolize a fresh and healthy restart to his career, Kenyon changed his uniform number from 6 to the number 4, which he wore in college, for the 2007-2008 season.
The 2008-2009 campaign witnessed a mentally refurbished Kenyon Martin continuing his infamous commitment on the defensive end, helping lead the Nuggets to a franchise record-tying 54-28 record
