Baron Davis
Encyclopedia
Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13, 1979) is an American professional basketball
player with the Cleveland Cavaliers
of the NBA
. Drafted as the third pick in the 1999 NBA Draft
by the Charlotte Hornets
, Davis was a star at Crossroads School
and UCLA
.
. His grandmother and guardian, Lela Nicholson, was instrumental in pushing him to play basketball. With her encouragement, he eventually earned a scholarship to attend Crossroads School
, a prestigious private school in Santa Monica, California
.
As a senior at Crossroads, Davis led his team to the Championship of The Beach Ball Classic tournament in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
over perennial prep powerhouse Christ The King Regional High School
(Queens
, New York), while earning MVP honors and a spot on the All-Tournament team along with future St. John's standout Erick Barkley
at that prestigious event. That year, Davis was also named Gatorade National Player of the Year
and a Parade
All-America
n. He was also selected to play in the prestigious McDonald's All-American
High School Basketball Game in Colorado Springs
in 1997, playing with future NBA players Elton Brand
, Shane Battier
, Larry Hughes
and Ron Artest
, and winning the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest despite being the smallest man in the competition at 6'2."
, Georgia Tech
, Duke
, and UCLA
in hot pursuit for his services, Davis selected UCLA as his school of choice, so that he could play in front of his family and friends. During this time, Davis was involved in a minor scandal pertaining to his driving a 1991 Chevy Blazer
that was a gift from his sister, then a UCLA employee. The car was sold to her by a member of Jim Harrick
's family. At the time, Harrick was the UCLA men's basketball coach, presenting both a conflict of interest and a potential recruiting violation, since rumor had it that the car was purchased below market value. The incident was cleared up when it was discovered that Davis' sister had, in fact, bought the car at the listed blue-book price. Davis then enrolled at UCLA in 1997 without problem. In 1998, Davis was named the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and made the All-American Third Team by his sophomore year in 1999.
In Davis's two years at UCLA, he averaged 13.6 points and 5.1 assists for the Bruins. While coming down from a dunk during an NCAA Tournament game his freshman year, he injured his knee and tore his Anterior cruciate ligament
(ACL). Surprisingly, though, he made a full recovery the next season and seemed to have regained nearly all of the speed, quickness, and explosiveness he had before the injury while doing enough on the basketball court to warrant his declaring for the 1999 NBA Draft after his sophomore campaign.
by the Charlotte Hornets
. In his NBA debut, a 100–86 win over the Orlando Magic
, Davis scored nine points, and added five rebounds, two assists and two steals. In Davis' first year, he backed up Eddie Jones
and David Wesley
, but by Davis' second year he started all 82 games for the Hornets. Davis would lead Charlotte to the second round of the playoffs
in back-to-back years, the first being a sweep of the Miami Heat
in the 2001 NBA Playoffs
. The next season, Davis started all 82 games again while averaging 18 points a game and 8.5 assists per game. He was also selected as an injury replacement for Vince Carter in the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. In the summer of 2002 the Charlotte Hornets moved from Charlotte, North Carolina
to New Orleans, Louisiana
. Davis would lead the Hornets back to the playoffs, but the next two years were first round exits. Injuries would plague Davis for much of his tenure in New Orleans.
He played for the US national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship
.
On February 24, 2005, Davis was traded from the Hornets to the Golden State Warriors
for guard Speedy Claxton
and veteran forward Dale Davis
after tension with the Hornets coaching staff and several nagging injuries. The move created one of the more potent backcourts in the NBA with Davis and star guard Jason Richardson
. It also saw Davis' return to California, to which he had craved to return to since his college days in UCLA
.
After two seasons in which the Warriors underachieved under coach Mike Montgomery
, the Warriors hired former coach Don Nelson
for the 2006–2007 season. His high scoring offensive system was designed to fit Davis's uptempo style. Although Davis suffered through knee soreness and underwent surgery during the season, he still led the Warriors to their first playoffs since 1994
. The Warriors swept the regular season series against the Mavericks 3–0 giving them an advantage and won the series against the top seeded Dallas Mavericks
4–2, making them the 1st No. 8 seed to beat a No.1 seed since the NBA changed the 1st round from a 5-game series to a 7-game series. It was numerically the largest upset in the history of the NBA playoffs, with the 67–15 Mavericks having a record of 25 games better than the 42–40 Warriors. Davis averaged 25 points per game in the series.
Steve Kerr
, then television analyst, called Davis' performance in the 2007 NBA Playoffs
"outrageous...stunningly athletic and creative and explosive." Davis' playoff highlights included numerous acrobatic layups, a half-court three-pointer at the buzzer, and a memorable dunk over Andrei Kirilenko
. The Jazz eliminated the undersized Warriors 4 games to 1. Davis averaged 25.3 points, 6.5 assists, 2.9 steals, and 4.5 rebounds per game in the 2007 Playoffs.
In 2008 during a playoff elimination game against the Phoenix Suns, Coach Nelson benched Davis at halftime due to Davis' poor play (shooting 2–13 in 17 minutes). Down fourteen at the half, the Warriors lost by six. Some sportswriters criticized Coach Don Nelson's decision to bench his team's star with an entire half left to play; other writers speculated about possible friction between Davis and Nelson, which Nelson denied. After the 2007–08 season, in which the Warriors were narrowly edged out of playoff contention despite a record of 48–34 (led by Davis – who remained injury-free throughout the season – with averages of 21.6 PPG, 8 assists, 4.6 RPG), Davis's agent Todd Ramasar stated that Davis might opt out of his contract with the Warriors, which would have paid him $17.8 million, to pursue other options. On June 30, 2008, Davis opted out of his contract with the Golden State Warriors.
, and officially signed with the Clippers on July 10, 2008. Although Davis committed to joining the Clippers with the intention of playing with Elton Brand
(who had opted out of his contract but was expected to re-sign with the Clippers but later signed with the Philadelphia 76ers
) Davis still signed and said that Brand's departure had no impact on his decision to come to Los Angeles. On November 20, 2009 at a home game vs the Denver Nuggets
, Baron reached and surpassed the 5,000 assist
mark. In December 2010, Yahoo! Sports
reported team owner Donald Sterling
had been heckling
Clippers players from his courtside seats, with Davis receiving most of the abuse.
along with a first round pick (which turned out to be the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft
) in exchange for Mo Williams
and Jamario Moon
. This trade to Cleveland marked a reunion between Davis and former coach Byron Scott, to which Davis was quoted as saying "I know we're together for a reason. There's some things my game can benefit from just playing in his system". Davis chose to wear no. 85 to honor his grandparents who raised him in Los Angeles and whose house was on 85th Street. In his debut with the Cavs, Baron scored 18 points, grabbed 4 rebounds got 5 assists, and made four three-point shots, in a win over the New York Knicks
.
| style="text-align:left;"| 1999–00
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 82 || 0 || 18.6 || .420 || .225 || .634 || 2.0 || 3.8 || 1.2 || .2 || 5.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2000–01
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 82 || 82 || 38.9 || .427 || .310 || .677 || 5.0 || 7.3 || 2.1 || .4 || 13.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2001–02
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 82 || 82 || 40.5 || .417 || .356 || .580 || 4.3 || 8.5 || 2.1 || .6 || 18.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03
| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 50 || 47 || 37.8 || .416 || .350 || .710 || 3.7 || 6.4 || 1.8 || .4 || 17.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04
| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 67 || 66 || 40.1 || .395 || .321 || .673 || 4.3 || 7.5 || 2.4 || .4 || 22.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05
| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 18 || 13 || 32.9 || .366 || .321 || .771 || 3.7 || 7.2 || 1.7 || .2 || 18.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
| 28 || 19 || 35.3 || .401 || .341 || .755 || 3.9 || 8.3 || 1.8 || .4 || 19.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
| 54 || 48 || 36.5 || .389 || .315 || .675 || 4.4 || 8.9 || 1.6 || .3 || 17.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
| 63 || 62 || 35.3 || .439 || .304 || .745 || 4.4 || 8.1 || 2.1 || .5 || 20.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
| 82 || 82 || 39.0 || .426 || .330 || .750 || 4.7 || 7.6 || 2.3 || .5 || 21.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers
| 65 || 60 || 34.6 || .370 || .302 || .757 || 3.7 || 7.7 || 1.7 || .5 || 14.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers
| 75 || 73 || 33.6 || .406 || .277 || .821 || 3.5 || 8.0 || 1.7 || .6 || 15.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers
| 43 || 35 || 29.5 || .416 || .296 || .760 || 2.8 || 7.0 || 1.4 || .5 || 12.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
| style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland
| 15 || 9 || 25.3 || .421 || .414 || .815 || 2.4 || 6.1 || 1.1 || .4 || 13.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 806 || 678 || 34.7 || .410 || .321 || .711 || 3.9 || 7.3 || 1.9 || .4 || 16.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| All-Star
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 2 || 0 || 14.5 || .286 || .111 || .000 || .5 || 6.0 || .5 || .0 || 4.5
| style="text-align:left;"| 1999–00
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 4 || 0 || 14.3 || .435 || .167 || .500 || 1.5 || 1.5 || 1.0 || .0 || 5.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2000–01
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 10 || 10 || 39.7 || .480 || .400 || .714 || 4.4 || 5.8 || 2.8 || .5 || 17.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2001–02
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 9 || 9 || 44.6 || .378 || .339 || .597 || 7.0 || 7.9 || 3.6 || .6 || 22.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03
| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 5 || 5 || 38.8 || .446 || .343 || .727 || 3.6 || 8.4 || 1.4 || .4 || 20.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04
| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 7 || 7 || 37.1 || .377 || .327 || .758 || 4.1 || 7.0 || 1.6 || .7 || 18.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
| 11 || 11 || 40.5 || .513 || .373 || .770 || 4.5 || 6.5 || 2.9 || .6 || 25.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 46 || 42 || 38.1 || .440 || .353 || .703 || 4.6 || 6.5 || 2.5 || .5 || 19.8
, having earned membership by appearing in movies such as The Cookout
and guest-starring on the ABC Family show Lincoln Heights
. In the past decade Davis has made appearances both as himself and fictional characters in movies and on television; he has also been involved in producing a number of films, ranging from The Pool Boys to Crips and Bloods: Made in America
. Davis and high school friend Cash Warren formed a production company called Verso Entertainment.
He appeared in the DVD
commentary of 2008 film Step Brothers
alongside Will Ferrell
and John C. Reilly
. This was despite the film having nothing to do with basketball, Davis was simply a fan of the pair.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player with the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
of the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. Drafted as the third pick in the 1999 NBA Draft
1999 NBA Draft
The 1999 NBA Draft was held on June 30, 1999 at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. It was the first draft in which four players from the same college were picked in the first round, with Elton Brand , Trajan Langdon , Corey Maggette and William Avery being selected out of Duke University...
by the Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte Hornets (NBA)
The Charlotte Hornets was a professional American basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They played in the Atlantic, Midwest, and Central divisions of the National Basketball Association. The Hornets began play during the 1988–89 NBA season as an expansion franchise, along with the...
, Davis was a star at Crossroads School
Crossroads School (Santa Monica, California)
Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences is a K-12 independent, college preparatory school in Santa Monica, California, United States. The school is a member of the G20 Schools Group.-History:...
and UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
.
Early life
Davis was born in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. His grandmother and guardian, Lela Nicholson, was instrumental in pushing him to play basketball. With her encouragement, he eventually earned a scholarship to attend Crossroads School
Crossroads School (Santa Monica, California)
Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences is a K-12 independent, college preparatory school in Santa Monica, California, United States. The school is a member of the G20 Schools Group.-History:...
, a prestigious private school in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
.
As a senior at Crossroads, Davis led his team to the Championship of The Beach Ball Classic tournament in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina. It is considered to be a major tourist destination in the...
over perennial prep powerhouse Christ The King Regional High School
Christ The King Regional High School
Christ the King Regional High School is a Catholic high school located in Middle Village, Queens, New York, USA and established in 1962. Often referred to as 'CK' among its students, it is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.-History:...
(Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York), while earning MVP honors and a spot on the All-Tournament team along with future St. John's standout Erick Barkley
Erick Barkley
Erick Barkley is an American professional basketball player. He was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1st round of the 2000 NBA Draft. He played high school basketball at Christ The King Regional High School and the Maine Central Institute and college basketball at St. John's...
at that prestigious event. That year, Davis was also named Gatorade National Player of the Year
Gatorade Player of the Year awards
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to male and female high-school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' football, girls' softball, girls' volleyball, boys' basketball, girls' basketball, boys' cross country, girls' cross country,...
and a Parade
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n. He was also selected to play in the prestigious McDonald's All-American
McDonald's All-American Team
The McDonald's All-American Game refers to each of the all-star basketball games played each year for boys' and girls' high-school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top American and Canadian players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the high-school basketball...
High School Basketball Game in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
in 1997, playing with future NBA players Elton Brand
Elton Brand
Elton Tyron Brand is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association...
, Shane Battier
Shane Battier
Shane Courtney Battier is an American professional basketball player . He most recently played with the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association. He has also been a member of the U.S...
, Larry Hughes
Larry Hughes
Larry Darnell Hughes is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the Charlotte Bobcats. He is a and shooting guard. Hughes attended Saint Louis University and was the eight pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, selected by the Philadelphia 76ers...
and Ron Artest
Ron Artest
Metta World Peace is an American professional basketball player and rapper who is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. World Peace gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders as he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004...
, and winning the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest despite being the smallest man in the competition at 6'2."
College career
After a highly contested recruiting battle that saw KansasUniversity of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
, Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
, Duke
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, and UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
in hot pursuit for his services, Davis selected UCLA as his school of choice, so that he could play in front of his family and friends. During this time, Davis was involved in a minor scandal pertaining to his driving a 1991 Chevy Blazer
Chevrolet S-10 Blazer
The Chevrolet Blazer and the similar GMC S-15 Jimmy are mid-size SUVs from General Motors. Production began alongside the larger K5 Blazer and Jimmy in 1983 and lasted through 2005. In the United States retail sales after 2004 were limited to two-door Blazer models, all other models being sold...
that was a gift from his sister, then a UCLA employee. The car was sold to her by a member of Jim Harrick
Jim Harrick
Jim Harrick is an American former basketball coach who coached at Pepperdine University, UCLA, the University of Rhode Island and the University of Georgia over a combined total of 23 seasons.-Biography:...
's family. At the time, Harrick was the UCLA men's basketball coach, presenting both a conflict of interest and a potential recruiting violation, since rumor had it that the car was purchased below market value. The incident was cleared up when it was discovered that Davis' sister had, in fact, bought the car at the listed blue-book price. Davis then enrolled at UCLA in 1997 without problem. In 1998, Davis was named the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and made the All-American Third Team by his sophomore year in 1999.
In Davis's two years at UCLA, he averaged 13.6 points and 5.1 assists for the Bruins. While coming down from a dunk during an NCAA Tournament game his freshman year, he injured his knee and tore his Anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
(ACL). Surprisingly, though, he made a full recovery the next season and seemed to have regained nearly all of the speed, quickness, and explosiveness he had before the injury while doing enough on the basketball court to warrant his declaring for the 1999 NBA Draft after his sophomore campaign.
Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets
Davis was the third pick in the 1999 NBA Draft1999 NBA Draft
The 1999 NBA Draft was held on June 30, 1999 at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. It was the first draft in which four players from the same college were picked in the first round, with Elton Brand , Trajan Langdon , Corey Maggette and William Avery being selected out of Duke University...
by the Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte Hornets (NBA)
The Charlotte Hornets was a professional American basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They played in the Atlantic, Midwest, and Central divisions of the National Basketball Association. The Hornets began play during the 1988–89 NBA season as an expansion franchise, along with the...
. In his NBA debut, a 100–86 win over the Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
, Davis scored nine points, and added five rebounds, two assists and two steals. In Davis' first year, he backed up Eddie Jones
Eddie Jones (basketball)
Eddie Charles Jones is an American former professional basketball player. Jones played college basketball at Temple University and was the 1993–94 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year...
and David Wesley
David Wesley
David Barakau Wesley is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. He is the cousin of former NBA player Michael Dickerson. He is currently an assistant coach for the Texas Legends.-High school and college:...
, but by Davis' second year he started all 82 games for the Hornets. Davis would lead Charlotte to the second round of the playoffs
NBA Playoffs
The National Basketball Association Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference , ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.-Format:Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in...
in back-to-back years, the first being a sweep of the Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
in the 2001 NBA Playoffs
2001 NBA Playoffs
The 2001 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2000–01 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers winning their second consecutive championship by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers...
. The next season, Davis started all 82 games again while averaging 18 points a game and 8.5 assists per game. He was also selected as an injury replacement for Vince Carter in the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. In the summer of 2002 the Charlotte Hornets moved from Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
to New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. Davis would lead the Hornets back to the playoffs, but the next two years were first round exits. Injuries would plague Davis for much of his tenure in New Orleans.
He played for the US national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship
2002 FIBA World Championship
The 2002 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA from August 29 to September 8, 2002.-Venues:-Squads:...
.
Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
for guard Speedy Claxton
Speedy Claxton
Craig "Speedy" Claxton is an American former professional basketball player. He is now a college scout with the Golden State Warriors.-College:...
and veteran forward Dale Davis
Dale Davis (basketball)
Elliott Lydell Davis is a former American professional basketball player who played center and power forward. He is 6'11" and weighs 252 pounds....
after tension with the Hornets coaching staff and several nagging injuries. The move created one of the more potent backcourts in the NBA with Davis and star guard Jason Richardson
Jason Richardson
Jason Anthoney "J-Rich" Richardson is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association.A 6'6", 225 lb...
. It also saw Davis' return to California, to which he had craved to return to since his college days in UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
.
Mike Montgomery
Mike Montgomery is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the California Golden Bears men's basketball team. He was also the men's basketball coach of at Stanford from 1986 to 2004 and at the University of Montana for eight seasons prior to coaching at Stanford...
, the Warriors hired former coach Don Nelson
Don Nelson
Donald Arvid "Don" Nelson is a former NBA player and head coach. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors....
for the 2006–2007 season. His high scoring offensive system was designed to fit Davis's uptempo style. Although Davis suffered through knee soreness and underwent surgery during the season, he still led the Warriors to their first playoffs since 1994
1994 NBA Playoffs
The 1994 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1993-94 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals...
. The Warriors swept the regular season series against the Mavericks 3–0 giving them an advantage and won the series against the top seeded Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
4–2, making them the 1st No. 8 seed to beat a No.1 seed since the NBA changed the 1st round from a 5-game series to a 7-game series. It was numerically the largest upset in the history of the NBA playoffs, with the 67–15 Mavericks having a record of 25 games better than the 42–40 Warriors. Davis averaged 25 points per game in the series.
Steve Kerr
Steve Kerr
Stephen Douglas "Steve" Kerr is a retired American professional basketball player. He shot .454 from three point range over his career and currently holds the record as the most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history...
, then television analyst, called Davis' performance in the 2007 NBA Playoffs
2007 NBA Playoffs
The 2007 NBA Playoffs was the postseason to the National Basketball Association's 2006–2007 season.There were four rounds of postseason action, all of them in a best-of-seven format, with teams seeded on a bracket. The team with the better record wasn't necessarily the basis of seeding teams in...
"outrageous...stunningly athletic and creative and explosive." Davis' playoff highlights included numerous acrobatic layups, a half-court three-pointer at the buzzer, and a memorable dunk over Andrei Kirilenko
Andrei Kirilenko (basketball)
Andrei Gennadyevich Kirilenko is a Russian-American professional basketball player who plays at the small forward position for the CSKA Moscow in the Russian Professional Basketball League. He also plays for the Russia national basketball team...
. The Jazz eliminated the undersized Warriors 4 games to 1. Davis averaged 25.3 points, 6.5 assists, 2.9 steals, and 4.5 rebounds per game in the 2007 Playoffs.
In 2008 during a playoff elimination game against the Phoenix Suns, Coach Nelson benched Davis at halftime due to Davis' poor play (shooting 2–13 in 17 minutes). Down fourteen at the half, the Warriors lost by six. Some sportswriters criticized Coach Don Nelson's decision to bench his team's star with an entire half left to play; other writers speculated about possible friction between Davis and Nelson, which Nelson denied. After the 2007–08 season, in which the Warriors were narrowly edged out of playoff contention despite a record of 48–34 (led by Davis – who remained injury-free throughout the season – with averages of 21.6 PPG, 8 assists, 4.6 RPG), Davis's agent Todd Ramasar stated that Davis might opt out of his contract with the Warriors, which would have paid him $17.8 million, to pursue other options. On June 30, 2008, Davis opted out of his contract with the Golden State Warriors.
Los Angeles Clippers
On July 1, 2008 Davis verbally agreed to a 5-year, $65 million dollar deal to play for his hometown-team, the Los Angeles ClippersLos Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
, and officially signed with the Clippers on July 10, 2008. Although Davis committed to joining the Clippers with the intention of playing with Elton Brand
Elton Brand
Elton Tyron Brand is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association...
(who had opted out of his contract but was expected to re-sign with the Clippers but later signed with the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
) Davis still signed and said that Brand's departure had no impact on his decision to come to Los Angeles. On November 20, 2009 at a home game vs the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
, Baron reached and surpassed the 5,000 assist
Assist
-Sports:Several sports have a statistic known as an "assist", generally relating to action by a player leading to a score by another player on their team:*Assist , a pass by a player that facilitates a basket by another...
mark. In December 2010, Yahoo! Sports
Yahoo! Sports
Yahoo! Sports was launched on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc., employs various writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American sport...
reported team owner Donald Sterling
Donald Sterling
Donald T. Sterling is an American real estate mogul, attorney, and the owner of the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Clippers. Sterling acquired the Clippers in 1981 for $12.5 million, and as of the 2008 rankings, the team is valued at $297 million by Forbes magazine, ranking them...
had been heckling
Heckler
A heckler is a person who harass and try to disconcert others with questions, challenges, or gibes.Hecklers are often known to shout disparaging comments at a performance or event, or interrupts set-piece speeches, for example at a political meeting, with intent to disturb its performers or...
Clippers players from his courtside seats, with Davis receiving most of the abuse.
Cleveland Cavaliers
On February 24, 2011, Davis was traded to the Cleveland CavaliersCleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
along with a first round pick (which turned out to be the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft
2011 NBA Draft
The 2011 NBA Draft was held on June 23, 2011 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball...
) in exchange for Mo Williams
Mo Williams
Maurice "Mo" Williams is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association...
and Jamario Moon
Jamario Moon
Jamario Raman Moon is an American professional basketball player. Moon played college basketball for one season at Meridian Community College and began his professional career with teams in the United States Basketball League and NBA Development League, the Harlem Globetrotters, and Mexican...
. This trade to Cleveland marked a reunion between Davis and former coach Byron Scott, to which Davis was quoted as saying "I know we're together for a reason. There's some things my game can benefit from just playing in his system". Davis chose to wear no. 85 to honor his grandparents who raised him in Los Angeles and whose house was on 85th Street. In his debut with the Cavs, Baron scored 18 points, grabbed 4 rebounds got 5 assists, and made four three-point shots, in a win over the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
.
Regular season
|-| style="text-align:left;"| 1999–00
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
Charlotte Hornets (NBA)
The Charlotte Hornets was a professional American basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They played in the Atlantic, Midwest, and Central divisions of the National Basketball Association. The Hornets began play during the 1988–89 NBA season as an expansion franchise, along with the...
| 82 || 0 || 18.6 || .420 || .225 || .634 || 2.0 || 3.8 || 1.2 || .2 || 5.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2000–01
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 82 || 82 || 38.9 || .427 || .310 || .677 || 5.0 || 7.3 || 2.1 || .4 || 13.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2001–02
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 82 || 82 || 40.5 || .417 || .356 || .580 || 4.3 || 8.5 || 2.1 || .6 || 18.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03
| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 50 || 47 || 37.8 || .416 || .350 || .710 || 3.7 || 6.4 || 1.8 || .4 || 17.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04
| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 67 || 66 || 40.1 || .395 || .321 || .673 || 4.3 || 7.5 || 2.4 || .4 || 22.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05
| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 18 || 13 || 32.9 || .366 || .321 || .771 || 3.7 || 7.2 || 1.7 || .2 || 18.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| 28 || 19 || 35.3 || .401 || .341 || .755 || 3.9 || 8.3 || 1.8 || .4 || 19.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
| 54 || 48 || 36.5 || .389 || .315 || .675 || 4.4 || 8.9 || 1.6 || .3 || 17.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
| 63 || 62 || 35.3 || .439 || .304 || .745 || 4.4 || 8.1 || 2.1 || .5 || 20.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
| 82 || 82 || 39.0 || .426 || .330 || .750 || 4.7 || 7.6 || 2.3 || .5 || 21.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09
2008–09 NBA season
The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
| 65 || 60 || 34.6 || .370 || .302 || .757 || 3.7 || 7.7 || 1.7 || .5 || 14.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers
| 75 || 73 || 33.6 || .406 || .277 || .821 || 3.5 || 8.0 || 1.7 || .6 || 15.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers
| 43 || 35 || 29.5 || .416 || .296 || .760 || 2.8 || 7.0 || 1.4 || .5 || 12.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
| style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
| 15 || 9 || 25.3 || .421 || .414 || .815 || 2.4 || 6.1 || 1.1 || .4 || 13.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 806 || 678 || 34.7 || .410 || .321 || .711 || 3.9 || 7.3 || 1.9 || .4 || 16.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| All-Star
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 2 || 0 || 14.5 || .286 || .111 || .000 || .5 || 6.0 || .5 || .0 || 4.5
Playoffs
|-| style="text-align:left;"| 1999–00
2000 NBA Playoffs
The 2000 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1999–2000 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers win their first championship in twelve years by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers...
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 4 || 0 || 14.3 || .435 || .167 || .500 || 1.5 || 1.5 || 1.0 || .0 || 5.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2000–01
2001 NBA Playoffs
The 2001 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2000–01 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers winning their second consecutive championship by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers...
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 10 || 10 || 39.7 || .480 || .400 || .714 || 4.4 || 5.8 || 2.8 || .5 || 17.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2001–02
2002 NBA Playoffs
The 2002 NBA Playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2001–02 season. This would be the final postseason that held a best-of-5 first-round series; next year's postseason would see those series expanded to a best-of-7 format...
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 9 || 9 || 44.6 || .378 || .339 || .597 || 7.0 || 7.9 || 3.6 || .6 || 22.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03
2003 NBA Playoffs
The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2002-03 NBA season. This postseason was notable for being the first time all series were conducted in a best-of-7 format. It was also the only time in playoff history that no team was swept in a first-round series....
| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 5 || 5 || 38.8 || .446 || .343 || .727 || 3.6 || 8.4 || 1.4 || .4 || 20.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04
2004 NBA Playoffs
The 2004 NBA Playoffs were the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2003–04 season. Consisting of 16 teams in two conferences, the playoffs involved about two months of play. The playoffs were conducted in seven-game series, with the team with the better record holding home court...
| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 7 || 7 || 37.1 || .377 || .327 || .758 || 4.1 || 7.0 || 1.6 || .7 || 18.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07
2007 NBA Playoffs
The 2007 NBA Playoffs was the postseason to the National Basketball Association's 2006–2007 season.There were four rounds of postseason action, all of them in a best-of-seven format, with teams seeded on a bracket. The team with the better record wasn't necessarily the basis of seeding teams in...
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| 11 || 11 || 40.5 || .513 || .373 || .770 || 4.5 || 6.5 || 2.9 || .6 || 25.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 46 || 42 || 38.1 || .440 || .353 || .703 || 4.6 || 6.5 || 2.5 || .5 || 19.8
Television and film
In addition to his NBA career, Baron Davis has had an increasing role in the film industry, with the intention of making it a full-time career when his playing days are over. He is a member of the Screen Actors GuildScreen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
, having earned membership by appearing in movies such as The Cookout
The Cookout
The Cookout is a 2004 comedy film, directed by Lance Rivera. It is co-written by and features Queen Latifah, and is also the feature film debut for her mother Rita Owens.-Plot:...
and guest-starring on the ABC Family show Lincoln Heights
Lincoln Heights (TV series)
Lincoln Heights is an American drama television series about Eddie Sutton, a Mission Vista police officer who moves his family back to his old neighborhood, Lincoln Heights, to start a new life and to help out his old neighborhood...
. In the past decade Davis has made appearances both as himself and fictional characters in movies and on television; he has also been involved in producing a number of films, ranging from The Pool Boys to Crips and Bloods: Made in America
Crips and Bloods: Made in America
Crips and Bloods: Made in America is a documentary by Stacy Peralta discussing the unique circumstances and factors that led to the creation of Crips and Bloods, two of the most violent gangs in all of United States history. The documentary goes beyond the general background of and discusses the...
. Davis and high school friend Cash Warren formed a production company called Verso Entertainment.
He appeared in the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
commentary of 2008 film Step Brothers
Step Brothers (film)
Step Brothers is a 2008 American slapstick buddy-comedy film directed by Adam McKay, produced by Judd Apatow and Jimmy Miller, and stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, who originally teamed up in Talladega Nights . The screenplay was written by Ferrell and McKay, from a story written by Ferrell,...
alongside Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
and John C. Reilly
John C. Reilly
John Christopher Reilly, Jr. is an American film and theater actor, singer, and comedian. Debuting in Casualties of War in 1989, he is one of several actors whose careers were launched by Brian De Palma. To date, he has appeared in more than fifty films, including three separate films in 2002...
. This was despite the film having nothing to do with basketball, Davis was simply a fan of the pair.
Records
- Davis is credited with the longest shot ever recorded in an NBA game, an 89 feet (27.1 m) against the Milwaukee BucksMilwaukee BucksThe Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
on February 17, 2001.
See also
- List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders
- List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game