Mark Price
Encyclopedia
William Mark Price is a retired American
basketball
player who played for 12 seasons in the NBA
, from 1986 to 1998. Spending the majority of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers
, his last three years consisted of one season each with the Washington Bullets
, Golden State Warriors
, and Orlando Magic
.
at Georgia Tech
. During his time at Georgia Tech, he was a two-time All American and four-time All ACC
basketball player who helped lead the Yellow Jackets to an ACC
Championship his junior year by defeating North Carolina in the ACC Tournament championship game. He was named the ACC Most Valuable Player for the 1984-85 season and his jersey was retired. A point guard
, he mystified critics who said he was too slow, too small and too deliberate for a high-level game. Selected first in the second round (25th overall) by the Dallas Mavericks
in the 1986 NBA Draft
, he was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers
in a draft day trade that helped turn the team into an Eastern Conference
power.
Price was known as one of the league's most consistent shooters. He finished his career with a 90.4% free throw
shooting percentage, placing him second on the league's all-time leaders in this statistical area, and a 40% three-point field goal shooting percentage. During the 1988–89 season, Price became the second player, after Larry Bird
, to join the NBA's 50-40-90 Club
for those who shot at least 40% from three-point range, at least 50% from the field and at least 90% from the free throw line in a single season, and is still one of only five players to have ever done this while also achieving the NBA league minimum number of makes in each category. Price ranked consistently among the assist
leaders (as of December 2009, he is the Cavaliers all-time leader with 4,206), twice won the Three Point Contest, and was a four-time All-Star. Price was named to the All-NBA First Team after the 1992–93 season. Price currently ranks second in franchise steals with 734, a Cavaliers record that stood until December 9, 2008 when LeBron James
surpassed him.
Another one of Price's distinguishing traits on the court was his pioneering of the splitting of the double team. As former teammate Steve Kerr
explains, “Mark really revolutionized the way that people attack the screen and roll. To me, he was the first guy in the NBA who really split the screen and roll. A lot of teams started blitzing the pick and roll and jumping two guys at it to take the ball out of the hands of the point guard. He’d duck right between them and shoot that little runner in the lane. Nobody was doing that at that time. You watch an NBA game now and almost everybody does that. Mark was a pioneer in that regard."
Price, along with Karl Malone
, expressed opposition to Magic Johnson
's proposed comeback to the NBA in 1992 because they feared catching HIV
from his infected blood, despite NBA implemented AIDS
-related precautions after Johnson's revelation and retirement in 1991.
He played for the US national team also known as Dream Team II, in the 1994 FIBA World Championship
, winning the gold medal.
He was plagued by injuries late in his career, a factor in his trade to the Washington Bullets
prior to the 1995–96 season. He played one season for Washington before moving on to the Golden State Warriors
and later the Orlando Magic
, where he played his final season. He retired in 1998. Not long after retirement, Price's number, 25, was retired by the Cleveland Cavaliers
.
The city of Enid, Oklahoma
, renamed the basketball arena Mark Price Arena, as a tribute to the NBA player's accomplishments, since he was one of the best basketball athletes in Enid High School
history.
His brother Brent Price
also played for more than ten years in the NBA.
for the varsity boys team. After Marelle discovered he had non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Price became a primary factor in the team's return trip to the final four of the class 5A GHSA
state tournament. It was the first time Duluth High School
returned to this point in the state tournament in 16 years. Price then went on to be an assistant coach to Bobby Cremins
at Georgia Tech during the 1999-2000 season.
After Cremins retired from coaching at Georgia Tech, Price then went on the following year to be the head coach at Whitefield Academy in Atlanta for the 2000-01 season leading the team to a 27-5 record and the final eight teams of the state Class A tournament, a 20 win improvement over the prior season and 27 win improvement two seasons before Price arrived. NBA player Josh Smith
also played at Whitefield Academy the same season Price was coach.
In 2003, Price was a consultant for the NBA's Denver Nuggets
before moving on to become a NBA television analyst and color commentator
for both the Cleveland Cavaliers
and the Atlanta Hawks
.
In March 2006, Price was named the inaugural head coach of the Australian NBL
's South Dragons
, a new franchise for the 2006–07 season,
for a short period of time before the position was taken over by player Shane Heal
, in a controversial decision made by majority owner Mark Cowan. Heal was fired the following year after the Dragons finished last in the NBL for the 2007-08 season.
Price was the shooting consultant for the Memphis Grizzlies
for the 2007-08 season and named the shooting coach for the Atlanta Hawks
for the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons. Price helped to improve the Hawks offensive output in their first return to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals in nearly 10 years during the 2009 NBA Playoffs. Price also trains other NBA players in partnership with the Suwanee Sports Academy, one of the largest basketball training facilities in the United States
, during the basketball off-season in Atlanta specializing in shooting and point guard skills.
Price is credited with helping Boston Celtics
point guard Rajon Rondo
improve his jump shot. Rondo's scoring was a key factor in the Celtics reaching the 2010 NBA Finals
, where they pushed the Los Angeles Lakers
to a full seven game series. For the 2010-2011 season, Price joined the Golden State Warriors
as an assistant coach with the primary task of improving the Warriors shooting and free throw percentages.
Price was a key factor in developing the overall teaching philosophy for On Court Player Development – a basketball skill development and character building program – in 2006 held at the Suwanee Sports Academy. The academy is also home to the Mark Price Shooting Lab.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
basketball
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 who played for 12 seasons in 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...
, from 1986 to 1998. Spending the majority of his career 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...
, his last three years consisted of one season each with the Washington Bullets
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
, 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...
, and 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...
.
Playing career
The 6-foot (183 cm) Price played college basketballCollege basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
at Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
. During his time at Georgia Tech, he was a two-time All American and four-time All ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
basketball player who helped lead the Yellow Jackets to an ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
Championship his junior year by defeating North Carolina in the ACC Tournament championship game. He was named the ACC Most Valuable Player for the 1984-85 season and his jersey was retired. A point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
, he mystified critics who said he was too slow, too small and too deliberate for a high-level game. Selected first in the second round (25th overall) by the 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...
in the 1986 NBA Draft
1986 NBA Draft
-Drug and health issues involving drafted players:There were various drug-related problems that plagued players in the 1986 NBA draft. Most notable was the death of highly-touted Len Bias. Bias died less than two days after being selected second overall by the defending champion Boston Celtics. His...
, he was acquired by 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...
in a draft day trade that helped turn the team into an Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (NBA)
The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...
power.
Price was known as one of the league's most consistent shooters. He finished his career with a 90.4% free throw
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...
shooting percentage, placing him second on the league's all-time leaders in this statistical area, and a 40% three-point field goal shooting percentage. During the 1988–89 season, Price became the second player, after Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
, to join the NBA's 50-40-90 Club
50-40-90 Club (NBA)
The 50–40–90 Club is an informal term referring to the very exclusive group of National Basketball Association players who have had a shooting percentage at or above 50% for field goals, 40% for three-point field goals, and 90% for free throws during an entire NBA season while also achieving the...
for those who shot at least 40% from three-point range, at least 50% from the field and at least 90% from the free throw line in a single season, and is still one of only five players to have ever done this while also achieving the NBA league minimum number of makes in each category. Price ranked consistently among the assist
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...
leaders (as of December 2009, he is the Cavaliers all-time leader with 4,206), twice won the Three Point Contest, and was a four-time All-Star. Price was named to the All-NBA First Team after the 1992–93 season. Price currently ranks second in franchise steals with 734, a Cavaliers record that stood until December 9, 2008 when LeBron James
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...
surpassed him.
Another one of Price's distinguishing traits on the court was his pioneering of the splitting of the double team. As former teammate 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...
explains, “Mark really revolutionized the way that people attack the screen and roll. To me, he was the first guy in the NBA who really split the screen and roll. A lot of teams started blitzing the pick and roll and jumping two guys at it to take the ball out of the hands of the point guard. He’d duck right between them and shoot that little runner in the lane. Nobody was doing that at that time. You watch an NBA game now and almost everybody does that. Mark was a pioneer in that regard."
Price, along with Karl Malone
Karl Malone
Karl Anthony Malone , nicknamed "The Mailman", is a retired American professional basketball power forward who spent the majority of his career with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association . Malone spent his first 18 seasons with the Jazz and formed a formidable duo with his teammate...
, expressed opposition to Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
's proposed comeback to the NBA in 1992 because they feared catching HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
from his infected blood, despite NBA implemented AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
-related precautions after Johnson's revelation and retirement in 1991.
He played for the US national team also known as Dream Team II, in the 1994 FIBA World Championship
1994 FIBA World Championship
The 1994 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Canada from August 4 to August 14, 1994. The tournament was held at SkyDome and Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto as well as at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton...
, winning the gold medal.
He was plagued by injuries late in his career, a factor in his trade to the Washington Bullets
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
prior to the 1995–96 season. He played one season for Washington before moving on to the 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...
and later 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...
, where he played his final season. He retired in 1998. Not long after retirement, Price's number, 25, was retired by 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...
.
The city of Enid, Oklahoma
Enid, Oklahoma
Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid, a...
, renamed the basketball arena Mark Price Arena, as a tribute to the NBA player's accomplishments, since he was one of the best basketball athletes in Enid High School
Enid High School
Enid High School is a public secondary school in Enid, Oklahoma operated by the Enid Public Schools school district. With a student body of about 1,700 in grades 9-12, Enid High School has about a 65 percent matriculation rate...
history.
His brother Brent Price
Brent Price
Hartley Brent Price, better known as Brent Price , is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. He is the younger brother of former Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Mark Price.- Career :...
also played for more than ten years in the NBA.
Coaching career
Mark Price began his coaching career during the 1998-99 basketball season as a community coach under head coach and friend Joe Marelle at Duluth High SchoolDuluth High School
Duluth High School is a public secondary school in Duluth, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It provides education for grades 9-12 and is operated by Gwinnett County Public Schools, and holds a Blue Ribbon School award....
for the varsity boys team. After Marelle discovered he had non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Price became a primary factor in the team's return trip to the final four of the class 5A GHSA
Georgia High School Association
The Georgia High School Association governs athletic and club events for member high schools in Georgia, USA. The GHSA is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. The association comprises 437 public and private high schools...
state tournament. It was the first time Duluth High School
Duluth High School
Duluth High School is a public secondary school in Duluth, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It provides education for grades 9-12 and is operated by Gwinnett County Public Schools, and holds a Blue Ribbon School award....
returned to this point in the state tournament in 16 years. Price then went on to be an assistant coach to Bobby Cremins
Bobby Cremins
Bobby Cremins is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the College of Charleston's men's basketball team, and former head coach at Appalachian State and Georgia Tech.-Early years:...
at Georgia Tech during the 1999-2000 season.
After Cremins retired from coaching at Georgia Tech, Price then went on the following year to be the head coach at Whitefield Academy in Atlanta for the 2000-01 season leading the team to a 27-5 record and the final eight teams of the state Class A tournament, a 20 win improvement over the prior season and 27 win improvement two seasons before Price arrived. NBA player Josh Smith
Josh Smith
Josh Smith is an American professional basketball player with the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. Josh is one of five kids born to Paulette and Pete Smith. His siblings are Walter, Phebe, Kasola and Shanti. His popular nickname is "J-Smoove".Smith attended John McEachern High School. For his senior...
also played at Whitefield Academy the same season Price was coach.
In 2003, Price was a consultant for the NBA's 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...
before moving on to become a NBA television analyst and color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for both 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...
and the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
.
In March 2006, Price was named the inaugural head coach of the Australian NBL
National Basketball League (Australia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
's South Dragons
South Dragons
The South Dragons is a former team in the Australasian National Basketball League . They made their début in the 2006/07 season and played their final season in 2008/09...
, a new franchise for the 2006–07 season,
for a short period of time before the position was taken over by player Shane Heal
Shane Heal
Shane Douglas Heal is a retired Australia professional basketball player who last played with the Gold Coast Blaze of the National Basketball League, retiring at the end of the 2008/09 season. During his early years as a player, Heal played for the Brisbane Bullets and the Geelong Supercats...
, in a controversial decision made by majority owner Mark Cowan. Heal was fired the following year after the Dragons finished last in the NBL for the 2007-08 season.
Price was the shooting consultant for the Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...
for the 2007-08 season and named the shooting coach for the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
for the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons. Price helped to improve the Hawks offensive output in their first return to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals in nearly 10 years during the 2009 NBA Playoffs. Price also trains other NBA players in partnership with the Suwanee Sports Academy, one of the largest basketball training facilities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, during the basketball off-season in Atlanta specializing in shooting and point guard skills.
Price is credited with helping Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
point guard Rajon Rondo
Rajon Rondo
Rajon Pierre Rondo is an American professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association . Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Rondo attended Eastern High School and Oak Hill Academy for his high-school basketball career, before receiving a...
improve his jump shot. Rondo's scoring was a key factor in the Celtics reaching the 2010 NBA Finals
2010 NBA Finals
The 2010 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association championship series for the 2009–10 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Los Angeles Lakers, champions of the Western Conference and defending NBA champions, and the Boston Celtics, champions of the Eastern Conference...
, where they pushed the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
to a full seven game series. For the 2010-2011 season, Price joined the 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...
as an assistant coach with the primary task of improving the Warriors shooting and free throw percentages.
Price was a key factor in developing the overall teaching philosophy for On Court Player Development – a basketball skill development and character building program – in 2006 held at the Suwanee Sports Academy. The academy is also home to the Mark Price Shooting Lab.