Tywon Lawson
Encyclopedia
Ty Lawson is an American basketball
player who is currently playing point guard
for BC Žalgiris
in Lithuania
until the 2011 NBA lockout
ends. Lawson was drafted as the 18th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft
, and was immediately traded to the Denver Nuggets
for a future 1st round pick. Lawson played college basketball
for the University of North Carolina
from 2006 to 2009.
Lawson was named the ACC Player of the Year
, the first time a point guard
had won the ACC's highest honor since fellow Tar Heel
Phil Ford won the award in 1978.
Lawson attended Bishop McNamara High School
in Forestville, Maryland
from 2003–2004. He later transferred to and graduated from Oak Hill Academy
in Virginia, where he was a first team USA Today
All-American. He participated in the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Classic and the Nike Hoop Summit
. During Ty Lawson's senior year at Oak Hill Academy he averaged 23.8 points, 9.1 assists and five steals. His highest scoring game in high school was 55 points.
in the 2006–07 season. In 38 games, he led the Tar Heels with 5.6 assists per game and was fourth with 10.2 points per game, during which time he helped the Tar Heels win a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference
regular season title, as well as the ACC Tournament. During his sophomore year he had 12.7 ppg and 5.3 assists per game, although he saw much less playing time due to an ankle sprain that kept him out much of the season. In spite of this nagging injury, he eventually returned to help Carolina repeat as both ACC regular season and tournament champions and ultimately earn a berth to the Final Four
.
He was charged with driving after drinking on June 6, 2008 by a police officer who felt that Lawson's music was too loud. He was not charged with a DWI
because he was below the legal limit of .08 BAC, but still received misdemeanors due to state law prohibiting anyone under the age of 21 from driving after drinking any amount of alcohol. He was also charged for driving with a suspended license.
On the day of the deadline to withdraw from the June 16 2008 NBA Draft
, Lawson decided to return to North Carolina for his junior season, along with Wayne Ellington
, Danny Green
and All-American Tyler Hansbrough
, who all spurned the NBA draft to return to UNC, leaving the starters for the 2007–2008 season intact for the 2008–2009 season.
Lawson was voted to the All-ACC First Team his junior year and was named the ACC Player of the Year, the first time a point guard had won the ACC's highest honor since fellow Tar Heel Phil Ford won the award in 1978. Lawson was also a consensus second team all American
as a junior, which makes him eligible to have his jersey honored in the rafters
of the Smith Center
at the conclusion of his college career. In 2009, Lawson also won the Bob Cousy Award
that honors the best collegiate point guard. During the 2009 NCAA championship game, he also set a record with 8 steals against Michigan State, giving him the most steals of any player in an NCAA championship game and helping lead the Tar Heels to a national title.
On April 23, 2009 Lawson announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2009 NBA Draft
.
, where he was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves
. However, they had already drafted 2 point guards, making Lawson expendable. This gave the Nuggets an opportunity to get a quality player as they traded their future draft pick to Minnesota in exchange for Lawson. Lawson got a better opportunity in Denver, serving as a backup to then-Nugget Chauncey Billups
. In a 105–79 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers
on November 13, 2009, Lawson made his Denver teammates and the Pepsi Center crowd jump up out of their seats when he dunked on then-Laker center D.J. Mbenga (7'0") and Josh Powell
(6'9").
After Billups was traded to the Knicks on February 22, 2011 as part of the Carmelo Anthony
trade, Lawson became the Nuggets' starting point guard. On April 9, 2011, Lawson became the first player in NBA history to make his first 10 3-point attempts to start a game. He went 10–11 from behind the arc and finished the game with 37 points (a new career-high), 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
, which includes a NBA-out clause that allows him to return to the Denver Nuggets when the 2011 NBA Lockout
ends.
| style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10
| style="text-align:left;"| Denver
| 65 || 8 || 20.3 || .515 || .410 || .757 || 1.9 || 3.1 || .7 || .0 || 8.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
| style="text-align:left;"| Denver
| 80 || 31 || 26.3 || .503 || .404 || .764 || 2.6 || 4.7 || 1.0 || .0 || 11.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 145 || 39 || 23.6 || .507 || .406 || .762 || 2.3 || 4.0 || .9 || .0 || 10.2
| style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10
| style="text-align:left;"| Denver
| 6 || 0 || 19.7 || .429 || .400 || .684 || 1.3 || 2.7 || 1.0 || .0 || 7.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
| style="text-align:left;"| Denver
| 5 || 5 || 33.4 || .500 || .455 || .913 || 3.4 || 3.8 || 1.0 || .2 || 15.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 11 || 5 || 25.8 || .471 || .429 || .810 || 2.3 || 3.2 || 1.0 || .1 || 11.4
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 is currently playing 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...
for BC Žalgiris
BC Žalgiris
BC Žalgiris is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania. It is one of the oldest teams in the Euroleague and plays domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga , and regionally in the VTB United League...
in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
until the 2011 NBA lockout
2011 NBA lockout
The 2011 NBA lockout is the fourth lockout in the history of the National Basketball Association . The owners began the work stoppage at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2011. The main issues dividing the owners and the players are revenue sharing and the structure of the salary cap...
ends. Lawson was drafted as the 18th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft
2009 NBA Draft
The 2009 NBA Draft was held on June 25, 2009, the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
, and was immediately traded to 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...
for a future 1st round pick. Lawson played college basketball
College 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....
for the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
from 2006 to 2009.
Lawson was named the ACC Player of the Year
ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year
The Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is a basketball award given to the men's basketball player in the Atlantic Coast Conference voted by members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association as the most outstanding player...
, the first time 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...
had won the ACC's highest honor since fellow Tar Heel
North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history...
Phil Ford won the award in 1978.
Middle school and high school
Lawson attended sixth and seventh grade at Gwynn Park Middle School in Prince George's County, Maryland. In the eighth grade, he was recruited to the Newport School in Kensington, MD.Lawson attended Bishop McNamara High School
Bishop McNamara High School
Bishop McNamara High School, a college preparatory school in the Holy Cross tradition, is in Forestville, Maryland. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.-History:...
in Forestville, Maryland
Forestville, Maryland
Forestville is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 12,707 at the 2000 census...
from 2003–2004. He later transferred to and graduated from Oak Hill Academy
Oak Hill Academy (Virginia)
Oak Hill Academy is a co-educational, private Baptist-affiliated secondary school in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, United States. Oak Hill's enrollment of approximately 150 students is 98% boarders, serving grades 8–12...
in Virginia, where he was a first team USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
All-American. He participated in the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Classic and the Nike Hoop Summit
Nike Hoop Summit
The Nike Hoop Summit is a basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select team of international players. The players demonstrate their skills and hope to attract attention from either NBA scouts or...
. During Ty Lawson's senior year at Oak Hill Academy he averaged 23.8 points, 9.1 assists and five steals. His highest scoring game in high school was 55 points.
College
Lawson began playing for the University of North Carolina Tar HeelsNorth Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history...
in the 2006–07 season. In 38 games, he led the Tar Heels with 5.6 assists per game and was fourth with 10.2 points per game, during which time he helped the Tar Heels win a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference
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...
regular season title, as well as the ACC Tournament. During his sophomore year he had 12.7 ppg and 5.3 assists per game, although he saw much less playing time due to an ankle sprain that kept him out much of the season. In spite of this nagging injury, he eventually returned to help Carolina repeat as both ACC regular season and tournament champions and ultimately earn a berth to the Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
.
He was charged with driving after drinking on June 6, 2008 by a police officer who felt that Lawson's music was too loud. He was not charged with a DWI
DWI
DWI is an acronym which means:* Driving while intoxicated, see Driving under the influence* Driving while impaired* Danish West Indies* Diffusion-weighted imaging, a technique used in magnetic resonance imaging* Drinking Water Inspectorate...
because he was below the legal limit of .08 BAC, but still received misdemeanors due to state law prohibiting anyone under the age of 21 from driving after drinking any amount of alcohol. He was also charged for driving with a suspended license.
On the day of the deadline to withdraw from the June 16 2008 NBA Draft
2008 NBA Draft
The 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008 at the Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, including...
, Lawson decided to return to North Carolina for his junior season, along with Wayne Ellington
Wayne Ellington
Wayne Robert Ellington Jr. , is an American basketball player who was drafted 28th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association...
, Danny Green
Danny Green (basketball)
Daniel Richard "Danny" Green, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for KK Union Olimpija in Slovenia. He is a 6'6" guard-forward from North Carolina. Danny has the most wins in North Carolina history: he played in more games and had more wins than any Tar Heel before him...
and All-American Tyler Hansbrough
Tyler Hansbrough
Andrew Tyler Hansbrough is an American basketball player for the Indiana Pacers. Hansbrough completed a college basketball career with the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team in 2009, and was drafted into the NBA by the Indiana Pacers with the 13th pick of the 1st round of the 2009 NBA...
, who all spurned the NBA draft to return to UNC, leaving the starters for the 2007–2008 season intact for the 2008–2009 season.
Lawson was voted to the All-ACC First Team his junior year and was named the ACC Player of the Year, the first time a point guard had won the ACC's highest honor since fellow Tar Heel Phil Ford won the award in 1978. Lawson was also a consensus second team all American
2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
An All-American team is an honorary sports team composed of the best amateur 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 "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not...
as a junior, which makes him eligible to have his jersey honored in the rafters
Honored North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players
Forty-three former North Carolina men's basketball players are honored in the Dean E. Smith Center with banners representing their numbers hung from the rafters...
of the Smith Center
Dean Smith Center
The Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center, usually called simply the Smith Center and popularly referred to as the Dean Dome is a multi-purpose arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The arena is home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels men's basketball team, and temporary...
at the conclusion of his college career. In 2009, Lawson also won the Bob Cousy Award
Bob Cousy Award
The Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate point guard. It is named after six-time National Basketball Association champion Bob Cousy, who played point guard for the Boston Celtics...
that honors the best collegiate point guard. During the 2009 NCAA championship game, he also set a record with 8 steals against Michigan State, giving him the most steals of any player in an NCAA championship game and helping lead the Tar Heels to a national title.
On April 23, 2009 Lawson announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2009 NBA Draft
2009 NBA Draft
The 2009 NBA Draft was held on June 25, 2009, the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
.
College statistics
| Season | Team | G | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG% | 3P% | FT% | MIN | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | North Carolina Tar Heels North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history... |
38 | 10.2 | 2.9 | 5.6 | 1.5 | 0.1 | .500 | .356 | .688 | 25.7 | 2.2 |
| 2007–08 | North Carolina Tar Heels North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history... |
32 | 12.7 | 2.7 | 5.2 | 1.6 | 0.0 | .515 | .361 | .835 | 25.3 | 2.2 |
| 2008–09 | North Carolina Tar Heels North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history... |
35 | 16.6 | 3.0 | 6.6 | 2.1 | 0.1 | .532 | .472 | .798 | 29.9 | 1.9 |
| Totals: | 105 | 13.1 | 2.9 | 5.8 | 1.8 | 0.1 | .516 | .402 | .780 | 27.0 | 2.1 | |
NBA
Due to concerns of his height and his often-sprained ankle, Lawson slipped to 18th in the 2009 NBA Draft2009 NBA Draft
The 2009 NBA Draft was held on June 25, 2009, the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
, where he was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
. However, they had already drafted 2 point guards, making Lawson expendable. This gave the Nuggets an opportunity to get a quality player as they traded their future draft pick to Minnesota in exchange for Lawson. Lawson got a better opportunity in Denver, serving as a backup to then-Nugget Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Ray Billups is an American professional basketball point guard for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association . He has also played for Team USA. Billups won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004, helping the Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, and was given the...
. In a 105–79 victory against 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...
on November 13, 2009, Lawson made his Denver teammates and the Pepsi Center crowd jump up out of their seats when he dunked on then-Laker center D.J. Mbenga (7'0") and Josh Powell
Josh Powell
Josh Powell is an American professional basketball player.-Early life:While playing at NC State, Powell averaged 12.4 ppg and 5.2 rpg in his sophomore year . He was not selected in the 2003 NBA Draft and played in Europe...
(6'9").
After Billups was traded to the Knicks on February 22, 2011 as part of the Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kiyan Anthony , nicknamed "Melo", is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association...
trade, Lawson became the Nuggets' starting point guard. On April 9, 2011, Lawson became the first player in NBA history to make his first 10 3-point attempts to start a game. He went 10–11 from behind the arc and finished the game with 37 points (a new career-high), 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
Europe
On August 15, 2011 he signed a one-year contract with BC ŽalgirisBC Žalgiris
BC Žalgiris is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania. It is one of the oldest teams in the Euroleague and plays domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga , and regionally in the VTB United League...
, which includes a NBA-out clause that allows him to return to the Denver Nuggets when the 2011 NBA Lockout
2011 NBA lockout
The 2011 NBA lockout is the fourth lockout in the history of the National Basketball Association . The owners began the work stoppage at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2011. The main issues dividing the owners and the players are revenue sharing and the structure of the salary cap...
ends.
Regular season
|-| 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;"| Denver
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...
| 65 || 8 || 20.3 || .515 || .410 || .757 || 1.9 || 3.1 || .7 || .0 || 8.3
|-
| 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;"| Denver
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...
| 80 || 31 || 26.3 || .503 || .404 || .764 || 2.6 || 4.7 || 1.0 || .0 || 11.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 145 || 39 || 23.6 || .507 || .406 || .762 || 2.3 || 4.0 || .9 || .0 || 10.2
Playoffs
|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10
2010 NBA Playoffs
The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2009–10 season. The playoffs started on April 17, 2010 with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| style="text-align:left;"| Denver
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...
| 6 || 0 || 19.7 || .429 || .400 || .684 || 1.3 || 2.7 || 1.0 || .0 || 7.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
2011 NBA Playoffs
The 2011 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs, all seeded 1 to 8 in a tournament bracket, with all rounds in a best-of-seven format. The 2011 NBA Playoffs began on...
| style="text-align:left;"| Denver
| 5 || 5 || 33.4 || .500 || .455 || .913 || 3.4 || 3.8 || 1.0 || .2 || 15.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 11 || 5 || 25.8 || .471 || .429 || .810 || 2.3 || 3.2 || 1.0 || .1 || 11.4
See also
- 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-AmericansAn All-American team is an honorary sports team composed of the best amateur 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 "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not...
- 2006 high school boys basketball All-Americans2006 high school boys basketball All-AmericansAn All-American team is an honorary sports team that is generally composed of the best amateur 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 "All-Americans". The term is used in...