Michael Jordan
NBA Hall of Famer
Career Highlights: One of the most recognizable athletes in the sporting world,
Michael Jordan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in
September 2009… In his storied career, Jordan guided the Chicago Bulls to six NBA
titles, and the University of North Carolina to the 1982 NCAA Championship…He led the
NBA in scoring an unprecedented 10 times and was named league MVP five times…A
10-time All-NBA First Team selection, he played in 14 NBA All-Star Games and was a
record nine-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection…He also was named to the
NBA’s 50 All-Time Greatest Players list…Jordan finished his NBA career playing in
1,072 games, in an amazing 41,011 minutes, 32,292 points, 5,633 assists and 6,672
rebounds… Throughout his career, he won numerous awards including 1985 Rookie of
the Year, 1988 Defensive Player of the Year, 1991 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the
Year, 2000 ESPY Athlete of the Century, and 1990’s Male Athlete Decade
Award…Jordan was a member of the 1984 and 1992 Olympic gold medal basketball
teams…He also had a brief stint in baseball when he signed with baseball’s Chicago
White Sox in 1994 and played for its AA affiliate Birmingham Barons that season…He
was twice named NCAA Player of the Year while at the University of North
Carolina….Jordan won the 1984 John Wooden Award, 1984 Adolph Rupp Trophy and
was named the 1984 USBWA College Player of the Year and 1984 -Naismith College
Player of the Year…Off the court, Jordan has proven to be a successful businessman
and has transitioned into team ownership….On March 17, 2010 the NBA approved
Jordan’s purchase of the Charlotte Bobcats, making him the first former NBA player to
ever become a majority owner of a league franchise…As a businessman, Jordan’s
Brand with Nike has been an innovator of athletic shoes and apparel and a market
leader…In 2004, Jordan formed Michael Jordan Motorsports, due to his passion for
motorcycle racing….Other business ventures include many thriving restaurants…Jordan
supports many charitable causes and his annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitation golf
tournament has raised more than $2 million since its inception.
Charles Barkley
NBA Hall of Famer
Career Highlights: One of the most colorful NBA players of all-time, Charles Barkley
was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006…Considered
one of the most dominating power forwards NBA history, “ Barkley brings his wit and
knowledge to television as he has been an NBA studio analyst for Turner Network
Television (TNT) since 2000…The fourth player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points,
10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists in a career (along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt
Chamberlain and Karl Malone), Barkley was named to the NBA’s 50 All-Time Greatest
Players List…A perennial All-Star (11 times) and All-NBA (five-time First Team) selection
during his career, his pinnacle may have been winning the NBA Most Valuable Player
award in 1993, his first season with the Phoenix Suns…He led the Suns to the 1993
NBA Finals….Barkley played his first eight seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers then
finished his career with the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets…He finished his career
with averages of 22.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 1,073 games…A member
of the 1992 and 1996 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic basketball teams, Barkley was
named Sports Illustrated’s 2002 “Personality of the Year”…Barkley was popular with the
fans and the media, and made the NBA’s All-Interview Team for each of his last 13
seasons in the league…He retired in 1999 after a career-ending knee injury…While at
Auburn University he was selected as the Southeastern Conference Player of the
Decade (1980s) and the 1984 SEC Player of the Year…He has written several books
including “Who’s Afraid of a Large Black Man?,” “I May Be Wrong But I Doubt It” “Sir
Charles: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles Barkley” and “Outrageous!” and has
expressed an interest at the possibility of a career in politics.
Vinny Del Negro
Former NBA Head Coach and Player
Career Highlights: Vinny Del Negro spent the past two years as Head Coach of the
Chicago where the Bulls went 41-41 both seasons and made the NBA Playoffs…In the
2010 NBA Playoffs the Bulls lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games…In 2009, Del
Negro and the Bulls had a first-round NBA Playoffs match-up versus the defending NBA
Champion Boston Celtics…This NBA Playoff series proved to be one of the most
exciting and entertaining in years as several of the games went to overtime before
Boston prevailed in seven games… Prior to joining the Bulls, Del Negro spent two
seasons in the Phoenix Suns front office first as Director of Player Personnel and then
as Assistant General Manager….Del Negro has broadcasting experience working as an
analyst for ESPN’s NBA Matchup program, ESPN Radio’s Gameday show, the San
Antonio Spurs, and as a color analyst on Phoenix Suns radio broadcasts… An NBA
player himself, Del Negro spent 12 years in the league and scored more than 7,000
regular-season points while he played for five NBA teams (Phoenix, Golden State,
Milwaukee, San Antonio, Sacramento)…Del Negro averaged 10-plus points for fourstraight seasons with San Antonio from 1993-97, including a career-best 14.5 points per
game in 1995-96…He spent six seasons with San Antonio where he was instrumental in
helping the team improve their record by 36 games during the 1997-98 season…Del
Negro holds the Spurs franchise record for most consecutive free throws made, hitting
50 straight during the 1993-94 season…He left the NBA to play in Italy for two seasons
(1990-92) and then, signed with San Antonio when he returned…Del Negro played at
North Carolina State under coach Jim Valvano where he earned All-ACC honors his
senior season after averaging 15.9 points, 3.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game…Del
Negro had his N.C. State #14 jersey retired in January 2002.
Jason Kidd
All-Star Guard
Dallas Mavericks
Career Highlights: Considered to be one of the greatest playmakers in NBA history,
Jason Kidd’s on-court versatility makes him a regular triple-double threat…A 10-time
NBA All-Star, Kidd led the Dallas Mavericks to NBA Playoffs the past two
seasons…Prior to joining the Mavericks, he led New Jersey to the NBA Finals in both
2002 and 2003…A veteran of 16 NBA seasons, Kidd holds career averages of 13.6
points, 9.2 assists and 6.6 rebounds…Kidd is the only player in NBA history to record
15,000 points, 10,000 assists and 7,000 rebounds …He is also the only player to have a
700+ assist and 500+ rebound season seven times…Kidd also has posted more than
100 career triple-doubles…He has been named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team
four times and the All-Defensive Second Team on five other occasions…In his career,
has also been named to the All-NBA First Team five times (1999-2002 and 2004) and
the All-NBA Second Team in 2003…Kidd was traded to the New Jersey Nets in July
2001 after four and a half seasons with the Phoenix Suns and three and a half years in
Dallas…Kidd holds numerous New Jersey Nets franchise records including career threepointers (729), career assists (4,090), assists in a season (808), steals (876), tripledoubles (49), and triple-doubles in a season (12 in 2006-07)…He became only the fourth
player in NBA history to lead the league in assists three straight years (19982000)…Kidd participated in the 2008 Olympics where the team went undefeated in
winning their first gold medal since the 2000 Olympics…Kidd has an impressive resume
for USA Basketball with an undefeated record of 56-0 including exhibition games…He
has brought home five gold medals including three from Olympic qualifying tournaments,
one from the 2000 Sydney Olympics and one from the 2008 Beijing Olympics… He was
named the USA Basketball 2007 Male Athlete of the Year…Named the 1994-95 coRookie of the Year (with Grant Hill), Kidd was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First
Team…Kidd played two years at the University of California where he became the first
sophomore to be named Pac-10 Player of the Year after averaging 16.7 points and 6.9
rebounds, while leading the nation with 9.1 assists per game…He was named a FirstTeam All-America…Kidd won the Naismith Award as the nation’s top high school player
after his senior season at St. Joseph of Notre Dame (Alameda, CA)…He was also
named Parade and USA Today High School Player of the Year.
Wally Szczerbiak
All-Star NBA Forward
Career Highlights: A hard-nosed, energizing All-Star NBA, Wally Szczerbiak was one
of the most prolific shooters in the NBA…Throughout his 10-year NBA he has shot 48.5
percent from the field and 40.6 percent from beyond the three-point line... Drafted as the
sixth pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Szczerbiak’s best year
as a professional was in 2002 when he was a coaches’ selection to the Western
Conference All-Star team…Later he tied a then Timberwolves franchise record of 44
points on April 13, 2003 (since broken by Kevin Garnett)…Szczerbiak spent seven and a
half seasons in Minnesota, followed by short stints in Boston, Seattle and most recently
with the Cleveland Cavaliers…In both 2008 and 2009 seasons, he was a integral
member for the Cavaliers as they made their NBA Playoff runs...Throughout his 10-year
career he has averaged 10.0 points per game, 3.0 rebounds per game and 3.0 assists
per game…In college, Szczerbiak played for Miami University, where he led the team to
the “Sweet 16” in the 1999 NCAA Tournament…During his senior year he was named a
First-Team All-American by Sports Illustrated, John Wooden Basketball News,
Basketball America, and College Hoops Insider and Second Team All-American by the
Associated Press and the National Association of Basketball Coaches…He was also
named the 1999 MAC Player of the Year…Szczerbiak finished his career at Miami of
Ohio as the school’s second all-time leading scorer with 1,847 points (behind Ron
Harper)…In his senior season he averaged 24.2 points per game (third in the nation),
8.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists…Szczerbiak was born in Madrid, Spain while his dad,
Walter, was playing for Read Madrid…His dad also played for the Pittsburgh Condors of
the ABA.
Shane Battier
NBA Forward
Houston Rockets
Career Highlights: Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets is most recognized for playing
sound, fundamental team-oriented basketball, all while making his teammates more
effective…A nine-year NBA veteran, Battier has played in 685 regular season games,
where he has averaged 9.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals per
game…Battier was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in both 2007-08 and
2008-09 seasons…He spent his first five seasons playing for the Memphis Grizzlies
where he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2002….Battier has also
enjoyed successful international play as he won a bronze medal at the 2006 FIBA World
Championships… He also was named to the 2006-2008 USA Basketball Men’s Senior
National Team and was a member of the 2001 USA Basketball Men’s Senior National
Team and the 2001 USA Goodwill Games Team, which finished 5-0 to capture the gold
medal at the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia … He won the 2002 NBA
Community Assist Award for his community service efforts…Battier was selected by the
Vancouver Grizzlies (eventually the Memphis Grizzlies) with the sixth pick in the 2001
NBA Draft after a stellar college career at Duke…At Duke, he led the Blue Devils to two
Final Fours in 1999 and 2001, where they lost to Connecticut in 1999, but came back
two years later to win the national championship by defeating the University of
Arizona...Battier was named the 2001 NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding
Player… In 2001, Battier also won numerous major national awards including the
Naismith College Player of the Year, the John R. Wooden Award, Oscar Robertson
Trophy and the Lowe’s Senior Class Award…A three-time awardee of the NABC
Defensive Player of the Year, he also was named the 2001 ACC C0-Athlete of the
Year…Battier was named First-Team All-America by The Associated Press, USBWA,
The Sporting News, ESPN.com and CBS Sportsline in 2000-01 At the conclusion of his
collegiate career, Battier was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary Men’s Basketball
Team and had his jersey number 31 retired by the Blue Devils…Prior to Duke, Battier
attended Detroit Country Day School and was named Mr. Basketball of Michigan (1997)
and was the 1997 Naismith Prep Player of the Year…He graduated from Country Day
with a 3.96 grade point average and was named the school’s outstanding student in his
senior year.
Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway
Former NBA All-Star
Career Highlights: One of the NBA’s most exciting point guards, Anfernee Hardaway’s
size and versatility set him apart from many other players of his era…Selected by the
Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 1993 NBA Draft (third pick overall),
Hardaway was traded along with three future first-round picks to the Orlando Magic for
the rights to first overall pick Chris Webber…Hardaway made an immediate impact when
he helped the Magic to their first playoff berth and first 50-win season…He averaged 16
points, 6.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds per game with 160 steals in his rookie season…For his
efforts he was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team and was runner-up to Webber for
Rookie of the Year honors…The 1994-95 season was even better as the Magic won a
franchise record 57 games while Hardaway averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, 4.4 steals
and 1.7 steals per game…Hardaway was named a starter in his first NBA All-Star game
and was named All-NBA First Team…The Magic went on to upset the Chicago Bulls in
the second round of the playoffs and made it all the way to the NBA Finals before
eventually losing to the Houston Rockets …Hardaway played for the Magic for six
seasons before injuries started to plague him and he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in
1999…He spent four seasons in Phoenix before being traded to the New York Knicks
who he helped lead to the 2004 NBA Playoffs…Hardaway spent three seasons in New
York before ending his career playing 16 games for the Miami Heat…Other highlights of
Hardaway’s professional career included being named a four-time NBA All-Star, twotime All-NBA First Team member, once to the All-NBA Third Team, and he posted six
career triple doubles…Hardaway played for USA Basketball in the 1996 Summer
Olympics earning a gold medal…In college, he had a stellar three-year career at the
University of Memphis, where in his junior year he averaged 22.8 point, 8.5 rebounds,
6.4 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game…Named an All-American, Hardaway
also was a finalist for the Naismith College Player of the Year and the John R. Wooden
Award given annually to the most outstanding college basketball player...On August 21,
2008, Hardaway donated one million dollars to the University of Memphis (he graduated
with a bachelor’s degree in professional studies in May 2003, 10 years after leaving
early to turn pro).
Stephen Curry
NBA Guard
Golden State Warriors
Career Highlights: NBA guard Stephen Curry finished a stellar rookie year season for
the Golden State Warriors…Curry finished second in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting
behind Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans, and was one of three unanimous
selection to the 2010 NBA All-Rookie First Team…Selected by the Warriors in the 2009
NBA Draft with the seventh overall pick, Curry finished his first year in the league
averaging 17.5 points, 5.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game…Curry started
77 games and shot a strong 46.2 percent from the field and 43.7 percent behind the
three-point line…Curry got his first triple-double in his career with 36 points, 13 assists
and 10 rebounds, including 7-of-11 from 3-points range on February 10, 2010 versus the
Los Angeles Clippers…Curry came close to a quadruple-double finishing with 27 points,
14 assists, 8 rebounds and 7 steals in Don Nelson’s1,333rd win as an NBA head coach,
as Nelson set a new NBA record for career coaching wins on April 7, 2010… Curry
scored a new career high 42 points in the last game of the season in a win against the
Portland Trailblazers…Curry played college basketball at Davidson from 2006-09 where
he led the nation in scoring with 28.6 points per game during his junior (and last
year)…He amassed career averages of 25.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in
104 games…He was named a consensus First-Team All-America selection by The
Sporting News, Associated Press, National Association of Basketball Coaches, and the
United States Basketball Writers Association during his junior year…Curry was twice
named Southern Conference Player of the Year and was named to the John R. Wooden
All-American Team…He also was a Second-Team All-American as a sophomore…His
accolades are numerous and include: setting the all-time scoring record for Davidson
and Southern Conference, setting Davidson records for three-pointers (414), free throws
made (479), 30-point games (30) and 40-point games (six)…He also owns Davidson
single-season records for points (974) and steals (86)…Curry set an NCAA single
season record for three-pointers in the 2007-08 season with 162, and led Davidson to
two straight NCAA appearances…He was named NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional
Most Outstanding Players and named to the All-Region team after helping Davidson
advance to the Great Eight as a sophomore…Curry is the son of former NBA star Dell
Curry.