Daniel Ray Ainge is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and professional baseball player who serves as an executive for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his 18-year career as general manager for the Celtics, he was known for making bold moves to help the team rebuild, clearing cap space and tanking for picks. Ainge served as the Celtics' president of basketball operations from 2003 until his retirement in 2021, when he was succeeded by incumbent head coach Brad Stevens.
Andrei Gennadyevich Kirilenko is a Russian-American basketball executive and former professional basketball player.
Detlef Schrempf is a German-American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies from 1981 to 1985, and was drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft, with the eighth overall pick. He was an All-NBA Third Team member in 1995, a three-time NBA All-Star, the first European player ever to achieve this award, and the NBA Sixth Man of the Year twice.
Xavier Maurice McDaniel, nicknamed "X-Man", is an American retired professional basketball player who, at 6 ft 7 in, played both small forward and power forward. He played in college at Wichita State University.
George Matthew Karl is an American former professional basketball coach and player. After spending five years as a player for the San Antonio Spurs, Karl became an assistant with the team before getting the chance to become a head coach in 1981 with the Continental Basketball Association. Three years later, he became one of the youngest NBA head coaches in history when he was named coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers at age 33. By the time his coaching career came to an end in 2016, Karl coached nine different teams in three different leagues, which included being named Coach of the Year three combined times with one championship in the FIBA Saporta Cup. He is one of nine coaches in NBA history to have won 1,000 NBA games and was named NBA Coach of the Year for the 2012–13 season. While he never won an NBA championship, Karl made the postseason 22 times with five different teams, which included a trip to the 1996 NBA Finals with the Seattle SuperSonics.
Ronald Edmund Dupree, Jr. is an American former professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also played numerous seasons in the NBA Development League, and spent time in Europe and Argentina. After developing Ben Simmons at LSU as the director of student development, and serving as an assistant coach at the University of Nevada Reno, Dupree was hired to be a scout for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The 1986 NBA draft was held on June 17, 1986.
Johan Petro is a French former professional basketball player of Guadeloupean descent, who last played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. He was selected by the SuperSonics with the 25th overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft.
Aaron Williams is an American former professional basketball player who played fourteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played at the power forward and center positions.
Sergei Alexandrovich Monia is a Russian former professional basketball player. He was selected by the NBA club the Portland Trail Blazers, in the first round of the 2004 NBA draft. At a height of 2.02 m tall, he played at both the small forward and power forward positions.
Thomas Doane Chambers is an American former professional basketball player. He played professionally from 1981 to 1997. Playing power forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Chambers was selected to four NBA All-Star Games and was a two-time All-NBA Second Team member during his career. In December 2021, Chambers was nominated to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame but did not advance to the list of finalists.
Olden Polynice is a Haitian former professional basketball player. He played center for the Seattle SuperSonics, Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, and Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Derrick Wayne McKey is an American former basketball player who played most of his National Basketball Association (NBA) career at the small forward and the power forward positions.
Daniel LaDrew Vranes is an American retired professional basketball player.
Bruce A. Seals was an American basketball player in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and later as a member of the Western Conference's Pacific (1970–2004) and Northwest (2004–2008) divisions. After the 2007–08 season ended, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, where they now play as the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The 1995–96 NBA season was the 28th season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Sonics acquired shooting guards Hersey Hawkins and David Wingate from the Charlotte Hornets, and re-acquired Frank Brickowski from the Sacramento Kings. The team returned to what had now become the KeyArena at Seattle Center after spending the previous season in the Tacoma Dome, while the KeyArena was being renovated. After two consecutive playoffs appearances losing in the first round, the Sonics got off to a 9–6 start in November, but later on posted a 14-game winning streak between February and March, then won nine straight games between March and April. The team held a 34–12 record at the All-Star break, then won 30 of their final 36 games afterwards to finish the regular season with a franchise best 64–18 record, surpassing the record from the 1993–94 season, and earned their third number one seed in the Western Conference in franchise history. They also posted a 38–3 record at home, which was second best in the league.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Paycom Center.
Tibor Pleiß is a German professional basketball player for Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Super League and the EuroLeague. Standing 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m), he plays the center position. He is also a member of the German national team.
The 1999–2000 NBA season was the 33nd season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association. The SuperSonics had the thirteenth overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft, and selected Corey Maggette out of Duke University, but soon traded him to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Horace Grant. The team also acquired Brent Barry from the Chicago Bulls, and signed free agents Vernon Maxwell, second-year forward Ruben Patterson and three-point specialist Chuck Person. Two years removed from the George Karl-era, the Sonics held a 31–20 record at the All-Star break, and managed to make the playoffs after a one-year absence, finishing fourth in the Pacific Division with a 45–37 record. They took the 2nd-seeded Utah Jazz to a fifth and decisive game in the Western Conference First Round before being eliminated on Utah's home floor.
