Chauncey Ray Billups is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing college basketball with the Colorado Buffaloes, he was selected third overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. Billups spent the majority of his 17-year basketball career playing for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004 after helping the Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. He was given the nickname "Mr. Big Shot" for making late-game shots with Detroit. A five-time NBA All-Star, a three-time All-NBA selection and two-time NBA All-Defensive selection, Billups also played for the Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Clippers during his NBA career.
Anfernee Deon "Penny" Hardaway is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Memphis Tigers men's team in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). Hardaway played college basketball at Memphis and 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a four-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Team member.
Quentin Lamar Richardson is an American former professional basketball player who was formerly the director of player development for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Q-Rich", he played professionally for 13 seasons for the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Orlando Magic. He won the NBA Three-Point Contest in 2005.
Zachary McKenley Randolph is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Z-Bo", the 2-time NBA All-Star played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans before being drafted in the 2001 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He played for five teams over the course of his professional career, making the All-NBA Third Team in 2011 with the Memphis Grizzlies. He also played with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings before retiring in December 2019. Randolph later planned to come out of retirement in 2020 to join the Big3.
Corey Antoine Maggette is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He became an analyst for Fox Sports.
Hidayet "Hedo" Türkoğlu is a Turkish basketball executive and former professional player. A 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) forward, Türkoğlu played for six teams in his 15-season career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won the NBA's Most Improved Player for the 2007–08 NBA season and played in the NBA Finals for the Magic in 2009. He also played for Turkey's national team in international competition. Türkoğlu has served as president of the Turkish Basketball Federation since October 2016.
Matt Kelly Barnes is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Barnes was drafted in the second round of the 2002 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. He won an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors in his final season in the league in 2017. Barnes is currently a basketball analyst for ESPN as well as NBC Sports California for Sacramento Kings games.
Marcin Janusz Gortat also known as "The Polish Hammer" is a Polish former professional basketball player, and current player development and assistant coach at the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m), 240 pounds (110 kg) center is the son of boxer Janusz Gortat. He was drafted in the second round by the Phoenix Suns in the 2005 NBA draft and played for the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Clippers. He retired from professional basketball in 2020.
The 1991–92 NBA season was the 46th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their second straight NBA Championship, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. This was Larry Bird's final season as a player in the NBA.
Vincent Joseph Del Negro is an American former professional basketball player. He was the head coach of the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls from 2008 to 2010, and the Los Angeles Clippers from 2010 to 2013. Del Negro is currently an analyst with NBA TV.
Ryan James Anderson is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the California Golden Bears.
Russell Westbrook III is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Westbrook made his NBA debut in 2008 and became a star as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He has played for five NBA teams.
Patrick Beverley is an American professional basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League and the EuroCup. Originally from Chicago's West Side, Beverley played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He spent the first five years of his pro career overseas, playing in Ukraine, Greece, and Russia. In January 2013, he joined the NBA, signing with the Houston Rockets.
The 1996–97 NBA season was the Clippers' 27th season in the National Basketball Association, 13th in Los Angeles and 3rd in which they played occasional home games in Anaheim. The Clippers had the seventh overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, and selected Lorenzen Wright from the University of Memphis. During the off-season, the team signed free agents Darrick Martin, and former All-Star center Kevin Duckworth. With the loss of Brian Williams to free agency, the Clippers were expected to sink in the bottom of the NBA again. After a 6–4 start to the season, the team lost ten of their next eleven games, as Duckworth only played just 26 games due to a sore heel injury, and Stanley Roberts only played just 18 games due to a back injury. However, with the continued solid play of Loy Vaught, who once again led the team in scoring and rebounding, the Clippers held a 19–25 record at the All-Star break, and managed to slip into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with a below .500 record of 36–46, fifth in the Pacific Division.
Austin James Rivers is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Rivers led Winter Park High School to back-to-back Florida 6A state championships in 2010 and 2011. He also played in the 2011 Nike Hoop Summit for the Team USA, and was a McDonald's All-American.
Reginald Shon Jackson, nicknamed Big Government, is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played three seasons for the Boston College Eagles before declaring for the 2011 NBA draft, where he was drafted 24th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jackson also played for the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers before joining the Denver Nuggets, where he won a championship with the team in 2023.
The 1997–98 NBA season was the ninth season for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association. The Magic hired Chuck Daly as head coach, who led the Detroit Pistons to two straight championships in 1989 and 1990. In the off-season, the team acquired All-Star guard Mark Price from the Golden State Warriors, acquired Derek Harper from the Dallas Mavericks, and signed free agent Bo Outlaw. Under Daly, the Magic would get off to a solid 16–7 start. However, they struggled losing nine of their next ten games, as Penny Hardaway only played just 19 games due to a knee injury, averaging 16.4 points and 1.5 steals per game. The team then lost seven straight games in January, as Darrell Armstrong was out for the remainder of the season with a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder after 48 games. The Magic also signed free agent Vernon Maxwell in January, but released him to free agency after eleven games, as he later on signed with the Charlotte Hornets.
The 1994–95 NBA season was the 25th season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. The Blazers 25th season was marked by change as they played their final season at the Memorial Coliseum with new head coach P.J. Carlesimo. The team also had the 17th overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft, and selected Aaron McKie out of Temple University. The Blazers started their season defeating the Los Angeles Clippers in their first two games, which were played in Yokohama, Japan. The team got off to a 6–6 start, and played around .500 for the first half of the season, holding a 25–20 record at the All-Star break, as Terry Porter only played just 35 games due to an ankle injury.
The 2012–13 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 65th season of the franchise, its 64th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and its 53rd season in Los Angeles. The Lakers acquired All-Stars Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, giving them a starting lineup of five All-Stars consisting of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace, Nash, and Howard, who were expected to contend for the franchise's 17th NBA championship. Instead, the Lakers struggled to qualify for the playoffs after changing head coaches and implementing multiple offenses. However, a weak defense and multiple injuries were the team's biggest problems. They exited the playoffs in the first round for the first time since 2007. Additionally, this was the first season since 2006-07 without longtime point guard Derek Fisher, who had helped the team win its last five championships. Widely regarded as a failed superteam mainly due to injuries, the Lakers started out the season as a top 2 favorite to win the championship and the Lakers were projected to win 58 games. The Lakers were also the top favorite to win the Western Conference.
