Bobby Jackson is an American professional basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Western Nebraska Community College and the University of Minnesota. In the NBA, he played for several teams over twelve seasons, from 1997 to 2009.
Kevin Edward McHale is an American former professional basketball player, coach and analyst who played his entire professional career for the Boston Celtics. He earned the nickname "the Torture Chamber" for his exceptional footwork and post skills that consistently overwhelmed opponents. He is a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and is regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time.
Joseph Leynard Smith is an American former professional basketball player. A power forward, he played for 12 teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) during his 16-year career.
Gerald Green is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 18th overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft. Known for his dunking skill, he has performed well in many slam dunk competitions, having won the 2005 McDonald's All-American Slam Dunk Contest and the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, while finishing as the runner-up in the 2008 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
Rodney Alan "The Sheriff" Buford is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the London Lightning of the National Basketball League of Canada. He played college basketball for the Creighton Bluejays.
Maciej Bolesław Lampe is a former Polish professional basketball player. Standing at 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m), he used to play at the power forward and center positions.
Corey Wayne Brewer is an American former professional basketball player who serves as an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA national championships in 2006 and 2007. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2007 NCAA tournament.
Eddie B. Robinson Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. A 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) shooting guard/small forward, he spent five seasons (1999–2004) in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In April 2017, Robinson was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Nicolas Madelin Victor Andre Batum is a French professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is also a member of the French national team and earned a silver medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
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 (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, including international players from non-North American professional leagues. According to the NBA, 44 players, 39 collegiate players and five international players, filed as early-entry candidates for the 2008 NBA Draft. These numbers do not include players who are automatically eligible for the draft. The Chicago Bulls, who had a 1.7 percent probability of obtaining the first selection, won the NBA draft lottery on May 22. The Bulls' winning of the lottery was the second-largest upset in NBA Draft Lottery history behind the Orlando Magic, who won it in 1993 with just a 1.5% chance. The Miami Heat and the Minnesota Timberwolves obtained the second and third picks respectively.
The Halifax Rainmen were a professional basketball team based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They played in the Atlantic Division of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL) and their home games took place at the Scotiabank Centre, formerly known as the Halifax Metro Centre. Andre Levingston was the owner of the Rainmen since he helped establish the team in 2006. The team played their first season in the American Basketball Association (ABA). However, after becoming unhappy with the ABA, they moved to the Premier Basketball League (PBL) for the next three seasons. In 2011, they joined the NBL Canada as one of the original seven teams. Despite showing success in the four seasons they spent in the Canadian league, making two Finals appearances, the Rainmen filed for bankruptcy in July 2015. The team was coming off a controversial loss in the 2015 NBL Canada Finals against the Windsor Express and forfeited Game 7 after taking part in a pre-game brawl. The Halifax Hurricanes, with a larger ownership group than the Rainmen's single owner, replaced the Rainmen in NBL Canada for the 2015–16 season.
Cole David Aldrich is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Aldrich played three seasons of college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks before being drafted by the New Orleans Hornets with the 11th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft.
Jordan Craig Hill is an American former professional basketball player.
The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time, and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The New Orleans Hornets, who had a 13.70 percent probability of obtaining the first selection, won the NBA draft lottery on May 30. The Charlotte Bobcats and the Washington Wizards were second and third, respectively. This draft marked the first time that the first two players selected were from the same school. It also set a record of having six players from one school (Kentucky) being selected in the two rounds of the draft and was the first draft to have the first three selections be college freshmen all from the same conference. Bernard James was the oldest player drafted in an NBA draft, being 27 years old at the time of the draft.
Austin James Rivers is an American former professional basketball player. In the 2012 NBA draft, he was selected with the 10th overall pick by the New Orleans Hornets, playing three seasons there before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. After three years with the Clippers, Rivers was traded to the Washington Wizards in June 2018. In December of the same year, he joined the Houston Rockets. He has also played for the New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jeremy Emmanuel Lamb is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies. As a freshman, he was the second-leading scorer on the 2011 national champion UConn Huskies team.
The 2012–13 Phoenix Suns season was the organization's 45th season in the National Basketball Association. This season was the first since the 2004–05 season that the Suns were without star point guard and former two-time MVP Steve Nash after Nash was sign-and-traded to the rival Los Angeles Lakers. Another fan favorite, Grant Hill, also left for Los Angeles in this season, but he would sign with the Los Angeles Clippers. By technicality, the player who held the most playing experience for the Suns this season was Jermaine O'Neal.
Karl-Anthony Towns Jr., also known by the initialed nickname KAT, is a Dominican-American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. Towns was named to the Dominican Republic national team as a 16-year-old. He was selected with the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Cody Lee Martin is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the NC State Wolfpack and the Nevada Wolf Pack. He is the twin brother of Caleb Martin. He was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft.
Jalen Marquis McDaniels is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the San Diego State Aztecs. He is the older brother of basketball player Jaden McDaniels.
