The Salt Lake City Stars are an American minor-league professional basketball team. They are a member of the NBA G League, based in West Valley City, Utah, and are affiliated with the Utah Jazz. Before the 2016-17 season, they were based in Boise, Idaho. Playing their home games at the Maverik Center, the Stars serve as a developmental platform for aspiring basketball players.
Thomas Terrell Brandon is an American former professional basketball player. He played for three teams during his 11-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time All-Star, Brandon was a key starter on three NBA franchises before a series of injuries ultimately forced him to play his last game at 31 years old.
Steven Hanson Blake is an American professional basketball coach and former player. After winning the 2002 NCAA Championship with Maryland, Blake was selected by the Washington Wizards with the 38th overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. Over his 13-year NBA career, Blake had stints with the Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons, and three stints with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Darnell Terrell Valentine is an American former professional basketball player who played ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Channing Thomas Frye is an American former professional basketball player. A power forward-center, he played college basketball for the University of Arizona. He was drafted eighth overall by the New York Knicks in the 2005 NBA draft, and was the first college senior to be selected in that draft. He also played for the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers, winning an NBA Championship with the Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Jarron Thomas Collins is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected in the second round of the 2001 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz, and played 10 seasons in the NBA. He has a twin brother, Jason, who also played in the league.
Brian Skinner is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'9", 255 lb forward-center from Baylor University, Skinner was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the 1998 NBA draft. He played for the Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA, as well as the Italian team Benetton Treviso.
James Joseph Paxson Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. A 1st round selection of the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1979 NBA draft, Paxson played for Portland and the Boston Celtics of the NBA from 1979–1990 and was twice an All-Star. Paxson served as general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers for six years and now works as a consultant with the Chicago Bulls where his brother John Paxson is an executive.
Mitchell Leon Butler is an American sports agent and former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1993 to 2004.
Maurice Williams is the head men's basketball coach at Jackson State University and a former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a successful high school career at Murrah High School in Jackson, Mississippi, Williams attended college at the University of Alabama, where he led his team as a freshman to a 27–8 record, and also shared an SEC regular-season championship. After two seasons at Alabama, Williams entered the 2003 NBA draft where he was selected with the 47th overall pick by the Utah Jazz. Throughout his career, he has also played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2009, Williams was selected as an NBA All-Star. In the 2016, he won his only NBA championship with the Cavaliers. He retired as a player in 2017.
James "Hollywood" Robinson is a former American professional basketball player, most notably in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the head coach of the Vegas Ballers of TBL.
Brandon Leray Rush is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted in the first round of the 2008 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, before being traded to the Indiana Pacers on draft day, after playing for Kansas for three seasons, including the 2008 championship season. He was selected as a Wooden Award All-American in both 2007 and 2008 as a Jayhawk. Rush has also played for the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, and Minnesota Timberwolves, winning an NBA championship with the Warriors in 2015.
Rick Roberson was an American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Los Angeles Lakers (1969–71), Cleveland Cavaliers (1971–73), Portland Trail Blazers (1973–74), New Orleans Jazz (1974–75) and Kansas City Kings (1975–76).
James Edward "JJ" Hickson Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. He played one season of college basketball for North Carolina State University before being drafted 19th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2008 NBA draft. He played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers, as well as in Israel for Bnei HaSharon during the 2011 NBA lockout.
Robin Byron Lopez is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the 15th pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns, was traded to the New Orleans Hornets in 2012 and was traded to Portland in 2013. He played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal alongside his twin brother Brook Lopez.
The 2000–01 NBA season was the 31st season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. In the off-season, the Blazers acquired Dale Davis from the Indiana Pacers, and All-Star forward Shawn Kemp from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade. The Blazers struggled losing three of their first four games, but soon recovered and later on posted a 10-game winning streak between January and February, and held a 35–15 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the team re-signed free agent and former Blazers guard Rod Strickland, who was previously released by the Washington Wizards. Despite the strong start, the Blazers struggled and played below .500 for the remainder of the season, posting a 15–17 record after the All-Star break. Falling nine games below the previous season's mark, the Blazers nevertheless made the playoffs for the 19th consecutive year, finishing as the #7 seed in the Western Conference with a solid 50–32 record.
The Portland Trail Blazers are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The franchise was founded in the 1970–71 NBA season. The team made their first draft pick in the 1970 NBA draft and have selected 279 players total. The franchise won its only NBA championship in 1977, when the team was led by their 1974 first overall pick, Bill Walton, as well as multiple other former draft picks who went on to have their numbers retired by Portland. Many of the players selected have gone on to have accomplished careers while playing for the team. Clyde Drexler and Damian Lillard hold multiple Blazer records and are first in many stats. Along with Walton and Drexler, two other draft picks, Dražen Petrović and Arvydas Sabonis, went on to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after their playing careers ended, with Petrović being inducted posthumously.
Allen Lester Crabbe III is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the California Golden Bears. He earned third-team All-American honors as a junior, when he was also named the conference player of the year in the Pac-12. Crabbe was selected in the second round of the 2013 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Rodney Michael Hood is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Mississippi State and Duke before declaring for the NBA Draft. Hood was drafted in 2014 by the Utah Jazz; and in 2018, he was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019. He was further traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2021. He signed with the Milwaukee Bucks as a free agent for the 2021–2022 season.
Larry Donnell Nance Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Wyoming Cowboys, where he was considered one of the best big men in the Mountain West Conference after leading the 2014–15 team to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002. Nance was drafted 27th overall in the 2015 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. He became part of the team's roster rebuild focusing around younger players. During the 2017–18 season, Nance was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with whom he reached the 2018 NBA Finals. During the 2021 offseason, he was dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers, who flipped him to the Pelicans midway through the 2021–22 season.
