NBA
Gugliotta was drafted in 1992 out of NC State with the sixth overall pick by the National Basketball Association's Washington Bullets. On November 21, 1992, Gugliotta scored a career-best 39 points during a win over the Utah Jazz. [1] At the end of the season, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team.
In 1994, Gugliotta was traded, alongside draft considerations, to the Golden State Warriors for Chris Webber. Halfway through the season, Gugliotta was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for rookie Donyell Marshall. His best years were with the Minnesota Timberwolves, scoring 20.6 and 20.1 ppg in the 1996–1997 and 1997–1998 seasons.
Gugliotta signed with the Phoenix Suns in 1999. In 2004, Gugliotta was traded to the Utah Jazz for Keon Clark and Ben Handlogten. In 2004, Gugliotta signed with the Boston Celtics, and was traded with Michael Stewart and Gary Payton to the Atlanta Hawks for Antoine Walker. In total, he played in 13 NBA seasons and averaged 13.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 2.8 apg over 763 regular season games, though he appeared in only 12 playoff games.
Andrei Gennadyevich Kirilenko, nicknamed AK-47, is a Russian basketball executive and former professional basketball player.
Kevin Maurice Garnett is an American former professional basketball player who played 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Big Ticket," Garnett is considered one of the greatest power forwards of all time, known for his intensity, versatility, and defensive ability. As of 2024, he is one of five NBA players to have won both the NBA Most Valuable Player Award and the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Moses Eugene Malone Sr. was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A center, he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times, was a 12-time NBA All-Star and an eight-time All-NBA Team selection. Malone led the Philadelphia 76ers to an NBA championship in 1983, winning both the league and Finals MVP. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2001. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport's history, Malone is also seen as one of the most underrated NBA players.
David O'Neil Thompson, commonly known by the nickname "Skywalker", is an American former professional basketball player. He played with the Denver Nuggets of both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as the Seattle SuperSonics of the NBA. He was previously a star in college for North Carolina State, leading the Wolfpack to its first NCAA championship in 1974. Thompson is one of the ten players to score 70 or more points in an NBA game. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996.
Matthew Joseph Harpring is an American former professional basketball player who played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was formerly paired with play-by-play broadcaster Craig Bolerjack as the color analyst in broadcasting games for the Utah Jazz.
Thurl Lee Bailey is an American former professional basketball player whose National Basketball Association (NBA) career spanned from 1983 to 1999 with the Utah Jazz and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Bailey has been a broadcast analyst for the Utah Jazz and the University of Utah— in addition to work as an inspirational speaker, singer, songwriter, and film actor. Bailey garnered the nickname "Big T" during his basketball career.
Rodney Strickland is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. He is currently the head coach at Long Island University. Prior to LIU, he served as the program manager for the NBA G League's professional path. Strickland played college basketball for the DePaul Blue Demons, earning All-American honors. He had a long career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing from 1988 to 2005. Strickland was an assistant coach for the South Florida Bulls, under Orlando Antigua from 2014 to 2017. He formerly served in an administrative role for the University of Kentucky basketball team under head coach John Calipari and was the director of basketball operations at the University of Memphis under Calipari. He is the godfather of current NBA player Kyrie Irving. Strickland was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame with the Class of 2008.
Felton LaFrance Spencer was an American professional basketball player who was a center for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1990 to 2002.
Leonard Eugene "Truck" Robinson is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Washington Bullets (1974–77), Atlanta Hawks (1977), New Orleans Jazz (1977–79), Phoenix Suns (1979–82), and New York Knicks (1982–85).
Konstantine Demetrios "Kostas" Koufos is a Greek-American professional basketball player who is a free agent. He played one season at Ohio State before being selected by the Utah Jazz with the 23rd overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft.
The 1995–96 NBA season was the Timberwolves' 7th season in the National Basketball Association. This season is most memorable when the Timberwolves selected high school basketball star Kevin Garnett with the fifth overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft. The team also signed free agent All-Star guard Terry Porter, and re-signed former T-Wolves forward Sam Mitchell during the off-season. The Timberwolves got off to a bad start losing nine of their first ten games, as head coach Bill Blair was fired after a 6–14 start and was replaced with Flip Saunders, while Michael Williams was out for the remainder of the season with a left heel injury after only just nine games.
The 1994–95 NBA season was the Warriors’ 49th season in the National Basketball Association, and 33rd in the San Francisco Bay Area. During the off-season, the Warriors acquired Ricky Pierce and top draft pick Carlos Rogers from the Seattle SuperSonics. After having finished 50–32 the previous season, the Warriors made a number of deals to toughen the team in the middle by trading Billy Owens to the Miami Heat in exchange for Rony Seikaly. Before the season even started, second-year star Chris Webber began the season by exercising his option to become a restricted free agent, claiming irreconcilable differences with head coach Don Nelson. He asked to be traded, and the Warriors obliged, sending him to the Washington Bullets in exchange for Tom Gugliotta, who would later on be traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for top draft pick Donyell Marshall midway through the season.
The 1997–98 NBA season was the Timberwolves' 9th season in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Timberwolves acquired Stanley Roberts from the Los Angeles Clippers, and later on signed free agent Tom Hammonds in November. In October, All-Star forward Kevin Garnett signed a six-year contract extension with the Timberwolves, which was worth $126 million.
The 1994–95 NBA season was the Timberwolves' 6th season in the National Basketball Association. The Timberwolves received the fourth overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft, and selected Donyell Marshall from the University of Connecticut. During the off-season, the team acquired Sean Rooks from the Dallas Mavericks, and signed free agents Winston Garland, and undrafted rookie guard Darrick Martin in February. Under new head coach Bill Blair, the Timberwolves continued to struggle losing 13 of their first 14 games, including a 7-game losing streak, as Micheal Williams missed all but one game of the season due to a left heel injury.
Andrew Christian Wiggins is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers after one year of college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks.
Anthony "T. J." Warren Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League. He played college basketball as a small forward for the NC State Wolfpack in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). In the 2013–14 season, he earned consensus second-team All-American honors and was named the ACC Player of the Year after leading the conference in scoring with 24.9 points per game.
Malik JonMikal Beasley is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Saint Francis School in Alpharetta, Georgia, where he was a four-star recruit. He played one season of college basketball for the Florida State Seminoles.
Eric Luther Paschall is an American professional basketball player for Pistoia Basket 2000 of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for the Fordham Rams and the Villanova Wildcats. He was selected with the 41st overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors and named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2020.
Kelsey Russell Weems was an American professional basketball player. A point guard from the state of Georgia, Weems played college basketball at NC State and stayed four years despite limited playing time. He went undrafted in the 1989 NBA draft, and played several seasons in the CBA, earning two selections in the United States national team: he won the gold medal during the 1993 Tournament of the Americas and the silver medal at the 1995 Pan American Games.
Walker Ross Kessler is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels and Auburn Tigers.
