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). He played 17 seasons in the NBA. After playing college basketball with the Colorado Buffaloes, he was selected third overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. A five-time NBA All-Star, a three-time All-NBA selection and two-time NBA All-Defensive selection, Billups played for the Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Clippers during his NBA career. He won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004 after helping the Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, and was given the nickname "Mr. Big Shot" for making late-game shots with Detroit. The Pistons retired his No. 1 jersey in 2016.
Richard Clay "Rip" Hamilton is an American former professional basketball player and current basketball analyst for CBS Sports HQ. Hamilton played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is best known for his nine-year stint with the Detroit Pistons, where he was a three-time All-Star. He helped lead the Pistons to six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances, back to back NBA Finals appearances, their best record in franchise history and the 2004 NBA championship.
Carmelo Kyam Anthony is an American former professional basketball player. He played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team member six times. He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange, winning a national championship as a freshman in 2003 while being named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. In 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, and is regarded as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.
Ervin Johnson Jr. is an American former professional basketball player who is a community ambassador for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA for the Seattle SuperSonics, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves as a center from 1993 to 2006.
Antonio Keithflen McDyess is an American former professional basketball player. Listed at 6'9" and 240 lb (111 kg), McDyess played as a power forward.
Trevor Anthony Ariza is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won an NBA championship in his first stint with the Lakers in 2009. He played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins before being selected in the second round of the 2004 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He also played for the Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets, Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Miami Heat.
Samb Cheikh Tidiane is a Senegalese former professional basketball player. He played at the center position.
Artis Wayne Cooper was an American professional basketball player who played fourteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Coop", he played for the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Denver Nuggets from 1978 to 1992. He was the Denver Nuggets’ all-time leader in blocks when he left the franchise in 1989. After his playing career ended, he worked as an executive with the Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings.
Jason Jennings is an American professional basketball player. After attending college at Arkansas State University, Jennings was the 43rd pick of the 2002 NBA draft, selected by the Portland Trail Blazers. He subsequently chose to play professionally in Europe. Jennings is 1 of 9 players selected in the 2002 NBA Draft that never played a game in the NBA.
The 1997–98 NBA season was the Raptors' third season in the National Basketball Association. In the 1997 NBA draft, the Raptors selected high school basketball star Tracy McGrady with the ninth overall pick, and acquired second-year forward John Wallace from the New York Knicks in a three-team trade during the off-season. In November, Isiah Thomas resigned as the team's General Manager, and later took up a job as color analyst for the NBA on NBC. After a 1–2 start, the Raptors struggled posting a 17-game losing streak, leading to a dreadful 1–19 start. The team later on improved in January with a 6–8 record, including a four-game winning streak, and held an 11–36 record at the All-Star break.
Andrew Fabian Nicholson is a Canadian professional basketball player who last played for the Bay Area Dragons of the EASL. He played college basketball for St. Bonaventure University before being drafted 19th overall in the 2012 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic.
The 1999–2000 NBA season was the 11th season for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Magic hired retired NBA point guard, and former Turner Sports broadcast analyst Doc Rivers as head coach. The team made plenty of off-season acquisitions, as they acquired Tariq Abdul-Wahad from the Sacramento Kings, acquired Chris Gatling from the Milwaukee Bucks, acquired Ben Wallace from the Washington Wizards, acquired second-year forward Pat Garrity from the Phoenix Suns, acquired Anthony Parker from the Philadelphia 76ers, and acquired top draft pick Corey Maggette out of Duke University from the Seattle SuperSonics; Maggette was drafted by the SuperSonics with the thirteenth overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft. The team also signed free agents John Amaechi, Monty Williams and undrafted rookie guard Chucky Atkins.
The 1998–99 NBA season was the Nuggets' 23rd season in the National Basketball Association, and 32nd season as a franchise. On March 23, 1998, the owners of all 29 NBA teams voted 27–2 to reopen the league's collective bargaining agreement, seeking changes to the league's salary cap system, and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) opposed to the owners' plan, and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary. After both sides failed to reach an agreement, the owners called for a lockout, which began on July 1, 1998, putting a hold on all team trades, free agent signings and training camp workouts, and cancelling many NBA regular season and preseason games. Due to the lockout, the NBA All-Star Game, which was scheduled to be played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 14, 1999, was also cancelled. However, on January 6, 1999, NBA commissioner David Stern, and NBPA director Billy Hunter finally reached an agreement to end the lockout. The deal was approved by both the players and owners, and was signed on January 20, ending the lockout after 204 days. The regular season began on February 5, and was cut short to just 50 games instead of the regular 82-game schedule.
The 1999–2000 NBA season was the Nuggets' 24th season in the National Basketball Association, and 33rd season as a franchise. It was also their first season playing at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets had the 18th overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft, and selected James Posey out of Xavier University. During the off-season, the team acquired Ron Mercer and Popeye Jones from the Boston Celtics, and signed free agent George McCloud. With Dan Issel back as head coach, the Nuggets had a solid nucleus of second-year star Raef LaFrentz, Antonio McDyess and Nick Van Exel with a 17–15 record to start the season. However, the Nuggets would struggle and slip below .500, holding a 21–27 record at the All-Star break.
The 2002–03 NBA season was the Pistons' 62nd season as a franchise, the 55th in the National Basketball Association, and the 46th in the Detroit area. During the off-season, the Pistons acquired Richard Hamilton from the Washington Wizards, and signed free agent Chauncey Billups. With the acquisitions of Hamilton and Billups, the Pistons got off to a solid start winning 12 of their first 16 games, and held a 32–15 record at the All-Star break. However, the team suffered a 7-game losing streak between February and March, but managed to finish first place in the Eastern Conference with a 50–32 record, which tied the 1977 Philadelphia 76ers for the worst record by a number one-seeded team in the history of the league. The Pistons were the only team in the Eastern Conference with 50 or more wins this season.
Ronald Jordan Hunter is an American professional basketball player for the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League. Hunter played college basketball for the Georgia State Panthers under the direction of his father and Georgia State head coach, Ron Hunter. There, he was twice named Sun Belt Player of the Year as well as the Sun Belt Conference Male Athlete of the Year. He holds the school record for most career points with a total of 1,819 after just three seasons of play.
Nikola Jokić ; born February 19, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player who is a center for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Joker", and hailed as one of the biggest draft steals in NBA history, he is regarded as one of the greatest players and centers of all time. A five-time NBA All-Star, he has been named to the All-NBA Team on five occasions, and won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons. He represents the Serbian national team, with which he won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Kevin Hervey is an American professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Reggiana of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for UT Arlington.
Davon Malcolm Reed is an American professional basketball player for Prometey of the Latvian–Estonian Basketball League. After playing college basketball for the Miami Hurricanes, he was selected with the 32nd pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns.
Ronnie Harrell Jr. is an American professional basketball player for Aris Thessaloniki of the Greek Basket League and the EuroCup. He previously played college basketball for Creighton University and the University of Denver. Harrell mainly plays at the small forward position.
