Donald Arvid Nelson is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors. After an All-American career at the University of Iowa, Nelson won five NBA championships playing with the Boston Celtics, with his number 19 retired by the franchise in 1978.
Raef Andrew LaFrentz is an American former professional basketball power forward and center who played for the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, and Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born and raised in Iowa, LaFrentz attended the University of Kansas and was drafted in 1998 by the Denver Nuggets. He was known for his perimeter shooting and his shot blocking abilities. In 2019–20 LaFrentz became an assistant basketball coach at Decorah High School in Decorah, Iowa.
Demerick Montae "Erick" Strickland is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Adrian Darnell Griffin is an American professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as the head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA as a shooting guard and small forward from 1999 to 2008. Griffin grew up in Wichita, Kansas, and played college basketball for the Seton Hall Pirates.
Roy James Tarpley Jr. was an American professional basketball player. He played the power forward and center positions in the National Basketball Association (NBA), earning an NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1988. In 1995, Tarpley was permanently banned by the NBA due to his drug and alcohol abuse. He played in Europe for Olympiacos, Aris, and Iraklis.
Hubert Ira Davis Jr. is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's team. Before his coaching career, Davis played for North Carolina from 1988–1992 and in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, and New Jersey Nets from 1992 to 2004. He holds the franchise single-season and career three-point field goal shooting percentage records for both the Knicks and the Mavericks. He is the nephew of Walter Davis, another former Tar Heel and NBA player.
Ronald Bruce Boone is an American former professional basketball player. He had a 13-year career in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Boone set a record for most consecutive games played in professional basketball history with 1,041 and claims to have never missed a game from when he started playing basketball in the fourth grade until his retirement. Boone is the current color commentator on Utah Jazz broadcasts.
Gregory Ballard was an American professional basketball player and NBA assistant coach. A collegiate All-American at Oregon, Ballard averaged 12.4 points and 6.1 rebounds over an eleven-season NBA career with the Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors and briefly, the Seattle SuperSonics.
Maurice Darnell Ager is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans from 2002 until 2006. Ager led the Spartans to the NCAA Final Four as a junior in 2005 and averaged 14 points per game. He led the Big Ten Conference in scoring during his senior season. Ager was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with 28th overall pick of the 2006 NBA draft. He played parts of four seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves. Ager also played in the NBA Development League and in Spain.
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.
Kurt Nimphius is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) player. Nimphius played nine seasons in the NBA after his collegiate career at Arizona State University.
The Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team is the NCAA Division I college basketball program representing Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas.
The 2001–02 NBA season was the Mavericks' 22nd season in the National Basketball Association. It was also their first season playing at American Airlines Center. During the off-season, the Mavericks acquired All-Star point guard Tim Hardaway from the Miami Heat, and signed free agents Adrian Griffin, Johnny Newman, and Danny Manning. The Mavericks continued to play solid basketball winning ten straight games between December and January, then post a 7-game winning streak also in January as they held a 35–14 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, Hardaway was traded along with Juwan Howard to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Nick Van Exel and Raef LaFrentz. The Mavericks finished fourth in the Western Conference, and second in the Midwest Division with a 57–25 record, and made the playoffs in back to back seasons for the first time since 1988.
Jeffery Allen Hodge is an American retired professional basketball player. He was a second round pick in the 1989 NBA draft out of the University of South Alabama.
Perry Michael Ellis is an American professional basketball player for Fukui Blowinds of the Japanese B.League. Ellis played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks. Playing for coach Bill Self, Ellis averaged 12.5 points and 5.8 rebounds over 144 college games, leading the Jayhawks to an 116–30 record that included 4 trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a trip to the Elite Eight during the 2015–2016 season.
Konstantinos Ndubuisi "Kostas" Antetokounmpo is a Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague.
Wesley Deshawn Iwundu is an American professional basketball player for Rasta Vechta of the German Bundesliga. He played college basketball for the Kansas State Wildcats.
Landry Michael Shamet is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Wichita State Shockers and was selected 26th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2018 NBA draft. He has also played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, and Phoenix Suns.
Aubrey D. Sherrod is an American former professional basketball player. A left-handed shooting guard, he was considered one of the top prospects of his class, and was selected as MVP of the 1981 McDonald's All-American Game. He then decided to stay in his hometown to play college basketball, and committed to Wichita State. After 4 years he was selected in the second round of the 1985 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, but was waived before the start of the season and had a short professional career in the CBA and in Australia. He was inducted in the Wichita State Hall of Fame in 1994.
The 1981 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Saturday, April 11, 1981, at the Levitt Arena in Wichita, Kansas. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 1981. The game was the 4th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1978.
