Clarence Weatherspoon
Encyclopedia
Clarence Weatherspoon, Sr. (born September 8, 1970 in Crawford, Mississippi
Crawford, Mississippi
Crawford is a town in Lowndes County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 655 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Crawford is located at ....

) is a former American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player in the NBA.

After a college career at the University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi, informally known as Southern Miss, is a large public research university located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States. It is situated north of Gulfport, Mississippi and northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana...

, Weatherspoon was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...

 as the ninth pick in the 1992 NBA Draft
1992 NBA Draft
The 1992 NBA Draft took place on June 24, 1992, in Portland, Oregon. At the time, the draft was considered to be one of the deepest drafts in NBA history. The top three picks were considered can't-miss prospects. O'Neal and Mourning are likely Hall of Famers...

. He has since played for the 76ers, the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

, the Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...

, the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...

, the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

 and the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...

, averaging 11.5 points per game throughout his career.

At six-foot-seven-inches and 250 pounds (201 cm, 113 kg), he was nicknamed "Baby Barkley" early during his career due to a similar aggressive playing style attributed to fellow short-statured NBA power forward and former 76er, Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley is a former American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards...

.

He participated in the 1993 Slam Dunk contest, finishing second to Harold Miner
Harold Miner
Harold David Miner is a retired American professional basketball player and two-time champion of the National Basketball Association Slam Dunk Contest. He attended college at the University of Southern California and was a star player on that school's men's basketball team...

 with an overall score of 92.

Southern Mississippi

After playing his high school basketball at Motley High School, in Columbus, Mississippi
Columbus, Mississippi
Columbus is a city in Lowndes County, Mississippi, United States that lies above the Tombigbee River. It is approximately northeast of Jackson, north of Meridian, south of Tupelo, northwest of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and west of Birmingham, Alabama. The population was 25,944 at the 2000 census...

, Weatherspoon decided to attend the University of Southern Mississippi, where he became the school's most decorated player.

Weatherspoon finished his four-year career at Southern Mississippi with averages of 18.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. He is first on the school’s all-time list in rebounding, blocked shots, and minutes; is second in scoring (just six points behind all-time leader Nick Revon); and third in points per game, field goals made, field goal percentage, free throws made and attempted, and steals.

The Golden Eagles were 64-53 during Weatherspoon’s four seasons, including a 21-8 record in 1991 when USM were nationally ranked (at one point reaching no. 9) and advanced to the NCAA tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...

. The Golden Eagles fell to NC State on March 14, 1991, in the opening round of the East Regional, 114-85, and Weatherspoon scored 21 points. It was the second straight season USM had made the NCAA tournament; in 1990 they had lost 79-63 in the opening round to La Salle
La Salle University
La Salle University is a private, co-educational, Roman Catholic university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, the school was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. As of 2008 the school has approximately 7,554...

. Weatherspoon led the Golden Eagles with 16 points.

Weatherspoon was named Metro Conference Player of the Year
Metro Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
The Metro Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year was a basketball award given to the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1976–77 season and was discontinued after the 1994–95 season...

 for three straight years, from 1990 to 1992. He is the only three-time recipient of the award, and remains the all-time leading rebounder in the conference's history.

Weatherspoon became the first Golden Eagle to have his jersey retired when his #35 was raised to the rafters on March 7, 1992, on the night of his final home game.

As a collegian, Weatherspoon twice represented the USA in international competition. In 1990, Weatherspoon was on the silver-medal winning USA team that participated in the Goodwill Games
Goodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...

. In 1991, Weatherspoon was on the USA's team for the Pan-American games
Basketball at the Pan American Games
- Men's Tournament :-Medal table:-Participation Details:- Women's Tournament :-Medal table:-Participation Details:-External links:* * *...

 played in Cuba; the USA won the bronze medal, and in the tournament's seven games Weatherspoon averaged 9.6 points and 6.3 rebounds.

In February of 1991, Weatherspoon was the focus of a five-page feature in Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

.

While at Southern Mississippi, Weatherspoon had a trademark dunk called the "Spoon Feed."

Weatherspoon was inducted into the Southern Mississippi Alumni Association Hall of Fame in 2007.

NBA career

Weatherspoon was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...

 (Round 1, Pick 9) in the 1992 NBA Draft
1992 NBA Draft
The 1992 NBA Draft took place on June 24, 1992, in Portland, Oregon. At the time, the draft was considered to be one of the deepest drafts in NBA history. The top three picks were considered can't-miss prospects. O'Neal and Mourning are likely Hall of Famers...

. He was drafted just three days after the Sixers had traded away Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley is a former American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards...

 to Phoenix
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...

.

The Philadelphia media, who had once called Weatherspoon the “Metro’s Barkley” during one of USM’s NCAA tournament appearances, instantly drew comparisons between the departed Barkley and the recently-drafted Weatherspoon. Spoon, listed at 6-7 but appearing closer to 6-5, was, like Barkley, an undersized power forward with a strong desire for rebounding and operating down low. Weatherspoon was referred to as “Baby Barkley” at times during his early career.

Weatherspoon quietly had an excellent rookie campaign for the struggling 76ers. He averaged 15.6 points per game, which placed him third on the team, and he broke Lee Shaffer
Lee Shaffer
Lee Philip Shafer II is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'7" forward, Shaffer starred at the University of North Carolina, where he was the ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 1960. He then played three seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the...

’s thirty-one year old record for most points in a season by a Sixers rookie (the record has since been broken by both Jerry Stackhouse and Allen Iverson). Spoon led the 76ers in rebounding, was fourth among rookies in scoring (trailing Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning
Alonzo Mourning
Alonzo Harding Mourning, Jr. is a former American professional basketball player, who played most of his 15-year NBA career for the Miami Heat....

 and Christian Laettner
Christian Laettner
Christian Donald Laettner is a retired American professional basketball player and entrepreneur. He had a distinguished college and national career, and played in the National Basketball Association for thirteen seasons, from 1992–2005. He is presently a minority holder for the Major League...

), and scored a season-high 30 points in a nationally televised game at Denver. He was named to the All-rookie second team.

Weatherspoon’s second season was his finest as a professional. He led the 76ers in scoring at 18.4 points per game and averaged what turned out to be a career-high 10.1 rebounds per game. He was extremely consistent, scoring in double-figures in 80 of 82 games, and recording 46 double-doubles. He registered his only career triple-double in a February, 1994, home win over Charlotte (15 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists), and scored a then career-high 31 points against Cleveland. He was one of only five players to have over 100 in the five major statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals), joining Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008,...

, David Robinson
David Robinson
-Sports personalities:*David Robinson , American player*David Robinson , cricketer*David Robinson , English professional player; striker from 1988 to 1998...

, Shawn Kemp
Shawn Kemp
Shawn T. Kemp is a former American professional basketball player, who played in the National Basketball Association for 14 seasons. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Second Team member.-Early years:...

, and Cliff Robinson
Cliff Robinson
Cliff Robinson is a British comic book artist, probably best known for his cover work on 2000 AD, and contributions to the Judge Dredd strip.-Biography:...

. Spoon was the only player of the group to not play in that season’s All-Star Game in Minneapolis. He narrowly missed selection, receiving 13 of 15 votes from the East coaches.

Philadelphia hired John Lucas
John Lucas
John Lucas is the name of:*John Lucas , philosopher*John Lucas II , retired American professional basketball player*John Lucas III , his son, current professional basketball player...

 as its coach and general manager in 1994, and Lucas moved Weatherspoon to the small forward position for the 1994-95 campaign. The Sixers were stockpiled with lottery picks up front: Weatherspoon, Shawn Bradley
Shawn Bradley
Shawn Paul Bradley is a retired American and German basketball player who played center for the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Jersey Nets and the Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association. At tall, Bradley was one of the tallest players in NBA history...

, taken second in 1993, and Sharone Wright
Sharone Wright
Sharone Addaryl Wright is a retired American professional basketball player.He played collegiately at Clemson University from 1990 until 1994....

, taken sixth in 1994. Weatherspoon averaged 18.1 points per game, but saw his rebounding numbers dip from his new position, down to 6.9 per game. He matched his career-high with 31 points in a January game at Phoenix against Charles Barkley. The Sixers, however, once against floundered, winning just 24 games.

Lucas drafted Jerry Stackhouse third overall in 1995, and in typical Lucas fashion, gave lifelines to several loose cannons, including Vernon Maxwell
Vernon Maxwell
Vernon Maxwell is a former American college and professional basketball player who was a shooting guard in the National Basketball Association for thirteen seasons from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. Maxwell played college basketball for the University of Florida, and led the Florida Gators...

 and Richard Dumas
Richard Dumas
Richard Wayne Dumas is a retired American professional basketball player.Dumas, a 6'8" small forward from Oklahoma State University, was selected with the 46th pick of the 1991 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. During the 1991-92 season, however, Dumas was suspended from the NBA for violating its...

. Within the season’s opening month they had traded Bradley to New Jersey for Derrick Coleman
Derrick Coleman
Derrick D. Coleman is a retired American basketball player in the NBA. Coleman grew up and attended high school in Detroit, Michigan and attended college at Syracuse University...

, and the Sixers, while talented, were never able to develop consistency, save for Weatherspoon. He averaged 16.7 points per game, second behind Stackhouse’s 19.2, and 9.7 rebounds per game. Spoon recorded 30 double-doubles, scored 20 or more 30 times, and was one of six players to record 100 in five of the major statistical categories. On the final day of the regular season, in a game at Toronto, Weatherspoon scored a career-high 35 points to go with 14 rebounds and 7 blocks. The season ended in disappointment, as Philadelphia only won 18 games—their win total decreasing every year of Weatherspoon’s career as it became a revolving door of coaches and players.

The 1996-97 season brought with it promise, as the 76ers drafted Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson
Allen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball point guard and shooting guard. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season...

 with the first overall selection. He joined Stackhouse, Coleman, and Weatherspoon on a talented Sixers squad who preseason mantra was “New Spirit, New Attitude.” Philadelphia had fired Lucas and hired Johnny Davis to coach, however the same losing ways persisted. Weatherspoon saw his role dramatically reduced, averaging just 12.2 points and 8.3 rebounds for a Sixers team that battled injuries, consistency, and maturity. Weatherspoon’s season-high of 34 points came against Golden State in January.

Davis was fired the day after the season ended and shortly after Larry Brown was hired. Brown’s first move was to trade Weatherspoon to Boston along with Michael Cage
Michael Cage
Michael Jerome Cage is a retired American NBA basketball player.A 6'9" power forward/center from San Diego State, he is the Aztec's all-time rebounding leader and second leading scorer as of 2011. Cage was the 14th pick of the 1984 NBA Draft...

 for Dino Radja. The trade fell through after Radja failed his physical, and the Sixers lack of communication with Weatherspoon, after five years of service, during this time angered him. He reported to camp unhappy though played dutifully as both a starter and, for the first time in his career, as a reserve. Weatherspoon’s name was constantly in trade rumors, with the low point occurring during a December, 1997, game with Miami when Brown didn’t insert Weatherspoon into the first half because he thought he had already been traded. That trade didn’t occur until February when Philadelphia sent Weatherspoon and Jim Jackson to Golden State for Joe Smith
Joe Smith
Joseph Leynard Smith is an American professional basketball player who last played at power forward for the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA....

 and Brian Shaw.

Regular Season

|-
| align="left" | 1992–93
| align="left" | Philadelphia
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...


| 82 || 82 || 32.4 || .469 || .250 || .713 || 7.2 || 1.8 || 1.0 || .8 || 15.6
|-
| align="left" | 1993–94
| align="left" | Philadelphia
| 82 || 82 || 38.4 || .483 || .235 || .693 || 10.1 || 2.3 || 1.2 || 1.4 || 18.4
|-
| align="left" | 1994–95
| align="left" | Philadelphia
| 76 || 76 || 39.4 || .439 || .190 || .751 || 6.9 || 2.8 || 1.5 || .9 || 18.1
|-
| align="left" | 1995–96
| align="left" | Philadelphia
| 78 || 75 || 39.7 || .484 || .000 || .746 || 9.7 || 2.0 || 1.4 || 1.4 || 16.7
|-
| align="left" | 1996–97
| align="left" | Philadelphia
| 82 || 82 || 36.0 || .491 || .167 || .738 || 8.3 || 1.7 || .9 || 1.0 || 12.2
|-
| align="left" | 1997–98
| align="left" | Philadelphia
| 48 || 18 || 26.9 || .426 || .000 || .707 || 7.0 || .8 || .9 || 1.1 || 8.4
|-
| align="left" | 1997–98
| align="left" | Golden State
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...


| 31 || 31 || 33.4 || .458 || .000 || .748 || 8.3 || 1.6 || 1.4 || .7 || 10.7
|-
| align="left" | 1998–99
| align="left" | Miami
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...


| 49 || 3 || 21.2 || .534 || .000 || .804 || 5.0 || .7 || .6 || .4 || 8.1
|-
| align="left" | 1999–00
| align="left" | Miami
| 78 || 2 || 20.7 || .513 || .000 || .738 || 5.8 || 1.2 || .6 || .6 || 7.2
|-
| align="left" | 2000–01
| align="left" | Cleveland
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...


| 82 || 82 || 33.8 || .501 || .000 || .790 || 9.7 || 1.3 || 1.0 || 1.3 || 11.3
|-
| align="left" | 2001–02
| align="left" | New York
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...


| 56 || 41 || 30.9 || .418 || .000 || .795 || 8.2 || 1.1 || .7 || .9 || 8.8
|-
| align="left" | 2002–03
| align="left" | New York
| 79 || 19 || 25.6 || .449 || .000 || .768 || 7.6 || .9 || .9 || .5 || 6.6
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | New York
| 15 || 1 || 14.4 || .450 || .000 || .947 || 3.3 || .9 || .5 || .1 || 3.6
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | Houston
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...


| 37 || 0 || 17.6 || .503 || .000 || .660 || 4.2 || .5 || .6 || .4 || 5.6
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Houston
| 40 || 18 || 13.1 || .412 || .000 || .829 || 3.1 || .4 || .2 || .2 || 3.1
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 915 || 612 || 30.3 || .471 || .196 || .743 || 7.5 || 1.5 || 1.0 || .8 || 11.5

Playoffs

|-
| align="left" | 1998–99
1999 NBA Playoffs
The 1999 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1998-99 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs by defeating the eighth-seeded Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks four games to one...


| align="left" | Miami
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...


| 5 || 0 || 22.4 || .346 || .000 || .647 || 4.2 || .4 || 1.4 || .2 || 5.8
|-
| align="left" | 1999–00
2000 NBA Playoffs
The 2000 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1999–2000 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers win their first championship in twelve years by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers...


| align="left" | Miami
| 10 || 0 || 17.0 || .417 || .000 || .583 || 4.1 || .1 || .4 || .3 || 6.4
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
2004 NBA Playoffs
The 2004 NBA Playoffs were the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2003–04 season. Consisting of 16 teams in two conferences, the playoffs involved about two months of play. The playoffs were conducted in seven-game series, with the team with the better record holding home court...


| align="left" | Houston
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...


| 2 || 0 || 11.0 || .400 || .000 || .500 || 2.0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 3.5
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
2005 NBA Playoffs
The 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season.The San Antonio Spurs, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, 4-3 in the NBA Finals...


| align="left" | Houston
| 1 || 0 || 1.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 18 || 0 || 16.9 || .396 || .000 || .596 || 3.7 || .2 || .6 || .2 || 5.6

See also

  • List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2000 points and 1000 rebounds

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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