Raef LaFrentz
Encyclopedia
Raef Andrew LaFrentz is a retired 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...

 power forward
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...

 and center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...

 who played in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 from 1998 to 2009. Born and raised in Iowa, LaFrentz attended the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

 and was drafted in 1998
1998 NBA Draft
The 1998 NBA Draft took place on June 24, 1998 at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This draft helped turn around three struggling franchises: the Dallas Mavericks, the Sacramento Kings, and the Toronto Raptors....

 by the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

. He was known for his perimeter shooting ability and his shot blocking
Block (basketball)
In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot...

 ability.

High school

Raef LaFrentz attended MFL MarMac High School located in Monona, Iowa
Monona, Iowa
Monona is a city in Clayton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,550 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Monona is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

. His father was an assistant coach on LaFrentz's high school team. He was named to the USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

 All-USA 1st Team in 1994 and was a high school McDonald's All-American.

During the summer before his freshman year at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

, LaFrentz was selected to the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival North Team and averaged 11.8 ppg. and 6.8 rpg.

He was also a conference champion swimmer in high school.

College

LaFrentz played basketball at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

, finishing in 1998. He played with current Celtic Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce
Paul Anthony Pierce , nicknamed The Truth, is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He earned First Team All-America honors in his junior year at Kansas, and has been a starter every season since being selected by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the...

 while at Kansas. He was a four-year starter and an All-American in his junior and senior seasons. In fact, he joined Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan
Timothy Theodore "Tim" Duncan is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association . The 6-foot 11-inch , 255-pound power forward/center is a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Rookie of the Year...

 and Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...

 as the only players in the 1990s to earn first team AP
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

 All-America
NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
The NCAA Men's Basketball All-American teams are honorary teams made up of those NCAA basketball players voted the best in the country by a variety of organizations.-History:...

 honors twice.

Compiling career averages of 15.8 ppg. and 9.1 rpg., while shooting 55.5 percent from the floor overall, he concluded his career ranked second all-time at Kansas in points with 2,066 and rebounds with 1,186, and left trailing only Danny Manning
Danny Manning
Daniel Ricardo "Danny" Manning is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He is an assistant basketball coach at his alma mater, the University of Kansas Jayhawks. Manning won the National Championship with the Jayhawks in 1988 as a player, and...

 in both categories.

Accumulating a record of 123–17 (87.9 winning percentage) over his four seasons, he was part of a senior class that won more games over a four-year period than any class in KU history.

Named by the A.P. in 1997 and 1998 the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, he was also tabbed All-Big 12 Conference first team by both the media and coaches his final two seasons.

LaFrentz became the first KU player to average a double-double in 27 years when as a senior he posted averages of 19.8 ppg. and 11.4 rpg. and led the Jayhawks to a 35–4 record.

NBA

The third overall pick by the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

 in the 1998 NBA Draft
1998 NBA Draft
The 1998 NBA Draft took place on June 24, 1998 at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This draft helped turn around three struggling franchises: the Dallas Mavericks, the Sacramento Kings, and the Toronto Raptors....

, he averaged 13.8 ppg., 7.6 rpg. and 1.4 bpg. but played in just 12 games as a rookie and missed the majority of the season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee against Dallas on Feb. 25. Successfully returning from the torn ACL to start 80 of his 81 appearances in 1999–2000, he averaged 12.4 ppg., an NBA 25th best 7.9 rpg. and ranked eighth in the NBA in blocked shots averaging 2.2 bpg. LaFrentz also played in the 2000 NBA All-Star Weekend
NBA All-Star Weekend
The National Basketball Association holds an All-Star Weekend every February, the festival has a variety of basketball-related events, exhibitions, and performances culminating in the NBA All-Star Game held on Sunday night.-The All-Star Game:...

. He played on the NBA All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge Sophomore Roster. It was the first ever Sophomore team to play in the rookie challenge. In his third year (2000–01), he started 74 of the 78 games he played in and averaged 12.9 ppg., while ranking seventh in the league in blocks at 2.6 bpg., tied for 25th in rebounding with a 7.8 rpg. average, and tied for 27th in field goal percentage (career high .477).

He was traded by the Nuggets with Nick Van Exel
Nick Van Exel
Nickey Maxwell "Nick" Van Exel is a retired American professional basketball player and currently an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks...

, Avery Johnson
Avery Johnson
Avery Johnson is a former American professional basketball player and current head coach of the National Basketball Association team New Jersey Nets. He has also coached the Dallas Mavericks, leading them to their first NBA Finals appearance and four consecutive 50+ win seasons...

, and Tariq Abdul-Wahad
Tariq Abdul-Wahad
Tariq Abdul-Wahad is a French former professional basketball player.Saint-Jean was born near Paris from parents who were natives of French Guiana. He changed his name to Tariq Abdul-Wahad after converting to Islam in 1997. He is the first player to be born and raised in France and play in the NBA...

 to the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...

 for Juwan Howard
Juwan Howard
Juwan Antonio Howard is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . The Heat were his eighth different NBA team. He was drafted fifth overall in the 1994 NBA Draft by the Washington Bullets...

, Donnell Harvey
Donnell Harvey
Donnell Eugene Harvey is an American professional basketball player. He previously played in the National Basketball Association for the New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, and Phoenix Suns...

, Tim Hardaway
Tim Hardaway
Timothy Duane "Tim" Hardaway is a retired American basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association and who in his prime was one of the league's best point guards...

 and a 2002 first-round
2002 NBA Draft
The 2002 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2002 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting 57 amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from non-North...

 pick on February 21, 2002. He finished the 2001–02 season second in the NBA in blocked shots per game and became the first player in NBA history to record a combination of at least 200 blocked shots and 150 3-pointers in a season.

He played for the US national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship
2002 FIBA World Championship
The 2002 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA from August 29 to September 8, 2002.-Venues:-Squads:...

.

The Celtics acquired him from the Dallas Mavericks, along with Chris Mills
Chris Mills
Christopher Lemonte Mills is a retired American professional basketball player.Chris Mills attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, from 1986–1988. At 6'7", he was the starting center for each of his three years playing varsity basketball there. In 1987 and 1988, he was awarded the City 4-A...

, Jiri Welsch
Jirí Welsch
Jiří Welsch is a Czech professional basketball player with Spirou Basket of the Basketball League Belgium. Welsch has played in the National Basketball Association league in the United States, having been drafted in 2002 by the Philadelphia 76ers.-Early years:Welsch began his professional career...

 and a first round draft choice, in exchange for Tony Delk
Tony Delk
Tony Lorenzo Delk is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team. He was team leader of the 1996 University of Kentucky Wildcats team that won the 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...

 and Antoine Walker
Antoine Walker
Antoine Devon Walker is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League...

 on October 20, 2003. On June 28, 2006, the Boston Celtics traded LaFrentz, guard Dan Dickau
Dan Dickau
Daniel David "Dan" Dickau is an American professional basketball player.-Early life and college:Born in Portland, Oregon, Dickau graduated from Prairie High School in Brush Prairie, Washington. He played for the University of Washington Huskies prior to transferring to, and becoming a standout...

, and the number seven pick in the 2006 NBA draft to the Portland Trail Blazers for center Theo Ratliff
Theo Ratliff
Theophilus Curtis Ratliff , better known as Theo Ratliff, is an American professional basketball player who last played with the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers. Primarily a center, he was an excellent shot-blocker who has led the league three times in blocks per game...

 and guard Sebastian Telfair
Sebastian Telfair
Sebastian Telfair is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Telfair was the 13th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers out of Abraham Lincoln High School...

. The number 7 pick (Randy Foye) was later traded by the Blazers for the number 6 pick (Brandon Roy) in a draft day trade.

Career Highlights and Awards

College
  • NCAA Division I men's basketball player with 2000 points and 1000 rebounds
  • NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans (1997, 1998)
  • Kansas Jayhawks Retired Basketball Jersey #45
  • Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
    Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
    The Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is a basketball award given to the Big 12 Conference's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1996–97 season, three years after the conference's official formation...


NBA
  • Third Overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft
    1998 NBA Draft
    The 1998 NBA Draft took place on June 24, 1998 at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This draft helped turn around three struggling franchises: the Dallas Mavericks, the Sacramento Kings, and the Toronto Raptors....

  • Played in 2000 NBA All-Star Weekend
    NBA All-Star Weekend
    The National Basketball Association holds an All-Star Weekend every February, the festival has a variety of basketball-related events, exhibitions, and performances culminating in the NBA All-Star Game held on Sunday night.-The All-Star Game:...

  • Led Western Conference
    Western Conference (NBA)
    Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....

     in Blocks
    Block (basketball)
    In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot...

     (2001-02)
  • Led Western Conference
    Western Conference (NBA)
    Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....

     in Blocks per game
    Block (basketball)
    In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot...

     (2001-02)
  • Played on United States men's national basketball team (2002)

NBA Records
  • Most blocks
    Block (basketball)
    In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot...

     in an NBA All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge Game
  • Most blocks per game
    Block (basketball)
    In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot...

     in NBA All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge history

Regular season

|-
| align="left" | 1998–99
| align="left" | Denver
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...


| 12 || 12 || 32.3 || .457 || .387 || .750 || 7.6 || .7 || .8 || 1.4 || 13.8
|-
| align="left" | 1999–00
| align="left" | Denver
| 81 || 80 || 30.1 || .446 || .328 || .686 || 7.9 || 1.2 || .5 || 2.2 || 12.4
|-
| align="left" | 2000–01
| align="left" | Denver
| 78 || 74 || 31.5 || .477 || .367 || .698 || 7.8 || 1.4 || .5 || 2.6 || 12.9
|-
| align="left" | 2001–02
| align="left" | Denver
| 51 || 51 || 32.7 || .466 || .434 || .667 || 7.4 || 1.2 || .6 || 3.0 || 14.9
|-
| align="left" | 2001–02
| align="left" | Dallas
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...


| 27 || 25 || 29.1 || .437 || .305 || .761 || 7.4 || 1.1 || .9 || 2.2 || 10.8
|-
| align="left" | 2002–03
| align="left" | Dallas
| 69 || 43 || 23.3 || .518 || .405 || .682 || 4.8 || .8 || .5 || 1.3 || 9.3
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | Boston
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...


| 17 || 1 || 19.3 || .460 || .200 || .769 || 4.6 || 1.4 || .5 || .8 || 7.8
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Boston
| 80 || 80 || 27.5 || .496 || .364 || .811 || 6.9 || 1.2 || .5 || 1.2 || 11.1
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | Boston
| 82 || 63 || 24.8 || .431 || .392 || .680 || 5.0 || 1.4 || .3 || .9 || 7.8
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Portland
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...


| 27 || 9 || 13.0 || .382 || .087 || .769 || 2.6 || .3 || .3 || .4 || 3.7
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Portland
| 39 || 0 || 7.5 || .443 || .000 || .579 || 1.7 || .2 || .3 || .4 || 1.7
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 563 || 438 || 25.8 || .466 || .363 || .711 || 6.1 || 1.1 || .5 || 1.6 || 10.1

Playoffs

|-
| align="left" | 2001–02
2002 NBA Playoffs
The 2002 NBA Playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2001–02 season. This would be the final postseason that held a best-of-5 first-round series; next year's postseason would see those series expanded to a best-of-7 format...


| align="left" | Dallas
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...


| 8 || 8 || 30.6 || .500 || .333 || .545 || 7.6 || .6 || .2 || 2.8 || 11.3
|-
| align="left" | 2002–03
2003 NBA Playoffs
The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2002-03 NBA season. This postseason was notable for being the first time all series were conducted in a best-of-7 format. It was also the only time in playoff history that no team was swept in a first-round series....


| align="left" | Dallas
| 20 || 16 || 24.6 || .433 || .200 || .842 || 4.4 || .3 || .6 || 2.2 || 8.0
|-
| 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" | Boston
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...


| 7 || 7 || 26.4 || .390 || .500 || .800 || 4.9 || 1.1 || .9 || 1.7 || 6.9
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 35 || 31 || 26.3 || .446 || .297 || .750 || 5.2 || .5 || .5 || 2.2 || 8.5

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.
 
x
OK