Scot Pollard - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Scot L. Pollard 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...

player. In an eleven-year NBA career, he played for five teams, spending the bulk of his career with the Sacramento Kings

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

and the Indiana Pacers

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

. Pollard was known both for his defensive play and his unique hairstyle

Hairstyle

A hairstyle, hairdo, or haircut refers to the styling of hair, usually on the human head. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal grooming, fashion, and cosmetics, although practical, cultural, and popular considerations also influence some hairstyles.-History of...

s.

Pollard was born in Murray, Utah

Murray, Utah

Murray is a city situated on the Wasatch Front in the core of Salt Lake Valley in the U.S. state of Utah. Named for territorial governor Eli Murray, it is the state's fourteenth largest city. According to the 2010 census, Murray has approximately 46,746 residents.Murray is close to Salt Lake City,...

, and grew up in San Diego and Kennewick, Washington

Kennewick, Washington

Kennewick is a city in Benton County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, near the Hanford nuclear site. It is the most populous of the three cities collectively referred to as the Tri-Cities...

. He 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 the 19th pick of the 1997 NBA Draft

1997 NBA Draft

The 1997 NBA Draft took place on June 25, 1997 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Although the Celtics had the second worst record in the 1996-97 season and the best odds of winning the lottery with two picks, the Spurs, usually a model of winning and consistency, lost David Robinson to an injury early...

, selected by the Detroit Pistons

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...

. For every season except his first and last, Pollard appeared in the NBA Playoffs including in the 2007 NBA Finals

2007 NBA Finals

The 2007 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2006-07 National Basketball Association season, and was the conclusion of the 2007 NBA Playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs and the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland...

with 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...

. He won a championship in his final season (2007–08) with the Boston Celtics

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...

Early life and college

Pollard was one of six children in a devout Mormon

Mormon

The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...

family, but Pollard never practiced the religion. His father, Pearl Pollard, played basketball at the University of Utah

University of Utah

The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...

and died when Scot was 16. For three years, he played high school basketball at Torrey Pines High School

Torrey Pines High School

Torrey Pines High School is a high school in the North County Coastal area of San Diego, California. The school is named after the Torrey Pine tree that grows in the area...

in San Diego before moving to Kennewick, Washington

Kennewick, Washington

to play for Kamiakin High School

Kamiakin High School

Kamiakin High School is a public high school in Kennewick, Washington. Kamiakin was founded in 1970 at 600 N Arthur Street in northwest Kennewick, and went through a remodel in the early first decade of the 21st century. It currently has an enrollment of about 1,800...

most of his senior year. Parade
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...

magazine named Pollard a high school All-American in 1993. He eventually graduated from Torrey Pines and attended the University of Kansas

University of Kansas

, where he graduated in 1997 with a degree in education. While playing NCAA

National Collegiate Athletic Association

The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

basketball, Pollard finished sixth in Jayhawks history among free throw shooters with 358, fourth in rebounds with 850, and second in blocked shots with 218.

Basketball career

Pollard was selected 19th overall in the 1997 NBA Draft

1997 NBA Draft

by the Detroit Pistons

Detroit Pistons

, with whom he debuted during the 1997-98 NBA season

1997-98 NBA season

The 1997–98 NBA season was the 52nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their third straight championship and sixth in the last eight years, beating the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the 1998 NBA Finals...

. In 33 games with the Pistons, he averaged 2.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game.

He was traded to the Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...

for 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...

, but Pollard never suited up for a game with them and was waived almost a month later. Pollard was traded to the Sacramento Kings

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

, whose management was in the midst of building a successful playoff team at the time, before the 1997-98 season

1997-98 NBA season

began. With the Kings he suffered an injury that allowed him to play only for sixteen games during the lockout

Lockout (industry)

A lockout is a work stoppage in which an employer prevents employees from working. This is different from a strike, in which employees refuse to work.- Causes :...

-shortened 1999 season

1998-99 NBA season

The 1999 NBA season was the 53rd season of the National Basketball Association . Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999 after a new six year Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association...

. It was during his stint with the Kings that he became a solid backup to center Vlade Divac

Vlade Divac

Vlade Divac is a retired Yugoslav and Serbian professional basketball player who spent most of his career in the NBA. At , he played center and was known for his passing skills...

, often starting at power forward when Chris Webber

Chris Webber

Mayce Edward Christopher "Chris" Webber, III , nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a former All-NBA First Teamer, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA Draftee...

was injured.

Pollard spent the 2002-03 NBA season

2002-03 NBA season

The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...

plagued by injuries. After that season, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

.

Pollard had an average of 3.4 rebounds, 3.2 points scored and 0.4 assists per game. He played an average of about 12 minutes per game.
Pollard's contract with the Pacers expired following the 2005-06 season. On August 18, 2006, Pollard signed a one-year contract with 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 Cavaliers lost the 2007 NBA Finals

2007 NBA Finals

to the San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....

four games to none, and Pollard played one minute of game 2.

On August 9, 2007, Pollard signed a one-year contract with the Boston Celtics. Pollard chose #66 as his new uniform number, and jokingly claimed he took it because he would not be allowed to have three 6's

Number of the Beast

The Number of the Beast is a term in the Book of Revelation, of the New Testament, that is associated with the first Beast of Revelation chapter 13, the Beast of the sea. In most manuscripts of the New Testament and in English translations of the Bible, the number of the Beast is...

. Pollard played limited minutes during the season and saw no playing time during the Celtics championship run in the 2008 NBA Playoffs. He retired shortly after.

Controversy

On March 11, 2007, Pollard caused minor controversy when he looked into the camera during a 20-second timeout and said "Hey kids, do drugs." The light on top of the camera was not working and Pollard intended to get a laugh out of the media truck. Pollard apologized.

Hair styles

Pollard was known across the NBA for his peculiar hairstyles, which reminded some of Dennis Rodman

Dennis Rodman

Dennis Keith Rodman is a retired American Hall of Fame professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, he was nicknamed "Dennis the Menace" and "The...

. Pollard's hairdos have included a Mohawk, a single pony tail, and a bald head. On January 2, 2006, he introduced a new hairstyle when he wore two pony tails during a Pacers home game against the Seattle SuperSonics

Seattle SuperSonics

The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...

.

While with the Sacramento Kings

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

, Pollard received the nickname "Samurai Scot."

Broadcasting

During the 2007-08 season, Pollard hosted "Planet Pollard," a segment of the show Celtics Now, on Comcast SportsNet

CSN New England

Comcast SportsNet New England is a regional cable sports television network based in Burlington, Massachusetts that operates in Massachusetts, eastern and central Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island...

. He visited various locales and often gave tours and information about the place he is visiting.

On April 12, 2008, during a game against the Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks

, Pollard filled in for color commentator Tom Heinsohn on CSN New England

CSN New England

's game telecast. Pollard, who was out for the season after left ankle surgery, has color analyst experience with the Sacramento Kings

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

and WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs

Sacramento Monarchs

The Sacramento Monarchs were a basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009...

. Pollard joined NBA TV

NBA TV

NBA TV is a television specialty channel that is dedicated to showcasing the sport of basketball in the United States. The network is financially backed by the National Basketball Association , which also uses NBA TV as a way of advertising their out of market package NBA League Pass, and partner...

in 2009.

Regular season

Detroit Pistons

| 33 || 0 || 9.6 || .500 || .000 || .826 || 2.2 || .3 || .2 || .3 || 2.7
|-
| align="left" | 1998–99
| align="left" | Sacramento

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 16 || 5 || 16.2 || .541 || .000 || .696 || 5.1 || .3 || .5 || 1.1 || 5.1
|-
| align="left" | 1999–00
| align="left" | Sacramento

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 76 || 5 || 17.6 || .527 || .000 || .717 || 5.3 || .6 || .7 || .8 || 5.4
|-
| align="left" | 2000–01
| align="left" | Sacramento

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 77 || 8 || 21.5 || .468 || .000 || .749 || 6.0 || .6 || .6 || 1.3 || 6.5
|-
| align="left" | 2001–02
| align="left" | Sacramento

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 80 || 29 || 23.5 || .550 || .000 || .693 || 7.1 || .7 || .9 || .9 || 6.4
|-
| align="left" | 2002–03
| align="left" | Sacramento

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 23 || 0 || 14.1 || .460 || .000 || .605 || 4.6 || .3 || .6 || .6 || 4.5
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | Indiana

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 61 || 3 || 11.1 || .412 || .000 || .571 || 2.7 || .2 || .4 || .4 || 1.7
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Indiana

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 49 || 17 || 17.7 || .473 || .000 || .673 || 4.2 || .4 || .6 || .5 || 3.9
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | Indiana

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 45 || 32 || 17.1 || .455 || .000 || .763 || 4.8 || .5 || .8 || .4 || 3.8
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| 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...

| 24 || 0 || 4.5 || .423 || .000 || .500 || 1.3 || .1 || .2 || .0 || 1.0
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Boston

Boston Celtics

| 22 || 0 || 7.9 || .522 || .000 || .682 || 1.7 || .1 || .1 || .3 || 1.8
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 506 || 99 || 16.5 || .494 || .000 || .709 || 4.6 || .4 || .6 || .7 || 4.4

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" | Sacramento

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 5 || 0 || 14.8 || .667 || .000 || .600 || 2.2 || .2 || .8 || 1.2 || 3.0
|-
| align="left" | 1998–99

1999 NBA Playoffs

| align="left" | Sacramento

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 5 || 0 || 14.8 || .667 || .000 || .600 || 2.2 || .2 || .8 || 1.2 || 3.0
|-
| 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" | Sacramento

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 5 || 0 || 14.0 || .563 || .000 || .333 || 3.2 || .2 || .4 || .2 || 4.0
|-
| align="left" | 2000–01

2001 NBA Playoffs

The 2001 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2000–01 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers winning their second consecutive championship by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers...

| align="left" | Sacramento

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 8 || 0 || 17.6 || .633 || .000 || .588 || 6.9 || .3 || .1 || .9 || 6.0
|-
| 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" | Sacramento

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 15 || 0 || 12.9 || .525 || .000 || .667 || 3.5 || .2 || .5 || .3 || 3.3
|-
| 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" | Sacramento

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 8 || 0 || 11.4 || .292 || .000 || .769 || 3.8 || .3 || .1 || .9 || 3.0
|-
| 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" | Indiana

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 3 || 0 || 4.3 || .000 || .000 || .500 || 1.3 || .0 || .3 || .0 || .7
|-
| 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" | Indiana

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 9 || 0 || 7.4 || .400 || .000 || .500 || 1.2 || .1 || .1 || .0 || 1.4
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06

2006 NBA Playoffs

The 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals...

| align="left" | Indiana

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

| 4 || 0 || 3.8 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 1.3 || .0 || .2 || .0 || .0
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07

2007 NBA Playoffs

The 2007 NBA Playoffs was the postseason to the National Basketball Association's 2006–2007 season.There were four rounds of postseason action, all of them in a best-of-seven format, with teams seeded on a bracket. The team with the better record wasn't necessarily the basis of seeding teams in...

| 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...

| 3 || 0 || 1.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 60 || 0 || 11.1 || .496 || .000 || .610 || 3.1 || .2 || .3 || .4 || 2.9

External links

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