Tim Legler
Encyclopedia
Timothy Eugene Legler is a retired American
professional basketball
player who played in the NBA. He is currently an ESPN
basketball analyst.
, where he became Academic All-American and scored 1,699 career points in four seasons for the men's basketball team. He was named to the First Team All-Big 5 (1987) and All-MAAC teams (1987 and 1988). Legler 3.40 GPA earned him a berth on the 1988 GTE Academic All-American Team. He was a career 43% three-point shooter. Legler led La Salle to the 1987 National Invitation Tournament
championship game at Madison Square Garden
, as well as the 1988 NCAA Tournament. He was inducted into the Philadelphia Big 5
Hall of Fame
in 1995 and the La Salle Hall of Athletes in 1997.
and went to play basketball in Europe. After playing a few seasons in Europe, he came back to America and played in the Continental Basketball Association
with the Omaha Racers. He led Omaha to a CBA championship while leading the league in scoring.
Legler played in the NBA at the shooting guard
position from 1989 to 2000. He is probably known most as a player in Washington
, where he played four seasons (two with the Washington Bullets and two with the re-branded Washington Wizards
) from 1995-1999. His best NBA season was 1995-1996, when he ranked first in the league in both 3-point field goal percentage and true shooting percentage, second in turnover ratio, and won the 1996 Three-Point Shootout
during All-Star Weekend. He holds the record for a 3-round aggregate of (23, 22 and 20 out of 30 each) 65 points (out of 90). He also was a runner up for the Sixth Man of the Year award, which was won by Toni Kukoc
of the Chicago Bulls
.
Legler was well-known as an accurate three-point shooter, making 260 of his 604 attempts from that range in his career, an accuracy of 43%. This figure ranks fourth on the all-time list, behind only Steve Kerr
, Hubert Davis, and Drazen Petrovic
. Legler also played for the Phoenix Suns
, Denver Nuggets
, Utah Jazz
, Dallas Mavericks
, and Golden State Warriors
. His career ended after a re-occurring knee problem. During his 10 seasons in the league, Legler made a little over $5.1 million in salary.
Tim Legler was one of three NBA players to finish a season shooting better than 50% from the field, better than 50% from the three-point line, and better than 80% from the free-throw line (the others were Steve Kerr
and Detlef Schrempf
).
programs NBA Shootaround
, NBA Fastbreak
, NBA Coast to Coast
, and as a basketball analyst for SportsCenter
and on various shows on ESPN Radio
. He has worked at the network since 2002.
in Henrico County, Virginia
and St. Mary's Catholic School
in Richmond, Virginia
. In 2002, he earned an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
. He is married to Christina (Fuller) who is a Former Philadelphia Eagles
Cheerleader. Legler has two children.
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 who played in the NBA. He is currently an ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
basketball analyst.
La Salle
Legler attended La Salle UniversityLa 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...
, where he became Academic All-American and scored 1,699 career points in four seasons for the men's basketball team. He was named to the First Team All-Big 5 (1987) and All-MAAC teams (1987 and 1988). Legler 3.40 GPA earned him a berth on the 1988 GTE Academic All-American Team. He was a career 43% three-point shooter. Legler led La Salle to the 1987 National Invitation Tournament
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
championship game at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, as well as the 1988 NCAA Tournament. He was inducted into the Philadelphia Big 5
Philadelphia Big 5
The Philadelphia Big 5 is an informal association of college athletic programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It is not a conference; indeed the five schools that are members of the Big 5 are members of three separate conferences: the Atlantic 10, the Big East, and the Ivy League.The five...
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
in 1995 and the La Salle Hall of Athletes in 1997.
NBA career
Legler went undrafted in the 1988 NBA Draft1988 NBA Draft
The 1988 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 1988 in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds.-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Notable undrafted players:...
and went to play basketball in Europe. After playing a few seasons in Europe, he came back to America and played in the Continental Basketball Association
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
with the Omaha Racers. He led Omaha to a CBA championship while leading the league in scoring.
Legler played in the NBA at the shooting guard
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...
position from 1989 to 2000. He is probably known most as a player in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, where he played four seasons (two with the Washington Bullets and two with the re-branded Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
) from 1995-1999. His best NBA season was 1995-1996, when he ranked first in the league in both 3-point field goal percentage and true shooting percentage, second in turnover ratio, and won the 1996 Three-Point Shootout
Three-point Shootout
The Three-Point Shootout is a National Basketball Association contest held on the Saturday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend. In this contest, participants attempt to make as many three-point field goals as possible from five positions behind the three-point arc...
during All-Star Weekend. He holds the record for a 3-round aggregate of (23, 22 and 20 out of 30 each) 65 points (out of 90). He also was a runner up for the Sixth Man of the Year award, which was won by Toni Kukoc
Toni Kukoc
Toni Kukoč is a retired Croatian professional basketball player. He was renowned for his versatility and passing ability; although his natural position was small forward, he played all five positions on the court with prowess and demonstrated court vision and an outside shooting touch that were...
of the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
.
Legler was well-known as an accurate three-point shooter, making 260 of his 604 attempts from that range in his career, an accuracy of 43%. This figure ranks fourth on the all-time list, behind only Steve Kerr
Steve Kerr
Stephen Douglas "Steve" Kerr is a retired American professional basketball player. He shot .454 from three point range over his career and currently holds the record as the most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history...
, Hubert Davis, and Drazen Petrovic
Dražen Petrovic
Dražen Petrović was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he initially achieved success playing professional basketball in Europe in the 1980s before joining the American NBA in 1989...
. Legler also played for the Phoenix Suns
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...
, 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...
, Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, 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...
, and 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...
. His career ended after a re-occurring knee problem. During his 10 seasons in the league, Legler made a little over $5.1 million in salary.
Tim Legler was one of three NBA players to finish a season shooting better than 50% from the field, better than 50% from the three-point line, and better than 80% from the free-throw line (the others were Steve Kerr
Steve Kerr
Stephen Douglas "Steve" Kerr is a retired American professional basketball player. He shot .454 from three point range over his career and currently holds the record as the most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history...
and Detlef Schrempf
Detlef Schrempf
Detlef Schrempf is a retired German NBA basketball player.-High school and college career:...
).
Post-NBA Career
Legler currently appears regularly on the ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
programs NBA Shootaround
NBA Shootaround
NBA Shootaround is a pregame show for ESPN's coverage of the National Basketball Association . Typically, the program airs at 7:30 p.m, prior to ESPN's presentation of NBA Friday, though it does occasionally air prior to ESPN's NBA Wednesday coverage...
, NBA Fastbreak
NBA Fastbreak
NBA Fastbreak is a National Basketball Association studio program that airs on ESPN. The program used to air as part of ESPN's The Trifecta. Formerly known as NBA 2Night, the program, hosted by various ESPN personalities, provides highlights, analysis and updates from the night's NBA games...
, NBA Coast to Coast
NBA Coast to Coast
NBA Coast to Coast is a weekly NBA-themed studio program which airs Tuesday nights on ESPN2. -Format:...
, and as a basketball analyst for SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
and on various shows on ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
. He has worked at the network since 2002.
Personal life
Legler also attended John Randolph Tucker High SchoolJohn Randolph Tucker High School
John Randolph Tucker High School is a high school in Henrico County, Virginia, United States. It is named after lawyer and Henrico County Judge John Randolph Tucker. Its students and faculty often refer to themselves as "Tucker Tigers"...
in Henrico County, Virginia
Henrico County, Virginia
Henrico is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. As of 2010, Henrico was home to 306,935 people. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and St. Mary's Catholic School
St. Mary's Catholic School
St. Mary's Catholic School is a K-8 educational institution located in Richmond, Virginia, serving 400 students. In 2004, St. Mary's School won the prestigious Blue Ribbon Award. This award is awarded to few schools and only the ones with the highest academic standards. The school currently offers...
in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. In 2002, he earned an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. He is married to Christina (Fuller) who is a Former Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
Cheerleader. Legler has two children.