Rony Seikaly
| No. 4, 9, 2 | |
|---|---|
| Center | |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | May 10, 1965 |
| Place of birth | Beirut, Lebanon |
| Nationality | American Lebanese |
| High school | American Community Schools (Athens, Greece) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 253 lb (115 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Syracuse (1984–1988) |
| NBA Draft | 1988 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall |
| Selected by the Miami Heat | |
| Pro career | 1988–2000 |
| Career history | |
| 1988–1994 | Miami Heat |
| 1994–1996 | Golden State Warriors |
| 1996–1998 | Orlando Magic |
| 1998–1999 | New Jersey Nets |
| 2000 | FC Barcelona (Spain) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 9,991 (14.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 6,424 (9.5 rpg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Ronald Fred "Rony" Seikaly (Arabic: رونالد ﺼيقلي; born May 10, 1965) is a retired Lebanese-born American professional basketball player.
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[edit] Early life
Seikaly was born in Beirut, Lebanon. At the age of 9, Rony moved from Beirut where he'd been attending elementary school at the Athenee de Beirut to Greece, where he spent the rest of his youth. He attended and graduated from the American Community School, also known as ACS Athens. Prior to playing basketball, he was a soccer player and accomplished track athlete. He was unable to attain Greek citizenship due to bureaucratic problems, but he later became a naturalized American citizen after attending college in the U.S. and playing in the NBA.[1][2]
[edit] College career
In 1984, he began attending Syracuse University in central New York. He played center for the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team. He was an All-American and was also named to the John R. Wooden All-American Team. He was chosen on the Orange's All Century Team and his number 4 jersey has been retired and raised to the rafters at the Carrier Dome. He graduated from Syracuse as the all time leading rebounder, second in blocked shots and fourth in scoring. He led his Syracuse team to the 1987 NCAA tournament championship finals against the Indiana Hoosiers after averaging 22 points and 11 rebounds throughout the tournament.
[edit] Pro career
When Seikaly was 17 years old he joined the Euroleague club Panathinaikos Athens' senior team in a tournament in Cyprus, but his nationality prevented him from playing in the Greek Championship as a Greek citizenship player, so he moved to the USA.
Seikaly was the 9th pick in the first round of the 1988 NBA Draft, taken by the Miami Heat. He became one of the best centers in the league with Miami (1989–1994), Golden State (1995–1996), Orlando (1997–1998) and New Jersey (1998). He was a small center by NBA standards, but more athletic and quicker than most[citation needed].
In 1988, the Miami Heat used their franchise's first ever draft pick (9th overall that year) to select the center. His career with Miami saw him setting numerous team records including blocks (8), rebounds (34) and double doubles. He averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game in his career with the Heat. He was also in the NBA's top 7 rebounders for 5 straight years. He was also named the NBA's Most Improved Player in 1990. During his run with the Heat, he had the nickname "The Spin Doctor", due to his trademark low-post spin moves.[3]
In 1994, Seikaly was traded to the Golden State Warriors where he spent two years before going on to play for the Orlando Magic and averaged 16 points and 9.5 rebounds for the Magic. During the 1997–1998 season he was traded to the Utah Jazz, but the transaction was voided. Eventually, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets in early 1998, before announcing his retirement from the game in 2000. He holds NBA career averages of 14.7 points per game, 9.5 rebounds per game and 1.29 blocks per game.
Seikaly's NBA career highs in a game are 40 points, 34 rebounds, 8 blocked shots, 4 steals and 6 assists.
After Seikaly left the NBA, he signed with the Spanish League basketball team FC Barcelona.
[edit] United States national basketball team
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men’s basketball | ||
Competitor for  United States |
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| FIBA World Championship | ||
| Gold | 1986 Spain | National team |
Seikaly played for the US national basketball team at the 1986 FIBA World Championship, and with the US team he won the gold medal.[4]
[edit] Lebanese national basketball team
Seikaly was briefly included in the Lebanese National Basketball Team formation wearing the jersey #4. But after consultations with FIBA, he was dropped, since he had been part of the US national team in 1986, which disqualified him from playing for Lebanon, his country of origin.
[edit] Post basketball career
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This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (December 2009) |
Seikaly owns and runs a multi-million dollar real estate investment company; he is also an investor in the South Beach, Miami restaurants Quattro, Sosta, Solea, Quattro NY and Club Wall.
He is also an avid music lover and has been spotted working as a house music DJ in some of the biggest clubs in the world. He is frequently spotted with his close friend DJ Erick Morillo, and has performed alongside him at Club LIV in the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach. Rony has recently signed with artist management company SKAM Artists [5] and has singles being released on Nervous Records, Subliminal Records and more. [6] He has DJ Gigs all across the US playing house music. [7]
Every year Seikaly hosts the annual Rony Seikaly Golf Tournament for cystic fibrosis. When Magic Johnson returned to the NBA HIV-positive, and there was opposition to his inclusion because of his status, Rony Seikaly challenged him to a game of one-on-one to show everyone that HIV is not contagious by touch. Seikaly also entered the AVP Cuervo Gold Crown Miami Open, in an attempt to play pro beach volleyball.
He was formerly married to Mexican model Elsa Benítez, the 2001 and 2006 cover girl for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues. They divorced in 2005; they have a daughter, Mila.
[edit] Records and accolades
- Set Miami Heat record for blocks in a game (8)
- Set Miami Heat record for free throw attempts in a game (26) and blocks in a season (124)
- 1990 NBA's Most Improved Player
- Set Miami Heat record for rebounds in a season (934)
- NBA Player of the Week award
- Set Miami Heat record for defensive rebounds (26) and total rebounds (34) in a game
- Set Miami Heat record for free throws made in a game (16)
- 20 games of at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in the same game
- Still holds numerous Miami Heat records
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/350943-the-top-10-scorers-in-miami-heat-history#page/6
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Athlitiki Echo (greek newspaper) Digital Historical Archive, 9 June 1986, page 2
- ^ athlitikihxo.gr (Digital Archive run with DjVu viewer)
- ^ Encyclopedia.com: Roni Seikaly (lebanese / lebanon's Ex-NBA player)
- ^ 1986 USA Basketball statistics.
- ^ http://www.skamartist.com/artists.php?aid=55
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8MciKyBDgM&feature=colike
- ^ http://www.skamartist.com/artists.php?aid=55
[edit] External links
- Rony Seikaly at Basketball-Reference.com
- ACB.com Profile
- Basketpedya.com Profile
- NBA.com historical player file
- Grooveallnight.com
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- 1965 births
- Living people
- American expatriate basketball people in Greece
- American expatriate basketball people in Spain
- American expatriates in Greece
- Centers (basketball)
- FC Barcelona Bàsquet players
- Golden State Warriors players
- American people of Lebanese descent
- Lebanese basketball players
- Lebanese emigrants to the United States
- Liga ACB players
- Miami Heat draft picks
- Miami Heat players
- Naturalized citizens of the United States
- New Jersey Nets players
- Orlando Magic players
- Panathinaikos BC players
- People from Beirut
- Syracuse Orange men's basketball players
- United States men's national basketball team members
