Tyson Chandler

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Tyson Chandler
Tyson Chandler March 2012.jpg
Chandler with the Knicks
No. 6 – New York Knicks
Center
Personal information
Born (1982-10-02) October 2, 1982 (age 30)
Hanford, California
Nationality American
Listed height 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight 240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school Dominguez
(Compton, California)
NBA Draft 2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Clippers
Pro playing career 2001–present
Career history
2001–2006 Chicago Bulls
2006–2009 New Orleans Hornets
2009–2010 Charlotte Bobcats
2010–2011 Dallas Mavericks
2011–present New York Knicks
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Competitor for the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold 2012 London Men's basketball
FIBA Americas Championship
Gold 2007 Las Vegas Men's basketball
FIBA World Championship
Gold 2010 Turkey Men's basketball

Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982) is an American professional basketball center who currently plays for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association. Chandler was the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, then was immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls. He has also played for the New Orleans Hornets, Charlotte Bobcats, and Dallas Mavericks. As starting center for Dallas, he played an integral role in the franchise's first NBA championship in 2011. He was also a member of the United States men's national basketball team's gold medal runs in the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Contents

Early life and high school career[edit]

Chandler was born to Frank Chandler and Vernie Threadgill, though he did not meet his father Frank until later in his life.[1] He grew up in a family farm in Hanford, California, just south of Fresno, California. Chandler began playing basketball at three years old on a basket Chandler's grandfather, Cleotis, fixed on a tree. Chandler grew up doing farm work such as milking cows, slopping pigs, and cultivating crops. At nine years old Chandler and his mother moved to San Bernardino, California; he was already nearly six feet tall. As a child Chandler was teased because of his height; children on his school basketball team joked that he was older than he really was, and that he had been left back several times in school.[2]

Chandler and his family then moved to Compton, California, where he enrolled at Dominguez High School, a school known for its athletics, producing basketball players such as Dennis Johnson and Cedric Ceballos. In his freshman year, Chandler made the varsity team and played with future NBA player Tayshaun Prince, who was then a senior. With the Dominguez Dons, Chandler became a teenage sensation; current players such as DeMar DeRozan watched him play and claimed "he was like Shaq". Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings, who was a ball boy for Dominguez at the time, said, "You'd see the girls around Tyson, the Escalade he drove, and you wanted to be like him,"[3] Chandler earned accolades from Parade Magazine and USA Today, and was selected to the McDonald's High School All-America Team. As a freshman, he was profiled on current affairs TV program 60 Minutes.

In his junior year, Chandler averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks. In his senior year, Chandler led Dominguez to a state championship and a 31-4 record, averaging 26 points, 15 boards, and 8 blocks a game.[2] Chandler was recruited by several universities and considered UCLA, Arizona, Syracuse, Memphis, Kentucky and Michigan. Chandler then declared for the 2001 NBA Draft as a prep-to-pro.

Professional career[edit]

Chicago Bulls (2001–2006)[edit]

Tyson Chandler was selected 2nd overall by the Los Angeles Clippers, who immediately traded his rights to the Chicago Bulls for former NBA Rookie of the Year Award recipient Elton Brand. The Bulls intended to pair Chandler with fellow high school phenomenon Eddy Curry in the front court. However, while both players had stretches of success during their time with the Bulls, they rarely coincided. In Chandler's case, back problems were a recurring issue throughout his career, particularly during the 2003–04 season. During the early part of his career, Chandler feuded with Brendan Haywood of the Washington Wizards and Amar'e Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns. Later, although the feuds became less frequent, Chandler struggled with foul trouble, which limited his playing time.

Chandler also played a major role in the resurgent Bulls' playoff run in the 2004–05 season. Finding a role as a fourth-quarter defensive specialist, with notable game-saving blocks against stars like Paul Pierce and Carmelo Anthony, he was rewarded with a long-term deal to remain with the Chicago Bulls for the next six years, reportedly worth close to $63 million. With Curry's departure after the 2004–05 season, Chandler became the last member of the Bulls left from the Jerry Krause era.

During the 2005–2006 season, Chandler's biggest impact was on defense, but he struggled again with foul problems and averaged only 5.3 points per game. Due in part to his sub-par playoff performance and the Bulls' signing of four-time Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace in the off-season after the 2005–2006 season, Bulls GM John Paxson began to consider moving Chandler. On July 5, 2006, the Bulls and the Hornets verbally agreed to a trade that would send Chandler to the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for J.R. Smith and P.J. Brown.[4] The deal was finalized the following week.[5]

New Orleans Hornets (2006–2009)[edit]

Chandler dunking

In his first year in New Orleans, Chandler had a breakout season in 2006–2007, averaging 9.5 ppg and 12.4 rpg to go with 1.8 bpg.

Chandler followed that up with an even better season where he put up 11.7 points and 11.8 rebounds a game and led the league in offensive rebounding. His defense, rebounding and the ability to connect with Chris Paul on the Crescent City Connection (Name for their alleyoop pass) allowed the Hornets to claim the 2007–08 Southwest division for the first time ever with 56 wins. Chandler played well in the playoffs and defended Tim Duncan valiantly but in the end the Hornets lost a heartbreaking Game 7 where Chandler limited Duncan to 5–17 shooting.

In 197 regular season games with the Hornets franchise, Chandler averaged 10.2 ppg, 11.3 rpg and 1.4 bpg, while shooting 61.1% from the field.

On February 17, 2009, Chandler was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Chris Wilcox, Joe Smith and the rights to DeVon Hardin.[6] However, he failed the physical because of a toe injury, and one day later, the Thunder announced that they rescinded the trade.[7] Coincidentally, the doctor in Oklahoma City who failed Chandler on the physical was the same doctor who had performed corrective surgery on the toe two years earlier.[8]

Charlotte Bobcats (2009–2010)[edit]

On July 28, 2009, he was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Emeka Okafor.[9] Chandler joined a Bobcats team that had never made the playoffs in their young history. Chandler struggled with injuries in 2009–10, missing more than a month with a stress fracture in his left foot. Chandler still helped the Bobcats win 44 games and earn their first-ever postseason berth. The Bobcats, led by Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson, made it to the playoffs as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, and went up against the Orlando Magic. Chandler had the task of defending Dwight Howard. Chandler limited Howard to 9 points and 9 rebounds per game, both below his season and career averages.[10] The Bobcats were, however, swept in their first trip to the playoffs.

Dallas Mavericks (2010–2011)[edit]

Chandler with the Mavericks

On July 13, 2010, Chandler was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, along with Alexis Ajinça, in exchange for Matt Carroll, Erick Dampier and Eduardo Nájera.[11] Chandler was expected to shine next to all-stars Dirk Nowitzki and point guard Jason Kidd. Chandler quickly became a fan-favorite in Dallas because of his defensive efforts and athleticism on both ends of the floor. He was credited with making the Mavericks "tough" and anchoring the defense with his hustle and intensity.[12] The Mavericks went 57–25, earning the third seed in the western conference. They defeated a deep Portland Trail Blazers team in six games, swept Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, and defeated Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder in 5 games. The Mavericks went into the NBA Finals as an underdog,[13][14] facing the Miami Heat and their "Big Three" of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Chandler was instrumental in the series,[15] defensively stopping LeBron James' and Dwyane Wade's penetration to the rim. Chandler was forced to play major minutes because of an injury to backup center Brendan Haywood and the inexperience of Ian Mahinmi[citation needed]. In game 5, Chandler recorded 13 points and 16 rebounds. In the decisive game 6, Chandler recorded 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, helping the Mavericks win their first championship.[16] For his defensive efforts throughout regular season, Chandler was selected to the All-Defensive Second Team.

New York Knicks (2011–present)[edit]

On December 9, 2011, Chandler announced that he agreed to terms on a four-year contract with the New York Knicks worth $58 million.[17] He was officially acquired by the Knicks in a three-team sign-and-trade.[18] On Opening Day, Christmas 2011, Chandler finished with 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 6 blocks in a 106–104 win over the Boston Celtics.

Chandler finished the regular season with a 67.9% field goal percentage, the third highest in NBA history, exceeded only by Wilt Chamberlain in 1967 (68.26%) and 1973 (72.7%).[19] He won the 2012 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award with 45 first place votes and 311 points overall, ahead of Serge Ibaka of the Oklahoma City Thunder with 41 first place votes and 294 votes,[20] and became the first ever Knick to win the award.[21]

In May 2012, Chandler was named second team All-Defensive behind Ibaka and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, who made first-team All-Defensive.[22] Although Chandler was voted Defensive Player of the Year by the press, the All-Defensive Team is chosen by the league's 30 head coaches (who cannot vote for their own players). And while his 13 first-team votes and 36 overall points were more than the totals for first-team selections Tony Allen of the Memphis Grizzlies and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, Howard received 41 points with 16 first-team votes, and only one center can be named to the team.[23]

During the 2012-13 season, Chandler was named a reserve for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game. It was the first All-Star selection of his career. In February, Chandler recorded 20 rebounds in three straight games, becoming the first Knick to do so since Willis Reed in December 1969.[24] Chandler had 7 points and 8 rebounds at the 2013 NBA All-Star Game.[25]

On February 27, 2013, Chandler recorded a career-high 28 rebounds, including 13 in the first quarter, in a 109-105 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Career transactions[edit]

International career[edit]

United States national team[edit]

Chandler was named first alternate on the United States men's national basketball team which competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Chandler was a member of the United States team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, a team that finished 9-0 in the tournament and won the gold medal, the USA's first world championship since 1994. He played in all nine World Championship games as a backup center, and averaged 2.6 ppg., 2.7 rpg., shot 64.3 percent from the field, and blocked five shots.[29]

Chandler was chosen to play for the United States team in the 2012 London Summer Olympics, and was named the team's starting center. The United States team finished undefeated in the tournament and won the gold medal over Spain with a 107-100 victory. Chandler played 9 minutes, and shot 1-2 from the field. He ended the game with two points. These two points were the first points scored during the game.[30]

Personal life[edit]

Until the age of 10, Chandler grew up on a farm in central California.[31]

Chandler and his wife Kimberly were married in 2005. They have three children. Chandler and his wife organized a charity to help New Orleans families who suffered from Hurricane Katrina. The charity helped purchase "small things" (as Chandler said) for the families' homes: TVs, stoves, microwaves, refrigerators, pots, pans etc. The wives of Chandler's teammates helped in the efforts.[32]

His paternal grandmother is of German descent.[33]

He was the subject of a limited edition 100 copy zine titled "Tyson Chandler". The zine was created in fall 2011 by Camilla Venturini and the photographer Ari Marcopoulos, and was the subject of a lengthy article in the Wall Street Journal.[34]

His sister, Erica, plays basketball at Pepperdine University.[35] He has three brothers: Terrell, Tervon, and Ryan.[36]

NBA career statistics[edit]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Led the league

Regular season[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2001–02 Chicago 71 31 19.6 .497 .000 .604 4.8 .8 .4 1.3 6.1
2002–03 Chicago 75 68 24.4 .531 .000 .608 6.9 1.0 .5 1.4 9.2
2003–04 Chicago 35 8 22.3 .424 .000 .669 7.7 .7 .5 1.2 6.1
2004–05 Chicago 80 10 27.4 .494 .000 .673 9.7 .8 .9 1.8 8.0
2005–06 Chicago 79 50 26.8 .565 .000 .503 9.0 1.0 .5 1.3 5.3
2006–07 New Orleans/Oklahoma City 73 73 34.6 .624 .000 .527 12.4 .9 .5 1.8 9.5
2007–08 New Orleans 79 79 35.2 .623 .000 .593 11.7 1.0 .6 1.1 11.8
2008–09 New Orleans 45 45 32.1 .565 .000 .579 8.7 .5 .3 1.2 8.8
2009–10 Charlotte 51 27 22.8 .574 .000 .732 6.3 1.1 .3 1.1 6.5
2010–11 Dallas 74 74 27.8 .654 .000 .732 9.4 .4 .5 1.1 10.1
2011–12 New York 62 62 33.2 .679[37] .000 .689 9.9 .9 .9 1.4 11.3
2012–13 New York 66 66 32.8 .638 .000 .694 10.7 .9 .6 1.1 10.4
Career 790 593 28.5 .584 .000 .639 9.1 .8 .6 1.3 8.7
All-Star 1 0 17.0 .400 .000 1.000 8.0 .0 .0 .0 7.0

Playoffs[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2005 Chicago 6 0 28.7 .475 .000 .696 9.7 1.3 .2 2.2 11.7
2006 Chicago 6 0 17.3 .667 .000 .300 4.5 .5 .3 .3 1.8
2008 New Orleans 12 12 34.3 .632 .000 .625 10.3 .4 .4 1.7 8.0
2009 New Orleans 4 4 23.5 .500 .000 .500 5.3 .5 .5 .2 3.8
2010 Charlotte 4 0 15.0 .545 .000 .667 2.5 .5 .5 .8 3.5
2011 Dallas 21 21 32.4 .582 .000 .679 9.2 .4 .6 .9 8.0
2012 New York 5 5 33.4 .440 .000 .600 9.0 .8 1.4 1.4 6.2
2013 New York 12 12 29.2 .538 .000 .750 7.3 .3 .7 1.2 5.7
Career 70 54 29.1 .558 .000 .653 8.1 .5 .6 1.1 6.7

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Henson, Steve (June 24, 2001). "California Lottery". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Tyson Chandler Biography". JockBio. October 2, 1982. Retrieved 2012-04-24. 
  3. ^ "Galleries". CNN. January 17, 2011. 
  4. ^ Stein, Marc (July 5, 2006). "Bulls to deal Chandler to Hornets for Brown, Smith". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 15, 2011. 
  5. ^ "Bulls trade Tyson Chandler to Hornets for PJ Brown and JR Smith". Inside Hoops. July 14, 2006. Retrieved June 15, 2011. 
  6. ^ "Thunder Acquires Center Tyson Chandler". NBA.com. February 17, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-28. 
  7. ^ "Thunder Rescind Trade for Tyson Chandler". NBA.com. February 18, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-28. 
  8. ^ Mannix, Chris (March 30, 2009). "Foot Fault?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 23, 2011. 
  9. ^ "Bobcats Acquire Tyson Chandler from New Orleans Hornets". NBA.com. July 28, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-28. 
  10. ^ "Dwight Howard 2009-10 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2012-04-24. 
  11. ^ "Mavericks acquire chandler and ajinca in five-player trade". NBA.com. July 13, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-13. 
  12. ^ "Chandler restores Mavericks' edge". CNN. May 4, 2011. 
  13. ^ http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-mavericks/headlines/20110413-mavericks-crush-hornets-will-face-portland-in-1st-round-of-playoffs.ece.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ^ http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2011/04/trail_blazers_10.html.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ^ "http://en.paperblog.com/there-s-a-new-sheriff-in-town-knicks-tyson-chandler-wins-defensive-player-of-the-year-195179/". En.paperblog.com. Retrieved 2012-09-06. 
  16. ^ "What's next for the Dallas Mavericks?". Espn.com. June 14, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2011. 
  17. ^ Tim MacMahonESPNDallas.comFollowArchive (December 10, 2011). "Center Tyson Chandler agrees to terms with New York Knicks - ESPN Dallas". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2012-04-24. 
  18. ^ "New York Knicks 2011 Team Transactions: Trades, Injured List, Free Agents and Signings - ESPN". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2012-04-24. 
  19. ^ Beck, Howard (April 26, 2012). "After Restful Final Game, Knicks Head to Miami". The New York Times. 
  20. ^ Begley, Ian (May 2, 2012). "Tyson Chandler wins award". ESPN New York. 
  21. ^ Mahoney, Brian (May 2, 2012). "Knicks' Chandler is NBA Defensive Player of the Year". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved May 3, 2012. 
  22. ^ Begley, Ian (May 23, 2012). "Tyson named to all-defensive second team". ESPN New York. 
  23. ^ Raskin, Alex (May 23, 2012). "Was Knicks Tyson Chandler slighted with All-Defensive Second Team selection?". The Star Ledger. 
  24. ^ "Tyson Chandler has 20 rebounds for third straight game as Knicks win". ESPN. Retrieved February 19, 2013. 
  25. ^ "Eastern Conf All-Stars vs. Western Conf All-Stars - Box Score". ESPN. Retrieved February 19, 2013. 
  26. ^ "Brand Bolsters Clippers' Frontcourt". NBA.com. June 27, 2001. Retrieved 2011-06-15. 
  27. ^ "Hornets Acquire Tyson Chandler". NBA.com. July 14, 2006. Retrieved 2011-06-15. 
  28. ^ Stein, Marc (July 28, 2009). "Sources: Hornets, Cats agree on deal". Espn.com. Retrieved June 15, 2011. 
  29. ^ "USA Basketball Profile: Tyson Chandler". usabasketball.com. 
  30. ^ "Gold Medal Game Statistics". usabasketball.com. August 12, 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-12. 
  31. ^ "NBA Finals 2011 Game 5 Half-time Report". ABC Sports. June 9, 2011. 
  32. ^ Evans, Candy (June 10, 2011). "Houses of Dallas Mavericks emulate NBA Finals’ success". Pegasus News. Retrieved June 15, 2011. "Tyson Chandler and his wife Kimberly are super great people — they recently organized a charity to help New Orleans families who suffered from Hurricane Katrina." 
  33. ^ Fisher, Mike (November 30, 2010). "One-on-One with Mavs center Tyson Chandler". Fox Sports Wisconsin. Retrieved June 15, 2011. 
  34. ^ Cohen, Ben (November 19, 2011). "One Baller's Biggest Fan". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 20, 2011. 
  35. ^ Erica Chandler. Pepperdine University. Retrieved on November 8, 2012.
  36. ^ Roman Modrowski. "The man of the house: He's still only 19, but Tyson Chandler has grown up fast". Chicago Sun-Times. June 23, 2002.
  37. ^ "2011-12 Regular Season NBA Player Stats and League Leaders - Field Goals - National Basketball Association - ESPN". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2012-09-06. 

External links[edit]

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