DeShawn Stevenson
| No. 2 – Washington Wizards | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting Guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 3, 1981 Fresno, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 214 lb (97 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Washington Union High School (California) |
| NBA draft | 2000: 23rd overall |
| Selected by the Utah Jazz | |
| Playing career | 2000–present |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
DeShawn Stevenson (born April 3 1981 in Fresno, California) is a American professional basketball player currently with the Washington Wizards of the NBA. He originally committed to the University of Kansas, but decided to enter the NBA directly from Washington Union High School in his hometown of Fresno, and was picked by the Utah Jazz with the 23rd selection of the 2000 NBA Draft. In 2001, Stevenson finished second in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.[1]
On June 20, 2001, 20-year-old Stevenson was charged with statutory rape.[1] He was accused of having sexual intercourse with a 14 year-old girl from Fresno. [2]
Stevenson opted out of the third and final year of his contract with Orlando and on August 3, 2006 he signed a two-year minimum contract with the Washington Wizards.[2]
During a portion of the 2006-7 NBA season, Stevenson maintained a field-goal shooting percentage of fifty percent, an unusual accomplishment among guards.
In July 2007, Stevenson signed a 4-year deal with the Wizards for $15 million.[3]
After Stevenson, with a sore knee, scored a career-high 33 points, including a game winning three-pointer as time expired in a Feb. 25 2008 victory over New Orleans, Wizards coach Eddie Jordan described Stevenson this way --- "He's a warrior, man, a true warrior. His confidence is growing -- he's making threes -- he's just a true pro. This is a man's league and he is man. In the dictionary next to that word there is a picture of DeShawn Stevenson.
On the early morning of August 20, 2007, a 31-year-old man (Curtis Ruff) was shot and injured at Stevenson's home, following an argument with women that were invited from Destiny's Club in Orlando, Florida. Circumstances of the incident remain unclear.".[4]