Travis Best

Travis Best
Personal information
Born	July 12, 1972 (age 52); Springfield, Massachusetts
Nationality	American
Listed height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight	182 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school	Springfield Central; (Springfield, Massachusetts)
College	Georgia Tech (1991–1995)
NBA draft	1995: 1st round, 23rd overall pick
	Selected by the Indiana Pacers
Playing career	1995–2009
Position	Point guard
Number	4, 6, 1, 3
Career history
1995–2002	Indiana Pacers
2002	Chicago Bulls
2002–2003	Miami Heat
2003–2004	Dallas Mavericks
2004–2005	New Jersey Nets
2005–2006	UNICS Kazan
2006–2007	Virtus Bologna
2007	Asseco Prokom Gdynia
2007–2008	Virtus Bologna
2008–2009	Air Avellino
2009	NSB Napoli
Career highlights and awards
	Polish League champion (2007); 2× Second-team All-ACC (1994, 1995); Third-team All-ACC (1993); First-team Parade All-American (1991); Second-team Parade All-American (1990);
Career NBA statistics
Points	5,736 (7.6 ppg)
Rebounds	1,249 (1.8 rpg)
Assists	2,444 (3.5 apg)
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball Reference

Travis Best (born July 12, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player, who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and in Europe.

High school career

Best attended Springfield Central High School, starring on teams that amassed a 69-4 record in his three varsity seasons. He was awarded the Lahovich Award, presented to the top player in Western Massachusetts, after his senior year. Best scored a state-record 81 points in a single game during that season.^[1] With then-sophomore teammate Edgar Padilla, a future UMass standout, Best led his 25-0 team to the 1991 Division I state championship and a No. 15 ranking in the final USA Today Top 25. After considering both UConn and the University of Virginia, Best chose Georgia Tech.^[2]

Collegiate career

At Georgia Tech, Best teamed with fellow McDonald's All-American James Forrest for four years. The duo lead the Yellow Jackets to the 1993 ACC Tournament Championship, their first since 1990. Best was named to the All-ACC third-team as a sophomore, earning second-team honors as a junior and as a senior. Best led the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio and free-throw percentage as a senior, while capturing ACC Player of the Week honors a league-record five times.

Best ranked in the top six in Tech history in points, assists, minutes, 3-point field goals made and steals at the conclusion of his collegiate career. He was one of only three ACC players to score 2,000 points with 600 assists (UNC's Phil Ford and Maryland's Greivis Vasquez are the other two). He earned honorable-mention All-America honors from The Associated Press and was a nominee for the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, given to the best player in the nation under 6 feet (1.8 m).

Professional career

Best was drafted 23rd in the 1995 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers.^[2] He played for the Pacers, the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat, the Dallas Mavericks and the New Jersey Nets, averaging 7.6 points and 3.5 assists per game.

Best was a vital backup at point guard on the 1999-2000 Indiana team that went to the 2000 NBA Finals. Best hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the decisive fifth game against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. During the 2001-2002 season, he requested a trade and was granted one to the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls traded Ron Artest, Brad Miller, Ron Mercer and Kevin Ollie to the Pacers for Best, Jalen Rose and Norman Richardson, adding a future second-round pick.

Best had a small role in the 1998 Spike Lee film He Got Game, which also featured NBA players Ray Allen, Walter McCarty, John Wallace, and Rick Fox.

References

^ Montville, Leigh (25 March 1991). "Lingering Cheers For A Magic Child". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
^ ^a ^b Khona, Chetan (1995-11-10). "Best makes pro debut in front of familiar crowd". The Technique. Retrieved 2007-05-22.

External links

[si1991-1] Montville, Leigh (25 March 1991). "Lingering Cheers For A Magic Child". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 14 June 2011.

[debut-2] Khona, Chetan (1995-11-10). "Best makes pro debut in front of familiar crowd". The Technique. Retrieved 2007-05-22.

[1]

[2]