God Shammgod
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 29, 1976 New York City, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 169 lb (77 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | La Salle Academy (New York City, New York) |
| College | Providence (1995–1997) |
| NBA draft | 1997: 2nd round, 45th overall pick |
| Selected by the Washington Bullets | |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 2 |
| Career history | |
| 1997–1999 | Washington Bullets |
| 1999–2000 | La Crosse Bobcats (CBA) |
| 2000–2001 | Czarni Słupsk (Poland) |
| 2001 | Florida Sea Dragons (USBL) |
| 2001–2002 | Zhejiang Cyclones (China) |
| 2002 | Al-Ittihad Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) |
| 2002–2003 | Zhejiang Cyclones (China) |
| 2003–2005 | Al-Ittihad Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) |
| 2006–2007 | Shanxi Yujun (China) |
| 2007 | Portland Chinooks (IBL) |
| 2007 | Al Kuwait (Kuwait) |
| 2007–2008 | Zhejiang Cyclones (China) |
| 2008 | Cedevita Zagreb (Croatia) |
| 2009 | Portland Chinooks (IBL) |
| 2009 | Oregon Waves (IBL) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
God Shammgod (born April 29, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the NBA with the Washington Wizards during 1997–98 after being drafted by them in the 2nd round (17th pick) of the 1997 NBA draft. He played in the Chinese Basketball Association for several teams, including the Zhejiang Cyclones. [1] and Shanxi Yujun. He also played professionally in Poland and Saudi Arabia.[2]
High school
When he was known as Shammgod Wells, he played high school basketball at La Salle Academy in Manhattan. His teammates at La Salle Academy included future NBA player Metta World Peace (then known as Ron Artest) and former Providence College center Karim Shabazz. He was selected to the 1995 McDonald's All-American Team and recorded 9 points in the All-American game.[3] He also played with Kobe Bryant during a summer on an AAU team. Kobe learned the cross-over dribble move from Shammgod during this time.[4]
College career
Shammgod played for two seasons at Providence College, where he averaged 10.3 PPG for his college career. He was selected to the Big East All-Rookie Team as a freshman in 1996 after setting the Big East freshman assist record, which has since been broken.[5] As a sophomore, Shammgod teamed with future NBA player Austin Croshere and Dennis Cleary in leading the Friars to the 1997 Elite Eight, where they lost to eventual NCAA champion Arizona in overtime. Shammgod registered 23 points and 5 assists while matching up against future NBA player Mike Bibby in the loss.[6]
Professional career
Shammgod appeared in 20 games for the Washington Wizards in 1997–98. Shammgod later played in the Chinese Basketball Association.[7]
Name
In high school, he was known as Shammgod Wells. However, upon attending Providence College, he was forced to either legally change his name to Shammgod Wells, or to use his legal name of God Shammgod. Because he did not have the $600 required to legally change his name, he was known as God Shammgod from that point onward.[8]
Coaching career
Shammgod reenrolled at Providence in 2012 to complete his undergraduate studies and is expected to receive a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership Development in May 2015. He has also been an undergraduate student assistant on Ed Cooley's staff and has been credited with playing a role in the development of Bryce Cotton and Kris Dunn.[9]
References
- ^ "Sun Jun Leads Jilin into CBA League Final Four". English.people.com.cn. 2002-03-28. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
- ^ "God Shammgod joins Portland Chinooks – OurSports Central – Independent and Minor League Sports News". OurSports Central. 2007-02-08. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
- ^ "West Schoolboy Stars Prevail". The New York Times. April 3, 1995. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ^ "Kobe Bryant Biography". JockBio. 1978-08-23. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
- ^ "CNN/SI from CNN and Sports Illustrated". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
- ^ "SouthCoastToday.com – News Archive – Your link to SouthCoast Massachusetts and beyond". Archive.southcoasttoday.com. 2013-10-07. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
- ^ "HoopsHype – God Shammgod: "Chris Paul is the best dribbler"". Blogs.hoopshype.com. 2010-09-29. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
- ^ Weber, Jim. "God Shammgod's unforgettable name is still bringing him fame – The Dagger – NCAAB Blog – Yahoo! Sports". Rivals.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
- ^ Casey, Tim. "Known for a Dribble, God Shammgod Crosses Over to Teaching," The New York Times, Thursday, March 12, 2015.
External links
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- Wikipedia external links cleanup from October 2013
- 1976 births
- Living people
- African-American basketball players
- American expatriate basketball people in China
- American expatriate basketball people in Croatia
- American expatriate basketball people in Poland
- American expatriate basketball people in Saudi Arabia
- Basketball players from New York
- KK Cedevita players
- La Crosse Bobcats players
- McDonald's High School All-Americans
- Five percenters
- Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
- Point guards
- Providence Friars men's basketball players
- Shanxi Zhongyu players
- Sportspeople from New York City
- Washington Bullets draft picks
- Washington Wizards players
- Zhejiang Golden Bulls players