Keith Van Horn

Lore & Background

Van Horn played college basketball for the Utah Utes, where he was a consensus first-team All-American in 1997 and ESPN Men's College Basketball Player of the Year. He finished as the all-time leading scorer in Western Athletic Conference (WAC) history. Van Horn was selected second overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and traded to the New Jersey Nets on draft night. He played for the Nets from 1997 to 2002, leading the team in scoring in the 1997–98 and 1998–99 seasons, and was a member of the 2001–02 Nets team that made the NBA Finals. He also played for the 76ers, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Dallas Mavericks.

Reader's Guide

Van Horn was named to the 1998 NBA All-Rookie Team. He averaged 16 points and nearly seven rebounds per game during his NBA career. His best NBA season was 1998–99, when he averaged 21.8 points per game (fifth in the NBA) and 8.5 rebounds per game. He was traded from the Nets to the 76ers on August 6, 2002, after the 2002 NBA Finals. He later played for the Knicks, Bucks, and Mavericks, reaching the 2006 NBA Finals with Dallas. After the 2005–06 season, he took a year off; he was later signed by the Mavericks in 2008 to facilitate a trade but did not play and was waived.

Did You Know?

• Van Horn is the all-time leading scorer in University of Utah and WAC history with 2,542 points.
• He was the first player in WAC history to be named Player of the Year three times (1995, 1996, 1997).
• Van Horn's #44 jersey was retired by the University of Utah in 1998.
• He was traded twice in deals involving Tim Thomas—once on draft night in 1997 and again in 2004.