Baron Davis

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Baron Davis was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the South Central area. His grandmother and guardian, Lela Nicholson, was instrumental in pushing him to play basketball. With her encouragement, he eventually enrolled at Crossroads School, a private school in Santa Monica. As a senior at Crossroads, Davis led his team to the championship of The Beach Ball Classic tournament over Simon Gratz High School, earning MVP honors. He was named Gatorade National Player of the Year and a Parade All-American, and played in the McDonald's All-American Game in 1997. Davis selected UCLA for college, where he was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 1998 and third-team All-American in 1999. He averaged 13.6 points and 5.1 assists in two years at UCLA. He tore his ACL during an NCAA Tournament game his freshman year but made a full recovery. Davis was drafted third overall by the Charlotte Hornets in 1999. He was selected as an injury replacement for Vince Carter in the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. He led the league in steals per game in the 2003–04 season and again in the 2006–07 season. Davis was traded to the Golden State Warriors on February 24, 2005. In the 2007 playoffs, he averaged 25 points per game in the first-round upset of the Dallas Mavericks, and averaged 25.3 points, 6.5 assists, 2.9 steals, and 4.5 rebounds per game overall in the 2007 Playoffs. He opted out of his contract with the Warriors on June 30, 2008.

In Their Own Story

The narrative of Davis's time in Golden State was punctuated by both brilliance and friction. Steve Kerr, then a television analyst, described Davis's 2007 playoff performance as "outrageous...stunningly athletic and creative and explosive." Highlights included a buzzer-beating half-court three-pointer that electrified the arena. However, tensions flared during the 2008 playoffs against the Phoenix Suns. Coach Nelson benched Davis at halftime of an elimination game after he shot just 2–13 in 17 minutes. Down fourteen points at the break, the Warriors lost by six. While some writers criticized the decision to bench a star with half a game remaining and speculated on friction between player and coach, Nelson denied any conflict. Following the season, where Davis remained injury-free while averaging 21.8 PPG, 7.6 assists, and 2.3 steals in a 48–34 campaign, he opted out of his contract on June 30, 2008.

Reader's Guide

Baron Davis played for the Golden State Warriors from 2005 to 2008. He led the league in steals per game during the 2006–07 season. In the 2007 playoffs, he helped the Warriors become the first No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed since the NBA changed the first round to a 7-game series. Davis averaged 25 points per game in that series. He was benched at halftime of a 2008 playoff elimination game against the Phoenix Suns by coach Don Nelson after shooting 2–13 in 17 minutes. After the 2007–08 season, Davis opted out of his contract with the Warriors.

Did You Know?

• Baron Davis was a two-time NBA All-Star, selected in 2002 and 2004.
• He led the NBA in steals per game in the 2003–04 season and again in the 2006–07 season.
• Davis holds the NBA's career playoff record for steals per game with an average of 2.28 over 50 games.
• He was drafted third overall in the 1999 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets.