Dale Davis

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Davis played college basketball at UTEP under coach Don Haskins from 1986 to 1990. Teaming up with fellow future NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway, Davis helped the Miners win 25 games and earn the seventh seed in the 1987 NCAA tournament as they defeated the number ten seed Arizona in overtime by a score of 98–91; they would, however, lose in the second round to Iowa by a score of 84–82. The next year, Davis started 30 games and averaged nearly 10 points with 6 rebounds as the Miners won 23 games and again advanced to the tournament, only to lose to number nine seed Seton Hall by a score of 80–64. As a junior, Davis averaged 14 points (second to Hardaway) with 8 rebounds a game as the Miners won 26 games and again gained the seventh seed, in the 1989 NCAA tournament, where they defeated number 10 seed LSU by a score of 85–74, only to lose in the second round to second-seeded Indiana by a score of 92–69. In Davis' senior year, (despite the departure of Hardaway to the NBA) the Miners still won 21 games, with Davis averaging 10 points and 7 rebounds a game; they would lose to the number six seed coming out of the tournament that year, Minnesota. After four seasons at UTEP, Davis declared for the 1990 NBA draft.

In Their Own Story

After the 1999–2000 season, Davis was named to the All-Star team and the Pacers made it to the NBA Finals. But the organization decided it was time to rebuild with a younger group of players. They traded Davis to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jermaine O'Neal and Joe Kleine. Davis spent four years with the Blazers, putting up much the same numbers as he did with the Pacers—roughly 8 points and 8 rebounds per game. He played 313 games for the Blazers, starting 235 times. On July 20, 2004, the Blazers traded Davis and Dan Dickau to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Nick Van Exel. On February 24, 2005, Davis was traded again, along with guard Speedy Claxton, to the New Orleans Hornets for guard Baron Davis. Davis was released soon afterward and signed with his first team, the Pacers, on March 4, 2005. He immediately started in place of the injured Jermaine O'Neal, earning one point, seven rebounds and two blocked shots in a Pacers' road victory against the Blazers. In all, Davis started all 25 games he played for the Pacers in the 2004–05 regular season, contributing 6.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.32 blocks per game.

Reader's Guide

Davis was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the second round, 45th overall of the 1990 NBA draft. He initially went on to play with professional teams in Europe, rather than play in the NBA. He played with Panathinaikos in the Greek League from 1990 to 1992, and with Philips Milano of the Italian League, during the 1992–93 season. Davis also played in Europe's 3rd-tier level league, the FIBA Korać Cup, with both teams and while he was with Milano, he won the Korać Cup championship in the 1992–93 season. In 1993, Davis returned to the United States to play in the NBA for the 1993–94 season when he signed with the Indiana Pacers as a free agent. As a rookie off the bench, Davis played in 81 games and helped the Pacers to the playoffs where they swept the Orlando Magic in three straight games then upset the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks in six games in the first two rounds en route to facing the Patrick Ewing-led New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers dropped the first two games in New York before rebounding to take the next two in Indiana; in game five in New York teammate Reggie Miller scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Pacers to the victory. The Pacers then returned to Indianapolis with the chance to clinch the Eastern Conference title but lost both game six and the series. The next year the Pacers won 52 games and the Central Division title thanks to the addition of Mark Jackson; Davis meanwhile played in 44 games averaging 7.6 points a game with 6.4 rebounds a game as he missed significant time due to injury. In the playoffs the Pacers faced the Atlanta Hawks for the second consecutive season. The Pacers swept the Hawks in three straight games, then found themselves in a rematch with the Knicks in the second round; in game one (which saw the ejections of Davis and Derek Harper) teammate Reggie Miller made a three-pointer and then stole the inbounds pass and tied the game with another three-pointer right in front of Knicks fan Spike Lee who was just a few feet away. Miller added 2 free throws and gave the Pacers a comeback win. The Pacers lost Game 2 and the series returned to Indiana. After four games, the Pacers took a 3–1 series lead; however, the Knicks bounced back and forced the seventh game at Madison Square Garden. The Pacers emerged victorious as Patrick Ewing's last-second shot did not go in the basket. With a 1-poi

Did You Know?

• Davis was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the second round, 45th overall of the 1990 NBA draft.
• He won the FIBA Korać Cup championship with Philips Milano in the 1992–93 season.
• Davis was elected to the NBA All-Star Team for the first and only time in his career in the 2000–01 season.
• He served as president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).
• On October 31, 2012, ESPN announced the hiring of Davis as a studio analyst for NBA broadcasts.