Raef LaFrentz

Lore & Background

LaFrentz played basketball at Kansas, finishing in 1998. He played with future NBA Hall of Famer Paul Pierce and journeyman Scot Pollard while at Kansas. The 1996–97 team finished the season ranked #1 in the country, but lost to Arizona in the Regional Semifinal. He was an All-American in his junior and senior seasons. He joined Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal as the only players in the 1990s to earn first team AP All-America honors twice. Compiling career averages of 15.8 ppg and 9.1 rpg while shooting 55.5 percent from the floor overall, he concluded his career ranked second all-time at Kansas in points with 2,066 and rebounds with 1,186, trailing only Danny Manning in both categories. Accumulating a record of 123–17 over his four seasons, he was part of a senior class that won more games over a four-year period than any class in KU history. Named All-Big 12 Conference first team his final two seasons, LaFrentz became the first KU player in 27 years to average a double-double over an entire season when he posted 19.8 ppg and 11.4 rpg averages as a senior in 1997–98, leading the Jayhawks to a 35–4 record.

In Their Own Story

The Target Center hummed with anticipation as LaFrentz caught the ball near the elbow. He wiped sweat from his forehead, eyes locked on the rim. With defenders hesitating between him and Garnett, he rose smoothly for a jumper that swished through the net. The crowd roared, celebrating the fluidity of a giant who moved like a guard.

Reader's Guide

The third overall pick by the Denver Nuggets in the 1998 NBA draft, LaFrentz averaged 13.8 ppg., 7.6 rpg. and 1.4 bpg. but played in just 12 games as a rookie and missed the majority of the season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee against Dallas on February 25, 1999. Successfully returning from the torn ACL to start 80 of his 81 appearances in 1999–2000, he averaged 12.4 ppg., an NBA 25th best 7.9 rpg. and ranked eighth in the NBA in blocked shots, averaging 2.2 bpg. LaFrentz also played in the 2000 NBA All-Star Weekend. He played on the NBA All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge Sophomore Roster. In his third year (2000–01), he started 74 of the 78 games he played in and averaged 12.9 ppg., while ranking seventh in the league in blocks at 2.6 bpg., tied for 25th in rebounding with a 7.8 rpg. average, and tied for 27th in field goal percentage (career high .477). Between November 2001 and February 2002, LaFrentz had a historical run in which he totaled at least five 3-pointers and five blocked shots in four separate games; up to that point, it had only occurred four times total in NBA history, and no one had done it more than once. He remains the all-time leader in league history in reaching that milestone. LaFrentz was traded by the Nuggets with Nick Van Exel, Avery Johnson, and Tariq Abdul-Wahad to the Dallas Mavericks for Juwan Howard, Donnell Harvey, Tim Hardaway and a 2002 first-round pick on February 21, 2002. He finished the 2001–02 season second in the NBA in blocked shots per game. LaFrentz played for the US national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship. The Celtics acquired LaFrentz from the Dallas Mavericks, along with Chris Mills, Jiri Welsch and a first-round draft choice, in exchange for Tony Delk and Antoine Walker on October 20, 2003. On November 13, 2005, LaFrentz became the first NBA player to have a perfect 7–7 three point shooting half. On June 28, 2006, the Boston Celtics traded LaFrentz, guard Dan Dickau, and the number seven pick in the 2006 NBA draft to the Portland Trail Blazers for center Theo Ratliff and guard Sebastian Telfair. In 2019–20 LaFrentz became an assistant basketball coach at Decorah High School in Decorah, Iowa.

Did You Know?

• LaFrentz was a high school McDonald's All-American and named to the USA Today All-USA 1st Team in 1994.
• He was on the receiving end of Jason Williams' legendary 'elbow pass' during the 2000 NBA All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge.
• He became the first KU player in 27 years to average a double-double over an entire season as a senior.