Baron Davis

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

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 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, over Simon Gratz High School, while earning MVP honors and a spot on the All-Tournament team along with future St. John's standout Erick Barkley. That year, Davis was also named Gatorade National Player of the Year and a Parade All-American. He was also selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game in Colorado Springs in 1997, playing with future NBA players Elton Brand, Shane Battier, Larry Hughes and Ron Artest. After a recruiting battle involving Kansas, Georgia Tech, Duke, and UCLA, Davis selected UCLA. He was involved in a minor controversy pertaining to his driving a 1991 Chevy Blazer that was a gift from his sister, then a UCLA employee. The car was sold to her by Jim Harrick's son. The controversy subsided when it was discovered that Davis's sister had bought the car at fair market value. Davis enrolled at UCLA in 1997 without problem. In 1998, Davis was named the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and made the third-team All-American his sophomore year in 1999. In Davis's two years at UCLA, he averaged 13.6 points and 5.1 assists. While coming down from a dunk during an NCAA Tournament game his freshman year, he injured his knee and tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). He made a full recovery the next season and declared for the 1999 NBA draft after his sophomore campaign.

In Their Own Story

The 2002–03 season marked the New Orleans Hornets' first year in the city. Led by All-Star Baron Davis, the team qualified for the postseason for the first time. In the first round, they met the Philadelphia 76ers. Despite Davis's efforts, the Hornets were defeated, ending their inaugural playoff run. That season set the foundation for the franchise's future in New Orleans.

Reader's Guide

Davis was the third pick in the 1999 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets. In his NBA debut, a 100–86 win over the Orlando Magic, Davis scored nine points, and added five rebounds, two assists and two steals. In his first year, he backed up Eddie Jones and David Wesley, as the Hornets lost in the first round of the playoffs to the 76ers in four games. The following year, he started all 82 games and led the Hornets back into the playoffs, sweeping the Miami Heat before being defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games in the second round. Davis is credited with making the longest shot in NBA history at the Bradley Center on February 17, 2001, when he made an 89 ft shot with 0.7 seconds remaining in the third quarter against the Bucks. During All-Star weekend, he also participated in the Slam Dunk Contest and the Rising Stars Challenge. The next season, Davis again started all 82 games while averaging 18 points and 8.5 assists per game. He was selected as an injury replacement for Vince Carter in the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. The Hornets made the playoffs with Davis for the third time, defeating the Orlando Magic in the opening round, then eliminated in the second round by the New Jersey Nets. In the summer of 2002, the Hornets relocated from Charlotte to New Orleans. In the New Orleans Hornets' inaugural season, Davis suffered multiple injuries that limited him to 50 games. He led the Hornets back to the playoffs, but they fell to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. The following season, injuries limited Davis to 67 games. Despite this, he led the league in steals per game, was voted an All-Star for the second time, and earned an All-NBA third team selection. Davis also won the Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend. The Hornets were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Miami Heat in seven games. The Hornets made the playoffs in each of Davis's five years with the team, and only advanced past the first round in the two years he started every game. He played for the U.S. national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship. On February 24, 2005, Davis was traded from the Hornets to the Golden State Warriors for Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis. After two seasons under coach Mike Montgomery, the Warriors hired Don Nelson for the 2006–07 season. Davis led the league in steals per game and the Warriors to their first playoff appearance since 1994. T

Did You Know?

• Davis holds the NBA's career playoff record for steals per game with an average of 2.28 over 50 games.
• He is credited with making the longest shot in NBA history, an 89-foot shot against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 17, 2001.
• Davis was the first No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in a seven-game playoff series, leading the Warriors over the Mavericks in 2007.
• He won the Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend in 2004.