Dwight David Howard II is an American professional basketball player for the Mets de Guaynabo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He began his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was an NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team member, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Rasheed Abdul Wallace is an American basketball coach and former professional player. A native of Philadelphia, Wallace played college basketball at the University of North Carolina before declaring for the draft in 1995. He played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Ben Camey Wallace is an American basketball executive and former professional player who played most of his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Detroit Pistons. He is regarded as the greatest undrafted player in NBA history, and was known for his shot-blocking, rebounding, and overall defensive play. A native of Alabama, Wallace attended Cuyahoga Community College and Virginia Union University. In his NBA career, he also played with the Washington Bullets/Wizards, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Michael Bibby is an American former professional basketball player. He played professionally for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He last served as the head coach for Hillcrest Prep Academy in Phoenix, Arizona. Bibby played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, with whom he won the 1997 NCAA Championship. He was drafted second overall by the Vancouver Grizzlies in the 1998 NBA draft.
Jameer Lamar Nelson Sr. is an American former professional basketball player who serves as general manager for the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Saint Joseph's Hawks, where he was named national college player of the year in 2004. Drafted 20th overall in the 2004 NBA draft, Nelson spent the first ten years of his NBA career with the Orlando Magic. In 2009, he was named an All-Star and made an appearance in the NBA Finals with the Magic. He has also played for the Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans and Detroit Pistons.
Richard Clay "Rip" Hamilton is an American former professional basketball player and current basketball analyst for CBS Sports HQ. Hamilton played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is best known for his nine-year stint with the Detroit Pistons, where he was a three-time All-Star. He helped lead the Pistons to six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances, back to back NBA Finals appearances, their best record in franchise history and the 2004 NBA championship.
Brian Joshua Cook is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted out of the University of Illinois with the 24th overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Maurice Edward Cheeks is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Detroit Pistons. Cheeks was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2018.
Darvin Ham Sr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as the head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders before playing nine seasons in the NBA from 1996 to 2005. He won an NBA championship playing with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. Ham also had a brief international experience in Spain and later in the Philippines, as well as in the NBA Development League in 2007 and 2008. As an assistant coach, he won a second championship in 2021 with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Kenneth Lavon "Chucky" Atkins is an American former professional basketball player who played for nine different NBA teams throughout his career.
Theophalus Curtis Ratliff is an American former professional basketball player who played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Trevor Anthony Ariza is an American former professional basketball player who spent 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A small forward, Ariza played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins before being selected in the second round of the 2004 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. Ariza won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009. He also played for the Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets, Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, and Miami Heat.
Jared Anthony Dudley is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A forward, he played college basketball for the Boston College Eagles.
Taj Jami Gibson is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was selected 26th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2009 NBA draft. A power forward/center, Gibson previously played for the Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Washington Wizards.
The 2007–08 Orlando Magic season was their 19th season in the National Basketball Association. Led by 22-year-old center Dwight Howard, the Magic finished the season with a 52–30 record, finishing first-place in the Southeast Division and advancing to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals where they were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in 5 games. The Magic had the fourth best team offensive rating in the NBA.
The 1995–96 NBA season was the Hawks' 47th season in the National Basketball Association, and 28th season in Atlanta. The Hawks received the 16th overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft, and selected Alan Henderson out of Indiana University. During the off-season, the team re-acquired former Hawks guard and one-time Slam Dunk champion Spud Webb from the Sacramento Kings; Webb played for the Hawks from 1985 to 1991. The team also replaced Stacey Augmon as the team's starting small forward with Ken Norman, as Augmon played a sixth man role off the bench for the first half of the season. The Hawks played above .500 with a 9–5 start in November, but then struggled losing 10 of their 14 games in December. After 28 games, Norman was benched as Augmon returned to the lineup for the remainder of the season, as the Hawks posted a ten-game winning streak in January, and held a 26–21 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, Webb was traded along with Andrew Lang to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Christian Laettner and Sean Rooks. The Hawks finished fourth in the Central Division with a 46–36 record.
Rick Sund is a National Basketball Association (NBA) executive with the Atlanta Hawks. Sund also served as GM for the Dallas Mavericks from 1979–92; Detroit Pistons from 1998-2000; Seattle SuperSonics from 2001-07 and Atlanta Hawks from 2008-12.
Markieff Morris is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks before being drafted 13th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns. He won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
The 2002–03 NBA season was the Pistons' 62nd season as a franchise, the 55th in the National Basketball Association, and the 46th in the Detroit area. During the off-season, the Pistons acquired Richard Hamilton from the Washington Wizards, and signed free agent Chauncey Billups. With the acquisitions of Hamilton and Billups, the Pistons got off to a solid start winning 12 of their first 16 games, and held a 32–15 record at the All-Star break. However, the team suffered a 7-game losing streak between February and March, but managed to finish first place in the Eastern Conference with a 50–32 record, which tied the 1977 Philadelphia 76ers for the worst record by a number one-seeded team in the history of the league. The Pistons were the only team in the Eastern Conference with 50 or more wins this season.
The 2003–04 NBA season was the Hawks' 55th season in the National Basketball Association, and 36th season in Atlanta. During the offseason, the Hawks signed free agent Stephen Jackson, while re-signing Jacque Vaughn after one season with the Orlando Magic. The Hawks continued to struggle losing eight of their first eleven games. At midseason, they traded Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Theo Ratliff to the Portland Trail Blazers for All-Star forward Rasheed Wallace. However, Wallace only played just one game for the Hawks before being traded to the Detroit Pistons for Bob Sura. Wallace would win a championship with the Pistons as they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the NBA Finals. The team also traded Nazr Mohammed to the New York Knicks, and acquired Joel Przybilla from the Milwaukee Bucks, while Dion Glover was released to free agency and signed with the Toronto Raptors.
