 Ferry playing for Duke, circa 1985 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1966-10-17)October 17, 1966 (age 59) Hyattsville, Maryland, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Maryland) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Duke (1985–1989) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1989: 1st round, 2nd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Los Angeles Clippers | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1989–2003 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Power forward /small forward | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 35 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Il Messaggero Roma | ||||||||||||||
| 1990–2000 | Cleveland Cavaliers | ||||||||||||||
| 2000–2003 | San Antonio Spurs | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Points | 6,439 (7.0 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 2,550 (2.8 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
| Assists | 1,185 (1.3 apg) | ||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Daniel John Willard Ferry (born October 17, 1966) is an American executive and former professionalbasketball player who played the forward position.
Considered one of the most celebrated basketball players in the United States from the high school graduating class of 1985, Ferry chose to attendDuke University. Ferry led theDuke Blue Devils to threeFinal Four appearances while setting many school records and earning several national player of the year awards. In 2002, Ferry was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) 50th Anniversary men's basketball team honoring the fifty greatest players in conference history.
Drafted into the NBA in1989 as the second overall pick, Ferry played one season forItalian league's Il Messaggero (nowVirtus Roma) after refusing to play for theLos Angeles Clippers. He went on to spend the majority of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played from 1990 to 2000. In the NBA, Ferry was a role player known for his three-point shooting. Ferry finished his playing career with the San Antonio Spurs, winning an NBA championship in the2002–03 season before retiring.
After Ferry's playing career ended, he became an executive. Ferry has served as vice president of basketball operations for theSan Antonio Spurs and as general manager of theAtlanta Hawks and theCleveland Cavaliers. He was hired as a consultant to the Spurs in 2020.
Ferry was born inHyattsville, Maryland[1] to former NBAcenter and NBA executiveBob Ferry[1] and his wife, Rita Ferry.[2] Ferry is of Irish descent; his great-great-grandfather, Peter Ferry, was born in Ireland in 1828 and emigrated to St. Louis, Missouri.[3][failed verification] The younger Ferry began his basketball career in earnest atDeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland where he excelled at the high school level underMorgan Wootten. The two-time All-American was ranked as one of the country's top high school basketballcenters[4] while at DeMatha and earnedParade Magazine's prep Player of the Year in 1985.[5] Ferry was one of the most highly recruited high school seniors in the nation before committing toDuke University.[4]
Ferry and his wife, Tiffany, have five children.[6]
Ferry attendedDuke University and played basketball for the school over four seasons from 1985 to 1989. During his college career, he helped lead the Blue Devils to the Final Four in1986,1988 and1989, twice winning the MVP award for the East Regional. Known for his outside shooting, rebounding abilities, and full-court vision,[7] Ferry was selected to thefirst team All-America in 1989 andsecond-team All-America in 1988. As of 2024, Ferry still held Duke's all-time single game scoring record, having scored 58points against Miami on December 10, 1988.[8] He has been described as one of Duke's greatest players of all time.[9] Ferry became the first player inAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC) history to collect more than 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in his collegiate career.[1][failed verification] He left Duke with several national player of the year awards under his belt, including theNaismith College Player of the Year,[1]USBWA College Player of the Year (Oscar Robertson Trophy)[10][11] and theUPI player of the year awards.[1] Ferry's number 35 wasretired in 1989 at the end of his senior season.[12] In 2002, Ferry was named to theACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team honoring the fifty greatest players in ACC history.[13]
After college, Ferry was drafted by theLos Angeles Clippers in the first round (second overall pick) of the1989 NBA draft. He did not want to play with the Clippers; instead, he accepted an offer to play for theItalian league's Il Messaggero (nowVirtus Roma). Ferry averaged 23 points per game during the 1989–90 season,[14] leading the Italian club into the playoffs.[1] The Clippers traded Ferry's rights on November 16, 1989, along withReggie Williams, to theCleveland Cavaliers in exchange forguardRon Harper, two first-round draft picks and a second-round pick.[1][14]
In the summer of 1990, the Cavaliers signed Ferry to a 10-year guaranteed contract for $34 million.[15] Ferry struggled with knee problems in the 1990–91 season.[16] He never lived up to the expectations created by his collegiate success and his large contract,[17] and he was considered a draft bust.[11] While Ferry became a reliable role player in the NBA[18] who was known for his three-point shooting,[19] he did not become a regular starter for the Cavaliers until 1996.[17] In the1995–96 NBA season, Ferry averaged 13.3 points per game. He had only one other season in his career (1996–1997) in which he averaged more than 10 points per game.[20] During Ferry's 10 years in Cleveland,[21][22] the team made the NBA playoffs six times.[23] Ferry became the team's all-time leader in games played (723 games) beforeŽydrūnas Ilgauskas surpassed his record on December 2, 2009.[24]
Ferry signed a one-year, $1 million contract with theSan Antonio Spurs as a free agent[25] on August 10,2000.[22] Ferry played for San Antonio for three seasons, amassing a three-point field goal percentage of 42.5%. He won an NBA championship with the Spurs in the2002–03 season before being traded to theIndiana Pacers in a three-team trade involving theSacramento Kings. Ferry was waived by the Pacers and he retired in 2003[21] with a career average of 7.0 points per game.[14] Over the course of his career, Ferry shot 39.3% from three-point range.[19]
From 2003 to 2005, Ferry worked in the Spurs' front office.[26]
On June 27, 2005, Ferry became the Cavaliers' eighth general manager.[27] Ferry began his management tenure with the Cavaliers overseeing a series of less-than-optimal transactions.[28] Nonetheless, the team flourished with superstarLeBron James and newly installed head coachMike Brown at the helm as the team made a series of serious postseason runs beginning in2006. Ferry, Brown, and Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert began to add talent and depth to the Cavs' roster, notably acquiring one-timeAll-StarguardMo Williams, former All-StarcenterShaquille O'Neal, startingshooting guardAnthony Parker, forwardLeon Powe, and former All-StarAntawn Jamison between 2008 and 2010.[28] The Cavaliers reached the NBA Finals for the first time in 2007.[29]
On June 4, 2010, it was announced that Ferry and the Cavaliers had come to a mutual agreement to part ways.[30] The Cavaliers went 272–138 during Ferry's tenure.[31] In August 2010, Ferry returned to the Spurs as vice president of basketball operations.[32]
On June 25, 2012, Ferry accepted a position as president of basketball operations and general manager for the Atlanta Hawks.[33] In June 2014, Ferry read aloud verbatim an "offensive and racist comment" written in a scouting report[34] during a conference call aboutMiami Heat playerLuol Deng. Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. called for him to resign or be dismissed. On September 9, Hawks CEO Steve Koonin announced that the team had decided not to dismiss Ferry and that they were instead going to discipline him.[citation needed] A few days later, Ferry asked to take—and was approved for—an immediate, indefinite leave of absence.[35] In June 2015, an independent investigation reported that Ferry's actions were not motivated by racism. According to UPI, "[the] investigation, which included 19 witness interviews and reviewed the contents of more than 24,000 emails, made clear that the offensive language was not Ferry's and none of Ferry's remarks or behavior during the call were motivated by racial or ethnic animus, or by a person's country of origin. To the contrary, the investigation found Ferry shared his own opinion of Deng, recommended him both personally and professionally and ultimately tried to sign him to the team."[36] Following the release of the investigation results, Ferry reached a buyout agreement with the Hawks.[37][38]
Ferry became a special advisor to the general manager of theNew Orleans Pelicans in June 2016.[39] After the firing of general managerDell Demps on February 15, 2019, Ferry was named the team's interim general manager.[40] He held that role for the rest of the season before being removed from his position on April 17 with the hiring ofDavid Griffin as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations.[41]
Ferry was hired as a consultant to the Spurs in 2020.[42]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship | * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–91 | Cleveland | 81 | 2 | 20.5 | .428 | .299 | .816 | 3.5 | 1.8 | .5 | .3 | 8.6 |
| 1991–92 | Cleveland | 68 | 1 | 13.8 | .409 | .354 | .836 | 3.1 | 1.1 | .3 | .2 | 5.1 |
| 1992–93 | Cleveland | 76 | 1 | 19.2 | .479 | .415 | .876 | 3.7 | 1.8 | .4 | .6 | 7.5 |
| 1993–94 | Cleveland | 70 | 1 | 13.8 | .446 | .275 | .884 | 2.0 | 1.1 | .4 | .3 | 5.0 |
| 1994–95 | Cleveland | 82* | 6 | 15.7 | .446 | .403 | .881 | 1.7 | 1.2 | .3 | .3 | 7.5 |
| 1995–96 | Cleveland | 82 | 79 | 32.7 | .459 | .394 | .769 | 3.8 | 2.3 | .7 | .5 | 13.3 |
| 1996–97 | Cleveland | 82 | 48 | 32.1 | .429 | .401 | .851 | 4.1 | 1.8 | .7 | .4 | 10.6 |
| 1997–98 | Cleveland | 69 | 3 | 15.0 | .395 | .333 | .800 | 1.7 | .9 | .4 | .2 | 4.2 |
| 1998–99 | Cleveland | 50* | 10 | 21.2 | .476 | .333 | .879 | 2.0 | 1.1 | .5 | .2 | 7.0 |
| 1999–00 | Cleveland | 63 | 3 | 21.0 | .497 | .440 | .912 | 3.8 | 1.1 | .3 | .4 | 7.3 |
| 2000–01 | San Antonio | 80 | 29 | 21.1 | .475 | .449 | .733 | 2.8 | .9 | .4 | .3 | 5.6 |
| 2001–02 | San Antonio | 50 | 2 | 16.0 | .429 | .434 | .944 | 1.8 | 1.0 | .3 | .2 | 4.6 |
| 2002–03† | San Antonio | 64 | 1 | 9.4 | .355 | .350 | .769 | 1.2 | .3 | .1 | .1 | 1.9 |
| Career | 917 | 186 | 19.8 | .446 | .393 | .840 | 2.8 | 1.3 | .4 | .3 | 7.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Cleveland | 9 | 0 | 6.1 | .467 | .333 | 1.000 | 1.8 | .1 | .1 | .1 | 2.1 |
| 1993 | Cleveland | 8 | 0 | 14.8 | .382 | .444 | .900 | 3.1 | 1.8 | .5 | .4 | 4.9 |
| 1994 | Cleveland | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | – | – | – | .0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| 1995 | Cleveland | 4 | 0 | 16.8 | .520 | .533 | .667 | .8 | 1.5 | .5 | .0 | 9.5 |
| 1996 | Cleveland | 3 | 3 | 39.0 | .341 | .063 | – | 5.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | .7 | 9.7 |
| 1998 | Cleveland | 3 | 0 | 3.3 | .000 | .000 | – | .3 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| 2001 | San Antonio | 13 | 11 | 25.7 | .397 | .457 | – | 3.2 | 1.3 | .3 | .1 | 5.8 |
| 2002 | San Antonio | 10 | 0 | 15.7 | .303 | .350 | .250 | 2.0 | .8 | .0 | .1 | 2.8 |
| 2003† | San Antonio | 16 | 1 | 6.3 | .286 | .286 | – | 1.4 | .4 | .1 | .0 | 1.3 |
| Career | 67 | 15 | 14.4 | .374 | .368 | .750 | 2.1 | .9 | .2 | .1 | 3.7 | |
· Basketball Reference
