 Armstrong with theDallas Mavericks as an assistant coach in 2012 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1968-06-22)June 22, 1968 (age 57) Gastonia, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Ashbrook (Gastonia, North Carolina) |
| College | Fayetteville State (1988–1991) |
| NBA draft | 1991:undrafted |
| Playing career | 1991–2008 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 10, 3, 24 |
| Coaching career | 2009–present |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1991–1994 | Atlanta Eagles/Trojans |
| 1992 | Capital Region Pontiacs |
| 1992–1993 | South Georgia Blues |
| 1993–1994 | Pezoporikos Larnaca |
| 1994–1995 | Ourense |
| 1995–2003 | Orlando Magic |
| 2003–2004 | New Orleans Hornets |
| 2004–2006 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2006–2007 | Indiana Pacers |
| 2007–2008 | New Jersey Nets |
Coaching | |
| 2009–2025 | Dallas Mavericks (assistant) |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 7,712 (9.2 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,269 (2.7 rpg) |
| Assists | 3,394 (4.0 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Darrell Eugene Armstrong (born June 22, 1968) is an American professionalbasketball coach and former player who last was an assistant coach for theDallas Mavericks of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He played 14 seasons in the NBA for theOrlando Magic,New Orleans Hornets, Dallas Mavericks,Indiana Pacers andNew Jersey Nets. Armstrong was selected as theMost Improved Player andSixth Man of the Year while playing for the Magic in 1999. He retired from playing in 2008 and joined the Mavericks as an assistant coach in 2009. He won his firstNBA championship with the Mavericks in2011.
Armstrong was born inGastonia, North Carolina and graduated fromAshbrook High School of Gastonia in 1986.[1][2] At Ashbrook, Armstrong was apunter andwide receiver on the football team and began playing basketball as a senior.[3] Armstrong then attendedFayetteville State University, aDivision II college inFayetteville, North Carolina and part of theCentral Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) conference, and joined the football team as awalk-onplacekicker.[3] Armstrong played football for the 1986 and 1987 seasons and twice kicked school-record 48-yard field goals.[4] In 1988, Armstrong joined the Fayetteville State basketball team and would play three seasons under coachJeff Capel II.[1] In his senior season of 1990–91, Armstrong played 24 games and averaged 16.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists.[1] Armstrong was the CIAA Slam Dunk champion in 1990 and a first-team All-CIAA selection in 1991.[4][5]
Armstrong was not selected in the1991 NBA draft and began his career with the Atlanta Eagles (renamed Trojans in 1994) of theUnited States Basketball League (USBL) in 1991.[6] Armstrong was named to the USBL All-Defensive team three consecutive seasons from 1992 to 1994, was a second-team All-USBL selection in 1992, and first-team All-USBL selection in 1993 and 1994.[7]
In October 1992, Armstrong signed with theCapital Region Pontiacs of theContinental Basketball Association (CBA).[8] Armstrong later played for the South Georgia Blues of theGlobal Basketball Association until the team folded in 1993.[9] After playing for the Blues, Armstrong returned to Gastonia. He volunteered at Ashbrook High School as an assistant basketball coach and worked the night shift at ayarn factory.[9]
Armstrong signed withPezoporikos Larnaca ofCyprus in 1993.[6][10] He averaged 32.0 points and 8.0 assists and won Player of the Year honors.[11]
For the 1994–95 season, Armstrong played forCoren Ourense of the SpanishLiga ACB and averaged 24.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. He was aULEB All-Star in 1994.[4][10]
Armstrong first signed with the NBA as a free agent for theOrlando Magic in late 1994–95, playing in the last 3 games of the regular season with 10 points in 8 minutes of action including a spectacular one-handed reverse windmill dunk late in a blowout vs the Indiana Pacers in his 2nd game. In 95–96 he played just 41 minutes in 13 games, scoring 42 points total; despite his limited minutes, he participated in the 1996Slam Dunk Contest. He was inactive after February.
He saw 67 games in his first full season on the roster in 1996–97, averaging 6 points per game in 15 minutes per game off the bench. Armstrong won theNBA Sixth Man of the Year Award and theNBA Most Improved Player Award in 1999, thus becoming the first player in NBA history to win both awards simultaneously. In a 1999 game against thePhiladelphia 76ers, Armstrong stole an inbounds pass and streaked to the other end of the court for a game winning layup as time expired. He subsequently became the startingpoint guard for the Magic. His career year was in 1999–00, averaging 16.2 ppg in 31 mpg.
On February 14, 2001, Armstrong recorded 22 points and a career-high 16 assists in a 114–101 win over theLos Angeles Clippers.[12]
During his nine years in Orlando, the team never posted a losing record, making theNBA playoffs seven times.
On July 7, 2003, Armstrong was arrested after an incident outside anOrlando night club. He was subsequently charged with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer, but the case was eventually dismissed.[13]
During the 2003 off-season, Armstrong signed with theNew Orleans Hornets as a free agent.
He was traded by the Hornets to theDallas Mavericks in exchange forDan Dickau and a second round draft pick on December 3, 2004.On December 19, 2005, while he was still with theDallas Mavericks, Armstrong was fined $1,000 for grabbing a microphone before a Mavericks game against theMinnesota Timberwolves at theAmerican Airlines Center and yelling "How 'bout those Redskins!" Only a few hours prior, the Cowboys had been routed by the Redskins 35–7. Armstrong was raised in North Carolina as a Redskins fan.[14]
After appearing in the2006 NBA Finals with the Mavericks, he was traded to theIndiana Pacers in exchange for guardAnthony Johnson in July 2006. Armstrong was released by the Pacers on October 1, 2007.
After being released by the Pacers, Armstrong signed with theNew Jersey Nets after clearing waivers.[15][16] He appeared in 50 games in 2007–08, averaging 2.5 ppg in 11.0 minutes, and buried three 3-pointers in his final appearance of the season.
Despite his short height, Armstrong had the ability to dunk. He accidentally completed a reverse layup in the 1996Slam Dunk Contest, which was deemed the worst dunk in the competition's history byKenny Smith.[17] Subsequently, he was awarded last place in the contest, and was never invited to compete again.
On January 26, 2009, theDallas Mavericks hired Armstrong to be assistant coach for player development.[18] Armstrong helped coach the Mavericks to win the2011 NBA Finals.[19] In April 2025, he was removed from the media website after being arrested on a charge of aggravated assault.[20]
On February 15, 2025, Armstrong was arrested inDallas,Texas on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.[21]
| 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 |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | Orlando | 3 | 0 | 2.7 | .375 | .333 | 1.000 | .3 | 1.0 | .3 | .0 | 3.3 |
| 1995–96 | Orlando | 13 | 0 | 3.2 | .500 | .500 | 1.000 | .2 | .4 | .5 | .0 | 3.2 |
| 1996–97 | Orlando | 67 | 0 | 15.1 | .383 | .304 | .868 | 1.1 | 2.6 | .9 | .1 | 6.1 |
| 1997–98 | Orlando | 48 | 17 | 25.8 | .411 | .368 | .854 | 3.3 | 4.9 | 1.2 | .1 | 9.2 |
| 1998–99 | Orlando | 50* | 15 | 30.0 | .441 | .365 | .904 | 3.6 | 6.7 | 2.2 | .1 | 13.8 |
| 1999–00 | Orlando | 82 | 82* | 31.6 | .433 | .340 | .911 | 3.3 | 6.1 | 2.1 | .1 | 16.2 |
| 2000–01 | Orlando | 75 | 75 | 36.9 | .412 | .355 | .884 | 4.6 | 7.0 | 1.8 | .2 | 15.9 |
| 2001–02 | Orlando | 82 | 79 | 33.3 | .419 | .349 | .888 | 3.9 | 5.5 | 1.9 | .1 | 12.4 |
| 2002–03 | Orlando | 82 | 23 | 28.7 | .409 | .336 | .878 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 1.6 | .2 | 9.4 |
| 2003–04 | New Orleans | 79 | 22 | 28.4 | .395 | .315 | .854 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 1.7 | .2 | 10.6 |
| 2004–05 | New Orleans | 14 | 9 | 29.4 | .333 | .243 | .905 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 1.1 | .1 | 10.1 |
| 2004–05 | Dallas | 52 | 7 | 11.1 | .305 | .268 | .830 | 1.3 | 2.2 | .6 | .1 | 2.3 |
| 2005–06 | Dallas | 62 | 2 | 10.0 | .336 | .229 | .786 | 1.3 | 1.4 | .4 | .1 | 2.1 |
| 2006–07 | Indiana | 81 | 4 | 15.7 | .414 | .336 | .785 | 1.7 | 2.4 | .9 | .1 | 5.6 |
| 2007–08 | New Jersey | 50 | 2 | 11.0 | .364 | .333 | .667 | 1.3 | 1.5 | .6 | .0 | 2.5 |
| Career | 840 | 337 | 23.7 | .409 | .334 | .871 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 1.4 | .1 | 9.2 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Orlando | 5 | 0 | 28.6 | .476 | .333 | .846 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 1.6 | .2 | 11.4 |
| 1999 | Orlando | 4 | 4 | 40.8 | .370 | .375 | 1.000 | 5.0 | 6.3 | 2.2 | .0 | 14.8 |
| 2001 | Orlando | 4 | 4 | 41.8 | .378 | .368 | .923 | 5.5 | 4.8 | 2.0 | .5 | 13.3 |
| 2002 | Orlando | 4 | 4 | 39.5 | .476 | .235 | .810 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 1.2 | .0 | 15.3 |
| 2003 | Orlando | 7 | 1 | 32.3 | .455 | .333 | .909 | 2.4 | 3.7 | .9 | .0 | 9.4 |
| 2004 | New Orleans | 7 | 0 | 21.4 | .235 | .200 | 1.000 | 2.1 | 2.3 | .9 | .0 | 3.4 |
| 2005 | Dallas | 9 | 0 | 7.3 | .500 | .250 | .000 | .4 | 1.0 | .3 | .2 | 2.0 |
| 2006 | Dallas | 11 | 0 | 4.3 | .200 | .000 | 1.000 | .6 | .2 | .3 | .1 | .7 |
| Career | 51 | 13 | 22.0 | .398 | .287 | .900 | 2.3 | 2.5 | .9 | .1 | 6.8 | |
· Basketball Reference