 Coleman in 2014 | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1967-06-21)June 21, 1967 (age 58) Mobile, Alabama, U.S. | |||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | |||||||||||
| Listed weight | 270 lb (122 kg) | |||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||
| High school | Northern (Detroit, Michigan) | |||||||||||
| College | Syracuse (1986–1990) | |||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1990: 1st round,1st overall pick | |||||||||||
| Drafted by | New Jersey Nets | |||||||||||
| Playing career | 1990–2005 | |||||||||||
| Position | Power forward /center | |||||||||||
| Number | 44 | |||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||
| 1990–1995 | New Jersey Nets | |||||||||||
| 1995–1998 | Philadelphia 76ers | |||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Charlotte Hornets | |||||||||||
| 2001–2004 | Philadelphia 76ers | |||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Detroit Pistons | |||||||||||
| Career highlights | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| Career NBA statistics | ||||||||||||
| Points | 12,884 (16.5 ppg) | |||||||||||
| Rebounds | 7,232 (9.3 rpg) | |||||||||||
| Blocks | 1,051 (1.3 bpg) | |||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | ||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | ||||||||||||
Medals
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Derrick Demetrius Coleman (born June 21, 1967) is an American former professionalbasketball player. Coleman attendedSyracuse University and was selected first overall in the1990 NBA draft by theNew Jersey Nets.
Throughout his career, the left-handed Coleman was an effective low post scorer, averaging 16.5 points and 9.3 rebounds. He enjoyed his best years as a member of theNew Jersey Nets, where he averaged 19.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. When Coleman entered the NBA, he was compared to elite power forwards such asKarl Malone andCharles Barkley, and expected to put up similar numbers, only with the added ability to shoot fromthree-point range. Coleman made the 1994 NBA All-Star team, but his career was overshadowed by numerous injuries and attitude problems.Sports Illustrated once remarked that "Coleman could have been the best power forward ever; instead he played just well enough to ensure his next paycheck."[1]
As of 2007, he was working as a developer and entrepreneur inDetroit.[2] He has also appeared as an occasional studio analyst forNBA TV's "NBA Gametime Live" coverage.
Coleman was born inMobile, Alabama, but grew up and attended high school inDetroit.[3]
Coleman joined theOrangemen[a] in the1986–87 season and was a prototypicalBig East Conference power forward for the Orange.[3][4] Head coachJim Boeheim said no player in Syracuse's basketball history had more impact than Coleman.[5]
Coleman was selected to first teamAll-Big East selection in his sophomore and junior seasons, and as a senior, he was named theBig East Player of the Year.[3] He finished as the NCAA's top modern-day rebounder and the school's career scoring leader.[5]
Coleman's Syracuse number 44 jersey was retired on March 5, 2006.[6]
Coleman was the first overall pick in the1990 NBA draft after a successful college career. He had a solid rookie season and won theNBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1991.
Coleman went on to improve during the1991–92 season, averaging close to 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. The Nets were an up-and-coming team as well, with young players like Coleman,Kenny Anderson,Chris Morris andMookie Blaylock teaming up with solid veteran players likeSam Bowie,Chris Dudley,Terry Mills andDražen Petrović. The addition of coachChuck Daly, who won two NBA championships with theDetroit Pistons as head coach, was enough to get the Nets a winning record and into the playoffs during the1992–93 season. The1993–94 season was the peak for Coleman and the Nets during his time with the team. The Nets made it to the playoffs for the third straight season, while Coleman averaged his second straight 20 points, 10 rebounds season and was selected to represent the Nets in the All-Star game along with teammate Kenny Anderson. In 1995, the Nets traded Coleman,Rex Walters, andSean Higgins to thePhiladelphia 76ers forShawn Bradley,Tim Perry, andGreg Graham.
During a 1995 game featuring Coleman's Nets and rivalKarl Malone'sUtah Jazz, Coleman controversially referred to Malone as an 'Uncle Tom'.[7][8]
In 1999, Coleman signed with theCharlotte Hornets. In 2001, he was reacquired by the Philadelphia 76ers in a three-team trade involving the Golden State Warriors, where the Hornets acquiredChris Porter,Robert Traylor,George Lynch, andJérôme Moïso.
He played for theUS national team in the1994 FIBA World Championship, winning the gold medal.[9]
In 2004, Coleman andAmal McCaskill were traded to theDetroit Pistons forCorliss Williamson. The2004–05 season would be Coleman's last, as he was cut by the team in January 2005. He was one of nine NBA players that faced suspension for his role in the infamous November 2004Pacers–Pistons brawl. He served a one-game suspension for coming off the bench during the altercation at the scorer's table.
Coleman is one of only four players in NBA history to record afive-by-five in a game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds (the other beingHakeem Olajuwon,Draymond Green andVictor Wembanyama.)[10]
Coleman purchased a home inFranklin Lakes, New Jersey, where he resided until 2010, when he moved toDetroit.[11] After thewater crisis began inFlint, Michigan, Coleman drove 65 miles daily to bring residents clean bottled water and eating utensils, which they did not have access to.[12]
| 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 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–91 | New Jersey | 74 | 68 | 35.2 | .467 | .342 | .731 | 10.3 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 18.4 |
| 1991–92 | New Jersey | 65 | 58 | 34.0 | .504 | .303 | .763 | 9.5 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 19.8 |
| 1992–93 | New Jersey | 76 | 73 | 36.3 | .460 | .232 | .808 | 11.2 | 3.6 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 20.7 |
| 1993–94 | New Jersey | 77 | 77 | 36.1 | .447 | .314 | .774 | 11.3 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 20.2 |
| 1994–95 | New Jersey | 56 | 54 | 37.6 | .424 | .233 | .767 | 10.6 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 20.5 |
| 1995–96 | Philadelphia | 11 | 11 | 26.7 | .407 | .333 | .625 | 6.5 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 11.2 |
| 1996–97 | Philadelphia | 57 | 54 | 36.9 | .435 | .269 | .745 | 10.1 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 18.1 |
| 1997–98 | Philadelphia | 59 | 58 | 36.2 | .411 | .265 | .772 | 9.9 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 17.6 |
| 1998–99 | Charlotte | 37 | 29 | 31.8 | .414 | .212 | .753 | 8.9 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 13.1 |
| 1999–2000 | Charlotte | 74 | 64 | 31.7 | .456 | .362 | .785 | 8.5 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 16.7 |
| 2000–01 | Charlotte | 34 | 3 | 20.1 | .380 | .392 | .685 | 5.4 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 8.1 |
| 2001–02 | Philadelphia | 58 | 58 | 35.9 | .450 | .337 | .815 | 8.8 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 15.1 |
| 2002–03 | Philadelphia | 64 | 35 | 27.2 | .448 | .328 | .784 | 7.0 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 9.4 |
| 2003–04 | Philadelphia | 34 | 30 | 24.8 | .413 | .222 | .754 | 5.6 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 8.0 |
| 2004–05 | Detroit | 5 | 0 | 10.0 | .214 | .000 | 1.000 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.8 |
| Career | 781 | 672 | 33.2 | .447 | .295 | .769 | 9.3 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 16.5 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 1 | 18.0 | .167 | .000 | – | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | New Jersey | 4 | 4 | 40.5 | .486 | .167 | .762 | 11.3 | 5.3 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 22.3 |
| 1993 | New Jersey | 5 | 5 | 45.0 | .532 | .417 | .806 | 13.4 | 4.6 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 26.8 |
| 1994 | New Jersey | 4 | 4 | 43.3 | .397 | .556 | .780 | 14.3 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 24.5 |
| 2000 | Charlotte | 4 | 4 | 42.3 | .474 | .313 | .786 | 12.5 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 20.3 |
| 2001 | Charlotte | 5 | 0 | 17.6 | .265 | .250 | .778 | 5.0 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 5.4 |
| 2002 | Philadelphia | 5 | 5 | 38.2 | .524 | .308 | .800 | 9.2 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 12.8 |
| 2003 | Philadelphia | 12 | 12 | 37.4 | .500 | .400 | .872 | 8.0 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 13.6 |
| Career | 39 | 34 | 37.4 | .472 | .351 | .806 | 9.9 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 16.8 | |
· Basketball ReferenceLinks to related articles | |||||||
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