| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1971-03-27)March 27, 1971 (age 54) Neptune, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 216 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College | Tennessee Tech (1989–1993) |
| NBA draft | 1993: 2nd round, 36th overall pick |
| Drafted by | New Jersey Nets |
| Playing career | 1993–2007 |
| Position | Forward |
| Career history | |
| 1993–1994 | Le Mans |
| 1994 | Westchester Stallions |
| 1995 | Piratas de Quebradillas |
| 1995 | San Miguel Beerman |
| 1995–1996 | Chorale Roanne |
| 1996–1997 | Fribourg Olympic |
| 1997 | Formula Shell |
| 1997–1998 | Angers BC 49 |
| 1998 | Formula Shell |
| 1998–1999 | Fribourg Olympic |
| 1999–2000 | Formula Shell |
| 2000–2003 | Bayer Giants Leverkusen |
| 2003–2004 | Alba Berlin |
| 2004–2007 | Élan Chalon |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
John Herbert Best (born March 27, 1971) is an American former professionalbasketball player. A forward/center listed at 6-foot-8, he playedcollege basketball atTennessee Tech for 4 years, and in his senior year he ranked third inNCAA Division I in scoring with an average of 28.5 points per game. He was selected by theNew Jersey Nets in the second round of the1993 NBA draft (36th overall), but he was cut before the beginning of the1993–94 NBA season and started his professional career inFrance. After playing inPuerto Rico,Switzerland and thePhilippines, Best joinedGerman teamBayer Giants Leverkusen where he was theBasketball Bundesliga Top Scorer in 2001 with an average of 22.9 points per game. He then participated in the2003–04 Euroleague withAlba Berlin and retired after three more seasons in France withÉlan Chalon.
Best grew up inNeptune, New Jersey and then moved toMemphis, Tennessee with his family in 1987, before his junior year of high school.[1][2] While being atNeptune High School he had not played in the varsity basketball team; he later had a 6 inchesgrowth spurt and when atWhitehaven High School in Memphis he played two years in the varsity team.[3] In his senior season at Whitehaven he averaged 21.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game.[4]
Best signed for Tennessee Tech in April 1989.[5] He wasn't cleared to play until November because his old high school in New Jersey had not given a final certification for a science course taken in the 9th grade: after the school provided the certification, Best became eligible.[4] While at Tennessee Tech he chose to wear number 25 and he played mostlycenter during his college career.[2] In his freshman season he played 15 games (no starts) and averaged 3.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game, receiving limited playing time; he also won the Golden Eagle Award given by Tennessee Tech every year to players who showed "sacrifice, dedication and hard work": he received the award together with his teammate Mitch Cupples.[6] After the graduation of forward Earl Wise, the 1989–90 top scorer at Tennessee Tech,[7] coachFrank Harrell gave Best a spot in the starting lineup, and he led the team during his sophomore season, recording a team-best 13.9 points per game. In a preseason game on November 23, 1990, against Bethel he recorded a then career-high 32 points.[8] Best went on to average 5.3 rebounds (second on the team behind Jerome Rodgers) and 0.9 steals (second behindVan Usher).[9]
Best's junior season saw him start 27 out of 29 games, averaging 32 minutes per game and record a team-leading 20 points per game. His 7 rebounds per game placed him second behind Charles Edmondson, and he ranked third in steals behind Usher and Edmondson.[10] At the end of the season he was an All-OVC selection,[11] as he ranked third in the entire conference in scoring behind Division I scoring championBrett Roberts andPopeye Jones.[12] Best was named team capitain for his senior year.[13] On December 12, 1992, in a game againstSouthern Mississippi he recorded a new career-high of 36 points;[8] on January 9, 1993, againstEastern Kentucky he improved his career best with 38 points, and equalled it on January 30 againstMurray State.[8] He recorded his career-high of 42 points playing againstMorehead State on February 22, 1993.[8] He led the NCAA in 2-point field goals with 292, led the OVC in total points (799, also an all-time record for Tennessee Tech[8]) and points per game (28.5), which also ranked him 3rd in the entire Division I and 2nd all-time in Tennessee Tech history behind Jimmy Hagan's 1958–59 season (28.8).[14] At the end of the 1992–93 season he was named in the All-OVC team,NABC All-Region and All-District teams, and in theBasketball Weekly All-Region team.[11]
He ranks 4th all-time for points scored at Tennessee Tech with 1,773 in 97 games.[15]
In 2018, he was named an OVC basketball legend.[16]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | Tennessee Tech | 15 | 0 | 6.3 | .429 | .000 | .708 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 3.1 |
| 1990–91 | Tennessee Tech | 25 | 25 | 22.1 | .547 | .111 | .754 | 5.3 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 13.9 |
| 1991–92 | Tennessee Tech | 29 | 27 | 32.0 | .568 | .188 | .710 | 7.0 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 20.0 |
| 1992–93 | Tennessee Tech | 28 | 28 | 36.0 | .553 | .222 | .749 | 8.4 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 28.5 |
| Career | 97 | 80 | 26.6 | .557 | .186 | .737 | 6.9 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 21.0 |
After the end of his senior season, Best was automatically eligible for the1993 NBA draft, during which he was selected by theNew Jersey Nets with the 9th pick in the second round (36th overall).[19] He participated in the preseason camp with the Nets, but was cut before the beginning of the1993–94 NBA season[20] and moved toEurope, signing forFrench clubLe Mans Sarthe. In 1993–94 he played 17 games in theLNB Pro A with Le Mans, averaging 18.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists, shooting 51% from the field in 35.4 minutes per game. He played in theUSBL in 1994 with theWestchester Stallions; in 1995 he moved toPiratas de Quebradillas in theBaloncesto Superior Nacional ofPuerto Rico, where he appeared in 5 games averaging 20 points, 6 rebounds and 0.8 assists,[21] and then played for theSan Miguel Beerman of thePhilippine Basketball Association. In 1995–96 he played withChorale Roanne in theLNB Pro B, the second level of French basketball.
He joinedSwiss clubFribourg Olympic, where he won theSwiss Basketball League title in 1996–97. After a stint for theFormula Shell Zoom in the Philippines he played in the LNB Pro B again in 1997–98 forAngers BC 49. He then spent two seasons with Formula Shell Zoom, earning an All-Star selection in 1998. In 2000 he transferred toGerman clubBayer Giants Leverkusen, in theBasketball Bundesliga. In the 2000–01 season he played a total of 32 games averaging 22.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.9 steals in 32.8 minutes, shooting 58.1% from the field (38.7% from three) and 85% from the free throw line, and was thetop scorer of the league; he was also named theBBL All-Star Game MVP in 2001. In 2001–02 he played 29 games with averages of 19.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.8 steals in 31.2 minutes per game (shooting 38.9% from three). In 2002–03 over 30 games he averaged 20.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals shooting 55.7% from the field (39.8% from three) and 85.3% from the line in 34.4 minutes per game. In 2003 he left Leverkusen forAlba Berlin: in 2003–04 he played 37 games in the Bundesliga (28 in the regular season, 9 in the playoffs) averaging 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1 steal on 58.4% shooting from the field (40.6% from three) and 90.5% on free throws, thus recording a 50–40–90 season. He also played in the2003–04 Euroleague with Alba Berlin played, appearing in 14 games, averaging 11 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, shooting 55.4% from the field (38.9% from three) and 90.5% from the free throw line.[22]
In 2004 he left Germany to go back to France, signing forÉlan Chalon. In the 2004–05 LNB Pro A season Best played 33 games, with averages of 15.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists, shooting 39.3% from three and 92.3% from the free throw line in 29.3 minutes per game. He also appeared in the2004–05 ULEB Cup with Élan Chalon, and played 10 games, averaging 15.6 points and 4.3 rebounds, shooting 53.6% from the field (41% from three) and 88.9% from the line.[22] In the 2005–06 season he appeared in 32 games averaging 12.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 28.1 minutes per game, and he retired after the 2006–07 season during which he played 33 games with averages of 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 25.1 minutes per game.