| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1981-03-23)March 23, 1981 (age 43) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 194 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | DeMatha (Hyattsville, Maryland) |
| College | North Carolina (1999–2001) |
| NBA draft | 2001: 1st round, 21st overall pick |
| Selected by theBoston Celtics | |
| Playing career | 2001–2015 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 40 |
| Career history | |
| 2001–2002 | Boston Celtics |
| 2002–2003 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 2004–2005 | Asheville Altitude |
| 2005–2006 | Apollon Patras BC |
| 2006–2007 | Montepaschi Siena |
| 2007–2008 | UNICS Kazan |
| 2008 | Fortitudo Bologna |
| 2008–2009 | Snaidero Udine |
| 2010 | Nuova Pallacanestro Pavia |
| 2011 | Pistoia Basket |
| 2011 | Ironi Ashkelon |
| 2012 | Petrochimi Bandar Imam BC |
| 2014–2015 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Joseph Xavier Forte (born March 23, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He played two seasons in theNational Basketball Association (NBA) and was anAll-American player atNorth Carolina.
Forte got his start atDeMatha Catholic High School inHyattsville, Maryland. There, Forte played under the instruction of legendary high school prep coachMorgan Wootten. Forte's teammate at DeMatha,Keith Bogans, has played for several teams in theNBA.[1] Forte was namedWashington Post All Met Basketball Player of the Year in his senior year, during which he averaged 22.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists.[2]
After a two-year college career atUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (highlights of which included winning the 2000Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year as well as 2001ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year) that was marked by flashes of brilliant play, he was selected by theBoston Celtics with the 21st pick in the2001 NBA draft (at a time when later star playersTony Parker andGilbert Arenas were still available at the guard position).[citation needed]
Forte would only play in the NBA for 2 seasons for a total of 25 games (8 games for Boston in his rookie season, and 17 games for theSeattle SuperSonics in his sophomore season). In those 25 games, Forte averaged 1.2 points and 0.7 assists per game, struggling to convert from his naturalshooting guard position topoint guard. His final NBA game was played on April 16, 2003 in a 84 - 70 win over the Phoenix Suns where he recorded 2 assists and no points in 5 minutes of playing time.
After being released by the Sonics, Forte couldn't find a roster spot in the NBA and joined theAsheville Altitude of theNBA D-League. During the summer of 2005, Forte played with Team Certified of theEntertainers Basketball Classic atRucker Park, leading the team to the playoffs. After the summer, he went to Greece to play withApollon Patras. He then moved to the Italian clubMontepaschi Siena, which won the 2007 Italian championship game.
In July 2007, he signed with theRussian teamUNICS Kazan. In January 2008 he signed forFortitudo Bologna with a franchise option for the following season. He was waived after only two games played and in December 2008 he joinedSnaidero Udine, another Italian Serie A team. In May 2009 he asked to be waived for personal matters. On January 8, 2010, he joinedNuova Pallacanestro Pavia, an Italian LegaDue team (Italian second division).
Forte signed withPistoia Basket of Italy on August 20, 2010 for the 2011 season.[3] With Pistoia, he averaged 18.9 points and 3.6 assists per game in the regular season[4] In an 82–81 loss toFileni BPA Jesi on January 9, 2011, Forte amassed 34 points, the third-highest single-game total in team history.[4] Forte left Pistoia after being a key component and frequent starter in the team's playoff run.[5]
On October 6, 2011, Israeli sideIroni Ashkelon signed Forte to a one-week trial.[6] However, Forte ultimately ended up signing withIranian Basketball Super League teamPetrochimi Bandar Imam BC for 2012.[7] Through his first two games in league play, Forte averaged 9.1 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game.[8]
Forte's younger brother,Jason, played college basketball forBrown University and was namedIvy League player of the year in 2004.[9][10]