 Rush with the Clippers in October 2009 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1980-10-30)October 30, 1980 (age 45) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Pembroke Hill (Kansas City, Missouri) |
| College | Missouri (1999–2002) |
| NBA draft | 2002: 1st round, 20th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Toronto Raptors |
| Playing career | 2002–2018 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 21, 4 |
| Career history | |
| 2002–2004 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2004–2006 | Charlotte Bobcats |
| 2006–2007 | Lietuvos rytas |
| 2007–2008 | Indiana Pacers |
| 2008–2009 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2009–2010 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2012 | Los Angeles D-Fenders |
| 2012–2013 | Los Angeles Slam |
| 2013–2014 | Los Angeles D-Fenders |
| 2018 | Kansas City Tornados |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 2,213 (6.4 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 572 (1.7 rpg) |
| Assists | 353 (1.0 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Kareem Lamar Rush (born October 30, 1980) is an American former professionalbasketball player, who played for fiveNational Basketball Association (NBA) franchises between 2002 and 2010, as well as other leagues in the U.S. and abroad. Rush's younger brother,Brandon, last played for theMinnesota Timberwolves, while older brotherJaRon playedcollege basketball forUCLA.[1]
After graduating fromPembroke Hill School in Kansas City, Rush attended theUniversity of Missouri inColumbia, Missouri, where he was a standout guard on the basketball team. Rush averaged 19.8 points per game as a junior, leading the Tigers to the Western Regional finals in the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Oklahoma. As a sophomore in 2000–01, he led the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 21.1 points per game. During this time, Rush worked with world-renowned conditioning coachIstvan Javorek.
Rush entered the2002 NBA draft after his junior season and was selected with the 20th pick overall by theToronto Raptors, who immediately traded his rights to theLos Angeles Lakers. Rush was projected to be a top 10 pick, but much like what happened to Kareem's elder brother JaRon—a former UCLA star—Kareem slipped down much further than anticipated. At the 2000 draft, JaRon, who left the Bruins after his sophomore season, was not selected. "No one wants to see something like that happen to his brother", JaRon said, weeping. "I mean, I knew he was going to get drafted eventually, but it was still hard."
Over his first two seasons, he played a limited, back-up role on theShaquille O'Neal andKobe Bryant-led club. However, due to his three-point shooting accuracy, he would become a more frequently used reserve player in the 2003–2004 playoffs for coachPhil Jackson. Although the Lakers would lose to the Pistons in theNBA Finals, Rush was able to make somewhat of a name for himself as a sharpshooter, averaging 14 minutes per game and hitting 40% of his three-point shots in the playoffs. He was a major contributor in helping the Lakers clinch the Western Conference Finals againstKevin Garnett and theMinnesota Timberwolves, when he scored 18 points in the sixth and final game, all from 3-point range, where he was 6 for 7.[2]
Fourteen games into the2004–05 season, the Lakers traded Rush to theCharlotte Bobcats for two future second-round draft picks. In Charlotte, Rush found a larger role, often starting and averaging more than 25 minutes and 11.5 points per game. He set a then-Bobcats franchise record by scoring 35 points against theIndiana Pacers. His season ended March 2 when he strained hisMCL during a game inNew Orleans.[3]
During the2006–07 offseason, Rush signed with theSeattle SuperSonics,[4] but recovered slowly from a groin injury. In November 2006, the club waived him to make room for a replacement for two frontcourt players who had sustained injuries.[5]
Rush spent the next season playing in Lithuania. On December 21, 2006, he signed withULEB Cup participantLietuvos rytas fromVilnius. He was chosen by the Slovenian coachZmago Sagadin and led his team to the cup final. On February 24, 2007, Rush was namedthe MVP of the2007 LKL All-Star Game. On April 21, Rush's team became the champion of theBaltic Basketball League; he was named the Final FourMVP.
On July 3, 2007, Rush signed with theIndiana Pacers, who cited their need for a shooter.[6]
On July 28, 2008, Rush signed a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.[7]
Rush eventually signed for the Los Angeles Clippers, because of injuries to other players on the roster.[8] However, Rush himself suffered anACL tear in his right knee on November 18, 2009.[9] The day before his ACL tear would end up being his final NBA game ever. On November 17, 2009, the Clippers would lose to theNew Orleans Hornets 102 - 110 with Rush only playing for less than 2 minutes and recording no stats.
Rush was waived by the Clippers on January 22, 2010.[10]
On March 12, 2012,Los Angeles D-Fenders of theNBA D-League acquired Rush.[11]
For the 2012–13 season, Rush played for theLos Angeles Slam of theABA.
In November 2013, he was re-acquired by the Los Angeles D-Fenders.[12]
On January 22, 2014, Rush left the D-Fenders, citing his desire to formally retire from basketball.
In 2017, Rush joined theBIG3 basketball league, playing on a talent-stacked3 Headed Monsters roster, highlighted by head coach (andNBA Hall of Famer)Gary Payton, as well asKwame Brown (the first ever directly-from-high-school player to go #1 overall in theNBA draft),Rashard Lewis,Jason Williams, andMahmoud Abdul-Rauf.
In January 2018, he signed with theKansas City Tornados of the first-yearNorth American Premier Basketball.[13]
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | L.A. Lakers | 76 | 0 | 11.5 | .393 | .279 | .696 | 1.2 | .9 | .1 | .1 | 3.0 |
| 2003–04 | L.A. Lakers | 72 | 15 | 17.3 | .440 | .348 | .596 | 1.3 | .8 | .5 | .3 | 6.4 |
| 2004–05 | L.A. Lakers | 14 | 0 | 6.5 | .200 | .200 | 1.000 | .7 | .2 | .1 | .1 | .9 |
| 2004–05 | Charlotte | 34 | 22 | 25.8 | .396 | .386 | .761 | 2.3 | 1.9 | .5 | .2 | 11.5 |
| 2005–06 | Charlotte | 47 | 25 | 23.6 | .386 | .348 | .714 | 2.2 | 1.1 | .8 | .3 | 10.1 |
| 2007–08 | Indiana | 71 | 15 | 21.2 | .401 | .389 | .714 | 2.4 | 1.3 | .6 | .3 | 8.3 |
| 2008–09 | Philadelphia | 25 | 1 | 8.0 | .345 | .303 | 1.000 | .6 | .6 | .2 | .0 | 2.2 |
| 2009–10 | L.A. Clippers | 7 | 0 | 8.3 | .364 | .333 | .000 | .9 | .6 | .3 | .4 | 1.3 |
| Career | 346 | 78 | 17.2 | .400 | .358 | .703 | 1.7 | 1.0 | .4 | .2 | 6.4 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | L.A. Lakers | 9 | 0 | 7.1 | .379 | .364 | 1.000 | .3 | .2 | .1 | .0 | 3.3 |
| 2004 | L.A. Lakers | 22 | 0 | 14.3 | .385 | .400 | .667 | .7 | .8 | .5 | .1 | 3.7 |
| Career | 31 | 0 | 12.2 | .383 | .393 | .857 | .6 | .6 | .4 | .1 | 3.6 | |
Rush's younger brotherBrandon also played in the NBA.
In 2010, Rush embarked on an R&B singing career, releasing his debut single "Hold You Down".[14]
· Basketball Reference