 Patterson with theMilwaukee Bucks in 2006 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1975-07-31)July 31, 1975 (age 50) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 223 lb (101 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | John Hay (Cleveland, Ohio) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1998: 2nd round, 31st overall pick |
| Drafted by | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Playing career | 1998–2009 |
| Position | Small forward /shooting guard |
| Number | 21, 22, 23, 13 |
| Career history | |
| 1998 | AEK Athens |
| 1998–1999 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1999–2001 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 2001–2006 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2006 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2006–2007 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2007 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2009 | Champville |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 6,953 (10.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,697 (4.2 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,150 (1.8 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Ruben Nathaniel Patterson (born July 31, 1975) is an American former professionalbasketball player. During his career, he played as asmall forward andshooting guard. During his college career at theUniversity of Cincinnati, Patterson helped lead the Bearcats toConference USA titles in both of his seasons there. Drafted by theLos Angeles Lakers in1998, Patterson began his career with the Greek teamAEK Athens BC before joining the Lakers in his rookie season. Later, he played for the NBA teamsSeattle SuperSonics,Portland Trail Blazers,Denver Nuggets,Milwaukee Bucks, andLos Angeles Clippers before ending his career with the Lebanese teamChampville SC.
Patterson had a troubled family life, both parents and one of his sisters battleddrug addiction, and his father spent time inprison. As a youth, he lived mostly with his mother, Charlene Patterson, who died of aheart attack when he was at theUniversity of Cincinnati.
After hearing of her death while on a road trip at UAB, he rejected an offer to fly home and spend time with his family, instead staying with his team for the game and scoring 32 points. "My mother would have wanted me to play," Patterson later explained.
Patterson started off his college basketball career in the small town ofIndependence, Kansas at theIndependence Community College. He later transferred to the University of Cincinnati.[1]
Patterson was a second-round selection of the1998 NBA draft (31st pick overall), chosen by theLos Angeles Lakers. Due to thelock-out season of 1998, he started the season in theGreek league playing withAEK Athens BC where he averaged 12.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 19 games. He later played for the Lakers, theSeattle SuperSonics, thePortland Trail Blazers, theDenver Nuggets, theMilwaukee Bucks, and theLos Angeles Clippers, averaging a career 10.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He nicknamed himself the "Kobe Stopper" after claiming he could play strong defense against NBA superstarKobe Bryant.[2]
Patterson left the Lakers for Seattle on August 10, 1999, as a free agent. He quickly became known as a solid defensive player and a good shooter, finishing fourth in the league in field goal percentage. He finished his second season in Seattle after starting 74 of 81 games, and third on the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game. After that season, he signed with the Portland Trail Blazers.
In his second year in Portland, trouble began to brew for Patterson. In April 2003, he was punched in the face by teammateZach Randolph during a practice that resulted in Patterson receiving a broken left eye socket. Randolph intervened in an argument between Patterson and rookie teammateQyntel Woods. The move led to Randolph receiving a two-game suspension and a $100,000 fine.[3]Often outspoken and erratic, Patterson was temporarily suspended from the Trail Blazers in the2005–06 season for speaking harshly to coachNate McMillan and refusing to return to a game, upset about his lack of playing time. Patterson later explained his outburst, saying he was frustrated and it was "like the devil hit me and told me to get it out".[citation needed] He also demanded that he get at least 25 minutes per game or be traded.
In February 2006, Patterson was traded to theDenver Nuggets. In the following off-season, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks forJoe Smith.[4] In Milwaukee, Patterson posted the best numbers of his career with 14.7 points, 2.9 assists and 31.0 minutes per game. He also tied a career-high in rebounds per game with 5.4 and posted a career-best 55% field goal average.
On August 29, 2007, Patterson signed a contract with theLos Angeles Clippers.[5] Patterson was waived by the Clippers on December 13, 2007.[6] He later joined the Lebanese clubChampville.[7]
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | LA Lakers | 24 | 2 | 6.0 | .412 | .167 | .710 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 2.7 |
| 1999–00 | Seattle | 81 | 74 | 25.9 | .536 | .444 | .692 | 5.4 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 11.6 |
| 2000–01 | Seattle | 76 | 22 | 27.1 | .494 | .056 | .681 | 5.0 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 13.0 |
| 2001–02 | Portland | 75 | 13 | 23.5 | .515 | .250 | .701 | 4.0 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 11.2 |
| 2002–03 | Portland | 78 | 17 | 21.2 | .492 | .150 | .627 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 8.3 |
| 2003–04 | Portland | 73 | 1 | 22.6 | .506 | .167 | .553 | 3.7 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 6.9 |
| 2004–05 | Portland | 70 | 36 | 28.0 | .531 | .080 | .599 | 3.9 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 11.6 |
| 2005–06 | Portland | 45 | 2 | 23.5 | .496 | .000 | .611 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 11.4 |
| 2005–06 | Denver | 26 | 20 | 28.3 | .543 | .167 | .580 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 13.2 |
| 2006–07 | Milwaukee | 81 | 53 | 31.0 | .548 | .158 | .641 | 5.4 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 14.7 |
| 2007–08 | LA Clippers | 20 | 5 | 16.4 | .453 | .000 | .558 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 5.1 |
| Career | 649 | 245 | 24.6 | .517 | .179 | .641 | 4.2 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 10.7 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | LA Lakers | 3 | 0 | 1.7 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 1999–00 | Seattle | 5 | 0 | 16.8 | .538 | .000 | .867 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 8.2 |
| 2001–02 | Portland | 3 | 0 | 21.7 | .333 | .000 | .750 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 5.3 |
| 2002–03 | Portland | 7 | 0 | 22.1 | .481 | .000 | .690 | 3.7 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 10.0 |
| 2005–06 | Denver | 4 | 1 | 14.5 | .529 | .000 | .400 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 5.0 |
| Career | 22 | 1 | 16.7 | .477 | .000 | .719 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 6.7 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | Cincinnati | 31 | 26 | 23.3 | .548 | .282 | .604 | 5.6 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 13.7 |
| 1997–98 | Cincinnati | 19 | 14 | 27.9 | .472 | .269 | .602 | 6.3 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 16.5 |
| Career | 50 | 40 | 25.1 | .515 | .274 | .603 | 5.9 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 14.8 | |
Patterson was involved in a number of off-the-court issues during his basketball career. He would have to register himself as asex offender to establish legal residency in many U.S. states, due to pleading guilty in 2001 to attemptedrape of his child'snanny in September 2000.[8] It was reported that he forced the nanny to perform a sex act on him.[8][9] In February 2001, Patterson was convicted ofmisdemeanorassault for attacking a man who scratched his car outside aCleveland,Ohio night club. Patterson was arrested in 2002 for felonydomestic abuse charges on his wife. His wife later dropped the charges[10] and they divorced.[11]
He was accused of failing to register as a sex offender on May 15, 2007, after moving into a new house in Cincinnati and a bench warrant was issued.[12] His agent, formerNFL playerTim McGee, said Patterson's failure to register was "an oversight" after Patterson was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine on June 8.
In March 2010, Patterson was arrested inHamilton County, Ohio on DUI charges after it was found that his blood alcohol level was .117. He was sentenced to a $500 fine and a three-day driving program, and was ordered not to consume alcohol for 18 months.[13]
In 2019, Patterson pleaded guilty to charges of unpaid child support. While at one point he owed more than $100,000, he toldThe Cincinnati Enquirer that he is currently paying down this debt.[14]
· Basketball Reference