 Ratliff with theDetroit Pistons in 2008 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1973-04-17)April 17, 1973 (age 52) Demopolis, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Demopolis (Demopolis, Alabama) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Wyoming (1991–1995) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1995: 1st round, 18th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1995–2011 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Center /power forward | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 42, 50 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||
| 1997–2001 | Philadelphia 76ers | ||||||||||||||
| 2001–2004 | Atlanta Hawks | ||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Portland Trail Blazers | ||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Minnesota Timberwolves | ||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Philadelphia 76ers | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | San Antonio Spurs | ||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Charlotte Bobcats | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Los Angeles Lakers | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
As player:
As owner:
| |||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Points | 5,809 (7.2 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 4,596 (5.7 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
| Block | 1,968 (2.4 bpg) | ||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Theophalus Curtis Ratliff[1] (born April 17, 1973) is an American former professionalbasketball player who played 16 seasons in theNational Basketball Association (NBA).
Born inAlabama, Ratliff played for and graduated from theUniversity of Wyoming, before being selected by theDetroit Pistons in the1995 NBA draft. He also played for thePhiladelphia 76ers, theAtlanta Hawks, thePortland Trail Blazers, theBoston Celtics, theMinnesota Timberwolves, the Detroit Pistons, theSan Antonio Spurs, theCharlotte Bobcats and theLos Angeles Lakers. Primarily acenter, he was widely regarded as an excellentshot-blocker andled the league three times in blocks per game. As of 2024[update], he was ranked20th all-time in career blocks.[2]
Recruited byBenny Dees, Ratliff played for theWyoming Cowboys beginning in 1991. He saw limited playing time his freshman year, playing with frontcourt upperclassmen Brian Rewers,Reggie Slater, andTim Breaux. Following Slater and Breaux's graduations, Ratliff saw increased playing time his sophomore season, and would establish himself as Wyoming's starting center for his junior and senior year. During his senior year, Ratliff accumulated 144 blocks in 28 games, averaging 5.14 per game.[3]
Ratliff finished his college career as the second leading shot blocker inNCAA Division I history behind onlyAlonzo Mourning. His 425 blocked shots in his career as a Cowboy still stands as the most in school history, as of 2024[update].[4] Ratliff was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.[5]
Ratliff was selected with the 18th overall pick in the1995 NBA draft by theDetroit Pistons, for whom he played 2½ seasons. In December 1997, Ratliff alongside teammateAaron McKie, were traded to thePhiladelphia 76ers in exchange forEric Montross andJerry Stackhouse.[6][7][8][9] In Detroit, Ratliff had played mostly off the bench; Sixers first year coachLarry Brown immediately inserted Ratliff into his starting lineup and Ratliff's usage and production went up. On March 22, 1998, Ratliff scored a career-high 27 points during a 108–90 loss against theBoston Celtics.[10]
In his first full season in Philadelphia, Ratliff posted 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game, while being named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Alongside McKie,Eric Snow andAllen Iverson, they helped lead Philadelphia to the playoffs for the first time in eight years, where they would win the opening series against the Orlando Magic before falling to the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs.
The following season, Ratliff only played 57 games due to a stress fracture in his left ankle,[11][12][13] but averaged 11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game to help the Sixers back to the playoffs, where they would again lose to the Indiana Pacers in the second round.
Ratliff was voted to his firstAll-Star Game in 2001,[14] averaging 12.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and a league-leading 3.7 blocks per game. Ratliff however was injured just prior to the All Star game and unable to play, instead requiring season-ending surgery.[15][16] On February 22, Ratliff was traded to theAtlanta Hawks withToni Kukoč,Nazr Mohammed, andPepe Sánchez forRoshown McLeod andDikembe Mutombo.
Though a fan favorite in Philadelphia and arguably a better fit for the team than Mutombo, Larry Brown decided to move forward with the trade once it was determined Ratliff would not be back in time for the playoffs.[17] The2000–01 Sixers would eventually make it tothat season's NBA Finals after starting 36–14 with Ratliff[18] and finishing 15–11 with Mutombo in his place.
Ratliff played just three games due to a hip injury the following season.[19][20] Coming off back-to-back season ending injuries, Ratliff responded by averaging 8.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and a league-leading 3.2 blocks in 81 games during the 2002–03 season.
Midway through the2003–04 season, he was dealt to thePortland Trail Blazers, along withShareef Abdur-Rahim andDan Dickau, forRasheed Wallace andWesley Person.[21] Due to the timing of the trade and how far Atlanta and Portland were into their respective 82 game schedules, Ratliff would end up achieving an NBA rarity by playing 85 games in the season.[22] He also posted 307 blocks for the year; as of 2023, this is the only season a player eclipsed 300 blocks for a year since Dikembe Mutombo in 1996.[23] Despite being traded, this would represent Ratliff's best individual season; for the third time in four seasons he led the NBA in blocks, and for the second time in his career he was named to theNBA All-Defensive Second Team.
After the season, he signed a three-year contract extension with the Blazers.[24] Ratliff missed games over the next two seasons dealing with nagging injuries, and eventually lost his starting job toJoel Przybilla.
In June 2006, theBoston Celtics acquired Ratliff along withSebastian Telfair from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for the draft rights ofRandy Foye, power forward–centerRaef LaFrentz, and point guardDan Dickau.[25]
In July 2007, he was traded along withGerald Green,Ryan Gomes,Al Jefferson,Sebastian Telfair, and draft picks, to theMinnesota Timberwolves forKevin Garnett.[26] In February 2008 Ratliff was waived by the Timberwolves,[27] and he rejoined theDetroit Pistons in March.[28] In Detroit, Ratliff returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2000, as the Pistons advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Ratliff signed with the 76ers for 2008–09 season.[29] Returning to Philadelphia now a veteran on the relatively young team, Ratliff was named team captain alongAndre Miller andAndre Iguodala.
In the offseason he was signed by theSan Antonio Spurs.[30] In February 2010, he was traded to theCharlotte Bobcats for a projected second round draft pick in 2016.[31] This reunited him with former Sixers, now Bobcats coach Larry Brown; the frontcourt rotation of Ratliff,Tyson Chandler andBoris Diaw helped the Bobcats to the number one ranked defense in the NBA,[32] their first ever winning record, and first playoff appearance in team history.[33]
Ratliff was signed by theLos Angeles Lakers on July 22, 2010, to a one-year deal.[34]
Prior to the 2011-12 season, Ratliff announced he was retiring.[35]
Ratliff won numerous awards during his career. The following are some of his collegiate achievements:[5]
From Demopolis, Alabama, Ratliff created The Theo Ratliff Center in Demopolis, Alabama which is a recreation center with a basketball court.
Ratliff was the owner of theRome Gladiators basketball team.
In 2020, Ratliff wrote and publishedTheo The Hero, a children's book on how to deal with bullying.[36]
In 2025, his twin sons Darius and Adonis committed to the University of Southern California to play basketball in 2026.[37]
| 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 |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–96 | Detroit | 75 | 2 | 17.4 | .557 | .000 | .708 | 4.0 | .2 | .2 | 1.5 | 4.5 |
| 1996–97 | Detroit | 76 | 38 | 17.0 | .531 | – | .698 | 3.4 | .2 | .4 | 1.5 | 5.8 |
| 1997–98 | Detroit | 24* | 12 | 24.4 | .514 | – | .683 | 5.0 | .6 | .5 | 2.3 | 6.5 |
| Philadelphia | 58* | 55 | 32.1 | .512 | – | .706 | 7.3 | .7 | .7 | 3.5 | 11.2 | |
| 1998–99 | Philadelphia | 50* | 50* | 32.5 | .470 | – | .725 | 8.1 | .6 | .9 | 3.0 | 11.2 |
| 1999–00 | Philadelphia | 57 | 56 | 31.5 | .503 | – | .771 | 7.6 | .6 | .6 | 3.0 | 11.9 |
| 2000–01 | Philadelphia | 50 | 50 | 36.0 | .499 | – | .760 | 8.3 | 1.2 | .6 | 3.7* | 12.4 |
| 2001–02 | Atlanta | 3 | 2 | 27.3 | .500 | – | .545 | 5.3 | .3 | .3 | 2.7 | 8.7 |
| 2002–03 | Atlanta | 81 | 81 | 31.1 | .464 | – | .720 | 7.5 | .9 | .7 | 3.2* | 8.7 |
| 2003–04 | Atlanta | 53* | 52* | 31.1 | .458 | – | .653 | 7.2 | 1.0 | .6 | 3.1* | 8.3 |
| Portland | 32* | 31* | 31.8 | .540 | – | .629 | 7.3 | .6 | .8 | 4.4* | 7.3 | |
| 2004–05 | Portland | 63 | 45 | 27.5 | .447 | – | .692 | 5.3 | .5 | .4 | 2.5 | 4.8 |
| 2005–06 | Portland | 55 | 19 | 23.7 | .571 | – | .651 | 5.1 | .5 | .3 | 1.6 | 4.9 |
| 2006–07 | Boston | 2 | 2 | 22.0 | .333 | – | .750 | 3.5 | .0 | .5 | 1.5 | 2.5 |
| 2007–08 | Minnesota | 10 | 6 | 21.4 | .511 | .000 | .680 | 3.9 | .7 | .3 | 1.9 | 6.3 |
| Detroit | 16 | 3 | 13.9 | .450 | – | .667 | 3.1 | .4 | .3 | 1.1 | 3.0 | |
| 2008–09 | Philadelphia | 46 | 0 | 12.6 | .531 | – | .600 | 2.8 | .2 | .4 | 1.0 | 1.9 |
| 2009–10 | San Antonio | 21 | 3 | 8.7 | .444 | – | .500 | 1.9 | .4 | .1 | .9 | 1.6 |
| Charlotte | 28 | 26 | 22.3 | .466 | – | .783 | 4.2 | .6 | .3 | 1.5 | 5.1 | |
| 2010–11 | L.A. Lakers | 10 | 0 | 7.0 | .167 | – | .000 | 1.3 | .3 | .2 | .5 | .2 |
| Career | 810 | 533 | 25.5 | .496 | .000 | .710 | 5.7 | .6 | .5 | 2.4 | 7.2 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Detroit | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | – | – | – | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| 1997 | Detroit | 3 | 0 | 6.0 | .750 | – | .500 | 1.3 | .3 | .3 | 1.3 | 2.7 |
| 1999 | Philadelphia | 7 | 7 | 29.1 | .465 | – | .579 | 7.3 | .9 | .7 | 2.6 | 7.3 |
| 2000 | Philadelphia | 10 | 10 | 37.4 | .475 | – | .723 | 7.9 | .9 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 13.0 |
| 2008 | Detroit | 12 | 0 | 10.9 | .500 | – | .500 | 2.3 | .1 | .1 | .9 | 1.3 |
| 2009 | Philadelphia | 6 | 0 | 15.7 | .818 | – | .500 | 3.8 | .0 | .2 | .7 | 3.3 |
| 2010 | Charlotte | 4 | 4 | 11.8 | .375 | – | .500 | .8 | .3 | .5 | .0 | 1.8 |
| 2011 | L.A. Lakers | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | – | – | – | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 44 | 21 | 19.8 | .497 | – | .643 | 4.3 | .4 | .5 | 1.5 | 5.3 | |
| * | Led NCAA Division I |
| * | Led Western Athletic Conference |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–92 | Wyoming | 27 | 11.0 | .438 | – | .583 | 2.0 | .3 | .3 | 1.6 | 1.8 | |
| 1992–93 | Wyoming | 28 | 20 | 29.4 | .538 | .000 | .517 | 6.2 | .3 | .5 | 4.4* | 9.2 |
| 1993–94 | Wyoming | 28 | 28 | 31.9 | .569* | .000 | .649 | 7.8 | 1.0 | .9 | 4.1* | 15.4 |
| 1994–95 | Wyoming | 28 | 28 | 32.6 | .544 | .200 | .633 | 7.5 | 1.1 | .6 | 5.1* | 14.4 |
| Career[38] | 111 | 76 | 26.4 | .547 | .143 | .608 | 5.9 | .7 | .6 | 3.8 | 10.3 | |
