Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13, 1979) is an American former professionalbasketball player who is a television host and sports analyst. He was a two-timeNBA All-Star, made theAll-NBA Third Team in2004, and twiceled the NBA in steals. He was drafted with the third overall pick in the1999 NBA draft by theCharlotte Hornets. He also played in the NBA for theNew Orleans Hornets,Golden State Warriors,Los Angeles Clippers,Cleveland Cavaliers andNew York Knicks. Davis playedcollege basketball for theUCLA Bruins, earningAll-American honors before turning professional after his sophomore year. He was a star high school player while atCrossroads School. Davis holds the NBA's career playoff record for steals per game with an average of 2.28 over 50 games.[1]
Davis was born inLos Angeles and grew up in theSouth Central area.[2] His grandmother and guardian, Lela Nicholson, was instrumental in pushing him to play basketball. With her encouragement, he eventually enrolled atCrossroads School, a prestigious private school inSanta Monica.
As a senior at Crossroads, Davis led his team to the championship of The Beach Ball Classic tournament inMyrtle Beach, South Carolina, over perennial prep powerhouseSimon Gratz High School (Philadelphia,Pennsylvania), while earning MVP honors and a spot on the All-Tournament team along with futureSt. John's standoutErick Barkley at that prestigious event. That year, Davis was also namedGatorade National Player of the Year and aParade All-American. He was also selected to play in the prestigiousMcDonald's All-American High School Basketball Game inColorado Springs in 1997, playing with future NBA playersElton Brand,Shane Battier,Larry Hughes andRon Artest.
After a highly contested recruiting battle that sawKansas,Georgia Tech,Duke, andUCLA in hot pursuit for his services, Davis selected UCLA as college choice, so that he could play in front of his family and friends. During this time, Davis was involved in a minor controversy pertaining to his driving a 1991Chevy Blazer that was a gift from his sister, then a UCLA employee. The car was sold to her byJim Harrick's son. At the time, Harrick was the UCLA men's basketball coach, presenting both a conflict of interest and a potential recruiting violation, since rumor had it that the car was purchased below market value. The controversy subsided when it was discovered that Davis's sister had, in fact, bought the car at fair market value.[3] Davis then enrolled at UCLA in 1997 without problem. In 1998, Davis was named thePac-10 Freshman of the Year and made thethird-team All-American his sophomore year in 1999.[4]
In Davis's two years at UCLA, he averaged 13.6 points and 5.1 assists for the Bruins. While coming down from a dunk during an NCAA Tournament game his freshman year, he injured his knee and tore hisanterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Surprisingly, though, he made a full recovery the next season and seemed to have regained nearly all of the speed, quickness, and explosiveness he had before the injury while doing enough on the basketball court to warrant his declaring for the1999 NBA draft after his sophomore campaign.[5]
Davis was the third pick in the1999 NBA draft by theCharlotte Hornets. In his NBA debut, a 100–86 win over theOrlando Magic, Davis scored nine points, and added five rebounds, two assists and two steals. In Davis's first year, he backed upEddie Jones andDavid Wesley, as the Hornets lost in the first round of theplayoffs to the 76ers in four games.
Davis saw better success the following year, as his averages in points, assists, steals and minutes per game all increased and he started all 82 games for the Hornets. Davis lead the Hornets back into the playoffs, and swept theMiami Heat before being defeated by theRay Allen-ledMilwaukee Bucks in seven games in the second round. Davis is credited with making thelongest shot in NBA history at theBradley Center on February 17, 2001, when he made an 89-foot (27 m) shot with 0.7 seconds remaining in the third quarter against the Bucks.[6] DuringAll-Star weekend, he also participated in theSlam Dunk Contest and theRising Stars Challenge
The next season, Davis again started all 82 games while averaging 18 points and 8.5 assists per game. He was also selected as an injury replacement forVince Carter in the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. The Hornets made the playoffs with Davis for the third time in as many years, but after defeating theTracy McGrady-ledOrlando Magic in the opening round, they were eliminated in the second round by theJason Kidd-ledNew Jersey Nets.
In the summer of 2002, the Hornets relocated fromCharlotte, North Carolina, toNew Orleans. In theNew Orleans Hornets' inaugural season, Davis suffered multiple injuries that limited him to just 50 games. He was still able to lead the Hornets back to the playoffs, but they would fall to theAllen Iverson-ledPhiladelphia 76ers in the first round. Iverson would later describe Davis as the most difficult defensive assignment of his career.[7]
The following season saw injuries limited Davis to 67 games. Despite this, he led the league in steals per game, was voted an All-Star for the second time, and earned an All-NBA third team selection. Davis also won theSkills Challenge during All-Star Weekend. The Hornets were ultimately ousted in the first round of the playoffs by theDwyane Wade-ledMiami Heat in seven games.
The Hornets made the playoffs in each of Davis's five years with the team, and only advanced past the first round in the two years he started every game. After Davis was traded to Golden State, New Orleans failed to make the playoffs for three straight years. He played for theU.S. national team in the2002 FIBA World Championship.[8]
On February 24, 2005, Davis was traded from the Hornets to theGolden State Warriors for guardSpeedy Claxton and veteran forwardDale Davis after tension with the Hornets' coaching staff and several nagging injuries.[9] The move created one of the more potent backcourts in the NBA with Davis and star guardJason Richardson. It also saw Davis's return to California, where he had craved to return since his college days atUCLA.
After two seasons in which the Warriors underachieved under coachMike Montgomery, the Warriors hired former coachDon Nelson for the2006–07 season. His high-scoring offensive system was designed to fit Davis's up-tempo style. Although Davis suffered through knee soreness and underwent surgery during the season, he still led the league in steals per game and the Warriors to their first playoff appearance since1994. The Warriors swept the regular season series against the Mavericks 3–0, giving them an advantage and won the series against the top-seededDallas Mavericks 4–2, making them the first No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed since the NBA changed the 1st round from a 5-game series to a 7-game series. It was numerically the largest upset in the history of the NBA playoffs, with the 67–15 Mavericks' regular-season win–loss record 25 games better than the 42–40 Warriors'. Davis averaged 25 points per game in the series.
Steve Kerr, then television analyst, called Davis's performance in the2007 NBA playoffs "outrageous...stunningly athletic and creative and explosive."[10] Davis's playoff highlights included numerous acrobatic layups, a buzzer-beating half-court three-pointer, and a memorable dunk overAndrei Kirilenko. TheUtah Jazz eliminated the undersized Warriors 4 games to 1.[11] Davis averaged 25.3 points, 6.5 assists, 2.9 steals, and 4.5 rebounds per game in the 2007 Playoffs.[12]
In 2008, during a playoff elimination game against the Phoenix Suns, Coach Nelson benched Davis at halftime due to his poor play (shooting 2–13 in 17 minutes). Down fourteen at the half, the Warriors lost by six. Some sportswriters criticized Nelson's decision to bench his team's star with an entire half left to play; other writers speculated about possible friction between Davis and Nelson, which Nelson denied.[13][14][15] After the 2007–08 season, in which the Warriors were narrowly edged out of playoff contention despite a record of 48–34 (led by Davis—who remained injury-free throughout the season—with averages of 21.8 PPG, 7.6 assists, 2.3 steals, 4.6 RPG), Davis's agent Todd Ramasar stated that Davis might opt out of his contract with the Warriors, which would have paid him $17.8 million, to pursue other options.[16] On June 30, 2008, Davis opted out of his contract with the Golden State Warriors.[17]
On July 1, 2008, Davis verbally agreed to a 5-year, $65 million deal to play for his hometown team, theLos Angeles Clippers,[18] and officially signed with the Clippers on July 10, 2008.[19] Davis initially decided to join the Clippers with the intent of playing withElton Brand, but Brand shockingly opted out of his contract to sign with thePhiladelphia 76ers. After officially signing with the Clippers, Davis said that Brand's departure had no impact on his decision to come to Los Angeles.[20][21]
Prior to Davis's arrival, the Clippers had never even won their division or conference, and had only advanced past the first round of the playoffs twice since entering the league in 1970. Davis promised to change that, and despite Brand's departure, Clippers fans remained excited to have a star who could compete with crosstown rivalKobe Bryant's popularity.[22]
Davis's first year with the Clippers was marked with a series of injuries and disappointments, as the Clippers struggled to a 19–63 record in which Davis was only able to play 65 games, and saw his points per game average and field goal percentage take a steep decline.[23] Despite this, Davis did produce a few bright spots on the year. On November 22, he scored 30 points and handed out 10assists in a game against the New Jersey Nets.[24] He also had a pair of 20-assist games on the year.
On November 20, 2009, at a home game vs theDenver Nuggets, Baron reached and surpassed the 5,000-assist mark.[25] In his third year with the Clippers, a rejuvenated and healthy Davis saw some success playing alongside youngstersEric Gordon,DeAndre Jordan and Rookie of the YearBlake Griffin. While Davis was finally showing the ability that prompted Clippers management to sign him, run-ins with the coaching staff and Clippers' ownerDonald Sterling as well as the team's decision to get younger and rebuild, made the Clippers decide to move in a new direction.[26]
On February 24, 2011, Davis was traded to theCleveland Cavaliers along with a first-round pick (which turned out to be the first overall pick in the2011 NBA draft,Kyrie Irving), in exchange forMo Williams andJamario Moon.[27] This trade to Cleveland marked a reunion between Davis and former coach Byron Scott, to which Davis was quoted as saying "I know we're together for a reason. There's some things my game can benefit from just playing in his system". Davis chose to wear no. 85 to honor his grandparents who raised him in Los Angeles and whose house was on 85th Street. In his debut with the Cavs, Baron scored 18 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, had 5 assists, and made four three-point shots, in a win over theNew York Knicks.[28]
Despite joining a Cavaliers team who at the time of the trade had the worst record in the NBA (which included a record-setting 26-game losing streak), Davis helped the Cavaliers close the season with several victories,[29] including a 102–90 upset victory overLeBron James and theMiami Heat,[30] to ensure that Cleveland did not have the worst record in the league at the season's end.[31]
On December 14, 2011, the Cavaliers waived Davis via theamnesty clause.[32] He still made the $30 million over the two years left on his contract, but it did not count against Cleveland's salary cap.[33] The Cavaliers had draftedKyrie Irving with their first overall pick, and wanted to give him the starting point guard spot, allowing Davis to seek a starting job on a contending team. The Knicks, Heat and Lakers were in the market for a point guard at the time.[34]
On December 19, 2011, Davis signed a one-year contract with theNew York Knicks, choosing New York over the Lakers and Heat who also expressed interest in signing Davis.[35] At the time of the signing, Davis had aherniated disk in his back.[33] He did not make his debut for the Knicks until February 20, 2012, coming off the bench to score a three-pointer along with an assist.[36]
Davis took over as the Knicks' starting point guard following the season-ending injury toJeremy Lin. He also started the four playoff games he played in. On May 6, 2012, during Game 4 of the first round of theplayoffs in New York's win against theMiami Heat, Davis injured his right knee while dribbling down the court. He was carted off the court on a stretcher.[37] He underwent surgery after anMRI revealed a partial tear of thepatellar tendon in his right knee and complete tears of the rightACL andMCL.[38]
Davis became an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2012, but he was expected to be out until May 2013 while recovering from his surgery.[39] He made a return to the basketball court in July 2015, scoring 44 points in theDrew League (which was the subject of his documentaryThe Drew: No Excuse, Just Produce),[40][41] and subsequently announced his interest in returning to the NBA.[42] On January 15, 2016, he signed a contract to play in theNBA Development League,[43] and on March 2, he was acquired by theDelaware 87ers.[44] Two days later, he made his D-League debut in a 114–106 loss to theIowa Energy, recording eight points, one rebound, four assists and three steals in 19 minutes off the bench.[45] In six games for Delaware to conclude the 2015–16 season, Davis averaged 12.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Davis participated in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game 2017 as part of Michael Smith's West Team.[46]
On June 22, 2018, Davis made his debut for3's Company of theBig3 league, leading the team with 17 points and 9 rebounds in a 21-point win. Davis finished the2018 season with averages of 15.2 points, 4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1 steal in five games played; he ranked 5th in the league in steals per game, 5th in 3-pointers, and 6th in 3-point percentage.[47]
| 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 | ‡ | NBA record |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–00 | Charlotte | 82 | 0 | 18.6 | .420 | .225 | .634 | 2.0 | 3.8 | 1.2 | .2 | 5.9 |
| 2000–01 | Charlotte | 82 | 82* | 38.9 | .427 | .310 | .677 | 5.0 | 7.3 | 2.1 | .4 | 13.8 |
| 2001–02 | Charlotte | 82 | 82 | 40.5 | .417 | .356 | .580 | 4.3 | 8.5 | 2.1 | .6 | 18.1 |
| 2002–03 | New Orleans | 50 | 47 | 37.8 | .416 | .350 | .710 | 3.7 | 6.4 | 1.8 | .4 | 17.1 |
| 2003–04 | New Orleans | 67 | 66 | 40.1 | .395 | .321 | .673 | 4.3 | 7.5 | 2.4* | .4 | 22.9 |
| 2004–05 | New Orleans | 18 | 13 | 32.9 | .366 | .321 | .771 | 3.7 | 7.2 | 1.7 | .2 | 18.9 |
| 2004–05 | Golden State | 28 | 19 | 35.3 | .401 | .341 | .755 | 3.9 | 8.3 | 1.8 | .4 | 19.5 |
| 2005–06 | Golden State | 54 | 48 | 36.5 | .389 | .315 | .675 | 4.4 | 8.9 | 1.6 | .3 | 17.9 |
| 2006–07 | Golden State | 63 | 62 | 35.3 | .439 | .304 | .745 | 4.4 | 8.1 | 2.1* | .5 | 20.1 |
| 2007–08 | Golden State | 82* | 82* | 39.0 | .426 | .330 | .750 | 4.7 | 7.6 | 2.3 | .5 | 21.8 |
| 2008–09 | L.A. Clippers | 65 | 60 | 34.6 | .370 | .302 | .757 | 3.7 | 7.7 | 1.7 | .5 | 14.9 |
| 2009–10 | L.A. Clippers | 75 | 73 | 33.6 | .406 | .277 | .821 | 3.5 | 8.0 | 1.7 | .6 | 15.3 |
| 2010–11 | L.A. Clippers | 43 | 35 | 29.5 | .416 | .296 | .760 | 2.8 | 7.0 | 1.4 | .5 | 12.8 |
| 2010–11 | Cleveland | 15 | 9 | 25.3 | .421 | .414 | .815 | 2.4 | 6.1 | 1.1 | .4 | 13.9 |
| 2011–12 | New York | 29 | 14 | 20.5 | .370 | .306 | .667 | 1.9 | 4.7 | 1.2 | .1 | 6.1 |
| Career | 835 | 692 | 34.2 | .409 | .320 | .711 | 3.8 | 7.2 | 1.8 | .4 | 16.1 | |
| All-Star | 2 | 0 | 14.5 | .286 | .111 | .000 | .5 | 6.0 | .5 | .0 | 4.5 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Charlotte | 4 | 0 | 14.3 | .435 | .167 | .500 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.0 | .0 | 5.8 |
| 2001 | Charlotte | 10 | 10 | 39.7 | .480 | .400 | .714 | 4.4 | 5.8 | 2.8* | .5 | 17.8 |
| 2002 | Charlotte | 9 | 9 | 44.6 | .378 | .339 | .597 | 7.0 | 7.9 | 3.6* | .6 | 22.6 |
| 2003 | New Orleans | 5 | 5 | 38.8 | .446 | .343 | .727 | 3.6 | 8.4 | 1.4 | .4 | 20.4 |
| 2004 | New Orleans | 7 | 7 | 37.1 | .377 | .327 | .758 | 4.1 | 7.0 | 1.6 | .7 | 18.1 |
| 2007 | Golden State | 11 | 11 | 40.5 | .513 | .373 | .770 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 2.9* | .6 | 25.3 |
| 2012 | New York | 4 | 4 | 24.3 | .478 | .286 | 1.000 | .8 | 3.3 | .0 | .0 | 7.8 |
| Career | 50 | 46 | 37.0 | .442 | .350 | .709 | 4.3 | 6.2 | 2.3‡ | .5 | 18.8 | |
From 2017, Davis appeared as a regular panelist duringNBA on TNT's Monday coverage calledPlayers Only, which featured only former NBA players as studio analysts, play-by-play announcers, and color analysts for games.
Starting in 2025, Davis will host theLas Vegas Raiders interview seriesRaiders: Talk of the Nation.[48]
.jpg)
In addition to his NBA career, Davis has had an increasing role in the film industry, with the intention of making it a full-time career when his playing days are over.[49] His first appearance as an actor was in a TV commercial for the Charlotte Hornets prior to starting his rookie seasonhttps://vimeo.com/71988862. He is a member of theScreen Actors Guild, having earned membership by appearing in movies such asThe Cookout and guest-starring on the ABC Family showLincoln Heights and ABC'sThe Forgotten.[50] He has made appearances both as himself and fictional characters in movies and on television, and has also been involved in producing a number of films, ranging fromThe Pool Boys toCrips and Bloods: Made in America.[49] Davis and high school friend, Cash Warren, formed a production company calledVerso Entertainment in 2005.[51]
Davis appeared on the DVD commentary track of the 2008 filmStep Brothers alongsideWill Ferrell andJohn C. Reilly,[52] and appears as himself during season three ofHot In Cleveland.[53] He appeared in the 2012 filmThat's My Boy as a gym teacher, and in 2015, he appeared inYahoo! Screen'sSin City Saints, playing the role of Billy Crane. He also played himself in the 2015 filmThe Night Before, and portrayed a doctor inJoe Dirt 2.[54]
On November 12, 2015, Davis co-starred alongsideKyrie Irving,Ray Allen andJ. B. Smoove as Louis in the fourth episode of "Uncle Drew", a series ofPepsi Max advertisements written and directed by Irving.[55]
InMozart in the Jungle's last three episodes of the third season, Davis made a special guest appearance as Kevin Majors, an injured NBA player.[56]
Davis appeared in the 2017 Chinese filmMy Other Home starringStephon Marbury.
He stars in the scripted television sitcomWTF, Baron Davis on theFuse channel, premiering January 20, 2019.[57]
In 2019, Davis was able to work with the directorKelly Blatz as an executive producer for the filmSenior Love Triangle.[58]
Baron Davis the basketball player should not be confused with Baron Davis the voice actor, who did additional voices inTarzan II andThe Jungle Book 2.[59] However, Davis the basketball player did some voiceover work for the seriesTripTank, as Stedmund the horse.
In 2023, Davis starred as himself inJoy Ride, appearing as a player in theChinese Basketball Association.
In 2025, Davis appeared inseason 34 ofDancing with the Stars[60], but was eliminated after the second episode.[61]
In 2012, Davis formed the gaming company5 Balloons Interactive with Sean O'Brien, formerly of EA Sports, to produce games for theiPhone,iPad, andiPod Touch. Their first game was called "Getting Buckets".[62]
In 2016, Davis created the Black Santa Company to promote African American stories and figures. It also sells shirts, beanies, onesies, as well as Christmas ornaments among other products.[63]
In November 2019, Davis joined an advisory board for Tinley Beverage Company Inc.[64] He invested inMetropolis Technologies in 2021.[65]
On January 30, 2014, Davis married formerCreative Artists Agency (CAA) agent Isabella Brewster, the sister of actressJordana Brewster.[66] In April 2014, Brewster announced she and Davis were expecting a child.[67] In January 2016, Brewster gave birth to the couple's second child.[68] The couple split in June 2017.[69] In late 2017, Davis was spotted on several dates with actressLaura Dern.[70]
· Basketball ReferenceLinks to related articles | |
|---|---|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
_(cropped).jpg)
