 Stoudamire in 2021 as a Celtics assistant coach | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Head coach | ||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Atlantic Coast Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1973-09-03)September 3, 1973 (age 52) Portland, Oregon, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 171 lb (78 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Woodrow Wilson (Portland, Oregon) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Arizona (1991–1995) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1995: 1st round, 7th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Toronto Raptors | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1995–2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 20, 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2009–present | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1998 | Toronto Raptors | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2005 | Portland Trail Blazers | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | Memphis Grizzlies | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | San Antonio Spurs | ||||||||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Rice (director of player development) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Memphis Grizzlies (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Memphis (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Arizona (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Memphis (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2021 | Pacific | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Boston Celtics (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–present | Georgia Tech | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||||||||
As player:
As coach:
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Points | 11,763 (13.4 ppg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Assists | 5,371 (6.1 apg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Steals | 953 (1.1 spg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Damon Lamon Stoudamire (born September 3, 1973), nicknamedMighty Mouse, is an American collegebasketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach for theGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets of theAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[1] The 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), 171 lb (78 kg)point guard was selected with the 7th overall pick by theToronto Raptors in the1995 NBA draft and won the1995–96NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He played collegiately at theUniversity of Arizona, and professionally for theToronto Raptors,Portland Trail Blazers,Memphis Grizzlies andSan Antonio Spurs.
Stoudamire was born to Willie Stoudamire and Liz Washington inPortland, Oregon; he was the only child, with three stepsisters; his parents never married. Willie Stoudamire moved away toMilwaukee, Wisconsin, to work in a brewery when Damon was seven years old. Stoudamire was raised by his mother, Liz, and his grandmother, Wanda Stoudamire-Matthews.[2]
While Stoudamire was growing up, his uncles, Charles and Anthony Stoudamire, got him involved in sports, mainly basketball andfootball. They acted as fathers and personal coaches to Stoudamire in his younger years, as he grew up watching his favorite player,Nate Archibald, and attempted to pattern his game after his childhood hero. As he grew older, Stoudamire began to play basketball at Irving Park in the Portland–Irvington neighborhood and at the Matt Dishman Community Center in Portland.
Stoudamire attended Holy Redeemer grade school (aCatholic school) and Harriet Tubman Middle School, then attendedWoodrow Wilson High School. During his junior year in high school, his grandmother Wanda died of cancer. He would later tattoo Wanda's face and her address on his left arm in remembrance. He was expected to attend and play basketball atOregon, but chose to attendArizona instead.
Stoudamire attendedWilson High School (now Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School). Playing basketball for the Trojans, he led his team to a 74–4 record and state championships in 1989 and 1991.
For his career, he averaged 26.1points, 9.2assists, and 3.6rebounds per game. He earned two Oregon Player of the Year awards and oneConverse High School All-America Team selection during his senior year.
Stoudamire playedpoint guard for theArizona Wildcats and coach,Lute Olson. He was a first-team All-American and finalist for College Player of the Year. He teamed withKhalid Reeves his junior year to lead the team to theFinal Four. During his senior year he earned the All-American honors for his 22.8 points per game. He also finished his college career first on the Wildcats' all-time list inthree-pointers made (272), second in points (1,849), fourth inassists (663), and was the only player inArizona history to have two 40-point games. Stoudamire scored his career-high 45 points atStanford University on January 14, 1995. He was named a 1995Wooden Award finalist after sharing thePac-10 Player of the Year award withEd O'Bannon.
Despite being the youngest player on the roster of theUnited States men's national basketball team, Stoudamire led the team in assists andsteals en route to a gold medal at the1993 Summer Universiade.[3]
Stoudamire made an impact with the Raptors before he ever set foot on the court for them. At the1995 NBA draft held in Toronto, the fans in attendance chanted loudly for the Raptors to selectUCLA standoutEd O'Bannon with their first ever draft pick, loudly booing when the team announced their first pick would be Stoudamire instead.[4][5] Years later, Stoudamire would tellMaclean's that the boos did not bother him, serving as being extra motivation for him, as he believed that the fans would change their mind once they saw him play for the first time.[4] Stoudamire would go on to a noteworthyrookie season with the Raptors, averaging 9.3 assists and 19 points per game. He earned the nickname "Mighty Mouse" because he stands only 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), and because he had aMighty Mousetattoo on his right arm going into his rookie season. He set the record forthree-point field goals made by a rookie with 133, breaking the record at the time held byDennis Scott. This record has been broken several times over since Stoudamire's 133 mark. It is currently held byKeegan Murray, who made 206 threes in his rookie season. Stoudamire ranks third inassist average by a rookie. He ranked second in scoring among all rookies in1995–96, and led all rookies in minutes played and assists. He received theSchick Rookie of the Month award twice and unanimously made the SchickAll Rookie First Team, and eventually won theRookie of the Year award, receiving 76 of the possible 113 votes, and theMVP award of the Rookie All-Star Game. He holds the record for being the third-lowest draft pick (7th overall) to ever win the Rookie of the Year award. He is also known as the shortest player to ever win this award. He did not play the last 10 games of his rookie season due totendinitis in his left knee. The Raptors finished that year and his rookie season with 21 wins and 61 losses.
Stoudamire previously held the record for most triple doubles with the Toronto Raptors with 3 triple doubles, a record that stood until 2014, when it was broken byKyle Lowry. In his second season, he averaged 20.2 points a game with 4.1 rebounds and 8.8 assists and played in all 81 games for the team. The following year saw him play in 71 games, albeit for two teams.
Following the resignation of the Raptors' vice president,Isiah Thomas, Stoudamire readily demanded a trade. On February 13, 1998, he was traded by theRaptors along withWalt Williams andCarlos Rogers to thePortland Trail Blazers in exchange forKenny Anderson,Alvin Williams,Gary Trent, two first-round draft picks, a second-round draft pick and cash considerations. During the first round of the1998 NBA Playoffs, on April 26, 1998, Stoudamire scored 17 points and recorded 14 assists during a Game 2 loss to theLos Angeles Lakers.[6] On December 28, 2000, Stoudamire scored 32 points and hit the game-winning shot with 0.4 seconds left during a 103–102 win over theUtah Jazz.[7] In the2002–03 season, the Blazers benched Stoudamire for most of the season. The new head coach,Maurice Cheeks, went withScottie Pippen andBonzi Wells instead at the guard positions. However, Stoudamire received significant playing time in the playoffs that season.
On January 14, 2005, Stoudamire hit a career-high and Blazers then-franchise record 54 points, which included 83-pointers, against theNew Orleans Hornets. The same season, on April 15, he shot anNBA record 21 3-point attempts, making only 5 of them.
Stoudamire's contract with the Blazers expired at the end of the2004–05 season, and it became widely known that the Blazers, who were focusing on youth movement and looking for players with good character, had no intention of re-signing him. This became abundantly clear in August 2005, when the team signed free agent guardJuan Dixon to a contract, and assigned him Stoudamire's uniform number (3). Stoudamire wanted the Blazers to work out a sign-and-trade deal whereby he would end up with theHouston Rockets, but since this would have required Portland to take one of Houston's overpaid players in return and the team, at that time, had a relatively high payroll, Portland management decided to go in another direction with players likeTravis Outlaw andSebastian Telfair.
On August 5, 2005, after Stoudamire had been in discussions with several teams, it was announced he signed a 4-year deal with theMemphis Grizzlies, where he replacedJason Williams, who left for theMiami Heat, as the startingpoint guard. On December 30, 2005, he tore his rightpatellar tendon, coincidentally in his hometown of Portland. He was carted off the court, and had successful surgery inBirmingham, Alabama the following week. He missed the rest of the2005–06 season, returning for2006–07, and ended up playing 62 games, of which he started 51 (evenly splitting point guard duties with veteran backupChucky Atkins).
During the2007–08 season, onNBA Access with Ahmad Rashad, he said that he was working hard withMike Conley Jr., a2007 draft pick by theGrizzlies, who, after Stoudamire had left, would play a major role as apoint guard. When Conley returned from an injury, Grizzlies head coachMarc Iavaroni placed Stoudamire on the inactive list and used inexperienced rookieMike Conley Jr. as the starting point guard, causing Stoudamire to look for a trade or a buyout. On January 26, 2008, the Grizzlies reached a tentative contractual buyout agreement with Stoudamire,[8] with theSan Antonio Spurs,Boston Celtics,Phoenix Suns,Denver Nuggets andToronto Raptors registering strong interest in signing him.[8][9] On January 28, the buyout was completed and Stoudamire was placed on waivers.[10][11] The Celtics initially showed strong interest in Stoudamire but since set their sights on theLos Angeles Clippers'Sam Cassell.[9] According to Stoudamire's agent, Stoudamire was to sign with the Spurs.[9]
On February 3, 2008, Stoudamire signed a contract with theSan Antonio Spurs.[12] He briefly started for the Spurs whileTony Parker was injured, but then was relegated to spot duty throughout the rest of the season and the playoffs.
Stoudamire considered going to camp with theHouston Rockets, but he did not attend training camp.[citation needed]
In December 2008, Stoudamire accepted a coaching position as director of player development for the guard-heavyRice University Owls squad under head coachBen Braun.[13]
In February 2009, Stoudamire joined the coaching staff of the Grizzlies, along withHenry Bibby.[14]
In May 2011, Stoudamire joined the coaching staff of theUniversity of Memphis Tigers men's basketball team,[15] where his coaching and recruiting contributions were noted with enthusiasm during the '11-'12 season.[16]
In May 2013, Stoudamire left Memphis to join the coaching staff of theArizona Wildcats men's basketball team.[17]
In May 2015, Stoudamire left Arizona to rejoin the coaching staff of theMemphis Tigers men's basketball team.
In March 2016, Stoudamire left Memphis to take over the head coaching position for thePacific Tigers men's basketball team.[18]
Before Arizona hiredGonzaga men's basketball assistant coachTommy Lloyd to be their next head coach, Stoudamire was considered among the favorites to be the next coach at his alma mater.[19]
In July 2021, Stoudamire left Pacific to accept an assistant coach position with theBoston Celtics.[20]
On March 13, 2023, Stoudamire was announced as the new head coach of theGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets.[1] Damon Stoudamire became the first Tech coach in the Yellow Jackets’ ACC history to defeat Duke in his first try when the Yellow Jackets stunned the then seventh ranked Blue Devils 72–68 on December 2, 2023. He became the third coach in ACC history to beat Duke and North Carolina in his first year when on January 30, 2024, Tech beat #3 UNC 74–73 in front of a sold outMcCamish Pavilion crowd.
| 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 | Toronto | 70 | 70 | 40.9 | .426 | .395 | .797 | 4.0 | 9.3 | 1.4 | .3 | 19.0 |
| 1996–97 | Toronto | 81 | 81 | 40.9 | .401 | .355 | .823 | 4.1 | 8.8 | 1.5 | .2 | 20.2 |
| 1997–98 | Toronto | 49 | 49 | 41.5 | .425 | .317 | .844 | 4.4 | 8.1 | 1.6 | .1 | 19.4 |
| Portland | 22 | 22 | 36.6 | .364 | .263 | .787 | 3.7 | 8.2 | 1.5 | .1 | 12.4 | |
| 1998–99 | Portland | 50* | 50* | 33.5 | .396 | .310 | .730 | 3.3 | 6.2 | 1.0 | .1 | 12.6 |
| 1999–00 | Portland | 78 | 78 | 30.4 | .432 | .377 | .841 | 3.1 | 5.2 | 1.0 | .0 | 12.5 |
| 2000–01 | Portland | 82 | 82* | 32.4 | .434 | .374 | .831 | 3.7 | 5.7 | 1.3 | .1 | 13.0 |
| 2001–02 | Portland | 75 | 71 | 37.3 | .402 | .353 | .888 | 3.9 | 6.5 | .9 | .1 | 13.5 |
| 2002–03 | Portland | 59 | 27 | 22.3 | .376 | .386 | .791 | 2.6 | 3.5 | .7 | .1 | 6.9 |
| 2003–04 | Portland | 82 | 82 | 38.0 | .401 | .365 | .876 | 3.8 | 6.1 | 1.2 | .1 | 13.4 |
| 2004–05 | Portland | 81 | 70 | 34.1 | .392 | .369 | .915 | 3.8 | 5.7 | 1.1 | .0 | 15.8 |
| 2005–06 | Memphis | 27 | 27 | 31.9 | .397 | .346 | .855 | 3.5 | 4.7 | .7 | .0 | 11.7 |
| 2006–07 | Memphis | 62 | 51 | 24.2 | .391 | .337 | .795 | 2.2 | 4.8 | .8 | .0 | 7.5 |
| 2007–08 | Memphis | 29 | 29 | 21.5 | .397 | .383 | .808 | 2.4 | 3.9 | .7 | .0 | 7.3 |
| San Antonio | 31 | 4 | 13.3 | .301 | .255 | .750 | 1.5 | 1.7 | .4 | .1 | 3.4 | |
| Career | 878 | 793 | 33.2 | .406 | .357 | .833 | 3.5 | 6.1 | 1.1 | .1 | 13.4 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Portland | 4 | 4 | 41.5 | .397 | .364 | 1.000 | 4.3 | 9.5 | 1.3 | .3 | 17.8 |
| 1999 | Portland | 13 | 13 | 31.0 | .380 | .455 | .706 | 3.2 | 5.6 | .6 | .1 | 10.2 |
| 2000 | Portland | 16 | 16 | 27.9 | .415 | .333 | .833 | 2.6 | 3.6 | .5 | .3 | 8.9 |
| 2001 | Portland | 3 | 3 | 38.0 | .413 | .154 | 1.000 | 3.0 | 4.3 | .7 | .3 | 17.7 |
| 2002 | Portland | 3 | 3 | 33.0 | .227 | .750 | .667 | 2.3 | 3.3 | .7 | .0 | 5.0 |
| 2003 | Portland | 7 | 6 | 33.1 | .456 | .484 | .952 | 5.1 | 5.6 | .9 | .3 | 15.3 |
| 2008 | San Antonio | 7 | 0 | 5.0 | .333 | .250 | .667 | 1.0 | .3 | .1 | .0 | 1.9 |
| Career | 53 | 45 | 28.2 | .399 | .389 | .847 | 3.0 | 4.4 | .6 | .2 | 10.1 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–92 | Arizona | 30 | 0 | 18.0 | .455 | .406 | .771 | 2.2 | 2.5 | .7 | .1 | 7.2 |
| 1992–93 | Arizona | 28 | 27 | 31.1 | .438 | .382 | .791 | 4.1 | 5.7 | 1.6 | .2 | 11.0 |
| 1993–94 | Arizona | 35 | 35 | 33.3 | .448 | .351 | .800 | 4.5 | 5.9 | 1.6 | .1 | 18.3 |
| 1994–95 | Arizona | 30 | 30 | 36.4 | .476 | .465 | .826 | 4.3 | 7.3 | 1.7 | .0 | 22.8 |
| Career | 123 | 92 | 29.8 | .457 | .402 | .804 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 1.4 | .1 | 15.0 | |
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Tigers(West Coast Conference)(2016–2021) | |||||||||
| 2016–17 | Pacific | 11–22 | 4–14 | 9th | |||||
| 2017–18 | Pacific | 14–18 | 9–9 | T–4th | |||||
| 2018–19 | Pacific | 14–18 | 4–12 | 9th | |||||
| 2019–20 | Pacific | 23–10 | 11–5 | T–3rd | |||||
| 2020–21 | Pacific | 9–9 | 6–7 | 5th | |||||
| Pacific: | 71–77 (.480) | 34–47 (.420) | |||||||
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets(Atlantic Coast Conference)(2023–present) | |||||||||
| 2023–24 | Georgia Tech | 14–18 | 7–13 | T–12th | |||||
| 2024–25 | Georgia Tech | 17–17 | 10–10 | 8th | NIT First Round | ||||
| 2025–26 | Georgia Tech | 11–15 | 2–11 | ||||||
| Georgia Tech: | 42–50 (.457) | 19–34 (.358) | |||||||
| Total: | 113–127 (.471) | ||||||||
Stoudamire is the cousin of former NBA playersSalim Stoudamire andTerrence Jones, and current NBA playerGrant Williams.[21][22] He is also the nephew of former Portland State University quarterback Anthony Stoudamire and former Portland State University halfback Charles Stoudamire.[23]
Stoudamire's stint with thePortland Trail Blazers was marred by severalmarijuana-related incidents, including one during the2002–03 season where, with then-starting power forwardRasheed Wallace, his yellowHummer was pulled over onInterstate 5 forspeeding anddriving under the influence of marijuana.[24] In July 2003, after Stoudamire's third arrest for marijuana possession, he was fined $250,000 and was suspended by the team for three months.[25] Blazers presidentSteve Patterson announced that he wanted to void Stoudamire's contract, but did not find a provision in the contract that would allow him to do so.[25]
Stoudamire completed a 90-dayrehabilitation program. In addition, he made an agreement withThe Oregonian sports columnistJohn Canzano to take an unannouncedurine test during any point of the2003–04 season to prove his sobriety. Midway through the season, Canzano appeared in the team locker room and produced a specimen bottle which Stoudamire filled. An independent testing laboratory reported back the result that he was indeed clean. The incident rehabilitated Stoudamire in the minds of many Portland fans, who had come to regard him as one of the"Jail Blazers". However, Stoudamire was criticized by theNational Basketball Players Association for the drug test, which claimed that NBA players may only submit to such tests as prescribed by theNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement. The fact that the test was voluntary, and not administered by the league or any of its teams, did not make Stoudamire immune to such criticism. Despite the criticism, no official action was taken by the union against Stoudamire for his participation in the test.
In an interview on The Post Game Podcast after retiring, Stoudamire voiced his frustration with how the city received the team and the incident, saying he and his teammates "Were just kids" when it happened.[26]
