 Petersen in 1988 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1962-02-22)February 22, 1962 (age 63) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Saint Louis Park (St. Louis Park, Minnesota) |
| College | Minnesota (1980–1984) |
| NBA draft | 1984: 3rd round, 51st overall pick |
| Drafted by | Houston Rockets |
| Playing career | 1984–1992 |
| Position | Power forward /center |
| Number | 43 |
| Coaching career | 2008–2017 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1984–1988 | Houston Rockets |
| 1988–1989 | Sacramento Kings |
| 1989–1992 | Golden State Warriors |
Coaching | |
| 2008–2017 | Minnesota Lynx (assistant) |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 3,397 (6.9 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,354 (4.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 487 (1.0 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
James Richard Petersen (born February 22, 1962) is an American former professionalbasketball player, and a current television analyst with the Minnesota Timberwolves. From 2009 to 2017 he served as an assistant coach and laterassociate head coach for theMinnesota Lynx of theWNBA. He played as both apower forward and acenter.
Petersen, aSt. Louis Park native, playedhigh school basketball atSt. Louis Park High School, being named Minnesota's Mr. Basketball in 1980,[1] as well as being the firstMcDonald's All-American from the state of Minnesota.
Born inMinneapolis, Minnesota, he then went on to be a four-year letter winner at theUniversity of Minnesota, and a member of the 1982Big Ten Championship team that featured futureNBA veteransTrent Tucker andRandy Breuer.
Petersen was selected by theHouston Rockets in the third round (51st overall) of the1984 NBA draft, alongsideHakeem Olajuwon. In the following four seasons, he played with theTexas club, backing up both Olajuwon andRalph Sampson, who were known as theTwin Towers. Petersen played in 20post-season games (averaging six points and sixrebounds) as the teamreached theNBA Finals, losing 2–4 to theBoston Celtics. In the1986–87 season, as Sampson began to struggle with injuries, Petersen achieved career-best averages of 11 points and seven rebounds, playing in all 82 games and starting in 56.
In 1988, Peterson was traded withRodney McCray to the Sacramento Kings forOtis Thorpe. A year later, he was traded to theGolden State Warriors for former teammate Ralph Sampson. Petersen retired in 1992 at the age of 30, after four seasons with the Rockets, one season with the Kings, and three seasons with the Warriors, with totals of 491 games and 3,397 points.
After leaving the NBA, Petersen worked for theNational Basketball Players Association in their player programs division, facilitating seminars in NBA locker rooms in topics such asHIV andAIDS, financial planning, substance abuse and career planning for life after basketball. He also coached junior high, high school and AAU basketball teams inLa Jolla, California and Minneapolis.
He has worked as a television analyst with theMinnesota Timberwolves since 2003; prior to that he was a radio analyst since 1998. As a broadcaster, Petersen has been acclaimed for his deep knowledge of basketball and detailed commentary on the nuances of the game.[2][3] In November 2008, Petersen was named assistant coach of theWNBA'sMinnesota Lynx; in 2016 he was named Associate Head Coach.[1] In January 2017, he announced he was stepping down as associate head coach.[4] As of 2025, Petersen provides color commentary forMinnesota Timberwolves games onFanDuel Sports Network.
He resides inWayzata, Minnesota, with his wife Tika. His stepson Sanjay Lumpkin, a current assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks also played college basketball forNorthwestern University.[5]