| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1977-12-23)December 23, 1977 (age 47) Redwood City, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Jefferson West (Meriden, Kansas) |
| College | Iowa State (1996–2001) |
| NBA draft | 2001:undrafted |
| Playing career | 2001–2008 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Career history | |
| 2001–2002 | Panionios Athens |
| 2002–2003 | Yakima Sun Kings |
| 2002–2003 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 2003 | Joventut Badalona |
| 2003–2004 | Kansas City Knights |
| 2004 | Chicago Bulls |
| 2004 | UNICS Kazan |
| 2005 | Phoenix Suns |
| 2005 | Beijing Aoshen Olympians |
| 2007–2008 | ViveMenorca |
| 2008 | Unicaja Málaga |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Paul Murphy Shirley (born December 23, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who last played forUnicaja Málaga in the SpanishACB.
Shirley is noted for briefly maintaining an online journal (blog) while playing for thePhoenix Suns in2004–05. His first journal dealt with a several-day-long road trip,[1] while the second chronicled the Suns'NBA Playoffs run. He was later the author of a blog forESPN.com entitled "My So-Called Career".[2]
Shirley was signed to a non-guaranteed contract by theMinnesota Timberwolves in early October 2006, but was cut in training camp before the start of the 2006–07 season. He finished his career in Spain, playing in theACB forViveMenorca andUnicaja Malaga.
After Shirley's playing career, he wrote a column for the Spanish newspaperEl Pais, maintained a podcast (Short Corner) withJustin Halpern, and founded a writing group in Los Angeles called Writers Blok.[3]
Shirley's first book,Can I Keep My Jersey?,[4] was released in 2007. His second book,Stories I Tell On Dates,[5] came out October 17, 2017. His third book (and first novel),Ball Boy,[6] was released in February 2021.
Shirley was born inRedwood City, California, and grew up near the small town ofMeriden, Kansas. He played high school basketball at Jefferson West High School, where he was aNational Merit Finalist.[7]
Shirley worked his way fromwalk-on to three-year starter for theIowa State basketball team. He was coached first byTim Floyd (until Floyd left the Cyclones to become the head coach of theChicago Bulls) and then byLarry Eustachy. Notable teammates included future NBA playersJamaal Tinsley,Kelvin Cato, andMarcus Fizer.
After winning theBig XII's regular-season conference championship,[8] theCyclones advanced to the Elite Eight of theNCAA basketball tournament during Shirley's junior season, losing to eventual champion Michigan State. At the end of Shirley's senior year, Iowa State became the fourth number-two seed to lose in the first round of the tournament.[9]
During his college career, Shirley earned three Academic All-Big 12 selections and, in his senior season, was named second-team Academic All-American.[10] He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering.
After college, the 6'10" Shirley playedpower forward for thirteen different professional teams including, in theNBA, thePhoenix Suns,Atlanta Hawks, and theChicago Bulls, as well asPanionios Athens of theGreek A1 League,Joventut Badalona,ViveMenorca, andUnicaja Málaga of theSpanish ACB League, andUNICS Kazan of theRussian Super League.
Shirley also appeared in NBA preseason games with theLos Angeles Lakers,New Orleans Hornets, andMinnesota Timberwolves, and played summer league games with the Timberwolves andCleveland Cavaliers.
Shirley played a total of 18 games in the NBA from 2002 to 2005 where he averaged 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds. His final game was during his tenure with thePhoenix Suns on April 20, 2005, in a 107–132 loss to theSacramento Kings where he played for 4 minutes and the only stat he recorded was 1 assist.
Shirley has three younger brothers, including chartmaker Matt Shirley.[11] He appeared in the filmGlory Road (#50 for Iowa, uncredited)[12] and in an episode of the TBS SitcomGround Floor (Kevin).[13]
He also produced an unaired television pilot for Twentieth Century Fox calledThe Twelfth Man.[14]
Shirley's blogs at ESPN and elsewhere contained observations on players, teams, fans, cities, sports media,cheerleaders, the game of basketball, and topics outside the athletic sphere. He commented on topics such as theUSA Patriot Act, which he condemned as "[putting] the US on a fast-track to anOrwellian destiny".[15] His writing garnered attention from national sports media, as well as other outlets such asNewsweek,[16]The Wall Street Journal,[17] and by ESPN'sBill Simmons.[18]
Shirley's first book,Can I Keep My Jersey?, was published on May 15, 2007, byRandom House.[19] It received positive reviews from The Onion'sAV Club, which noted that it "deserves a spot next toBall Four."[20] A paperback version of the book was released on December 26, 2007.[21]
His second book,Stories I Tell On Dates,[22] came out October 17, 2017. Apodcast[23] of the same name followed soon after.
His third book,Ball Boy, was released February 2, 2021.[24]
Between 2008 and 2015, Shirley wrote a monthly column about the NBA called "Historias de un Tío Alto" (loosely: "Stories by a Tall Guy") inEl Pais.[25]
Shirley's writings have sometimes been the cause of controversy. In a Slate.com piece with Neal Pollack, he compared rooting for the San Antonio Spurs to cheering for cancer.[26] In a 2009 column for ESPN.com, he called the Beatles overrated,[27] drawing the ire of fellow music critics. And in 2010, he published a blog questioning the potential efficacy of relief efforts for that year'searthquake in Haiti. Afterward, he was dismissed by ESPN. The company's full statement read: "He was a part-time freelance contributor. The views he expressed on another site of course do not at all reflect our company's views on the Haiti relief efforts. He will no longer contribute to ESPN."[28]
| Year | Age | Team | G | GS | MIN | FGM | FGA | 3PM | 3PA | FTM | FTA | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
| 4 Season Totals | 109 | 46 | N/A | 283 | 511 | 1 | 2 | 255 | 373 | 552 | 69 | 58 | 45 | 153 | N/A | 822 | ||
Source:Cyclones.com andSports-Reference.com
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Atlanta | 2 | 0 | 2.5 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2003–04 | Chicago | 7 | 0 | 12.3 | .435 | .000 | .000 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 3.0 |
| 2004–05 | Phoenix | 9 | 0 | 3.3 | .455 | .000 | .500 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 |
| Career | 18 | 0 | 6.7 | .395 | .000 | .429 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 1.8 |
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |