 Prince with theDetroit Pistons in 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Memphis Grizzlies | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Vice President of Basketball Affairs | ||||||||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1980-02-28)February 28, 1980 (age 45) Compton, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 212 lb (96 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Dominguez (Compton, California) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Kentucky (1998–2002) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2002: 1st round, 23rd overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2002–2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Small forward | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 22, 21, 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2013 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Memphis Grizzlies | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Minnesota Timberwolves | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Points | 11,272 (11.1 ppg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 4,332 (4.3 rpg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Assists | 2,406 (2.4 apg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Tayshaun Durell Prince (born February 28, 1980)[1] is an American professionalbasketball executive and former player. The 6-foot-9-inch (2.06 m)small forward graduated fromDominguez High School before playing college basketball for theUniversity of Kentucky. He was drafted 23rd overall by theDetroit Pistons in the2002 NBA draft and went on towin a championship with the team in 2004.
Prince played four seasons (1998 to 2002) for theKentucky Wildcats, averaging 13.2points and 5.7rebounds[2] as the Wildcats posted a 97–39 record[3] and advanced to the NCAA Tournament each year. Prince wonSEC Player of the Year in his junior season (2000–2001)[4]—also leading the SEC infree throw percentage (84.3%)[5]—and was named to the Associated Press All-SEC Teams in both his junior and senior years.[6] Kentucky won the SEC Tournament in 1999 and 2001, and Prince was awarded the 2001 tournament's Most Valuable Player award.[6] He was a three-time team MVP with the Wildcats.
Notable individual performances included a 31-point, 11-rebound, four-assist, and four-steal effort in a 79–59 victory over North Carolina. In scoring Kentucky's first fifteen points, Prince made five consecutive three-point shots. Kentucky shooting guardKeith Bogans compared Prince's performance to "the Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan blistering Portland in the1992 NBA Finals."[7] In an 87–82 victory over Tulsa during the2002 NCAA Tournament, Prince scored a career-high 41 points (along with nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks) to lead Kentucky to the Sweet 16.[8] He graduated from Kentucky in 2002 with a degree insociology.[9]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | Kentucky | 37 | 11 | 20.2 | .414 | .287 | .656 | 3.8 | 1.2 | .7 | .6 | 5.8 |
| 1999–00 | Kentucky | 32 | 32 | 34.0 | .423 | .307 | .705 | 6.0 | 1.8 | .8 | 1.3 | 13.3 |
| 2000–01 | Kentucky | 34 | 34 | 32.9 | .495 | .358 | .843 | 6.5 | 2.9 | .7 | 1.1 | 16.9 |
| 2001–02 | Kentucky | 32 | 32 | 33.3 | .467 | .340 | .703 | 6.3 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 17.5 |
| Career | 135 | 109 | 29.7 | .457 | .329 | .743 | 5.6 | 1.9 | .8 | 1.1 | 13.1 |
In hisrookie season underhead coachRick Carlisle, Prince was not a member of the team's playing rotation and appeared in just 42 of 82 regular-season games. However, in the first round of the2003 NBA playoffs, Detroit trailed theOrlando Magic three games to one, forcing Carlisle to experiment with a different rotation. Prince was inserted into the lineup and received heavy minutes. He then became the only player in NBA history to score more points in theplayoffs than in the regular season (137 in the season, 141 in the playoffs).[10]
The Pistons rallied to win the series, and Prince had a breakout performance during the decisive seventh game, scoring 20 points in 24 minutes.[11] In the second round against thePhiladelphia 76ers, Prince continued to see action and made several memorable plays, including a turnaroundhook shot during the final seconds of Game 2, forcing anovertime period that the Pistons went on to win.[11]
After the Pistons were swept by theNew Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals, Carlisle was fired and former Sixers coachLarry Brown took over as head coach. Under Brown, Prince became the Pistons' starting small forward and increased his scoring average to 10.3 points per game, up from 3.3 as a rookie.[11] In that2003–04 season, Prince was also selected to play for the Sophomores (second-year players) in the NBARookie Challenge.[12]
In Game 2 of the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals against theIndiana Pacers, Prince made a memorable defensive play.[11] In the final minute of the game, Prince spectacularlyblocked the ball from Pacers star shooting guardReggie Miller; effectively ending the game. The Pistons went on to win the series and, eventually, theNBA championship. When the Pistons defeated theLos Angeles Lakers four games to one in the NBA Finals, Prince's tough defense on Lakers guardKobe Bryant was credited as a key factor in the Pistons' victory, holding Bryant to only 11 points in an 88–68 win in Game 3 of the2004 NBA Finals.[13]
Prince continued to show improvement in the2004–05 season, setting career highs in scoring (14.7 points per game), rebounding (5.3 per game), assists (3.0) and blocks (0.9).[11] He was selected for the NBA'sNBA All-Defensive Second Team[11] and was a candidate for theNBA Most Improved Player Award, where he came in third[11] behind winnerBobby Simmons of theLos Angeles Clippers andPrimož Brezec of theCharlotte Bobcats. Although he and the Pistons made it back to theNBA Finals in 2005, they lost to theSan Antonio Spurs in seven games. During theMalice at the Palace brawl, Prince was the only player on either team who did not leave the bench during the entire incident.[14]
Prince's play was rewarded by the Pistons with a five-year contract extension worth $49 million on October 31, 2005.[15]
In the2005–06 season, Prince played in all 82 regular season games, averaging 14.1 points and 4.2 rebounds a game.[16] In theplayoffs, the Pistons were eliminated by theMiami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games, following the controversial decision byFlip Saunders to benchBen Wallace in game 6 entire fourth quarter.[17] In Game 5 of that series, he scored a playoff career-high 29 points to go along with 7 rebounds in a 91–78 win.[18]
In the2006–07 season, Prince returned similar statistics to his 2004–05 campaign: 14.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.[16] In the playoffs the Pistons were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by theCleveland Cavaliers in six games as his point average are 14.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game as his struggle to defendLeBron James.
In the2007–08 season, Prince played and started in all 82 regular season games, averaging 13.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.[19] In the playoffs, Prince averaged 13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, but the Pistons were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by theBoston Celtics in game six as Prince's poor game play in game 6 along withRasheed Wallace contributed the downfall of the team's demise.[19]
Prince started the season off strong while averaging nearly 16 points and seven rebounds a game.[20] As the season started to progress Prince's production started to slump and by the end of the season he averaged 14.2 points and 5.8 rebounds.[19] Although his points per game average dropped, he averaged a career high in rebounds per game. Prince's effort helped push the Pistons to the playoffs as they gained the 8th seed with 39 wins.[21] Although the Pistons made the playoffs, they were seeded against the top-seedCleveland Cavaliers.[22] The Cavaliers swept the Pistons in four games, and Prince's production from the season dropped drastically, as he averaged only 3.8 points and 3.5 rebounds.[23]
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On January 30, 2013, Prince andAustin Daye were traded to theMemphis Grizzlies in a three-team trade which sentRudy Gay andHamed Haddadi to the Toronto Raptors andJosé Calderón to the Pistons. The Grizzlies also receivedEd Davis.[24] Though Rudy Gay had been the longtime starting small forward in Memphis, Prince appeared to be a better fit with the team, as his style of play complemented the team's "Grit-N-Grind" mantra.[25][26] The Grizzlies finished with their best record in franchise history at 56–26, and their first-ever appearance in theWestern Conference Finals.
Despite an injury sustained in pre-season, Prince still managed to start and play 76 games in 2013–14, averaging 6.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game—the second-lowest stat line of his career behind his rookie season. His 29% from the three-point line was also a career low.[27]
On January 12, 2015, Prince was traded to theBoston Celtics in a three-team deal involving theMemphis Grizzlies and theNew Orleans Pelicans in which theCeltics also received guardAustin Rivers, who was traded to theLos Angeles Clippers 3 days later, and a first round draft pick. TheGrizzlies received forwardJeff Green and guardRuss Smith in the trade. ThePelicans received forwardQuincy Pondexter and a 2015 second round draft pick (forwardBranden Dawson).[28] On January 26, he made his debut for the Celtics, and in 30 minutes of action off the bench, he recorded 19 points and 5 assists to lead the Celtics to a 99–90 win over the Utah Jazz.[29]
On February 19, 2015, Prince was traded by the Celtics back to the Pistons in exchange forLuigi Datome andJonas Jerebko.[30]
On August 20, 2015, Prince signed with theMinnesota Timberwolves.[31] He made his debut for the Timberwolves in the team's season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 28, recording 2 points and 2 rebounds in a 112–111 win.[32]
Prince's final NBA game was played on April 11, 2016, in a 105 - 129 loss to theHouston Rockets where he recorded 3 assists, 2 rebounds but no points in 13 minutes of playing time.
On August 20, 2007, Prince was selected to be a part of Team USA that competed at the2007 FIBA Americas Championship, a qualifying tournament for theBeijing Olympics.[33] With his defensive poise, he contributed in the USA's unbeaten record at the tournament held inLas Vegas,Nevada and earned a spot at the2008 Summer Olympics.
On June 23, 2008, Prince was selected for the Olympic squad along with eleven others in the hope of fulfilling the ambition of winning their first gold medal since the2000 Summer Olympics.[34] Team USA went on to do exactly that, going unbeaten in the tournament with Prince coming off the bench and defeating2006 World Champion Spain in the final, living up to their "Redeem Team" moniker.[35]Prince was named as a member of the Class of 2025 Basketball Hall of Fame as a part of the 2008 U.S. Olympic men's basketball team.[36]
On August 15, 2017, Prince joined theMemphis Grizzlies as special assistant to general manager.[37] On April 27, 2019, the Grizzlies promoted him to Vice President of Basketball Affairs.[38]
| 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 |
| † | Won anNBA championship | * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Detroit | 42 | 5 | 15.4 | .449 | .426 | .647 | 1.1 | .6 | .2 | .3 | 3.3 |
| 2003–04† | Detroit | 82 | 80 | 32.9 | .467 | .363 | .766 | 4.8 | 2.3 | .8 | .8 | 10.3 |
| 2004–05 | Detroit | 82 | 82* | 37.1 | .487 | .341 | .807 | 5.3 | 3.0 | .7 | .9 | 14.7 |
| 2005–06 | Detroit | 82* | 82* | 35.3 | .455 | .350 | .765 | 4.2 | 2.3 | .8 | .5 | 14.1 |
| 2006–07 | Detroit | 82* | 82* | 36.6 | .460 | .386 | .768 | 5.2 | 2.8 | .6 | .7 | 14.3 |
| 2007–08 | Detroit | 82* | 82* | 32.9 | .448 | .363 | .768 | 4.9 | 3.3 | .5 | .4 | 13.2 |
| 2008–09 | Detroit | 82* | 82* | 37.3 | .450 | .397 | .778 | 5.8 | 3.1 | .5 | .6 | 14.2 |
| 2009–10 | Detroit | 49 | 49 | 34.0 | .486 | .370 | .714 | 5.1 | 3.3 | .7 | .4 | 13.5 |
| 2010–11 | Detroit | 78 | 78 | 32.8 | .473 | .347 | .702 | 4.2 | 2.8 | .4 | .5 | 14.1 |
| 2011–12 | Detroit | 63 | 63 | 33.1 | .421 | .356 | .774 | 4.5 | 2.4 | .4 | .5 | 12.7 |
| 2012–13 | Detroit | 45* | 45 | 32.4 | .444 | .434 | .796 | 4.6 | 2.5 | .5 | .3 | 11.7 |
| Memphis | 37* | 36 | 31.7 | .429 | .366 | .595 | 4.2 | 2.3 | .7 | .3 | 8.8 | |
| 2013–14 | Memphis | 76 | 76 | 25.6 | .407 | .290 | .567 | 3.1 | 1.6 | .5 | .3 | 6.0 |
| 2014–15 | Memphis | 26 | 9 | 24.2 | .410 | .455 | .833 | 3.2 | 1.4 | .3 | .2 | 7.3 |
| Boston | 9 | 0 | 22.0 | .559 | .625 | .833 | 3.3 | 2.0 | .6 | .2 | 8.4 | |
| Detroit | 23 | 7 | 24.8 | .431 | .423 | .660 | 4.2 | 1.7 | .7 | .3 | 7.3 | |
| 2015–16 | Minnesota | 77 | 44 | 19.0 | .445 | .174 | .684 | 1.9 | 1.0 | .5 | .2 | 2.9 |
| Career | 1,017 | 902 | 31.0 | .455 | .367 | .756 | 4.3 | 2.4 | .6 | .5 | 11.1 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Detroit | 15 | 3 | 25.5 | .426 | .292 | .763 | 3.8 | 1.5 | .5 | .9 | 9.4 |
| 2004† | Detroit | 23 | 23 | 34.6 | .410 | .265 | .745 | 6.0 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 9.9 |
| 2005 | Detroit | 25 | 25 | 40.9 | .433 | .367 | .800 | 6.3 | 3.3 | 1.0 | .4 | 13.4 |
| 2006 | Detroit | 18 | 18 | 41.4 | .459 | .457 | .829 | 5.7 | 3.0 | .7 | .8 | 16.4 |
| 2007 | Detroit | 16 | 16 | 41.6 | .415 | .409 | .759 | 6.4 | 3.8 | .9 | .3 | 14.1 |
| 2008 | Detroit | 17 | 17 | 39.5 | .481 | .320 | .794 | 5.5 | 3.2 | .8 | .5 | 13.8 |
| 2009 | Detroit | 4 | 4 | 32.3 | .259 | .200 | .000 | 3.5 | 1.3 | .3 | .0 | 3.8 |
| 2013 | Memphis | 15 | 15 | 30.3 | .355 | .263 | .609 | 3.8 | 1.9 | .5 | .3 | 7.0 |
| 2014 | Memphis | 7 | 6 | 16.1 | .385 | .250 | .000 | 1.4 | .9 | .1 | .0 | 3.0 |
| Career | 140 | 127 | 35.6 | .427 | .343 | .774 | 5.2 | 2.6 | .8 | .6 | 11.4 | |
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