Acie Earl facts for kids

Acie Boyd Earl (born June 23, 1970) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He played for four seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Acie was a tall player, standing 6 feet 10 inches (208 cm) and weighing 240 pounds (109 kg). He played as a center, a position usually for the tallest players. After his time in the NBA, he played many seasons in Europe.

Acie Earl's Early Basketball Career

High School Star in Illinois

Acie Earl was born in Peoria, Illinois. He became a star basketball player at Moline High School in Moline, Illinois. He played on the varsity team for three seasons. In 1988, he helped his team, the Maroons, achieve an impressive 23 wins and only 4 losses. Another future sports star, Brad Hopkins (who played in the NFL), was also on that team. Acie Earl is still the seventh highest scorer in Moline basketball history.

College Success at the University of Iowa

After high school, Acie played college basketball at the University of Iowa. He was a very important player for Coach Tom Davis's Hawkeyes team. In his first year, he played in 22 games. He averaged 6 points in about 16 minutes per game. Even with limited time, he managed to block 50 shots.

In his second year, Acie became a key player in the Big Ten Conference. He averaged 16.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He also blocked an amazing 106 shots that season. Iowa made it to the NCAA Tournament in 1991. They lost in the second round to the Duke Blue Devils, who went on to win the championship.

During his junior year, Acie improved his game even more. He averaged four blocked shots per game. The team again reached the NCAA Tournament in 1992. Once more, they lost in the second round to Duke, who again became the champions. In that game, Acie blocked 8 shots, almost tying the tournament record held by David Robinson.

In his final college year (1992–93), Acie continued to play strongly. However, Iowa lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Wake Forest.

Acie Earl was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 1992. When he finished college, he held the Iowa record for most blocked shots in a career, with 358. He was also second in total points scored, with 1779 points, just behind Roy Marble. He earned his college degree in Leisure studies in 1992. Today, Acie lives near his old college in Iowa City, Iowa.

Acie Earl's Professional Basketball Journey

Starting in the NBA

In 1993, Acie Earl was chosen in the first round of the 1993 NBA draft. The Boston Celtics picked him as the 19th player overall. That year's draft also included famous players like Chris Webber, Jamal Mashburn, and Penny Hardaway. In his first season with the Celtics, Acie played in 74 games. He averaged 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

His playing time and statistics decreased in his second year (1994–95). He played in only 30 games. Because of this, the Celtics did not protect him in the 1995 NBA expansion draft. The new team, the Toronto Raptors, then selected him.

Time with the Toronto Raptors

With the Raptors, Acie had his best NBA season. He scored 7.5 points per game and added 3.1 rebounds. On April 12, 1996, he played against his former team, the Celtics. In that game, Acie had an amazing performance, scoring 40 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. This is called a double-double. However, the Raptors still lost the game 136–108.

Midway through the 1996–97 season, Acie was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He played in nine games for the Bucks, which was his last time playing in the NBA.

Playing Overseas and Coaching

After his NBA career, Acie Earl played basketball in many other countries. He first played for Paris Basket Racing in France. He also played 21 games in Australia for the National Basketball League team, the Sydney Kings, in 1998–99. In 1998, he also played for the Continental Basketball Association's La Crosse Bobcats in the U.S.

He then played for teams in Turkey (like Türk Telekom Ankara and Darussafaka Istanbul Spor Kulubu), Russia (like Unics Kazan and Saratov Autodor), Poland (Śląsk Wrocław), Austria (Traiskirchen Arkadia Lions), and Montenegro (KK Budućnost Podgorica). He retired from playing in 2004. He also had a short time playing for KB Peja in Kosovo, helping them win the state championship.

After retiring as a player, Acie Earl became a coach. In 2005, he coached the Tijuana Dragons. This team was part of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and was based in Tijuana, Mexico.

NBA Career Statistics Summary

Acie Earl played 193 games in the NBA over four seasons.

• He scored a total of 980 points, averaging 5.1 points per game.
• He grabbed 517 rebounds, averaging 2.7 rebounds per game.
• He blocked 126 shots, averaging 0.7 blocks per game.

His best scoring game was 40 points with the Toronto Raptors.

See also

In Spanish: Acie Earl para niños