Acie Earl facts for kids

Acie Boyd Earl is an American former professional basketball player. He was born on June 23, 1970. Acie played for four seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a very tall player, standing 6 feet 10 inches (208 cm) tall. He played as a center or power forward. After his time in the NBA, he played many seasons in Europe.

Early Life and College Basketball

Acie Earl was born in Peoria, Illinois. He became a star basketball player at Moline High School. He played on the varsity team for three years. In 1988, he helped his team get a great record of 23 wins and 4 losses. He is still one of the top scorers in Moline basketball history.

Playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes

Acie went on to play college basketball at the University of Iowa. He was a very important player for the Iowa Hawkeyes team. In his first year, he played in 22 games. He scored about 6 points per game. Even with limited time, he blocked 50 shots.

In his second year, Acie became a major 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 Duke, who later won the championship.

NCAA Tournament Success

During his junior year, Acie got even better. He blocked about four shots per game. Iowa returned to the NCAA Tournament in 1992. Again, they lost in the second round to Duke, who also won the championship that year. In that game, Acie blocked eight shots. This was almost the record for the most blocks in a tournament game.

In his final college year (1992–93), Acie continued to play strongly. Iowa again lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. This time, they lost 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 ever, with 358. He was also second in total points scored for Iowa, with 1779 points. He earned his college degree in Leisure Studies. Today, Acie lives near his old college in Iowa City.

Professional Basketball Career

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

Moving to Other NBA Teams

In his second year (1994–95), Acie played in fewer games. The Celtics then left him unprotected in the 1995 NBA expansion draft. The Toronto Raptors chose him. With the Raptors, he had his best NBA season. He scored 7.5 points per game and grabbed 3.1 rebounds. On April 12, 1996, he had an amazing game against the Celtics, scoring 40 points and getting 12 rebounds. This is called a double-double when a player gets double-digit numbers in two different stats. Later in the 1996–97 season, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He played nine games for them, which was his last time in the NBA.

Playing Overseas

After his NBA career, Acie Earl played basketball in many different countries. He played for teams in France, Australia, and the CBA in the United States.

He also played in Turkey for teams like Türk Telekom Ankara. He played in Russia for Unics Kazan and Saratov Autodor. His career also took him to Poland with Śląsk Wrocław, Austria with Traiskirchen Arkadia Lions, and Montenegro with KK Budućnost Podgorica. He even played a short time in Kosovo for KB Peja, helping them win a championship. Acie retired from playing basketball in 2004.

Coaching After Playing

After his playing career, Acie Earl became a coach. In 2005, he coached the Tijuana Dragons. This team was part of the ABA and was based in Tijuana, Mexico.

See also

In Spanish: Acie Earl para niños