Baron Davis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Baron Davis

Davis in 2023
No. 1, 5, 85, 24
Point guard
Personal information
Born	(1979-04-13) April 13, 1979 (age 46) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
High school	Crossroads School (Santa Monica, California)
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
College	UCLA (1997–1999)
NBA Draft	1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Charlotte Hornets
Pro career	1999–2012; 2016
Career history
1999–2002	Charlotte Hornets
2002–2005	New Orleans Hornets
2005–2008	Golden State Warriors
2008–2011	Los Angeles Clippers
2011	Cleveland Cavaliers
2011–2012	New York Knicks
2016	Delaware 87ers
Career highlights and awards
2× NBA All-Star (2002, 2004) All-NBA Third Team (2004) 2× NBA steals leader (2004, 2007) Third-team All-American – AP (1999) First-team All-Pac-10 (1999) Pac-10 Freshman of the Year (1998) Pac-10 All-Freshman Team (1998) Gatorade Player of the Year (1997) First-team Parade All-American (1997) McDonald's All-American (1997) California Mr. Basketball (1997)
Career NBA statistics
Points	13,447 (16.1 ppg)
Assists	6,025 (7.2 apg)
Steals	1,530 (1.8 spg)
Medals Men's basketball Representing the  United States Goodwill Games Gold 2001 Brisbane National team

Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. He was a studio analyst for the NBA on TNT. Baron Davis was a two-time NBA All-Star. He was also named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2004. He led the NBA in steals twice during his career.

Davis was picked third overall in the 1999 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He also played for the New Orleans Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks. Before turning pro, Davis played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He earned All-American honors there. He was a star player in high school at Crossroads School. Davis holds the NBA playoff record for most steals per game. He averaged 2.28 steals over 50 playoff games.

Early Life and High School Career

Baron Davis was born in Los Angeles. He grew up in the South Central area. His grandmother, Lela Nicholson, raised him. She was very important in encouraging him to play basketball. With her support, he went to Crossroads School. This is a well-known private school in Santa Monica.

As a senior at Crossroads, Davis led his team to a championship. This was at The Beach Ball Classic tournament. He was named MVP of the tournament. He also made the All-Tournament team. That year, Davis was named Gatorade National Player of the Year. He was also a Parade All-American. In 1997, he played in the famous McDonald's All-American High School Basketball Game. He played with future NBA stars like Elton Brand and Shane Battier.

College Career at UCLA

Many top colleges wanted Baron Davis to play for them. These included Kansas and Duke. But Davis chose UCLA. He wanted to play close to his family and friends. He started at UCLA in 1997.

In 1998, Davis was named the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. In 1999, during his second year, he was named Third Team All-America. In his two years at UCLA, he averaged 13.6 points and 5.1 assists. During a game in his freshman year, he injured his knee. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). But he recovered fully for the next season. He played well enough to enter the 1999 NBA draft after his sophomore year.

Professional NBA Career

Charlotte Hornets (1999–2002)

The Charlotte Hornets picked Davis third in the 1999 NBA draft. In his first NBA game, he scored nine points. He also had five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. In his first year, he was a backup player. The Hornets lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Davis, pictured here in 2003, was drafted by the Hornets in 1999

The next year, Davis played much better. He started all 82 games for the Hornets. His points, assists, and steals all increased. He led the Hornets back to the playoffs. They swept the Miami Heat. Then they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games. On February 17, 2001, Davis made a very long shot. It was an 89-foot shot against the Bucks. This is considered the longest shot in NBA history. He also took part in the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend.

In his third season, Davis again started all 82 games. He averaged 18 points and 8.5 assists per game. He was chosen for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. The Hornets made the playoffs for the third time with Davis. They beat the Orlando Magic in the first round. But they were eliminated by the New Jersey Nets in the second round.

New Orleans Hornets (2002–2005)

In 2002, the Hornets moved to New Orleans. In their first season there, Davis had many injuries. He played in only 50 games. Still, he led the Hornets to the playoffs. They lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.

The next season, injuries again limited Davis to 67 games. But he led the league in steals per game. He was also voted an All-Star for the second time. He earned a spot on the All-NBA third team. Davis also won the Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend. The Hornets lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Miami Heat.

Golden State Warriors (2005–2008)

Davis with the Warriors in 2005

On February 24, 2005, Davis was traded to the Golden State Warriors. He had some disagreements with the Hornets' coaches. This move brought Davis back to California. He had wanted to return there since college.

In the 2006–07 season, the Warriors hired coach Don Nelson. His fast-paced offense suited Davis's style of play. Davis had knee surgery during the season. But he still led the league in steals per game. He also led the Warriors to their first playoff appearance since 1994. The Warriors faced the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks had a much better record. But the Warriors won the series 4–2. This was a huge upset in NBA playoff history. Davis averaged 25 points per game in that series.

Steve Kerr, a TV analyst, called Davis's performance "outrageous." Davis showed amazing athleticism and creativity. His playoff highlights included many acrobatic layups. He also made a half-court three-pointer at the buzzer. The Utah Jazz then eliminated the Warriors. Davis averaged 25.3 points, 6.5 assists, and 2.9 steals in the 2007 Playoffs.

Davis defending Kobe Bryant

After the 2007–08 season, Davis chose to leave the Warriors. He wanted to explore other options.

Los Angeles Clippers (2008–2011)

On July 1, 2008, Davis agreed to a 5-year deal. He would play for his hometown team, the Los Angeles Clippers. He officially signed with them on July 10, 2008. Davis hoped to play with Elton Brand. But Brand left to sign with another team. Davis said Brand's departure did not change his decision.

Davis's first year with the Clippers was tough. He had many injuries. The Clippers had a poor record. Davis played in only 65 games. His scoring and shooting percentage dropped. But he still had some good moments. He scored 30 points and had 10 assists in one game. He also had two games with 20 assists.

Davis with the ball, defended by Derek Fisher

On November 20, 2009, Davis reached 5,000 career assists. In his third year, a healthy Davis played well. He played alongside young stars like Blake Griffin. But he had some issues with the coaching staff. The team also decided to rebuild with younger players. So, the Clippers decided to trade him.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2011)

On February 24, 2011, Davis was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. This trade reunited him with his former coach, Byron Scott. Davis chose to wear number 85. This was to honor his grandparents. Their house in Los Angeles was on 85th Street. In his first game with the Cavs, Davis scored 18 points. He helped the Cavaliers win several games. This included a victory over LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

On December 14, 2011, the Cavaliers released Davis. They wanted to give the starting point guard spot to Kyrie Irving. This allowed Davis to look for a starting job on another team.

New York Knicks (2011–2012)

On December 19, 2011, Davis signed a one-year contract with the New York Knicks. He chose New York over other teams like the Lakers and Heat. Davis had a back injury at the time. He did not play for the Knicks until February 20, 2012.

Davis became the Knicks' starting point guard. This happened after Jeremy Lin suffered a season-ending injury. On May 6, 2012, Davis injured his right knee. This happened during a playoff game against the Miami Heat. He had surgery for a serious knee injury.

Delaware 87ers (2016)

Davis became a free agent in 2012. He was expected to be out for a long time due to his knee surgery. In July 2015, he returned to play basketball. He scored 44 points in the Drew League. He then said he wanted to return to the NBA. On January 15, 2016, he signed to play in the NBA Development League. On March 2, he joined the Delaware 87ers. Two days later, he played his first D-League game. He scored eight points and had four assists. In six games for Delaware, he averaged 12.8 points.

Davis also played in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game in 2017.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2000	Charlotte	4	0	14.3	.435	.167	.500	1.5	1.5	1.0	.0	5.8
2001	Charlotte	10	10	39.7	.480	.400	.714	4.4	5.8	2.8*	.5	17.8
2002	Charlotte	9	9	44.6	.378	.339	.597	7.0	7.9	3.6*	.6	22.6
2003	New Orleans	5	5	38.8	.446	.343	.727	3.6	8.4	1.4	.4	20.4
2004	New Orleans	7	7	37.1	.377	.327	.758	4.1	7.0	1.6	.7	18.1
2007	Golden State	11	11	40.5	.513	.373	.770	4.5	6.5	2.9*	.6	25.3
2012	New York	4	4	24.3	.478	.286	1.000	.8	3.3	.0	.0	7.8
Career		50	46	37.0	.442	.350	.709	4.3	6.2	2.3	.5	18.8

Awards and Honors

Baron Davis received many awards during his career:

NBA

• 2× NBA All-Star (2002, 2004)
• All-NBA Third Team (2004)
• 2× NBA steals leader (2004, 2007)
• NBA Skills Challenge champion (2004)

College

• AP Third-team All-American (1999)
• First-team All-Pac-10 (1999)
• Pac-10 Freshman of the Year (1998)
• Pac-10 All-Freshman Team (1998)
• Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team
• UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame (2016)

High school

• Gatorade Player of the Year (1997)
• McDonald's All-American (1997)
• California Mr. Basketball (1997)

Career Outside of Basketball

Broadcasting and Acting

Since 2017, Davis has been a regular analyst on Players Only for NBA on TNT. This show features only former NBA players.

Davis speaking in 2008

Davis has also worked in the film industry. He wants to make it a full-time career after basketball. He appeared in a commercial for the Charlotte Hornets early in his career. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild. He has acted in movies like The Cookout. He also guest-starred on TV shows like Lincoln Heights. Davis has appeared as himself and as characters in films and on TV. He has also produced several films. In 2005, he started a production company called Verso Entertainment with his friend Cash Warren.

Davis appeared on the DVD commentary for the movie Step Brothers. He also appeared as himself on the show Hot In Cleveland. In 2012, he was in the film That's My Boy. He played a gym teacher. In 2015, he was in Sin City Saints on Yahoo! Screen. He also played himself in the 2015 movie The Night Before. He was a doctor in Joe Dirt 2.

In 2015, Davis co-starred in an "Uncle Drew" Pepsi Max ad. He played Louis alongside Kyrie Irving and Ray Allen. He also had a special guest role in Mozart in the Jungle. In 2017, Davis appeared in the Chinese film My Other Home. In 2019, he was an executive producer for the film Senior Love Triangle.

Baron Davis the basketball player is different from Baron Davis the voice actor. The voice actor worked on movies like Tarzan II. However, Davis the basketball player did voiceover work for the series TripTank. In 2023, Davis played himself in the movie Joy Ride. He appeared as a player in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Business Ventures

In 2012, Davis started a gaming company called 5 Balloons Interactive. They made games for iPhones and iPads. Their first game was "Getting Buckets".

In 2016, Davis created the Black Santa Company. This company promotes African American stories and characters. It also sells various products like shirts and Christmas ornaments. In 2019, Davis joined an advisory board for Tinley Beverage Company Inc. He also invested in Metropolis Technologies in 2021.

Personal Life

On January 30, 2014, Baron Davis married Isabella Brewster. She is the sister of actress Jordana Brewster. They had two children together.

See also

In Spanish: Baron Davis para niños

• List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders
• List of National Basketball Association annual steals leaders
• List of National Basketball Association single-game assists leaders