Clarence Weatherspoon facts for kids
Weatherspoon in 2019
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Meridian Community College | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head Coach | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 8, 1970 Crawford, Mississippi, U.S. |
|||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Motley (Columbus, Mississippi) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Southern Miss (1988–1992) | |||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1992 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall | |||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1992–2005 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2016–present | |||||||||||||||||||
| League | Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1998 | Philadelphia 76ers | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Golden State Warriors | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Miami Heat | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Cleveland Cavaliers | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | New York Knicks | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Houston Rockets | |||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2022 | Southern Miss (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Jones County JC (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–present | Meridian CC | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Career NBA statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Points | 10,483 (11.5 ppg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 6,846 (7.5 rpg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Assists | 1,346 (1.5 apg) | |||||||||||||||||||
|
Medals
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Clarence Weatherspoon Sr. (born September 8, 1970) is a former American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born in Crawford, Mississippi. Today, he is the head coach for Meridian Community College.
Before this, he was an assistant coach. He worked for Jones County JC and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.
At the University of Southern Mississippi, Weatherspoon was a star player. He won the Metro Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year award three times. No other player in that conference has done this!
The Philadelphia 76ers picked him ninth in the 1992 NBA draft. He played for many NBA teams. These included the 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, and Houston Rockets. He scored about 11.5 points per game in his career.
Weatherspoon was 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighed 250 pounds. He was called "Baby Barkley" early in his career. This was because his playing style was like Charles Barkley's. Barkley was another strong NBA player.
He also competed in the 1993 NBA Slam Dunk contest. He finished second, right behind Harold Miner.
Contents
Clarence Weatherspoon's College Career
After playing high school basketball, Weatherspoon went to the University of Southern Mississippi. He became the most famous basketball player in the school's history.
Playing for Southern Miss
Weatherspoon played for four years at Southern Mississippi. He averaged 18.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. He holds school records for rebounds, blocked shots, and minutes played. He is also second in scoring.
During his time, the Golden Eagles won 64 games and lost 53. In 1991, they had a great season with 21 wins and 8 losses. They were even ranked as high as ninth nationally.
The team made it to the NCAA tournament twice. In 1990, they lost to La Salle. In 1991, they lost to NC State. Weatherspoon was a top scorer in both games.
Awards and Honors
Weatherspoon was named Metro Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year three years in a row. This was from 1990 to 1992. He is the only player to win this award three times. He is also the all-time leading rebounder in the conference.
On March 7, 1992, his jersey number 35 was retired. This means no other player at Southern Miss will wear that number. It was a special night, his last home game.
International Play
Weatherspoon also played for the USA team twice. In 1990, he won a silver medal at the Goodwill Games. In 1991, he won a bronze medal at the Pan-American games in Cuba. He played well in these international games.
In 2007, Weatherspoon was added to the Southern Mississippi Alumni Association Hall of Fame. This honors his great achievements.
Clarence Weatherspoon's NBA Career
The Philadelphia 76ers picked Weatherspoon in the 1992 NBA draft. He was the ninth player chosen overall. This happened just after the 76ers traded away Charles Barkley.
Becoming "Baby Barkley"
People quickly compared Weatherspoon to Barkley. Weatherspoon was a strong player who loved to rebound. He was often called "Baby Barkley" because of his similar style. He was known for his "pump fakes" when scoring close to the basket.
Rookie Season Success
Weatherspoon had a great first year with the 76ers. He averaged 15.6 points per game. This was the third-highest on his team. He set a new record for points by a Sixers rookie. This record has since been broken.
He led the 76ers in rebounding. He was also one of the top rookie scorers in the NBA. He scored a season-high 30 points in one game. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
Best Professional Season
His second season was his best. He led the 76ers in scoring with 18.4 points per game. He also averaged a career-high 10.1 rebounds per game. He scored in double-figures in 80 out of 82 games.
He even got his only career triple-double in February 1994. He had 15 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists. He was one of only five players that season to have over 100 in five major stats. These stats were points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals.
Later NBA Years
In 1994, the 76ers hired John Lucas as coach. Weatherspoon moved to the small forward position. He still scored a lot, but his rebounding numbers went down.
The 76ers drafted Allen Iverson in 1996. Weatherspoon's role on the team changed. He still played well, but his scoring and rebounding averages decreased.
In 1998, Weatherspoon was traded to the Golden State Warriors. He later signed with the Miami Heat in 1999. After one season, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In 2001, Weatherspoon joined the New York Knicks. In 2003, he was traded to the Houston Rockets. The Rockets released him in 2005, ending his playing career.
NBA Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–93 | Philadelphia | 82 | 82 | 32.4 | .469 | .250 | .713 | 7.2 | 1.8 | 1.0 | .8 | 15.6 |
| 1993–94 | Philadelphia | 82 | 82 | 38.4 | .483 | .235 | .693 | 10.1 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 18.4 |
| 1994–95 | Philadelphia | 76 | 76 | 39.4 | .439 | .190 | .751 | 6.9 | 2.8 | 1.5 | .9 | 18.1 |
| 1995–96 | Philadelphia | 78 | 75 | 39.7 | .484 | .000 | .746 | 9.7 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 16.7 |
| 1996–97 | Philadelphia | 82 | 82* | 36.0 | .491 | .167 | .738 | 8.3 | 1.7 | .9 | 1.0 | 12.2 |
| 1997–98 | Philadelphia | 48 | 18 | 26.9 | .426 | – | .707 | 7.0 | .8 | .9 | 1.1 | 8.4 |
| 1997–98 | Golden State | 31 | 31 | 33.4 | .458 | – | .748 | 8.3 | 1.6 | 1.4 | .7 | 10.7 |
| 1998–99 | Miami | 49 | 3 | 21.2 | .534 | – | .804 | 5.0 | .7 | .6 | .3 | 8.1 |
| 1999–00 | Miami | 78 | 2 | 20.7 | .513 | – | .738 | 5.8 | 1.2 | .7 | .6 | 7.2 |
| 2000–01 | Cleveland | 82 | 82* | 33.9 | .501 | – | .790 | 9.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 11.3 |
| 2001–02 | New York | 56 | 41 | 30.8 | .418 | – | .795 | 8.2 | 1.1 | .7 | .9 | 8.8 |
| 2002–03 | New York | 79 | 19 | 25.6 | .449 | – | .768 | 7.6 | .9 | .9 | .5 | 6.6 |
| 2003–04 | New York | 15 | 1 | 14.5 | .450 | – | .947 | 3.3 | .9 | .5 | .1 | 3.6 |
| 2003–04 | Houston | 37 | 0 | 17.6 | .503 | .000 | .660 | 4.2 | .5 | .6 | .4 | 5.6 |
| 2004–05 | Houston | 40 | 18 | 13.1 | .412 | – | .829 | 3.1 | .4 | .2 | .2 | 3.1 |
| Career | 915 | 612 | 30.3 | .471 | .196 | .743 | 7.5 | 1.5 | 1.0 | .9 | 11.5 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Miami | 5 | 0 | 22.4 | .346 | – | .647 | 4.2 | .4 | 1.4 | .2 | 5.8 |
| 2000 | Miami | 10 | 0 | 17.0 | .417 | – | .583 | 4.1 | .1 | .4 | .3 | 6.4 |
| 2004 | Houston | 2 | 0 | 11.0 | .400 | – | .500 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 3.5 |
| 2005 | Houston | 1 | 0 | .2 | – | – | – | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 18 | 0 | 17.9 | .396 | – | .596 | 3.7 | .2 | .6 | .2 | 5.6 | |
Clarence Weatherspoon's Coaching Career
After his NBA playing career, Weatherspoon became a basketball coach.
Assistant Coach Roles
In 2016, he became an assistant coach. He worked for the men's basketball team at his old college, Southern Miss.
In 2022, he moved to another assistant coach role. This was for the men's basketball team at Jones County JC.
Head Coach Position
As of June 5, 2024, Weatherspoon is the Head Coach. He leads the men's basketball team at Meridian Community College in Meridian, Mississippi.
See also
In Spanish: Clarence Weatherspoon para niños
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds
