Damon Stoudamire facts for kids
Stoudamire in 2021 as a Celtics assistant coach
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| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Head coach | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 3, 1973 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
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| High school | Woodrow Wilson (Portland, Oregon) |
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| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 171 lb (78 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Arizona (1991–1995) | |||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1995 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall | |||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Toronto Raptors | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1995–2008 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2009–present | |||||||||||||||||||
| League | Atlantic Coast Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1998 | Toronto Raptors | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2005 | Portland Trail Blazers | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | Memphis Grizzlies | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | San Antonio Spurs | |||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Rice (director of player development) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Memphis Grizzlies (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Memphis (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Arizona (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Memphis (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2021 | Pacific | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Boston Celtics (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–present | Georgia Tech | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
As player:
As coach:
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| Career NBA statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Points | 11,763 (13.4 ppg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Assists | 5,371 (6.1 apg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Steals | 953 (1.1 spg) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Damon Lamon Stoudamire (born September 3, 1973) is a famous American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets college team. People often called him Mighty Mouse because he was a smaller player at 5 feet 10 inches tall.
Damon was picked 7th overall in the 1995 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1996. He played college basketball at the University of Arizona. As a professional, he played for the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, and San Antonio Spurs.
Contents
Early Life
Damon Stoudamire was born in Portland, Oregon. He was raised by his mother, Liz, and his grandmother, Wanda. His uncles, Charles and Anthony, helped him get into sports, especially basketball. They were like fathers and coaches to him when he was young.
Damon loved watching Nate Archibald play basketball. He tried to play just like his childhood hero. As he grew up, Damon played basketball at local parks and community centers in Portland.
He went to Holy Redeemer grade school and Harriet Tubman Middle School. Then he attended Woodrow Wilson High School. His grandmother Wanda passed away when he was in high school. Damon later got a tattoo of her face and address to remember her.
High School Basketball
Damon played basketball for Wilson High School, which is now called Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School. He was a great player and helped his team win state championships in 1989 and 1991. His team had an amazing record of 74 wins and only 4 losses.
During his high school career, he averaged 26.1 points, 9.2 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game. He was named Oregon Player of the Year twice. He was also chosen for the Converse High School All-America Team in his senior year.
College Basketball
Stoudamire played as a point guard for the Arizona Wildcats. His coach was Lute Olson. He was named a first-team All-American, which means he was one of the best college players in the country. In his junior year, he and Khalid Reeves helped their team reach the Final Four.
In his senior year, he averaged 22.8 points per game. He became the first player in Arizona history to have two games where he scored over 40 points. He scored his highest college points, 45, against Stanford University. He also won the Pac-12 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year award in 1995.
Even though he was the youngest player on the United States men's national basketball team, Damon led the team in assists and steals. They won a gold medal at the 1993 Summer Universiade in Buffalo.
Playing in the NBA
Toronto Raptors: Mighty Mouse!
Damon Stoudamire was the first player ever picked by the Toronto Raptors in the 1995 NBA draft. Fans in Toronto wanted another player, so they booed when Damon's name was called. But Damon used this as motivation to play even better.
He had an amazing first year, averaging 19 points and 9.3 assists per game. He earned the nickname "Mighty Mouse" because he was a smaller player but played with huge energy. He even had a Mighty Mouse tattoo!
Damon set a new record for most three-point field goals made by a rookie with 133. He also led all rookies in minutes played and assists. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1996. He was the shortest player ever to win this award.
Portland Trail Blazers: Back Home
In 1998, Damon was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, which was his hometown team. On December 28, 2000, he scored 32 points and made a game-winning shot with less than a second left against the Utah Jazz.
On January 14, 2005, Damon had his best scoring game ever. He scored 54 points, including 8 three-pointers, against the New Orleans Hornets. His contract with the Blazers ended in 2005.
Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs
In August 2005, Damon signed a four-year deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. He became their starting point guard. In December 2005, he got a serious knee injury that made him miss the rest of the season. He came back to play in 2006.
In 2008, Damon joined the San Antonio Spurs. He played briefly for them, helping out when their main point guard was injured. After this, he decided to move into coaching.
Becoming a Coach
Early Coaching Roles
After his playing career, Damon Stoudamire started coaching. In 2008, he became the director of player development for the Rice University Owls basketball team. In 2009, he joined the coaching staff of the Memphis Grizzlies.
He then returned to college coaching. He was an assistant coach for the University of Memphis Tigers from 2011 to 2013. Then he went back to his old college team, Arizona, as an assistant coach from 2013 to 2015. He returned to Memphis as an assistant coach for another year.
In March 2016, Damon became the head coach for the Pacific Tigers team. He coached them until 2021.
Leading the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
In July 2021, Damon became an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics in the NBA. Then, on March 13, 2023, he was named the new head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
As Georgia Tech's coach, he quickly made an impact. He led the Yellow Jackets to a big win against Duke, who were ranked 7th in the country. He also became one of only three coaches in ACC history to beat both Duke and North Carolina in his first year!
Family Connections
Damon Stoudamire has several family members who are also basketball players. He is the cousin of former NBA players Salim Stoudamire and Terrence Jones. He is also related to current NBA player Grant Williams. His uncles, Anthony and Charles Stoudamire, also played college football.
See also
In Spanish: Damon Stoudamire para niños
- Toronto Raptors accomplishments and records
