Danny Fortson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Danny Fortson

Personal information
Born	(1976-03-27) March 27, 1976 (age 49) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
High school	Shaler Area (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
College	Cincinnati (1994–1997)
NBA Draft	1997 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10th overall
Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks
Pro career	1997–2007
Career history
1997–1999	Denver Nuggets
1999–2000	Boston Celtics
2000–2003	Golden State Warriors
2003–2004	Dallas Mavericks
2004–2007	Seattle SuperSonics
Career highlights and awards
Consensus first-team All-American (1997) Consensus second-team All-American (1996) 2× Conference USA Player of the Year (1996, 1997) 2× First-team All-Conference USA (1996, 1997) First-team All-Great Midwest (1995) Third-team Parade All-American (1994)
Career NBA statistics
Points	3,615 (8.2 ppg)
Rebounds	3,184 (7.2 rpg)
Assists	301 (0.7 apg)

Daniel Anthony Fortson (born March 27, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He was known for playing as a power forward and center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1997 to 2007.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Danny Fortson was born in Philadelphia, but he grew up in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He faced a difficult home life, and his mother dealt with health challenges. Danny became friends with a family whose son played on his AAU basketball team. He spent two summers living with this family in Shaler Township, a suburb near Pittsburgh.

After his second year of high school, Danny and his mother moved to Shaler. He then transferred to Shaler Area High School for his last two years (1992–1994). In his senior year, he was an amazing player, scoring an average of 30 points per game. He was also part of the special Backboard squad for top high school basketball players.

College Career at Cincinnati

Danny Fortson played college basketball for the Cincinnati Bearcats for three years, from 1994 to 1997. He was a very strong player. One opposing coach, Charlie Spoonhour, even joked that he could do a chin-up on Danny's arm without it affecting his shooting!

During his time with the Bearcats, Danny scored 1,881 points. This made him the second-highest scorer in the school's history. He was known for being a physical player who could also shoot well. He helped lead the University of Cincinnati to win the Conference USA championships in both 1996 and 1997. In 1997, he was named a first-team All-American. That year, he averaged 21.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, shooting 62 percent from the field.

Danny Fortson's NBA Journey

Danny Fortson started his professional basketball career after being picked 10th overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. However, he was immediately traded to the Denver Nuggets on the same day.

Playing for the Denver Nuggets

In his first year with the Nuggets, Danny scored double-digit points on average. The next year, he averaged a double-double (meaning he had double-digit points and double-digit rebounds in the same game). This was impressive because he was a bit smaller than most centers. However, his shots were blocked more often than any other player in the NBA during that season.

Moving to Other Teams

Before the 1999–2000 season, Danny was traded again, this time to the Boston Celtics. He missed the first 25 games that season because of a stress fracture in his right foot. He didn't play much with the Celtics, averaging 7.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

After that season, he was traded to the Golden State Warriors. In the first six games of the 2000–01 season, he had an amazing start, averaging 16.7 points and 16.3 rebounds per game. But unfortunately, he suffered another stress fracture in his right foot and missed the rest of that season. He returned the next season, the 2001–02 season, and had the best year of his career. He averaged 11.2 points and 11.7 rebounds in just 28.8 minutes per game as a starter for 76 games.

In the 2002–03 season, Danny spent most of his time on the bench. For the fourth time in his career, he was traded again, this time to the Dallas Mavericks.

Time with the Mavericks and SuperSonics

With the Mavericks, Danny played only about 11 minutes per game. He was traded again in 2004 to the Seattle SuperSonics. In Seattle, Danny quickly became a fan favorite. Fans loved his physical style of play and his great rebounding skills.

Danny was often called for fouls by referees because of his aggressive play. He was known for getting a lot of technical fouls. His playing time started to decrease during the 2005–06 season. Danny's NBA career ended after the 2007 season.

Hall of Fame Recognition

Years after leaving college, Danny Fortson was honored as one of the greatest players in the University of Cincinnati's history. He was inducted into the Bearcats’ Hall of Fame on October 29, 2015. On May 21, 2016, Danny Fortson was also inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

In Spanish: Danny Fortson para niños