Darnell Valentine facts for kids
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 3, 1959 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| High school | Wichita Heights (Wichita, Kansas) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 183 lb (83 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Kansas (1977–1981) |
| NBA Draft | 1981 / Round: 1 / Pick: 16th overall |
| Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers | |
| Pro career | 1981–1994 |
| Career history | |
| 1981–1986 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1986–1988 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1988–1991 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1991–1992 | Marr Rimini |
| 1992–1993 | Burghy Modena |
| 1994 | Reggio Emilia |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 5,400 (8.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,318 (2.1 rpg) |
| Assists | 3,080 (5.0 apg) |
Darnell Terrell Valentine, born on February 3, 1959, is a former American professional basketball player. He played for ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Contents
Early Life and High School
Darnell Valentine was born in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up and went to high school in Wichita, Kansas. In 1977, he graduated from Wichita Heights High School. That same year, Darnell was chosen for the first-ever McDonald's All-American team. This team played in a special game called the Capital Classic.
College Career
Valentine played college basketball at the University of Kansas. He was a very good student, earning Academic All-American honors three times. He was also a top player, being named First-team All-Big Eight four times.
Darnell was chosen to be part of the 1980 Summer Olympics men's basketball team. However, the United States decided not to send its athletes to those Olympics. This was due to a political protest called the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott. Even though he could not compete, Darnell received a special Congressional Gold Medal. This medal honored him and other athletes who missed their chance to play. The University of Kansas later retired his No. 14 jersey to honor his amazing college career.
Professional Basketball
In the 1981 NBA draft, the Portland Trail Blazers picked Darnell Valentine as the 16th overall player. He played for the Trail Blazers for about four and a half years. During his time in Portland, he averaged 9.8 points and 5.4 assists per game.
After playing for Portland, Valentine also played for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He spent a total of ten seasons in the NBA. In his entire NBA career, he played 620 games. He averaged 8.7 points and 5.0 assists per game. After his NBA career, Darnell played three seasons in the Italian Basketball League. He played for teams like Marr Rimini, Burghy Modena, and Reggio Emilia.
Life After Playing
From 1994 to 2004, Darnell Valentine worked for the National Basketball Players Association. He was a Regional Representative, helping other basketball players. Later, from 2004 to 2007, he worked for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was the Director of Player Programs. Today, Darnell works for Precision Castparts Corp. in Portland.
See also
In Spanish: Darnell Valentine para niños
