David West (basketball) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
David West
Personal information
West with the New Orleans Hornets in 2011
Born	(1980-08-29) August 29, 1980 (age 44) Teaneck, New Jersey, U.S.
High school	Garner (Garner, North Carolina) Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Virginia)
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
College	Xavier (1999–2003)
NBA Draft	2003 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18th overall
Selected by the New Orleans Hornets
Pro career	2003–2018
Career history
2003–2011	New Orleans Hornets
2011–2015	Indiana Pacers
2015–2016	San Antonio Spurs
2016–2018	Golden State Warriors

Career highlights and awards
2× NBA champion (2017, 2018) 2× NBA All-Star (2008, 2009) AP National Player of the Year (2003) Oscar Robertson Trophy winner (2003) Consensus first-team All-American (2003) 3× Atlantic 10 Player of the Year (2001–2003) 3× First-team All-Atlantic 10 (2001–2003) No. 30 retired by Xavier Musketeers

Career NBA statistics
Points	14,034 (13.6 ppg)
Rebounds	6,590 (6.4 rpg)
Assists	2,273 (2.2 apg)

David Moorer West (born August 29, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the New Orleans Hornets, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors. He played college basketball for the Xavier Musketeers, earning national college player of the year honors from the Associated Press (AP) and United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) as a senior in 2003. West was a two-time NBA All-Star (2008 and 2009) and a two-time NBA champion (2017 and 2018).

High school and college career
Professional career
Awards and honors
Career statistics
- NBA
  - Regular season
  - Playoffs
- College
Executive career
Personal life
- Political views
See also

High school and college career

West attended Garner Magnet High School in Garner, North Carolina and Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia. As a senior in 1998–99, he earned first-team all-state honors playing for Hargrave.

In his freshman season at Xavier, West was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team after leading the A-10 in rebounding (9.1) and finishing fourth on the Musketeers in scoring (11.7).

In his sophomore season, West led Xavier in scoring (17.8 ppg), rebounding (10.9 rpg, tops in A-10 and fourth nationally) and blocks (2.1 bpg). He recorded five 20-point, 20-rebound games throughout the 2000–01 season as he earned his first A-10 Player of the Year award.

In his junior season, West was named the A-10 Player of the Year and the league's Defensive Player of the Year, while also winning A-10 Tournament MVP honors. He averaged 9.8 rebounds (26th in nation) and 2.5 blocks (22nd in nation) per game, and recorded the first triple-double in school history with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Long Island University.

In his senior season, West garnered two of the five major college basketball Player of the Year honors, being named AP National Player of the Year and National Player of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association. He became the first three-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, and was named first-team All-America by the Associated Press in 2002–03. In addition, he became just the third player in Xavier history to surpass 2,000 points and only the second to eclipse 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, joining Tyrone Hill.

In October 2007, Sports Illustrated released Sports Illustrated: The Basketball Book, which featured West on its NCAA All-Decade Team for the decade beginning in 2000. He was joined by Connecticut's Emeka Okafor and three Duke players, Jay Williams, J. J. Redick and Shane Battier.

Professional career

New Orleans Hornets (2003–2011)

West in a game with the Hornets in 2010

West was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets with the 18th overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. After recording modest production in his first two seasons, in 2005–06, West enjoyed a breakthrough as he averaged 17.4 points and 7.4 rebounds with a .512 FG% in 74 games. That year, he finished second in the voting for the NBA Most Improved Player Award, behind Boris Diaw of the Phoenix Suns. He also saw some time at center, due to the team's lack of a true big man and demonstrated an ability to perform under pressure, as he converted three game-winning jump shots.

In 2006–07, West ended the season averaging 18.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Despite missing 30 games due to an elbow injury, West recorded five games of 30 or more points and 13 games of 20 or more points.

West again increased his statistical production in 2007–08, and was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game as a reserve, along with teammate Chris Paul. Paul later stated that he would rather not play with a power forward in the league other than West, because "he's not in it for the spotlight, all he cares about is getting buckets [scoring]." West reinforced his desire to be a team player in a 2008 postseason interview, saying that he does not care about being overlooked but would rather "play and be as effective as possible" when he is out on the court.

In 2008–09, West repeated as an all-star and posted a new career high by scoring 21.0 points per game.

On March 25, 2011, during one of the Hornets' last games of the season against the Utah Jazz, West came down awkwardly after a dunk. The event occurred with 22.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter. West tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and was ruled out for the rest of the season.

On June 27, 2011, West opted out of the final year of his contract to become a free agent.

Indiana Pacers (2011–2015)

On December 13, 2011, West signed a two-year, $20 million contract with the Indiana Pacers.

On January 12, 2013, West recorded his first career triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the 96–88 win over the Charlotte Bobcats.

On July 10, 2013, West re-signed with the Pacers to a three-year, $36.6 million contract. In June 2015, he opted out of his contract with the Pacers to become a free agent.

San Antonio Spurs (2015–2016)

On July 17, 2015, West signed with the San Antonio Spurs. He made his debut for the Spurs in the team's season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 28, recording 8 points and 2 rebounds off the bench in a 112–106 loss. On January 6, 2016, West, starting in place of LaMarcus Aldridge, recorded season-highs of 18 points and 13 rebounds in a 123–98 win over the Utah Jazz, helping the Spurs extend its franchise-record home winning streak to 30 straight regular-season games dating to 2014–15.

Golden State Warriors (2016–2018)

On July 9, 2016, West signed with the Golden State Warriors. West emerged as a key bench player for the Warriors, particularly for his skilled passing abilities. Throughout January and February 2017, West missed 14 games with a non-displaced fracture in his left thumb. On March 29, 2017, West recorded a season-high 15 points and a game-high plus-23 in a large comeback win against the San Antonio Spurs. The Warriors finished the season as the first seed in the West with a 67–15 record. Following a 129–115 victory in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals over the Spurs, the Warriors were undefeated in the first three playoff series, reaching their third straight NBA Finals series. West played in every playoff game, as the Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 4–1 in the 2017 NBA Finals. The Warriors' 16–1 playoff record was the best ever postseason winning percentage in NBA history.

On July 25, 2017, after winning his first championship ring, West re-signed with the Warriors for one more year, with expectations to retire after the 2017–18 season. On January 8, 2018, in a 124–114 win over the Denver Nuggets, West became the 127th player in NBA history to play in 1,000 regular-season games. After reaching that milestone, he noted that he might consider signing again for the 2018–19 season, saying, "It all depends on how my body feels. Right now I feel good." After winning his second NBA Championship, West announced his retirement from the NBA after 15 seasons on August 30, 2018.

Retirement

On August 30, 2018, West announced his retirement from the NBA after 15 seasons.

Awards and honors

2× NBA All-Star: 2008, 2009
Three-time Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year
2003 AP National Player of the Year
2003 National Player of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association
2003 Pete Newell Big Man award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches
First-team All-America by AP as a senior
Second-team All-America by AP as a junior
Honorable mention All-America by AP as a sophomore

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

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2003–04	New Orleans	71	1	13.1	.474	.000	.713	4.2	.8	.4	.4	3.8
2004–05	New Orleans	30	8	18.4	.436	.400	.680	4.3	.8	.4	.5	6.2
2005–06	New Orleans	74	74	34.1	.512	.273	.843	7.4	1.2	.8	.9	17.1
2006–07	New Orleans	52	52	36.5	.476	.320	.824	8.2	2.2	.8	.7	18.3
2007–08	New Orleans	76	76	37.8	.482	.240	.850	8.9	2.3	.8	1.3	20.6
2008–09	New Orleans	76	76	39.2	.472	.240	.884	8.5	2.3	.6	.9	21.0
2009–10	New Orleans	81	81	36.4	.505	.259	.865	7.5	3.0	.9	.7	19.0
2010–11	New Orleans	70	70	35.0	.508	.222	.807	7.6	2.3	1.0	.9	18.9
2011–12	Indiana	66*	66*	29.2	.487	.222	.807	6.6	2.1	.8	.7	12.8
2012–13	Indiana	73	73	33.4	.498	.211	.768	7.7	2.9	1.0	.9	17.1
2013–14	Indiana	80	80	30.9	.488	.267	.789	6.8	2.8	.8	.9	14.0
2014–15	Indiana	66	66	28.7	.471	.200	.739	6.8	3.4	.7	.7	11.7
2015–16	San Antonio	78	19	18.0	.545	.429	.788	4.0	1.8	.6	.7	7.1
2016–17†	Golden State	68	0	12.6	.536	.375	.768	3.0	2.2	.6	.7	4.6
2017–18†	Golden State	73	0	13.7	.571	.375	.759	3.3	1.9	.6	1.0	6.8
Career		1,034	742	28.2	.495	.265	.817	6.4	2.2	.7	.8	13.6
All-Star		2	0	15.0	.545	.000	.000	3.5	.5	.5	.0	6.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2004	New Orleans	7	0	15.9	.536	-	.846	4.3	1.1	.3	.6	5.9
2008	New Orleans	12	12	40.4	.466	.500	.891	8.5	2.8	1.1	1.9	21.2
2009	New Orleans	5	5	35.6	.400	-	.897	7.4	1.2	1.0	.4	18.0
2012	Indiana	11	11	37.8	.446	-	.818	8.5	2.0	.7	.5	15.3
2013	Indiana	19	19	36.3	.462	.000	.766	7.6	2.1	.7	.8	15.9
2014	Indiana	18	18	36.3	.483	.222	.705	6.9	4.1	.8	.8	15.1
2016	San Antonio	10	0	17.6	.455	.500	.556	3.7	1.3	.6	.7	5.8
2017†	Golden State	17	0	13.0	.576	.500	.778	2.7	2.1	.4	.8	4.5
2018†	Golden State	18	0	9.7	.600	.500	1.000	2.1	1.8	.3	.6	3.3
Career		118	66	26.6	.476	.320	.796	5.6	2.2	.6	.8	11.3

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1999–00	Xavier	33	33	29.4	.532	.000	.667	9.1	1.7	1.6	1.1	11.7
2000–01	Xavier	29	29	33.7	.551	.000	.740	10.9	2.0	1.4	2.1	17.8
2001–02	Xavier	32	32	34.2	.536	.321	.768	9.8	1.6	1.2	2.5	18.3
2002–03	Xavier	32	32	36.5	.513	.346	.816	11.8	3.2	1.3	1.6	20.1
Career		126	126	33.4	.531	.327	.757	10.4	2.1	1.4	1.8	16.9

Executive career

In November 2018, West became the first Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Historical Basketball League (HBL), a college basketball league set to launch in 2020. The HBL later changed its name to The Professional Collegiate League, with West explaining that the organization produces a more equitable system to "challenge the exploitation at the collegiate basketball level. ... Predominantly young black men, working, not being paid for their labor, and that labor being directly, monetarily beneficial for everyone but them."

Personal life

West is the son of Amos and Harriet West. He and his wife Lesley have one daughter, Dasia, and one son, David Benjamin.

West is very interested in education, "black history, philosophy and various societal issues". He also loves to make mixtapes for his teammates, saying that it is a healthy habit that keeps him "in the house and off [his] feet".

West has a Xavier "X" tattooed on his arm which displays, on either side, "My life, my way".

Political views

In mid-2019, West appeared as a panelist and commentator on The Young Turks political news program to discuss Juneteenth.

In a July 2020 interview with Black Agenda Report, West lamented the lack of understanding about China among Americans and denounced anti-China foreign policy hawks as "warmongers." ..... Regarding the manner in which China is presented in the American media, West stated: "As people in the world, as Americans and people in American society, we have been misled."

Concerning American politics, West expressed support for Medicare for All and stated that American society needs a fundamental restructuring in order to combat police brutality, food deserts, and discrimination against black people in the healthcare industry. ..... West praised China for its improvements in poverty elimination, education, and life expectancy, and stated that China has "built their society in a way to defend itself against the constant imposition of Western imperialism. And in the midst of all of that, they have still been able to eke out some of the greatest advancements in human history. ... They've done it without war, they've done it without invasion, they've done it without bombing and blowing people up." He elaborated further that China demonstrates "there could be a functioning society outside of the control of the Western imperial power structure."