DeJuan Blair facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
DeJuan Blair

Blair with the San Antonio Spurs in 2010
Personal information
Born	(1989-04-22) April 22, 1989 (age 36) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
High school	Schenley (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	270 lb (122 kg)
Career information
College	Pittsburgh (2007–2009)
NBA Draft	2009 / Round: 2 / Pick: 37th overall
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Pro career	2009–2019
Career history
2009–2013	San Antonio Spurs
2011	Krasnye Krylia
2013–2014	Dallas Mavericks
2014–2016	Washington Wizards
2016	Jiangsu Monkey King
2017	Texas Legends
2017	Los Angeles D-Fenders
2017–2018	San Lorenzo de Almagro
2018–2019	Austin Spurs
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2010) Consensus first-team All-American (2009) Big East co-Player of the Year (2009) First-team All-Big East (2009) Big East co-Rookie of the Year (2008) Big East All-Rookie Team (2008)

DeJuan Lamont Blair (born April 22, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Pittsburgh Panthers from 2007 to 2009. Blair was chosen by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2009 NBA draft. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 7 seasons. He played for the Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, and Washington Wizards. Blair also played in the NBA Development League and for teams in other countries.

Early Life and Basketball Beginnings

DeJuan Blair grew up in Pittsburgh's Hill District. He was the oldest of four children. He attended Manchester Academic Charter School for kindergarten through eighth grade. Both of his parents played basketball at Schenley High School. His uncle managed the Ammons Recreation Center nearby. This is where DeJuan learned to play basketball.

High School Basketball Career

Blair went to Schenley High School, just like his parents. He was a star player for the basketball team. He scored 1,563 points during his high school career. His team had an amazing record of 103 wins and only 16 losses. They were undefeated in their local Pittsburgh City League.

He was named the AP player of the state. He also made the first-team all-state in his junior and senior years. Blair led Schenley to win the 2007 PIAA Class 4A state championship. This was the first state title for a City League team since 1978. In the final game, he had 18 points, 23 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots. He was also named Pittsburgh City League Player of the Year three times.

Blair played in summer leagues too. In one championship game, his team played against a team led by Terrelle Pryor. Pryor later became a famous football quarterback.

During high school, Blair had two knee surgeries. These surgeries meant he played without any anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs) in his knees.

Choosing a College Team

Many colleges wanted Blair to play for them. Some of these schools included Florida, Kansas State, and Indiana. His parents wanted him to go to Tennessee. They liked the coach there and thought it would be good for him to leave Pittsburgh.

Blair found it hard to decide. He had offers from about 18 different schools. His grandmother, Donna Saddler, was very important in his life. The Pitt coach, Jamie Dixon, knew this. He called Blair's grandmother first. She invited him to a family reunion, and he went.

In the end, his grandmother helped him decide. She told him, "Pitt is it." She liked Coach Dixon and how close the school was to her home. She also knew that Pitt's starting center was leaving. This meant Blair would likely get to start if he went to Pitt. He announced his decision at the Ammons Recreation Center, where he first started playing basketball.

College Basketball Career

Freshman Year (2007–08)

DeJuan Blair became a starter in his first year at the University of Pittsburgh. He was named to the All-American Freshman team. He helped the Panthers win the Big East Conference tournament. They also earned a high seed in the NCAA tournament.

The Panthers won their first game in the NCAA tournament. But they lost in the second round to Michigan State. Blair was named the Big East Co-Rookie of the Year. He also earned honorable mention honors for the All-Big East team. He set new freshman records for Pitt. He had the most starts (36), rebounds (337), and field goals made (168). He was the first freshman in Pitt history to get over 400 points and 300 rebounds.

Sophomore Year (2008–09)

In the 2008–09 season, Blair played even better. He averaged 15.7 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. He helped Pittsburgh get a number one seed in the NCAA tournament.

Blair shared the Big East Player of the Year award with Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet. He was also chosen as a first-team All-American. This honor came from the Associated Press and other groups. He finished tied for second place for the 2009 Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year award. This award was won by Blake Griffin.

In April 2009, Blair decided to enter the NBA draft. This meant he would not play his last two years of college basketball.

College Statistics

Professional Basketball Career

San Antonio Spurs (2009–2013)

Blair with the Spurs in 2010

On June 25, 2009, the San Antonio Spurs picked Blair in the 2009 NBA draft. He was the 37th player chosen overall. Some teams were worried about his knees and how long he could play. On July 17, he signed a four-year contract with the Spurs.

In his very first NBA game, he had 14 points and 11 rebounds. This is called a "double-double." He was only the third Spurs rookie to do this in their first game. The others were David Robinson and Tim Duncan. On January 13, 2010, he scored 28 points and grabbed 21 rebounds. This was the first time an NBA rookie had a "20–20 game" since Tim Duncan in 1997–98.

In the last game of the season, he had 27 points and 23 rebounds. He was the first rookie since 1995–96 to have two 20–20 games in one season. Blair also played in the 2010 Rookie Challenge. He scored 22 points and had 23 rebounds in that game.

At the end of the season, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. He was the only Spurs player to play in all 82 regular season games. He started 23 games and averaged 7.8 points and 6.4 rebounds. He was the best rookie in field goal percentage. Blair helped the Spurs win their first playoff series. But they lost in the next round.

In the 2010–11 season, Blair played in 81 games and started 65 of them. He averaged 8.3 points and 7.0 rebounds. He had 17 double-doubles that season.

In September 2011, Blair played for a team in Russia during an NBA lockout. He returned to the Spurs in December. In the 2011–12 season, he averaged 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds.

In the 2012–13 season, Blair's playing time went down. Other players like Boris Diaw and Tiago Splitter started playing more. Blair was not happy about this. He played a smaller role for the Spurs. The Spurs reached the NBA Finals that year. But they lost to the Miami Heat.

Dallas Mavericks (2013–2014)

On August 7, 2013, Blair signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks. In the 2013–14 season, he averaged 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds. He played in 78 games for the Mavericks.

Washington Wizards (2014–2016)

On July 16, 2014, Blair joined the Washington Wizards. In the 2014–15 season, he played in only 29 games. This was the fewest games he had played in his career. He did not start any games that season. He also did not play in any of the Wizards' playoff games.

On February 18, 2016, Blair was traded to the Phoenix Suns. Four days later, the Suns released him.

Playing Overseas and in the G League

After leaving the NBA, Blair played for teams in other countries and in the NBA G League.

• In September 2016, he signed with Jiangsu Monkey King in China. He played 10 games there, averaging 24.1 points and 13.6 rebounds.
• In January 2017, he joined the Texas Legends in the NBA Development League.
• In February 2017, he was traded to the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
• In December 2017, Blair signed with San Lorenzo de Almagro in Argentina.
• In October 2018, he was picked by the Austin Spurs in the 2018 NBA G League draft. He played for them until 2019.

In summer 2019, Blair signed with an Italian team. However, his contract was cancelled after an issue with basketball rules.

Overseas Elite (2017)

In the summer of 2017, Blair joined a team called Overseas Elite. This team had won "The Basketball Tournament" twice before. On August 3, 2017, Overseas Elite won their third straight championship. They beat Team Challenge ALS 86–83. Blair averaged 8.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in the tournament.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular Season Games

Playoff Games

See also

In Spanish: DeJuan Blair para niños

• 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans