Drew Gooden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Drew Gooden

Gooden with the Washington Wizards in 2014
Personal information
Born	(1981-09-24) September 24, 1981 (age 43) Oakland, California, U.S.
High school	El Cerrito (El Cerrito, California)
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
College	Kansas (1999–2002)
NBA Draft	2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall
Selected by the Memphis Grizzlies
Pro career	2002–2016
Career history
2002–2003	Memphis Grizzlies
2003–2004	Orlando Magic
2004–2008	Cleveland Cavaliers
2008–2009	Chicago Bulls
2009	Sacramento Kings
2009	San Antonio Spurs
2009–2010	Dallas Mavericks
2010	Los Angeles Clippers
2010–2013	Milwaukee Bucks
2014–2016	Washington Wizards
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Rookie First Team (2003) NABC co-Player of the Year (2002) Consensus first-team All-American (2002) Pete Newell Big Man Award (2002) Big 12 Player of the Year (2002) First-team All-Big 12 (2002) Second-team All-Big 12 (2001) No. 0 jersey retired by Kansas Jayhawks Third-team Parade All-American (1999)
Career NBA statistics
Points	8,653 (11.0 ppg)
Rebounds	5,618 (7.1 rpg)
Assists	896 (1.1 apg)

Andrew Melvin Gooden III (born September 24, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a power forward. After his playing career, he became a broadcaster for Monumental Sports Network.

Gooden was a star player for the Kansas Jayhawks in college. He was chosen by the Memphis Grizzlies with the fourth pick in the 2002 NBA draft. He was so good in his first year that he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

High School and College Years

High School Star

As a senior at El Cerrito High School, Gooden was a top player. He led his team, the Gauchos, to the state championship game in 1999. They played against Washington Union High School, which was led by another future NBA player, DeShawn Stevenson. It was a close game, but El Cerrito lost 77–71.

Success at Kansas

In 1999, Gooden started college at the University of Kansas. He joined a talented team with other future NBA players like Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich. At first, it was tough for Gooden to get used to the team's style, but he soon became a key player.

During his time at Kansas, the team, known as the Jayhawks, was very successful. In 2002, Gooden had an amazing year. He was the best rebounder in the entire country and was named the National Player of the Year by the NABC.

That same year, the Jayhawks won their conference championship and made it to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament. This is the semifinal round of the national college basketball championship. They lost to Maryland, who went on to win the championship.

Because of his incredible performance, the University of Kansas retired Gooden's #0 jersey in 2003. This is a special honor that means no other Kansas player can wear that number.

A Long NBA Career

After his third year of college, Gooden decided to become a professional player. He played for 10 different teams during his 14 years in the NBA.

Memphis and Orlando (2002–2004)

Gooden was the 4th player chosen in the 2002 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. In the middle of his first season, he was traded to the Orlando Magic. A trade is when teams swap players.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2004–2008)

Gooden (left) and Darius Songaila of the Washington Wizards jump for the ball in 2007.

In 2004, Gooden was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He had some of his best years with this team. In one game in 2005, he scored a career-high 33 points. In 2006, he signed a new three-year, $23 million contract to stay with the Cavaliers. During the 2006–07 NBA season, he helped the team reach the NBA Finals.

Playing for Many Teams (2008–2013)

Between 2008 and 2010, Gooden was part of several trades that sent him to many different teams. He played for the Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Gooden playing for the Dallas Mavericks in 2009.

In 2010, Gooden signed a five-year contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. While playing for the Bucks, he recorded two triple-doubles. A triple-double is when a player gets 10 or more in three different statistical categories, like points, rebounds, and assists, in a single game.

Washington Wizards (2014–2016)

Gooden's final NBA team was the Washington Wizards. He first signed a short 10-day contract in 2014 and played so well that the team signed him for the rest of the season. He re-signed with the Wizards for the next two seasons.

Gooden played his last NBA game on April 13, 2016. After his NBA career, he played in the BIG3 basketball league, a 3-on-3 league started by rapper Ice Cube.

Personal Life

Gooden in 2018.

Gooden's mother, Ulla, is from Finland. His father, Andrew, met her while he was playing professional basketball in Finland. Because of his Finnish background, Gooden tried to get Finnish citizenship to play for their national team in 2014, but he was not able to get it in time.

Gooden has many interests outside of basketball. He enjoys playing the piano. In 2012, he opened his own Wingstop restaurant in Florida.

In 2016, after his basketball career ended, Gooden went back to the University of Kansas. He finished his studies and earned a degree in communications.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

See also

In Spanish: Drew Gooden para niños