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Earl Clark
Earl Clark Cavs.jpg
Clark with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2013
No. 6 – Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers
Power forward
Personal information
Born (1988-01-17) January 17, 1988 (age 37)
Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S.
High school Rahway (Rahway, New Jersey)
Listed height 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight 234 lb (106 kg)
Career information
College Louisville (2006–2009)
NBA Draft 2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14th overall
Selected by the Phoenix Suns
Pro career 2009–present
League Taiwan Professional Basketball League
Career history
2009–2010 Phoenix Suns
2010 Iowa Energy
2010–2012 Orlando Magic
2012–2013 Los Angeles Lakers
2013–2014 Cleveland Cavaliers
2014 New York Knicks
2014 Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2014–2015 Shandong Golden Stars
2015 Brooklyn Nets
2015–2016 Bakersfield Jam
2016 Delaware 87ers
2016 Henan Roaring Elephants
2016–2018 Beşiktaş
2018–2019 Budućnost VOLI
2019–2020 Burgos
2020 Anyang KGC
2020–2021 Gran Canaria
2021 Al-Manama
2021 Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus
2022 Cariduros de Fajardo
2022 NLEX Road Warriors
2023 Gigantes de Carolina
2023–present Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers
Career highlights and awards
  • Montenegrin League champion (2019)
  • Montenegrin Cup winner (2019)
  • Turkish League All-Star (2017)
  • McDonald's All-American (2006)
  • Fourth-team Parade All-American (2006)

Earl Rashad Clark (born January 17, 1988) is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays as a power forward for the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers in the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL). Earl played college basketball for the University of Louisville before starting his professional career. He was picked 14th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2009 NBA draft.

Earl Clark's Early Basketball Days

High School Success

Earl Clark grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey. He went to Rahway High School in Rahway, New Jersey. During his time there, he scored an amazing 1,245 points in his high school career. In his final year, he averaged 25.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.

He was recognized as a McDonald's All-American in 2006. This means he was one of the best high school basketball players in the country. He was also named a fourth-team Parade All-American. Experts like Rivals.com thought he was a top player, ranking him as the 8th best small forward and 22nd best player in the nation in 2006.

College Career at Louisville

Earl joined the Louisville Cardinals for college. As a freshman, he and his young teammates faced some challenges early in the 2006–07 season. However, they worked hard and won 8 of their last 10 games. This helped them get a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

In his first NCAA Tournament game, Earl played well. He scored 12 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and made 4 steals against Stanford. After his sophomore year, Earl decided to stay at Louisville for another season. He did not enter the NBA Draft in 2008.

In the 2008–2009 season, Earl and future NBA player Terrence Williams led Louisville to a great year. They won the Big East Title and reached the #1 ranking in the country. This was the first time in the University of Louisville's history that their basketball team was ranked #1.

Earl Clark's Professional Basketball Journey

Starting in the NBA: Phoenix Suns

After his junior year, Earl decided to enter the 2009 NBA draft. He was chosen 14th overall by the Phoenix Suns. He made his first three-pointer in an NBA game on January 28, 2010. During his time with the Suns, he also played for the Iowa Energy in the NBA Development League to get more playing time.

Moving to the Orlando Magic

John Wall and Earl Clark
Clark battling with John Wall in 2011

In December 2010, Earl was traded to the Orlando Magic. He was part of a trade that involved several other players. On April 16, 2012, he achieved his first "double-double" with the Magic. This means he scored 14 points and had 11 rebounds in one game.

During an NBA lockout in 2011, Earl briefly signed with a team in China. However, he left the team soon after for family reasons and later re-signed with the Orlando Magic.

Breakthrough with the Los Angeles Lakers

Chris Kaman & Earl Clark
Clark boxed out by Chris Kaman of the Dallas Mavericks in a 2013 game

On August 10, 2012, Earl was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. This was a big trade that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers. At first, Earl didn't play much. But on January 9, 2013, he had an amazing night against the San Antonio Spurs. He played 27 minutes and set new personal bests with 22 points and 13 rebounds.

This great performance happened because some of the Lakers' main players were injured. His coach, Mike D'Antoni, called his game "phenomenal." Earl continued to play well, getting three double-doubles in six games. He even became a permanent starter for a while. After years of limited chances, he was finally playing nearly 30 minutes per game.

Other NBA Teams

After his time with the Lakers, Earl played for a few other NBA teams:

He also spent time in the NBA Development League with teams like the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and the Bakersfield Jam.

Playing Around the World

Earl Clark has played basketball in many different countries:

  • China: He played for the Shandong Golden Stars in China from 2014 to 2015. He averaged 26.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game there. He also played for the Henan Roaring Elephants in 2016.
  • Turkey: From 2016 to 2018, Earl played for Beşiktaş in Turkey. He was even chosen as a Turkish League All-Star in 2017.
  • Montenegro: In 2018–2019, he played for Budućnost VOLI. He helped them win the Montenegrin League and the Montenegrin Cup in 2019.
  • Spain: He played for San Pablo Burgos from 2019 to 2020 and later for Herbalife Gran Canaria from 2020 to 2021.
  • South Korea: In 2020, he joined the Korean team Anyang KGC.
  • Bahrain: He played for Al-Manama in 2021.
  • Philippines: In 2022, he played for the NLEX Road Warriors in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
  • Puerto Rico: He played for Cariduros de Fajardo in 2022 and Gigantes de Carolina in 2023.
  • Taiwan: Since 2023, he has been playing for the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers in Taiwan.

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  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2009–10 Phoenix 51 0 7.5 .371 .400 .722 1.2 .4 .1 .3 2.7
2010–11 Phoenix 9 0 8.0 .387 .000 .500 1.9 .4 .1 .3 3.2
2010–11 Orlando 33 0 11.9 .441 .000 .595 2.5 .2 .2 .5 4.1
2011–12 Orlando 45 1 12.4 .367 .000 .724 2.8 .4 .3 .7 2.7
2012–13 L. A. Lakers 59 36 23.1 .440 .337 .697 5.5 1.1 .6 .7 7.3
2013–14 Cleveland 45 17 15.5 .375 .345 .583 2.8 .4 .4 .4 5.2
2013–14 New York 9 0 7.8 .333 .167 .800 1.8 .2 .1 .7 2.6
2014–15 Brooklyn 10 0 9.3 .367 .286 .250 2.3 .3 .3 .4 2.7
Career 261 54 13.9 .403 .328 .664 3.0 .5 .3 .5 4.4

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010 Phoenix 3 0 4.0 .333 .000 1.000 .7 .3 .3 .0 1.3
2011 Orlando 1 0 6.0 .333 .000 .000 4.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0
2012 Orlando 5 0 17.6 .444 .000 .571 6.6 .2 .4 1.0 4.0
2013 L. A. Lakers 4 1 20.5 .368 .000 .000 3.0 .3 .3 .3 3.5
2015 Brooklyn 2 0 6.5 .200 .667 .000 1.0 .0 .5 .0 3.0
Career 15 1 13.5 .358 .286 .667 3.5 .3 .4 .5 3.1

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Earl Clark para niños

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