Ed O'Bannon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ed O'Bannon

O'Bannon in 2008
Personal information
Born	(1972-08-14) August 14, 1972 (age 52) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
High school	Artesia (Lakewood, California)
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	222 lb (101 kg)
Career information
College	UCLA (1991–1995)
NBA Draft	1995 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall
Selected by the New Jersey Nets
Pro career	1995–2004
Career history
1995–1997	New Jersey Nets
1997	Dallas Mavericks
1998	La Crosse Bobcats
1998	Acegas A.P.S. Trieste
1998–1999	CB Valladolid
1999–2000	Rethymno Aegean
1999–2000	Boca Juniors
2000–2001	Los Angeles Stars
2001–2002	Anwil Włocławek
2002–2003	Polonia Warszawa
2003–2004	Ostromecko Astoria Bydgoszcz
Career highlights and awards
NCAA champion (1995) NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1995) USBWA College Player of the Year (1995) John R. Wooden Award (1995) Pac-10 co-Player of the Year (1995) Consensus first-team All-American (1995) Third-team All-American – NABC (1994) 3× First-team All-Pac-10 (1993–1995) No. 31 retired by UCLA Bruins McDonald's All-American (1990) 2× First-team Parade All-American (1989, 1990)
Career NBA statistics
Points	634 (5.0 ppg)
Rebounds	316 (2.5 rpg)
Assists	102 (0.8 apg)
Medals Men's basketball Representing  United States FIBA Americas U18 Championship Gold 1990 Montevideo National team Summer Universiade Gold 1993 Buffalo National team

Edward "Ed" Charles O'Bannon Jr. (born August 14, 1972) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He was a power forward for the UCLA Bruins team that won the NCAA Championship in 1995. After his amazing college career, he was chosen by the New Jersey Nets as the ninth pick in the 1995 NBA draft.

Ed O'Bannon played two seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before continuing his basketball journey overseas for eight more years, mostly in Europe. He is also well-known for being the main person in a big lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). This lawsuit, called O'Bannon v. NCAA, helped change how college athletes could be paid for their image and likeness.

Early Life and High School Success

Ed O'Bannon grew up in South Los Angeles. He went to Artesia High School, where he was a star basketball player. In his final year, he scored an average of 24.6 points and grabbed 9.7 rebounds per game. He led his school to a fantastic 29–2 record and helped them win the California state championship.

Ed was named the most valuable player (MVP) at a special high school All-Star game called the Dapper Dan Classic. He was also chosen as a McDonald's High School All-American, which means he was one of the best high school players in the country.

College Basketball Journey at UCLA

Ed O'Bannon first planned to go to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). However, he changed his mind and decided to attend UCLA instead.

Just before his first practice at UCLA, Ed suffered a serious injury. He tore a ligament in his knee while playing basketball. Doctors even thought he might not walk properly again. But after 18 months and a special surgery, he made an incredible comeback to the court.

In his second year at UCLA in 1993, Ed was named to the All-Pacific-10 (Pac-10) Conference team. He continued to shine, becoming the team's MVP in his junior year. In his senior year (1994–95), Ed was the most important player for UCLA. He led them to win the 1995 NCAA Basketball Championship. In the final game, he scored 30 points and got 17 rebounds, earning him the title of NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

For that amazing season, he averaged 20.4 points and 8.3 rebounds. He won several major awards, including the John R. Wooden Award and the USBWA College Player of the Year. He was also named a first-team All-American. After his college career, UCLA honored him by retiring his jersey number 31. He was later inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

NBA Career Challenges

After his successful college career, Ed O'Bannon was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in 1995. He was the ninth player chosen overall. He signed a big contract, but his time in the NBA was tough. He felt homesick and struggled to find his place on the team.

His knee, which had been injured before, also started to cause problems. He played two seasons in the NBA, averaging 6.2 points in his first year and 4.2 points in his second. He was traded to the Dallas Mavericks during his second season. Ed later said that his struggles were more about losing confidence than just injuries.

Playing Overseas and Retirement

After his NBA career, Ed O'Bannon continued to play professional basketball for seven years. He played in many different countries, including Italy, Spain, Greece, Argentina, and Poland. He also played one year in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Los Angeles Stars.

He decided to retire from basketball at age 32 after having knee surgery. He realized he no longer had the strong desire to play the game. During his professional career, Ed played for 12 different teams in at least six countries.

Life After Basketball

After retiring from basketball, Ed O'Bannon started a new career. In 2009, he worked as a marketing director for a car dealership in Las Vegas. He even told the Los Angeles Times that he was proud to tell people he sold cars, not played or coached basketball anymore.

By 2020, Ed had become a probation officer in Las Vegas. He also coached high school basketball. He became the head coach for the boys' basketball team at Henderson International School in 2009, saying his children helped him find his love for basketball again.

The Lawsuit Against the NCAA

Ed O'Bannon became the main person in a very important lawsuit called O'Bannon v. NCAA. This lawsuit was filed against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The lawsuit argued that the NCAA should pay college athletes for using their images and names for things like video games or advertisements.

Ed believed that once athletes finished college, they should be paid if the NCAA continued to use their images for money. In 2011, famous basketball player Oscar Robertson also joined the lawsuit. In 2014, a judge ruled that the NCAA's rules about not paying athletes for their images were against the law.

Ed O'Bannon also appeared in a funny TV commercial that made fun of the NCAA's rules. He later wrote a book about his fight with the NCAA, called Court Justice. He supported a law in California that allows college athletes to earn money from endorsement deals.

Because of this lawsuit and other legal challenges, the NCAA eventually changed its rules. Now, college athletes can be paid for their name, image and likeness (NIL). This means they can make money from endorsements and other commercial uses of their identity.

Personal Life and Family

Ed O'Bannon went back to college and earned his bachelor's degree. In 2011, he graduated from UCLA with a degree in history.

Ed has a younger brother named Charles, who also played basketball and won the NCAA championship with him at UCLA. Charles later played for the Detroit Pistons. Ed's half-brother, Turhon O'Bannon, played college football and professionally in Canada.

Ed O'Bannon lives in Henderson, Nevada, with his wife, Rosa, and their three children. His daughter, Jazmin, also played college basketball at UNLV.

NBA Career Statistics

See also

In Spanish: Ed O'Bannon para niños