Eddie Griffin (basketball) facts for kids
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 30, 1982 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | American |
| Died | August 17, 2007 (aged 25) Houston, Texas |
| High school | Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Seton Hall (2000–2001) |
| NBA Draft | 2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall |
| Selected by the New Jersey Nets | |
| Pro career | 2001–2007 |
| Career history | |
| 2001–2003 | Houston Rockets |
| 2004–2007 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 2,171 (7.2 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,744 (5.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 236 (0.8 apg) |
Eddie Jamaal Griffin (May 30, 1982 – August 17, 2007) was an American professional basketball player from Philadelphia. He last played for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, who waived him on March 13, 2007. Months later, he died in a car crash.
College career
After a standout career at Roman Catholic High School of Philadelphia in which he was named Parade's National Player of the Year, he competed in the McDonald's All-American Game and led Roman to the Philadelphia Catholic League Championship in his junior and senior years. However, in a harbinger of things to come, Griffin was forced to finish his senior year via correspondence courses after getting in a fight with a teammate.
As a freshman, Griffin averaged 17.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 4.4 blocks for Seton Hall and was at one point thought to be a potential top pick in the 2001 NBA draft. He was named the nation's Freshman of the Year by Sporting News.
In January 2001, Griffin got in a fight with teammate Ty Shine. Griffin left the school in somewhat acrimonious circumstances after his freshman year, and made himself available for the NBA Draft. Shortly before the draft, Griffin's half-brother Marvin Powell died of a heart attack.
NBA career
Despite Griffin's freshman year at Seton Hall, the lingering question about his attitude saw him slip to the seventh overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft, where he was selected by the New Jersey Nets, who immediately traded the rights to him over to the Houston Rockets in exchange for those to Jason Collins, Brandon Armstrong, and Richard Jefferson (all of whom selected likewise in the 2001 draft).
In his rookie year, Griffin played in 73 games (starting 24) while averaging 8.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.84 blocks per game (ranking 13th in the NBA in that category). He followed this in 2002-03 with per-game averages of 8.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.44 blocks.
In December 2003, the Rockets released him after he missed practices and engaged in a team fight.
Prior to the 2004–05 season, the Timberwolves signed Griffin to a one-year contract, for which season he posted roughly the same numbers as he had done for his previous two. The Timberwolves re-signed Griffin for three years (player option in the third), starting with the 2005–06 season. Griffin had a significant drop-off in scoring and rebounding, albeit while suffering only a slight decrease in minutes and while averaging a career-high in blocks per game (2.11).
Griffin's final NBA game was played on December 13, 2006, in a 82–95 Timberwolves loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Griffin played for 48 seconds and recorded no stats except for a missed three-pointer, his only such attempt of the season. In March 2007, Griffin was released by the Timberwolves.
In 303 NBA games (117 starts), Griffin averaged 7.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 22:12 of floor time per game.
Death
Griffin died as a result of a car crash on August 17, 2007. Houston police said in a report that Griffin ignored a railroad warning and went through a barrier before striking a moving train. He was buried in Northwood Cemetery in Philadelphia. At the time of his death he had a three-year-old daughter named Amaree.
NBA 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 |
Regular season
Source
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Houston | 73 | 24 | 26.0 | .366 | .330 | .744 | 5.7 | .7 | .2 | 1.8 | 8.8 |
| 2002–03 | Houston | 77 | 66 | 24.5 | .400 | .333 | .617 | 6.0 | 1.1 | .7 | 1.4 | 8.6 |
| 2004–05 | Minnesota | 70 | 0 | 21.3 | .387 | .328 | .718 | 6.5 | .8 | .3 | 1.7 | 7.5 |
| 2005–06 | Minnesota | 70 | 27 | 19.4 | .351 | .195 | .595 | 5.6 | .6 | .2 | 2.1 | 4.6 |
| 2006–07 | Minnesota | 13 | 0 | 7.1 | .259 | .000 | .800 | 1.9 | .3 | .0 | .5 | 1.4 |
| Career | 303 | 117 | 22.2 | .377 | .315 | .671 | 5.8 | .8 | .3 | 1.7 | 7.2 | |
See also
In Spanish: Eddie Griffin para niños
- List of basketball players who died during their careers
