Elton Brand facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Elton Brand

Brand with the 76ers in 2010
Philadelphia 76ers
General manager
Personal information
Born	(1979-03-11) March 11, 1979 (age 46) Cortlandt Manor, New York, U.S.
High school	Peekskill (Peekskill, New York)
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	254 lb (115 kg)
Career information
College	Duke (1997–1999)
NBA Draft	1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Pro career	1999–2016
League	NBA
Career history
1999–2001	Chicago Bulls
2001–2008	Los Angeles Clippers
2008–2012	Philadelphia 76ers
2012–2013	Dallas Mavericks
2013–2015	Atlanta Hawks
2016	Philadelphia 76ers
Career highlights and awards
2× NBA All-Star (2002, 2006) All-NBA Second Team (2006) NBA Co-Rookie of the Year (2000) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2000) NBA Sportsmanship Award (2006) National college player of the year (1999) Consensus first-team All-American (1999) ACC Athlete of the Year (1999) ACC Player of the Year (1999) First-team All-ACC (1999) USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (1998) McDonald's All-American (1997) First-team Parade All-American (1997) Mr. New York Basketball (1997)
Career NBA statistics
Points	16,827 (15.9 ppg)
Rebounds	9,040 (8.5 rpg)
Blocks	1,828 (1.7 bpg)
Medals Men's basketball Representing  United States FIBA World Championship Bronze 2006 Japan USA FIBA Americas Championship Gold 1999 San Juan USA Gold 2003 San Juan USA Goodwill Games Gold 1998 New York USA

Elton Tyron Brand (born March 11, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. He is currently the general manager for the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Elton Brand played college basketball for Duke. He was chosen as the very first pick in the 1999 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. Later, he played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, and Atlanta Hawks. He was picked for the NBA All-Star team twice and was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2006.

High School Basketball Career

Elton Brand went to Peekskill High School. He joined the varsity basketball team right away. He was amazing, scoring about 40 points and getting 20 rebounds in each game.

He played in AAU basketball with future NBA stars like Lamar Odom and Ron Artest. By his senior year, he was one of the best high school players in the country. He was even named New York State Mr. Basketball. He helped his team win two state championships. After high school, Brand chose to go to Duke University. Other talented players, including Shane Battier, also joined him there.

College Basketball Career

As a second-year student, Elton Brand was a very strong player inside the paint for the Duke team. Many people think this Duke team was one of the most talented in recent college basketball history.

Brand led the Blue Devils to the championship game of the Final Four. They lost to the Connecticut Huskies in a close game. After this, Brand was named the best college player in the country. He decided to leave Duke after his second year to join the 1999 NBA draft. Brand, along with William Avery and Corey Maggette, were the first players under coach Mike Krzyzewski to leave Duke early for the NBA draft.

College Statistics

Professional Basketball Career

Chicago Bulls (1999–2001)

On June 30, 1999, the Chicago Bulls picked Elton Brand as the very first player in the 1999 NBA draft. In his ninth game, he scored 29 points and grabbed 17 rebounds.

He was named the most valuable player of the Rookie Challenge during the All-Star Weekend. He finished his first season averaging 20.1 points and 10 rebounds per game. He shared the NBA Rookie of the Year award with Houston Rockets guard Steve Francis. Even with Brand's great play, the Bulls had a tough season, winning only 17 games and losing 65.

In the 2000–01 season, Brand continued to play well. He averaged 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. His 3.9 offensive rebounds per game were the second best in the NBA. However, the Bulls struggled even more, finishing with only 15 wins and 67 losses.

Los Angeles Clippers (2001–2008)

Brand played with the Clippers for seven seasons

After two good seasons with the Bulls, Brand was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in June 2001. In 2002, Brand became the first Clippers player since 1994 to be chosen for the All-Star team.

In 2003, Brand became a free agent. The Miami Heat offered him a large contract. The Clippers decided to match the offer to keep Brand on their team. This was a big deal because the Clippers' owner, Donald Sterling, usually did not offer such large contracts.

During the 2006 NBA season, Brand had an amazing year. He scored a career-high 24.7 points per game and shot 52.7% from the field. He led the Clippers to a 47–35 record, which was their best record ever at that time. Brand was selected for the 2006 NBA All-Star Game and was even considered for the NBA MVP award.

He led the team to their first playoff series win since 1976. The Clippers eventually lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Phoenix Suns. Even so, it was the best season in the Clippers' history up to that point. Brand also won the NBA Sportsmanship Award for being a great teammate and player.

After his great 2005–06 season, Brand's performance dropped a bit the next year. His scoring average went down, and the Clippers did not make the playoffs. He missed most of the 2007–08 season because of a serious injury to his left Achilles tendon. Brand returned to play on April 2, 2008, scoring 19 points. He only played in eight games that season. Brand then decided to leave his contract early to become a free agent. He hoped this would help the Clippers sign other good players, which happened when they got Golden State Warriors star Baron Davis.

Philadelphia 76ers (2008–2012)

Brand boxing out vs the Golden State Warriors

On July 9, 2008, Brand signed a five-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. He wanted to move back to the East Coast, and Philadelphia was close to his hometown of Peekskill, New York.

On February 5, 2009, it was announced that Brand would need surgery on his shoulder. He got the injury on December 17, 2008, when he dislocated his shoulder during a game. The surgery was successful, but he missed the rest of the season.

On February 4, 2012, Brand scored a career-high 33 points for the Sixers in a win against the New York Knicks. He averaged 11 points and 8 rebounds per game during the 2011–12 season. In the 2012 NBA Playoffs, he averaged 8.6 points and 4.8 rebounds. The Sixers lost in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Boston Celtics.

On July 11, 2012, the 76ers released Brand from his contract.

Dallas Mavericks (2012–2013)

Brand with the Mavericks

On July 13, 2012, the Dallas Mavericks signed Brand. The 76ers still had to pay him the money left on his old contract.

In the 2012–13 season, he averaged 7.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He played 72 games and started 18 of them. The Mavericks did not make the playoffs that year, which was the first time since the 1999–2000 season.

Atlanta Hawks and First Retirement (2013–2015)

On July 15, 2013, Brand signed with the Atlanta Hawks. He re-signed with the Hawks on September 23, 2014. He also changed his jersey number from 42 to 7. On August 11, 2015, Brand announced that he was retiring from professional basketball.

Return to the 76ers and Second Retirement (2016)

On January 4, 2016, Elton Brand decided to come out of retirement and play in the NBA again. His college coach, Mike Krzyzewski, helped convince him to return. Later that day, he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers for a second time.

He played his first game of the season on March 4, 2016. He scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in 13 minutes. On March 12, he scored 10 points against the Detroit Pistons. On March 29, he got seven points and a season-high nine rebounds. This made him the 51st player in NBA history to reach 9,000 career rebounds.

On September 7, 2016, Brand signed with the 76ers again. However, on October 20, 2016, he announced his second retirement from basketball.

Life After Playing Basketball

On December 6, 2016, Brand became a player development consultant for the Philadelphia 76ers. This means he helped players improve their skills. On August 28, 2017, he was named general manager of the Delaware 87ers (now called the Delaware Blue Coats).

On September 20, 2018, Brand was promoted to general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers. During the 2018-19 season, he made trades to get players like Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris.

After the Sixers lost in the conference semifinals, Brand made some big decisions about the team. He re-signed Harris and Simmons to large contracts. He also signed Al Horford. However, he let Butler and JJ Redick leave the team. Later, Butler led the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals twice.

In late 2020, the 76ers hired Daryl Morey as President of Basketball Operations. Brand's contract was extended, but he has mostly worked behind the scenes since then.

Player Skills and Style

Brand with the Dallas Mavericks

Early in his career, Elton Brand was known as one of the best power forwards in the NBA. In his career, he averaged 15.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game.

Brand used his strong body and surprising quickness to play against opponents. His long arms also helped him block many shots. When he first started, he had a few strong moves near the basket that made him a good scorer.

Before the 2005–06 season, he lost some weight to become faster. He also learned more gentle moves near the basket so he didn't always have to use power. Most importantly, he practiced his shooting from farther away and developed a reliable 18-foot shot. Because of this, his scoring went up by 4.7 points that season.

Accomplishments

• 2× NBA All-Star: 2002, 2006
• All-NBA:
  • Second Team: 2006
• NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2000
• NBA co-Rookie of the Year: 2000 (with Steve Francis)
• 2× NBA regular-season leader, offensive rebounds: 2000 (348), 2002 (396)

NBA Career Statistics

Regular Season

Playoffs

Personal Life

Elton Brand started the Elton Brand Foundation in the spring of 2000. This foundation helps good causes in Chicago, Illinois; Peekskill, New York; and Durham, North Carolina.

In the summer of 2006, Elton married his longtime girlfriend, Shahara Simmons. She also went to Duke. Brand also played for Team USA in the 2006 FIBA World Basketball Championships. He averaged 8.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in that tournament.

Brand appeared briefly in the movie Just Wright. He is also a founder and president of Gibraltar Films. This company invests in, buys, produces, and distributes movies. Their first project was a film called Rescue Dawn, about prisoners of war in Vietnam. Brand went to the movie's first showing at the Toronto International Film Festival.

See also

In Spanish: Elton Brand para niños

• List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders