Latrell Sprewell facts for kids

Latrell Fontaine Sprewell (born September 8, 1970) is a former American professional basketball player. He played for the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his career, Sprewell was chosen for the NBA All-Star team four times. He also earned selections to the All-NBA First Team and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. He helped the Knicks reach the 1999 NBA Finals and the Timberwolves reach the 2004 Western Conference finals.

Sprewell's career is also remembered for a serious incident in 1997. He had an altercation with his coach, P. J. Carlesimo, during practice. This led to a long 68-game suspension from the league.

Early Life and College Basketball

Sprewell grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He went to Washington High School there.

After high school, Sprewell played college basketball. He played for the Three Rivers Community College Raiders from 1988 to 1990. Then, he joined the Alabama Crimson Tide from 1990 to 1992. He played alongside future NBA stars like Robert Horry at Alabama.

Professional Basketball Career

Golden State Warriors (1992–1998)

The Golden State Warriors picked Sprewell 24th overall in the 1992 NBA draft. He quickly made a big impact. In his first season, he started 69 games and averaged 15.4 points per game. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 1993.

Sprewell's performance kept getting better. He led the Warriors in scoring and was selected for the NBA All-Star Game three times (1994, 1995, and 1997). In the 1993–1994 season, he played the most minutes per game in the league. With Sprewell and Chris Webber, the Warriors made it to the playoffs. They lost in the first round to the Phoenix Suns.

1997 Incident and Suspension

On December 1, 1997, a serious incident happened during a Warriors practice. Sprewell had an argument with his head coach, P. J. Carlesimo. This argument became physical. Teammates and coaches had to step in to separate them.

Because of this incident, the Warriors canceled Sprewell's contract. The NBA also suspended him for a year. Sprewell challenged these decisions. An arbitrator later overturned the contract cancellation. However, the league upheld his suspension for the rest of the season. This meant he missed 68 games without pay.

During his suspension, Sprewell faced other legal issues. He was charged with reckless driving after a car accident. He spent three months under house arrest for this. His 68-game suspension was one of the longest in NBA history at the time.

New York Knicks (1999–2003)

After the NBA lockout, Sprewell was traded to the New York Knicks in February 1999. Many people wondered if trading for Sprewell was a good idea for the Knicks. However, Sprewell said he had changed.

The Knicks, led by Patrick Ewing, barely made the 1999 playoffs. They were the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Surprisingly, they made it all the way to the Finals. They became the first eighth seed ever to reach the Finals. They lost to the San Antonio Spurs in five games. Sprewell played very well in the Finals, averaging 26.0 points per game.

For the 1999–2000 season, Sprewell became a starter. He averaged 18.6 points and helped the Knicks to a strong record. The Knicks made it to the Eastern Conference Finals again. They lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games. After this, the Knicks gave Sprewell a new five-year contract.

In the 2000–01 season, Sprewell became the Knicks' main leader after Ewing was traded. He made his only All-Star appearance for the Knicks that year. Despite his efforts, the Knicks lost in the first round of the playoffs. In 2001–02, Sprewell averaged 19.4 points. He even scored 49 points in one game. However, the Knicks missed the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.

Before the 2002–03 season, Sprewell broke his hand. He said it happened when he slipped on his yacht. The Knicks fined him a large amount of money for not reporting the injury. That season, Sprewell made NBA history by hitting 9 of 9 three-point shots in one game. This was a record for most three-pointers without a miss. After this season, Sprewell was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2003–2005)

In the 2003–04 season, Sprewell joined Kevin Garnett and Sam Cassell in Minnesota. They formed one of the league's highest-scoring trios. The Timberwolves had a great season, finishing as the top team in the Western Conference.

They made it to the playoffs and advanced to the Western Conference Finals. This was the Timberwolves' only appearance in the conference finals until 2024. They lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Sprewell was the third-highest scorer on the team, averaging 16.8 points per game.

In October 2004, the Timberwolves offered Sprewell a new contract. It was for three years and $21 million, which was a big pay cut for him. Sprewell said he felt insulted by the offer. He famously stated, "I have a family to feed." He turned down the offer, and the Timberwolves did not offer him anything else.

Sprewell then had the worst season of his career. In the summer of 2005, several teams showed interest in signing him. However, none of them ended up signing him. His last NBA game was on April 20, 2005.

Sprewell's agent later said that Sprewell would rather retire than play for the NBA's minimum salary. He felt that taking a much smaller salary would be disrespectful. Sprewell waited for teams to become "desperate" for players, but no new contract ever came.

Throughout his career, Sprewell played in 913 games. He started 868 of them. He averaged 18.8 points, 4.2 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game. In the playoffs, he averaged 19.7 points.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal Life

In 1994, Sprewell's four-year-old daughter was injured by one of the family's pet dogs. She had bites to her face and an ear. Sprewell has nine children.

See also

In Spanish: Latrell Sprewell para niños

• List of NBA annual minutes leaders
• List of people banned or suspended by the NBA