Mark West (basketball) facts for kids
| Personal information | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | November 5, 1960 Fort Campbell, Kentucky, U.S. |
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| High school | Petersburg (Petersburg, Virginia) | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| College | Old Dominion (1979–1983) | ||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1983 / Round: 2 / Pick: 30th overall | ||||||||||
| Selected by the Dallas Mavericks | |||||||||||
| Pro career | 1983–2000 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||
| 1983–1984 | Dallas Mavericks | ||||||||||
| 1984 | Milwaukee Bucks | ||||||||||
| 1984–1988 | Cleveland Cavaliers | ||||||||||
| 1988–1994 | Phoenix Suns | ||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Cleveland Cavaliers | ||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Indiana Pacers | ||||||||||
| 1999 | Atlanta Hawks | ||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Phoenix Suns | ||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Phoenix Suns (assistant) | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||
| Points | 6,259 (5.7 ppg) | ||||||||||
| Rebounds | 5,347 (4.9 rpg) | ||||||||||
| Blocks | 1,403 (1.3 bpg) | ||||||||||
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Mark Andre West (born November 5, 1960) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He played as a center, which is usually the tallest player on the team, responsible for scoring close to the basket and blocking shots. Mark West was chosen by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1983 NBA draft.
Contents
Mark West: A Basketball Star
Growing Up and High School
Mark West was born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He grew up in Petersburg, Virginia, where he went to Petersburg High School.
College Basketball Journey
Mark West played basketball for four years at Old Dominion University (ODU). During his time there, he became a star player. He grabbed an amazing 1,113 rebounds and scored 1,308 points. He was also very good at shooting, making 56 percent of his shots.
Amazing College Achievements
Mark West was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the ECAC-South Tournament in both 1980 and 1982. He was also the best in the country at blocking shots in 1980 and 1981. By the end of his college career, he had blocked 446 shots, which is about 3.8 blocks per game! He was recognized as an All-American three times.
He achieved three "triple-doubles" in his college career. A triple-double is when a player gets double-digit numbers (10 or more) in three different stats in one game, like points, rebounds, and blocked shots. For example, on October 4, 1980, he had 12 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 blocks. He also holds the ODU record for "double-doubles" (10 or more in two stats) with 50.
In 1981, Mark West helped his team, the Monarchs, win a big game against DePaul, who was the number one ranked team at the time. During his four years at ODU, the team had a great record of 80 wins and 37 losses. They also made it to the NCAA and NIT tournaments twice each.
Mark West finished college in 1983 with a degree in business, focusing on how to manage money.
Professional Basketball Career
Mark West played in the NBA for 17 seasons, from 1983 to 2000. He played for several teams, including the Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, and Atlanta Hawks.
One of his biggest moments was playing for the Phoenix Suns team that reached the 1993 NBA Finals. They played against the famous Chicago Bulls team.
Throughout his NBA career, Mark West scored 6,259 points and grabbed 5,347 rebounds. He is also one of the best players ever in terms of "field-goal percentage," which means how often he made his shots. He ranks third all-time with a 58.03% shooting accuracy.
He also played for the U.S. national team in the 1982 FIBA World Championship, where they won a silver medal.
Beyond Playing Basketball
After his playing career, Mark West continued to work in basketball. In 2001, he joined the Phoenix Suns as an assistant general manager. This role involves helping to manage the team's players and operations.
Later, in 2013, he became an assistant coach for the Suns. In 2015, he also took on the role of Director of Player Relations, helping players with their needs and connections within the team.
Other Interests
Outside of basketball, Mark West has also been a licensed stockbroker since 1992. This means he is qualified to help people buy and sell stocks and other investments. He even became a partner at a company called Prudential Securities in Phoenix during the 1990s.
Honors and Awards
Mark West has received many honors for his basketball career:
- In 1984, his jersey number 45 was retired by Old Dominion University. This means no other player at ODU can wear that number.
- He was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.
- Old Dominion University also recognized him as a distinguished alumnus in 2000.
- In 2006, he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
- He was also inducted into the Hampton Roads African American Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Personal Life
Mark West is married to Elaina, and they have two sons named Markus and Markyle.
See also
In Spanish: Mark West para niños
- List of NBA career blocks leaders
- List of NBA career field goal percentage leaders
