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Michael Cage
Michael Cage 1982–83.png
Cage with the San Diego State Aztecs in 1982–83
Personal information
Born (1962-01-28) January 28, 1962 (age 63)
West Memphis, Arkansas, U.S.
High school West Memphis
(West Memphis, Arkansas)
Listed height 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight 224 lb (102 kg)
Career information
College San Diego State (1980–1984)
NBA Draft 1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14th overall
Selected by the San Diego Clippers
Pro career 1984–2000
Career history
1984–1988 Los Angeles Clippers
1988–1994 Seattle SuperSonics
1994–1996 Cleveland Cavaliers
1996–1997 Philadelphia 76ers
1997–2000 New Jersey Nets
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA rebounding leader (1988)
  • Consensus second-team All-American (1984)
  • 2× WAC Player of the Year (1983, 1984)
  • 2× First-team All-WAC (1983, 1984)
Career NBA statistics
Points 8,278 (7.3 ppg)
Rebounds 8,646 (7.6 rpg)
Steals 1,050 (0.9 spg)
Medals
Representing  United States
Basketball
Pan American Games
Gold 1983 Caracas Team competition

Michael Jerome Cage Sr., born on January 28, 1962, is an American who used to play professional basketball. He is now a sports analyst, which means he talks about basketball games on TV for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Michael Cage's Basketball Journey

Michael Cage was a tall player, standing 6 feet 9 inches. He played as a power forward and a center. Before joining the pros, he played for San Diego State University. He was amazing at getting rebounds for his college team. In fact, he holds the record for the most rebounds in San Diego State history! He was also the second-highest scorer for the team as of 2011.

Starting in the NBA

In 1984, Michael Cage was chosen as the 14th player in the 1984 NBA draft. He played in the NBA for 15 seasons, from 1984 to 2000. He played for five different teams: the Los Angeles Clippers, the Seattle SuperSonics, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the New Jersey Nets.

On January 19, 1987, Michael Cage had one of his best scoring games. He scored 29 points, but his team, the Clippers, still lost to the San Antonio Spurs.

Leading the League in Rebounds

During the 1987–88 season, when he played for the Clippers, Michael Cage was the best rebounder in the entire league! He grabbed an average of 13.0 rebounds per game. He was in a close competition with another player named Charles Oakley from the Chicago Bulls. To win the rebounding title, Cage needed to get 28 rebounds in his very last game of the season. He ended up getting an incredible 30 rebounds, which helped him win the title!

Just a few weeks later, Michael Cage was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics. This was a big move for him because he got to play in the NBA Playoffs for the first time in his career with the SuperSonics.

Playoff Success

Several years later, in the 1993 NBA Playoffs, Michael Cage and the SuperSonics almost made it to the NBA Finals. They played a tough series against the Suns, led by Charles Barkley, but lost in the very last game.

His Nicknames

Throughout his career, Michael Cage earned some cool nicknames. People called him "John Shaft" and "Windexman." The "Windexman" nickname came from how good he was at "cleaning the glass," which means getting rebounds off the backboard. It showed how hard he worked on defense.

A Unique Record

Michael Cage held a unique record for a long time: he tried to score a three-point shot 25 times in his career but never made one! This record was later broken by another player, Zaza Pachulia, who missed 26 three-point attempts. Pachulia retired with 31 missed three-pointers.

Michael Cage's last professional game was on January 17, 2000. He played for the New Jersey Nets in a game they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. In that game, he had 3 rebounds and 1 assist.

Life After Playing Basketball

On September 17, 2014, the Oklahoma City Thunder team announced that Michael Cage would join their broadcast team. He now works as a TV analyst, sharing his knowledge and insights about basketball games.

More to Explore

  • List of NBA annual rebounding leaders
  • List of NBA single-game rebounding leaders

See also

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