Michael Finley facts for kids
Finley in 2016
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| Dallas Mavericks | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Assistant general manager Vice president of player personnel |
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | March 6, 1973 Maywood, Illinois, U.S. |
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| High school | Proviso East (Maywood, Illinois) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Wisconsin (1991–1995) | |||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1995 / Round: 1 / Pick: 21st overall | |||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Phoenix Suns | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1995–2010 | |||||||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Phoenix Suns | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2005 | Dallas Mavericks | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2010 | San Antonio Spurs | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Boston Celtics | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Career NBA statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Points | 17,306 (15.8 ppg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 4,804 (4.4 rpg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Assists | 3,245 (2.9 apg) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Michael Howard Finley (born March 6, 1973) is a retired American basketball player. He played for 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently an assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel for the Dallas Mavericks.
Finley mostly played for the Mavericks. He also played for the Phoenix Suns, who picked him in the 1995 NBA draft. Later, he played for the San Antonio Spurs and the Boston Celtics. He was chosen for the NBA All-Star team twice. Finley won an NBA championship with the Spurs in 2007.
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Early Life and High School Basketball
Michael Finley grew up in Maywood, Illinois. He went to Proviso East High School and graduated in 1991. In his final year, Proviso East won the Illinois state basketball tournament. Finley was named to the all-tournament team.
Finley and his teammates, Sherrell Ford and Donnie Boyce, were known as the "Three Amigos." They all went on to play in the NBA. After winning the state championship, Finley got to play against Michael Jordan. They played a game of H-O-R-S-E and a 1-on-1 game. These games were shown on TV.
In 2007, Finley was honored as one of the "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament." This means he was one of the top 100 players in the Illinois state basketball tournament's history.
College Career at Wisconsin
Finley was a tall player, 6 feet 7 inches, who could play as a shooting guard or small forward. He played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In the 1995 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns chose him as the 21st player overall.
Finley held the record for the most points scored at Wisconsin for eleven years. Another player, Alando Tucker, broke his record on March 10, 2007.
NBA Career Highlights
Starting with the Phoenix Suns (1995–1996)
In his first NBA season (1995–96), Finley was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He finished third in the voting for Rookie of the Year. He averaged 15 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. He was only the third rookie in Suns history to score over 1,000 points in one season.
Finley played all 82 games in his rookie year. However, he got injured on the last day of the regular season and could not play in the playoffs. On December 26, 1996, the Suns traded Finley to the Dallas Mavericks. He was traded along with Sam Cassell and A.C. Green for Jason Kidd, Tony Dumas, and Loren Meyer.
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Becoming a Star with the Dallas Mavericks (1996–2005)
Finley really shined when he joined the Dallas Mavericks. In his first season there, he led the team in scoring, assists, and steals. He became a key part of the Mavericks' fast-paced offense. He played alongside future NBA stars Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki.
In 2000, Finley was chosen to play in the National Basketball Association All-Star Game. He scored 11 points in that game. On January 23, 2001, Finley tied an NBA record by getting eight steals in just one half of a game. He was again selected for the All-Star Game in 2001.
Finley also played for the US national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship. The team lost three games, which was unusual for the US.
As Finley got older, he took on more of a supporting role as Dirk Nowitzki became the team's main star. But Finley remained a player who could make important plays for the Mavericks. In 2005, the Mavericks let Finley go to save money. He became a free agent, meaning he could sign with any team. Many teams wanted him, but he chose to stay in Texas and join the San Antonio Spurs.
Winning a Championship with the San Antonio Spurs (2005–2010)
In San Antonio, Finley fit well into his new role as a backup player, often coming off the bench for Manu Ginóbili. He focused on improving his outside shooting. In the 2006 NBA playoffs, the Spurs played against Finley's old team, the Mavericks. In one game, Finley's former teammate Jason Terry punched him. This led to Terry being suspended for the next game. The Spurs pushed the series to a seventh game but lost in overtime.
In 2007, during a playoff game against the Denver Nuggets, Finley set a Spurs record. He made eight three-point shots out of nine attempts. This was more than the previous record of seven, held by his teammate Bruce Bowen. Finley achieved his biggest dream in 2007 when he won his only NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs. This was in his 12th NBA season.
On March 1, 2010, Finley asked the Spurs to release him from his contract, and they agreed. This allowed him to join another team.
Playing for the Boston Celtics (2010)
On March 4, 2010, Finley agreed to join the Boston Celtics for the rest of the 2009–10 season. He officially signed with them on March 6, 2010. The Celtics made it to the 2010 NBA Finals that year. However, they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. After the season ended, Finley announced that he would retire from playing basketball.
Life After Basketball
Finley started playing basketball in elementary school. His favorite player was Michael Jordan, and he sometimes went to Chicago Bulls games. He studied business management in college. Even though he left college early for the NBA draft, he went back and finished his degree in agricultural and applied economics in 2014. Finley went to the same high school as Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers.
Finley now works in the front office for the Dallas Mavericks. He is the Vice President of Basketball Operations, helping to manage the team.
He has also been a producer for movies, including Lee Daniels' The Butler and The Birth of a Nation.
See also
In Spanish: Michael Finley para niños
- List of National Basketball Association career 3-point scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff 3-point scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association single-game steals leaders
- List of National Basketball Association annual minutes leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career minutes played leaders
