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Michael Finley

Finley in 2016

Dallas Mavericks

Assistant general manager
Vice president of player personnel

Personal information

Born

March 6, 1973 (age 52)
Maywood, Illinois, U.S.

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

1996–2005

2005–2010

2010

Career highlights and awards

NBA champion (2007)
2× NBA All-Star (2000, 2001)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1996)
2× First-team All-Big Ten (1993, 1995)
USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (1993)
No. 24 jersey retired by Wisconsin Badgers

Career NBA statistics

Points

17,306 (15.8 ppg)

Rebounds

4,804 (4.4 rpg)

Assists

3,245 (2.9 apg)

Medals

Men's basketball

Representing United States
Goodwill Games
Bronze	1994 St. Petersburg	National team
Summer Universiade
Gold	1993 Buffalo	National team

Michael Howard Finley (born March 6, 1973) is a former American professional basketball player. He played for 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Michael was known for his time with the Dallas Mavericks. He also played for the Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, and Boston Celtics. Finley was chosen for the NBA All-Star Game twice. He won an NBA championship with the Spurs in 2007. Today, he works for the Dallas Mavericks as an assistant general manager. He is also the vice president of player personnel.

High School Basketball Star
College Career at Wisconsin
- College Stats
NBA Career Highlights
Personal Life
Other Work
- Basketball
- Film
NBA Career Statistics
- Regular Season
- Playoffs
  - Finals
See also

High School Basketball Star

Michael Finley went to Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois. He graduated in 1991. In his final year, Proviso East won the 1991 Illinois state basketball tournament. Michael was named to the all-tournament team.

His teammates, Sherrell Ford and Donnie Boyce, were also future NBA players. They were known as the "Three Amigos." After winning the state championship, Michael got to play against Michael Jordan. They played a game of H-O-R-S-E and a 1-on-1 game. Jordan won both games. These games were even shown on TV!

In 2007, Michael Finley was named one of the "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament." This shows how important he was in Illinois high school basketball history.

College Career at Wisconsin

Michael Finley played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was a 6-foot-7 shooting guard and small forward. After college, the Phoenix Suns picked him as the 21st player in the 1995 NBA draft.

Finley held the record for the most points scored at Wisconsin for eleven years. Another player, Alando Tucker, broke his record in 2007.

College Stats

Here are some of Michael Finley's college statistics:

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1991–92	Wisconsin	31	28	29.7	.453	.361	.742	4.9	2.7	.9	.8	12.3
1992–93	Wisconsin	28	28	35.0	.467	.364	.771	5.8	3.1	1.8	.6	22.1
1993–94	Wisconsin	29	29	36.1	.466	.363	.786	6.7	3.2	1.4	.7	20.4
1994–95	Wisconsin	27	27	37.0	.379	.284	.773	5.2	4.0	1.9	.6	20.5
Career		115	112	34.3	.440	.338	.769	5.6	3.2	1.5	.7	18.7

NBA Career Highlights

Phoenix Suns (1995–1996)

Michael Finley started his NBA journey with the Phoenix Suns. In his first year, he was named to the 1995–96 NBA All-Rookie First Team. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting. 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 a season.

After playing all 82 games in his rookie year, Finley got injured. He missed the playoffs. In December 1996, the Suns traded him to the Dallas Mavericks.

Michael Finley Dallas Mavericks 2005 (cropped)

Finley playing for the Mavericks in 2005

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 player for the Mavericks. He played alongside Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki. They were known for their fast-paced "run and gun" style of play.

In 2000, Finley was chosen to play in the All-Star Game. He scored 11 points in that game. In 2001, he was again selected for the All-Star team. On January 23, 2001, Finley tied an NBA record. He got eight steals in just one half of a game!

He also played for the US national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship.

As Michael got older, he took on more of a supporting role. His teammate Dirk Nowitzki became the main star. However, Finley remained a player who could make big plays when it mattered. In 2005, the Mavericks let him go to save money. Finley became a free agent. He chose to join the San Antonio Spurs.

San Antonio Spurs (2005–2010)

Finley with the Spurs in 2009

In San Antonio, Finley fit in well. He became a backup player for Manu Ginóbili. He worked on his outside shooting. The Spurs played against Finley's old team, the Mavericks, in the 2006 playoffs. In one game, Finley was punched by his former teammate Jason Terry. The Spurs forced a seventh game but lost to the Mavericks.

In 2007, Finley set a new record for the Spurs in a playoff game. He made eight three-point shots out of nine attempts. This helped the Spurs win their first-round series. In 2007, Michael Finley won his only NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs. This was in his 12th NBA season.

In 2010, Finley asked the Spurs to release him from his contract. This allowed him to sign with another team.

Boston Celtics (2010)

On March 4, 2010, Finley agreed to join the Boston Celtics. He signed with them on March 6, 2010. The Celtics made it to the 2010 NBA Finals. However, they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. After that season, Finley decided to retire from playing basketball.

Personal Life

Michael Finley started playing basketball when he was in elementary school. His favorite player was Michael Jordan. He sometimes went to Chicago Bulls games to watch him play.

He studied business management at Wisconsin. Even though he left college early for the NBA, he went back and finished his degree in 2014. He earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural and applied economics. Michael Finley went to the same high school as Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers.

Other Work

Basketball

After retiring from playing, Michael Finley continued to work in basketball. He now works in the front office for the Dallas Mavericks. He is the Vice President of Basketball Operations.

Film

Michael Finley has also been involved in making movies! He was one of the producers for the films Lee Daniels' The Butler and The Birth of a Nation.

NBA Career Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular Season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1995–96	Phoenix	82	72	39.2	.476	.328	.749	4.6	3.5	1.0	.4	15.0
1996–97	Phoenix	27*	18	29.5	.475	.255	.812	4.4	2.5	.7	.1	13.0
1996–97	Dallas	56*	36	35.6	.432	.387	.807	4.5	2.8	.9	.4	16.0
1997–98	Dallas	82*	82*	41.4*	.449	.357	.784	5.3	4.9	1.6	.4	21.5
1998–99	Dallas	50*	50*	41.0	.444	.331	.823	5.3	4.4	1.3	.3	20.2
1999–2000	Dallas	82	82*	42.2	.457	.401	.820	6.3	5.3	1.3	.4	22.6
2000–01	Dallas	82	82*	42.0*	.458	.346	.775	5.2	4.4	1.4	.4	21.5
2001–02	Dallas	69	69	39.9*	.463	.339	.837	5.2	3.3	.9	.4	20.6
2002–03	Dallas	69	69	38.3	.425	.370	.861	5.8	3.0	1.1	.3	19.3
2003–04	Dallas	72	72	38.6	.443	.405	.850	4.5	2.9	1.2	.5	18.6
2004–05	Dallas	64	64	36.8	.427	.407	.831	4.1	2.6	.8	.3	15.7
2005–06	San Antonio	77	18	26.5	.412	.394	.852	3.2	1.5	.5	.1	10.1
2006–07†	San Antonio	82*	16	22.2	.412	.364	.918	2.7	1.3	.4	.2	9.0
2007–08	San Antonio	82*	61	26.9	.414	.370	.800	3.1	1.4	.4	.1	10.1
2008–09	San Antonio	81	77	28.8	.437	.411	.823	3.3	1.4	.5	.2	9.7
2009–10	San Antonio	25	6	15.8	.381	.317	.667	1.5	0.8	.2	.2	3.7
2009–10	Boston	21	1	15.0	.506	.463	.333	1.6	1.1	.2	.1	5.2
Career		1103	875	34.5	.440	.390	.813	4.1	2.9	.9	.3	15.7
All-Star		2	0	14.5	.476	.250	1,000	2.0	2.5	.0	.0	11.5

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2001	Dallas	10	10	43.4	.360	.362	.818	5.3	4.4	1.2	.2	19.7
2002	Dallas	8	8	46.6	.466	.378	.900	6.3	2.3	1.5	.5	24.6
2003	Dallas	20	20	41.1	.435	.412	.864	5.8	3.0	1.3	.6	18.3
2004	Dallas	5	5	39.9	.382	.269	.600	3.2	2.6	.8	.6	13.0
2005	Dallas	13	13	37.8	.425	.393	.889	4.3	2.2	1.3	.0	13.1
2006	San Antonio	13	4	31.6	.476	.383	.900	3.8	1.4	.6	.2	10.5
2007†	San Antonio	20	20	26.9	.410	.419	.897	2.9	1.1	.6	.2	11.3
2008	San Antonio	17	11	23.0	.402	.365	1.000	1.9	1.0	.3	.2	6.7
2009	San Antonio	5	5	28.6	.441	.467	.750	3.0	1.0	.2	.2	8.0
2010	Boston	18	0	6.0	.250	.273	1.000	.6	.2	.2	.0	.8
Career		129	96	30.3	.418	.388	.866	3.5	1.8	.8	.2	11.8

Finals

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2007†	San Antonio	4	4	18.5	.261	.083	.667	2.0	.8	1.3	.0	3.8
2010	Boston	2	0	2.5	.000	.000	.000	.0	.0	.0	.0	.0
Career		6	4	13.2	.250	.077	.667	1.3	.5	.7	.0	2.5