Nick Van Exel facts for kids
Van Exel with the Spurs in 2005
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 27, 1971 Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| High school | St. Joseph (Kenosha, Wisconsin) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College |
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| NBA Draft | 1993 / Round: 2 / Pick: 37th overall |
| Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers | |
| Pro career | 1993–2006 |
| Coaching career | 2009–present |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1993–1998 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1998–2002 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2002–2003 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2003–2004 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2004–2005 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2005–2006 | San Antonio Spurs |
| As coach: | |
| 2009–2010 | Texas Southern (assistant) |
| 2013–2014 | Milwaukee Bucks (assistant) |
| 2014–2015 | Texas Legends (assistant) |
| 2015–2016 | Texas Legends |
| 2016–2019 | Memphis Grizzlies (assistant) |
| 2021–2023 | Atlanta Hawks (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 12,658 (14.4 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,545 (2.9 rpg) |
| Assists | 5,777 (6.6 apg) |
Nickey Maxwell Van Exel (born November 27, 1971) is an American basketball coach and former player. He played for six different teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1993 to 2006. Van Exel was known for his speed and exciting plays. He was even an NBA All-Star with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1998.
Van Exel played college basketball for the Cincinnati Bearcats. He earned special honors as an All-American in 1993. The Lakers picked him in the 1993 NBA draft. In his first year, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
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Growing Up and School
Nick Van Exel was mostly raised by his mother, Joyce. He went to St. Joseph High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He played basketball there from 1987 to 1989. He scored 1,282 points in total during high school. As a senior, he scored 772 points. He led his team in scoring during the state tournament in his junior and senior years. His team reached the finals both times.
College Basketball Career
Van Exel wanted to play college basketball. However, his grades were not high enough for a top program. So, he first attended Trinity Valley Community College for two years. He worked hard on his studies there. This allowed him to join the University of Cincinnati and play for the Bearcats. Their coach was Bob Huggins.
Before Van Exel joined, the Bearcats had an 18–12 record. In the 1991–92 season, Van Exel became the starting point guard. He averaged 12.3 points and 2.9 assists per game. The Bearcats had a great season, going 29–5. They won their league tournament. They also won four games in the NCAA tournament. This led them to the NCAA Final Four. They were defeated by Michigan in that game.
In his final year, Van Exel led Cincinnati with 18.3 points and 4.5 assists per game. The team finished 27–5. They won their league tournament again. They also made it to the NCAA Elite Eight. They lost in overtime to North Carolina. Van Exel was named a Third-team All-America player. He was also a finalist for the Wooden Award, given to the best player of the year. In just two seasons, he set records for three-point shots at Cincinnati. He was inducted into the University of Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
Van Exel also went back to school to finish his degree. He graduated in 2023 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.
Professional Basketball Career
Nick Van Exel played in the NBA for 13 years. He played for the San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Lakers.
Starting with the Lakers
Van Exel's NBA journey began when the Los Angeles Lakers picked him. He was the 37th overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft. Van Exel and Eddie Jones were key players for the Lakers. They helped rebuild the team after their famous "Showtime Era." With Van Exel's exciting style, these two guards helped the team reach the playoffs in 1995. The Lakers had missed the playoffs the year before. Van Exel was known for his amazing shots, last-second baskets, and speed. People called him "Nick the Quick."
During his time with the Lakers, Van Exel averaged 14.9 points and 7.3 assists per game. He was among the top 10 players in assists twice.
Moving to the Nuggets
On June 24, 1998, after five seasons with the Lakers, Van Exel was traded. He went to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Tony Battie and the draft rights to Tyronn Lue. The Nuggets team was not very good at the time. However, Van Exel played some of his best basketball there. Over four seasons, he averaged 17.7 points and 8.4 assists per game. In the 2001–02 season, he averaged 21.4 points per game for 45 games.
Time with the Mavericks
On February 21, 2002, Van Exel was traded again. He went from the Nuggets to the Dallas Mavericks. Other players involved in the trade included Raef LaFrentz and Avery Johnson. In Dallas, Van Exel had a smaller role. But he was very good at creating scoring chances. He also made important three-point shots. He averaged 12.5 points per game in the 2002–03 season. In the 2003 playoffs, he scored nearly 20 points per game. He helped the Mavericks a lot in a close series against the Sacramento Kings. He scored 36 and 40 points in two wins during that series.
Later Career Teams
Van Exel was traded to the Golden State Warriors on August 18, 2003. He played in 39 games during the 2003–04 season. He averaged 12.6 points and 5.3 assists per game.
On July 20, 2004, he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. He played in 53 games for them. He averaged 11 points per game.
Van Exel joined the San Antonio Spurs on August 29, 2005. He said this would be his last season in the NBA. Due to knee and elbow injuries, he played in 65 games during the 2005–06 season. He averaged 5.5 points and 1.9 assists per game. In the playoffs, the Spurs lost to the Dallas Mavericks. Two days later, Van Exel announced his retirement from playing.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | L.A. Lakers | 81 | 80 | 33.3 | .394 | .338 | .781 | 2.9 | 5.8 | 1.0 | .1 | 13.6 |
| 1994–95 | L.A. Lakers | 80 | 80 | 36.8 | .420 | .358 | .783 | 2.8 | 8.3 | 1.2 | .1 | 16.9 |
| 1995–96 | L.A. Lakers | 74 | 74 | 34.0 | .417 | .357 | .799 | 2.4 | 6.9 | .9 | .1 | 14.9 |
| 1996–97 | L.A. Lakers | 79 | 79 | 37.2 | .402 | .378 | .825 | 2.9 | 8.5 | .9 | .1 | 15.3 |
| 1997–98 | L.A. Lakers | 64 | 46 | 32.1 | .419 | .389 | .791 | 3.0 | 6.9 | 1.0 | .1 | 13.8 |
| 1998–99 | Denver | 50* | 50* | 36.0 | .398 | .308 | .811 | 2.3 | 7.4 | .8 | .1 | 16.5 |
| 1999–00 | Denver | 79 | 79 | 37.3 | .390 | .332 | .817 | 3.9 | 9.0 | .9 | .1 | 16.1 |
| 2000–01 | Denver | 71 | 70 | 28.7 | .414 | .377 | .819 | 3.4 | 8.5 | .9 | .3 | 17.7 |
| 2001–02 | Denver | 45 | 44 | 38.6 | .408 | .337 | .782 | 3.8 | 8.1 | .7 | .2 | 21.4 |
| 2001–02 | Dallas | 27 | 2 | 28.0 | .411 | .347 | .844 | 3.1 | 4.2 | .5 | .1 | 13.2 |
| 2002–03 | Dallas | 73 | 1 | 27.8 | .412 | .378 | .764 | 2.8 | 4.3 | .6 | .1 | 12.5 |
| 2003–04 | Golden State | 39 | 29 | 32.2 | .390 | .307 | .707 | 2.7 | 5.3 | .5 | .1 | 12.6 |
| 2004–05 | Portland | 53 | 34 | 30.5 | .381 | .389 | .784 | 3.0 | 4.3 | .8 | .0 | 11.1 |
| 2005–06 | San Antonio | 65 | 2 | 15.2 | .397 | .357 | .683 | 1.4 | 1.9 | .2 | .0 | 5.5 |
| Career | 880 | 670 | 32.9 | .405 | .357 | .794 | 2.9 | 6.6 | .8 | .1 | 14.4 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 20.0 | .357 | .167 | 1.000 | 3.0 | 2.0 | .21 | .0 | 13.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | L.A. Lakers | 10 | 10 | 46.4 | .414 | .318 | .763 | 3.8 | 7.3 | 2.1 | .3 | 20.0 |
| 1996 | L.A. Lakers | 4 | 4 | 34.3 | .296 | .313 | .769 | 4.0 | 6.8 | .5 | .0 | 11.8 |
| 1997 | L.A. Lakers | 9 | 9 | 39.2 | .378 | .273 | .824 | 3.4 | 6.4 | 1.1 | .0 | 14.4 |
| 1998 | L.A. Lakers | 13 | 0 | 28.2 | .331 | .314 | .725 | 2.5 | 4.2 | .6 | .1 | 11.6 |
| 2002 | Dallas | 8 | 1 | 33.0 | .366 | .206 | .667 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 1.0 | .0 | 11.1 |
| 2003 | Dallas | 20 | 3 | 33.6 | .460 | .393 | .703 | 3.4 | 4.1 | .6 | .0 | 19.5 |
| 2006 | San Antonio | 12 | 0 | 11.1 | .219 | .300 | 1.000 | 1.0 | 1.4 | .3 | .2 | 2.2 |
| Career | 76 | 27 | 31.4 | .394 | .324 | .753 | 2.9 | 4.5 | .8 | .1 | 13.6 | |
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Van Exel became a basketball coach. On October 15, 2009, he was hired as an assistant coach. This was for the Texas Southern Tigers men's basketball team.
On September 8, 2010, the Atlanta Hawks hired Van Exel. He worked as a player development instructor for three seasons. In 2013–14, he was an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks.
On July 8, 2015, Van Exel became the head coach of the Texas Legends. This team is in the NBA D-League.
On June 8, 2016, Van Exel was hired by the Memphis Grizzlies. He served as an assistant coach there.
After working as a scout for the Dallas Mavericks, Van Exel returned to the Hawks. He became an assistant coach for them again on August 25, 2021.
Player Highlights and Achievements
- Van Exel was the last Lakers player to score in the famous Boston Garden. He made a three-pointer at the buzzer to win the game for the Lakers.
- He hit two important three-pointers for the Lakers in a playoff game in 1995. The first shot sent the game into overtime. The second one won the game for his team.
- He finished in the top 15 for assists in eight of his 13 seasons.
- Before the 2005–06 season, Van Exel was the all-time leader for the Los Angeles Lakers in three-point shots made (750). Later in that season, Kobe Bryant passed his record.
- He scored a career-high 44 points twice while playing for the Nuggets.
- Van Exel was known for his unique free-throw style. He would stand a bit behind the free-throw line when shooting.
Career Awards and Recognition
- The University of Cincinnati honored Van Exel. He was inducted into their James P. Kelly Sr. Athletic Hall of Fame. This was for helping his team reach the Final Four in 1992 and the Elite Eight in 1993.
- He was named an NBA All-Star in 1998. Three of his Lakers teammates were also All-Stars that year.
- He was a member of the 1994 All-Rookie Second Team.
- He earned third-team All-America honors in 1993.
Personal Life
Van Exel once appeared on an episode of MTV Cribs.
He is also mentioned in the lyrics of the 2003 song "Crazy in Love" by Beyonce and Jay-Z.
See also
In Spanish: Nick Van Exel para niños
- List of NBA career assists leaders
- List of NBA career 3-point scoring leaders
- List of NBA single-game assists leaders
- List of people banned or suspended by the NBA
