Paul Millsap facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Paul Millsap

Millsap with the Atlanta Hawks in 2013
Personal information
Born	(1985-02-10) February 10, 1985 (age 40) Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.
High school	Grambling (Grambling, Louisiana)
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	257 lb (117 kg)
Career information
College	Louisiana Tech (2003–2006)
NBA Draft	2006 / Round: 2 / Pick: 47th overall
Selected by the Utah Jazz
Pro career	2006–2022
Career history
2006–2013	Utah Jazz
2013–2017	Atlanta Hawks
2017–2021	Denver Nuggets
2021–2022	Brooklyn Nets
2022	Philadelphia 76ers
Career highlights and awards
4× NBA All-Star (2014–2017) NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2016) NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2007) 3× NCAA rebounding leader (2004–2006) 2× First-team All-WAC (2005, 2006) Second-team All-WAC (2004) WAC Rookie of the Year (2004) Fourth-team Parade All-American (2003) Louisiana Mr. Basketball (2003)
Career NBA statistics
Points	14,536 (13.4 ppg)
Rebounds	7,673 (7.1 rpg)
Assists	2,378 (2.2 apg)

Paul Millsap (born February 10, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Millsap was a power forward from Louisiana Tech University.

The Utah Jazz picked him in the second round of the 2006 NBA draft. He was the 47th player chosen overall. Millsap was also named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. He played for the Jazz until 2013. After that, he joined the Atlanta Hawks. Millsap also played for the Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers. He was chosen as an NBA All-Star four times.

High School Basketball Career

Paul Millsap went to Grambling High School in Grambling, Louisiana. He played for the Grambling Kittens high school basketball team. In 2003, he was named "Mr. Basketball" for Louisiana.

He was also chosen as a fourth-team Parade All-American. ESPN ranked him as the 58th best player in the country.

College Basketball Journey

Millsap played college basketball for three years at Louisiana Tech. He averaged 18.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. He played in 92 games during his college career.

He was the first player to lead NCAA Division I in rebounds in his first two years. Then, he became the only player in NCAA history to lead Division I in rebounding for three years in a row. As a freshman, he was the WAC Rookie of the Year. He was also a second-team All-WAC player.

In his sophomore and junior years, he was a first-team All-WAC player. As a junior in 2005–06, Millsap also made the WAC All-Defensive team. He was a finalist for the Oscar Robertson Award. After this season, he decided to enter the 2006 NBA draft.

Professional Basketball Career

Utah Jazz (2006–2013)

The Utah Jazz picked Millsap with the 47th overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft. He signed his first contract with the Jazz in August 2006. Some sports writers thought he could win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. This award usually goes to players picked earlier in the draft.

Millsap had a strong first season. He led all rookies with six "double-doubles" (scoring double digits in two stats). He averaged about 7 points, 5 rebounds, and almost one steal and one block per game. He played in all 82 of Utah's games.

As a strong player off the bench, he helped the Jazz reach the Conference Finals. They lost to the San Antonio Spurs, who later won the NBA championship. In the 2007–08 season, Millsap scored a new career high of 24 points. He later increased this to 28 points. In December 2008, he scored 32 points against the Boston Celtics.

Millsap played 194 games in a row since joining the Jazz. He missed his first game on December 26, 2008, due to a knee injury. During the 2008–09 season, Millsap became a starter when Carlos Boozer got injured. His numbers went up, averaging 15.9 points and 10.3 rebounds.

In 2009, the Portland Trail Blazers offered Millsap a four-year contract. The Jazz had the right to match the offer, and they did. This meant he stayed with the Jazz. Millsap became Utah's full-time starting power forward in 2010–11. This happened after Boozer joined the Chicago Bulls.

On November 9, 2010, Millsap scored a career-high 46 points. This was in an overtime win against the Miami Heat. He scored 11 points in just 28 seconds at the end of the game. This included three three-pointers, which was more than he had made in his whole career before then. He also hit a shot at the buzzer to force overtime.

Atlanta Hawks (2013–2017)

On July 10, 2013, Millsap signed a two-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks. He had spent his first seven years with the Jazz. On January 30, 2014, coaches voted Millsap to be an All-Star reserve for the East team. On March 18, 2014, Millsap got his first "triple-double." He had 19 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in a win over the Toronto Raptors.

On January 29, 2015, Millsap was chosen for his second All-Star game in a row. The Hawks sent four players to the All-Star game that year. He helped the Hawks finish with a 60–22 record in the 2014–15 season. This was the team's best record since 1993–94. They reached the Eastern Conference Finals but lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

On July 9, 2015, Millsap signed a new three-year contract with the Hawks. On January 16, 2016, he scored 21 points against the Brooklyn Nets. This made him pass 10,000 career points. On January 28, he earned his third straight All-Star spot. On April 9, 2016, he scored a season-high 31 points and had 16 rebounds. This was in a win over the Boston Celtics.

The Hawks finished the regular season as the fourth seed in the East. In the playoffs, Millsap scored 45 points in a game against the Celtics. This was his highest playoff score ever. The Hawks beat the Celtics in six games. They then lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the semi-finals.

Millsap in 2017

In the Hawks' first game of the 2016–17 season, Millsap scored 28 points. On December 19, 2016, he scored a season-high 30 points. He made the winning shot with 12.7 seconds left. On January 1, 2017, he set a new season high with 32 points and 13 rebounds. This helped the Hawks beat the San Antonio Spurs in overtime.

On January 26, he was named an All-Star reserve for the fourth time in a row. Three days later, he had a season-high 37 points. He also had 19 rebounds and seven assists. This helped the Hawks win a four-overtime game against the New York Knicks.

Denver Nuggets (2017–2021)

On July 13, 2017, Millsap signed a three-year contract with the Denver Nuggets. In his first game for the Nuggets, he scored 19 points. This was against his old team, the Utah Jazz. On November 21, 2017, he was injured and had to miss many games. He had surgery on his left wrist.

He returned to play on February 27, 2018. On March 30, 2018, he scored a season-high 36 points. This helped the Nuggets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime. On December 3, 2018, Millsap was named Western Conference Player of the Week. This was his third time winning this award.

A few days later, Millsap broke a toe in his right foot. He missed eight games because of this. On February 13, 2019, he scored 25 points. On March 14, he set a new season high with 33 points. For the 2019–20 season, Millsap continued to be a starter for the Nuggets.

During the NBA Bubble season, players could choose a statement for their jersey. Millsap chose "Vote." Because his jersey number was 4, it looked like "Vote 4 Millsap." This became very popular online. Even though his performance slowed down in the playoffs, he kept his starting spot. With the Nuggets, he reached the Conference Finals for the third time. They lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the NBA championship that year.

Millsap with the Nuggets in 2020

On December 3, 2020, Millsap signed another one-year deal with the Nuggets.

Brooklyn Nets (2021–2022)

On September 10, 2021, Millsap signed with the Brooklyn Nets.

Philadelphia 76ers (2022)

On February 10, 2022, Millsap was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. He was part of a trade that sent James Harden to the 76ers. In return, the Nets received Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond.

Millsap played in 9 of the remaining 28 regular season games for the 76ers. He averaged 3.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Millsap's last NBA game was on May 2, 2022. It was Game 1 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Semifinals. He played for 5 minutes and had 1 rebound and 1 assist. The 76ers lost to the Miami Heat.

Retirement

Millsap did not play in the 2022–23 or 2023–24 NBA seasons. He announced his retirement from the league on December 3, 2024. He retired as one of only eight players in NBA history to have 500 three-pointers, 1,000 blocks, and 1,000 steals.

Personal Life

Paul Millsap has two brothers who also play basketball. His brother, Elijah, played professionally for the Utah Jazz. His oldest brother, John, played for the UTSA Roadrunners.

Awards and Honors

• Louisiana Mr. Basketball: 2003
• NBA All-Rookie Second Team: 2007
• Louisiana Tech University Athletic Hall of Fame: 2011
• NBA All-Star: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

NBA Career Statistics

Regular Season

Playoffs

See also

In Spanish: Paul Millsap para niños

• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season rebounding leaders