Paul Shirley facts for kids

Paul Murphy Shirley (born December 23, 1977) is an American who used to play professional basketball. He was a power forward, a player who helps score points and get rebounds. He played for many teams, including some in the NBA.

Paul Shirley is also known for his writing. He wrote an online journal, called a blog, when he played for the Phoenix Suns. He also wrote for ESPN.com and later for a Spanish newspaper. He has written several books.

After his basketball career, Paul Shirley started a writing group. He also had a podcast with his friend Justin Halpern.

Paul Shirley's Basketball Journey

Paul Shirley was born in Redwood City, California. He grew up in Meriden, Kansas, a small town. He played high school basketball at Jefferson West High School. He was also a very good student.

College Basketball Career

Paul Shirley went to Iowa State University. He started as a "walk-on," meaning he wasn't given a scholarship at first. But he worked hard and became a starter for three years. His team, the Iowa State Cyclones, made it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA basketball tournament in his junior year. They lost to Michigan State, who won the championship that year.

Paul was also a great student in college. He earned Academic All-Big 12 honors three times. In his last year, he was named second-team Academic All-American. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering.

Playing Professionally

After college, Paul Shirley played for many professional teams. He was 6 feet, 10 inches tall. He played for 13 different teams around the world.

• In the NBA, he played for the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, and Chicago Bulls.
• He also played in Greece for Panionios Athens.
• In Spain, he played for Joventut Badalona, ViveMenorca, and Unicaja Málaga.
• He played in Russia for UNICS Kazan.

Paul Shirley also played in preseason games for other NBA teams. These included the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves. He played a total of 18 NBA games between 2002 and 2005. In these games, he averaged 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds. His last NBA game was on April 20, 2005, with the Phoenix Suns.

Paul Shirley's Writing Career

Paul Shirley is well-known for his writing. He wrote blogs for ESPN and other places. In his writing, he shared his thoughts on basketball players, teams, and fans. He also wrote about cities, sports media, and other topics.

Books by Paul Shirley

Paul Shirley has written three books:

• Can I Keep My Jersey? was his first book. It came out in 2007. Many people liked it.
• His second book, Stories I Tell On Dates, was released in 2017. He also started a podcast with the same name.
• His third book, Ball Boy, was released in 2021. This was his first novel.

Between 2008 and 2015, Paul Shirley wrote a monthly column. It was about the NBA for a Spanish newspaper called El Pais. The column was titled "Historias de un Tío Alto," which means "Stories by a Tall Guy."

Writing and Controversy

Sometimes, Paul Shirley's writing caused discussions. In 2010, he wrote a blog post that questioned how helpful relief efforts for the earthquake in Haiti might be. After this, he no longer wrote for ESPN. ESPN said that his views did not match their company's views.

Statistics

Here are some of Paul Shirley's basketball statistics.

College Statistics

NBA Career Statistics

Regular Season

See also

In Spanish: Paul Shirley para niños