Rolando Blackman facts for kids

Rolando Antonio Blackman (born February 26, 1959) is a former professional basketball player. He is from both Panama and America. Rolando played for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Most of his time was with the Dallas Mavericks. He was chosen as an NBA All-Star four times. He also holds a record for the Mavericks: making 22 free throws in one game. Rolando was born in Panama City, Panama. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, starting when he was eight years old.

Playing Basketball

College Career

After growing up in Brooklyn, Rolando Blackman went to Kansas State University. He played basketball there for coach Jack Hartman. Rolando achieved many great things at Kansas State:

• In 1980, he was named the Big Eight Conference Player of the Year. He was also an All-American.
• He was chosen for the All-Big Eight team three times.
• He was named the Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year three times.
• He scored 1,844 points in his college career. This was the second-highest total in Kansas State history.
• He made 51.7% of his shots from the field. He also made 71.7% of his free throws.

Before his final year, Rolando was picked to start for the 1980 Summer Olympics basketball team. However, he did not play in the Olympics. This was because the United States boycotted the games. He did receive a special Congressional Gold Medal. This medal was made for the athletes who could not compete.

In his senior year, Rolando led Kansas State into the NCAA tournament. They were the #8 seed. They won their first game against the University of San Francisco. Then, Kansas State had a big upset win. They beat #1 seed Oregon State 50–48. Rolando made the winning shot with only three seconds left. Next, they beat #4 seed Illinois 57–52. They then lost to #2 seed North Carolina in the regional final.

In 1996, Rolando was named to the AP all-time All-Big Eight basketball team. His number 25 jersey was retired by Kansas State on February 17, 2007. This happened during a game against Iowa State. In 2015, he was added to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Professional Career in the NBA

Dallas Mavericks (1981–1992)

The Dallas Mavericks picked Rolando Blackman in the first round of the 1981 NBA draft. He was the 9th player chosen overall. He became the first player born in Panama to play in the NBA. Rolando quickly made a difference for the team. He scored 13.3 points per game in his first year. He played about 24 minutes per game as a rookie.

The Mavericks team was not very good at first. But they improved by the 1983–1984 season. This was also Rolando's best year for scoring. He averaged a career-high 22.4 points per game. He led the team to their first-ever playoff appearance. The Mavericks beat the Seattle SuperSonics. They reached the second round before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.

On February 17, 1986, Rolando set a Mavericks record. He made 22 out of 23 free throws in one game. Even with great stats, he missed the All-Star game that year. But he did make it the next year. He was named an NBA All-Star four times in his career. At the 1987 All-Star Game, Rolando tied the game with two free throws. This happened at the end of regular time. His team, the West, won in overtime.

The Mavericks played well and had a great season in 1987–1988. They reached the Western Conference Finals. This was the first time in the team's history. The Mavericks went far but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in 7 games. After this, the Mavericks team started to decline. They did not have the same success until much later. This was during the Dirk Nowitzki era.

Rolando continued to play well. He averaged around 19 points per game for the next few seasons. However, the Mavericks fell in the standings. By the 1991–1992 season, Rolando was 32 years old. The Mavericks began to rebuild their team. By the summer of 1992, Rolando's time with the team was over. Rolando made 6,487 field goals with the Mavericks. He scored 16,643 points. This was a team record for 18 years. Dirk Nowitzki broke it on March 8, 2008. In his 865 games with the Mavericks, Rolando never fouled out of a game.

New York Knicks (1992–1994)

On June 24, 1992, Rolando was traded to the New York Knicks. He played his last two NBA seasons with the Knicks. In his final year in New York, he played again with his former Dallas teammate, Derek Harper. The team made it to the NBA Finals. They lost to the Houston Rockets in seven games.

One of Rolando's most memorable games as a Knick was in the 1993 Eastern Conference Semi-finals. He made the game-winning shot in Game 4 against the Charlotte Hornets. He hit a jump shot with five seconds left. This put the Knicks up by two points. Rolando still played well as he got older. But his time in the NBA ended. On July 6, 1994, the Knicks released Rolando.

Retirement from the NBA

Soon after being released, Rolando retired from the league. After the 1993–94 season, he had scored 17,623 points. He also had 3,278 rebounds and 2,981 assists. Rolando was the NBA's all-time leading scorer among Hispanic/Latin players. This record stood until March 6, 2015. On that date, Pau Gasol passed him. The Mavericks retired Rolando's number 22 jersey on March 11, 2000.

European Career

Rolando signed with the Greek League team AEK Athens BC in the middle of the 1994–95 season. They finished the season in eighth place.

In the summer of 1995, Rolando moved to Olimpia Milano in Italy. He was brought in by coach Bogdan Tanjević. He played in the Italian League. His team included players like Dejan Bodiroga and Gregor Fučka. Rolando, who turned 37 during the season, helped them win two titles. They won the Italian League title and the Italian Basketball Cup. He averaged 15.3 points per game. Rolando was named the MVP of the Italian Cup series. Olimpia also reached the Korać Cup final. They lost to Efes Pilsen Istanbul.

Rolando then moved to Limoges CSP in France in the summer of 1996. Coach Tanjević also joined the club as the new head coach.

After Playing Basketball

In 2000, Rolando became the defensive coordinator for the Mavericks. He worked under coach Don Nelson. The next year, he was an assistant coach for the German National team. He helped them win a bronze medal. This was at the 2002 World Basketball Championships in Indianapolis.

During the 2004–05 season, Rolando was a television analyst for the Mavericks. For the 2005–06 season, he returned to the Mavericks' coaching staff. He served as a full assistant coach. In July 2006, he was promoted. He became the Director of Player Development.

In August 2010, Rolando was hired as an assistant coach for the Turkey national basketball team. He worked for head coach Bogdan Tanjević. Rolando said he took the job to work with Tanjević again. Tanjević had been his coach in Milan.

During the 2006 NBA Finals, Rolando's former coach, Pat Riley, spoke publicly. He said that not playing Rolando in Games 6 and 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals was his biggest coaching mistake. He said he has never forgiven himself for it.

Rolando represented the Mavericks at the 2025 NBA draft lottery in Chicago. The team won the right to draft the #1 overall pick. This happened after they won a coin flip tiebreaker. Dallas had a 1.8% chance. They were the fourth-biggest underdog to win the drawing since it started in 1985.

Personal Life

Rolando Blackman has four children. He lives in Dallas, Texas.

He is on the board of directors for the Assist Youth Foundation. This foundation helps provide opportunities for kids. These are kids who are less fortunate. They help children in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and around the world.

Rolando is also a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He continues to support his chapter, Beta Psi. He also helps the Kansas State University community.

NBA Career Stats

Regular Season

Playoffs

See also

In Spanish: Rolando Blackman para niños