Ruben Patterson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ruben Patterson

Patterson with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2006
Personal information
Born	(1975-07-31) July 31, 1975 (age 49) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
High school	John Hay (Cleveland, Ohio)
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	223 lb (101 kg)
Career information
College	Independence CC (1994–1996) Cincinnati (1996–1998)
NBA Draft	1998 / Round: 2 / Pick: 31st overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Pro career	1998–2009
Career history
1998	AEK Athens
1998–1999	Los Angeles Lakers
1999–2001	Seattle SuperSonics
2001–2006	Portland Trail Blazers
2006	Denver Nuggets
2006–2007	Milwaukee Bucks
2007	Los Angeles Clippers
2009	Champville
Career NBA statistics
Points	6,953 (10.7 ppg)
Rebounds	2,697 (4.2 rpg)
Assists	1,150 (1.8 apg)

Ruben Nathaniel Patterson (born July 31, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. During his career, he played as a small forward and shooting guard. During his college career at the University of Cincinnati, Patterson earned third-team All-American honors and helped lead the Bearcats to Conference USA titles in both of his seasons there. Drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1998, Patterson began his career with the Greek team AEK Athens BC before joining the Lakers in his rookie season. Later, he played for the NBA teams Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Los Angeles Clippers before ending his career with the Lebanese team Champville SC.

Early life

..... As a youth, he lived mostly with his mother, Charlene Patterson, who died of a heart attack when he was at the University of Cincinnati.

After hearing of her death while on a road trip at UAB, he rejected an offer to fly home and spend time with his family, instead staying with his team for the game and scoring 32 points. "My mother would have wanted me to play," Patterson later explained.

Patterson started off his college basketball career in the small town of Independence, Kansas at the Independence Community College. He later transferred to the University of Cincinnati.

Professional career

Patterson was a second-round selection of the 1998 NBA draft (31st pick overall), chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers. Due to the lock-out season of 1998, he started the season in the Greek league playing with AEK Athens BC where he averaged 12.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 19 games. He later played for the Lakers, the Seattle SuperSonics, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Denver Nuggets, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging a career 10.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He nicknamed himself the "Kobe Stopper" after claiming he could play strong defense against NBA superstar Kobe Bryant.

Patterson left the Lakers for Seattle on August 10, 1999, as a free agent. He quickly became known as a solid defensive player and a good shooter, finishing fourth in the league in field goal percentage. He finished his second season in Seattle after starting 74 of 81 games, and third on the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game. After that season, he signed with the Portland Trail Blazers.

In his second year in Portland, trouble began to brew for Patterson. He was punched in the face by teammate Zach Randolph during a practice. Randolph intervened in an argument between Patterson and rookie teammate Qyntel Woods. The move cost Randolph $100,000. Often outspoken and erratic, Patterson was temporarily suspended from the Trail Blazers in the 2005–06 season for speaking harshly to coach Nate McMillan and refusing to return to a game, upset about his lack of playing time. Patterson later explained his outburst, saying he was frustrated and it was "like the devil hit me and told me to get it out". He also demanded that he get at least 25 minutes per game or be traded.

In February 2006, Patterson was traded to the Denver Nuggets. In the following off-season, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for Joe Smith. In Milwaukee, Patterson posted the best numbers of his career with 14.7 points, 2.9 assists and 31.0 minutes per game. He also tied a career-high in rebounds per game with 5.4 and posted a career-best 55% field goal average.

On August 29, 2007, Patterson signed a contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. Patterson was waived by the Clippers on December 13, 2007. He later joined the Lebanese club Champville.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

See also

In Spanish: Ruben Patterson para niños