Theo Ratliff facts for kids
Ratliff with the Pistons in 2008
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | April 17, 1973 Demopolis, Alabama, U.S. |
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| High school | Demopolis (Demopolis, Alabama) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Wyoming (1991–1995) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1995 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1995–2011 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | Detroit Pistons | |||||||||||||
| 1997–2001 | Philadelphia 76ers | |||||||||||||
| 2001–2004 | Atlanta Hawks | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Portland Trail Blazers | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Boston Celtics | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Minnesota Timberwolves | |||||||||||||
| 2008 | Detroit Pistons | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Philadelphia 76ers | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | San Antonio Spurs | |||||||||||||
| 2010 | Charlotte Bobcats | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Los Angeles Lakers | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
As player:
As owner:
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| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Points | 5,809 (7.2 ppg) | |||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 4,596 (5.7 rpg) | |||||||||||||
| Block | 1,968 (2.4 bpg) | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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Theo Ratliff is an American former professional basketball player. He was born on April 17, 1973. Theo played for 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
He was born in Alabama. Theo went to the University of Wyoming for college. After college, the Detroit Pistons picked him in the 1995 NBA draft. He also played for many other teams. These included the Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Bobcats, and Los Angeles Lakers.
Theo mostly played as a center. He was known for being an amazing shot-blocker. He led the league in blocks per game three times! As of 2024, he is ranked 20th all-time in career blocks.
Contents
Theo Ratliff's College Basketball Journey
Theo Ratliff started playing for the Wyoming Cowboys in 1991. In his first year, he didn't play much. But after some older players left, he got more time on the court.
Theo became the main center for Wyoming in his junior and senior years. In his senior year, he blocked 144 shots in 28 games! That's about 5 blocks per game.
Theo finished his college career with 425 blocked shots. This is the most in the history of the University of Wyoming. It was also the second most in NCAA Division I history at the time. In 2005, Theo was honored by being added to the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame.
Theo Ratliff's NBA Career Highlights
The Detroit Pistons chose Theo as the 18th pick in the 1995 NBA draft. He played for them for two and a half seasons. In December 1997, Theo was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. He joined his teammate Aaron McKie in the trade.
In Detroit, Theo usually came off the bench. But the Sixers' coach, Larry Brown, immediately made Theo a starter. This helped Theo play more and score more points. On March 22, 1998, Theo scored his career-high of 27 points in a game against the Boston Celtics.
In his first full season with Philadelphia, Theo averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game. He was even named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team! Theo, along with McKie, Eric Snow, and Allen Iverson, helped the Sixers reach the playoffs for the first time in eight years. They won their first series but then lost in the second round.
The next season, Theo played only 57 games because of an ankle injury. Still, he averaged 11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game. He helped the Sixers get back to the playoffs, where they again lost in the second round.
Theo was chosen for his first All-Star Game in 2001. He was averaging 12.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and a league-leading 3.7 blocks per game. Sadly, Theo got injured right before the All-Star game and needed surgery. This ended his season. On February 22, Theo was traded to the Atlanta Hawks.
Even though Theo was a fan favorite in Philadelphia, the coach decided to make the trade. This was because Theo wouldn't be able to play in the playoffs. The 2000–01 Sixers team ended up making it to the NBA Finals that season.
Theo played only three games the next season due to a hip injury. After two seasons with injuries, Theo came back strong. In the 2002–03 season, he averaged 8.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and a league-leading 3.2 blocks in 81 games.
During the 2003–04 season, Theo was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. He played 85 games that season, which is rare for an NBA player! He also blocked 307 shots that year. As of 2023, he was the only player since 1996 to block over 300 shots in a season. This was Theo's best individual season. He led the NBA in blocks for the third time and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team again.
After that season, he signed a three-year contract with the Blazers. Theo missed some games over the next two seasons due to injuries. He eventually lost his starting spot.
In June 2006, the Boston Celtics got Theo in a trade. In July 2007, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In February 2008, Theo left the Timberwolves and rejoined the Detroit Pistons in March. With the Pistons, Theo returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2000!
Theo signed with the 76ers again for the 2008–09 season. He was now a veteran on a young team. Theo was named a team captain.
Later, he signed with the San Antonio Spurs. In February 2010, he was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats. This reunited him with his former Sixers coach, Larry Brown. Theo helped the Bobcats have their first winning record and first playoff appearance in team history!
Theo signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 22, 2010, for one year. In December 2011, Theo Ratliff retired from playing basketball.
Awards and Honors for Theo Ratliff
Theo won many awards during his basketball career. Here are some of his college achievements:
- First Team All-Western Athletic Conference (1994, 1995)
- Inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame (2005)
Theo Ratliff's Life Outside Basketball
Theo Ratliff played basketball at Demopolis High School in Demopolis, Alabama. He later graduated from the University of Wyoming.
Theo created The Theo Ratliff Center in Demopolis, Alabama. It's a recreation center with a basketball court for the community.
Theo was also the owner of the Rome Gladiators basketball team.
In 2020, Theo wrote and published a children's book called Theo The Hero. The book teaches kids how to deal with bullying.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–96 | Detroit | 75 | 2 | 17.4 | .557 | .000 | .708 | 4.0 | .2 | .2 | 1.5 | 4.5 |
| 1996–97 | Detroit | 76 | 38 | 17.0 | .531 | .000 | .698 | 3.4 | .2 | .4 | 1.5 | 5.8 |
| 1997–98 | Detroit | 24* | 12 | 24.4 | .514 | .000 | .683 | 5.0 | .6 | .5 | 2.3 | 6.5 |
| 1997–98 | Philadelphia | 58* | 55 | 32.1 | .512 | .000 | .706 | 7.3 | .7 | .7 | 3.5 | 11.2 |
| 1998–99 | Philadelphia | 50* | 50* | 32.5 | .470 | .000 | .725 | 8.1 | .6 | .9 | 3.0 | 11.2 |
| 1999–00 | Philadelphia | 57 | 56 | 31.5 | .503 | .000 | .771 | 7.6 | .6 | .6 | 3.0 | 11.9 |
| 2000–01 | Philadelphia | 50 | 50 | 36.0 | .499 | .000 | .760 | 8.3 | 1.2 | .6 | 3.7* | 12.4 |
| 2001–02 | Atlanta | 3 | 2 | 27.3 | .500 | .000 | .545 | 5.3 | .3 | .3 | 2.7 | 8.7 |
| 2002–03 | Atlanta | 81 | 81 | 31.1 | .464 | .000 | .720 | 7.5 | .9 | .7 | 3.2* | 8.7 |
| 2003–04 | Atlanta | 53* | 52* | 31.1 | .458 | .000 | .653 | 7.2 | 1.0 | .6 | 3.1 | 8.3 |
| 2003–04 | Portland | 32* | 31* | 31.8 | .540 | .000 | .629 | 7.3 | .6 | .8 | 4.4* | 7.3 |
| 2004–05 | Portland | 63 | 45 | 27.5 | .447 | .000 | .692 | 5.3 | .5 | .4 | 2.5 | 4.8 |
| 2005–06 | Portland | 55 | 19 | 23.7 | .571 | .000 | .651 | 5.1 | .5 | .3 | 1.6 | 4.9 |
| 2006–07 | Boston | 2 | 2 | 22.0 | .333 | .000 | .750 | 3.5 | .0 | .5 | 1.5 | 2.5 |
| 2007–08 | Minnesota | 10 | 6 | 21.4 | .511 | .000 | .680 | 3.9 | .7 | .3 | 1.9 | 6.3 |
| 2007–08 | Detroit | 16 | 3 | 13.9 | .450 | .000 | .667 | 3.1 | .4 | .3 | 1.1 | 3.0 |
| 2008–09 | Philadelphia | 46 | 0 | 12.6 | .531 | .000 | .600 | 2.8 | .2 | .4 | 1.0 | 1.9 |
| 2009–10 | San Antonio | 21 | 3 | 8.7 | .444 | .000 | .500 | 1.9 | .4 | .1 | .9 | 1.6 |
| 2009–10 | Charlotte | 28 | 26 | 22.3 | .466 | .000 | .783 | 4.2 | .6 | .3 | 1.5 | 5.1 |
| 2010–11 | L.A. Lakers | 10 | 0 | 7.0 | .167 | .000 | .000 | 1.3 | .3 | .2 | .5 | .2 |
| Career | 810 | 533 | 25.5 | .496 | .000 | .710 | 5.7 | .6 | .5 | 2.4 | 7.2 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Detroit | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| 1997 | Detroit | 3 | 0 | 6.0 | .750 | .000 | .500 | 1.3 | .3 | .3 | 1.3 | 2.7 |
| 1999 | Philadelphia | 7 | 7 | 29.1 | .465 | .000 | .579 | 7.3 | .9 | .7 | 2.6 | 7.3 |
| 2000 | Philadelphia | 10 | 10 | 37.4 | .475 | .000 | .723 | 7.9 | .9 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 13.0 |
| 2008 | Detroit | 12 | 0 | 10.9 | .500 | .000 | .500 | 2.3 | .1 | .1 | .9 | 1.3 |
| 2009 | Philadelphia | 6 | 0 | 15.7 | .818 | .000 | .500 | 3.8 | .0 | .2 | .7 | 3.3 |
| 2010 | Charlotte | 4 | 4 | 11.8 | .375 | .000 | .500 | .8 | .3 | .5 | .0 | 1.8 |
| 2011 | L.A. Lakers | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 44 | 21 | 19.8 | .497 | .000 | .643 | 4.3 | .4 | .5 | 1.5 | 5.3 | |
See also
In Spanish: Theo Ratliff para niños
- List of NBA career blocks leaders
- List of NBA annual blocks leaders
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career blocks leaders
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season blocks leaders
