Tyrone Washington facts for kids

Tyrone Lamar Washington, born on September 16, 1976, is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He played college basketball at Mississippi State University and was later chosen by the Houston Rockets in the 1999 NBA draft. Even though he was drafted by an NBA team, he spent his professional career playing basketball in other countries and in the NBA's minor league, the NBA Development League.

Tyrone Washington's Early Life and College Basketball Career

Tyrone was born in East St. Louis, Illinois. He finished high school at Gentry High School in Indianola, Mississippi in 1995. In his last year of high school, Gatorade named him the best boys' basketball player in Mississippi. He was also chosen as a fourth-team All-American by Parade magazine, which means he was one of the top high school players in the whole country.

Playing for Mississippi State Bulldogs

When Tyrone started playing for the Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team, he was a backup center. He played behind Erick Dampier, who later became an NBA player. In his first year, Tyrone scored about 1.8 points and grabbed 2.1 rebounds per game. He also blocked 13 shots and made 41% of his field goals.

After Erick Dampier was drafted into the NBA in 1996, Tyrone became the starting center for his college team. In the 1996–1997 season, Tyrone was one of the top players in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) for blocked shots, averaging 2 blocks per game. His 7.9 rebounds per game was the second-highest in the conference. In 1998, Tyrone was named to the third-team All-SEC, which means he was recognized as one of the best players in the conference.

Tyrone Washington's Professional Basketball Journey

Tyrone Washington started his professional basketball career in Italy. He played for Banca Popolare Ragusa in the 1999–2000 season. The next season, he joined another Italian team, Viola Reggio Calabria. He then played 35 games with Fabriano Basket in Italy during the 2001–2002 season. With Fabriano, he averaged 9.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He also played semi-pro basketball in the United States with the San Angelo All-Stars in 2000.

Playing in Europe and the NBA D-League

In 2002, Tyrone joined the Los Angeles Clippers for the NBA Summer League, which is a chance for players to show their skills to NBA teams. After that, he played five games with a Serbian team called KK Crvena zvezda. There, he averaged 8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Later in 2002, he signed with the Columbus Riverdragons in the NBA Development League (now called the G-League). He played 37 games with the Riverdragons, starting 27 of them. He averaged 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Basketball in Turkey and the Philippines

Tyrone played for Galatasaray in the Turkish Basketball League during the 2003–2004 season. He left the team in April 2004. The next month, he signed with the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants in the Philippine Basketball Association. On July 23, 2004, he returned to Italy to play for Scafati Basket.

Playing in Asia and Puerto Rico

In 2005, Tyrone was chosen as the second overall international player in the draft for the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) by the Fujian Xunxing team. In the 2005–2006 season with Fujian, Tyrone had a great performance, averaging 27.3 points and 12.6 rebounds per game.

By March 2006, Tyrone signed with the Capitanes de Arecibo in Puerto Rico's Baloncesto Superior Nacional league. He played four games in April 2006, including one game where he scored 28 points. Later in 2006, the Henan Jigang Dragons of the CBA drafted Tyrone as the top overall pick.

In 2007, the Busan KT Sonicboom of the Korean Basketball League drafted Tyrone as the top pick in the second round. In February 2008, he signed with Al-Ittihad Aleppo in the Syrian Basketball League. On May 20, 2008, Tyrone played his first game with the Puerto Rican team Cariduros de Fajardo. In three games, he averaged 7 points and 6.7 rebounds.

See also

In Spanish: Tyrone Washington para niños