[hazezofgreen]

Cards 13 & 14 Today, Robert Parish And Jim Paxson...

Robert Lee Parish (born August 30, 1953(1953-08-30) in Shreveport, Louisiana) is a retired American basketball center. He was known for his strong defense and jump shooting, and was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. In 1997, Parish was also named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. His nickname was "The Chief", after the mute Native American in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. According to Parish, former Celtics forward Cedric Maxwell gave Parish this nickname because of his stoic nature.

NBA career
After a modest career at Centenary College of Louisiana, Parish was drafted in the first round of the 1976 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, before being sent to the Boston Celtics. He compared his transition from Golden State to Boston in a televised quote where he jokingly said it was like going from an outhouse to a penthouse. Playing 14 years with the Celtics from 1980 to 1994, Parish won three NBA titles (1981, 1984 and 1986) teaming with legendary small forward Larry Bird and power forward Kevin McHale. The trio is regarded by many as the best frontcourt in NBA history and was dubbed the "Big Three".

He played two more seasons with the Charlotte Hornets and then played his final season with the Chicago Bulls in 1996-97, which led to his fourth NBA title. At 43, he is the third oldest player to ever play an NBA game (to Nat Hickey of the Providence Steamrollers,[1] and Kevin Willis of the Dallas Mavericks) and as of 2007 his 1,611 games played over 21 seasons are unmatched.

Legacy
He was known as a versatile center, using his impressive 7' 1/2" size and speed to contain opposing players, launch precise shots from outside the paint, and finish fast breaks - the latter uncanny for a man of his stature. Fellow Hall of Famer and teammate from 1985-87 Bill Walton once called Parish the "greatest shooting big man of all time", perhaps because of Parish's field goal and free throw shooting ability, an unusual talent among most centers. His trademark was his high release jump shot, which traversed a very high arc before falling.

In honor of his achievements, the Celtics retired Parish's famous #00 jersey number in 1998 at halftime of a Celtics-Pacers game; this allowed Larry Bird, then head coach of the Pacers, to participate in the ceremony. He was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. In 1996, Parish, along with teammates Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

Today, he remains active as the Celtics' team consultant and mentor for current Celtics' big men.

Although he is considered to be one of the best centers of the 1980s and perhaps among the finest of all-time,[citation needed] Parish has been the subject of legal trouble; In 1995, Parish's former wife, Nancy Saad, alleged that he psychologically and physically abused her throughout their 10-year relationship, including pushing her "down a flight of stairs" when she was eight months pregnant.[2]



James Joseph (Jim) Paxson (born July 9, 1957 in Kettering, Ohio) was a guard/forward with an 11-year career from 1979-1990 in the NBA. He played for the Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics of the NBA and was subsequently inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. He then served as general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1999 until 2005. He is the older brother of retired Chicago Bulls guard and current Bulls general manager John Paxson. On July 5, 2006, Paxson was hired as a consultant for the Chicago Bulls. He was a 2-time All-Star as member of the Portland Trailblazers.

He attended the University of Dayton.



Wow. That thing about Parish pushing his wife down the stairs is pretty disturbing, if true. I remember him playing for the Bulls, but never knew he got a ring with them.

Now I know that John Paxson is more famous than Jim, but did anyone know Jim actually made the All-Star Team twice? I certainly did not.

[lechuckie]

yeah, it's disturbing. didn't realize that parish was one nasty chief. the judo training was put to the wrong use :cry:

[hazezofgreen]

Today's Update Card #15 Ed Pinckney and Card #16 Muggsy Bogues

Edward (Ed) Lewis Pinckney (born March 27, 1963 in The Bronx, New York) is an American former professional basketball player in the NBA.

College career
A 6'9" forward, Pinckney led Villanova University to the NCAA title over the Georgetown Hoyas in 1985. He was the recipient of the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after registering 16 points and 7 rebounds in the 66-64 victory.

NBA career
Also in 1985 he was selected tenth overall by the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Draft and played for them from 1985 to 1987. He also played with the Sacramento Kings (1987-89), Boston Celtics (1989-94), Milwaukee Bucks (1994-95), Toronto Raptors (1995-96), Philadelphia 76ers (1995-96) and Miami Heat (1996-97), and retired in 1997.

Ed participated in the first tip-off in Toronto Raptors franchise history facing off against Yinka Dare of the New Jersey Nets on November 3, 1995

Broadcasting
Pinckney was a radio and television analyst for the Miami Heat from 1997 through 2003. He was the Heat's Director of Mentoring Programs from 2002 to 2003.


Coaching
Pinckney served as an assistant coach for the Villanova Wildcats, under head coach Jay Wright since 2003.

On September 21, 2007, Pinckney was hired as an assistant coach by the Minnesota Timberwolves.[1]

NBA transactions
"EZ Ed" was selected 10th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 1985 NBA Draft
Traded to the Sacramento Kings for Eddie Johnson on June 21, 1987.
Traded to the Boston Celtics along with Joe Kleine in exchange for Danny Ainge and Brad Lohaus on February 23, 1989.
Traded to the Milwaukee Bucks along with rights to Andrei Fetisov in exchange for Blue Edwards and Derek Strong on June 29, 1994.
Selected from the Bucks by the Toronto Raptors in the 1995 expansion draft on June 24, 1995.
Traded to the Philadelphia 76ers along with Tony Massenburg in exchange for Sharone Wright on February 22, 1996.
Waived by the 76ers on July 15, 1996.
Signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat on September 25, 1996.
Retired on October 1, 1997.



Tyrone Curtis Bogues (born January 9, 1965, in Baltimore, Maryland), better known as Muggsy Bogues, is a retired American professional basketball point guard and former head coach of the now-defunct Charlotte Sting of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). He played for five teams during his 14-season career in the National Basketball Association, best known for his involvement with the Charlotte Hornets. He also played for the Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and the Toronto Raptors. Bogues was, and remains, the shortest player ever to play in the NBA, at 5' 3".

High school and college
Bogues played at Dunbar High School in his native Baltimore, where he was a teammate of future NBA players David Wingate (graduating class ahead of him), Reggie Williams, and Reggie Lewis (both in his graduating class). He went on to play four years at Wake Forest, averaging 11.3 points, 8.4 assists and 3.1 steals per game in his junior year. He followed with a senior campaign in which he averaged 14.8 points, 9.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 3.9 steals per game.

He played for the US national team in the 1986 FIBA World Championship, winning the gold medal.[1]

NBA
Bogues was drafted twelfth overall in the 1987 NBA Draft by the Washington Bullets, and was part of a talent-laden draft class that also included David Robinson, Reggie Miller, Scottie Pippen and Kevin Johnson. In his rookie year, Bogues was a teammate of Manute Bol who stands at 7 feet 7 inches (231 cm) tall, at the time he was the tallest player to have ever played in the NBA. Bol and Bogues appeared on three magazine covers together.

Charlotte Hornets
The Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets were set to enter the NBA for the 1988-89 NBA season. Despite their weakness at the point guard , Bogues was left unprotected by the Bullets. On June 22, 1988 the Hornets selected him in the expansion draft. As Bogues settled in Charlotte, he established himself as an exceptional passer, a great ball-stealer, and one of the fastest on court.

Bogues spent ten years in Charlotte as the Hornets, led by Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson, became one of the most popular teams in the NBA and a perennial playoff contender. Charlotte Hornets replica jerseys, including Bogues', were worn by children all over United States. Bogues was one of the most popular players in Hornets history, despite the fact that he never averaged more than 11.2 points per game in a season.

He is the Hornets' career leader in minutes played (19,768), assists (5,557), steals (1,067) and turnovers (1,118) and in assists per game (8.7927) and assists per 48 minutes (13.4933). Bogues held the Hornets' single-game record of 19 assists, broken by Chris Paul (another player from Wake Forest University) on Nov. 7, 2007. He also held the Hornets' postseason-game record of 15 assists, but that record was also broken on April 22, 2008 by Chris Paul, when he dished out 17 assists in the Hornets' win over the Dallas Mavericks.

In 1996, Bogues managed to block a shot attempt by New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing, who stands at 7 feet (213 cm) tall.[2]

Last years
Two games into the 1997-98 NBA season, Bogues' career in Charlotte ended when he was traded, along with Tony Delk, to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for B.J. Armstrong. Bogues played two seasons with the Warriors, and then signed as a free agent with the Toronto Raptors, where he would essentially conclude his career. Although he was later traded to both the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, he did not play a single game for either franchise.

Life after the NBA
Since leaving the NBA, Bogues worked in the real estate business until August 3, 2005, when he was named head coach of the Charlotte Sting in the Women's National Basketball Association despite a lack of coaching experience. Notably, he was shorter than all of his players, the shortest member of the Sting being Helen Darling who stands 5 feet 6 inches. He lost his job as coach when the team folded in January 2007.

Television and movie appearances
Bogues made a cameo appearance in TV series Curb Your Enthusiasm playing himself, sharing a restroom with Larry David and Richard Lewis and nearly having an altercation with David after catching them looking at his ***** while urinating. In 1996, Bogues has a cameo at the end of Eddie in which Whoopi Goldberg's character flirts with him. He then walks out onto the court to support her character preventing Wild Bill from moving the Knicks. Also that year Bogues appeared in the movie Space Jam as one of five NBA players whose playing ability is stolen by the evil Monsters. Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Larry Johnson and Patrick Ewing are the other four. He also appeared in an episode of Hang Time where he spoke against steroids. Most recently he appeared in an episode of the television show Pros vs. Joes (Season 1, Episode 2) along with Bo Jackson, Dan O'Brien, Jennie Finch and Bill Romanowski.



I personally don't know much about Pinckney. He was a pretty high pick back in 85, but mostly a mediocre player throughout his career.

Muggsy was always one of those "lil" guys mostly everyone loved. He was lightning quick on the court, and a pretty good passer too.

[hazezofgreen]

I will have to double up today, and do four cards. Ran out of time. First two will come now, other two later on tonight. If anyone cares :lol:

Soooo...Cards 17 (Rex Chapman) & 18 (Dell Curry)

Rex Everett Chapman (born October 5, 1967, in Bowling Green, Kentucky) is a retired American professional basketball player who played for four teams through his 12-year NBA career.

Career
A high school basketball star at Apollo High in Owensboro, Kentucky, Chapman was heavily recruited by many universities. He chose, however, to stay close to home when he signed with the University of Kentucky. Chapman was a star at Kentucky, named All-SEC during his freshman and sophomore years and scoring 1,073 points in only two years.

After two years with Kentucky, Chapman was selected with the 8th overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft and became the first player ever signed by the Charlotte Hornets in the franchise's history. Chapman was popular among basketball fans in Charlotte, as he averaged 16.9 points per game his first season there. He could not help the Hornets win many games, however, as the expansion team went 20-62 that year.

Chapman finished 6th behind Dominique Wilkins during his first NBA Slam Dunk Contest but during the 1989-1990 season, Chapman, along with his teammate Kendall Gill, entered the NBA all star dunk competition for the second time. Despite performing a two hands and two balls dunk stunt, he lost to the Celtics Dee Brown, finishing tied for second in the competition.

Chapman averaged 17 points per game that year, but the Hornets were not much better than a year earlier. After one-and-a-half more seasons with the Hornets, Chapman was traded midway through the 1991-1992 season to the Washington Bullets. He was injured, however, and could only participate in the final game of the season. This would turn out to be the first of a number of injuries that gave Chapman trouble during the rest of his career.

Chapman returned to the Bullets in the 1992-1993 season for 65 games at restored health. He played 60 games during the 1993-1994 season and 45 games during the 1994-1995 season. He had his second major injury during the latter season, after which he was traded to the Miami Heat. By the time Chapman was with the Heat, he was noticibly losing his hair, and opted to shave his head completely and sport a bald look. Chapman had a what started out as a great season, and averaged 14.8 points per game that year, but he was placed on the injured list again and only participated in 56 games and eventually signed with the Phoenix Suns.

As with many other Suns players, Chapman became a fan favorite upon his arrival in Phoenix for the 1996-1997 season. He played in 65 games, and scored 13 points per game. His popularity in Phoenix was enhanced by the game tying shot in game four of the 1996-1997 season first round playoffs against the Supersonics. Chapman is probably best known by basketball fans because of this one particular moment: the Phoenix Suns, up two games to one, were trailing the Seattle SuperSonics by three points with seconds to go at America West Arena in Phoenix. With the inbounded ball seemingly on its way out of bounds, Chapman saved it and threw up a three-pointer, making the shot with 2.2 seconds left and sending the game into overtime. Despite this miraculous play, the Suns ended up losing the game, and the deciding game 5, and were eliminated from the playoffs. Chapman has declared publicly he does not like to be reminded of the moment too much because the Suns still lost.

Chapman played 68 games during the 1997-1998 season for the Suns, scoring almost 16 points per game. But he would be injured again during the strike shortened 1999 season, playing 38 games.

Chapman would play 53 games during the 1999-2000 season, but he became re-injured and decided to retire from the NBA then.

Chapman played a total of 666 regular season NBA games, scoring 9,731 points for an average of 14.6 points per game, with 1,798 assists for an average of 2.7 assists per game, and 1,645 rebounds, for 2.5 rebounds per game.

Chapman is remembered by many as one of the greatest Caucasian dunkers of all time, and is one of only five whites to participate in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, the others being Tom Chambers in 1987, 1996 Champion Brent Barry, Bob Sura in 1997 and Chris Andersen in 2004 and 2005.

Post-playing days
After retiring from active play Chapman remained with the Suns, first as a scout and later as Director of Basketball Operations. For the 2004 and 2005 NBA Playoffs, he served as a color commentator on TNT. In 2005, he moved from Phoenix to accept a personnel scout position with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 2006, he accepted the position of vice president of player personnel with the Denver Nuggets.

Personal life
In an article in the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper in October of 2005 Chapman told the paper that while he was a student at the University of Kentucky he was told by school officials not to date African-American girls.[1]
Chapman and his wife now make their offseason home in Lexington, Kentucky, and own a restaurant there.[citation needed]
They have a son Zeke Chapman who is currently a freshman on the varsity basketball team at his high school.

Rex was one of the original spokesmen for up-and-coming sneaker company AND1, who gave Rex his own shoe. In a commercial, Rex stated "My opponents will get to see a lot of (the shoes)... right at eyyyye level!!!!"



Wardell Stephen Curry (born June 25, 1964 in Harrisonburg, Virginia) is a retired American professional basketball player at the shooting guard position who received his education from Fort Defiance High School in Virginia and Virginia Tech. He then played in the National Basketball Association from 1986 until 2002. On June 18, 2007 he was named assistant coach of the Charlotte Bobcats NBA team.

Early life
Curry grew up in Virginia. As a child he would shoot with two hands. Curry broke his left wrist at the age of 9 and was forced to shoot with one hand and develop correct shooting form. Curry attended Virginia Tech, where he played college basketball.

NBA career
The 6 ft 5 in Curry was selected 15th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 1986 NBA Draft after attending Virginia Tech. He played one season in Utah before moving on to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1987 for another season. He was selected by one of the NBA's two newest teams for the 1988-89 season, the Charlotte Hornets, in the expansion draft after he was made available by the Cavaliers. In Charlotte, Curry was primarily used off the bench where he was utilized as an instant scoring threat, especially from behind the three-point line. He played ten seasons for the Hornets and currently ranks among the franchise's all-time statistical leaders in points, games played, three-point field goals made and attempted, and three-point field goal percentage. He was a regular vote-receiver for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award and the conclusion of the 1993-94 season finally saw him become the recipient of the trophy.

Curry also played one season for the Milwaukee Bucks and his final three seasons for the Toronto Raptors. He holds career averages of 11.7 points per game and 40.2 percent from three-point range. He is the all-time leading scorer for the Charlotte Hornets with 9839 points. In addition, he was the last remaining original member of the team first fielded in the 1988-89 NBA season.

Curry ranks 21st all-time in career 3-point field goals made.

Hall of Fame
In 2004, he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal
Dell Curry is the father of Stephen Curry, the current leading scorer of the NCAA Southern Conference who plays at Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina



I remember Rex Chapman and his sweet dunks back in the early 90's. I didn't know he had so many injuries throughout his career.

Dell Curry came back to the spotlight with his son's play in the tournament this past year. Stephen Curry, barring injury or a horrible upcoimng season, could very well be a very high pick in next year's draft.

[giantrobot9000]

Hey, thanks for taking the time to post these! I love looking at these older cards. I started collecting the next season, 91-92, so I actually never had this set.

I didn't know that Jim Paxson was on the Celtics! I only really know about him from looking at the old Star Company cards I used to collect,though.

[hazezofgreen]

giantrobot9000 Wrote:Hey, thanks for taking the time to post these! I love looking at these older cards. I started collecting the next season, 91-92, so I actually never had this set.

I didn't know that Jim Paxson was on the Celtics! I only really know about him from looking at the old Star Company cards I used to collect,though.

Not a problem. Not many are paying attention to this post, so it is nice to know someone enjoys it. I started collecting around this year as a ten year old, although I always had Hoops. I never had any Star cards myself.

[hazezofgreen]

Here are cards 19 (Armon Gilliam) and 20 (J.R. Reid)...

Armen Louis Gilliam (born on May 28, 1964, in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania), nicknamed "The Hammer", is an American professional basketball player for the Pittsburgh Xplosion of the American Basketball Association (ABA). In the 2005-2006 ABA All-Star Game at the BankAtlantic Center, Gilliam was named MVP.

He played for the US national team in the 1986 FIBA World Championship, winning the gold medal.[1]

Gilliam began his professional career with the NBA when he was selected second overall in the 1987 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. He retired from the NBA in 2000 after 13 seasons with six different teams. In his career, he averaged 13.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

Towards the end of his NBA career he altered the spelling of his first name from "Armon" to "Armen" because he was tired of it continually being mispronounced. At the time, he was quoted as saying: "Most people pronounced it Ar-MON. I've been correcting it a long time, and I got tired of it. I just thought that if I put the 'e' in there, it would make it a lot easier. I'm not Muslim. It's not religious or anything like that."[1]

Following his playing days in the NBA, Gilliam coached the NCAA Division III Penn State Altoona Cougars of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference for several unsuccessful years before returning to play in the ABA.



Herman Reid, Jr., better known as J.R. Reid (born March 31, 1968 in Virginia Beach, Virginia), is a retired American professional basketball player for several NBA teams.

The 6'9", 247-pound (2.06 m, 112 kg) Reid, after starring at Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, played college basketball at North Carolina.


Transactions
Drafted by Charlotte Hornets in 1st round (5th overall) of 1989 NBA Draft.
Traded by Charlotte to San Antonio Spurs for Sidney Green, 1993 1st-round pick and 1996 2nd-round pick on December 9, 1992.
Traded by San Antonio with Brad Lohaus and future 1st-round pick to New York Knicks for Charles Smith and Monty Williams on February 12, 1996.
Played in France during 1996-97 season.
Signed as free agent by Charlotte on July 16, 1997.
Traded by Charlotte with B.J. Armstrong and Glen Rice to Los Angeles Lakers for Elden Campbell and Eddie Jones on March 10, 1999.
Signed as free agent by Milwaukee Bucks on August 20, 1999.
Traded by Milwaukee with Robert Traylor to Cleveland Cavaliers as part of three-team deal on June 27, 2000 (Golden State Warriors received Vinny Del Negro from Milwaukee and Bob Sura from Cleveland; Milwaukee received Jason Caffey and Billy Owens from Golden State).
Waived by Cleveland on January 2, 2001.
Was considered the #1 player in his high school class, winning the national player of the year awards for Parade, Gatorade, and USA Today. He ended his career playing in Europe (Strasbourg in France, and then Leon in Spain).

While a member of the New York Knicks in 1996, Reid is notoriously known for almost putting a halt to A.C. Green's NBA record of playing consecutive games when he intentionally elbowed Green in the face. Reid was fined and suspended several games for that flagrant foul. Green lost two teeth to that hit but was still able to continue his streak which ended in 2001 at 1,192 games played.
While at UNC, Duke fans, notorious themselves for innovative signage about the opposition, displayed signs indicating "J.R. can't reid" In fact, both his parents were educators, and his SAT scores were competitive among entering UNC freshmen.



Interesting stuff on the changing of Armon to Armen. Cool to know he still plays in the ABA. 2nd pick in the 1st round is pretty high too, you'd think he would have had a better professional career.

I'm a big Carolina fan, and I always like J.R. in college. He wasn't a star in the pros by any means. Not cool about the A.C. Green elbowing.:doubt:

[lagos]

hazezofgreen Wrote:

giantrobot9000 Wrote:Hey, thanks for taking the time to post these! I love looking at these older cards. I started collecting the next season, 91-92, so I actually never had this set.

I didn't know that Jim Paxson was on the Celtics! I only really know about him from looking at the old Star Company cards I used to collect,though.

Not a problem. Not many are paying attention to this post, so it is nice to know someone enjoys it. I started collecting around this year as a ten year old, although I always had Hoops. I never had any Star cards myself.

This is my favorite post in beckett right now, and I always see other users browing this topic, it has 520 views.
Things I didn't notice before
Bird is pictured shooting over Magic
gilliam and reid being guarded by AC Green

[hazezofgreen]

lagos Wrote:This is my favorite post in beckett right now, and I always see other users browing this topic, it has 520 views.
Things I didn't notice before
Bird is pictured shooting over Magic
gilliam and reid being guarded by AC Green

Glad you like it! You can also see part of Ewing on Kleine. I never noticed the Magic/Bird, nice pick-up! Gotta love No-Sex-A.C.!

[hazezofgreen]

Today's update. Cards 21 (Kelly Tripucka) and 22 (B.J. Armstrong RC)

Peter Kelly Tripucka (born February 16, 1959 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey) was a National Basketball Association player for the Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz, and Charlotte Hornets from 1981 to 1991.

High School
Tripucka grew up in Bloomfield, New Jersey[1] and was a three-year starter from 1974-1977 for the Bloomfield High School boy's basketball team.[2] Twice named to first team all-state. His jersey number 42 was retired by Bloomfield High School.

In 2000 the Star-Ledger named Tripucka the "New Jersey Boy's Basketball Player of the Century".

College
Tripucka was a four-year starter at the University of Notre Dame, leading the Irish in scoring each year and to the NCAA Tournament each of his four years.

NBA Career
After being drafted in the first round by the Pistons, Tripucka proved to be a prolific scorer, but a somewhat weak defensive player. After the 1985-86 season, the Pistons traded Tripucka to the Utah Jazz for Adrian Dantley. Tripucka and Jazz coach Frank Layden didn't get along, mostly over his lack of involvement in the offense. At the time, Layden was beginning to build the team around the talents of John Stockton and Karl Malone. Tripucka's open complaining led to his seeing less and less playing time with the Jazz. The Charlotte Hornets selected him in an expansion draft in 1988 after the Jazz left him unprotected. In his years with the expansion Hornets, he was among the team's leading scorers.

In a game between the Hornets and the Jazz in 1989, not long after Layden resigned as the Jazz coach, Karl Malone expressed his devotion to Layden by writing "FRANK" on the heels of his sneakers. In a mock gesture, Tripucka responded by writing "DICK" on the back of his shoes (for then-Hornets coach Dick Harter). The move was seen as a jab at Layden and Malone, who Tripucka felt ran him out of Utah.

Broadcasting
He was a color commentator for Detroit Pistons television for eight seasons, from 1993 to 2001. After 2001 he left FSN Detroit and WKBD before leaving to take a full-time radio job with the New Jersey Nets following the 2000-2001 season.

From 2003-2005, he served as the color commentator for New Jersey Nets telecasts on the YES Network.

Honors
In 2000, he was named to the National Polish-American Hall of Fame.

Tripucka shares the record for most points scored in his first road playoff game, with 40. He is one of five Pistons to have scored 40 or more in a playoff game, along with Dave Bing, Isiah Thomas, Chauncey Billups and Richard (Rip) Hamilton.

He is currently a scout for the New York Knicks, where his former teammate Isiah Thomas is the team president.



Benjamin Roy "B.J." Armstrong, Jr. (born September 9, 1967 in Detroit, Michigan) is a retired American professional basketball player. As a starting point guard, he was an integral part of the NBA's Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990s.

B.J. Armstrong attended Birmingham Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Township, Michigan. He graduated in 1985.

B. J. Armstrong had an illustrious career at the University of Iowa as the Hawkeyes' all-time leader in assists with 517. He also ranked third on the school's all-time steals list (178) and fourth in total points (1,705). The 6-foot-2 guard shot .443 (136-of-307) from three-point range over his four-year career and averaged 18.6 points and 5.4 assists as a senior. Armstrong received his bachelor's degree from Iowa in May of 1989.

Selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 1989 NBA Draft[1], the 6'2" (1.88 m) Armstrong helped the team return to the Eastern Conference Finals after compiling a 55-27 regular season win-loss total in 1989-90.[2]

The following season 1990-91 he helped them win their first NBA title against the Los Angeles Lakers after winning 61 regular season games. In 1991-92 Armstrong averaged double-digit scoring while coming off the bench behind longtime starter John Paxson to help the Bulls win 67 games and their second straight title. In 1992-93 he locked down the starting job, contributing to a 57-25 record and the Bulls' third straight title. He also claimed the NBA's three-point field goal percentage crown with a mark of .453 on 63-for-139.[3]

In 1993-94 he emerged as more of a leader in the wake of Michael Jordan's retirement, placing third on the team in scoring. He was voted a starter in the 1994 NBA All-Star Game, finished second in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage at .444 while leading the team to a 55-27 record and a second-round exit from the playoffs.

Armstrong finished third in scoring again in 1994-95 as the Bulls posted a 47-35 record, and with Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Toni Kukoc, led the team to the second round again.

Armstrong was the first player chosen in the 1995 NBA Expansion Draft (via Toronto Raptors) and played for the Golden State Warriors in the 1995-96 and also the 1996-97. Four games into the 1997-98 season, he was acquired by the Charlotte Hornets, playing 62 games that year. He also played 10 games for the Hornets in the 1998-99 season before being signed by the Orlando Magic in March of that year.

On August 30, 1999 he was again signed by the Bulls and played the 1998-99 season.

He retired at the end of his 11th pro season and stepped into Chicago's front office as a special assistant to Vice President of Basketball Operations Jerry Krause. Having replaced Paxson as the Bulls' starting point guard years before, Armstrong was himself replaced by Paxson as hire to the GM job in Chicago when Krause resigned in 2003. Armstrong remained with the organization as a scout for a couple of seasons, leaving in 2005.

He was employed by ESPN as a basketball analyst in recent years for the 'NBA Fast Break' television series. Since 2006 he has also been employed by a sports marketing and representation group out of Los Angeles, California representing professional athletes and other entertainers.

Armstrong attended high school at Birmingham Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where his jersey can be found on display.

Trivia
He is the agent for the #1 Draft Pick, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls.
He is the last Chicago Bull to wear the number 10 jersey. The jersey was retired in honor of Bob Love after Armstrong left the team after the 1994-1995 season.
Had a consecutive games played total of 577 until late in the 1996-1997 season, third-longest in the NBA.
He is the first player in the history of the Toronto Raptors (expansion draft 1996)
Mark Cisco taught him in an NBA Camp.

Transactions
Selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round (18th pick overall) of the 1989 NBA Draft.
Selected by the Toronto Raptors (first pick overall) in the NBA expansion draft on 6/24/95.
Traded by the Raptors to the Golden State Warriors for Victor Alexander, Carlos Rogers and the draft rights to Martin Lewis, Michael McDonald and Dwayne Whitfield on 9/18/95.
Traded by the Warriors to the Charlotte Hornets for Muggsy Bogues and Tony Delk on 11/7/97.
Traded by the Hornets with Glen Rice and J.R. Reid to the Los Angeles Lakers for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell on 3/10/99.
Waived by the Lakers on 3/10/99.
Signed as a free agent by the Orlando Magic on 3/14/99.
Signed as a free agent by the Chicago Bulls on 8/30/99.



Tripucka is another local player for me, about 1 Hr away from where I currently live. Pretty funny how he had his little arguments with Malone and other Jazz Members. He did have decent scoring numbers over the length of his career.

Gotta love B.J. He was one of my favorite players growing up, other than MJ and Pip of course. Ironic too, taking over for Paxson and then Paxson essentially taking over for him. Pretty cool that he is the agent for Rose now.