Tigers Tied for 10th In Producing NBA Talent

Nov. 13, 2001

Clemson has seven of its former players on NBA rosters this year, tied for the 10th highest total in the nation. This also ties for the most NBA players Clemson has had in a single season.

North Carolina leads the way nationally with 12 former players, while ACC rival Duke is second with 11. A third ACC school, Georgia Tech, is tied with Arizona and Kentucky for third with 10 former players apiece. Michigan State has nine, while Georgetown, Michigan and UCLA are tied with eight players apiece.

Clemson, Cincinnati, UCONN, UNLV and St. John’s all have seven, while Kansas and Maryland have six apiece. California and Villanova round out the top 18 schools with five apiece.

Horace Grant is the veteran of the former Tigers in the NBA. The 1987 ACC MVP, the only Clemson player to win that honor, is now in his 14th year in the NBA. He has won four NBA World Championship rings, including last year with the Los Angeles Lakers. The native of Sparta, GA has more World Championship Rings than any other former Clemson athlete in any sport. Grant is now on his second tour of duty with the Orlando Magic. He has averaged 6.1 points and 5.6 rebounds a game as a starter in each of the first eight games this year with the Magic.

Dale Davis and Elden Campbell, who combined to lead the Tigers to the 1990 ACC Regular season championship and the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, are both still starting in the NBA. Davis, in his 10th year in the league and is the starting center for the Portland Trailblazers. The native of Toccoa, GA has averaged 7.8 points and 8.1 rebounds a game through the first eight contests with the Trailblazers. He had 15 rebounds in a win over the Pistons on November 11th.

Campbell is in his 11th year in the NBA, his third with the Charlotte Hornets. He has the best stats among former Tigers in the league, nearly averaging a double-double on the young season. He had a 14.2 scoring average to go with 9.8 rebounds per game through games of November 12.

Greg Buckner and Chris Whitney, two former Tigers from Hopkinsville, KY, are also in the NBA this year. Buckner is a reserve with the Dallas Mavericks, while Whitney has been an occasional starter for the Washington Wizards. Whitney, who has been in the league since 1993-94, has averaged 10 points per game for the Wizards, including an 18-point effort in the season opener.

Harold Jamison is a sixth former Tiger in the NBA. A rookie with the Miami Heat two years ago, he was recently activated by the Los Angles Clippers, but has yet to play in a game. Will Solomon, Clemson’s leading scorer last year with a 19.7 average, has played five games with the Memphis Grizzlies, including one start. He has averaged two points and 1.2 rebounds in his limited action so far this year. He had a high of seven points in a recent game against the Los Angles Lakers.