Brian Shaw

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Brian K. Shaw (born March 22, 1966 in Oakland, California) is a former professional basketball player. The 6' 6" Shaw could play both guard spots, but was used primarily at point guard over the course of his 14 seasons in the league. He grew up in Oakland with other future basketball stars, such as Antonio Davis, Jason Kidd, and Gary Payton. In fact, on NBA All-Star Weekend in 2000, held in Oakland, Shaw, Kidd, and Payton each received a key to the City of Oakland.

Shaw attended Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland and then St. Mary's College of California for his freshman and sophomore years of college. He then transferred to UC Santa Barbara for his junior and senior seasons; his senior year he was named Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) player of the year as he led the Gauchos to their first ever NCAA tournament berth. He was taken with the 24th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in the 1988 NBA Draft.

In 1988, Shaw signed a one year contract with Celtics. In 1989, Shaw signed a two-year contract to play with an Italian team, Il Messaggero Roma. At the end of January 1990, Shaw signed a 5 year deal with Celtics. In June of that year, Shaw told the Celtics he planned to play for Il Messaggero during the 1990 season. The ensuing contract dispute, Boston Celtics v. Brian Shaw, became a relatively famous sports law case and is read in many law school contracts classes^{[citation needed]}.

During his NBA career, he played for the Celtics, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Lakers. He was a member of four squads that made NBA Finals appearances: the 1995 Magic and the 2000, 2001, and 2002 Lakers (with the Lakers teams all winning championships).

Shaw retired following the 2002-03 season, and was appointed assistant coach of the Lakers during the 2004-05 NBA season , a position he still holds (as of 2005-06). While a member of the Heat, on April 8, 1993, Shaw hit a then-NBA record ten three-point field goals (out of 15 attempts) against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center, finishing with 32 points. He was one-half of the popular "Shaw-Shaq Redemption," an alley-oop from Shaw to Shaq that was popular with fans in both Orlando and Los Angeles.

In July 1993, both of his parents and his sister were killed in an auto accident in Nevada [1].