Chauncey Billups

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chauncey Billups

Position	Point guard
Nickname	Mr. Big Shot
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight	202 lb (92 kg)
Team	Detroit Pistons
Nationality	United States
Born	September 25, 1976 Denver, Colorado
College	Colorado
Draft	3rd overall, 1997 Boston Celtics
Pro career	1997 – present
Former teams	Boston Celtics (1997–1998) Toronto Raptors (1998–1999) Denver Nuggets (1999–2000) Minnesota Timberwolves (2000–2002)
Awards	2004 NBA Finals MVP 2004-05 NBA All-Defense Second Team 2005-06 NBA All-Defense Second Team 2005-06 All-NBA Second Team 2005-06 All-Star

Chauncey Ray Billups (born September 25, 1976 in Denver, Colorado) is the starting point guard and team captain for the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons. He played college basketball at the University of Colorado. He was honored by the university in 2004 as the fifth player to have his jersey, number 4, retired. His nickname is "Mr. Big Shot."

Contents 1 Basketball career 1.1 High school 1.2 Early NBA years 1.3 Detroit Pistons 2 All-star weekend 3 Player profile 4 Trivia 5 External links

[edit] Basketball career

[edit] High school

Chauncey Billups attended George Washington High School in Denver. While there, he was a four time All-State first team pick, the Mr. Colorado basketball pick three times, and Colorado Player of the Year as a sophomore and as a junior. He was selected to the 1995 McDonald's All-American Team but did not play due to a knee injury.

[edit] Early NBA years

Drafted third overall in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, Billups was traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Kenny Anderson midway through his first season. In addition to the Raptors, he also played for the Denver Nuggets and was traded to the Orlando Magic, although he never played a game in Orlando, being on injured list until season's end. He was signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves as a back-up to then point guard Terrell Brandon. Billups replaced the often-injured Brandon, and had a breakthrough 2001-2002 season. In June 2002, Billups signed in Detroit as a free agent to be the team's new starting point guard.

[edit] Detroit Pistons

Billups quickly established himself in the Pistons squad, earning respect from fans and colleagues for his tenacious defense and clutch shooting. He helped lead the Pistons to the 2004 NBA championship, averaging 21 points per game and 5.2 assists in the NBA Finals to earn the Finals MVP deservedly in a team dominated by outstanding teamwork. In 2005, the Pistons lost a heartbreaking finals in seven games to the San Antonio Spurs, in which Billups would have likely been Finals MVP again had they prevailed. He also earned a spot on the 2005 NBA Second All-Defensive Team, along with teammate Tayshaun Prince, while teammate and co-captain of the Pistons Ben Wallace took home the Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Billups is currently co-captain of the team. Although he led the Pistons to a franchise best 64-18 record, they failed to make it to the Finals for the first time in three years.

[edit] All-star weekend

On February 9, 2006, for the first time in his career, Billups was selected to play in the 2006 NBA All-Star Game in Houston, Texas as a reserve guard for the Eastern Conference. Billups was also selected to participate in the 3 point contest. Billups was eliminated in the first round of the 3 point contest. He had 12 points. He was fifth in NBA MVP voting in 2006.

[edit] Player profile

Billups is known for his free throw and 3-point shot. His sharpshooting has earned him the nickname "Mr. Big Shot" from Pistons radio and TV commentator George Blaha. Along with Baron Davis, Billups is also one of the physically strongest playmakers, allowing him to play post on most other point guards. He can play shooting guard if the need arises. Billups had a strong 2006 season, putting up MVP-like stats of nearly 20 points and 9 assists on only 2 turnovers per game. In 2006 he was 5th in MVP voting and was named All-Defensive Second Team.

[edit] Trivia

• His favorite nickname is "Smooth"
• Billups enjoys listening to his favorite rapper, 2Pac, and also enjoys Jay-Z. He lists his favorite athlete as Magic Johnson, and has said the reason he wore the number 4 in college and on his previous NBA stops was because he idolized former Pistons guard (and current Pistons President of Basketball Operations) Joe Dumars.
• He is married to Piper (not Piper Perabo) and has three children: Cydney, Ciana, and Cenaiya. [1]
• His favorite NFL team is the Denver Broncos.
• Billups is the first cousin of running back LenDale White of the Tennessee Titans.
• Younger brother, Rodney, was a point guard for the University of Denver and is recently drafted in the NBDL.
• Billups is featured on the cover of the video game NBA Ballers:Phenom and is the player's mentor.

[edit] External links

• NBA Profile for Chauncey Billups
• Chauncey Billups News
• Chauncey Billups Wallpapers

Preceded by: Tim Duncan

NBA Finals Most Valuable Player 2004

Succeeded by: Tim Duncan