Juan Dixon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Shooting guard |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 164 lb (75 kg) |
| Team | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | October 9, 1978 Baltimore, Maryland |
| College | Maryland |
| Draft | 17th overall, 2002 Washington Wizards |
| Pro career | 2002 – present |
| Former teams | Washington Wizards 2002-2005 |
| Awards | NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2002) |
Juan Dixon (born October 9, 1978 in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.) is an American professional basketball player currently with the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers.
Dixon lived a tragic childhood as both his mother and father were addicted to heroin and died before he reached the age of 18. Dixon used basketball as an escape.
[edit] College
He played high school basketball at Calvert Hall in Baltimore and scored 1,590 career points under the tutelage of legendary Baltimore Catholic League head coach Mark Amatucci. He attended the University of Maryland, College Park and became Maryland’s all-time scoring leader when he scored 29 points against Wisconsin to help Maryland advance to the Sweet Sixteen, passing Len Bias (2,149 points). He also became the only player in NCAA history to accumulate 2,000 points, 300 steals and 200 three-point field goals. He led the Maryland Terrapins to their first NCAA Men's Basketball Championship in his senior year in 2002. Playing under coach Gary Williams, the 6' 3", 164 lb Dixon was able to overcome adversity because of his small frame and became recognized as one of the nation's best college players and was honored as the 2002 ACC Athlete of the Year. After his senior season, he was featured on the cover of a video game NCAA Final Four.
[edit] NBA
He was drafted 17th overall by the Wizards in the 2002 NBA Draft. Dixon spent the first three years of his NBA career with the Washington Wizards. In his final season in Washington (2004-2005), he averaged eight points per game including a career high 35 points in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Chicago Bulls. Dixon signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers during the summer of 2005. Soon after, his Wizards and Terrapins teammate and friend Steve Blake signed with Portland as well. In his first game back in D.C., Dixon was given a standing ovation from the MCI Center crowd upon coming off the bench towards the end of the first quarter. This was a notable feat considering Wizards fans are known to boo most ex-Wizards upon returning(Kwame Brown), although not surprising considering the proximity of Washington to Maryland's campus. In Juan's first year with the Blazers, he started 42 times and played in 76 games. In his last year with the Wizards, he only started 4 games and played in 63. He also increased his scoring, assists, and shooting percentage considerably in Portland.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by: Shane Battier |
NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player (men's) 2002 |
Succeeded by: Carmelo Anthony |
| 2002 NBA Draft | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Round Yao Ming | Jay Williams | Mike Dunleavy, Jr. | Drew Gooden | Nikoloz Tskitishvili | Dajuan Wagner | Maybyner "Nene" Hilario | Chris Wilcox | Amare Stoudemire | Caron Butler | Jared Jeffries | Melvin Ely | Marcus Haislip | Fred Jones | Bostjan Nachbar | Jiri Welsch | Juan Dixon | Curtis Borchardt | Ryan Humphrey | Kareem Rush | Qyntel Woods | Casey Jacobsen | Tayshaun Prince | Nenad Krstić | Frank Williams | John Salmons | Chris Jefferies | Dan Dickau |
||
| Second Round Steve Logan | Roger Mason, Jr. | Robert Archibald | Vincent Yarbrough | Dan Gadzuric | Carlos Boozer | Milos Vujanić | David Andersen | Tito Maddox | Rod Grizzard | Juan Carlos Navarro | Mario Kasun | Ronald Murray | Jason Jennings | Lonny Baxter | Sam Clancy | Matt Barnes | Jamal Sampson | Chris Owens | Peter Fehse | Darius Songaila | Federico Kammerichs | Marcus Taylor | Rasual Butler | Tamar Slay | Mladen Sekularac | Luis Scola | Randy Holcomb | Corsley Edwards |
Categories: 1978 births | African American basketball players | American basketball players | Living people | Maryland Terrapins men's basketball players | People from Baltimore | Portland Trail Blazers players | University of Maryland, College Park alumni | Washington Wizards players | ACC Athlete of the Year
