Raef LaFrentz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Raef LaFrentz
Position	power forward/center
Height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Weight	245 lb (111 kg)
Team	Portland Trail Blazers
Nationality	United States
Born	May 29, 1976 Hampton, Iowa
College	Kansas
Draft	3rd overall pick, 1998 Denver Nuggets
Pro career	1998–present
Former teams	Denver Nuggets (1998 – 2002) Dallas Mavericks (2002 – 2003) Boston Celtics (2003 – 2006)

Raef Andrew LaFrentz (born May 29, 1976, in Hampton, Iowa) is an NBA basketball player currently with the Portland Trail Blazers.

LaFrentz is a power forward and occasionally plays at center. He is mostly known for his perimeter skills and his shot blocking ability. He wears number 45.

LaFrentz played basketball at the University of Kansas, finishing in 1998. He played with current Celtic Paul Pierce while at Kansas.

After being selected by the Denver Nuggets as the third overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, he was traded by the Nuggets with Nick Van Exel, Avery Johnson, and Tariq Abdul-Wahad to the Dallas Mavericks for Juwan Howard, Donnell Harvey, Tim Hardaway and a 2002 first pick on February 21, 2002. The Celtics acquired him from the Dallas Mavericks, along with Chris Mills, Jiri Welsch and a first round draft choice, in exchange for Tony Delk and Antoine Walker on October 20, 2003. On June 28, 2006, the Boston Celtics traded LaFrentz, guard Dan Dickau, and the number seven pick in the 2006 NBA draft to the Portland Trail Blazers for center Theo Ratliff and guard Sebastian Telfair.

The 2006-2007 NBA season has not been very kind to Raef, as he is averaging career low figures in less than 9 minutes per game with the Trail Blazers and has been dogged by injuries, specifically a calf injury that has plagued him this entire season.