Theo Ratliff
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| Position | Center |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Team | Boston Celtics |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | April 17, 1973 Demopolis, Alabama |
| High school | Demopolis High School |
| College | Wyoming |
| Draft | 18th overall, 1995 Detroit Pistons |
| Pro career | 1995–present |
| Former teams | Detroit Pistons (1995–1997) Philadelphia 76ers (1997–2001) Atlanta Hawks (2001–2004) Portland Trailblazers (2004–2006) |
Theophilus Curtis Ratliff (born April 17, 1973 in Demopolis, Alabama) is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He primarily plays the center position, and is known as an excellent shot-blocker. He has twice led the league in blocks per game and is fourth among active players in blocks, trailing only Dikembe Mutombo, Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning. [1]
Ratliff played basketball at Demopolis High School and later graduated from the University of Wyoming. He was selected with the 18th pick of the 1995 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, and played with them for 2 1/2 years.
During the 1997-98 season he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. He played in Philadelphia for 3 seasons, and was voted Eastern Conference starting center of 2001 All-Star Game, but was unable to play due to injury. He was a key fixture on the 2000-01 team that made it to the NBA finals; but an injured Ratliff was traded at the trading deadline to the Atlanta Hawks for Dikembe Mutombo.
He missed most of the next season due to injury, but rebounded to post 262 blocks the next year with the Hawks. In the 2003-04 season (his best year as a pro), he recorded a league-leading 307 blocked shots, despite a trade to the Portland Trail Blazers, along with Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Dan Dickau for Rasheed Wallace and Wesley Person. After the 2004 season, he signed a lengthy contract with the Blazers; however he was not as effective in 2004-05 season as he had been the previous season. As a result, midway through the season, he lost his starting job to Joel Przybilla. On June 28, 2006, the Boston Celtics acquired Ratliff along with Sebastian Telfair from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for the No. 7 pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, power forward/center Raef LaFrentz, and point guard Dan Dickau.
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Categories: 1973 births | Living people | American basketball players | African American basketball players | People from Alabama | Detroit Pistons players | Philadelphia 76ers players | Atlanta Hawks players | Portland Trail Blazers players | Boston Celtics players | Wyoming Cowboys basketball players
