Darrick Martin

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Darrick Martin
Martin with a fan
Martin with a fan
Position Point guard
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg)
League NBA
Born March 6, 1971 (1971-03-06) (age 37)
Denver, Colorado
Nationality American
College UCLA
Draft Undrafted
Pro career 1994–present
Former teams Minnesota Timberwolves (1994-95), (2003-04)
Vancouver Grizzlies (1995-96)
Los Angeles Clippers (1996-99), (2004-05)
Sacramento Kings (1999-01)
Dallas Mavericks (2001-02)
Toronto Raptors (2005-08)
Official profile Info Page

Darrick David Martin (born March 6, 1971 in Denver, Colorado, United States) is an American professional basketball player, who most recently played for the NBA's Toronto Raptors. Martin has become known as a solid veteran who provided quality minutes as a reserve, maintaining a career free throw percentage of 85%. In each of two December 1996 games, he sank 15 of 15 foul shots, posting a career-high 38 points in the latter.

Martin's more than decade long professional career has bounced between the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), where he won the 2003 CBA Playoffs MVP, and the NBA and in 2003 he even played for the Harlem Globetrotters.

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[edit] High school honors and collegiate history

As a senior at St. Anthony High School, Martin was a Parade First-Team All-American and named to the McDonald's High School All-American team.

Martin received a full scholarship from UCLA and played on a Bruins squad with future NBA players Don MacLean, Tracy Murray and Mitchell Butler. As a quick point guard, he completed his college career at UCLA in 1992 ranked first in school history in both assists (636) and steals (179). His career assists total placed him fourth on the Pacific Ten Conference's all-time list. Darrick averaged 9.3 points and 4.9 assists in his four years at UCLA. As a junior, he averaged a career-high 11.6 points and 6.8 assists, and his assists average was the best in the Pac-10 and the 16th highest in the country. His single-season high of 217 assists was second all-time at UCLA to Jerome "Pooh" Richardson's 236.

[edit] Pre-NBA career

The 5'11" point guard was not drafted by an NBA franchise and instead played for the CBA's Sioux Falls Skyforce, (where he was the league's 10th leading scorer with 21 points per game) prior to signing two consecutive 10-day contracts with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves in February 1995. He returned to the Timberwolves for the 2003-04 NBA season as a backup for Sam Cassell after Troy Hudson was injured.

[edit] Vancouver Grizzlies

At the beginning of the 1995-96 NBA season he signed with the Vancouver Grizzlies as a free agent, but the Grizzlies traded him back to the Timberwolves two months later, in exchange for a second-round draft pick. His scoring average in these first two seasons remained at about seven points per game.

[edit] Los Angeles Clippers

Martin signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in 1996 and remained with them for three seasons, averaging ten points per game in (and playing all 82 games of) the first two of them.

He returned to the Clippers in the 2004-05 season and averaged 3.8 PPG.

[edit] Sacramento Kings

Martin's contract expired once again after the lockout-shortened 1999 season, and he signed with Sacramento Kings where he would spend the next two years. Late in the Kings' 130-109 win over the Dallas Mavericks on March 6, 2000, Martin came off the bench to score 11 points in only two minutes. He was given the nickname "The Domino" by his teammates.

[edit] Toronto Raptors

Martin signed with the Toronto Raptors for the 2005-06 season. In his first year with the club he posted 2.6 ppg and 1.4 apg in 8.5 mpg of play. Martin's primary role with the Raptors, according to head coach Sam Mitchell, is to provide guidance to the younger players on the team such as point guards T.J. Ford and José Calderón. He is currently Toronto's third-string point guard, and has signed on for another year for the 2007-08 NBA season. Darrick's most notable moment in a Raptors uniform was a 3-pointer against the Dallas Mavericks on November 29, 2006. With over a second remaining in regulation, and the Raptors trailing by 22 points, Martin hoisted up a 3-point shot uncontested and successfully sunk the shot. With the Raptors NBA record consecutive game streak with a 3-pointer on the verge of ending, Martin's shot enabled the Raptors to extend the streak which continues to this day. After two and a half seasons with Toronto, Martin was waived on March 27 2008, to open up a spot on the roster for Linton Johnson. Though waived by the Raptors, Martin stayed with the team as an informal assistant coach/consultant.

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