Travis Best
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Travis Eric Best (born 12 July 1972) is an American former professional basketball player, formerly in the NBA, Virtus Bologna in the Italian League, UNICS Kazan in the Russian League, and Prokom Trefl Sopot, in the Polish League.
Best was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Affectionately nicknamed "The Springfield Rifle" for his deadly marksmanship and scoring ability, Best was a high-school phenom and prolific scorer, playing for Springfield Central High School in Springfield, MA. His senior season saw him score 81 points in a single game, a state (and school) record. He also teamed with sophomore guard Edgar Padilla (a future UMass star) to lead his team to the state championship. After considering both UConn and The University of Virginia as places to play his college ball, Best ultimately chose Georgia Tech,[1] in part spurred by the fact that the point guard position would be his to helm as a freshman, as star guard Kenny Anderson was heading for the NBA after just two seasons. Before heading south to play for the Yellow Jackets, however, Best's next stop was in his hometown of Springfield, to participate in the 1991 McDonald's All-American Game, played at The Basketball Hall of Fame, and featuring future college and NBA players Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Alan Henderson, Cherokee Parks and Donyell Marshall. He was also named a Parade All-American and participated in that year's McDonald's Capital Classic as a member of the "U.S. All-Stars", alongside Webber and Parks.
At Georgia Tech, Best teamed with fellow McDonald's All-American James Forrest for four years, becoming a tough inside-outside combo in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and leading Tech to the 1993 ACC Tournament Championship. Best would go on to be named to the ACC's Third Team as a sophomore, and to the Second Team as both a junior and senior. He also led the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio and free throw percentage as a senior, while capturing ACC Player of the Week honors a league-record five times. Upon graduation, Best ranked in the top six in Tech history in points, assists, minutes, 3-point field goals made and steals, finishing as one of only two ACC players to score over 2,000 points and tally over 600 assists (UNC's Phil Ford is the other) in a career. He also earned honorable mention All-American honors from The Associated Press while also receiving a nomination for the Francis Pomeroy Naismith Award, given to the best player in the nation under 6 feet.
Best was drafted 23rd overall in the 1995 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers.[1] He has played for the Pacers, the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat, the Dallas Mavericks and the New Jersey Nets, averaging 7.6 points and 3.5 assists per game.
Best had a small role in Spike Lee's 1998 basketball-themed movie He Got Game. He was also seen in the documentary Hoop Dreams.
Travis Best was a vital back-up on the 1999-2000 Indiana Pacers team that went to the NBA Finals. Best hit the game winning 3-pointer in the decisive fifth game against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. During Best's last half season with the Pacers he was very unhappy that he was passed over as starting point guard (Jamaal Tinsley got the spot). During that season Best requested a trade and was granted a trade to the Chicago Bulls. In the trade the Bulls sent Ron Artest, Brad Miller, Ron Mercer and Kevin Ollie to the Pacers for Best, Jalen Rose and Norman Richardson, as well as a future second-round pick.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Khona, Chetan. "Best makes pro debut in front of familiar crowd", The Technique, 1995-11-10. Retrieved on 2007-05-22.
