Chauncey Billups

Chauncey Billups

Billups with the Pistons in 2008
Personal information
Born (1976-09-25) September 25, 1976
Denver, Colorado
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight 210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school George Washington (Denver, Colorado)
College Colorado (1995–1997)
NBA draft 1997 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career 1997–2014
Position Point guard / Shooting guard
Number 4, 3, 1, 7
Career history
1997–1998 Boston Celtics
1998–1999 Toronto Raptors
1999–2000 Denver Nuggets
2000–2002 Minnesota Timberwolves
2002–2008 Detroit Pistons
2008–2011 Denver Nuggets
2011 New York Knicks
2011–2013 Los Angeles Clippers
2013–2014 Detroit Pistons
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points 15,802 (15.2 ppg)
Rebounds 2,992 (2.9 rpg)
Assists 5,636 (5.4 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Competitor for  United States
FIBA Americas Championship
2007 Las Vegas Team Competition
FIBA World Championship
2010 Turkey Team competition

Chauncey Ray Billups (born September 25, 1976) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A star at the University of Colorado, he was chosen third overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. A five-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA selection, Billups played for the Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and Team USA. He won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004 after helping the Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals,[1] and was given the nickname "Mr. Big Shot" for making late-game shots with Detroit.[2] The Pistons retired his No. 1 jersey in 2016. Billups told the Pistons fans " I know I’ve played on a lot of teams for a lot of organizations. I’ve been all over. I, Chauncy Billups, make no doubt about it, will always and forever be a Detroit Piston!"

In 2004 Billups was honored by the University of Colorado by being the fifth player to have his jersey (number 4) retired. The Coors Events Center also has a large mural of Billups in the northeast corner of the arena as part of his "Chauncey's Kid Roundup" program.[3]

Since the 1980s Billups is one of seven point guards to tally at least 15,000 points, 5,000 assists, 2,500 rebounds and four All-Star appearances. The other six have the last names of Thomas, Stockton, Hardaway, Payton, Nash, and Parker. Of those seven, only three have won an NBA Finals and an NBA Finals MVP: Thomas, Parker, and Billups. This is elite company to say the least.

High school career

Born in Denver, Colorado,[4] Billups graduated from George Washington High School of Denver in 1995. At George Washington, he was a four-time All-State first team pick, Colorado Mr. Basketball three times, and Colorado Player of the Year as a sophomore and as a junior. He started on varsity as a freshman. He was selected to the 1995 McDonald's All-American Team but did not play due to a shoulder injury.

College career

Billups chose Colorado over Kansas, Georgia Tech, University of California-Berkeley and Oklahoma State. At Colorado, Billups averaged 18.5 points per game over his two seasons. In the 1996–97 season he was named to the All-Big 12 Conference First Team and the Basketball Times All-American First Team. That same year, Billups led the Buffaloes to their first NCAA tournament victory in over thirty years in a 80–62 win over Indiana.

College Awards & Honors

NBA career

Boston Celtics (1997–1998)

Billups was drafted third overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. He did not mesh with new Celtics head coach Rick Pitino. Years later, Billups reflected on his stint in Boston, commenting, "That didn't help. That didn't give me a chance to really slow down and listen to myself, listen to the game and what's going on. I never really had that chance. It was a recipe for disaster there." In addition, the Celtics coaching staff did not know whether to play him as a point guard or shooting guard. Fifty-one games later, Billups was traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for All-Star point guard Kenny Anderson on the last day of the 1997–98 NBA trading deadline.

Toronto Raptors (1998-1999)

Billups was traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for All-Star point guard Kenny Anderson on the last day of the 1997–98 NBA trading deadline. On January 21, 1999, he was dealt to his hometown Denver Nuggets in a three-way deal involving one of Billups's future teams, the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Denver Nuggets (1999–2000)

Minnesota received Dean Garrett and Bobby Jackson from Denver, Toronto received Zeljko Rebraca and Micheal Williams from the Minnesota and the 5th pick in the 1999 NBA draft from the Denver, and Billups, along with Tyson Wheeler, was sent to Denver from Toronto. Showing his high quality of the court character Billups visited a local Denver hospital a little over three months after arriving in Denver in order to comfort and inspire Patrick Ireland, a victim of the 1999 Columbine High School Shooting Massacre, who was recovering from brain surgery in the Progressive Care Unit of St. Anthony's Hospital. A year later, on February 1, 2000, Billups was traded to the Orlando Magic along with Ron Mercer and Johnny Taylor in exchange for Chris Gatling, Tariq Abdul-Wahad, and a conditional first-round pick (The latter being traded back to the Magic for Omar Cook).

Orlando Magic (2000)

Billups was on the injured list until season's end due to an injured shoulder and never played a game for the Magic ( despite this, he was included on the season-ending team photo, wearing jersey number 2). Among NBA circles, Billups was considered a draft bust.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2000–2002)

Billups was signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves (who had been involved in the trade that sent Billups to Denver) as a back-up to then point guard Terrell Brandon, who would mentor the troubled player alongside Sam Mitchell and Kevin Garnett. The two would work on shooting, scouting, decision-making and the other attributes that came with playing point guard in the NBA.

During the 2001–02 season, Brandon suffered a serious knee injury. Billups replaced him and had a breakthrough 2001–02 season. Timberwolves won 50 games before they were swept by the Dallas Mavericks in Round 1 of the playoffs, with Billups averaging 22 points per game in the series. Through his first five season, Billups had average 11.1 PPG and 3.9 APG.

Detroit Pistons (2002–2008)

Billups with the Pistons.

After his breakthrough season, Billups became a free agent. Billups had wanted to return to Minnesota, however the Timberwolves were engulfed in salary-cap issues and wanted to see how Brandon would respond to his knee injury.

In June 2002, Billups signed a six-year, $35 million contract with the Detroit Pistons to be the team's new starting point guard.[5] When he signed with the Pistons, he was forced to take the number 1 because number 4 was retired in honor of Joe Dumars. Billups quickly earned respect from Pistons fans and colleagues for his tenacious defense and clutch shooting.

In 2003 Billups led Detroit to a first place finish overall in the Eastern Conference with a 50-32 regular season record while averaging 16.2 PPG, 3.9 APG, 3.7 RPG, .85 SPG and an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.14. Chauncey earned the nickname Mr. Big-Shot during the regular season for two events. He first swished a wing three on March 9 as time expired with his team at home but down 105-104 against the Golden State Warriors. The Pistons won 107-105 and Billups scored 31 points. The second time was just over two weeks later on March 26. The Pistons were tied in overtime with the Atlanta Hawks 99 - 99 until Billups swished a top-of-the-key triple with 0.5 seconds left. Chauncey scored 22 points against the Hawks. In the 2003 playoffs the top-seed Pistons quickly fell behind the upstart 8-seed Orlando Magic in the first round series 3 games to 1. They might have become the second top seed to lose an opening round series to an 8 seed. In game 5 Billups played a contributing role in his teams dominating 98 - 67 victory by scoring 15 pts, tied for second on the Pistons. Having helped the Pistons stave off elimination in Game 5, Billups broke out in Game 6. He scored 18 points in the 1st quarter, went 7-14 from the three-point line, and ended with 40 points. In the decisive Game 7, Billups shot 11-19 from the field and scored 37 points to help clinch the series 4-3. Detroit then beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals 4-2 with Billups averaging 18.3 PPG and hitting 100% of his free-throws, 17-17. The Pistons with their new point guard had erased the disappointments of 2002, when Detroit had finished 1 game better than the Boston Celtics for 2nd place overall in the Eastern Conference but lost in the 2002 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals Series to the Celtics 4-1. Flash forward to 2003. Detroit had reached the Eastern Conference Finals, but then they were disappointingly and embarrassingly swept by the New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals 4-0. Rick Carlilse was fired as the head coach in the off-season and Larry Brown was hired.

In the 2004 season Billups averaged 16.9 PPG, 5.7 APG, 3.5 RPG, 1.1 SPG, and an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.4. The Pistons increased their record to 54-28 but it was only good for second place in the Central Division, third seed overall in the playoffs. Billups led the Pistons through adversity helping the team to play to a winning streak of 13 followed by a losing streak of 3 followed by a winning streak of 4, and followed by a winning streak of 6. The Pistons finished the season with two separate 8-game winning streaks. Throughout the 2004 playoffs Billups led all players in assists with 136 total. The 2nd place player was Kobe Bryant with 15 fewer, while the 3rd place player, Gary Payton, had 20 fewer than Billups. During the Pistons' 23 playoff games Billups averaged 5.9 assists per game. His importance to his team's offense is seen when he was second in the playoffs in total made free throws at 121. His 89% free throws led all 10 Finals starters. Of all finalist participants, Billups placed second in free throw percentage to his own teammate, Lindsey Hunter, who, however, shot 125 fewer free-throws. Billups also scored the 5th most amount of points in the playoffs. "Mr Bigshot" also led all players in 3 point field goals attempted and in 3 point field goals made at 37-107, shooting an average 34.6%.

In the pivotal game 3 during the first round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, (which was tied 1-1) Billups led all scorers with 21 pts and finished the scoring for his team by sinking 4 of 4 free throws in the final 31.2 seconds. These free throws were a key part of the Pistons effort to stave off the Bucks' relentless defense which kept Detroit from scoring a normal field goal during the last 5:34. Mr. Big-shot came through at the Charity Stripe.

In the 2004 Eastern Conference Semifinals versus the defending Eastern Conference Champions the New Jersey Nets, Billups banked in a half-court three as time expired in game 5 to send the game into overtime. The Pistons would lose in triple overtime. Finally he helped Detroit overcome a 3-2 series deficit to win the series 4-3. The series was setting up to resemble the 2003 playoffs when the Nets swept Detroit from the Eastern Conference Finals 4-0. Another series defeat loomed. During the intense 7th game Billups hit a pair of 3 pointers to help Detroit stretch its half-time lead from 40-31 to 54-33. Billups led all scorers on both teams with 22 points. He also helped clamp down defensively on perennial All-Star Jason Kidd, holding the Net's point guard to 0 points.

In the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers Billups' scoring average dipped to 12.7 PPG, but his assists remained steady at 5.7 APG plus he limited Indiana's starting point guard, Jamaal Tinsley, to 6.8 PPG and 3.5 APG, both below his season averages. The Pistons won the gritty, defensive series 4-2 by an average score of 75.2 PPG to the Pacers' 72.7 PPG.

He helped Detroit shockingly win the 2004 NBA Finals over the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers, four games to one. He averaged per game 21 points, 5.2 assists, 3.2 RPG, 1.2 SPG, as well as shooting 50.1% FG, 47.1% 3PT, and 92.9% FT to earn the NBA Finals MVP Award. In keeping with his selfless, team-oriented, credit-sharing character Billups said about his MVP award "Everybody deserves this. Not just me. I wish I could turn it into thirteen pieces and give a little bit to everybody".

Most NBA commentators had picked the Lakers to win the series and their 4th Championship in five years (2000, 2001, 2002). The games proved them wrong. In game 1 the Pistons led by 13 pts, 73-60 with 9:16 left in the 4th quarter. The Lakers crept back into the game and trailed by seven points 79-72 with about 2:38 left. Billups hit a 16-ft jumper with 2:21 left to put the Pistons back up 9. It proved to be the back-breaker.[11] He shot 8-14 scoring 22 pts in Game 1.[12] He thoroughly outplayed a flummoxed Gary Payton limiting the Laker's point guard to 4 points.[13] In Game 2 Billups scored 27 pts, but the Pistons lost in overtime. In Game 3 Billups continued his steady ways scoring 19 points, which was second most on the Pistons. He earned these points shooting 2-5 from the 3-point line and a perfect 7-7 FTs. Billups again was Mr. Consistent in Game 4 making 23 points, which was again second most on the team. Again he shot 2-5 from the three point line and 7-9 FTs. In the clinching game 5, Billups scored a mere 14 points, but so complete was the Pistons victory, since at one point in the 4th quarter the score was 92 - 67, that Billups only played 33 minutes.[14]

The iconic championship photo of the game by Getty Images shows a sitting Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups holding up their fingers in a symbolic #1 with the Larry O'Brien and MVP trophies on the floor by them. At his jersey retirement ceremony, Rip Hamilton told the assembled crowd "I can remember us laying right at the center court before every game, and we would get stretched by Arnie. And we would always look up and we would say ‘our goal is to do what Isaiah and Joe and them did and that’s bring a championship here to Detroit Pistons. So, every time we threw that jersey on, the one thing that me and you used to always say, ‘We gotta make Joe and Isiah proud of us because they were the backcourt before us. And, we’re the backcourt now trying to bring a championship here to Detroit... But when we needed you most in that Los Angeles Lakers, in that series right there, Boy oh Boy!, Boy oh Boy!, I mean, you came out and you took total control when you had one of the best defenders, Gary Payton, guarding you play after play down the court. And, you came up to me and said ‘Hey, Rip; he can’t hold me. [Applause]. I’m gonna go ahead and do what I gotta do and bring this championship home'." [Applause]

So surprising and jarring was the Pistons victory over the Lakers, that L.A. treated their team to the proverbial fire-sale. After the Finals the Lakers traded all-star Shaquielle O'Neal, Coach Phil Jackson wrote a tell-all memoir blaming Kobe Bryant, and the next year the Lakers missed the playoffs. So dominant had the Detroit defense been that in the off-season the NBA implemented new defensive rules to limit hand-checking, clarify blocking fouls and increase defensive 3-second calls with a view to increasing the speed of play and points scored. This group of Pistons would not win another title.

Game 1 also set an NBA Finals rating record in a 15 year span that stands to this day, earning a 7.0 rating for 18-49 year olds. In the 13 year span from 2002 -2014, Billup's game 1 set a ratings record at 9.8, to be broken finally by the Seth Curry vs Lebron James Finals. Game 4 of the Lakers-Pistons Finals was rated 12.6 and was the second highest rated Game 4 in the 17 year post-Jordan era. Game 5 set a Finals record at 13.8 as it was the highest game 5 in the Post Jordan era. Additionally of the 95 finals games played in the post-Jordan era, Game 5 was the 3rd highest game in a 17 year span, the other two games being Game sevens. The average Nielsen ratings for this finals series was 11.5, which places it first in a 12 year span 2002 - 2014, and ranks it 4th in the all Finals from 1999-2015. In short the public adored the Billups/Wallace et al vs Shaq/Kobe et al, such that the Pistons vs Lakers rescued the NBA from a ratings doldrums period that lasted 15 years.

The following season, Billups was named to the 2005 NBA Second All-Defensive Team, along with teammate Tayshaun Prince, while teammate and co-captain of the Pistons Ben Wallace took home the Defensive Player of the Year Award. The Pistons reached the 2005 NBA Finals but lost in their bid to repeat as champions to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games.

In 2006, Billups was co-captain of the team. Although he captained the Pistons to a franchise best 64–18 record, they failed to make it to the NBA Finals for the first time in three years. He also led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.

On July 11, 2007, Billups signed a $46 million, four-year contract with the Pistons (which includes a team option for a fifth year at $14 million).[6] He had been an unrestricted free agent for several days after he opted out of the previous contract, which he had signed in 2002.

In the 2008 1st round of the NBA playoffs during Game 3 against the Orlando Magic, Billups injured his right hamstring randomly when Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson tangled with Billup's left leg on a drive to the bucket. Very early in the 1st quarter Nelson fell down and Billup's left foot slid away from him on Nelson's feet into doing awkward splits. Billups would sit for the 3 remaining games of the series. The injury may have hampered his play for the playoffs. Billups and the Pistons again made it to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics, but lost the series 4-2 to the eventual World Champions.

Through his six years with Detroit, Billups made six straight conference championship series, two NBA finals, and won an NBA Championship. He was an All-Star three times, made the all-NBA team three times and All-Defensive second team twice. His back-court co-starter Richard "Rip" Hamilton, summarized the on-court presence of Billups with the following speech at his jersey retirement ceremony, "You had the hardest job on the court. You had to manage us five guys on the floor. You had to make sure Ben Wallace got the ball the first two plays of every game ‘cause we had to make him feel like he was a scorer. So, you had to manage that. [Applause]. But also, I mean, every time I came off the screen, every time I was running around like a wild animal, you would put that ball right in a position for me to score, and you made my job easier. I don’t know where my career would have been without you... But, my finest memories of you is, man, you coulda’ came out each and every night and averaged over 20 points a game. But, what you did, you sacrificed your own game to make sure that all of us was involved in the game."

Return to Denver Nuggets (2008–2011)

Billups with the Denver Nuggets

On November 3, 2008, Billups was traded to the Denver Nuggets, along with Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb, for Allen Iverson.[7] Pistons GM Joe Dumars said that was "the hardest and toughest" move he had made as a general manager, describing Billups as "... a guy that I have looked at as a little brother."

Billups chose the number 7 jersey to honor Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway, since two of his other favorite numbers, 1 and 4, were already worn by J. R. Smith and Kenyon Martin, respectively.[8] He played his first game of the Nuggets' 2008–09 season on November 7, 2008. He recorded 15 points, four rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes of play in a 108–105 Nuggets' home win.[9] He finished the season averaging 17.7 ppg, and 6.4 apg.

With Billups and Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets accomplished a number of franchise milestones. Their 54–28 record matched the most wins the franchise had gotten since their induction in the NBA, their 27–14 start was also a record for wins in the first half of a season. This also marked the first time in the franchise's history the team had gotten 50 wins in back-to-back seasons. They led the Northwest division for much of the season, eventually winning the division and gaining the number two seed in the Western Conference, matching the highest the team had ever been seeded for the playoffs. In the first round, they defeated the New Orleans Hornets in 5 games, which included a record-equaling 58-point margin-of-victory. Billups also set a Nuggets franchise record with the most 3 pointers in a playoff game with 8, and his 19 3-pointers in total is also a Nuggets record for 3s made in a playoff series. Billups averaged 22.6 ppg, 7.4 apg, and 3.8 3PM in that series. In his first year with the Nuggets, Billups led them back to the NBA Conference Finals for the first time since 1985. This was Billups' 7th straight conference finals. He joined Magic Johnson, Michael Cooper, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Kurt Rambis as the only players to accomplish this feat since the Boston Celtics of the 1950s and 1960s led by Bill Russell. Billups finished the season sixth in voting for the 2009 NBA Most Valuable Player Award. He received six fourth place votes and totaled 33 points. He was also selected to his second All-NBA Third Team.

For the 2009–10 season, Billups reverted to wearing No. 1, the same number he wore with the Detroit Pistons. Teammate J. R. Smith, who had previously worn No. 1 since being acquired by the Nuggets in 2006, changed to the No. 5 jersey.[10] On November 27, 2009, in the Nuggets' 128–125 win over the New York Knicks, Billups scored 32 points while teammate Carmelo Anthony scored 50. This made them only the third duo in NBA history to score at least 30 and 50 points respectively. On February 5, 2010, Billups set a career high in points with a 39-point performance in a road win over the Los Angeles Lakers with 27 of them coming from 9 three-pointers. During the 2010–11 season as a Nugget, he averaged 16.5 points per game, 5.3 assists per game, and 2.5 rebounds per game in 32.3 minutes per game. His .441 three point field goal percentage was a career high. He played 51 games with the team that season.

New York Knicks (2011)

Despite publicly professing his desire to finish his career in hometown Denver and retire as a Nugget, Billups was traded to the New York Knicks on February 22, 2011[11] as part of the Carmelo Anthony deal. Billups was "collateral damage"—as more than one sportswriter put it—of Carmelo Anthony's desire to play in New York and the Nuggets' desire to trade Anthony before he became a free agent.[12] "Oh it was hard, hardest thing I've ever had to do," Billups said. "I had to tell my girls that daddy was traded, that he was leaving to play across the country. I told them it wasn't my choice, that nothing could be done about it. I had to go. It wasn't a happy scene."[13] During the 2010–2011 season as a Knick, he averaged 17.5 points per game, 5.5 assists per game, and 3.1 rebounds per game in 31.6 minutes per game. He played 21 games with the Knicks.

The New York Knicks finished 42–40 and clinched the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and made the playoffs for the first time since 2004. Billups suffered a knee injury while playing against the Celtics in Game 1 of the 2011 NBA Playoffs. The injury would keep Billups sidelined for the remainder of the playoffs.[14]

Shortly after the Knicks were eliminated from the playoffs by the Boston Celtics, Billups mentioned he would love to return to the Knicks next season. "I would love the opportunity to really try it up with these guys," Billups said. "Not like play 30 games after a trade, like really have a season. Have an opportunity to really get a fair shake with these guys. I would love to."[15] In December, 2011, the Knicks used their amnesty clause on Billups, and put him on waivers, ending his tenure as a Knick.

Los Angeles Clippers (2011–2013)

After his tenure with the Knicks came to an end, Billups became an unrestricted free agent. Many believed that a contender like the Miami Heat or the Los Angeles Lakers would end up acquiring Billups. However, on December 12, 2011, the Los Angeles Clippers claimed Billups off waivers. Billups indicated that he didn't want to be picked up by a team that was not contending for a championship and said he would retire if he was, pushing the NBA to warn him and his agent that he would be "in breach of his contract" if he did not show up.[16] However, the Clippers ended up trading for the Hornets' superstar point guard Chris Paul two days later. After the Chris Paul trade, Billups said that he was happy to be with the Clippers, saying that "I think these guys are ready to take the next leap and hopefully I can help with that".[17]

Billups, a point guard, was moved into the shooting guard position, which he was still getting used to when he was injured.[18] On February 7, 2012, an MRI revealed a tear in Billups's Achilles tendon, ending his season and only appeared in 20 games.[19] Billups helped the Clippers beat Miami, Oklahoma City, Orlando and the Los Angeles Lakers en route to a 19–9 start.[20]

On July 13, 2012, Billups re-signed with the Clippers on a 1-year deal. He made his season debut on November 28, 2012, against the Timberwolves. Billups was limited to only 22 games during the season because of various injuries,[21] including a sore back and tendinitis in his left foot.[18]

On June 10, 2013, Billups received the inaugural Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. Billups was humbled by the award, and said, "For my name to be mentioned with [Jack Twyman], I really don't feel worthy, to be honest with you. It's kind of embarrassing."[21] During the 2012–13 season, Billups averaged a new career high free-throw percentage. He became a free agent after the season.

Return to Detroit Pistons (2013–2014)

On July 16, 2013, Billups signed a two-year, $5 million contract to return to the Detroit Pistons.[22][23] More knee problems caused him to miss most of the 2013–14 season, as he appeared in his fewest games since the 1999–2000 season and averaged career lows in points, minutes, steals, FG%, and 3P% during the year. The Pistons finished the season at 29–53, and missed the postseason.

On June 30, 2014, the Pistons announced they would not pick up their team option on Billups' contract for the 2014–15 season.[24]

On September 9, 2014, Billups announced his retirement from the NBA after 17 years.[25] Billups cited his health as the main reason for his retirement, as he never appeared in more than 22 games in his last three seasons in the league.[26]

On February 10, 2016, the Pistons retired Billups's No. 1 jersey.[27]

All-star appearances

In 2006, Billups was selected to play in the 2006 NBA All-Star Game as a reserve for the Eastern Conference, along with former teammates Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace. Pistons head coach Flip Saunders coached the Eastern Conference squad and put all four Pistons in the game when the east was falling behind; they were able to get the Eastern All-Star team back in the game. During the 2006 NBA All-Star Weekend, Billups participated in the Three-point Shootout contest. He was eliminated in the first round of the contest after scoring 12 points. Billups called this moment when all four Pistons entered the game at the same time, one of the highlight moments of his career.

In the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, Billups was chosen as a reserve, along with teammate Richard Hamilton, for the Eastern Conference, despite an injury that kept Billups out of five games early on in the season. Billups also took part in the Shooting Stars Competition alongside former Piston and Detroit Shock head coach Bill Laimbeer and Shock star Swin Cash. Team Detroit won the competition with Billups hitting the final half-court shot.

Billups was selected to play as a reserve in the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, along with teammates Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace, an injury replacement. Billups was the only Nugget to be selected to the 2009 NBA All-Star Game.

Billups was chosen as the replacement by David Stern for injured New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul at the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.[28]

NBA statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
† NBA championship

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1997–98 Boston 51 44 25.4 .390 .339 .817 2.2 4.3 1.5 .0 11.1
1997–98 Toronto 29 26 31.7 .349 .316 .919 2.7 3.3 1.0 .1 11.3
1998–99 Denver 45 41 33.1 .386 .362 .913 2.1 3.8 1.3 .3 13.9
1999–00 Denver 13 5 23.5 .337 .171 .841 2.6 3.0 .8 .2 8.6
2000–01 Minnesota 77 33 23.2 .422 .376 .842 2.1 3.4 .7 .1 9.3
2001–02 Minnesota 82 54 28.7 .423 .394 .885 2.8 5.5 .8 .2 12.5
2002–03 Detroit 74 74 31.4 .421 .392 .878 3.7 3.9 .9 .2 16.2
2003–04† Detroit 78 78 35.4 .394 .388 .878 3.5 5.7 1.1 .1 16.9
2004–05 Detroit 80 80 35.8 .442 .426 .898 3.4 5.8 1.0 .1 16.5
2005–06 Detroit 81 81 36.1 .418 .433 .894 3.1 8.6 .9 .1 18.5
2006–07 Detroit 70 70 36.2 .427 .345 .883 3.4 7.2 1.2 .2 17.0
2007–08 Detroit 78 78 32.3 .448 .401 .918 2.7 6.8 1.3 .2 17.0
2008–09 Detroit 2 2 35.0 .333 .286 .918 5.0 7.5 1.5 .5 12.5
2008–09 Denver 77 77 35.3 .420 .410 .900 3.0 6.4 1.2 .2 17.9
2009–10 Denver 73 73 34.1 .418 .386 .910 3.1 5.6 1.1 .1 19.5
2010–11 Denver 51 51 32.3 .438 .441 .923 2.5 5.3 1.0 .2 16.5
2010–11 New York 21 21 31.6 .403 .328 .902 3.1 5.5 .9 .1 17.5
2011–12 L.A. Clippers 20 20 30.4 .364 .384 .895 2.5 4.0 .5 .2 15.0
2012–13 L.A. Clippers 22 22 19.0 .402 .367 .938 1.5 2.2 .5 .0 8.4
2013–14 Detroit 19 7 16.3 .304 .292 .833 1.5 2.2 .4 .1 3.8
Career 1043 937 31.6 .415 .387 .894 2.9 5.4 1.0 .2 15.2
All-Star 5 0 19.0 .455 .320 .750 2.2 5.0 .4 .0 10.2

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2001 Minnesota 3 0 8.7 .167 .000 1.000 1.7 .7 .0 .0 1.0
2002 Minnesota 3 3 44.7 .451 .400 .700 5.0 5.7 1.0 .3 22.0
2003 Detroit 14 14 34.6 .374 .310 .933 3.4 4.7 .6 .1 18.0
2004† Detroit 23 23 38.3 .385 .346 .890 3.0 5.9 1.3 .1 16.4
2005 Detroit 25 25 39.4 .428 .349 .893 4.3 6.5 1.0 .2 18.7
2006 Detroit 18 18 39.2 .406 .340 .905 3.4 6.5 1.2 .1 17.9
2007 Detroit 16 16 40.6 .435 .389 .832 3.3 5.7 1.2 .1 18.6
2008 Detroit 15 15 32.0 .401 .375 .832 2.9 5.5 .8 .1 16.1
2009 Denver 16 16 38.7 .457 .468 .906 3.8 6.8 1.3 .3 20.6
2010 Denver 6 6 34.5 .446 .355 .881 2.3 6.3 1.0 .5 20.6
2011 New York 1 1 35.0 .273 .333 1.000 2.0 4.0 .0 .0 10.0
2013 L.A. Clippers 6 6 19.2 .306 .353 .818 2.0 1.0 .2 .2 6.2
Career 146 143 36.4 .411 .366 .880 3.4 5.7 1.0 .2 17.3

National team

On March 5, 2006, Billups was selected to be a part of the 2006–2008 USA Men's Senior National Team program developed to restore Team USA back to the top of the basketball world after disappointments in the 2002 FIBA World Championship and the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.[29] After missing out in the 2006 FIBA World Championship due to personal reasons, on August 20, 2007, Billups was selected to be a part of Team USA that competed at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship, a qualifying tournament for the Beijing Olympics.[30] Coming off the bench, he along with the other new members of the team including All Star Kobe Bryant helped USA go unbeaten at the tournament held in Las Vegas and earn a spot at next Summer Olympics. On June 17, 2008, Billups announced he would not compete for a spot to be on the Olympic squad stating family reasons though he did say "they'll be fine. And when they win the gold, I'll feel like I had a big hand in regaining our dominance because of what we did last summer."[31] During the tournament, Team USA went unbeaten on their way to their first gold medal since the 2000 Olympics, defeating Spain in the final.[32]

Personal life

Billups has a wife, Piper, and three daughters, Cydney, Ciara, and Cenaiya.[33] His friend, NBA player Kevin Garnett, is the godfather to Ciara. His younger brother, Rodney, was a point guard for the University of Denver, and was drafted in the NBA Development League.[34][35] He is the first cousin of running back LenDale White.[36]

Billups wore the #4 through high school and college and at times during his professional career because he idolized former Pistons guard Joe Dumars, the Pistons President of Basketball Operations during his time at Detroit.[37] His favorite NFL team is the Denver Broncos.[36]

Billups was featured on the cover of the video game NBA Ballers: Phenom and is the player's mentor.

On June 16, 2008, Billups appeared at Joe Louis Arena for a Barack Obama rally.[38]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Aschburner, Steve (November 3, 2008). "Back home after trade, Billups has something to prove with Nuggets". Sports Illustrated.
  2. ↑ Friend, Tom (May 11, 2009). "The Disposable Superstar". Outside the Lines (ESPN.com).
  3. ↑ One Chauncey Billups mural replaced at CU
  4. ↑ "Billups, Chauncey". Current Biography Yearbook 2011. Ipswich, MA: H.W. Wilson. 2011. pp. 67–70. ISBN 9780824211219.
  5. ↑ "Pistons Sign Free Agent Guard Chauncey Billups". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 17, 2002. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
  6. ↑ ESPN – Pistons keep Billups with four-year, $46M deal – NBA. Sports.espn.go.com (2007-07-11). Retrieved on 2012-05-27.
  7. ↑ Hochman, Benjamin (November 3, 2008). "Nuggets ship Iverson to Detroit for Billups". Denver Post.
  8. ↑ Graham, Pat (November 7, 2008). "No place like home for Denver native Billups". Associated Press.
  9. ↑ Dallas Mavericks vs. Denver Nuggets – Recap – November 07, 2008 – ESPN. Scores.espn.go.com (2008-11-07). Retrieved on 2012-05-27.
  10. ↑ Denver Nuggets official website. Nba.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-27.
  11. ↑ "Knicks Acquire Four-Time All-Star Carmelo Anthony". NBA.com. 2011-02-22. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  12. ↑ Sources: New York Knicks complete deal for Carmelo Anthony – ESPN New York. Sports.espn.go.com (2011-02-22). Retrieved on 2012-05-27.
  13. ↑ "Carmelo Tends to Garden of Good and Evil". FanHouse. 2011-02-24. Retrieved 2011-02-24.
  14. ↑ Prada, Mike. "Chauncey Billups Could Miss Game 2 Of Celtics Vs. Knicks With Strained Knee". Blog article. SB nation. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
  15. ↑ Begley, Ian. "Chauncey Billups: I want to come back". ESPN. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  16. ↑ Turner, Broderick (2011-12-11). "Clippers win waiver bid for Chauncey Billups". Los Angeles Times.
  17. ↑ Turner, Broderick (2011-12-16). "Chauncey Billups OK with playing for Clippers". Los Angeles Times.
  18. 1 2 Turner, Broderick (2013-03-09). "Clippers' Chauncey Billups still finding his comfort zone". Los Angeles Times.
  19. ↑ "Clippers' Billups Has Torn Achilles', Ending His Season". The New York Times. February 7, 2012.
  20. ↑ Broussard, Chris. "Vinny Del Negro losing Clippers?". ESPN The Magazine. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
  21. 1 2 Bresnahan, Mike (2013-06-09). "Clippers' Chauncey Billups wins NBA's first 'best teammate' award". Los Angeles Times.
  22. ↑ "Billups agrees to return to Pistons with two-year deal". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 11, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Pistons Sign Free Agent Guard Chauncey Billups". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 16, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  24. ↑ "Pistons not renewing Chauncey Billups' contract". NBA.com. June 30, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  25. ↑ Chauncey Billups Retires from NBA After 17-Year Career
  26. ↑ "Billups says 'it's time' in announcing retirement". Retrieved 2015-04-01.
  27. ↑ Langlois, Keith (February 10, 2016). "Mr. Big Shot slides in next to Big Ben as Pistons honor another of NBA’s most unique champions". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Billups to replace Paul in 2010 NBA All-Star Game". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Feb 3, 2010.
  29. ↑ Team USA 2006–08 Announced. Insidehoops.com (2006-03-05). Retrieved on 2012-05-27.
  30. ↑ USA Men's Team Announced For FIBA Americas Championship at the Wayback Machine (archived January 13, 2009). usabasketball.com. August 20, 2007
  31. ↑ Citing family reasons, Billups pulls out of consideration for Beijing. Sports.espn.go.com (2008-06-17). Retrieved on 2012-05-27.
  32. ↑ Brian Mahoney US hoops back on top, beats Spain for gold medal. USA Today (2008-08-24)
  33. ↑ Fantasy Basketball Breaking News –. Rotoworld.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-27.
  34. ↑ CSTV.com: #1 in College Sports. Denverpioneers.cstv.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-27.
  35. ↑ NBA Development League Announces 2006 Draft Results. nba.com. November 2, 2006
  36. 1 2 "Five Things You Didn't Know About Chauncey Billups". June 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-21.
  37. ↑ PISTONS: FSN SPOTLIGHT – Chauncey Billups at the Wayback Machine (archived January 15, 2009). nba.com.
  38. ↑ WXYZ.com at the Wayback Machine (archived June 23, 2008) (2008-06-17)

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