Which American former professional basketball player was Wizards high school star
2001–02 Washington Wizards season The 2001–02 NBA season was the Wizards' 41st season in the National Basketball Association. After finishing 19–63 the previous season, the Wizards won the Draft Lottery and selected high school star Kwame Brown with the first overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft. This season marked the return of All-Star guard Michael Jordan, who came out of his retirement to play for the Wizards. Under new head coach Doug Collins, the Wizards struggled with a 2–9 start, but then posted a nine-game winning streak in December holding a 26–21 record before the All-Star break. However, they lost 24 of their final 35 games finishing the season fifth in the Atlantic Division with a 37–45 record, which was an 18-game improvement. However, they still missed the playoffs even with the help of Jordan, who was selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. Brown failed to live up to expectations averaging just 4.5 points per game off the bench.
Rashard Griffith Rashard Nathan Griffith (born October 8, 1974) is an American retired professional basketball player. Griffith, a native of Chicago, Illinois, starred for the nationally ranked King Jaguars of the Chicago Public League, where he was part of a "twin towers," as King, coached by Landon Cox, had 7'2" Thomas Hamilton and the 7'0" Griffith. Griffith had been considered the top prep center in the country until he was outplayed by Rasheed Wallace at the prestigious Nike Camp in Indianapolis. King won a state championship in 1993, and after dominating the high school ranks and being named Illinois Mr. Basketball, Rashard joined the Wisconsin Badgers college basketball team. Griffith selected Wisconsin over several schools; including University of Illinois, against the advice of his mother. In only two seasons, Griffith set the Wisconsin individual record for most blocks in a career (since surpassed). After his sophomore year, Griffith turned pro, though his entire professional career has been spent in international play, primarily in Turkey, Spain, and Italy. He was drafted 38th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1995 NBA Draft.